The blood rushed from the faces of Democrat lawmakers on the floor of the Arizona House yesterday, when one of their own admitted that they have already been holding closed door meetings during a debate on a vote to formally close the caucuses. According to lawmakers, the House voted to restore the proper role of “caucus” in the process of crafting legislation.
The vote was along Party lines.
After the admission, Democrats continued to claim that closing the caucuses would be tantamount to eliminating transparency. One Republican detailed the case for restoration, “My vote is highly transparent, and open for all to see real time”, said Rep. Mark Finchem (LD-11, R). Rep. Eddie Farnsworth (LD-12, R) said during the debate that it was “strange to hear Democrats complain about transparency when a few short years ago they were a driving force to pass the Medicaid Expansion in record time, crafted behind closed doors and brought out in the middle of the night. The same individuals who refused to answer questions about the bill but passed it.”
One lawmaker noted that Webster’s dictionary defines “Caucus” as, “a closed meeting of a group of persons belonging to the same political party or faction usually to select candidates or to decide on policy.” After the vote Finchem said, “In days gone by Caucus was not an open affair, but an opportunity for individuals to argue within a closed group, the various points and merits of a piece of legislation; and how it might impact citizens. With today’s always-on, immediate delivery news feeds, individuals are held to a much different standard than their predecessors. Taking the time to thoughtfully consider a concept, to present it to one’s peers, to argue its merits and to create a truly useful, meaningful legislative product. Enter the hecklers veto. If we don’t give our representation time to talk and to craft well vetted policy, we get what we have gotten in the recent past.”
House Minority Leader Eric Meyer acknowledged that the Democrats having already been holding private meetings and questioned why the issue was being voted on. However, he proceeded to vote against it.
The Senate already has closed caucuses.