Strong Party Bosses and The New Breed of Legislator
03/30/2008
Paul Munnis
Among the many changes going on in America these days there is one not often discussed outside of legislative circles. It deals with change in terms of how the Party manages their Party’s elected officials.
In the past and still too often, strong Party bosses muscle legislators to understand the Party platform and to support it at all costs. We have just seen an example of that among the Republican ranks in the Minnesota House wherein six Republicans who voted their conscience in terms of the Transportation Bill are being disciplined by their Party for representing the will of the people in their district. Minnesotans are shocked that elected officials can be muscled this way but they can be by strong Party bosses and the GOP makes no bones about it. “Vote how we tell you or you are out of the Party!” Sen. Sheila Kiscaden of Rochester was the victim of this and she felt the whip-lash first hand.
Democrats are not immune to it but the last two classes of Democratic legislators elected to serve in the House are not so passive on this subject. They believe they should be free to represent the will of the people in their district even if it rubs against the Party bosses. That is what they were elected for and that is what they vow to do. Party bosses are learning to live with it for Democrats seldom fit the stereotype and they have always been strong willed people. Facing a need for re-election in a time of heightened political awareness the Representatives want the freedom to do their jobs as they see it defined by their constituents. I am applauding their pluck and grit.
The political change taking place is in my opinion for the better. It is the beginnings of a return to bipartisanship which has suffered badly under the strong party boss system. It is time we put the good of the country before the good of the party and work to get the best outcomes possible. It is not just an idealistic statement either. America is so ravaged by the GOP that we are going to need to repair it and we can’t do it without bi-partisan participation in government. The veto is the last refuge of a strong Party boss who will broach no interference. More often you see a veto over-ride happen as Representatives work to represent their Districts and their constituents. If strong Party bosses keep eating their children like this then they soon won’t have a party to boss. Already Republicans are complaining that they can’t get candidates to run for election. They only need to look at their Party and how it treats their members to see why.