You're Joking, Right?

Rep. Steven Mascaro commented on a post where I opined that his approach to politics is grandstanding and hackish, and, to point of fact, ineffectual. (At least I assume it really was him. It does have several difficult-to-replicate indicia that he actually did write it.).

Thank you, Rep. Mascaro, for allowing the public a wonderful opportunity to verify your rhetoric. Thank you. Usually you hide behind vague, unverifiable broadsides on people who are doing their level best. And, the media is all too glad to parrot your accusations, without attempting to check any facts. Thank you, for this time giving us some specifics that can be analyzed and that clearly show that your claims of victimization by thuggish colleagues are false.

Rep. Mascaro claims that I buried his bills in Rules this past session. Not so, as I told him on 1/30/08, when he screamed at me and swore vengeance.

In 2007, Rep. Mascaro did have some extraordinarily bad legislation or legislation where he never would be able to pull together a working consensus. So, much of it didn’t go anywhere. However, he had stirred up a constituency on a bill that aimed to mandate insurance coverage for morbid obesity (by working with the media, instead of health care providers and insurers). The bill had no legs. But, he asked if I’d send it to his standing committee, so that he could put on a bit of a show. He promised, as chair of the committee, that it would never get out of committee, even if he had to publicly protest that outcome. That’s what happened. He was happy. I thought we were BFF. Until he uncorked on me in 2008.

So, let’s examine the horrible treatment he received at my hands in 2008.

Two of his bills, HB 20 and HB 21, took a rocket ride on the fast track. Immediately, they skipped the (time-consuming) step of a standing committee hearing during the session and went straight to the board for consideration by the whole House. (Bills that have been approved unanimously by an interim committee are eligible for such rock star treatment; but, they don't all get it.). As a matter of fact, HB 21 was out of the House and to the Senate on day 1 of the session. I doubt any other representative – and surely not more than 2 or 3 – was given such a meteoric start by the Rules Committee.

HB 59 was sent to a standing committee on the third day of the session. Still rock star treatment.

Take a good look at HB 158. That’s the one where I got screamed at and threatened. He had asked me about it before. I told him that it was not in the possession of the Rules Committee. That means that it could only be in one place – the Fiscal Analysts’ office. It’s not rocket science. It’s got to be in one of two places. (And, thus, it is absolutely astounding -- or, more accurately, embarrassing -- that he’d claim I could hide it for 10 days; one hour after being sworn in, a decent freshman legislator knows that legislation has to be in one of two places, if it hasn’t gone to a standing committee; it’s either (A) with the Rules Committee or (B) with the Fiscal Analysts’ office. A or B. It can’t be anywhere else. There is no C, D, or E. It’s got to be in one of those two places, A or B. If a legislator is confused, he can take one minute and find it. 10 days? Wow!).

So, again, please take a look at the status report on HB 158. Rules took possession of the bill on 1/30. Mascaro talked with the clerk and uncorked on me on 1/30. Bully that I am, the bill went to a standing committee . . . when? We’re going to do a bit of training on fact checking, and I’ll let you answer that question. You’ll see that Rules received the bill on 1/30; now look for the date of the line that says, “House/to standing committee.” Clearly, I’m a bad man, and I deserved to be threatened.

On HB 232, a few Rules Committee members pointed out to Rep. Mascaro that the State currently is in the middle of a $7,500,000 elementary school math initiative project, and that we need to receive and analyze the results of that study before launching in another direction. We asked whether he might consider changing his legislation a bit. Of course not. Even on this non-starter bill, though, he was treated very well by the Rules Committee, and the bill was sent to a standing committee with over a month to go in the session.

Rules never received HB 496, meaning that he abandoned it.

So, Rep. Mascaro’s last bill was sent out very early in the process. No one can dispute that this is anything other than superb treatment by the Rules Committee. Yet, with lots of bluster, Rep. Mascaro reports that the Rules Committee stuck it to him. Facts. Those pesky facts. Borrowing Rep. Mascaro’s suggestion: “Now multiply that times [sic] the many occassions [sic] that” Rep. Mascaro has been quoted (with no verifiable factual evidence) to say that a conservative cabal is out to get him, and you’ll see that this just might be “the tip of the ice berge [sic]” to a polemic witch hunt.

So, thank you, Steven, for finally giving us some facts to analyze regarding your alleged victim status and my observation that you are a grandstanding political hack. My opinion stands. Then, again, maybe in that golden age of “decorum” and “professional courtesy” legislators could simply make up stuff and use those lies and distortions to malign colleagues, and everyone just thought it was precious.

I happen to think it's a pretty wonderful age now, when people don't have to rely on a biased media for information, but instead can easily check facts for themselves.