SEN. TOMMY NORMENT ELECTED MAJORITY LEADER. The James City legislator today won his bid to hold onto the top spot, but in a concession to calls from younger and more conservative colleagues for Norment to step down from his role as Majority Leader, or at least as chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, Norment agreed to allow Sen. Emmett Hanger to co-chair Finance. This provides at least some check on the incredible power that any Finance Chairman has, which would have been even greater if coupled with the power of the Majority Leader. Good for Senator Tom Garrett for forcing this, and achieving a better result than would have happened otherwise. Dave Ress has more.
Garrett: “Half a loaf is better than none”
written by Chad Ochocinco
November 19, 2015
6 comments
Chad Ochocinco
Chad Ochocinco isn't a former professional football player.
6 comments
Can we see the roll call, please?
Really Steve? You don’t understand that Hangar is 1) a RINO and 2) certain to do only what Norment instructs and is only a 3) a “co” chair anyway? This is window-dressing of the high water. No one should get any “credit” for this, as nothing is achieved. Mike Rothfeld
You’re right, Mike. It’s not a victory. But Garrett deserves praise for trying when (1) everyone agrees its horrible to have the majority leader be the same person who has sole control of Finance; and (2) no one else was willing to say a damn word about it. We’ve got to buck up our allies or they quickly learn it’s not worth ever speaking out against leadership.
You might want to buck him up after the defeat, but the lesson Sen. Garrett should have learned is he needs to count internal votes before looking at external pressure.
It beats nothing at all, but this is not close to ‘half’. Norment and Hanger are both bad news.
How is this better? Sen. Hanger isn’t a conservative either.