Normally the show begins when the gavel comes down, but that’s not what happened today at the Georgia State Capitol.
Members of the House & Senate Democratic Caucuses arrived well before the 2 o’clock gavel-in time of the Special Legislative Session. We were prepared for Georgia Republicans to follow the examples of Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana and Alabama, who all acted on President Trump’s demands to further gerrymander state maps, thus preserving partisan advantage to the fullest extent possible.
Senator Warnock flew in from Washington to cheer us on -- telling us he was missing Senate votes, but assuring us that a few missed votes are worth it when the votes of the people are on the chopping block. “Crooked politicians drawing crooked lines,” he said. The air in the room was angry, channeled into a productive energy that refused to be beaten down. Sen. Warnock closed by saying it’s not just about Black people, it’s also about women, other minorities, workers, and young people. That was followed by lots of praying, plenty of “Amens,” and even some rowdy clapping and singing.
The next stop was a noon press conference on the steps of the Capitol. There were impressive speakers, but the stars of the show were the hoards of people who showed up to the Capitol ready to fight. Let me just say that the place was PACKED. And it mattered in a really big way.
History was unfolding before our eyes. Election results were fresh on people’s minds and new political alliances were forming in real time. The two Caucuses went their separate ways and the Senate Caucus gathered for lunch, watching the Republican press conference on the screen above our conference table. And there it was -- Speaker Jon Burns saying the House would not take up maps during the Special Session, and Senate President Pro-Tem Larry Walker agreeing that the Senate would stay with the House and not pass maps.
It was a victorious day at the Capitol and we need to celebrate our win. Though many factors came together this morning that ultimately played into the legislative branch standing up to the power of both the Governor and the President, what mattered most was the People showing up. When the Republicans made their announcement that they wouldn’t take up maps, the People cheered -- those were liberal people cheering, and it made the Republicans pause and smile, because they knew they were doing the right thing, and the People were there telling them so. That matters.
We gaveled in at 2pm for a really boring legislative day, passing three resolutions -- the rules, the calendar, and an announcement telling the House we had convened and were ready to do business. Then we adjourned until tomorrow, when hopefully we will get busy working on the only thing we really need to do -- passing legislation to ensure that November’s elections are legal.
We’ll be in session Thursday, then we’ll break Friday for Juneteenth, returning to session Saturday, breaking again for Father’s Day, then returning Monday Sine Die.
I’ll let you know how the rest of the special session goes. We’re off to a good start!
