It is a well-known legislative strategy in the NH House to protect a “win” against later efforts of your opponents to convert it into a loss. This is especially important when the numbers of Reps on each side of the aisle are fairly close together, as we find ourselves now.
Thus, when the majority has won a vote on a bill, no matter whether it was determined to pass or fail, the win can be protected by the simple process of having a Rep who voted in the majority move for reconsideration (yes, only a single Rep is required to make such a motion) and urge voting AGAINST the reconsideration motion. If the reconsideration motion is defeated (assuming that those who voted on the winning side will also vote against reconsideration), the bill cannot be brought up before the House again until the next legislative session quite a way down the road.
So, last Thursday, the morning votes went fairly well for the Republican majority, even though by very small margins. But it has been reported that some Dem operatives were standing by the chamber doors to record who was leaving for the day and who was staying, so they could adjust their own strategy. And in the afternoon, after several Republican Reps had left early for the day, shifting the majority of those present to the Dems, the Dems brought virtually all of the morning bills that had been handled successfully by the Republicans back for reconsideration, at which point, since the Dems now had a small majority, the prior actions on those bills were reversed, handing the Republicans a series of defeats- unforced errors.
One might ask how this could happen. One might ask why no Republican Reps attempted to lock in their morning victories by seeking reconsideration and having reconsideration defeated when the Republicans still held a majority in attendance. The simple answer is that no Republican Reps sought such reconsideration or were asked or encouraged to do so through what appears to be an abject failure of the so-called “leadership” in the House. Some might even call it political malpractice.
If that so-called “leadership” cannot implement even the simplest legislative strategy, one might wonder why they are still in “leadership.”
And it is very well known that the Republican majority in the House is now very thin, making attendance and voting by Republican Reps absolutely essential. There have been numerous statements by very smart people about the benefits and necessity of simply showing up (at the General Court as in everything in life):
“Showing up is half the battle in life. The ones who have the life they want showed up every single day and did the work. It’s not about doing intense work or doing smart, complicated work. It’s about just showing up to work and seeing the day through to the end by giving it effort.”
Yet we seem to have some Reps claiming to be Republicans whose attendance at House voting sessions is abysmal. If they do not care enough to show up and vote, they should not be in the House.
