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CNN Live At Daybreak
Where Are the Democrats in Texas?
Aired May 14, 2003 - 05:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And in Texas, it's either political strategy or cowardly grandstanding, it just depends on who you talk to. Both are being used to describe what's going on with the Texas state legislature.
Our Ed Lavandera has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For most of this week, Texas legislators have been playing the political equivalent of Where's Waldo?, asking where are the Democrats? Well, they're hiding in this Holiday Inn hotel in Ardmore, Oklahoma, just a few miles north of the Texas border.
Why are they here? Well, this group of 50 Texas Democrats are protesting what they say is the efforts of Texas Republicans to push through a congressional -- a redistricting bill being pushed by U.S. Representative Tom DeLay. They're completely against it and they say they will stay in this hotel until Thursday or perhaps Friday if they have to, to make sure that bill never makes it out of the Texas legislature. They say that this is just strong politics and one of the choices, the last options, they say they have for them to use.
JIM DUNNAM (D), TEXAS CAUCUS CHAIRMAN: We have a message for Tom DeLay -- don't mess with Texas.
LAVANDERA: Texas Republicans say that these Democrats are acting like chickens and crowds and that they should return to Austin to fight their battles in person. State troopers and Texas Rangers were sent out to round up these Democrats, to no avail, since they crossed over state lines. They have no jurisdiction here. But the governor of Texas says it's just time for these Democrats to come back to work.
GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: Texas Democrats need to live up to their responsibility, their oath of office, which simply requires that they represent the people in Austin for 140 days every two years. My Democrat friends, it's time to come back to work.
LAVANDERA (on camera): This isn't the first time Texas Democrats have tried to pull this kind of stunt. In 1979, a group of 12 senators known as the Killer Bees hid out in a West Austin garage apartment so that they could defeat legislation being pushed by the lieutenant governor of the state at the time. But they say they'll continue to stay here until their point is made and that they've won this political battle.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Ardmore, Oklahoma.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 14, 2003 - 05:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And in Texas, it's either political strategy or cowardly grandstanding, it just depends on who you talk to. Both are being used to describe what's going on with the Texas state legislature.
Our Ed Lavandera has the story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For most of this week, Texas legislators have been playing the political equivalent of Where's Waldo?, asking where are the Democrats? Well, they're hiding in this Holiday Inn hotel in Ardmore, Oklahoma, just a few miles north of the Texas border.
Why are they here? Well, this group of 50 Texas Democrats are protesting what they say is the efforts of Texas Republicans to push through a congressional -- a redistricting bill being pushed by U.S. Representative Tom DeLay. They're completely against it and they say they will stay in this hotel until Thursday or perhaps Friday if they have to, to make sure that bill never makes it out of the Texas legislature. They say that this is just strong politics and one of the choices, the last options, they say they have for them to use.
JIM DUNNAM (D), TEXAS CAUCUS CHAIRMAN: We have a message for Tom DeLay -- don't mess with Texas.
LAVANDERA: Texas Republicans say that these Democrats are acting like chickens and crowds and that they should return to Austin to fight their battles in person. State troopers and Texas Rangers were sent out to round up these Democrats, to no avail, since they crossed over state lines. They have no jurisdiction here. But the governor of Texas says it's just time for these Democrats to come back to work.
GOV. RICK PERRY (R), TEXAS: Texas Democrats need to live up to their responsibility, their oath of office, which simply requires that they represent the people in Austin for 140 days every two years. My Democrat friends, it's time to come back to work.
LAVANDERA (on camera): This isn't the first time Texas Democrats have tried to pull this kind of stunt. In 1979, a group of 12 senators known as the Killer Bees hid out in a West Austin garage apartment so that they could defeat legislation being pushed by the lieutenant governor of the state at the time. But they say they'll continue to stay here until their point is made and that they've won this political battle.
Ed Lavandera, CNN, Ardmore, Oklahoma.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
