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The Shays Principle

Friday, February 15, 2002

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From Fairbanks, Alaska
Fairbanks Lincoln Day Dinner
• At about 5:45 AM local time yesterday, I dialed the switchboard of the United States Capitol. I asked for Congressman Chris Shays'(R-CT) office. I asked the receptionist for the Congressman.

• Shays came on the line and I said, "Even though you know we disagree on campaign finance reform, I have never been prouder of someone I call my friend, than I am of you this morning."

• [Pause here for sharp intake of breath from readers]

• After 17 hours of floor debate the U.S. House had approved the campaign finance reform bill which Shays and his colleague, Marty Meehan (D-MA), had been pushing for several years.

• I would have made that phone call, even if Shays-Meehan had been defeated.

• Chris Shays is an honorable guy. A principled guy. A principled guy who will do what he thinks is right even if it is not particularly popular.

• I think this story is essentially correct: When he was a member of the state legislature in Connecticut, Shays came across some information about people with connections to State government who were learning about land in which the State had an interest. They would purchase said land before that interest became public knowledge, then sell it to the State in the normal cost of business pocketing a tidy, if less than honest, profit.

• When Shays made this public, a judge demanded he reveal his sources.

• Shays, to protect his sources, remained true to his principles.

• The judge said he could either name his sources or spend some time in the clink.

• Still Shays remained true to his principles.

• He was ordered to jail for three days. Not a sham jail term, but the whole orange-jump-suit-in-with-the- bad-guys-call-me-when-you-change-your-mind jail term.

• After about three days the judge realized Shays would never reveal his sources and set him free.

• There came a time when everyone, it seemed, was against Newt Gingrich. The moderate Republican from Connecticut, Chris Shays, never wavered in his support. Shays had actually watched the tapes of the college course which were at issue. He had actually read the materials. He concluded that Newt, with a PhD in History and experience as a history professor at a real college had every right to tape a course on American history.

• A lot of Shays' colleagues - especially among the moderates - counseled him to back away from Newt.

• Shays remained true to his principals and defended Newt when even a lot of Conservatives were avoiding eye contact.

• A large number of people are, today, very angry with Christopher Shays, not the least of whom is the CURRENT Speaker of the House.

• The Alaska portion of the trip concludes this morning as I take off for Tucson. For some pics of Alaska go to the Secret Decoder Ring page: //www.mullings.com/dr_02-15-02.htm

• This bill came to the floor via a discharge petition. This means that 218 Members of the House signed a document demanding that action be taken on it. Speakers of the House hate discharge petitions because they fly in the face of his authority - worse, they are a SLAP in the face of his authority.

• Committee Chairmen hate discharge petitions because deciding which bills go to the floor in which form constitutes a large part of their power, and a discharge petition takes that power away from them.

• A successful discharge petition drive will not make a Member of the House popular with the Speaker whether the Speaker was Tip O'Neill, Newt Gingrich, or Dennis Hastert.

• It is not unknown for committee chairs and members of the leadership to either threaten Members or promise them riches and glory - sometimes both - to stay off a discharge petition.

• If this were a Parliamentary system - like the U.K. - a successful discharge petition would likely have the effect of a "no confidence" vote and new elections would be in the offing.

• The Shays Principle is: Do what you believe is right. The rest will take care of itself.

• I disagree with the Gentleman from Connecticut on the matter of campaign finance reform. But I would - tomorrow, and the next day, and the next - fight at his side in defense of his right to remain true to his principles.

• The subscription drive is going very, very well. But I need you to take action! Look at the subscription page and either click on the link to the secure web page to use a credit card, or send a check to the snail mail address listed there!
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  Copyright © 2002 Richard A. Galen

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