(Updated) Anne Kass: My Take on the Impeachment Resolution Hearing at Senate Public Affairs

UPDATE: Good news! According to Las Cruces blogger Heath Haussamen, Democratic Sen. Mary Kay Papen (D-Doña Ana 38), was allowed to add her yes vote to the tally on the impeachment resolution since she was present for most of the committee hearing Sunday, making the final Do Pass margin 4-2. Another Democratic member of Public Affairs, Sen. Mary Jane Garcia (D-Doña Ana 36) has signed on to the resolution as a cosponsor even though she wasn't able to attend Sunday's hearing. Hurrah for Senators Papen and Garcia!
***********************

A terrific report on today's hearing before the New Mexico Senate Public Affairs Committee on SJR 5, impeachment of Cheney and Bush, from Anne Kass, expanding on my earlier brief post:

The Senate Public Affairs Committee met today to hear Senate Joint Resolution 5--a call to impeach George W. Bush and Dick Cheney.  The Resolution got a "do pass" recommendation from the Committee on a 3 to 2 vote.

A gathering of supporters of the Resolution met at 1:30, where we were joined by a Senate staffer who explained to us that it was generally the view of Legislators that the Committee meeting last week--before Senate Rules--where the 4 Republican Senators were "too busy" to attend, was too "wild."  Someone mentioned the word disrespectful, to which I took offense, as did others.  That hearing was boisterous, passionate and exuberant, but never disrespectful.  In any case, we were cautioned to mind our manners--and we did, or at least I think we did.  Unfortunately, when the Resolution received the 3 to 2 Do Pass recommendation, applause broke out, which may have rendered us, yet again, an unruly bunch in need of yet more manners lectures when this matter comes before Senate Judiciary, hopefully soon.

The Committee meeting began at 2:40. Present were Democrats: the Chair, Dede Feldman, Jerry Ortiz y Pino and, at the beginning Mary Kay Papen (who left after about 45 minutes of public comment and who did not return for the vote).  David Ulibarri came and went, but was there at the end when it counted, and voted "do pass" for the Resolution. Mary Jane Garcia (Las Cruces) for some reason couldn't be bothered to attend any of the hearing. (I wonder how that minding one's manners thing works, exactly.)  Majority Leader Michael Sanchez appeared for part of the hearing, as he did with the Rules Committee Hearing.

The Republicans apparently decided they didn't want any more photos of four empty chairs, so present from that Party were Steven Neville (Aztec), Stuart Ingle (Portales) and Gay Kernan (Hobbs), although Senator Kernan left the meeting just as the Chair was about to call for the vote--hmmmm.  Steve Komadina (Corrales) couldn't be bothered to attend the hearing, as he couldn't be bothered at the Rules Committee Hearing as well.

As with the Rules Committee, the room was packed at least a half hour before the Hearing began and the estimate was that 50 people or more were in the Hall.  I think the Committee Room, which was SRO, holds about 100 citizens.  As with the Rules Committee, more people signed up to speak than there was time to hear.  As with the Rules Committee, the citizens made me proud.

Retired Representative Max Coll appeared to talk in support of the Resolution.  Several teenagers, complete with facial piercings, spoke as compellingly as anyone present--one of them, a young woman, noted that she felt like she was living in a science fiction novel and mentioned that she'd just finished reading 1984 and found current reality more scary than that.  A woman spoke wondering how the absent Senators were going to learn about what the citizens had to say and noted that her son was so upset with the United States that he's become an expatriate.  Several speakers seemed to me to be Republicans, one from the southern part of New Mexico. 

Dallas Timmons said that although she couldn't know for sure what Thomas Jefferson actually had in mind when he wrote the provision that allows a State Legislature to initiate impeachment proceedings, she had a hunch that it was because he knew that State Legislators would be closer to the people than the elected officials in Washington.  She told the Committee they were the last chance we-the-people had and that she hoped they would recognize how sincere and serious we all are and act to send this Resolution to Washington D.C. 

And so they came to the microphone, young, old, middle aged, men, women young people, Democrats, Republicans, one and all expressing their sadness, their outrage, their disappointment, their fear.  It was moving and inspiring, and I'm sorry that any of you reading these words who weren't there missed it.

Chair Feldman asked if there was anyone in the room to talk in opposition.  Not a peep.  She called for comments from the Committee.  Not a peep from the Republicans.  So Chair Feldman thanked Senators Ortiz y Pino and Grubesic and spoke of her own views about the seriousness of the allegations and evidence against Mr. Bush and Mr. Cheney, and then she called for the vote. The two Republicans voted no.  The three Democrats voted yes.  If Senator Gay Kernan had not left the hearing and had voted yes, it would have been tied, which I believe would have been a "no recommendation" which is neutral, as opposed to a "do not pass" recommendation which would have killed the Resolution.

So now it's on to Senate Judiciary, chaired by Cisco McSorley.  We were told that it has been arranged to have a live hook-up with Elizabeth Holtzman, a former Congresswoman who wrote The Impeachment of George Bush, who will testify to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

We need a strong presence at the Senate Judiciary Hearing.  This thing is gathering steam!

Anne Kass

Editor's Note: You can watch Elizabeth Holzman speak about impeachment here.