WANTING IT BOTH WAYS WITH TEA PARTY

Are certain Connecticut Republicans paying the Tea Party lip service? At
Tuesday's meeting of the Legislature's General Law committee, most GOP members
refused to go on the record for a vote allowing Sunday openings of package
stores, in the process throwing their colleague Sen. John Kissel R-Enfield,
under the bus.

The committee co-chairs did not place the Sunday liquor sales on the agenda,
meaning the bill died at 5 p.m. It could return as part of a massive budget
bill or as an amendment to another measure. Still, when Sen. Kissel asked
for a roll call on the bill, to gauge panel members position on the issue, he
was denied. When he asked for a roll call to determine whether the Sunday
liquor sales issue should be brought up by the committee, he was denied again.

"I've never seen a roll call to have a roll call," the senator told me on my
afternoon radio program. Sen. Kissel said officials went scurrying for
Roberts Rules of Order to determine if they could even have a "roll call for
a roll call."

Lost in the debate, were the GOP members on the panel, other than Sen. Kissel,
refusing to take a public stand on the lightening rod issue. Many had led
Connecticut Tea Party members to believe they would support lifting of the ban.
Public polls show overwhelming support for Sunday sales. But the liquor lobby,
which represents package stores in the interior portion of the state opposed
to Sunday sales, has placed heavy pressure on several lawmakers not to even bring
the bill up for a vote.

It would seem to me Republicans on the committee, other than Sen. Kissel, want
it both ways. They don't want to anger Tea Party members, yet they are
beholden to a lobby representing a select few in their individual districts at
the expense of the majority opinion in their district. Such an approach, has
gotten politicians from both major parties thrown out of office, as more citizens
pay notice to what shenanigans their elected officials play.

Meanwhile, Sen. Kissel believe advocates of Sunday liquor sales may challenge
the ban in court, on the basis it is unconstitutional. And he says, they may use
the car dealers as an example. That industry successfully challenged the state law
car dealers could not be open on Sunday.