Rep. Olson Appointment: Coincidence, Stroke of Luck, or Evil Genius?
Nathan Greene
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By Emily Geiger So, I just read over on Dave Price’s blog that one of the Representatives assigned to the conference committee to hammer out the smoking ban bill is Cedar Rapids Rep. Tyler Olson - D. Olson has been an outspoken advocate for a strict version of the ban.
The catch? Olson’s wife is overdue with their first child back in Cedar Rapids , and so he very likely will have to leave Des Moines sometime soon if he wants to be there for the big event.
I think this is a very interesting situation. I’ve said before that I think the House Dems are coming off as schizophrenic on this issue . First, they pass a version of the ban which was rather strict, exempting only casinos. Then, when the Senate passes an even stricter version, the House backtracks and guts the whole thing by exempting restaurants and bars.
I’ve also said before that I think the House Dem leadership wanted to look like they were for the ban, without really actually being for the ban, and I think this committee assignment is a perfect example of that. They put Olson, a strong smoking ban supporter, on the Committee, which makes it look like maybe they support the ban, too. But they do so knowing about the situation with his wife, and so essentially knowing that Olson probably will be a total non-factor on the committee.
Just another example of the Dems efforts to be on both sides of every issue… (insert your own fence post joke here).
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