A House divided must still function

It would be hard to overstate the historic and pragmatic significance of the 50-50 split in the Montana House of Representatives.

It is a situation that could easily produce the largest block of gridlock ever seen in Helena, with the House becoming a black hole where legislation enters but does not come out.

But maybe not.

The dead-even split, ironically, has created incredible empowerment for each and every member of the House. A single vote can make the difference in a legislative body that has long honored seniority and partisan loyalty. That system has typically relegated freshman members to the back row to follow the lead of more experienced lawmakers. This time around, a freshman House member can conceivably wield the deciding vote on huge tax and spending bills or other legislation that polarizes the parties.

This empowerment was displayed the first day of the session, when Gary Matthews, a man without a caucus, was made king of the House. Matthews and two other Democrats aligned themselves with the Republican's 50-vote bloc and Matthews was elected speaker of the House. And in a follow-up, Republicans have indicated that they will again vote together in opposing the election of Rep. Tim Dowell, D-Kalispell, to the mostly honorary position of House speaker pro tempore.

A tone has been set for continued conflict, largely from Republican quarters. House GOP leaders have already made bold claims that their caucus will remain united in opposing any measure considered unpalatable coming from House Democrats, the Democratic majority in the Senate or the Democratic governor.

That stance could easily backfire on Republicans if they appear to be unreasonable. While political infighting may be intriguing in the Capitol, most Montanans don't care for bitter, ugly stalemates. They want work to get done and government to be improved in a fashion that makes a difference in local communties.

In this session, the Legislature has been charged first and foremost with defining "quality education" and finding a way to pay for quality education. If that task just disappears into a legislative black hole, the public will be disappointed.