Dick Hughes

When I was a kid, there was a short-lived TV program called “Slattery’s People.” The plot centered around a state legislator. That probably explains why the audience soon faded, even though one co-star was Ed Asner, before he became the popular character Lou Grant.

I remember nothing about “Slattery’s People” except that each episode opened with these words: “Democracy is a very bad form of government. But I ask you never to forget: All the others are so much worse.”

That admonition was a play on a quotation from Winston Churchill, which I didn’t realize at the time. But the words left a lifelong impression on me. They again hit me full in the face Thursday morning as I read the news about global developments, a stark contrast to American democracy despite its multitude of flaws.

Certainly, the messiness of democracy has been on display at the Oregon State Capitol during the Legislature’s 35-day session. A veteran Oregon legislator recently mused, “You’re always caught between your conscience, your caucus and your constituents.”

His insight was powerful. I’ll add a corollary: When those three influences do align, legislators often find themselves pitted against their colleagues.

Such was the case Thursday for state Sen. Dallas Heard, R-Roseburg.

On a party-line vote, Democratic senators booted him from the Senate floor — and the entire Capitol — for not wearing a face covering, as is required by legislative and state rules. Heard, who also is chairman of the Oregon Republican Party, rarely has been on the Senate floor this year because he opposes this mask mandate.

Thursday’s dramatic scene rolled out in mostly calm, respectful tones. Bear in mind, however, that the tone can shift quickly as legislators rush to pass, modify or kill bills before the March 7 deadline for them to adjourn the 2022 session.

As an example of that nimble or hasty pace — pick your preferred description — the newly formed Joint Committee on Farm Worker Overtime met for the first time Thursday and heard pro-and-con testimony on House Bill 4002.

To protect against the spread of COVID-19, all committee meetings are by videoconference and phone. At one point, Sen. Kathleen Taylor, D-Portland, who co-chairs the committee, paused to remind people testifying that they should be respectful of folks on the other side.

As for Heard, Senate President Peter Courtney, D-Salem, had ordered him escorted off the Senate floor during December’s special session when Heard refused to wear a mask. This time, Heard refused to go, forcing the Senate vote.

Their interactions Thursday were firm but polite. Heard said no one should be forced to wear a mask and that his protest was about standing up for the young children of America.

“These rules are not moral. A mask is not moral,” he said. “These mandates don’t work if the ultimate goal is to protect our children.”

Courtney responded by asking him not to create a hole in the Senate family: “Senator Heard, you were kind enough, and gentleman enough, to text me this morning and say, ‘Good morning, brother.’”

Speakers on both sides said to follow the science. But they — like their fellow Americans — differed on what science says.

Sen. Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls, said masks don’t work, and senators don’t need masks because they aren’t carrying the coronavirus anyway.

Sen. Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, responded that individuals don’t know at any given moment whether they have the coronavirus, so masks are worn to guard against transmitting it to others.

Republicans pointed out that lawmakers frequently violate the mask mandate elsewhere in the Capitol, such as when going to the restroom or parking areas.

Legislators, though masked, often gather less than 6 feet apart while chatting informally.

Side note: Constituent newsletters from Sen. Akasha Lawrence Spence, D-Portland, have said immune-compromised people such as she cannot be vaccinated. She contracted COVID-19 before the 2022 session and self-isolated but has returned to the Capitol.

Some senators seemed unaware that earlier Thursday, Gov. Kate Brown and state agencies had announced that the indoor mask mandate and the state’s COVID-19 state of emergency would soon end.

During the debate, Senate Republican Leader Tim Knopp, of Bend, joked that Brown’s action was a belated response to his letter urging her to lift all mask mandates by noon Wednesday.

Knopp had written, “After nearly two years of constant masking, it would be a breath of fresh air for Oregonians to see their democratically elected representatives in the Legislature remove their masks and do their business.” Though Brown didn’t comply with his deadline, she and Knopp talked by phone later Wednesday.

Lifting the Senate mandate also will require a Senate rule change, which Knopp introduced Thursday. Undoubtedly, the supermajority Democrats will defeat it.

Senate Majority Leader Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, officially made the motion that Heard had violated the rules and should be excluded from the Senate chamber and the Capitol until he complied.

“Sadly, please call the roll,” Courtney instructed the Senate staff when it came time to vote.