| In temperature and temperament, Capitol Square felt as though it moved north this week. The chill outside and the politics inside Virginia's Capitol made Richmond feel a lot more like Washington. The Democrats, with the tie-breaking vote of Lt. Governor Northam, became the majority party in the Senate of Virginia on Tuesday. Although the Senate was organized for the full four-year term in 2012 and changing the rules governing the Senate requires a two-thirds vote, Democrats ignored the rules and abandoned precedent to wrest control of the Senate. As could be expected, their tactics were in no way genteel. Not only was this bare-knuckled partisanship not "The Virginia Way" so frequently mentioned lately, but the Democrats also managed to impose a new rule on the Senate that is profoundly undemocratic. This rule grants a single Senator, the Chairman of the Rules Committee, the power to prevent a Senate Bill from being approved by the Senate if it has been "substantially" amended by the House. In effect, this rule gives one legislator the ability to single-handedly kill legislation with no accountability or recourse. The Senate of Virginia has 40 members; giving just one senator the power to derail legislation without a vote violates the foundations of representative government. This remarkably irresponsible granting of veto power to a single legislator would not even be contemplated in Washington, where partisan bickering and gridlock have become commonplace. It brings shame on the Senate of Virginia that such an undemocratic rule has been forced upon this historic and proud body. Of course, ignoring rules seems to have become accepted behavior among some in public office. Continuing the erosion of legal and constitutional protections in Virginia, Attorney General Mark Herring announced that he will refuse to defend the Virginia Constitution's definition of marriage. This decision comes less than two weeks after swearing an oath to defend the Constitution. At the federal level, President Obama declared in his State of the Union Address that he will enact policies unilaterally, as he has failed to effectively work with Congress to pass his agenda thus far. If he follows through on this pledge, he will effectively usurp the power reserved for Congress by the Constitution. The rule of law and constitutional government protect our liberties and preserve our freedoms. Abandoning those foundations in the name of political expediency, convenience, or power poses a direct threat to representative government. Reversing the trend away from the principles underpinning our democracy will be very challenging. | 
