the coALition 53
Republicans were switching their votes to Big Daddy. O’Brien had
swapped seats with Mark Litchman, the majority leader-designate, and
was now prowling down in front. He couldn’t believe this was really hap-
pening to him. Bud Huntley of Whitman County was seated next to Ad-
ams. He looked on bemused as O’Brien put a hand on Adams’ shoulder
and implored, “Doc, let’s talk this over a little bit.” “We’ve been talking
this over for the last four years,” said Adams, stony-faced.^9
O’Brien tried to stall. “Let’s sit down and talk about it,” he pleaded to
three rows of Republicans. “There’s nothing to talk about,” said one.
Litchman leaned over Evans, asking for a chance to make a deal. Evans
wouldn’t even look up. Halfway through the roll call, O’Brien stood next
to Evans’ desk. “We’d like a recess,” he begged. “Give us some time, Dan.
Do us this courtesy. Can’t we work something out?” Evans shook his head
and said, “School’s out, John.” O’Brien glared down at him. “It was the
most dramatic thing I’ve ever seen,” Gorton says.
“O’Brien’s face collapsed like a jiggled soufflé” as the roll call contin-
ued, Adele observed from her front row seat at the press table. Three
members of his team raced to the speaker’s platform, with Perry in hot
pursuit. Holcomb refused to recognize O’Brien, who was now livid.^10
In a strategic maneuver, Bob Schaefer, the Democrats’ floor leader,
cast his vote for Day. Si Holcomb banged the gavel. “O’Brien 41, Day 57,
Evans one. You have elected Mr. Day speaker.”
Schaefer jumped to his feet. “Having voted on the prevailing side, I
move for reconsideration.” Copeland, right on cue, was up in a heartbeat.
How they’d handle reconsideration was part of the script the coalition
wrote at the cabin the night before.
Copeland asked the chief clerk whether the motion was valid. Without
hesitation, Holcomb said his authority in presiding over the House was
limited to one thing—the election of a speaker. “A speaker has been elected
by your vote on the last ballot.” Therefore his duty was done. “The motion
is declared out of order.” With that, Perry and Doc Adams each grabbed a
beefy arm and escorted the beaming new speaker to the rostrum.^11
After congratulating Day, Evans acknowledged that O’Brien had served
the House “long and well.” But it was obvious that the Democrats were
too fractured to elect a speaker. Having come so close to winning an out-
right majority at the ballot box, Republicans were unwilling to suffer
through another session controlled by “radical liberals,” Evans added.
The coalition was their only choice to set the House on a course toward “a
really new era.”^12
At last able to address the House, O’Brien accused the Republicans of