From Chris Healy’s personal blog, Make Blue Red

House and Senate Democratic legislators are in full retreat Tuesday in the wake of the outcry over the Judiciary Committee’s attack on both the U.S. Constitution and the Roman Catholic Church.

RB 1098, which directly alters the control of local Catholic parishes, has been roundly panned from one corner of Connecticut to the other – from Catholics, other religious groups and Constitutional experts – including, God Help Us – Attorney General Dick Blumenthal.

Republicans appeared shoulder to shoulder at a press conference today to denounce the proposal and to offer a free hearing room for those eager to testify – after Judiciary Chairmen State Rep. Mike Lawlor, D-East Haven and State Sen. Andrew McDondald, D-Stamford, pulled the bill. Few can remember when a committee bill had been withdrawn for public comments 24 hours before a hearing.

Lawlor and McDonald issued a statement saying the bill would be pulled until Blumenthal gives it the once over. But Blumenthal already telegraphed his thoughts to The Day, saying it probably wasn’t Constitutional.

Hundreds of residents, many of whom took a day off from work, were planning to crash the Legislative Office Building Wednesday. Both House Republican Leader Larry Cafero, R-Norwalk and Senate Republican Leader John McKinney, R-Fairfield, will be on hand to hear from the public. Cafero denounced the abrupt cancellation.

“What are we supposed to say, the game is called because of rain?” asked Cafero at packed press conference.”It’s not raining. Let’s play ball.”

Yes, let’s play ball Mike Lawlor, who is already trying to posture the issue as a thorough review of all laws and statutes that make reference to the church or religious institutions. The plan, as Sen. McKinney sees it, is for the slate to be wiped clean of all corporate governance affecting churches. It is then, McKinney argues, that Lawlor can offer laws that create the same lay-structure the bill calls for.

Either way, Mike Lawlor and Andrew McDonald have put every Democrat on the griddle. Many rank-and-file Democrats were avoiding reporters while issuing statements saying they would never support such legislation.

Another back story emerged as well – that the bill was drafted under false pretenses. Bills are drafted as concepts, which are approved almost pro forma, by the Judiciary Committee. The ‘concept” description for RB 1098 was “An Act Concerning Corporate Forms.” It morphed into an all out assault on religious freedom.

Wednesday, many Democrats may wish to be in-country on “district business.”