good for Steve: GOP leader Bosma chooses two Dems as committee chairs

I wish I could tell you why this is so funny to me, but you can ask me off-line if you want...

From the AP's Deanna Martin in the C-J...

New Indiana House Speaker Brian Bosma said Tuesday that he wants fellow lawmakers to put vicious election campaigns behind them and move to a new era of bipartisan civility — and said he’s doing the same as the GOP leader appointed Democrat Steve Stemler of Jeffersonville and another Democrat to head committees.

Bosma said it's the first time in state history that the majority leader has asked minority members to be committee chairs, a job that carries the power to determine which bills move forward.

Republicans won control of the House in the Nov. 2 elections and now hold 60 out of 100 seats in the typically rancorous and divided chamber.

“I'm serious about bipartisanship,” said Bosma, R-Indianapolis. “I intend to make it work.”

Bosma named Stemler to lead the commerce, economic development and small business committee and Rep. Chet Dobis, D-Merrillville, to head a new committee focusing on reducing government regulations and laws....

[Patrick] Bauer, now the House Minority Leader after Democrats lost their slim majority, didn't immediately buy into the idea of everyone peacefully working together. He suspected Bosma wanted Democrats on the committees so he could spread the blame for any politically-charged bills that might become election liabilities.