Rep. Doug LaMalfa , right, shows President Biden a gavel after the State of the Union address Thursday night. LaMalfa's constituents gave him the gavel, which is made out of wood from a deadly 2018 California wildfire. When the State of the Union address finishes, Republicans rush for the exits, anxious to blast President Biden’s speech to conservative media, while Democrats pour into the well of the House to high-five their leader and pose for selfies.
“I try to get wins. I don’t think you do that by poking somebody in the eye. I mean, there’s ways to call out things you disagree with and you think are bad policy: Talk about the policy, don’t make it too personal,” LaMalfa said Friday during an interview off the House floor. LaMalfa was at odds with Democrats even then. He voted to object to certifying both Arizona and Pennsylvania in the 2020 presidential election. He still questions whether Pennsylvania’s officials violated the law by changing ballot processes, despite court rulings that upheld those moves.
Before coming to the House in 2013, LaMalfa served eight years deep in the minority as a Republican in the California legislature, where he met McCarthy. They learned Democratic allies were the only hope for victories.the whole spectrum of the people that are there,” he said. “You don’t pass anything around here without Democrat support.”
By this time, the major TV networks and cable news channels have all cut away to their high-paid analysts to talk about the speech, leaving onlyAfter Biden’s joke about “I didn’t do it” with LaMalfa, the lawmaker politely dug in to explain that many rural districts have disputes with the Forest Service. He appealed to the president on the economic side of the logging industry and also about the maintenance and sustainability of forests.