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GAVEL IN
Jan. 13, 2014 3:38 pm
In the spirit of bipartisanship, incoming House Minority Leader Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, presented House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, with a block of hickory for the speaker to use as a receiver when he raps his gavel.
In presenting the gift from one woodworker to another, Smith explained hickory was appropriate because one of the founders of the Democratic Party, Andrew Jackson, was called “Old Hickory.”
“When you are angry with the Democrats, you may strike it with gusto,” Smith said, adding that “although there will be times when we disagree, … let this block be a symbol of our friendship and willingness to work together in the months ahead.”
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