Election season tends to find certain political issues exaggerated or distorted by candidates, candidate supporters and opponents, and members of the media reporting on such. One such issue is the Texas Republican fight over appointing Democrats to positions of power in the Legislature; former Governor Rick Perry’s comments at a political rally is a good example of the distortion and spin used to obfuscate truth and excuse bad Republican actors.
House Speaker Dade Phelan was elected Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives by its members, those state representatives we vote upon for two year terms, well after the Republican Caucus in that body adopted a rule saying nominees for speaker will come from within the caucus and be without Democrat influence.
Speaker Dade Phelan
Phelan did indeed get nominated in the GOP caucus itself but it is a false story to claim his capturing of the speaker’s gavel was within the intention of the no Democrat influence rule.
Phelan launched his run for speaker by making it clear he had a deal with the Democrats to ensure he would win the overly powerful position on the House floor needing only a rather small plurality of Republican votes to make it happen. Everyone in the caucus knew there were enough anti-conservative, call ‘em RINO if you want, members to put Phelan over the top given he had the vote of most Democrats.
This is how one ends up squeezing out competitors from the caucus and winning the position of Speaker of the House with almost every Republican vote. The power of the speaker is so great that most members never want to be on record, or even rumored to be, an enemy or non supporter of the person wielding the speaker’s gavel. It’s the fast track to little to no power in the committee system and ensuring one’s bills are given little to no chance of even getting a hearing, much less passing.
The Democrats and Left, and that includes most all of the Texas press, along with some officeholders who carry the Republican brand but are indifferent to the agenda of Republican voters, constantly mischaracterize the issue of appointing Democrats as committee chairmen as one of bi-partisanship or “working across the aisle.”
Texas House
In a Beaumont campaign appearance for Dade Phelan’s re-election to the House, former Governor Rick Perry excused Phelan’s appointing Democrats as chairmen of some House committees by talking about how he “frequently worked with Democrats on issues,” according to coverage of the event by the Houston Chronicle.
This is misdirection and Paint Creek’s Perry knows it.
Working with Democrats on issues is normal and expected in the legislature but, “working with” people is a Texas mile from empowering Democrats with chairmanships with which they can stop any Republican bill coming through their committee by never giving such a hearing.
Because Texas Democrats are far short of a majority in the Texas House it is correct to say that they have not earned such power, normally reserved for a majority, from Texas voters. Voters do not send a large majority of Republicans to Austin only to have one man, with the aid of a few of his cronies, undue the work of voters and hand numerous power positions to Democrats.
Working with Democrats on issues is normal and expected in the legislature but, “working with” people is a Texas mile from empowering Democrats with chairmanships with which they can stop any Republican bill coming through their committee by never giving such a hearing.
That is exactly what has happened since Joe Straus of San Antonio was elected speaker with significant opposition from within the Republican Caucus but enough Democrats to overwhelm such. Phelan is now the third speaker in a row who skirted a real fight to win the job within the GOP caucus by lining up a big block of Democrat members’ votes. What do you think was promised the Leftists to get those votes? You can bet chairmanships and agreements to let some of their radical bills make it to the floor for a vote is central to any agreement, informal or not.
Such a deal might not be so reprehensible if a speaker making the deal didn’t then allow key legislation from his own caucus to be blocked from getting committee and floor votes. But that is what has happened with all three recent speakers maneuvered into office with a big Democrat support block – GOP bills get blocked or timed-out by the Calendars Committee.
When Rick Perry, editorialists, and others reframe this issue as just working with Democrats, or reaching across the aisle, they are being dishonest.
Such dishonesty doesn’t seem to bother those who reek of raw naked ambition and will trade most anything for power in the legislature but, such should bother voters who turned out for candidates to push policy ideas and then have such flushed down Capitol toilets by officeholders who value their status of big-man-on-campus more than the integrity of the promises they made to voters back home.
“Working with” Texas Democrats different than empowering them
House Speaker Dade Phelan was elected Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives by its members, those state representatives we vote upon for two year terms, well after the Republican Caucus in that body adopted a rule saying nominees for speaker will come from within the caucus and be without Democrat influence.
Speaker Dade Phelan
Phelan did indeed get nominated in the GOP caucus itself but it is a false story to claim his capturing of the speaker’s gavel was within the intention of the no Democrat influence rule.
Phelan launched his run for speaker by making it clear he had a deal with the Democrats to ensure he would win the overly powerful position on the House floor needing only a rather small plurality of Republican votes to make it happen. Everyone in the caucus knew there were enough anti-conservative, call ‘em RINO if you want, members to put Phelan over the top given he had the vote of most Democrats.
This is how one ends up squeezing out competitors from the caucus and winning the position of Speaker of the House with almost every Republican vote. The power of the speaker is so great that most members never want to be on record, or even rumored to be, an enemy or non supporter of the person wielding the speaker’s gavel. It’s the fast track to little to no power in the committee system and ensuring one’s bills are given little to no chance of even getting a hearing, much less passing.
The Democrats and Left, and that includes most all of the Texas press, along with some officeholders who carry the Republican brand but are indifferent to the agenda of Republican voters, constantly mischaracterize the issue of appointing Democrats as committee chairmen as one of bi-partisanship or “working across the aisle.”
Texas House
In a Beaumont campaign appearance for Dade Phelan’s re-election to the House, former Governor Rick Perry excused Phelan’s appointing Democrats as chairmen of some House committees by talking about how he “frequently worked with Democrats on issues,” according to coverage of the event by the Houston Chronicle.
This is misdirection and Paint Creek’s Perry knows it.
Working with Democrats on issues is normal and expected in the legislature but, “working with” people is a Texas mile from empowering Democrats with chairmanships with which they can stop any Republican bill coming through their committee by never giving such a hearing.
Because Texas Democrats are far short of a majority in the Texas House it is correct to say that they have not earned such power, normally reserved for a majority, from Texas voters. Voters do not send a large majority of Republicans to Austin only to have one man, with the aid of a few of his cronies, undue the work of voters and hand numerous power positions to Democrats.
Working with Democrats on issues is normal and expected in the legislature but, “working with” people is a Texas mile from empowering Democrats with chairmanships with which they can stop any Republican bill coming through their committee by never giving such a hearing.
That is exactly what has happened since Joe Straus of San Antonio was elected speaker with significant opposition from within the Republican Caucus but enough Democrats to overwhelm such. Phelan is now the third speaker in a row who skirted a real fight to win the job within the GOP caucus by lining up a big block of Democrat members’ votes. What do you think was promised the Leftists to get those votes? You can bet chairmanships and agreements to let some of their radical bills make it to the floor for a vote is central to any agreement, informal or not.
Such a deal might not be so reprehensible if a speaker making the deal didn’t then allow key legislation from his own caucus to be blocked from getting committee and floor votes. But that is what has happened with all three recent speakers maneuvered into office with a big Democrat support block – GOP bills get blocked or timed-out by the Calendars Committee.
When Rick Perry, editorialists, and others reframe this issue as just working with Democrats, or reaching across the aisle, they are being dishonest.
Such dishonesty doesn’t seem to bother those who reek of raw naked ambition and will trade most anything for power in the legislature but, such should bother voters who turned out for candidates to push policy ideas and then have such flushed down Capitol toilets by officeholders who value their status of big-man-on-campus more than the integrity of the promises they made to voters back home.