Big Jolly Politics

politics in Harris County and Texas

Joe Straus, David Simpson, more Texas Speaker Race follies

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Rep. David Simpson
Rep. David Simpson

I told you that Bryan Hughes dropping his challenge to Speaker Joe Straus and endorsing David Simpson’s bid would make the race much more entertaining. The fun is starting.

First up, in Harvey Kronberg’s BACK OF THE NAPKIN SPEAKER RACE CALCULATIONS Does Simpson’s challenge change any dynamics?, he includes this gem:

Plus, the veterans know that the outside groups demand absolute loyalty. One senior Republican told QR, “you can campaign as a Tea Party candidate and vote with them 90{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the time…but as soon as you take the oath of office, you become the enemy.”

And right on time, the kids over at Agendawise, one of Michael Quinn Sullivan’s agitator sites, prove the point about “demand absolute loyalty”, using Rep. Phil King as a foil. First, here is King’s quote about the race in a Dallas Morning News article by Christy Hoppe .

Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, who opposed Straus last session, said that the speaker has widespread support, and that Simpson is too inexperienced to close the sale.

“It’ll be difficult for members to look at him at this stage of his career as being a strong speaker candidate,” King said.

Here are a couple of quotes from Agendawise posts prior to Rep. King’s presumed support of Speaker Straus :

Agendawise post: Liberal Spin in Phil King’s District

Quote: heroes of Texas voters – conservatives like Phil King

Agendawise post: Who wants more gambling in Texas?

Quote: stalwart conservatives Phil King Betty Brown and Nathan Macias

Now look what they write after King’s presumed support of Speaker Straus:

Agendawise post: King finally marries his political mistress

Quote: With King’s sad decision, conservatives have shed an agent for weakness from within their ranks.

Heh, King goes from a heroic, stalwart conservative to “an agent for weakness” in the blink of an eye. “Demand absolute loyalty” – check.

The Texas Tribune’s Ross Ramsey’s Inside Intelligence contains a few good tidbits about the race. The “insiders” think that Joe Straus is currently in the strongest position among himself, Gov. Perry, and Lt. Gov. Dewhurst. That sounds about right. In addition, only 5{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the “insiders” think that Straus will lose the Speaker’s post. The chart showed 2{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} think that he is “very likely” to lose the post – I’m thinking, what the heck kind of “insiders” is Ramsey using? Then I saw the first name on the list and knew where the 2{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} came from. You’ll have to look for yourself. 😉

I especially liked this “insider” quote:

“Anyone voting against Straus is rowing back to the Titanic hollering ‘don’t go down without me’.”

Heh – if I were a freshman, I’d take that quote seriously.

Let’s take a look at the fifteen reps that voted against Speaker Straus in 2011. Five are no longer in the House, four are supporting Straus, leaving Simpson not much to draw from:

I’d bet that Charles Perry moves to Straus as well. The others might hold firm, leaving Simpson with 5 votes. He might persuade a few freshmen to vote for him but not all freshman are willing to give up any chance at relevance, so even that road will be hard. And for all the talk of Democrats supporting him, I doubt that more than a handful will be willing to align with him, but even if 100{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of D’s did, he still doesn’t have the votes. Like I said Monday, the numbers just aren’t there.

Another problem for Simpson is that with the increased spotlight on him, the looks into his background and record will increase. I don’t know who writes this blog, Texas Conservative Reality, but whomever it is is not a fan of Michael Quinn Sullivan and is some type of political insider. In this post about Simpson, the blog raises a couple of issues of note.  Unfortunately, they also mock his faith – I hate it when people do that, be they on the right or the left. But a couple of things in the post are worth noting.

Simpson, for all of the media he received during the last session, was completely unproductive. He only authored 12 bills total, and two of those were commemorative resolutions. The only ones he passed were the two commemorative resolutions. Compare that to fellow freshman Rep. James White, who authored 25 bills, four of which were commemorative resolutions, and passed four real bills into law, in addition to the commemorative resolutions. Productivity was not Simpson’s forte in the 82nd session.

But the most damning thing might have been one of the bills he authored and filed, HB 2849. As noted in the Texas Conservative Reality piece about Simpson, that bill would have crippled the Texas oil and gas industry. Filing that bill showed terrible judgment on his part. Any rep thinking of supporting Simpson’s bid for speaker needs to take that into consideration.

Bottom line? I told you it would be more entertaining! Pass the popcorn, we have another month of this stuff!

Big News in Texas Speaker’s Race!

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Rep. Bryan Hughes
Rep. David Simpson

With his own challenge to Texas House Speaker Joe Straus going nowhere, Rep. Bryan Hughes has pulled out of the race and endorsed the next sucker, er, challenger, Rep. David Simpson.

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December, 10 2012

[email protected]

Hughes Endorses David Simpson for Speaker

(Mineola) Bryan Hughes today issued the following statement regarding Representative David Simpson’s filing for Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives:

“I wholeheartedly endorse my friend David Simpson for Speaker of the House.  David is uniquely qualified to lead the House at this pivotal time in our history.  David Simpson has earned his reputation as an eminently fair, highly principled, and hardworking legislator.

He has demonstrated that he has both the courage to stand alone and the wisdom and humility to build broad coalitions.  These are sorely lacking in politics today, and necessary to accomplish the great work of the Texas House.

For some months now I have been traveling the state and visiting with my fellow State Representatives, with candidates, and with our employers: the people of Texas.  After countless meetings and conversations, I am more convinced than ever that we need new leadership in the Texas House.  I am also convinced that the strongest candidate to bring in that new leadership is David Simpson.

So I urge all of my colleagues and soon-to-be colleagues in the Texas House to give David their full support.  I know that a growing number of us are already behind David, and I am confident that the House is well on its way to having a new Speaker.

I owe a tremendous debt to hundreds of Texans who have helped me in this campaign.  So many have prayed for us, have volunteered, have contributed financially, and helped us in a host of other ways.  I am very thankful for this overwhelming backing, and I humbly ask for all of my friends to give David Simpson their full support.”

##########

Yawn.

Actually, it is more than a yawn because I really do like Rep. Simpson, even if I don’t like the fact that he has come out publicly against school choice. I don’t think that anyone questions his integrity, which means he cannot be bought by big lobbyists, or, as Mark McCaig called them on his radio show yesterday, the most “feared creatures” in Austin.  And I like that he promotes much of Ron Paul’s liberty agenda.

But alas, numbers are still numbers. As Robert Miller (one of those feared creatures?) said, Speaker Straus has a solid 85 or so votes that aren’t going anywhere. So even if Simpson can pick up some support where Hughes couldn’t, it won’t be enough.

The difference between Hughes and Simpson is that Simpson has a shot at picking up some Democratic support. His stated opposition to school choice, and his focus on process instead of Hughes focus on Straus’ cooperation with the Dems, might well appeal to a few Dems that are unhappy with the way redistricting was handled. But if that happens, what do critics of Straus, such as Empower Texans, various Tea Party groups, and the kids at Agendawise, do? After all, their primary case against Straus is that he cooperated with the Dems. See the problem Simpson has? Besides which, how many three term or longer Republican reps are going to take a chance on supporting Simpson and lose their standing with Straus?

Sorry folks. While it will be more entertaining having Simpson as a challenger, the results will remain the same.

And frankly, that’s good for Texas. Straus has delivered for conservatives in the two sessions that he has presided over and I expect no less this time. I also very much like that he isn’t afraid to talk about the big, structural problems that we need to address in Texas, such as water, transportation infrastructure, and long term debt. Remember when the kids complained that Straus was focusing on the important stuff so that people would stop talking about the race for Speaker? He hasn’t stopped doing it and unfortunately for Rep. Simpson, the majority of the House appreciates him for it.

Speaker Joe Straus

Texas Speaker's Race: deja vu all over again

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Speaker Joe Straus

Here we go again, another non-event of a “Speaker’s Race” in Texas. As in 2010, there will be a lot of noise, a very nasty campaign full of lies and vitriolic rhetoric, and once again, when the gavel falls, it will be wielded by Speaker Joe Straus.

This year his opponents didn’t even wait until the General Election was over. They picked a trial lawyer to oppose him earlier this year and have been attacking ever since. Now that the election is over, expect the volume of attacks to increase to a roar but behind the noise, there is no substance.

First off, let me be clear. I have never met Joe Straus. I have never met anyone on his staff. The closest I’ve come to that is someone that worked for him as a contractor doing communications work. His staff has never been responsive to my requests nor have they ever helped me when I’ve asked for information on this bill or that one. I think I did get a reply once that said they’d look into it and have someone get back to me but they never did. So before you email me saying anything like that, know upfront that it isn’t true. The only reason I supported Joe Straus in the past is because of his record and the way he comported himself during the attacks on him. This is what I wrote last year after he won the battle and I stand by it:

In my lifetime, I haven’t seen a better example of statesmanship and leadership in Texas politics than Speaker Straus has shown throughout this two month attack on him. Never once did he succumb to the temptation to lash out at his juvenile acting critics, who played loose with the facts and long with the gossip and lies. He displayed the temperament and demeanor of his former boss, President Ronald Reagan.

I hope that his critics run a more honest campaign against him this year but I doubt it. And as I said last time around, it isn’t like I think Speaker Straus is entitled to the job – put up a worthwhile candidate and I’ll take a look, as I did with Bryan Hughes. After looking at the candidate, his positions, and his supporters, I do not think that Bryan Hughes would be a better Speaker than Joe Straus and I think that his stated positions in some areas will be harmful to the future of Texas.

Let’s take a quick look at Mr. Hughes and his stated positions. First, this video:

Obviously, it it mostly just typical rhetoric but if you listen closely, you can pull out his priorities:

  • Real budget and spending reforms – Straus has done well in this regard. I wrote about it during the last fight. Prior to Straus, Craddick talked a good game but the budget exploded. The same people that supported Craddick support Hughes. I would much rather have a fiscal conservative like Straus leading the budget fight than a social conservative that uses budget items as gifts in trade for social conservative legislation.
  • Securing our borders along with immigration reform – This is primarily a federal function. Arizona style laws or Alabama style laws will hurt the economy of Texas. There are things that we can do and I think that Straus and his team tried to do them last time but lost because some interest groups didn’t think they were radical enough. Most of this issue is pure rhetoric and Hughes has no advantage that I can see.
  • Strong pro-life legislation – Last session was the most pro-life session in the history of Texas or any other state. Non-issue.
  • Local control of public schools – I don’t know what he means by this because he didn’t comment on it. But I do know that we already have local control via elected school boards. The state constitution demands that the state funds a public education system. We need to figure out a better way to balance funding between property rich districts and property poor districts. I haven’t seen anything anywhere that suggests that Hughes has any fresh ideas on this issue. I think that Straus will support some form of vouchers, as long as they do not severely impact the overall school funding formula. I’ll take Straus’ approach at this point. Besides, until the lawsuit about the current financing system concludes and then winds through the appeals process, there is nothing much for the legislature to do this session.
  • State may be last stand in fight against Obamacare – pure rhetoric, no ideas or substance. Hughes cannot match Straus’ knowledge of healthcare issues in Texas or how to address them.

So based solely on his own stated priorities, I see nothing substantive that he has to offer. But take a look at his idea of “decentralizing” the Texas House:

Hughes said he would decentralize power in the House, by increasing the number of seniority seats on committees and making all committees subject to seniority appointments.

That would be a disaster for Texas. It pretty much confirms what many of us think about the groups behind the attacks on Speaker Straus – they want Texas to be like Washington DC, where relics rule committees because their districts keep electing them, regardless of their ability. Think Charlie Rangel. Think Barney Frank. Think John Dingell, who has been re-elected 29 times. Regardless of whom the Speaker is, basing committee assignments on seniority is a terrible idea for Texas. Just terrible and it is hard to believe that “tea party” types are helping back a trial lawyer that is proposing this system. It is the antithesis of “tea party” mentality.

As I was drafting this post, Jay Root put up a short piece over at the Texas Tribune about Bryan Hughes’ work as a trial lawyer and his benefactors. Worth a read before you decide to support him.

But like I said, when the gavel falls, Speaker Straus will be wielding it. Robert Miller, one of the most knowledgeable sources of information about the legislature, spoke at the Greater Houston Pachyderm Club yesterday and estimated that Speaker Straus has a solid base of 85 votes – 55 Republican and 30 Democratic. He only needs 76 to win. A better approach by those that are seeking to topple him would be to work with him, gain critical committee appointments, and move legislation forward.

I think that all you need to know about Speaker Straus and his adversaries is summed up by a paragraph in an attack piece against him.

Straus is sending clear signals that his intention is to continue to marginalize the growing number of genuine conservatives Texans are sending to Austin. Consistently at the top of his to-do list during the upcoming session are water, education and infrastructure. By focusing on important things like this, and by framing all problems as lack-of-money problems, Straus can avoid discussing any of the ways to make our government more efficient.

Think about that for a minute. These people are so shallow that they admit that Speaker Straus is focusing on important issues so as to marginalize their rhetoric. That sums up this non-race completely.