Next was the Voter ID bill. Turns out that wasn’t so simple either and in fact had more to do with R’s not wanting to overturn tort reform than it did Voter ID. See the emails from Kyleen Wright from Texans for Life. Another thing to consider is that the House was evenly split at the time because Rep. Edmund Kuempel, now deceased, suffered a heart attack on May 12 and didn’t return until June 1. Combine that with the tradition that the Speaker doesn’t vote and you have a 74-74 split. Would I trade tort reform for Voter ID? No, I wouldn’t. Perhaps you would; we’ll simply agree to disagree.
Once those two issues were removed, it became clear that Speaker Straus earned a second term, both with the way he ran the House and his support for R candidates. Not deserved, earned. Like it or not, under Craddick we lost 12 Republican seats. Under Straus, we gained 22 (now 24). Do I ascribe all or even most to Speaker Straus? No – this was a mandate against Washington, D.C. But make no mistake, some of these gains were his – while his detractors were sitting around planning their coup, he was putting money into Republican campaigns, which not only helped elect R representatives, but helped down ballot Republicans like new Harris County Commissioner Jack Morman. And he should get much credit for the way he ran the House last session. We can’t simply dismiss Speaker Straus’ impact on the November elections.
I like the fact that he focuses on fiscal issues because that is also my focus. The smaller the government, the better, in my view. As I’ve pointed out previously, the budget grew tremendously under Craddick – Straus actually lowered general revenue spending, albeit with stimulus funding in some areas. Lower is still lower. And you won’t find pork in Speaker Straus’ portfolio – unlike his opponents. If we do not cut spending in Texas, we’ll be forced to raise taxes – I like the fact that Speaker Straus gets that. He has flat out stated that we will not raise taxes this session. I believe him.
I also like the fact that he is pro-life like I am. Abortion for convenience is abominable. But I think that there are times that abortion should be allowed, and yes, I’m talking about the big three: rape, incest, and the health of the mother. Most Americans and most Texans agree with that position. Once again, I turn to a champion for pro-life issues, Kyleen Wright:
My loyalty is to the Life issue, and will not be clouded by personal loyalties. People will draw their own conclusions, but reasonable people will not find it unbelievable that members and others who lost power and influence in the sea change of leadership had an ax to grind against Straus. The continued demonization of Speaker Straus and distortion of his record is just more of the same.
And I like the way he handles himself and his leadership style. He doesn’t jump up and down, yell and scream, call his opponents names – he sets a course and tries to achieve a destination in a grown-up kind of way. I realize that some of my fellow Teapers might not appreciate that but I do like civility in debate. Washington, D.C. style politics do not belong in Texas – unless we too want to be failures deep in debt, surrounded by corruption, setting a course without a rudder. Like it or not, even after the November elections, a third of Texans are represented by Democrats. It doesn’t make sense to me to shun them and not listen to their input. Listening doesn’t mean abandoning principle.
So there you go. That is why I support Speaker Straus. It is easy, all too easy, to follow the paid attackers because time is precious. I hope you will take the time to look at the facts and decide for yourself.