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The Texas Speaker’s Race

[from the diaries...an important story that needs our attention...]

I have said this a lot over the past few months: the American political landscape is going to change because of the tea party movement. It is organic. It is local. It is new to the process. It is engaged and passionate.

Best of all, the movement as a whole chalked up some serious victories in 2010 and there is nothing like whetting the appetite for more, especially with 2012 right around the corner.

Heck, here in Texas we’re already having “the next fight.” As Erick, Raz and others have noted, this is a fight worth having and a fight worth winning. The contrast between the current Speaker, Joe Straus (and his allies), and his challenger, State Representative Ken Paxton, is stunning.

There is a lot at stake in who becomes the next Speaker of the Texas House and as someone pointed out to me the other day, if the Tea Party movement could create the perfect candidate from the ground up, that person would come out looking a lot like Ken Paxton. I agree 100%.

For those of you tracking the race, I want to direct you to the Lake Fork Patriots’ site. I love it. It is simple and it lets folks know which state reps are where in this race for Speaker along with their contact info. My favorite column is “Lost Causes.”

If you are in Texas, get engaged in this fight. Fire the link above to any and all of your friends and family members.

Make sure you remind folks like Stef Carter, Linda Harper-Brown, Barbara Nash and Kelly Hancock that the conservatives who helped you win your races in 2010 will not only not be there in 2012, they will find and support folks to primary you.

And Stef, Linda, Barbara and Kelly-of all the votes that will cast in the next legislative cycle, I think it is safe to say that this will be the most important one.

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COMMENTS

  • michaelo

    Every one of the GOP Reps who signed as a ‘Independent Conservative Republicans’ (http://www.icrepublicans.com/) can- and should- be targeted, based on them signing off on this statement:

    “We are proud Republicans who support our party. But our first allegiance is to the people, the conservative majority of our party who elected us to office.”

    We list the signers and their status on the Speaker race here:
    http://northtexasteaparty.org/2010/11/19/a-message-to-the-independent-conservative-republican-members/

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  • JadedByPolitics

    of the TEA Party would not think that just as quickly as they were supported they will be primaried. I know from the local elections to the Congressional elections there were more times then not 3 to 4 people attempting to win in the Republican primary and no doubt those same people will be sitting back waiting for the Republican who won to go away from their TEA Party principles.

  • http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu Rhymes With Right

    He has told me (and others) in the district that he plans to support Straus.

  • acat

    I’m not surprised by how many politicians think they made it “on their own power”… nor how many miss just how fickle their supporters can be…..

    And in the case of the Tea Parties, there are plenty of Establishment apparatchiks playing out the “It’s just a fad, it will blow over soon” line to politicians who want to hear that they can conduct business as usual.

    The only way to stop this is to replace the dead wood, Works the same in the public sector as the private, and like everything else with the public sector it’ll take three times as long and cost ten times as much.

    Keep the heat on. Any politician can be primaried, and it’s past time they remembered it.

    Mew

  • texasgalt

    Newly elected Republican Van Taylor has comitted to Ken Paxton in the race for TX Speaker. Taylor won the seat of the retiring Brian McCall who was one of the original 11 turncoat Republicans who joined with Donks to put Straus in as speaker.

    Taylor, from Plano, said his decision was made after listening to the people of his district.

    http://planoblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/12/the-plano-morning-jog-wed-dec.html

  • texasgalt

    Dallas Morning News:

    The unnamed House member whom Rep. Bryan Hughes accused of planning to take revenge on opponents of Speaker Joe Straus turned out to be the vice chairman of the House investigating committee that addressed the complaint Tuesday.

    Hughes, R-Mineola, told the panel that Rep. Larry Phillips, vice chairman of the committee, suggested that certain members who did not pledge to support Straus would be vulnerable to losing their seats after districts lines are redrawn next year.

    So far, Rep. Philips has not testified under oath. Seems to me he may be relying on Clintonisms.

    http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/state/stories/DN-speaker_24tex.ART.State.Edition1.4b817af.html

  • michaelo

    A lot of State Reps not on our list- either way- but these have pledged to listen to the conservative majority of their constituents. That pledge certainly should carry more weight that the pledge card system; WHICH STRAUS HIMSELF VIOLATED TO GET ELECTED.

  • davesinsanantonio

    are being true to their principles. It is the RINOs who are fickle in that they court the TEA Party, and then dump them for the “establishment” once they get what they want, which is to be elected or re-elected. Other than that, great piece, especially the title and the very first line.

  • acat

    I’d like to think the Tea Parties are still mostly a fiscal, small-government, Taxed-Enough-Already movement.

    I’ve been pointed to polling data by other Red State posters that indicates the Tea Parties are morphing into something less concerned about taxes and more concerned about social conservative issues. I hope this data is in error.

    And yes, RINO politicians are the most fickle – they’ll shop for support wherever they can get it…. totally blown about by the winds, no rudder or north star to steer by at all.

    Mew

  • Scope

    “I?ve been pointed to polling data by other Red State posters that indicates the Tea Parties are morphing into something less concerned about taxes and more concerned about social conservative issues. I hope this data is in error.”

    Prove that any majority here at Redstate supports “social issues” before they do “tax” issues. Prove that any majority of the Tea Parties are morphing into “social issues” rather than “tax” issues. Bring the polling data forward and let’s see how that breaks down.

  • Finrod

    From what I understand, the one issue that you have to be one way or another on to be a frontpager here is that you have to be pro-life. So there’s no requirements on any fiscal or defense issues for anyone to be promoted to front page poster, but there is one on a social issue.