Committee assignments will be key
By George Scaggs & Sibyl West
Texas Insider Report: AUSTIN Texas The battle for Texas Speaker of The House was never an all or nothing affair. N
othing ever is. Just as the progressive agenda has been fully illuminated by the joint leadership of Obama Pelosi & Reid Mr. Straus past methods and practices were exposed during this process. Though often obscured particularly during the heat of battle
there is purpose in all things.
Though Mr. Straus managed to maintain his chair the battle was costly.
The power of the Tea Party
Make no mistake whether Joe Straus is Speaker or not grass-roots conservatives are having an impact on politics and government in Texas. Theyve already forced a GOP caucus and an open floor vote. There will be a more conservative agenda going forward in this session.
Conservative organizations such as Americans for Prosperity and Empower Texans weighing the vote for Speaker heavily in their eventual legislator score cards is another positive result gained from this process though to what extent that vote should be reasonably weighed remains still to be seen.
No doubt at this hour government is a little more open and citizens ever more engaged.
What Mr. Straus undoubtedly does not have the power to do is to dissuade people from their distaste for politics-as-usual". Rather he has effectively succeeded in upping the ante ensuring that citizens will be ever more engaged in what takes place in our states capitol.
Mr. Straus has no inherent right to his position as Speaker of the House. Rather he has been granted a tremendous responsibility. Now he must prove himself worthy. If Straus is half the leader he and his lieutenants claim him to be he will find it within himself to step up and embrace the concept of the consent of the governed."
It is now incumbent upon Joe Straus to produce the conservative agenda that the Texas electorate demands. There is business to be done the peoples business.
When to push when to wait
Yes we must apply pressure on the system to induce change but we must also work within it. Yes politics-as-usual must be rejected. Yes frustration with our system is understandable. But at the end of the day we have a Republic a form of government in which we are reliant upon representatives.
If we are to heartily support our beloved constitutional design the rub is that we must give the system its due. We do not have nor do we want government by public referendum. At some point we must trust the men and women weve sent to the capitol to represent us.
To suggest that the 2011 Legislative Session is completely lost if Joe Straus is Speaker or that the worthiness of any given legislator is based solely upon his vote for Speaker is to over simplify the matter. Potentially there are different
nuances which effect the situation of each individual legislator involved in the matter. Besides there is simply too much yet to unfold. One can do nothing more than speculate as to what will come out of the 82nd Legislature.
Could it be that some Texas representatives know something that most of us do not?
Over-enthusiasm the bane of the neophyte
Many conservative activists are emboldened by the taste of power realized in Novembers election results and rightfully so. But lets not get carried away. A strictly reactionary posture is the surest way to diminish ones effectiveness.
Bashing anything not instinctively suitable spending the majority if not all of ones time in opposition to each and every little development that comes down the pike is exhausting. And at some point it becomes counter-productive.
Not that there is never a proper time for loud unabashed protest. The tactic obviously has its place and has proven to be effective. Its that the approach is one among many tactics in the arsenal and its never wise to always employ the same one. This inherently leads to marginalization; every move becomes telegraphed or predictable allowing ones opponents to prepare.
Contrary to the opinions of some there are times when quiet resolve is the more prudent course of action.
Growing pains
This movement is still very young. While to its credit it is long on exuberance and dedication it is still short on practical knowledge and political savvy. There is still much to learn.
Recall the frustrations following the 2009 Texas Legislative Session? Well into the general election cycle there were still protests petitions and rallies demanding that Governor Perry call a special session of the Texas Legislature to address …
(fill in the blank). Never mind that the votes to pass the demand-du-jour clearly did not exist or that such a move would serve to hand the governors electoral opponent Mr. White a club with which to beat him over the head.
The tremendous headway made in the last election cycle was not due to yelling the loudest; it was due to hard-work and dedication to effect change to learning the processes of government and getting more directly involved in them.
Ultimately it is a conservative agenda that is of paramount concern not any individual in a particular seat of power.
Many representatives are being threatened by activists with a primary challenge if they have voted for Speaker Straus. While this may prove to be a proper course of action then again it may not. Hypothetically this is to say that if a conservative agenda suitable to grass-roots activists is adopted and a given representative casts his vote for each and every one of these successful agenda items who in the beginning voted to retain Mr. Straus as Speaker that representative should be run out of office.
To make threats that it might not be prudent to follow through on is to risk diminishing ones own influence.
The visible effects of majority activism
Progress may be small and gradual but it is definite and measurable. Consider Mr. Obamas shocking contortions following the November election results.
Clearly he stands as an opponent of the conservative agenda sought by the Tea Party part of which was an extension of the Bush tax rates but he was forced to completely reverse course on the issue and capitulated to that agenda. Here is a man completely at odds with conservatives (certainly more so than Joe Straus) who still maintains the power of the presidency (unarguably more powerful than the Texas Speaker) and whose party still controls the U.S. Senate.
Yet the political realities of a conservative uprising forced Obama to adjust his agenda. Change!
What next?
Perhaps we can now turn our attention to committee chairmanships and suggest a few wed like to see:
- Phil King for a renewed Regulated Industries Committee Chair
Ken Paxton for Health or Human Resources Committee Chair (Stop Obamacare)- Beverly Woolley for Calendars Committee Chair as she previously served
- Jim Jackson for Re-Districting Committee Chair
- Sid Miller for Agriculture Committee Chair where
he has previously served
- Jerry Madden for Corrections Committee Chair where he previously served
In any case it seems apparent that it is time to shift gears.
Sibyl West is the editor in chief of Ramparts360.com who was named 2010 Blogger of the Year by Americans for Prosperity-Texas. She is a perennial student of Vedanta philosophy who lived for 25 years in the Far East.
George Scaggs is a writer commentator voice actor & audio-video producer. You can find his work at Bargain Citizen Media Ramparts360.com and TexasInsider.org.
