December 25, 2006
All I want for Christmas is a new Speaker of the House
Speaker Tom Craddick must be feeling a little uneasy. Why else would he bother using the ever-useful Round Heels in today's Slag to float a story predicting smooth sailing for his re-election plans?
The most important vote the Legislature will take when it convenes on January 9 is likely to be the election of the speaker. That choice will signal whether Texans can expect the Culture of Corruption to continue to dig the state further and further into last place in education, in health care, in every other category that connotes modern civilization; or a bipartisan effort to at least stop the digging and maybe even make a little progress toward getting out of the hole.
The previous speaker, Pete Laney, was widely haled as a "Speaker for all Texans". In contrast, Craddick's style has been termed "petty", "partisan", "vindictive", "dictatorial", "biased", "snake-like", "corrupt", "dishonest", "authoritarian", "biased", "hateful", "mean-spirited" and "disastrous". And that's just what his friends have to say.
The first challenge to Craddick's continued leadership came this spring when liberal icon Senfronia Thompson announced she would be a candidate for speaker. She is a great representative, a powerful orator, and has about as much chance of being elected by the republican-majority House as I do. Recently Plano republican Brian McCall announced his challenge to the regime, and for the moment he seems the leading challenger to Craddick.
The election of the Speaker is a very serious matter for the members of the House. The hand that wields the gavel wields power: supporters of the Speaker can expect good committee assignments and their legislation being heard on the floor, while enemies can be cast into outer darkness, their bills left to whither on the vine. I hope our legislators find the candidate and the courage to replace Tom Craddick on January 9. Texas has a lot of problems that need to be addressed. Overthrowing Craddick isn't the solution to the problems, but it is a precondition.
Posted by mayor mcsleaze at December 25, 2006 10:06 AM
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