In his Monday email, veteran establishment pundit Harvey Kronberg tried to spin the effects of increased accountability in Texas politics, saying recent Texas political happenings, “…all point to another legislative session held hostage to presidential ambitions.” This typifies the sense of ruling entitlement harbored by Austin insiders.
It’s pretty absurd if you pay attention to just what is being said – that voter accountability, which is what presidential ambitions bring on, “holds government hostage.”
First, accountability isn’t higher now in Texas just because of the alleged presidential ambitions of our governor. Accountability has increased because, statewide, a different kind of people are becoming politicos. In the past, 95% of the state-level politicos were special interests of some kind, engaged because, in some specific way, it paid to be engaged.
The real state-level legacy of the tea party awakening is the dramatic reduction of the advantage special interests used to enjoy. “General interests” are finally enough to, by themselves, inspire a significant number of people to engage. Put differently, the Texas we’ve always known is now a special interest for a bunch of people. And once people get bitten by the political bug they stay infected. State level accountability is greater now for many reasons.
Secondly, whether or not he plans to run for president again, Governor Perry is more his own man now than ever. Sure, if he wants to run again he is already performing for the 2016 primaries. If he isn’t going to run again this is his chance to govern as the guy from Paint Creek who first got into politics to improve things. He doesn’t need the kind of help a new governor with an undefined legacy and an undefined future does.
Nevertheless, Kronberg thinks the specter of Gov. Perry performing for the 2016 presidential primary will “hold our session hostage”, and it is a claim worth examining.
In short, the existence of elections is what separates our politics from monarchy and dictatorship. It is the reason government officials can’t act, as dictators do, as if they own states and nations. Elections are citizens’ major political lever, making primary season, and to a lesser degree general election season, the people’s time on the political stage. All citizen leverage derives from elections.
This makes election season the citizenry’s chance to effect government. The lobby traditionally enjoys an advantage the rest of the time.
But Kronberg is right, presidential ambitions change this. Presidential ambition brings so much light on politicians that they are effectively in a perpetual primary season. This gives voters leverage.
It is this reality that troubles Kronberg; it’s what makes him think the session will be “held hostage.”
And how do politicians become popular with voters ahead of big elections?
Simple. By keeping promises. That’s it. Primaries are a faithfulness contest.
In the nature of the case, this can only be a negative thing for people who want Texans governed against their will.
In fact, about a month ago Kronberg wrote a commentary in the Statesman about the Senate during the 83rd legislature. The long and short of it is, seeing how conservative the next senate is, Kronberg is doing everything he can think of to sew discord among members. Maybe if he can factionalize the factions he can paralyze this conservative Senate.
As a liberal who evidently favors governing against the will of Texans, Kronberg is right to panic. This Senate is more conservative and more interested in keeping promises to voters than ever before. It is very likely to be conservatives’ favorite chamber next session.
If the session is being held hostage, it is by a House Speaker still squarely on the Kronberg side of this political reality. Without him Texans would be much closer to getting what they are repeatedly promised. The real hostage crisis would be largely over, the one in which government insiders run citizens on a never ending merry-go-round of promise-excuse, promise-excuse, promise-excuse.
On the positive side, there is a pack of freshmen and sophomore representatives who, together with some trailblazers who’ve been there for a while, are doing a different kind of politics. They can’t be made to think that losing an election is something to be terrified of, which seriously reduces Austin’s power over elected officials.
The Senate is coming Texans’ way, too.
Kronberg’s spin is the sweet sound sound of liberal panic.