On Monday FreedomWorks endorsed Bryan Hughes for Speaker of the Texas House. Hughes announced he was running for the post before the primary. Texas conservatives enjoyed major success in the primary.
FreedomWorks was an early and influential backer of Ted Cruz in his Senate bid.
Yesterday Joe Straus dismissed FreedomWorks and its chairmen Dick Armey. Since 2009 the former congressman’s group has helped the tea party with infrastructure.
Texans are now familiar with Straus and his efforts to slow the conservative swing we’re rightly experiencing in Texas. The Speaker’s PAC efforts during the primary largely failed. The Texas House Leadership fund spent the majority of its money on losing races.
In its endorsement of Hughes, FreedomWorks criticized the committee appointments Straus made in 2011, specifically the Democrats. Trivializing the importance of committee appointments is an important tactic for the weakened Speaker, since he owes his position to the other party. In 2009 Straus was brought to power by Democrats and 11 Republicans so he appointed Democrats generously. In 2011 Straus had a GOP super-majority in the House, but chose to empower liberals in both parties.
For instance, Straus gave the influential Local and Consent Calendar committee to Democrat Senfronia Thompson. As the head of this committee Thompson could hold bills hostage to compel action. This is a high leveraging appointment given to a liberal Democrat.
The General Calendar Committee, arguably the most powerful committee in the House, was lead by former Democrat and current enemy to TLR, Todd Hunter. At an event after the session, Todd Hunter boasted that his committee is the gatekeeper of legislation. On his watch, spending limits and other conservative bills died in the House.
Straus is sending clear signals that his intention is to continue to marginalize the growing number of genuine conservatives Texans are sending to Austin. Consistently at the top of his to-do list during the upcoming session are water, education and infrastructure. By focusing on important things like this, and by framing all problems as lack-of-money problems, Straus can avoid discussing any of the ways to make our government more efficient.
The fact that the Speaker’s race is being discussed now is good for the insurgent conservative wing of the Republican party.