05.29.07
Texas GOP In Disarray; Lack Of Leadership, Unified Message Makes For Dismal Session
The Texas GOP is at a crossroads. This session marks six years since they took absolute control of every statewide office and every branch of government. They own it. For Republicans to rule as effectively as is possible for them, they must have a “Daddy”, a father figure, hence all the pining in the recent GOP presidential debates for Father Ronnie. When Dubya and his brain were running Texas all the Republicans knew who was setting the agenda. This session there were three wannabes, each with their own agenda: Perry (Legacy), Dewhurst (2010 Gov. Primary), Craddick (Survival).
Think back to Perry’s State Of The State speech when he mentioned selling the lottery. Members of his own party went, “Huh!! What is he talking about?” It was the same thing with HPV. They had no idea it was coming. (Not to mention the crony corruption involved with both). Not giving the members of his own party a heads-up that these initiatives were coming put him at a disadvantage, especially those programs which were unpopular with Republicans. It also made him and his party look disorganized. Surely some of them could have helped with damage control and to sell these policies. Was his office afraid of leaks, sharing the spotlight and/or credit, or were they just being arrogant (with 39%)?
Dewhurst got what he believed to be his signature issue passed through the legislature, Texas’ version of Jessica’s Law. It’s not exactly how he wanted it because the state’s prosecutors believed it was a bad bill that would make it harder to prosecute child predators. It was so bad in it’s original form, that even the Williamson County’s DA was against it. But to be an effective legislative leader, like the Lt. Gov, it’s best to do the arm-twisting, deal making, and horse-trading behind closed doors. It’s never good to embarrass your opponent(s) in public. That’s rude, makes them dig-in, and makes you look even weaker when you lose.
As for Craddick, this session ended worse than it began, and that’s hard to believe. He lost an early and usually routine procedural vote, that signaled what was to come. For him to survive it’s going to take a huge pile of money and a bunch of candidates that are willing to subordinate themselves to Craddick. They will have to run against other Republicans and know the only reason they have a chance is so they can get elected and be a vote FOR Craddick so he can keep his “lobbyist-remodeled” apartment. And if elected they will have a hand up their back and be told how to vote. In a primary that may be more base centered than usual, it’s entirely possible that the presidential nominees will already be decided by then, he will at least have a fighting chance. But he could just say he’s not running tomorrow and stop the bloodbath from happening.
Another sign of the disarray in the party was that there was no unity between these three leaders. We never saw these three guys together at a press conference, laying out what the Republican agenda was for the session. Perry and Dewhurst were mostly silent on the leadership battles in the House. GOP followers need and have been conditioned for a unified, unthinking message. They need to be told what to expect, by either a unified party message or a father figure mandating it to them. They had neither, and it showed. Three different agendas left the followers without direction. Look back to the five agenda items Perry laid out before session and how they did. It’s a mixed bag at best and there was little unity between the three on those issues.
Of any GOPer the best session was probably had by Texas Rush. This had nothing to do with him being legislatively effective, it was just image. He does what the GOP base likes (father figure), he was the most “Bushian” shall we say. Take a position, no matter what don’t change, and smear your opponents.
It may look bad for the Texas GOP right now but it’s no time for Democrats to relax or assume this will continue. The GOP is currently without a leader and it’s doubtful any of the “big three” will be able to lead this party effectively in the future. Things can change quickly in politics. This is not the end of the GOP or even it’s dominance in Texas. More like growing pains, like EOW said yesterday. They are moving from a party fighting to take power to attempting to become one that can govern and keep power. It’s ugly, and if they can’t learn then their dominance will come to an end. This session has done little to help them find their way.
What would speed the Republican decline is strong Democratic opposition. We’ll just have to wait and see whether an effective Democratic counterweight can be brought to bear before the GOP awakens. Exploiting GOP weaknesses for Democratic gains will be a major theme on this blog for the next 18 months.