06.25.07
Special Session Coming?
Kuff says no:
I don’t quite understand why anyone thinks Governor 39% will give lawmakers a second chance to pass legislation he’s already vetoed. I’m hard pressed to think of anything that’s less defining of Perry’s style than that. He may yet call a special (God, I hope not), but if he does, it’ll be on things he wants, like voter ID. Maybe if the Lege makes short work of his agenda in such a situation, he’d start lobbing them a few bones. But let’s keep in mind what the order of operations would be.
I agree with the point that 39% won’t call a special to give lawmakers second chances at items he vetoed.
But this Startelgram article, Perry lashes out at legislators, makes it look like Perry may be thinking about a special session for other reasons.
In a recent fundraising letter to supporters, Perry lashed out at his colleagues in the Texas House and Senate, saying they left loads of “unfinished business” when the legislative session ended last month.
[…]
In the letter, distributed by Texans for Rick Perry, the governor highlighted several accomplishments of the session, including a sweeping water bill, incentive funding for higher education and a constitutional amendment that will allow the state to issue $3 billion in bonds for cancer research if voters approve it in November.
Yet Perry expressed frustration at not seeing property tax appraisals reduced or passage of a tighter state spending cap. He also denounced various “gimmicks” that lawmakers used to pad the state budget which, he said, “left a bad taste in a lot of Texans’ mouths.”
Perry didn’t name names, but the biggest targets are apparently his fellow Republican leaders, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick.
[…]
Texas Democratic Party spokeswoman Amber Moon said the letter is Perry’s way of passing the buck.
“This is an attempt by Rick Perry to cover up his failed leadership of the last legislative session,” Moon said. She added that the letter highlights how fractures within the Republican Party have rendered the state’s leadership ineffective.
Loads of unfinished business, means there’s still much business to conduct. So look out. No matter what Perry says about which issues he would call a special session over, if he doesn’t mention Voter IDiocy then he’s flat-out lying. That will, no doubt, be front-and-center, and a sure to get a second chance. In the article Harvey Kronberg goes on to speculate that this could also be Perry trying to burnish his “conservative” credentials for his future political aspirations, which could include a 2010 run for governor.
Kronberg said that Republicans are expected to fare badly in 2008 but do better in 2012. With calls for fiscal discipline, Perry may be trying to appeal to conservatives within the state and around the country, he said. “I think he would be foolish to not have at least half an eye on 2012, and that would require remaining in the governor’s office for another term,” Kronberg said.
It’s hard to see how 39% could pull it out of the gutter at this point not to mention keep KBH from running again. There’s always her Senate seat.