Friday, December 26, 2014

Craig Goldman Selectively Quotes Texas GOP Platform


"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."
2 Timothy 3:16-17

In a recent Texas Tribune piece, Tarrant County Rep Craig Goldman made the following point:
House Republicans should “convene in caucus to determine, by secret ballot, their candidate for Speaker of the House,” reads the platform, which was adopted earlier this year at the state GOP convention. Rules should be “instituted … so that members may vote without risk of retribution by the prevailing party.”

Convention delegates from across the state saw the potential damage of publicly fracturing the party, so the platform calls for House Republicans “to vote as a unified body for their selected speaker candidate.”

Because I was entrusted with representing the citizens of House District 97, and because I will continue to do everything in my power to see that their values are upheld and their rights are protected, I will support Straus when our caucus convenes in January and brings the issue to a vote. I’m hopeful that a resolution will be reached in caucus, but should the vote be taken to the House floor, I’ll stand with my fellow Republicans and vote to re-elect Straus.
 Technically, Representative Goldman is correct; page 11 of the RPT platform states:
Texas House Leadership Caucus- As long as Texas House members choose the Speaker of the House, we call for the Republican members of the Texas House of Representatives to convene in caucus after each November general election to determine, by secret ballot, their candidate for Speaker of the House, and that rules be instituted to ensure the integrity and security of the secret 12 ballot, so that members may vote without risk of retribution by the prevailing party. We also call for the Republican members of the Texas House to vote as a unified body for their selected speaker candidate when the legislature convenes in regular session and a vote for speaker is called on the House floor.
You'll notice that pesky phrase "As long as Texas House members choose the Speaker of the House," which begs the question: What does the preceding plank of the RPT platform state?!?
Election of the Speaker of the House- We support an amendment to the Texas Constitution to make the Texas Speaker of the House a state wide elected position.
A quick perusal of the bills Rep. Goldman has pre-filed for the upcoming session shows that he has yet to support said constitutional amendment.

Which begs the real question: If Craig Goldman is soooooooooooooooooooooo committed to the RPT platform as it concerns the process of selecting the Texas House Speaker, why hasn't he proposed a constitutional amendment to make it a statewide elected position?!?

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While we're on the subject of the RPT platform, Craig Goldman's silence on the reparative  therapy platform is deafening.

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