Friday, January 6, 2017

Rubber Hits the Road for Tom Mechler....


"Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness."
Matthew 23:28

"Rule Four: Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules."
Saul Alinsky


The internal governance of the Republican Party of Texas is a sinkhole that consumes energy and time without accomplishing anything; nevertheless, this recent tidbit regarding Chairman Tom Mechler caught our attention:
Chairman Tom Mechler refusing to endorse [constitutional carry] publicly or respond to repeated requests for comment.
Well, isn't that lovely...and so typical.

During the last state convention, Tom Mechler pushed a process whereby the convention delegates established "legislative priorities" for the Republican party during the 85th Texas Legislature.  While it was obvious this was a stunt designed to stall meaningful reform of state government for another two years, the public cover story was that the repeated expressions of the will of Texas' voters were just too gosh darned complicated for legislators to discern.  Thus, taking Tom Mechler at his word, the delegates to the 2016 Republican Party of Texas state convention created the following list of legislative priorities:
  • Constitutional Carry.
  • Abolition of Abortion.
  • Securing the Border.
  • Article V Convention of States.
  • Replace the property tax system.
  • School Choice.
  • Elimination of Sanctuary Cities.
  • Protection of Religious Freedoms.
Let's look realistically at what will happen on each of those this session:
  • Constitutional Carry -- Dead on arrival in both chambers.
  • Abolition of Abortion -- Charles Perry filed a bill yesterday to eliminate dismemberment abortion, which would be a meaningful step towards this goal; expect Perry's bill to pass the Senate, then get either delayed to death or whittled away into meaninglessness in the House.
  • Securing the Border -- Too soon to tell; if the legislature is serious about the border they should (at a minimum) leave the status quo in place and re-visit the issue in 2019, after the new president has had an opportunity to implement policy changes at the Federal level.
  • Article V Convention of States -- This is, by far, the least important issue on the list but it will pass because the Governor supports it.
  • Replace the Property Tax system -- While it doesn't go nearly far enough, Senator Bettencourt has introduced a politically achievable proposal that would represent a meaningful step forward.  Expect Dennis Bonnen to attempt shenanigans on the House side.  They have to pass something, but whether or not it's toothless symbolism remains to be seen; keep an eye on the conference committee.
  • School Choice -- Will pass the Senate; dead on arrival in the House.
  • Elimination of Sanctuary Cities -- Devil's gonna be in the details on this one.  Straus has said he supports a "constructive" ban, which is #TXLEGE-speak for a toothless bill.  Again, keep an eye on the conference committee.
  • Protection of Religious Freedoms -- Will pass the Senate; dead on arrival in the House.
You'll notice that (with the exception of Article V Convention), NONE of this issues faces an easy path forward.  Three of these issues are, straight up, not going to happen; four others will be very challenging to navigate across the finish line.  For a political party that loves to yammer incessantly about how they "value their grassroots," and that has a near super-majority in both chambers, this seems...odd.

But at least RPT was able to send daily fundraising e-mails during the presidential election based upon absurd premises!!!

Let's review what two decades of Republican 'leadership' has yielded for Texas:
  • The Margins tax.
  • A perennially 5-7 "flagship" state university that acts as a patronage mill for the politically connected.
Bottom Line: They can't hide behind Obama anymore.  The Mechler-era Republicans will either deliver, or the reality of this ongoing farce will be obvious.  Bet on the latter.

12 comments:

  1. Nice overview. You missed it on your #4. YES, Texas will pass the resolution. But it is NOT the least important issue. Are you satisfied with the corruption? Regulations? Status quo guy, are you? And this is the SAME Congress who did nothing the last two years. They gave Obama everything. So do you believe they are going to cooperate with Trump? They've already indicated they will not. Convention of States exists to save the country from total destruction. The corruption is rampant. George Mason gave us the second part of Article V for this very reason. He knew corruption would become unchecked and unrestrained. We must have smaller government. We must get the States their rights back. The Founders intent was for the States to have the rights. They did not believe it was the right of the federal government to own the States. So an Article V Convention of States is pivotal. Please. Sign the petition. http://www.cosaction.com/?recruiter_id=898217 We can get this done in 2017. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. The republican establishment is well entrenched here in Texas and the voter "be damned!" Existing election laws are only for political expedience and window dressing and necessary only for establishment cosmetics.

    It is a shame but the tough God fearing cowboy Texas politician has declined into an oligarchy admired by the democrat party and hated by the rank and file and very angry Texas voter.

    I suggest these Marxist wannabe's get back in touch with the base before the base starts setting fire to their tutu's as they dance around the issues contrary to what the base has demanded.

    ReplyDelete
  3. #4 on your list may be the most important. Why? Because WHO DECIDES? The tryanical DC establishment or US, WE YHE PEOPLE!!! The most important thing you can do to be a part of the solution is to tell your elected state legislators of your position. Please ACT now; sign the petition and or volunteer below. Thank you for your commitment to restore constitutional government: http://www.cosaction.com/?recruiter_id=1636326

    ReplyDelete
  4. Article V is the least important information on that list, but only if you live under a rock... WAY under a rock... in Texas! I guess you don't get out much, Cahnman... once the 34-state threshold is met, constitutionally conservative delegates from across this great country will assemble at a time and place to be determined, and they will begin to weigh some of the most fundamental political issues of our time... a Balanced Budget Amendment; narrowing the scope of the General Welfare Clause; reducing federal regulatory power by redefining and clarifying the Commerce Clause; establishing the doctrine of Exclusive Jurisdiction, whereas one level of government – either state or federal, but not both - would have “subject matter jurisdiction” over any issue, eliminating overlapping and redundant regulation; prohibit the use of international treaties and international law to govern or guide domestic law; limiting the use of Executive Orders; imposing mandatory lifetime Term Limits on Congress and possibly even the the Supreme Court, and last but certainly not least, repealing the 17th Amendment.

    Virtually any one of these issues could be a game-changer, so it's unwise of you to sell the Article V effort short... do yourself a favor and stay tuned.

    Be informed. Get involved. Sign the petition ==> http://www.cosaction.com/?recruiter_id=2348 #TXLeg #COSProject

    ReplyDelete
  5. On the contrary, #4 is the MOST important on your list. The impending conventionofstates.com will be a watershed moment in american history. It will be the moment where We the People say we have had enough, and return a large measure of power over our lives to state government. The federal government will shrink dramatically and it's scope of influence will approximate what the Founders intended. Do you want to be a part of history?

    http://www.cosaction.com/?recruiter_id=246073

    ReplyDelete
  6. I agree that #4 is very important. The federal government is taking more and more liberties and overruling states rights. For Texas to achieve what Texas wants to achieve they have got to be free of the heavy hand of the federal government. The Article V Convention of States must be supported. http://www.cosaction.com/?recruiter_id=1533138

    ReplyDelete
  7. I think you will find that #4 is not just important, but urgent. Texas suffers from federal overreach and the destructive power of lifetime federal "service" that can be addressed, limited, tamped down, and brought under control by amendments written to reduce the destructive impact of the federal government on every state, not just Texas. Write to your legislators today and let them know that you support the Convention of States.

    ReplyDelete
  8. A Convention of States is most important because it reins in the power of the federal government and returns power to the states. Also the Convention of States is a nonpartisan solution to the bipartisan problem of federal overreach.
    The Founders knew that the natural tendency of government is to grow powerful. Therefore they wrote Article V in such a way to include We the People to petition their state legislatures to call for a Convention of States to propose amendments to rein in the federal government. Learn more and sign the petition at http://www.conventionofstates....

    ReplyDelete
  9. Insightful article. The more I learn about the House and the 'fruit' of its labor, the more I am concerned. Much talk about conservatism with little real deep action.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your comment is more generous and graceful than I would be!

      Delete
  10. I totally disagree that an Article V Convention of States is the least important item on your list. The federal government has become drunk with power and corruption at all levels: Senate, House, SCOTUS, POTUS and all the bureaucrats. Maybe once Washington has be brought under control and the people see what can be done to control the federal government, they will realize that the same thing needs to take place at the state level. Some are worse than others, but all need at least some reform. It will be up to an educated citizenry to keep the ball rolling until the swamp is drained across the entire country.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.