#TXLEGE, #SD30: Luther clearly living rent-free in Springer's head

"Blessed be God,
Who has not turned away my prayer,
Nor His mercy from me!"
Psalm 66:20

With bill filing now underway, Drew Springer has used his house seat to file two pieces of legislation related to the Governor's emergency powers.  HB 173 would create a board to oversee any emergency declarations.  HJR 15 is a constitutional amendment that would make a special session mandatory for any emergency that lasts longer than 21 days.

Reading the legislation, our first impression is how weak they are. HB 173 is a toothless joke that instituionalizes the rubber stamp treatment Abbott has gotten during COVID. The consituional amendment, while watered down, might be a decent shell bill to amend on the floor. But that's about all it's good for.

Clearly, these are acts taxpayer funded electioneering for Springer's senate campaign. File a bill that sounds great, but that doesn't actually do anything. It's an old trick. But at least you can talk about on the campaign trail.

While it's not surprising to see Springer deploy this tactic, the subject is noteworthy.

It's not a secret that challenging the Governor's COVID orders was why Shelley Luther became a thing. Springer most likely has polling data that says he needs to neutalize that advantage. So he'll file this bill, and claim to be "more effective."

Shelly Luther shouldn't have any of it. Every time Springer tries to play the "effective" card, she should point out Springer's bill doesn't do anything. Rinse, lather, repeat.

Bottom Line: They don't try to undermine your strongest issue if they're not afraid of you.

#TXLEGE/#SD 30: Springer Likely to move LEFT in runoff

"Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
Matthew 7:20

That answers that question:

Overall, solid showing for Luther. Weak performance for Springer. When you're an incumbent state rep, you should at least score in the mid-40's.

Moving forward, however, Springer's strategy is obvious: Pick up the 21% who voted for the Democrat. Springer's 32% + The Democrat's 21% = 53%. Given that there's basically zero chance Democrats will vote for Luther, it's basic arithmatic.

The runoff will probably look a lot like the 2014 U.S. Senate runoff in Mississippi.

If you're Shelley Luther...buckle up...cuz' you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Bottom Line: Democrats are the largest free agent block of voters in the runoff, and they only have one place to go.

#TXLEGE/#SD30 Special: Springer's smear campaign is actually good preparation for Luther

"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor."
Exodus 20:16

In case you thought Drew Springer's campaign couldn't go any lower, this is what they did yesterday:

Who posts a picture of a woman with her father and then writes “Who is she sleeping with this month?” I hope that every...

Posted by Tim Georgeff on Friday, September 25, 2020

Obviously, the words "disgraceful" and "revolting" come to mind. We could use stronger language. But we don't want to get the Facebook messages from some of y'all Baptist types.

That being said, the more we think about it, the more we're drawn to another conculsion. It's probably good for Shelley Luther to be subjected to this level of negativity this early in the process. Because this is who the powers that be in this state are, and this is what they do.

If you're Shelley Luther, please understand: The campaign is the easy part. If you think it's bad now, just wait until session. It's this level of abusiveness, except that you're in close physical proximity to your abusers. It really is that sleazy.

We've always thought that Shelley Luther was a (very) good candidate. Our biggest concern was whether or not she's prepared for just how toxic the capital culture actually is in reality. In that vein, this past week is a pretty good sample. But it's only going to get worse if she wins.

Bottom Line: For as grotesque as it might be, it's actually a really good sample of what she's up against.

#TXLEGE/#SD30: Stickland sets record straight re: Springer's #2A history

"Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."
Nehemiah 4:18

With Drew Springer now claiming to support Constitutional Carry, it's worth reviewing the history:

Highlights:

• Despite Stickland filing the bill each of the past three sessions, Springer never once co-authored.

• RPT legislative priority for most of the past decade.

• Over the years, Stickland asked Springer to sign onto the bill at least a dozen times.

• Thousands of Springer's constituents in HD-68 signed the ConCarry petition.

• In 2015, before he wanted a promotion, Springer publicly declined to support ConCarry.

• "When Representative Springer had the chance, he let you down."

#TXLEGE/#SD30: Springer really MUST be losing

"Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God."
Romans 15:7

[UPDATE: Apparently Springer posted this to twitter after this blog post went live.]

Well...this is silly:

 Shelley Luther sang a different tune about forced COVID-19 shutdowns before she realized she could use it for her...

Posted by Drew Springer on Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Take a look at the date on that Facebook post: March 16th.

Of course, Shelley Luther didn't reopen her salon until April 24.

Which almost suggests that, Shelly Luther went along with the shutdowns for several weeks (over a month). Futhermore, just maybe, she **MIGHT** have conculded during that time that the costs of the lockdowns far exceeded the alleged benefits of reducing COVID. Imagine that.

But all of the above is obvious. What's less obvious is why Springer would launch such an easily disproveable attack. It's impossible to know for sure, but history and logic suggest that Springer's polling must be TERRIBLE. Like, not even making the runoff terrible.

Bottom Line: Only in the mind of establishment politicians and their assorted sycophants could this have POSSIBLY been considered a good idea.

#TXLEGE/#SD30 Special: Fallon's Tantrum Against Luther

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."
Matthew 7:15

We're not sure when this happened, but at some point in the past few days Pat Fallon got up in Shelley Luther's grill:

Thoughts:

• Clearly, Fallon's rattled.

• Fallon's body language, and constant interruptions, is never a good look for a man when talking with a woman.
• It's called browbeating.
• Even if that wasn't Fallon's intent, that's sure as heck what it looks like.

• That being said, the degree to which Luther maintains her poise is impressive.

• Fallon: "So you need to go to jail to be elected, that's your standard."
• No, Pat, that's not what she said.

• Fallon: "I'm 5% in on your race, do you want me to go all in?!?"
• OK, jock boy.
• If Fallon is acting like this much a buffoon at 5%, we'd love to see 100% buffonery.

• Fallon: "Do you understand what sarcasm is?!?"
• Translation: My attempt at gaslighting failed, so now I'm going to retreat by claiming I was never serious to begin with.
• Dear Dudes: We don't know who needs to hear this (besides Pat Fallon), but mansplaining your alleged use of "sarcasm" to a woman is bad.

• Fallon might want to reread this interview with Coach Holtz.

Bottom Line: Sometimes reactions tell you more than the initial action.

#TXLEGE, #SD30 Special: Fallon's slight of hand

"Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
Genesis 3:1

Pat Fallon speaking on behalf of Drew Springer:

First things first...wow Pat seems agitated.   Springer's polling must suuuuck.   Just a suspicion.

That being said, Fallon makes several claims about Springer's record that are worth addressing:

• "Voted against the budget"/"Defeated Wendy Davis to pass a pro-life bill" - Fallon's not wrong.  But both of these things happened in 2013.  It's telling that Drew Springer's biggest accomplishments as a legislator are nearly a decade old.
  
  Speaking of budgets, it's certainly the case that Drew Springer voted against the budget in 2013.  But the budget in 2019 was every bit as bad as the budget in 2013.  And both Drew Springer AND Pat Fallon voted for the budget in 2019.
  
  
• Sanctuary Cities - Springer voted for the bill.  But that bill didn't really do much.  It's also worth pointing out that, practically speaking, Austin gutted what little that bill actually did through clever lawyering.

• Property Taxes - Springer voted for the bill in 2019, but he was one of the primary villains killing it behind the scenes two years earlier.

Fallon also takes a dig at Shelley Luther for having not voted in primaries.   What a dumb, irrelevant, argument to make.  The whole reason why Shelley Luther became a thing in the first place didn't emerge until five months ago.

More of the same.

Bottom Line: Fallon wasn't necessarily 'lying,' but he was absolutely framing half-truths in the most self-serving way possible.

#TXLEGE: Springer gaslights voters with half-truths

"The truthful lip shall be established forever,
But a lying tongue is but for a moment."
Proverbs 12:19

Drew Springer just released quite the doozy of an ad:

.@DrewSpringer up on TV in #SD30 special election #txlege pic.twitter.com/YSr6x51aPs

— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) September 8, 2020

Obviously, this is the type of lame ad that can only come from a Murphy-Nasica focus group (ooh look...a fire truck!!!).   Nevertheless, it contains claims that sound good.  When you look closer, however, the facts quickly reveal that Springer's occupying that grey area between chutzpah and outright lying.

Specifically, Springer says two things:

1. He voted to ban taxpayer funded lobbying.
   
   
2. He voted for the (try not to laugh) Chick-fil-a bill (LOL).

Let's take these in order.

On the taxpayer funded lobbying ban, Texas Scorecard explained the full story last week:

After watering SB 29 out via the complete substitute, Springer supported efforts to remove public schools, community colleges, and other entities from the legislation. Then he broke from the majority of his own party and voted in favor of the Democrat-Ashby amendment to exempt the vast majority of Texas counties out of the bill by population—a move that would have prevented the hollowed-out ban on taxpayer-funded lobbying from applying to the entirety of his current Texas House District and 12 of SD 30’s 14 counties.

Only after the legislation was successfully gutted did he vote for the bill to pass.

Springer may have voted for the husk of a bill on final passage, but a review of the tape shows him to be one of its most active saboteurs. Drew Springer worked to water down a ban on taxpayer funded lobbying, ensuring his own constituents wouldn’t benefit from it.

We had actually forgotten, prior to writing this blog post, that Springer carved his own constituents out of the original bill.

Then there's the (LOL) Chick-fil-a bill (LOLOLOL).

We covered this one at the time:

"No significant legal harm the the LGBTQ community" is lawyer-speak for "does nothing."

This is the substantive equivalent of the SCOTUS Colorado cake-baker case: The legislature addressed the specific actions of the San Antonio city council, but did nothing to address any other sort of abuse that falls outside of that narrow set of circumstances.

Good luck trying to live out your Faith in all the other areas of life.

But at least they were able to convince Fox News they accomplished something (and that's all that really matters).

Bottom Line: Nothing of substance was accomplished, and anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is either a liar or a chump....

It's not really a secret that, since then, the so-called "Chick-fil-a bill" has become a subject of widespread ridicule.

Thus, for Drew Springer to brag about it as one of his primary legislative accomplishments is quite revealing.

Bottom Line: Technically, Springer's "correct."   He voted for both bills.  But neither of those bills did anything.  This is the game Texas legislators love to play, and it'll be interesting to see if Drew Springer gets away with it this time.

#TXLEGE: Luther's first Senate candidate, in AGES, to endorse Constitutional Carry

"Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."
Nehemiah 4:18

This is certainly interesting:

Luther also said she’d work to uphold Texans’ right to bear arms. Texas Gun Rights, which is the “largest ‘No Compromise’ gun rights group,” according to its website, endorsed her candidacy on Thursday.

“I definitely agree that Texans have the Second Amendment right to protect themselves; I agree with Constitutional carry,” Luther said. “If Texans have the legal authority to purchase a gun, then they should have the legal authority to carry it wherever they go.”

Of course, what makes this notable is that nobody has even **FILED** this bill the past two sessions. To say nothing of trying to pass it. We're just talking about filing.

Rumor has always been that about half of the Republican caucus in the Texas Senate doesn't support it (*). Thus, they really, really don't want to vote on it. We can't prove it, but that rumor is certainly consistent with their behavior.

For Shelley Luther to take this poisition, especialy when her primary opponent is this guy, is HIGHLY noteworthy.

Bottom Line: It's impossible to know how this will play out in advance, but these comments have to be considered a good sign.

-------

* - FWIW, we were told that 8 Republican Senators were no votes in 2017.

#TXLEGE: Is Abbott's Special Election Gambit Even Legal?!? (not that he cares)

"Because of the transgression of a land, many are its princes;
But by a man of understanding and knowledge
Right will be prolonged."
Proverbs 28:2

We said our piece about the SD-30 special election yesterday.  We'll have more to say in the coming days.  It's the most interesting thing that has happened in ages.

Before we get too far on this journey, however, Michael Quinn Sullivan raises a really good point:

So @FallonForTexas isn’t resigning from #TxLege office until Jan 2021... But @GregAbbott_TX has decided he has the power to declare a special election despite the seat not being empty. This seems to imply @GovAbbott could call a special election for any seat, at any time? Wow...

— Michael Quinn Sullivan (@MQSullivan) August 24, 2020

This a complete about-face for @GregAbbott_TX, who previously said he would not call special elections until seats were actually vacant. You know... because they aren’t vacant.

And FWIW, there is ZERO chance #TxLege SD30 would flip to the Democrats.

— Michael Quinn Sullivan (@MQSullivan) August 24, 2020

This is @GovAbbott helping #Rep. @DrewSpringer get a free pass running for SD30, since he’s on the ballot for state rep.

— Michael Quinn Sullivan (@MQSullivan) August 24, 2020

As it turns out, @GregAbbott_TX is using the CORONAVIRUS as an excuse for the rapid-fire #TxLege SD30 special election. Why? He has refused to call a special session of the Legislature, opting instead to rule as our semi-benevolent monarch unbound by law.

— Michael Quinn Sullivan (@MQSullivan) August 24, 2020

We don't know what the letter of the Texas election code says. That's a lawyer question. At a minimum, however, calling a special election for a seat that's not yet vacant seems to violate the spirit of the law.

Not that Greg Abbott cares about that.

Bottom Line: This is simply the latest in the long line of abuses and usurpations, but it's nevertheless a good question.

#TXLEGE: Shelley Luther is Abbott's worst nightmare

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

That was quick:

Inbox: @GovAbbott sets special election date for #SD30 on 9/29 #txlege pic.twitter.com/pBQ8UKx4Ew

— Brandon Waltens (@bwaltens) August 23, 2020

To understand the significance of Dave Carney's Abbott's order, you need to interpret it in the context of Shelley Luther's announcement this past weekend:

Backing the Blue in Denton County pic.twitter.com/r7wfgPIKeu

— Shelley Luther (@ShelleyLuther) August 22, 2020

There is a LOT to unpack here. We'll have to go through it quickly. But the TL,DR version is that Greg Abbott just exposed the weakness of his hand.

[Note: Drew Springer is also running (as we predicted).  Plenty on him at the appropriate time.  For now, however, just know that Springer's who Dave Carney Abbott wants in this seat.]

-------

The Game Abbott thinks he's playing:

On paper, and under 'normal' circumstances, a quick election favors the professional politician.   They have a campaign team.   They don't have to build name id.   Lobbyists will give them money.

In this case, Drew Springer is the professional politician who Dave Carney's Greg Abbott's trying to help.

Like it or not, under 'normal' circumstances, there's a certain logic to that thinking.

Unfortunately for Dave Carney Greg Abbott and Drew Springer, we're not in normal circumstances.

-------

Abbott's blunder:

Dave Carney's Abbott's logic has two major flaws:

• Abbott's not particularly popular at the moment.

• Shelley Luther probably has just as much, if not more, name ID than Drew Springer.

Thus, for as much as Dave Carney Abbott thinks he's helping Springer, the quick turnaround probably benefits Shelley Luther.

If you're Dave Carney Greg Abbott, and you're being smart, you want COVID (and the ensuing restrictions) as far in the rear view mirrior as possible by the time this election is held. If we're coming out of the season, it's entirely conceivable that you could frame this election as being about the future rather than the past. By holding the election next month, however, we remain in the current season and what could have been the past remains the present.

-------

Shelley Luther:

We've seen a number of knowledgeable people bring up the fact that she's new. Thus, we don't know much about her. That's a valid point.

However, we do know a few things:

• She's personable.

• She's well spoken.

• She's NORMAL.

• All of which is to say, that it looks like she'd be a really good candidate.

• Greg Abbott hates her guts.

• In terms of her performance in the event she's elected, who knows?!?  But those who've worked with her up to this point seem to think highly of her.  Considering that her only declared opponent is known to be bad, we'll take the unknown.

If there's someone with a longer, and more verifiable, conservative record...they have a week to step up.

Unless that happens, however, a one-on-one between Shelley Luther and Drew Springer is a VERY easy call.

-------

Drew Springer:

Moron that guy at the appropriate time, but you can teach yourself about his record here.

Also, item 5 here tells you what you need to know about Springer's vindictive streak (see also here).

Finally, this one was recent and obnoxious.

-------

Then there's this:

LOL:

I served on W&M 2 sessions with Chairman @JimMurphy133 and its an honor to have his endorsement for #SD30. #txlege pic.twitter.com/LH6dB15eyS

— Drew Springer (@DrewSpringer) August 24, 2020

Jim Murphy, for those who are new, is this guy.

-------

Bottom Line: This could be a lot of fun.

#TXLEGE: Fallon's Departure Virtually GUARANTEES Texas Senate Moves (significantly) Left

"A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself;
The simple pass on and are punished."
Proverbs 27:12

Meh:

SULPHUR SPRINGS — State Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper, has won the Republican nomination to replace former U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Heath, on the November ballot — and will likely succeed him.

Fallon prevailed Saturday on the first ballot held by county and precinct chairs who had been tasked with replacing Ratcliffe on the November ballot. Fallon won a clear majority of the group, getting 82 votes. The runner-up was former Ratcliffe staffer Jason Ross, who received 34 votes.

The district is solidly red, so Fallon is expected to win in November even though a Democrat, Russell Foster, is also on the ballot.

Congratulations to Pat Fallon. We guess. Although we must confess we find the decision to voluntarily spend time in Washington D.C. to be strange.

But here's where things get really depressing: There is no obvious **good** person lined up to succeed Pat Fallon in the Texas Senate.

Consider the state reps whose districts overlap SD-30:

• Drew Springer -- Gross.  Unfortunately, virtually guarantee that he's running.  Even worse, he's probably the favorite.  Would be Kel Seliger 2.0 with twenty years to get worse.
  

•  James Frank -- Meh.
  

•  Reggie Smith -- Who?!?
  

•  Shelby Slawson (pending) -- Too green.
  

•  Tan Parker -- LOL.
  

•  Phil King -- Meh.

Of those turds, James Frank probably has the most polish.  King and Parker **MIGHT** cross a minimum threshold of acceptability.  But everyone on that list is significantly to the left of Pat Fallon.

Of course, the possiblity exists that someone from completely outside politics might enter the race. We hope that heppens. Because, as you can see, the pickings among current legislators is pretty slim.

Bottom Line: Whatever ultimately happens to Pat Fallon in D.C., you've just injected massive uncertainty into a Texas Senate that had previously been in relatively solid hands.

#TXLEGE: Springer Laying Foundation for Beef Shortages

"A fruitful land into barrenness,
For the wickedness of those who dwell in it."
Psalm 107:34

What could POSSIBLY go wrong?!?

One of the iron laws of economics is that price controls beget shortages.  This is true regardless of whether or not said controls are in response to alleged "gouging."  We've already seen this happen with surgical masks in Houston.

[Note: It's actually worse than that...the Houston case shows that just the regulatory uncertainty around these sorts of investigations produces shortages.]

To be fair to Springer, he did respond when we made a similar point of Facebook:

Springer hinges his argument around the idea that there are too few meatpackers in the country.  This gives them the opportunity to exploit the current situation.  Springer's not actually wrong about that point.

But here's the thing: Meatpacking has been a hot mess of protectionist regulation at the Federal level for the past 120 years.  That's the root cause of any practical problems we're having with meatpacker consolidation today.  Had Springer used the current challenges in the beef market to write a letter to his Congressman calling for the repeal of the underlying statutes, that would have been awesome.

But Springer didn't write to his Congressman.  Springer wrote to the Texas Attorney General.  At best, he's misdiagnosing.

Springer's observing a problem caused by too much government, and attempting to "fix" it by calling for even more government.

Nothing good happens when politicians do that.

It's the equivalent of trying to "fix" a knee injury by amputating your leg.

Bottom Line:  Springer's proposal is a great way to turn a short-term challenge into a long-term structural problem.

#TXLEGE: Gonzalez and Springer Collude Against Public

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

Barf:



So-called "water policy" is an ongoing act of larceny the state of Texas commits against its citizens.  You can read our full archive on the topic here.  Gonzalez and Springer continue this ignominious tradition.

[Note:  This one especially.]

As to the specifics of Prop. 2 this year, Texas Scorecard has details:

PROPOSITION 2: Oppose

How it reads: “The constitutional amendment providing for the issuance of additional general obligation bonds by the Texas Water Development Board in an amount not to exceed $200 million to provide financial assistance for the development of certain projects in economically distressed areas.”

What it means: The Texas Water Development Board will be allowed to issue bonds, and therefore go into debt, in order to continue financing water supply, sewer service, and drainage projects in economically distressed areas.

TFR Stance: Oppose Proposition 2
Our Reasoning: State-subsidized debt serves as a disincentive to properly prioritizing spending and distorts market forces.

Aka. Crony Capitalism.

What makes Prop. 2 particularly galling is that the lege got their so-called "water infrastructure development bank" in 2013.  But it's never enough.  Six years later (aka. long enough for voters to forget), they're asking for another slush fund.

[Note: We wonder who's gonna finance the relevant debt.]

Furthermore, there's a dirty little secret to which the lege hopes you never get wise: The state of Texas has plenty of water to meet all of its residential and commercial needs.  The only reason Texas has anything remotely resembling a water "shortage" is because we subsidize growing cotton (a water intensive crop) in the panhandle (an arid climate).  If rural cotton farmers paid market rates for water, it would change the game.

But, of course, a lot of that cotton is grown in Drew Springer's district...so Springer wants the rest of us to pay.

We don't know how Gonzalez et. al. are getting paid, although history would suggest approaching this question with the most cynical lens possible.

Bottom Line: Government (with its attendant friends and cronies) never satisfies its appetite for other people's money.

#TXLEGE: Creighton, Leach, Springer and the GROTESQUE Cheapening of 9/11

"Professing to be wise, they became fools,"
Romans 1:22


UPDATE II: Say whatever else you want about Leach, but his recognized this misjudgement and fixed it.

I’m not afraid to admit when I’m wrong. And, on this, I was clearly and regretfully wrong. I sincerely apologize for this error of judgment and am fixing it immediately. https://t.co/wdTiiHdVcE

— Jeff Leach (@leachfortexas) September 11, 2019

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UPDATE (20ish minutes after publication): We just received a message from Jeff Leach acknowledging error, and pledging to fix it.  We appreciate the attention.

-------

Original post:

It started innocently enough:

This times a zillion. https://t.co/enUC1zyFbU

— cahnman (@cahnman) September 11, 2019

Then culprits emerged:

The crisis of September 11, 2001 revealed the true character of our Nation. We saw the exceptional greatness of America through the overwhelming goodness of the American people. May we never forget all that we witnessed together on that fateful day. pic.twitter.com/IMTjHgiiBK

— Jeff Leach (@leachfortexas) September 11, 2019

pic.twitter.com/LrXhRZ79Q1

— Drew Springer (@DrewSpringer) September 11, 2019

Not to be outdone, Brandon Creighton used an actual photo of the plane hitting the building:

#NeverForget #September11 #txlege pic.twitter.com/dHXTWSibk6

— Brandon Creighton (@SenCreighton) September 11, 2019

Ugh.

How tacky.

9/11 was many things to many people.  One thing it is not, however, is relevant to the job of a state representative or state senator 18 years later and 1500 miles away.  One would think you wouldn't have to explain such things.

Yet here we are.

The ironic thing, if you explore social media (which we did after discovering the above), is that the overwhelming majority of politicians get this.  Or at least they have enough political sense to understand why it's a bad idea.  Either way, they kept campaign logos out of their tributes.

Apparently, however, for Brandon Creighton, Jeff Leach, and Drew Springer, 9/11 was all about them.  We know politicians have egos.  But still.

[Fun Fact: Speaking of 9/11 and Texas Legislators, guess which Senator didn't smack their campaign logo on 9/11 imagery?!?  Brian Birdwell.  Probably a lesson in there.]

Bottom Line: It's a small thing in the grand scheme, but it does speak to the degree to which that which once mattered has become a cheap platitude.

#TXLEGE: Oh, Dennis

"The wise shall inherit glory,
But shame shall be the legacy of fools."
Proverbs 3:35

Even from 1500 miles away, it was pretty difficult to miss to continued devolution of the Bonnen saga.

To write a full analysis of the past week would require more time than we have interest, but some thoughts:

• When we've been saying, for years, that state government in Texas is astonishingly corrupt...this is a pretty good example.

• The members defending Bonnen are a bunch of dickless chodes.
• aka. Mayes Middleton, Matt Shaheen, Drew Springer, Craig Goldman, and...especially...Jeff Leach.
• Update: Add James White, Scott Sanford, Brad Buckley, and Cole Hefner to the list.
• Update II: Add Tom Oliverson.

• We haven't seen this level of willful blindness to serious misconduct since Wallace Hall.

• Whether or not Bonnen survives as speaker is irrelevant.  Anyone who can get to 76 votes will be a scumbag.  Gib Lewis, Pete Laney, Tom Craddick, Joe Straus, and Dennis Bonnen have all sucked.

• This is the same Texas house that, nearly two years into the scandal, has yet to say a word about Jim Murphy.

• Does the Travis County DA have jurisdiction?!?

• This is FUN!!!

Bottom Line: These people brought this on themselves and deserve everything that's coming....

#TXLEGE: The most toxic house in Texas

"That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun."
Ecclesiastes 1:9

Well, property tax "reform" is out of the house...but this is quite the poison pill:

Stickland fueled the boiling over of the evening, though, bringing forward the final amendment for consideration. The contentious measure he offered would strike the newly added contingency clause in the bill. Amendment 48 would essentially decouple SB 2 from House Bill 3, which is currently in the Texas Senate committee process.

The clause Stickland was after is the language added by Burrows into the property tax reform legislation last week that will only afford taxpayers reform and relief if lawmakers pass the school spending spree contained in HB 3. As substituted by Senate Education Chairman State Sen. Larry Taylor (R–Friendswood), that legislation added a contingency clause of its own that makes half of the appropriated monies for property tax relief, as well as a homestead exemption increase, entirely dependent on the passage of sales tax increases by voters on the November ballot.

Burrows, obviously frustrated by the amendment, then was questioned further by Democrat State Rep. Yvonne Davis of Dallas, who cornered Burrows and forced him to articulate the codependency of the bills—with relief being the furthest issue down the line.

“I think you have a very fine amendment here, Mr. Stickland,” Gutierrez said from the back microphone, foreshadowing what appeared to perhaps be an interesting alliance forming for taxpayers before the vote with both sides.

Bonnen indicated that Stickland had requested a record vote and that he, himself, would be voting ‘no,’ a Texas House rarity. Most members followed suit and the amendment failed, garnering a meager 5 ayes and a resounding 143 nays. The vote was a clear indication that the body politic of the Texas House is squarely with Bonnen and his leadership team at the end of the day. Three Democrats and two Republicans supported separating the two bills: Democrat State Reps. Michelle Beckley (Carrollton), Yvonne Davis (Dallas), and Harold Dutton Jr. (Houston), and Republicans Briscoe Cain and Jonathan Stickland.

In other words, they've made even the tiniest, most incremental, improvement in the property tax system contingent upon their orgy of spending masquerading as "school finance reform."

Obviously, this is a terrible deal that any self-respecting legislator should reject.

But this is the Texas Legislature, and...well...they ain't exactly known for self-respect.

So here we are.

As we said yesterday:



Just for good measure:

One amendment, from state Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, seems to bar anyone but licensed attorneys from representing taxpayers in the property tax appeal process on a contingency fee basis. The change would likely affect the author of SB 2, state Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican and a property tax consultant.

“It affects a lot of people. We'll talk about it in conference,” Geren said. He added, “I don't believe in contingency fees, but if we have to have contingency fees to do this, then I want the lawyers to do that."

In other words, Charlie Geren is literally attacking Paul Bettencourt's business...and the house members are fine with it.

Like we said: Toxic.

Bottom Line: New boss, something something; old boss, something something....

#TXLEGE: An all sorts of interesting panel about property taxes

"But the former governors who were before me laid burdens on the people, and took from them bread and wine, besides forty shekels of silver. Yes, even their servants bore rule over the people, but I did not do so, because of the fear of God."
Nehemiah 5:15

"If we don't fix it this session, we're in big trouble."

So said Drew Springer at this afternoon's TPPF policy orientation panel on property taxes.

The panel featured a number of interesting nuggets; among them:

• Senator Paul Bettencourt on Speaker Bonnen's willingness to engage the issue in good faith: "Quite a departure from the last speaker."

• Bettencourt -- As property values go up, tax rates have to go down.

• Bettencourt -- "The state has to stop Robin Hood."

• Bettencourt plugged uniform election dates.

• Tarrant County Judge Glenn Whitley gave a lot of the usual talking points about "state mandated services" such as a court system and jails...but, if courts and jails were the only thing on which counties were spending their money, there wouldn't be a problem.

• To his credit, Whitley also mentioned the ENORMOUS sums Texas gives away as tax exemptions; we've previously discussed how this could be an area of widespread cross-partisan consensus.

• Springer calls for using new revenue from various excise type taxes to buy down property taxes.

• Fun local fact: Apparently, Travis county has had the slowest county tax growth of any major urban county in the state!!!

• And the kicker: DREW SPRINGER.  ENDORSES.  AUTOMATIC ROLLBACK ELECTIONS.

That last one is the hugest of them all.  Last session, Drew Springer was one of the primary obstacles to property tax reform.  Honestly, it's noteworthy that Drew Springer is constructively engaging on this issue in the first place.

We know a few people on Facebook were mad about an obscure thing that happened in yesterday's rules debate, but today we found ourselves wondering who this guy was and what he had done with the Drew Springer from last session.

But we'll take it.

Bottom Line: It's too soon to tell the form in which it will take shape, but there will be tangible progress on this issue this session....

#TXLEGE: The Bonnen Administration

Left to Right: Evan Smith, Mary Gonzalez, Jeff Leach, and Drew Springer

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

We attended this afternoon's Trib discussion about the new house leadership.  It was very productive.  We should be cautiously optimistic about next session while understanding that it will require a different playbook.

From a conservative perspective, the most important takeaway is that Gordon Johnson is done.  We asked Jeff Leach and Drew Springer, point blank, about Gordon Johnson's influence over both the speaker selection process and his general influence over the GOP caucus moving forward.  Both Leach and Springer used the word "none."  That, by itself, is a game changer.

But beyond that, the tone really does feel different.  For example, Evan Smith asked whether the house members prioritized somebody who could "stand up to the Lt. Governor."  We were astonished to hear Drew Springer throw cold water on that narrative.  Springer explained that, rather, he wanted a speaker who "works better with the Senate."  Leach explained that one of the reasons Bonnen was able to unify the GOP caucus was because he has good relationships with Abbott and Patrick.  Even Mary Gonzalez threw shade on Straus' bad relationship with the Senate.  That's different.

The shift was most apparent in Springer.  Obviously, this website has had some very uncharitable things to say about Drew Springer over the years.  But this does not sound like the same Drew Springer.  Last session, Drew Springer was a key player in killing property tax reform.  Today, Drew Springer was talking about how 93% of the Republican primary voters in his district voted for a lower rollback rate.  Springer also said some good things about not pouring education funding into bureaucracy.  That is, to put it mildly, new for Drew Springer.

Mary Gonzalez also made some interesting comments.  She called Bonnen's promises of a fair process to be "a huge shift."  Coming from a Democrat, that is quite a statement.  Gonzalez also said that Bonnen has made no promises regarding Democrat committee chairs.

One more interesting note: Jeff Leach gave an impassioned, well-informed, stemwinder on the subject of criminal justice reform.  He specifically talked about how leaving people to fester behind bars when it serves no rehabilitative or restorative purpose offends his convictions as a pro-lifer.  In so doing, he damn near got a standing ovation from a room full of Austin liberals.  Duly noted moving forward.

Bottom Line: We don't see how you walk out of today's session feeling anything other than optimistic....

About that New Yorker anti-Texas Hatchet Job

"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,"
1 Peter 2:1

Today, the New Yorker put out a looooooooooong article about the Texas legislature.  It would be easy to pander for clicks and dismiss the whole thing as "fake news," but it's more accurate to say that it uses half-truths to cast wildly a misleading impression (very similar to how the Austin Chronicle operates).  This is not intended as a comprehensive take-down, but to give a more accurate accounting of several claims made in the article.

• The claim: "The state is as politically divided as the rest of the nation. One can drive across it and be in two different states at the same time: FM Texas and AM Texas. FM Texas is the silky voice of city dwellers, the kingdom of NPR. It is progressive, blue, reasonable, secular, and smug—almost like California. AM Texas speaks to the suburbs and the rural areas: Trumpland."
  
  Reality: This is stupid.  On the occasions we listen to terrestrial radio, we switch back and forth between AM and FM depending on the content.  Everyone we know does the same thing.

• The claim: "The eleventh largest [city in the U.S., population wise] is Austin, the capital, where I live. For the past five years, it has been one of the fastest-growing large cities in America; it now has nearly a million people, dwarfing the college town I fell in love with almost forty years ago."
  
  Reality: Austin has been one of the fastest growing cities in the country for at least a quarter century.

• The claim: "The state was always culturally conservative, religious, and militaristic, but a strain of pragmatism kept it from being fully swept up in racism and right-wing ideology."
  
  Reality: Setting aside the cheap shots embedded in the use of the words "militaristic" and "racism," the phrase "strain of pragmatism" is a euphemism for the corrupt good ol' boy network (ie. the Austin lobby) mixing business and government to protect incumbent industries from competition and put together shady real estate deals.

• The claim: "While George W. Bush was governor, between 1995 and 2000, a cordial détente between the political parties prevailed."
  
  Reality: Everyone's campaign contributors got paid...thank you very much Karl Rove.

• The claim: "In January, 2003, the Republicans finally took over the Texas legislature, and Laney lost the speakership to Tom Craddick, an ultraconservative Republican from Midland, the oil capital.
  
  Reality: LOL, Tom Craddick "ultra-conservative."  Consider the following Empower Texans scores for Tom Craddick since he left the speakers chair.  2015: 81, 2013: 61, 2011: B+.  While that puts Craddick among the more conservative half of the GOP conference, that's hardly "ultra conservative" (Note: While Empower is holding the 2017 index until after the special session, it's worth pointing out that Craddick fell into the bottom half of the GOP conference in the Mark Jones index).

• The claim: "When he entered the House, [Craddick] was twenty-five—the youngest member. “Back then, most of the other members were retired, and they ran for office as a civic duty,” he said. Now, at seventy-three, he is the longest-serving legislator in Texas history."
  
  Reality: That's an accurate statement, but we find it notable that the author doesn't have a problem with the fact that Tom Craddick has been in public office for nearly five decades.

• The claim: "Another Republican congressman, Lamar Smith, lives in San Antonio, but his district includes—and neutralizes—the liberal area surrounding the University of Texas at Austin. Smith, a member of the Tea Party Caucus, in Washington, denies that human activity affects global warming."
  
  Reality: LOL, Lamar Smith "Tea Party."  We said our piece about Lamar Smith's record during the 2012 campaign.  Our full archive on Lamar Smith can be viewed here.

• The claim: "In March, 2016, a man named Robert Morrow was elected the Republican Party chairman of Travis County, which contains Austin. Like many reporters in Texas, I received wild e-mails from Morrow for several years. He once claimed that George H. W. Bush was “a seriously addicted homosexual pedophile” who was also involved in a C.I.A. drug-smuggling ring with the Clintons. In 2011, Morrow took out a full-page ad in a local newspaper:

  HAVE YOU EVER HAD SEX WITH RICK PERRY?

  Are you a stripper, an escort, or just a “young hottie” impressed by an arrogant, entitled governor of Texas?

  Nothing came of the ad, which, Morrow said, was designed to expose Perry as “a Christian-buzzwords-spouting, ‘family values’ hypocrite and fraud.”
  Morrow, a fifty-three-year-old Princeton graduate with an M.B.A. from the University of Texas, describes himself as an independent investor. In 2015, he wrote a book with Roger Stone, the political operative and occasional adviser to Donald Trump, called “The Clintons’ War on Women.” The Austin American-Statesman noted that it appeared “to be serving as a playbook for Trump” in his attacks on Hillary Clinton. (Upon its publication, Trump tweeted, “The latest book on Hillary—Wow, a really tough one!”) Mainstream Party officials were mortified when Morrow won the Travis County election, with fifty-six per cent of the vote. They promised to “explore every single option that exists” to remove him from office. Morrow responded, “They can go fuck themselves.” In June, he tweeted, “Top priority for Travis GOP: beautiful Big Titty women!!”
  
  Reality: It's not a secret that Robert Morrow is a personal friend of this author, but for Robert Morrow to receive more discussion in this piece than Ted Cruz tells you everything you need to know.
  
  (As to the claims about George Bush 41, see here).

• We don't want to waste your time making you read it, but there's a seven paragraph ode to Ann Richards about 30% of the way through the piece.

• The claim: "Another emergency item on the Governor’s list for the 2017 session was ethics reform, but many legislators saw the move as hypocritical. Lyle Larson, a centrist Republican state representative from San Antonio, told me, “Some of the most egregious violations are in the governor’s office. It’s well known that pay-for-play has been going on in that office for years. For you to be on the Parks and Wildlife board, for instance, or to be a regent at the university, you have to make significant contributions”—to Abbott’s campaign fund."
  
  Reality: Empower Texans addressed the substance of Larson's claims here, but for the purposes of this piece we will simply note that the author accepted Larson's claim at face value.

• The Claim: "Since [Dan] Patrick became lieutenant governor, one of his signature accomplishments has been the passage of the open-carry gun law; he also successfully pushed to legalize the carrying of concealed weapons on public-college campuses."
  
  Reality: LOLOLOL.  For as much as we appreciate Dan Patrick's political savvy in terms of knowing just how far and where he can push the political envelope given the cast of Senators he has to work with, the Second Amendment has easily been the issue where the Texas Senate's performance has fallen short(est).  The only reason open carry and campus carry passed (Note: two sessions ago; the lege didn't do anything noteworthy on 2A this past regular session) was because groups like Open Carry Texas and Lone Star Gun Rights made the issue too hot to ignore.

• The Claim: "Patrick’s extremism is often countered by Joe Straus, the speaker of the House, a centrist, business-oriented conservative from San Antonio. Whereas the lieutenant governor is elected by the voters of the state, the speaker is chosen by the members. That makes a crucial difference in the way that Patrick and Straus govern."
  
  Reality: Given the extended discussion of Craddick earlier in the piece, one would think a mention of how Straus unseated Craddick might be relevant.  But for some reason, it doesn't appear.  Strange.

• The Claim: "[T]here was no actual evidence of voter fraud."
  
  Reality: LOL; see here, and here, and here, and here (we could go on).

• The Claim: "The business community in Texas fiercely opposed S.B. 6, and produced a report suggesting that its passage could cost the state up to eight and a half billion dollars. (PolitiFact determined that this figure was hyperbolic.)"
  
  Reality: The study in question was so laughably bad that it was instantly discredited; while we're on the subject, we find it notable that the author fails to discuss Kelly Hancock's brutal cross examination of the head of the Texas Association of Business.

• The Claim: "On March 2nd, I returned to the capitol to have lunch with the speaker of the House, Joe Straus....[W]e sat down to plates of delicious crab cakes."
  
  Reality: It's a minor quibble, but we find it notable that, on Texas Independence day, Joe Straus was eating crab cakes instead of brisket.

• The Claim: "[Straus'] speakership has focussed [sic] on providing the workforce and the infrastructure that Texas businesses need, by protecting public education, building roads, establishing more top-tier universities, and expanding job training. Perhaps his biggest victory was in 2013: in the middle of a devastating drought, he ushered through a two-billion-dollar revolving loan fund for state water projects.
  
  Reality: We said our piece about that monstrosity at the time.

• The Claim: "With each session, Straus has watched the Republican Party drift farther away from the “compassionate conservatism” of the Governor Bush era and become increasingly dominated by Christian ideologues, such as Patrick, for whom economic issues are secondary."
  
  Reality: REALLY?!?  Who's the guy pushing property tax limits, tighter spending caps and a higher ed. tuition freeze?!?

• The Claim: “I can only do so much to keep the focus on fiscal issues and away from the divisive stuff,” [Straus] told me.
  
  Reality: Then why did you kill the afore mentioned property tax limits, tighter spending caps, and higher ed. tuition freeze?!?

• The Claim: "Unlike Patrick, who decides which bills come to the floor in the Senate, Straus has to exercise influence by artfully appointing committee members, who can dull the fangs of fearsome bills (or let them languish until there’s no time to consider them)."
  
  Reality: That's completely true, they just normally don't say it out loud.

• The Claim: "Meanwhile, [Straus] was pressing his own legislative agenda, which included securing additional funds for public schools"
  
  Reality: MOAR MONEY FOR SOCIALIZED EDUCATION!!!  Why didn't anyone think of that before?!?

• The Claim: "Dr. John Zerwas, a Republican anesthesiologist from Richmond, Texas, is the chair of the Appropriations Committee. A business conservative in the Straus mold, he is deeply respected in the legislature, and Straus selected him to craft the House version of the budget."
  
  Reality: Only liberals respect John Zerwas.

• The Claim: "Stickland is plump, with an imposing beard, narrow-set brown eyes, and an occasional broad smile revealing beautiful teeth."
  
  Reality: LOL; we've never paid attention to Jonathan Stickland's teeth, so we can't comment one way or the other.

• The Claim: "As usual, the Texas legislature passed anti-abortion bills. One bans the safest and most common procedure for second-trimester abortions: dilation and evacuation. Supporters of the legislation call this a “dismemberment abortion.” "
  
  Reality: If you can stand to see it, learn more about dismemberment abortion here.

• The Claim: "[A]s Texas’s liberal cities have burgeoned, the state has grown markedly less red."
  
  Reality: Texas has grown significantly redder over the past decade; while it's an open question whether that trend will continue with a Republican president, it doesn't change the facts of recent history.

• The Claim: "On May 20th, Tom Mechler, the chairman of the state Republican Party, resigned, citing personal reasons. He issued a letter pleading for party unity. “A party that is fractured by anger and backbiting is a party that will not succeed,” he said. He also warned that the Republican Party had failed to attract voters outside the white demographic, and was therefore destined for electoral oblivion. “If we do not continue to make efforts to engage in the diverse communities across Texas, our state will turn blue,” he warned. He urged the next chairman to reshape the Party in the image of modern Texas.
  
  
  Soon after Mechler’s resignation, Rob Morrow—the former Travis County Republican Party chairman with the motley-fool hat—announced his candidacy for the statewide position.
  
  Reality: Another discussion of Robert Morrow, yet the author fails to mention James Dickey; odd.
  [Note: We wonder if the author attempted to speak to James Dickey at all?!?]

• The Claim: "Drew Springer, the representative from North Texas who killed Stickland’s anti-hog-abatement amendment, pleaded for H.B. 810, which would fund experimental stem-cell treatments. He spoke on behalf of his wife, who is in a wheelchair. Such treatments “might give somebody like my wife a chance to walk,” he said, between sobs. “I’d trade every one of my bills I’ve passed, every single one, to get the chance to hear H.B. 810.” The Freedom Caucus gave in on this one, and it passed."
  
  Reality: We discussed Springer's stupid little speech at the time, we only bring it up because if you follow the link to the post from May we also included a list of issues Springer considered more pressing than his wife's alleged ability to walk.

• The Claim: "The session concluded this year on Memorial Day, and so fallen soldiers were honored. Legislators said goodbye to colleagues with whom they had endured a hundred and forty of the most intense days of their lives.
  
  
  Meanwhile, buses began arriving at the capitol. Hundreds of protesters, some from distant states, burst through the doors, filling all four levels of the rotunda and spilling into the House gallery. They unfurled banners (“see you in court!”) and chanted, “S.B. 4 has got to go!” One of the protest organizers, Stephanie Gharakhanian, explained to reporters, “We wanted to make sure we gave them the sendoff they deserve.”
  
  A few of the Democrats in the chamber looked up at the chanting protesters and began to applaud. State troopers cleared the gallery and broke up the protest, but by that time some of the Republicans on the floor had taken offense. Matt Rinaldi, a member of the Freedom Caucus from Dallas County, who is sometimes rated the most conservative member of the House, later told Fox Business Network that he noticed several banners bearing the message “i am undocumented and here to stay.”
  
  Reality: This isn't a Rinaldi claim, there's video

Read the whole thing here.