Abbott appoints Career Government Lawyer as new Sec'y of State

"So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth."
Revelation 3:16

ICYMI:

Today, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Ruth Ruggero Hughs as the acting Secretary of State.

Hughs has served as chair of the Texas Workforce Commission and was appointed by Abbott to that position in August of 2018. Of the three commissioners on the board, Hughs was charged with representing the employers in the state.

“Ruth is a proven leader who has done a tremendous job as both a commissioner and the Chair of the Texas Workforce Commission,” said Governor Abbott of his appointee in a press release.

Abbott continued, saying Hughs “has built strong relationships with the business community throughout Texas and has helped lead the way in developing the best workforce in the nation. I am proud to appoint Ruth as Secretary of State and I am confident that her experience at the Texas Workforce Commission will translate into success in this new role.”

Hughs is a career government lawyer who's been with Greg Abbott for a long time. She was with him in the Attorney General's office. He appointed her to the Workforce commission. Now she's his Sec'y of State appointee.

Career government lawyers tend to be cautious, risk-averse, and controversy shy.

Obviously, in a political environment where the left is going to pull out all stops, that's a worrisome combination.

In fairness to Hughs, the one time she was involved in something controversial, she pretty much told the left to pound sand.  It was an obscure regulatory fight involving how the state classifies people who partner with sharing economy companies.  If she can recognize when labor unions are trying to shakedown Uber, perhaps she'll recognize election related shenanigans.

But it's an open question.

The truth is that we don't know, and by the time we do know, it'll be too late to do anything about it.

Bottom Line: Missed opportunity.

#TXLEGE: Patrick first statewide offical to acknowlege the completely obvious re: Bonnen

"Make no friendship with an angry man,
And with a furious man do not go,"
Proverbs 22:24

FINALLY:

AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, weighing in on the scandal that's roiled the Texas House in recent weeks, warned Republicans must resolve the issue or risk losing control of that chamber in 2020.

"We don't have many seats to lose in the House to the Democrats, and this could play a part of that," Patrick told radio show host Mark Davis on Monday morning, according to tweets from the Texas Tribune. Patrick called for "transparency" from everyone involved, adding, "The sooner it's behind us, however it turns out, is the better."

Patrick is completely correct.

As we've previously discussed, this scandal will unfold one of two ways: Either Bonnen goes away, or it becomes a slow-drip story for the next year and a half.  With his comments this morning, Patrick has shown he understands the second possibility.  He still needs to figure out the first, but at least it's a start.

It's certainly better than what others are saying (and doing).

Bottom Line: This really shouldn't be difficult....

#TXLEGE: Burrows belatedly recognizes the completely obvious

"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes,
But he who heeds counsel is wise."
Proverbs 12:15

About DAMN time:

State Rep. Dustin Burrows of Lubbock has resigned as chair of the Texas House GOP Caucus amid allegations that he and House Speaker Dennis Bonnen planned to politically target members from their own party in the 2020 primaries.

Burrows' departure marks the largest fallout yet since the accusations surfaced.

On Friday, the caucus executive committee sent an email to members saying that it had "met and accepted" Burrows' resignation as caucus chair. The email, which also announced that state Rep. Stephanie Klick of Fort Worth had been elevated from vice chair to chair of the caucus, confirmed what two sources had told The Texas Tribune earlier Friday.

Bonnen said in a statement that Burrows, who has served in the House since 2015, "was a strong leader for the caucus." Bonnen added: "I respect his decision and I remain committed to strengthening our majority."

Good. This is a slow-drip story that won't go away until Dennis Bonnen and Dustin Burrows go away. That outcome is inevitable. The only question is how much pain Bonnen and Burrows want to endure first.

Bottom Line: Now do Bonnen....

#TXLEGE: Bettencourt LEADS charge to rescue children from Houston ISD

"But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me [a]to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea."
Mark 9:24

It's about time:

The chronic low scores at HISD's Wheatley High School leave the Texas Education Commissioner with no choice under state law but to close the campus or overturn an election, kick out the entire Houston school board and appoint a new one.

According to state education leaders who spoke with 13 Investigates, that takeover now seems increasingly likely.

State Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Republican from Houston and member of the State Senate Education Committee, told ABC13, "I've never had any criticism for the interim superintendent (Dr. Grenita Lathan) and will not, because she's not the problem. The problem is the board of trustees and everybody out there knows it, and that's what needs to be replaced."

....

It could be late fall before the official decision comes down. State accountability ratings aren't finalized until November, but HISD does not appear to be fighting the accountability ratings.

We wrote a longer piece about this situation back in January; TL,DR version:

1. It's the morally right thing to do.
   
2. If the GOP follows through then, over time, there **MIGHT** be political benefit (at a minimum, it's better than doing nothing).

Bottom Line:There are few failures of big government more blatant than urban school districts. Children being maleducated deserve an alternative to the entitled, spendaholic, bureaucracy. Kudos to Senator Bettencourt.

Abbott's so-called "Domestic Terrorism" Power Grab

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
2 Timothy 1:7

Yesterday, we discussed the sleazier political aspects of Governor Abbott's new "Domestic Terrorism Task Force."  We still think that's the primary takeaway.  Having had a chance to sleep on it, however, there's another insanely bothersome aspect.

Politicians ALWAYS exploit tragedy for power grabs.

We have no idea what this so-called "task force" will propose, except on thing: This process will expand the power of the Governor's office.

Furthermore, that expansion of power will be around a lot longer than Greg Abbott.

Obviously, by any sane, rational, or data-driven standard, so-called "mass shootings" are statistically meaningless.  They're INSANELY rare.  That the media cynically gives them sensationalistic wall-to-wall coverage doesn't change the fact that they're extreme outlier events.

Sensationalistic, wall-to-wall, media coverage, however, is exactly the backdrop power hungry politicians always exploit.

Bottom Line: Have we not learned our lesson from the so-called "Patriot Act?!?"

#TXLEGE: Abbott appoints Bonnen to Task Force

"He who covers his sins will not prosper,
But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."
Proverbs 28:13

Umm, ok:

Governor Greg Abbott today, under Article 4, Sections 1, 7, and 10 of the Texas Constitution, formed a Domestic Terrorism Task Force in the wake of the El Paso shooting to combat these hateful acts and extremism in Texas. The group of experts will analyze and provide advice on strategies to maximize law enforcement’s ability to protect against acts of domestic terrorism. The task force will hold its first roundtable meeting with Governor Abbott on Friday, August 30th.

For the most part, this seems to the type of grandstanding that all politicians do following tragedies.  Obviously, it should be monitored.  That being said, this task-force likely won't amount to much.

That being said, one participant seems noteworthy:

• Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen 

It doesn't take a genius to see why that's a bad idea.

Bottom Line: See no evil....

West's first interesting move during RPT campaign

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

This wasn't expected:

When asked about the [Dennis Bonnen quid pro quo] controversy on the Chris Salcedo Show this morning, former Congressman and military veteran Allen West said he believed Bonnen should resign from his position.

“I’m not an opportunist and I don’t want anyone to see me that way, but one of the things about being in the military is leadership is about honor, integrity, and character,” said West. “If we’re going to move forward with the Republican Party of Texas, I’ve got to tell you that I can’t work with someone who has a lack of honor, integrity, and character.”

“I would suggest the Speaker of the House, Dennis Bonnen, right now step down from speaker and resign from his State House seat, because we’re not going to be able to go forward as long as he stays in that position,” he concluded.

That's...certainly welcome.  To this point, West has campaigned on nothing but vague cliches.  With this statement, however, West might indicate a growing understanding of Texas-specific issues.

At a minimum, it makes West relevant.

Bottom Line:  Whatever happens between now and next convention, kudos to West for forcing this discussion....