Being There: The State Capitol 
My Capitol 
Austin Powers
Images of influence and intrigue at the wild and woolly eightieth legislative session.
(Page 2 of 2)
“We’ve polled people: ‘What if we could build a coal-fueled power plant that removes 90 to 95 percent of all emissions. Would you support it?’ If you want to see the only country on earth that regulates mercury emission, it’s the United States. If you want to see bad air, go to China. There is a bridge you have to cross to a hydrogen economy. It can’t be done overnight. It can’t be done just like this. In the meantime, you look at the individuals in the United States that make over $50,000 a year. Only 9 percent of their monthly budget goes to energy. If you make $30,000, you’re looking at 20 percent of your monthly budget. I’m sitting here and I’m painted as this insensitive industry hack because I represent coal-fueled electricity, which is one third the price of natural gas electricity in Texas. I’m fighting to keep low-cost electric plants alive in this state.”
Down in the Cafeteria Eminger and a colleague told me the facts of lobbyist life …
Anonymous lobbyist: “There are people here who are face painters, who think that whatever the issue is, it’s their lifeblood. They’d probably do it for free. There are only a few issues that strike people like that. Abortion. Stem cell research. I have become conversant in the coal issue. I have learned to argue both sides. I think our point of view is probably the most realistic one and the right one, but that doesn’t mean the other side doesn’t have some good points too. The other side always does. You’ve got to be able to find a balance. The Legislature is looking for balance. Most of us who do this understand what the other guy is going to say. I go in showing my member how my point of view will impact his district. What I’m looking for is for him to give me an answer as a member. All I want is a yes or no. It’s much better for me to work on my yeses and my maybes than on someone who says no.”
Eminger: “There’s a lot of misinformation that floats around the Capitol. You don’t lie to a representative. If you do, you’re out the door. You’ve burned your reputation with that person for the rest of your time. Word gets around and then all of a sudden, as a lobbyist, nobody wants to pick you up. You’ve got to trust the person to bring you the cold, hard facts of the issue. Then you ask, ‘How does my constituent want me to go?’ ”
Anonymous lobbyist: “This is not a win or lose game. It’s a game that never ends. It’s hard for clients to understand that. Once you start playing, you can never stop. If you do, someone will take from you what you’ve done. This is about money. Only. It’s about the movement of money. The state, federal, and local governments are there for one reason and that’s to take money from the taxpayers to do things with. As taxpayers, we have roads we like, schools we like. We think these are good things to spend money on. Right? When the state does that, that’s the appropriations bill in the budget. If you remove that, we still have six thousand bills filed every session. What do you think that represents? It’s greed. It’s industry versus industry. You’ve got one industry, phones, and you’ve got another industry, cable, who are competing against each other. As a consumer, you don’t really care who owns what as long as your phone works and your cable works. But they file legislation to screw the other guy, then they hire a guy like me to come in and help do it. There are hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars at stake.”
The Shark Tank
The mystical performance space. A place for good cellular reception, this glassed-in courtyard in the basement extension is the stage where lobbyists wander and wave their cigarettes while talking on their phones, like characters in a Pirandello play. A must-see.
Bill Miller
Lobbyist, sorta (nobody really knows what he does)
“The bread and butter of the business is a big client base that is happy, that pays us well, and that people here are pleased to work with. I have a bill that got amended, and I’ve got to go see the author because he amended it. You know, it’s complicated. I go see the guy and say, ‘You know, we gotta kill it. If it is going to be fixed, we can be for it.’” “So what you do is untangle things?” I asked him. “Or tangle things.”
Ultimately the Capitol is about influence. It comes from many directions, sometimes from within, sometimes from without.
Sen. Chuy Hinojosa
Democrat, McAllen
“With voter ID Republicans are trying to suppress the vote to stay in power. The pendulum is swinging to the middle, but they are trying to hold it back. They’re going to pay a price at some point. The best example I can give you is that a lot of the Hispanics who supported Bush and the Republican party feel unwelcome there because their actions speak louder than their words. Here they file this legislation—tinges of racism, if you will—that is not in the best interests of Hispanics. Sometimes I joke with them. I say, ‘You want us to assimilate. What else do you want me to do? I’m a U.S. Marine Corps Vietnam veteran. I wear cowboy boots. I got a cowboy belt. I got a hat. I carry a concealed handgun. Y’know? How much more Texas do you want me to be? I’m a redneck Hispanic.’ I convince my colleagues from West Texas, the Panhandle, that we South Texas Hispanics are no different than they are. We come from good families. We want good homes. We want good jobs, good schools. We want criminals behind bars. We like cold beer, good music, and loose women. And you know, we high-five and they give me their vote.”
Rep. Patrick Rose
Democrat, Dripping Springs
“I believe there is a decreased lack of faith and trust in both political parties. Voters who have voted straight-party tickets, largely Republican, will begin to be more independent in their decision making. That does not necessarily mean the Democratic party will fill that void. I think independents have equal distrust for both parties right now. I do think there are opportunities for moderates on this House floor. It is important that moderates run this place. You’d see fairness, balance, a progressive government that brings people together and forms consensus.”
Diana Estrada
Protester at the May 1 immigration demonstration
“We’re trying to get some rights because we have been so discriminated against here. There are many people like me who are working. All I do is work, work. I help the USA to grow. We help you guys, and we don’t deserve to get so discriminated against. Like, if I need to go to the doctor, I don’t have the right to go. I like this country. I go for UT in sports. Those are my teams. Football and basketball. I root for those teams.”
Anne McAfee
Anti-war protester
“It’s a building that I love. I’ve loved it all my life. I’ve been here for seventy-six years plus. I’m a fifth-generation Austinite, so it’s a building I’ve been in and out of for years and years. It’s something I have great affection for. I consider it as a symbol for the whole state of Texas.”
Pages: 1 2
My Library
