Simpson mulls race for speaker
Has the anti-Straus faction adopted a strategy of divide-and-conquer? That is, putting forth multiple candidates for speaker, which would muddy the waters and dilute the vote for Straus. The problem with this strategy is that neither David Simpson nor Bryan Hughes has demonstrated that he has the gravitas to be speaker. If indeed the opposition’s strategy is divide-and-conquer, it is hard to see who might be their leading candidate. Berman is gone, Chisum is gone, Wayne Christian is gone…maybe Phil King?
The recent selection of Myra Crownover as chair of the Republican caucus is likely to be a temporary development. She is not interested in running for the post, preferring a subcommittee chairmanship on Appropriations. Two members who are likely to run for caucus chair are Jim Murphy and Brandon Creighton. In 2011, the leadership of the caucus was Larry Taylor and Kelly Hancock. They had little loyalty for Straus; during debate, they circled the podium like piranhas. As the policy director of the caucus, Hancock had great influence over how members voted; he was the de facto majority whip. The ascension to the Senate of Taylor and Hancock was the best thing that could happen for Straus.
Dollars and Sense says:
Too many of the Tea Partiers forgot to kill all the revolutionaries after the revolution. Will they ever be able to avoid the circular death squad?
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Blue Dogs Reply:
December 7th, 2012 at 2:30 pm
Anyone else think Straus might have aspirations for the Governor’s Mansion in 2014 or down the road ?
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Anon Reply:
December 7th, 2012 at 3:23 pm
No
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shasta says:
Do piranhas circle?
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paulburka Reply:
December 7th, 2012 at 8:52 pm
Only if they want to.
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WURSPH says:
I doubt that Simpson can be a serious candidate for Speaker since he lacks one of the traditional beliefs that were once required of a speaker candidate. He just does not seem to understand that one of the Speaker’s primary jobs is “to protect the members” from being cut by making sure that they do not have to vote on issues where the number in favor is virtually the same as those against—a situation in which a member can really get cut-up.
A Simpson-type speaker would ignore that rule every chance he got by forcing the members to vote on issues only of real interest to the Tea Party-types and the super libertarians—votes that can do nothing but wind up cutting up a whole lot of representatives.
Craddick did not understand that rule….and got too many members in real election trouble—as shown by the number of members replaced at the following elections. That memory should be sufficient to kill any chance of a Simpson candidacy being successful.
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Anonymous says:
Anyone who publicly prayed that our Jewish Speaker would be replaced by a Christian does not deserve a leadership role (or a seat in the House for that matter).
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Anonymous Reply:
December 10th, 2012 at 11:53 am
When & where did Simpson do such a thing? I gotta know more about this.
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City Slicker says:
Why not? Maybe people will then start caring about who they vote for.
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Deon says:
Straus is going to be fine .,, for a while.
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Kenneth D. Franks says:
It is a Republican legislature. I think I’m going to have to have parched peanuts and popcorn.
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Realist says:
Hughes??? Simpson??? MQSullivan?? Cathy Adams?? Peggy Venable?? Phylis Shafly? – yep, those are the folks that the House members are begging for to run the Texas House of Representatives….NOT
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texxas cynic says:
Larry Taylor ascending to the Senate is a fine thing for Larry Taylor – for his constituents, and the rest of Texas – not so much.
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Anonymous says:
Simpson is a quack. Hughes is a personal injury trial lawyer. Straus is by no means invincible, but is probably still sitting north of 130 votes. 2012 has been a very strong year for the maxim (see Akin, Todd and Romney, Mitt): Candidates matter.
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Anonymous says:
http://texasconservativepolitics.blogspot.com/2012/12/who-is-david-simpsons-largest.html
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Paul B says:
Everyone should read the link that Opiela posted 12/9/2012 at 3:08 pm.
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Lobster says:
Well at least we can be sure that Trey Fischer, Armando Walle, Jessica Ferrar, Ana Luna and the other Mostynbots are working to find another Republican candidate to be speaker and put them on the insurance committee.
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anon says:
Trey Martinez Fischer and the looneys have been meeting with Bryan Hughes and David Simpson. When will treys district wake up and see that he has brought nothing to the district and is loathed in the Capitol? When will his district hear of how he uses MALC money for his own state and law office? I think that time has come.
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Texian Politico says:
Mulls? The Statesman says he has filed to run. Time to make this blog a bit more timely Burka. Ha.
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Anonymous says:
Simpson for Speaker?…….that’s just wrong….really wrong …and scary
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WURSPH says:
He has filed and Hughes is out…
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Anonymous says:
The only thing a Simpson speakership would accomplish is ….special session after special session after special session…..a huge backlog and shutdown of the House…..it is a frightening thing to imagine!
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I'm Pavlov. Ring a Bell? says:
Abandon hope for new blog posts, all ye who enter here.
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Anonymous says:
I don’t think Simpson files without some promise of Dem support. I can see Hughes running to make a point, ala Paxton. But I see Simpson wanting a real shot before throwing his hat in the ring. Simpson did work with Dems on several items in the 82nd, and his recent anti-voucher statement could be a flare encouraging Dem support. Where as Straus may just let what happens happen.
If Simpson were to pick up a substantial number of dems, or almost all, I think it all gets interesting. Lets see what the dems do.
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Anonymous says:
A blogger in Keller says Simpson may have up to 30 Dems behind him which i find hard to believe. Even so, what does that make his best count – 30%?? As close as Hughes & Simpson are, I have to wonder if this wasn’t always the plan. Simpson had a few of the newly elected state reps following him all over the state convention last summer and had last session’s new crop and has blustered several times at Straus. His wanting to be the leader is not new, and I don’t see him counting the cost or the votes as carefully as you seem to suggest. Grassroots may love him but the members are afraid of him.
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Anonymous says:
I’m for Straus, but I could see Dems supporting Simpson for Speaker because his leadership would ensure the return of upwards of twenty seats to the Democratic side.
What a clown. Maybe he can hold a prayer rally asking for a “christian” speaker.
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Anonymous says:
Anon at 2:26. I’m not suggesting Simpson is counting the votes closely. Just that he would not file without “some promise of Dem support”, as his run would not be an exercise in running up the flag. Now, maybe he isn’t a careful number counter. But even thirty dems, plus some freshman Rs, plus some serious tea party types, would put him within striking distance. Once Straus appears vulnerable, he will be vulnerable. And then it gets interesting.
and Anon at 3:01, Texas voters are not as sensitive to what happens in the state lege to make anything Simpson, or anyone else does, determinitive of winning or losing seats. Nothing that happened in the 82nd made the slightest bit of difference, except passing such a one sided map that the court stepped in,and drew an interim map that gave dems 7 gimmee seats. And thats all they got, no more. What happens in Austin politically stays in Austin. The practical does effect us all, but we don’t seem to vote based on reality. Just perception.
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I'm a JBBeliever says:
Dems and Simpson?! Yikes,how does JBB feel about this recent development?
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Anonymous says:
Not just JBB but everyone of those purists who have made the support of democrats the toxic stamp on Joe. Time for a little honest reflection here, starting with MQS, Cathy Adams, Peggy Venebal etc
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Anonymous Reply:
December 11th, 2012 at 8:10 am
Looks like Cathy Adams just gave her stamp of approval for Simpson to get with the Dems. See the TT article this morning. No way she says that off the cuff. There has been a conversation, and Cathy Adams has signed off on Simpson making a deal with the Dems. I’m getting tingly.
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ErnestTBass says:
Simpson is a wack job from rural East Texas. Only slighlty less wacky than Berman and Christian. His beliefs are the same, but he is a little less “out there” with his wackiness than those two loons were. But, he has absolutely NO chance to be the speaker… of anything…
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JohnnyFootball says:
Any dem supporting Simpson will be primaried out of the legislature. everything on Trey Fischer will soon come out. Maybe now he will learn his lesson. It’s amazing how far someone will go to get on the insurance committee. In the end, we will all see Trey as being done in by his own greed.
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Anonymous says:
Johnny Football. You are living in fantasy land with your talk of dem primaries. In most districts, it is hard enough to find a non felon who can put complete sentences together to run as a dem in the lege. This isn’t ten years ago where there was still the shadow of a dem party. Now, these dems in the lege are like the last Mohicans, running around as the last gasp of something passed, or the designated icon of some community leader. And no one will care. I mean really.
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GOPER says:
Cathie Adams is a complete nut job….just saying. Someone please put her on a one way plane out of this state.
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Anonymous says:
David Simpson = Loose Cannon
Heck….Bart Simpson would be better
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JohnBernardBooks says:
dems have promised “the one armed bandit” to Speaker Straus, for a seat at the table. While they can’t pass meaningful legislation their best shot is to kill any.
Oh well dems can always sue.
and dems don’t have a clue why they can’t win a statewide election in Texas.
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Bevo's Brain says:
Two things:
David Simpson reminds me of the Anthony Michael Hall character in Sixteen Candles, where Hall acknowledges that he is the King of the dipshits – except Simpson hasn’t figured out he’s a dipshit yet.
And Cathie Adams? Her husband lost a race for Precinct Chairman to a guy who is openly gay. That’s right. Even the wingnuts in Collin County were so fed up with Adams and her lunacy they put a gay guy in over her hubby.
It can’t get any lower for Adams than that.
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