Resurrection Day
I declared on a recent Friday podcast that Don McLeroy’s confirmation as chairman of the State Board of Education was officially dead this session, but this afternoon Senate Nominations sent the controversial Bryan dentist’s confirmation to the Senate floor for a vote. So, to quote Billy Crystal’s character in “The Princess Bride,” McLeroy’s confirmation apparently was only mostly dead.
The Statesman’s Ken Herman has posted a video of Nominations chair Mike Jackson explaining that McLeroy has been meeting with senators and has promises of support from 21 members. That indicates the Democrats won’t be voting as a bloc as had previously been assumed because of McLeroy’s stances on evolution and global-warming.
Most senators are in committee and unavailable for polling, but speculation in the Capitol is that some Senate Finance members have decided to vote with their chairman: Steve Ogden is McLeroy’s senator.
Tagged: don mcleroy, mike jackson, sboe, Steve Ogden, texas board of education.
Harry Doghiney (D-TX) says:
This is one of the last gasps of the rapidly shrinking southern fundagelical party.
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lisa falkenberg says:
PLEASE DON’T POST. FYI, spelling is ‘McLeroy.’ Thanks for your post. I’ll prolly link to it in my blog. Also, if you’ve got the link to Jackson video handy, please post. Can’t seem to find it on Statesman site. Thanks!
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lisa falkenberg says:
Oops. Didn’t realize y’all don’t filter.
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Patricia Kilday Hart says:
Yes, the no-filtering gets us into a lot of trouble. Thanks for the spelling correction — and more evidence that I am wandering into senility, as I made the same mistake the first time this confirmation came up. In my defense, there isn’t a single senator who pronounces it correctly, so the wrong spelling has been hammered in my brain.
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eam says:
Even God wouldn’t re-nominate McLeroy. (How faithless does McLeroy have to be to not believe in the science of the Creation? And to impose his limited theistic view as pedagogical law on the children of Texas?)
But, leave it to Senate Republicans and the DINOs. Who’s sick and tired of this ignorance and leaderlessness (if that’s a word) couched as piety and patriotism?
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SBOE fan says:
I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live –John 11
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Prince Royal says:
I am having a hard time believing that Wentworth, Shapiro, and Seliger are going along with this. I guess the point of all this theatre is to get a record vote once they have suspended the rules.
It is shocking to me that this will get to the senate floor, but the smoking bill will not. Way to keep the main thing the main thing, Texas Senate.
They are in serious need of adult supervision.
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It's Cool says:
Hey Lisa, it’s cool… I’ll prolly link to your column. Btw, what are you doing on Friday night? Are you married?
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Anonymous says:
does it really matter if he is confirmed as chair or not? the texas board of screwing up education is a complete joke. not much changes if instead of bozo the clown being in charge some other moron takes the reins.
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cyrus says:
If Dunbar and/or Mercer are taken out by reasonable Republicans or (God forbid) Democrats next year, McLeroy won’t matter – whether he’s chair or not. Both have targets on their backs, and it’s not just the outnumbered liberals who are sick of their foolishness and question their competence to serve on SBOE.
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Anonymous says:
Dunbar is toast; Mercer may challenge Jeff Wentworth for re-election.
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cyrus says:
Primary Wentworth? That ought to be fun.
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