The candidacy of Dan Patrick for lieutenant governor could be a seminal moment in Texas politics. If Patrick wins, the Senate will never be the same. Patrick has always been an opponent of the two-thirds rule, and it is the two-thirds rule that makes the Senate the balancing factor in state government. The two-thirds rule accomplishes in state government what the U.S. Constitution achieved in the national government. It protects the minority and keeps the rabble from running wild. That is the reason why we have an upper House and a lower House. I believe that Patrick’s first act would be to abolish the two-thirds rule. If it happens, the Senate will be just another legislative body, not much different from the House.
(AP Photo | The Courier, Jason Fochtman)
