There has been some loose talk among Democrats about waging all-out procedural war by researching and raising points of order that apply against any and every bill on the calendar. The Ds believe that Craddick has been overruling valid points of order for the past couple of weeks, chief among them Senfronia Thompson’s maneuver yesterday that would have killed the entire calendar. The bill that created the potentially fatal flaw in the calendar was none other than Craddick’s local bill for a hotel-motel tax in Midland. I was watching on television, and there was no discussion about the point; Craddick just overruled the point, banged the gavel, and said something that the microphone picked up, which sounded like, “That’s it. It’s done.” Thompson asked if the chair’s reason for overruling the point would be printed in the Journal. Craddick said it would. That should make for interesting reading.
I hope that cooler heads prevail. The anti-Craddicks have had their fun with Craddick’s bill. It’s time to grow up now. Do I have to bring up the name “Arlene Wohlgemuth?” Has everybody forgotten the Memorial Day massacre when she killed the calendar in the waning days of the session? Nobody thought that was OK. It was irresponsible then and it’s irresponsible now. Dunnam and the rest of the Democrat leadership have been an effective opposition this session, but they will marginalize themselves if they become total obstructionists. This has been a session when Democrats have been able to participate as equals in committee and to influence bills, even pass them. Don’t throw a hissy fit over not being allowed to kill the calendar.
