Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy nailed the importance of the retirement of Burleson state representative Rob Orr, which is that another mainstream Republican has effectively been driven out of the Legislature after being targeted by a tea party candidate. Kennedy accurately describes what is happening across the state as a “rush to the right.” He quotes Orr’s possible replacement, 29-year-old Philip Eby, as saying, “The increase in spending in Texas is just astronomical.”
This, of course, is absurd. When the Wall Street Journal ran a piece comparing spending in Texas to that in California, Perry pointed out that the general revenue budget does not exceed population growth plus inflation, which is the state spending cap. I think the upcoming election cycle will be a repeat of 2010, which brought a large contingent of tea party members into the Legislature, few of whom showed any affinity for governing. It is conceivable that the tea party could absorb the Republican Party by the time the 84th Legislature convenes.
AP Photo | Eric Gay
