Burnt Orange Report

Slick Dick Perry, Tommy Gun Craddick and Tweedledum Dewhurst

By Andrew Dobbs

My, how the tables have turned. Word around the capitol at the beginning of the regular session this year was that Dewhurst did not want to touch redistricting, but it looks like the machine-style thuggery of Slick Dick Perry and Tommy Gun Craddick has finally pulled old Tweedledum Dewhurst in line.

Democratic senators sent their strongest signal yet Friday that they might boycott a potential second special session on congressional redistricting, much like their House colleagues did in May.

"If there are sufficient numbers to break a quorum, then I'll be a part of breaking it," said Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston. "I'm sure other members, including Republicans, feel the same way."
…

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, meanwhile, held out the possibility of a series of special sessions lasting through the summer, even into September, if Democratic senators refuse to strike a deal on a new congressional map more favorable to Republicans.

And he said any further sessions would be run on terms more favorable to the GOP.

"I'm committed to having a fair plan, whether we're talking about July, August or September," said Mr. Dewhurst, a Republican.

I clearly remember remarking to a friend one day, in astonishment, that I actually liked David Dewhurst. Here was the former CIA agent who worked with Contras in Nicaragua in the late 70s turned oil baron turned ultra-right wing patron of the racist advocacy group FreePAC that was doing crazy things like pushing for a somewhat fairer budget, proposing a tax hike and state-wide property tax to pay for schools who said he didn’t want to touch redistricting. Just goes to show that the venomous Washington-style partisanship that the GOP has injected into the once cordial corridors of the state capitol won’t leave any decent man standing.

There was a time in this state, less than a year ago actually but it seems much longer, where you could say that even though you disagreed with a man’s politics or his party, you understood that in the end he put the interests of Texas first. Sure, I disagree with the Republicans about how to best serve the people of this state- they think low taxes and less “red tape” is the answer, I believe that more services is the right way- but you would never question that the man or woman standing across from you really believed that they were working for something bigger than themselves or their party. Many are still like that- Bill Ratliff, Tommy Merritt, Bob Duncan and several others. Even George W. Bush as governor I believe really fought for what he thought was best for Texas. But now the GOP is run by a bunch of petty partisan self-promoters that care about nothing but number one. Rick Perry, Tom Craddick, Tom DeLay, Bob Talton and all the others hate this state and they are willing to make it resemble a third-world country and to make it a cautionary tale, a laughing stock, a no-man’s land of poverty, decay, desertion and desperation just so they can vindicate some sick perversion of the conservative philosophy. I hope that someday people choke on the name Tom Craddick or Rick Perry like we do George Wallace or Richard Nixon. These men have reduced the once lofty discourse of service in Texas to a profanity and history will have no mercy on them.