by Eric DonderoConservatives shouldn't presume libertarians will back Craddick
Here in Texas there's a Red Hot! race going on right now for Texas House Speaker. Longtime GOP Speaker Tom Craddick of West Texas is being challenged by Rep. Joe Strauss of San Antonio. Strauss (photo) is a moderate Republican; Craddick, a fiscal and social conservative.
A toss-up from the libertarian perspective, right? I thought so. Until I ran across this interesting comment by MJ Samuelson on a generally libertarian-friendly, TX conservative Republican blog, Blue Dot Blues:
Liberal Republican Joe Straus. Yes, I said it. If you vote for 3rd trimester abortions, for casino gambling, and for fiscally irresponsible legislation, then you are a liberal. Sorry, Joe.
As it stands, conservatives have to choose, quickly, if they're going to back Craddick or another candidate (Gattis or possibly Smithee if he joins the race come Monday). They need to rally strongly behind whomever they choose. They cannot afford to be split on the issue.
Samuelson is right in part. Straus's pro-3rd trimester abortion stance is troubling, even for moderately Pro-Choicers like myself. And his supposed support for "fiscally irresonsible" legislation, raises even more concerns.But "for casino gambling"? Wait a cotton pickin' second Texas Conservatives, that's something we libertarians like! If y'all are trying to gain favor with libertarian Republicans, bashing Strauss for being Pro-Gambling, doesn't cut it. In fact, it makes us even more likely to support the guy.
I did a little more research. Turns out Strauss scores rather well on libertarian surveys. Here's a stunning find from the Libertarian Party of Texas:
In the Texas House we found that Representative Joe Straus of San AntonioIn other words, Straus's Personal Liberty score and Economics Liberty score was the highest! in the entire TX House.
performed the best (PL-67 and EL-71), followed by Representative Carl
Isett of Lubbock (PL-57 and EL-86) and Representative Bryan Hughes of
Mineola (PL-56 and EL-86). The Texas House as a whole was more
concerned with economic liberty than the Texas Senate, but on personal
liberty issues, both bodies were equally disappointing.
Wait, there's more...
According to the LPT, Straus was 1 of 5 sponsors of the Libertarian Party's bill in the legislature to ease ballot access restrictions for third parties and independents. The bill if passed would allow those who voted in the Republican or Democrat primaries, to still sign petitions for the Libertarians for the Fall election.
Amazingly, the LPT concludes:
In our view no Texas legislator deserves immunity from a challenge by aFor both survey results click here at www.tx.lp.org.
Libertarian Party candidate in the 2008 elections although some consideration might be due to [Republican] Representatives Straus, Isett, Hughes, Branch and Strama (in that order.)
These are only preliminary findings. The jury's still out. More research needs to be done on Straus in comparison to Craddick.
But one thing's for sure: Conservatives should not take libertarians' support for the reelection of Tom Craddick speaker, for granted.
IMPORTANT UPDATE!!
The Hard Left in Texas is starting to panic over the increasing likelyhood that Straus may actually win the Speakership. Some sense that he might even be a tougher opponent for Democrats than even social conservative Craddick, given his more appealing libertarian views.
From Vince Liebowicz, Editor of Capitol Annex via the Far Left Burnt Orange blog:
You can bet his agenda will be all about right-wing issues like voter identification, bogus property tax "relief" schemes that will take more money away from important programs, and school vouchers.
Worse than that, Strauss will stop the GOP hemorrhaging seats in the chamber, and possibly deny Democrats a majority until after redistricting? How? Why? Because Strauss is the GOP establishment. He'll bring money and power to a House Republican campaign organization that needs it. He'll bring a fresh, less controversial face-one that will be awfully hard for Democrats to hang on GOP incumbents necks' like an albatross come 2010. It means less gains in seats for Democrats, and, possibly, less Democratic holds.
5 comments:
I noticed the attachment doesn't include the newly elected Senator from SD 10, Wendy Davis. I'd love to know how she scores in comparison to Brimer. Please do tell when you get the stats.
Hmmn. May have to check in on that?
Suzette isn't this just fascinating? I gotta say, this guy doesn't sound so bad. This is precisely why we libertarians are NOT the same as conservatives. Though, we agree with them 80% of the time, that other 20% is just too much of a hurdle for us and them to overcome.
We can be allies with conservatives, even close friends, but we will never be the same.
Strauss is a real voice for positive change in the legislature. If we can get him in the Speaker position, Kay Bailey Hutchison in as Governor and Michael Williams as her replacement we could see Texas leading the way for a more rational and more libertarian Republican Party.
Dave
Dave, why doesn't RLC endorse Straus? That would make big headlines around the State.
July 6, 2009, I filed in the United States Federal Court Southern District for Florida a Complaint Claim for Unconstitutionality and Violation of Fundamental Rights on 22 US Senators. The Docket No. 09-14225.It is educational and interesting. In 1962 Congress omitted from the FDCA Act Product Liability for defective Prescription drugs and Medical Devises. Over the years these Senators have amended the Law and preempted it so that Prescription drug manufacturing companies are immune from prosecution for killing and injury Ameican Consumers. This is a violaton of equal protection of the law.There is No Federal Law or State Law that can prosecute for a remedy for killing with a defective prescription drug or medical devise.
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