New Speaker, New Hope: Now What About Texas?
October 25, 2023 | Austin, Texas
By Bonnie Lyons, Legislative Chair, Montgomery County Republican Party
Commentary
I admit, it got to me. The angst over attempts to find a replacement for Kevin McCarthy for Speaker made me nervous that conservatives would be slapped down. It sure felt good when they threw caution to the wind and pulled the speakership out from under McCarthy, but we all knew it was risky.
These are the kind of audacious moves that Democrats deploy all the time and they succeed with them. But after the dispute, they stick together and protect the power of the party first. Not so much with Republicans.
So, when the votes failed to emerge for Jim Jordan, whom the base had moved solidly behind, things got sketchy. Following that, with failed votes for two other candidates, fears of chaos as we pivot toward a war footing became palpable.
In the end, I was more than a little surprised with the result, especially when I learned that all of the Republicans voted together for Mike Johnson. I am from Louisiana and likely a little more familiar with Johnson than most of the talking heads. I took notice of him for his frank, aggressive and effective questioning in committee hearings.
I believe he is a genuine conservative. He is a constitutional lawyer and has been a conservative talk show host. He drafted a document to describe the seven core principles of conservatism in which he believes, the bullet points of which are:
Individual freedom
Limited government
Rule of law
Peace through strength
Fiscal responsibility
Free markets
Human dignity
These are the kind of things that are considered extreme these days by the left. We won’t know until we see Johnson in action, but I think we can breathe a collective sigh of relief.
What about Austin?
Now…what about the Texas Speaker? Never underestimate the power of momentum and the combined events behind the selection of a conservative Speaker and the failed impeachment trial of Ken Paxton got that ball rolling. We cannot afford to let that momentum slow.
What Kevin McCarthy did to earn a motion to vacate pales in comparison to the activities of Dade Phelan in his role as Texas Speaker of the House. There is no need to document it. We all know the story.
We are currently watching as our legislature takes a third special session to try to get anything meaningful past the gauntlet created by a coalition of Democrats and RINOs, reigned over by Speaker Phelan. Until that situation changes, the only thing that will change in Texas is that Texas will gradually fade to blue. Texans are waiting.
The most important call you may make in this session is to call your legislator and insist that someone move to vacate the chair. And if it is shot down, try again and again and again. Where there is change, there is hope. We just saw it in D.C.
TAKE ACTION
Contact your Texas House Representative and demand he vote to vacate the chair and remove Rep. Dade Phelan as Speaker.
Rep. Cecil Bell (HD 3)
(512) 463-0650 (Austin office)
(281) 259-3700 (District office)
Send an email
Rep. Steve Toth (HD 15)
(512) 463-0797 (Austin office)
(346) 220-0300 (District office)
Send an email
Rep. Will Metcalf (HD 16)
(512) 463-0726 (Austin office)
(936) 539-0068 (District office)
Send an email
Rep. Ernest Bailes (HD 18)
(512) 463-0570 (Austin office)
(936) 628-6687 (District office)
Send an email