Monday, November 12, 2007

AtTENTION WAL-MART SHOPPERS: PLENTY OF HOUSE CHAIRMANSHIPS AVAILABLE ON AISLES 3, 4, AND 5

While reestablishing my Texas roots this weekend, I reverted to an old habit that I just can't seem to break. I read the clips.

One article (available on the Internets for those with on-line high-speed World Wide Web digital high-tech computer access at http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/5291899.html) caught my eye. Now R.G. Ratcliffe is not as dim-witted and uninformed as people claim. He's actually pretty good. I'll fill in a few of the blanks he left in his piece that daringly revealed that 1) Tom Craddick is Speaker of the House; 2) he wants to keep that gig; and 3) he's actively campaigning to retain the post. As a general rule, I'm reluctant to mix "facts' and "math" and "the obvious" with politics. But the inner egg-head in me felt that I should share this with you -- and at a reasonable price.

These are the House members who were chairmen last session but have since split the sheets with the Speaker:
The Honorable Byron (short order) Cook, Civil Practices
The Honorable Joe Deshotel, Economic Development
The Honorable Jim Keffer, Ways and Means
The Honorable Patrick (by any other name) Rose, Human Services

These former Craddick chairmen were busted before the session started:
The Honorable Craig (born on the) Eiland, Pensions and Investments
The Honorable Jim (life's the) Pitts, Appropriations
The Honorable Allan Ritter, Ways and Means
The Honorable Robert Talton, Urban Affairs
The Honorable Buddy (go) West (young man), Energy Resources

These Chairman just upped and quit:
The Honorable Dianne (Scott and) White Delisi, Public Health
The Honorable Fred (mountain out of a mole) Hill, Local Ways and Means
The Honorable Robert "Bobby Bridge" Puente, Natural Resources

And these Chairman have more than hinted that they are off the reservation:
The Honorable Kevin (Barnum and) Bailey, Urban Affairs
The Honorable Tracy (it's good to be) King, Border and International Affairs
The Honorable Mike Krusee, Transportation

Throw in a Speaker Pro Tem who wants your job and a freshman Republican who switched parties. Add five chairmen -- Chisum, Swinford, Driver, Smithee, and Hardcastle -- whose first loyalty was with Pete Laney. And consider that certain delegations (El Paso, Travis, and Nueces counties, for example) have no Speaker loyalists and ... well, you get the picture.

Billy Clyde ain't saying that Tom Craddick can't go out and get himself re-elected as Speaker. The point, if there is one, is that losing supporters when you're hanging on by a thread makes thing pretty darn tricky. I'd suggest that, with all the opposition already out there, you might want to think real hard hard before throwing any more friends overboard.

As they taught us in the Piney Woods, you can't kill your parents then beg for mercy because you're an orphan.

4 comments:

Penguin said...

Last time I checked, Ritter was chair of economic development, not ways & means.

Billy Clyde said...

Dear Penguin:

Picky, picky, picky. If you want research, go to MDAnderson.com. This blog is a fact-free zone.

Penguin said...

Just trying to keep you honest.

Sal Costello said...

Rep. Mike "Freeway Tolling" Krusee to retire?

Look here:
http://salcostello.blogspot.com/