Regular readers of Texian Partisan will recall last week when we reported that Governor Abbott had cut Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus out of the planning for the special legislative session. Additionally, we theorized that this may have started in motion events that could lead to Straus’s ouster from leadership. Well, that process may actually be underway.
Reported on Tuesday (07/11/17) in the Statesman, in a 36-28 vote, the Bexar County Republican Party’s executive committee passed a resolution of no confidence in Straus, calling for his departure. This vote was opposed by the GOP County Chairman (and Straus ally) Robert Stovall, who “attempted to rule it out of order.” However, he lacked the support to do so.
As a leader, Straus’s unpopularity has steadily been growing for being seen as (at best) a weak advocate for many conservative causes, but also his petty vindictiveness towards house members who don’t toe the line well enough. Until recently, no GOP congressman had seriously opposed him, and he was even reinstated as Speaker, unanimously. The reason for this is simple. As Ralph Waldo Emerson observed, “When you strike at a king you must kill him,” and Straus was ...
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