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Texas House Speaker office in transition
AMARILLO, TEXAS
(hppr) -
Mark Haslett: The Texas House of Representatives begins its 2009 session today. The House expects to have a new Speaker. San Antonio Republican Joe Straus has collected enough pledged votes to replace Midland Republican Tom Craddick, who had been the speaker since 2003. Craddick's tenure came to a de facto close earlier this month, as an eleventh-hour shuffling of candidates and allegiances resulted in Straus' rising to the top. At one point, representative John Smithee of Amarillo was in the mix, albeit only briefly. At a press conference last Tuesday, Smithee discussed his chaotic weekend as a speaker candidate. Smithee was a Craddick supporter, but he echoed an oft-heard criticism of Craddick's leadership.
John Smithee: My biggest objection about Tom, you know, my biggest criticism, was that he had used too much of an autocratic style, no pun intended, an autocratic style of leadership within the House, to where, you know, individual members didn't have enough say and certain members, particularly of the minority party who had disagreed with him were shut out of the process. And I took exception to that- I don't think that's a good leadership style when you have a hundred and fifty people working together.
Haslett: The Speaker of the House is the strongest position in the Texas Legislature. Along with the Governor and Liutenant Governor, the speakership is one of the most powerful political offices in the state. Smithee says that the Speaker has become
stronger in recent decades and that it might be time for the Legislature to review the office's powers.
Smithee: Probably the speaker's office has gotten too powerful over the years. And that's happened really over the last fifty years, since 1960 where the speaker's gotten more and more power. It's been ceded by the House in general and through rules. I think it would be healthy to go in and look at the speaker's powers and see if those could be reduced somewhat- you know, maybe even term limits on speakers. Because, gosh, it seems like any time someone gets elected speaker, you know, they believe it's a birthright to be speaker for life.
Haslett: Some of the Speaker's powers are more official than others. Texas Observer associate editor Dave Mann covers Texas government and politics. Mann says that recent speakers have added to their power by developing their fundraising, which in turn can be used to finance elections.
Dave Mann: I think the real change that we've seen is the speaker interjecting himself not just in the legislative session, but interjecting himself into elections.
Haslett: Mann says that money raised by political action committees can be used to reward support- and punish dissent.
Mann: And Tom Craddick took it to the next level- he had a leadership PAC and he raised a tremendous amount of money from the lobby to help protect the members that supported him- he also used that money to go after House members who didn't support him. Basically saying, if you don't vote for me on this bill, I've go three million dollars that I'm going to spend to get an opponent for you- either in the general election or in the Republican primary- and take you out.
Haslett: Mann cited a 2005 battle over school vouchers as an instance where Republicans who voted against Craddick seemed to pay a price afterward.
Mann: True enough, the very next election season, in 2006, five Republicans who opposed the voucher bill ended up with primary opponents and two of them lost. So it's that kind of threat, I think that gives the speaker a tremendous amount of power- combined with the high cost of campaigns- it's just something we haven't seen in years past.
Haslett: Cause-and-effect or coincidence? Texas Republicans were divided on that issue. And surely, Craddick was not the state's only Republican leader to take note of those who broke rank and voted against vouchers. In any case, the attention now turns to Joe Straus, who will put his own stamp on the Speaker's office. And as for Craddick? Smithee recalls the outgoing Speaker's tenure as one marked by tenacity- and success.
Smithee: The word around the capitol was "Don't ever bet against Craddick." Because he's such a- he's such a fighter.
Haslett: In fact, Craddick might return to fight yet again for the Speakership. Craddick has not ruled out another run at the speaker's office when the 82nd legislature convenes after the 2010 elections. This is Mark Maslett, High Plains Public Radio News.
© Copyright 2009, hppr
(2009-01-13)
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John Smithee: My biggest objection about Tom, you know, my biggest criticism, was that he had used too much of an autocratic style, no pun intended, an autocratic style of leadership within the House, to where, you know, individual members didn't have enough say and certain members, particularly of the minority party who had disagreed with him were shut out of the process. And I took exception to that- I don't think that's a good leadership style when you have a hundred and fifty people working together.
Haslett: The Speaker of the House is the strongest position in the Texas Legislature. Along with the Governor and Liutenant Governor, the speakership is one of the most powerful political offices in the state. Smithee says that the Speaker has become
stronger in recent decades and that it might be time for the Legislature to review the office's powers.
Smithee: Probably the speaker's office has gotten too powerful over the years. And that's happened really over the last fifty years, since 1960 where the speaker's gotten more and more power. It's been ceded by the House in general and through rules. I think it would be healthy to go in and look at the speaker's powers and see if those could be reduced somewhat- you know, maybe even term limits on speakers. Because, gosh, it seems like any time someone gets elected speaker, you know, they believe it's a birthright to be speaker for life.
Haslett: Some of the Speaker's powers are more official than others. Texas Observer associate editor Dave Mann covers Texas government and politics. Mann says that recent speakers have added to their power by developing their fundraising, which in turn can be used to finance elections.
Dave Mann: I think the real change that we've seen is the speaker interjecting himself not just in the legislative session, but interjecting himself into elections.
Haslett: Mann says that money raised by political action committees can be used to reward support- and punish dissent.
Mann: And Tom Craddick took it to the next level- he had a leadership PAC and he raised a tremendous amount of money from the lobby to help protect the members that supported him- he also used that money to go after House members who didn't support him. Basically saying, if you don't vote for me on this bill, I've go three million dollars that I'm going to spend to get an opponent for you- either in the general election or in the Republican primary- and take you out.
Haslett: Mann cited a 2005 battle over school vouchers as an instance where Republicans who voted against Craddick seemed to pay a price afterward.
Mann: True enough, the very next election season, in 2006, five Republicans who opposed the voucher bill ended up with primary opponents and two of them lost. So it's that kind of threat, I think that gives the speaker a tremendous amount of power- combined with the high cost of campaigns- it's just something we haven't seen in years past.
Haslett: Cause-and-effect or coincidence? Texas Republicans were divided on that issue. And surely, Craddick was not the state's only Republican leader to take note of those who broke rank and voted against vouchers. In any case, the attention now turns to Joe Straus, who will put his own stamp on the Speaker's office. And as for Craddick? Smithee recalls the outgoing Speaker's tenure as one marked by tenacity- and success.
Smithee: The word around the capitol was "Don't ever bet against Craddick." Because he's such a- he's such a fighter.
Haslett: In fact, Craddick might return to fight yet again for the Speakership. Craddick has not ruled out another run at the speaker's office when the 82nd legislature convenes after the 2010 elections. This is Mark Maslett, High Plains Public Radio News.
© Copyright 2009, hppr
