Party platform trumps Straus
The Texas State Republican Executive Committee passed a historic resolution last Saturday censuring Joe Straus. The step was deemed necessary to defend the Republican Party of Texas platform that Straus has opposed as House Speaker.
Censure — not to be confused with censoring — is, at its heart, a formal reprimand. Censuring is difficult to do and is rarely used. However, even a president of the United States — Andrew Jackson — has been censured.
For decades, Texas Republican voters have asked: “How can we hold elected officials accountable?” In 2016, the Republican Party rules committee answered that question by adopting what is known as Rule 44 Censure. That rule requires 43 votes — a supermajority — to pass the SREC.
Straus was elected speaker in 2005 by a vote of all Texas House Democrats and 11 moderate Republicans. By 2017, it became apparent that he was, as in years past, working against the party platform. Resolutions against him quickly appeared statewide. A trickle of formal disapprovals from a few rural counties became a statewide flood. Fifty-nine counties representing more than 70 percent of the Texas population, including Harris County, passed resolutions against Straus.
However, Rule 44 specifies that censure of an official “representing all or a portion of that county” must come from that county. For Straus, that meant Bexar County. After Republicans in Bexar elected a new chair, a Rule 44 compliant censure resolution citing multiple offenses passed the county party by a 77-19 supermajority.
When the SREC took up the issue, the most important offense for many members was Straus’ well-known obstruction of multiple bills protecting the most bedrock of all rights — that of life itself.
Another offense was his blocking efforts to reform and improve education. He repeatedly opposed giving parents — including less-fortunate parents whose children attend failing inner-city schools or who have special needs — real choice in where they choose to educate their children.
Real relief from soaring property tax bills was also killed by Straus when he adjourned the 2017 special session prematurely.
Another problem was how Straus manipulated the Texas House. On numerous occasions, he made committee appointments and referred bills to committees specifically in order to ensure their demise.
He ran roughshod over the intent of our Founders with respect to having government of, by and for the people. He killed bills according to his or his lobbyists’ desires, not those of the House membership. Robert’s Rules of Order and even House rules themselves were distorted or ignored.
During discussion it was noted that both the grassroots and entire legislative districts were effectively disenfranchised by Straus. Conservative Republican legislators were stymied, unable to pass substantive legislation out of Straus-controlled committees.
No. It wasn’t just about the “bathroom bill.” Blocking that legislation was mentioned as one of the last of 17 offenses in the Bexar County Rule 44 censure and was not discussed by SREC members.
Life, liberty, school choice, property taxes and shutting down conservative legislation in general for multiple legislative terms were the items dominating conversations.
Rule 44 Censure has a very high bar. It requires three actions opposing the core principles of the state Republican Party. The Bexar County Rule 44 Censure resolution listed Straus as opposing eight of the 10 core principles.
The required two-thirds majority came and went quickly during the 30-second electronic vote. Some votes changed in the last 10 seconds. When time expired, the count stood at 41 to censure, 19 against and four abstaining.
One member’s abstention was quickly changed verbally, making the vote 42 to censure, 19 against and three abstaining.
The chair and vice chair do not ordinarily vote unless their vote will change the outcome. After a five-minute eternity, Chair James Dickey, with Vice-Chair Amy Clark beside him, announced in the most gracious way possible, that they both were “supporting this motion and voting yes.”
Whether due to pro-life, school choice, procedural tyranny or property tax relief issues, the vote came down to a choice of supporting the Republican Party platform or supporting Straus. This stark choice was actually quite simple. Were the grass roots at the convention — the largest GOP convention in the nation, who wrote the platform that is the envy of the nation — going to be supported or thrown under the bus at the direction of the driver?
Grass roots won the day.
Ramsey represents Senate District 7 on the State Republican Executive Committee.