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Is there a plan for unseating Straus from the Speakers chair?
How can I help?

What, if any, sway would a Governor Abbott (assuming, I know) have over a reappointed Speaker Straus?

It would be a shame to see HB3218 (revived) languish in committee again without a vote.

The problem is that, as long as the Democrats vote in unison, it takes very few Republican votes to elect the Speaker. Basically, an alternative candidate would need to have near-unanimous support among Republicans. Because only a few Republicans voting for Straus will be enough to get him reelected, and because voting against the Speaker is a surefire way for a Representative to get lousy committee assignments and be unable to get anything but local and consent bills out of committee, Republicans are understandably hesitant to vote for anyone else.

Bladed wrote:The problem is that, as long as the Democrats vote in unison, it takes very few Republican votes to elect the Speaker. Basically, an alternative candidate would need to have near-unanimous support among Republicans. Because only a few Republicans voting for Straus will be enough to get him reelected, and because voting against the Speaker is a surefire way for a Representative to get lousy committee assignments and be unable to get anything but local and consent bills out of committee, Republicans are understandably hesitant to vote for anyone else.

I understand the obstacles, what about adapt and overcome?
If there's a plan and I can do something to help it, I'm in!

Our best chance was in the primary elections to oust the Dems and Dem-Lites that support their comrade Joe.

RoyGBiv wrote:

Bladed wrote:The problem is that, as long as the Democrats vote in unison, it takes very few Republican votes to elect the Speaker. Basically, an alternative candidate would need to have near-unanimous support among Republicans. Because only a few Republicans voting for Straus will be enough to get him reelected, and because voting against the Speaker is a surefire way for a Representative to get lousy committee assignments and be unable to get anything but local and consent bills out of committee, Republicans are understandably hesitant to vote for anyone else.

I understand the obstacles, what about adapt and overcome?
If there's a plan and I can do something to help it, I'm in!

If you're looking for a petition to sign or a fund to donate to, you're not going to find it. Because of the way the Speaker is elected, this is largely an internal issue over which the public can have little influence.

Bladed wrote:If you're looking for a petition to sign or a fund to donate to, you're not going to find it. Because of the way the Speaker is elected, this is largely an internal issue over which the public can have little influence.

Emphasis mine....

Is this true? is our only course to lay down and roll over and let the politics play out? I find that hard to believe.
Somebody smarter than me has a plan.... I just want to know what role I can play. Pretty please..!!

RoyGBiv wrote:Is this true? is our only course to lay down and roll over and let the politics play out? I find that hard to believe.
Somebody smarter than me has a plan.... I just want to know what role I can play. Pretty please..!!

Can't be Speaker of the House if you're voted out of the House. Get a good opponent and cut him off at the voting booth.

KD5NRH wrote:

RoyGBiv wrote:Is this true? is our only course to lay down and roll over and let the politics play out? I find that hard to believe.
Somebody smarter than me has a plan.... I just want to know what role I can play. Pretty please..!!

Can't be Speaker of the House if you're voted out of the House. Get a good opponent and cut him off at the voting booth.

Straus is pretty firmly entrenched in his district. Considering that the Speaker has a strong say in how district lines are drawn and that only a deeply ideological constituent would vote to give up the state's most powerful Representative in exchange for a cloutless freshman, unseating him is a long shot at best. Of course, if unseating him is your strategy, that's a strategy for the 2017 session; it doesn't change anything for 2015.

Eventually, Straus will lose favor with enough Representatives to create an opening for someone else to win the Speaker's seat, or the balance of power in the House will shift significantly enough to create an opening for someone else to win the Speaker's seat, or Straus will move on to do something else with his life, or he'll grow old and die. One way or another, he won't be the Speaker of the Texas House forever.

RoyGBiv wrote:

Bladed wrote:If you're looking for a petition to sign or a fund to donate to, you're not going to find it. Because of the way the Speaker is elected, this is largely an internal issue over which the public can have little influence.

Emphasis mine....

Is this true? is our only course to lay down and roll over and let the politics play out? I find that hard to believe.
Somebody smarter than me has a plan.... I just want to know what role I can play. Pretty please..!!

We may not have a viable means of preventing Straus from being reelected as Speaker, but we can try to influence how he presides over the House. That may not be the answer you're looking for, but it's not rolling over.

If they like Straus, they are going to love Governor Davis!

RoyGBiv wrote:Is there a plan for unseating Straus from the Speakers chair?
How can I help?

What, if any, sway would a Governor Abbott (assuming, I know) have over a reappointed Speaker Straus?

It would be a shame to see HB3218 (revived) languish in committee again without a vote.

Hopefully after this, folks will be awakened to just how much we need HB3218.

booze97 wrote:Hopefully after this, folks will be awakened to just how much we need HB3218.

HB3218 did not fix the 51% problem. It didn't touch bars with a ten foot pole.

Jumping Frog wrote:

booze97 wrote:Hopefully after this, folks will be awakened to just how much we need HB3218.

HB3218 did not fix the 51% problem. It didn't touch bars with a ten foot pole.

You should read it again....
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/83 ... 03218I.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The entirety of 46.035(b)(1) would have been deleted.

As I headed out to vote today it occurred to me that the way to defeat Strauss as Speaker is to not have him re-elected into the House. It pains me to vote for a Democrat, but in this case it might be the only way to 'win.' San Antonio is lost to Democrats already; and even if Strauss loses to a Democrat the Republicans will still hold the House by a large majority!

So, if you're in his distrct and plan to vote...

thechl wrote:As I headed out to vote today it occurred to me that the way to defeat Strauss as Speaker is to not have him re-elected into the House. It pains me to vote for a Democrat, but in this case it might be the only way to 'win.' San Antonio is lost to Democrats already; and even if Strauss loses to a Democrat the Republicans will still hold the House by a large majority!

So, if you're in his distrct and plan to vote...

As bad as Strauss is, there is never anything to be gained by giving a seat to a democrat.