5.27.2007
You Can Take the Gavel Out of my Cold, Dead Hands
Where have I been? Let's just say the Texas House went into complete meltdown. Had it gotten any worse we would have seen a brawl on the House floor of Taiwanese parliament proportions.

Some would say the trouble starting brewing back in 2003, when the House elected its first Republican speaker since Reconstruction. Since then, that speaker, T0m Cr@ddick, has been accused of centralizing power, punishing enemies, and being too close to special interests. Oh, and being Tom Delay's bitch.

This session started with a speaker's race -- when a challenger failed to unseat the speaker. The session ended yesterday with turmoil, but not a race. Why? Cr@ddick - in a stunning display of raw power, decided that he will NOT RECOGNIZE any motions from the floor to "vacate the chair". The parliamentarian quit in protest. He installed former lawmakers in her place. Now the new parliamentarians have interpreted the rules such that the speaker has "absolute authority" to recognize members or not. He no longer recognizes even motions to adjourn. Angry members walked out en masse to protest Craddick early Monday morning.

They put him in, but they still can't take him out. And we gaveled out the session last night with Craddick still in power.

Video story, and the photos...via pinkdome
Posted by E
| Link to this post | 1 comments |





Email Me
My Profile

Blog Button...



    By the DMAs
    1.New York
    Protz
    2.Los Angeles (but traveling)
    Jayna
    3.Chicago
    Jason
    5.Dallas-Fort Worth
    Dan
    Jimmie
    Seymour
    Wongton
    6.San Francisco
    Hasser
    7.Boston
    Channing
    Jonathan
    Josh
    10.Houston
    Lil' Lost Robot
    Matty
    12.Phoenix
    Erica
    14.Seattle-Tacoma
    Thomas
    34.Cincinnati
    Jay
    36.Greenville-Spartanburg
    Brad
    Cinlach
    Grayson
    Michelle
    Sappy Chick
    47.Jacksonville
    Garvin
    49.Austin
    Political Junkie
    73.Toledo
    Maureen
    79.Columbia, SC
    Doug
    Will's Ladies
    137.Columbia-Jefferson City
    Wohleber
    141.Beaumont-Port Arthur
    Mark Hancock
    150.Anchorage
    Matthew
    Foreign Bureaus
    Jason (Hong Kong)

    You are visitor #...

    Free Hit Counter
    Free Counter

    Blogroll Me!
    Site Feed
    Add to Google



    Listed on BlogShares



     View My Public Stats on MyBlogLog.com


    Who Links Here