Craddick and Straus
New House Speaker Joe Straus has the power to force a vote on a harshly partisan and highly restrictive Voter Photo ID bill in the House. The real question is: Does Straus have the wisdom to refrain from using his power and focus instead on the issues that effect mainstream Texas families?
Statements by key members make it apparent that a majority of the House would rather deal with substantive policy issues than wade into the partisan brawl brought on by floor consideration of an unnecessary Voter Photo ID bill. In a recent letter to House Elections Committee Chairman Todd Smith, Representative Richard Pena Raymond (D-Laredo) wrote, “a majority of Members, including many of your fellow Republicans, know the Voter ID bill is unnecessary, even though they can’t say that in public.” (Source: Letter from Rep. Raymond and others on April 27, 2009)
Just today, 33 Democratic Chairs or Vice Chairs sent a formal letter and legal memo to both Speaker Straus and Todd Smith advising them that moving forward on a bill absent a new set of hearings would make a Department of Justice objection likely.
Now, with Elections Committee Chair Todd Smith’s admission that he will vote for a harshly partisan version of the Voter Photo ID bill, the issue falls squarely in Joe Straus’ lap. The Speaker can use his power and influence to avoid the type of divisive and debilitating fights that were common under his predecessor, Tom Craddick, or he can shrink from the challenge and let the most negative and mean-spirited elements of his party determine the legislative agenda.
Speaker Straus must now show his hand and reveal himself as a new-style, fair-minded Speaker working to maintain a united House or be exposed as simply a younger, more well-mannered version of failed partisan former Speaker Tom Craddick.
Republican Partisan Power Play
Reports that Democrats and Republicans were working cooperatively to reach a compromise were too much for harshly partisan Republicans to take. Texas Republican Party Chairwoman, Tina Benkiser, orchestrated a letter demanding the most restrictive version of a Voter Photo ID bill. Over 70 House Republicans signed the letter , making it clear that the “Betty Brown/Leo Berman World View” prevails in the Republican Caucus.
As Predicted, Todd Smith collapses
The Benkiser letter got the desired reaction from Straus’ hand-picked Elections Committee Chairman, Todd Smith. Any pretense of compromise was dropped when Todd Smith fulfilled Lone Star Project predictions by reneging on his pledge of bipartisanship and agreeing to vote with the most harshly partisan and negative forces within his party. (Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, April 29, 2009 and The Associated Press, April 29, 2009).
The Straus Choice
Voter Photo ID is now about more than election law, it is a stark test of Joe Straus’ leadership. No one should be surprised that Todd Smith misled the media and betrayed his colleagues. Smith has shown weakness under pressure before. The more interesting and uncertain person’s character on display is that of Speaker Joe Straus. By keeping Voter Photo ID off the House floor, Straus will avoid an unneeded and damaging partisan House fight while demonstrating both strong leadership and constructive bipartisan sensibilities. Or, he can choose the path that was the ultimate undoing of Tom Craddick and force a partisan and divisive showdown confirming that Joe Straus too is a captive of harsh partisanship and narrow Republican ideology.
