Time to call Angie Button

From an email from our SREC Committeewoman, Chris Davis:

Dear Dist. 112 Republican Friends,

The majority of Republicans met Sunday evening to discuss the Speakers race, and Tom Craddick ended up stepping down as Speaker. This opened the door for John Smithey (R-Amarillo) to file to run. He is a true conservative and the grassroots needs to get on the phone and let their representatives know that this is the man to vote for. Joe Strauss (R-San Antonio) is the candidate elected by the Democrats and the 11 ABC (anybody but Craddick) Republicans. This action means that if Strauss is elected Speaker by the Dems and 11 (not conservative) Republicans, he will be beholden to the Dems and their philosophy rather than the Republicans and our conservative platform. The Republicans lead in the house by only 2 seats (76-74) and the big prize is maintining control thru 2010 when the new census is taken and redistricting happens. Texas stands to gain more Congressional representation and we want Republicans to be drawing the lines for new districts.

Our new representative, Angie Chen Button, missed the first and very important Republican caucus to be out celebrating her anniversary Sunday night. We need to contact Angie and ask her if she has indeed already pledged to Joe Straus and let her know that this is a conservative district and we expect her to vote for John Smithey for Speaker. Her cell number is [redacted, email me to get it] and the capitol switchboard number is 512-463-4630 so you can let her staff know how the district is thinking. Her Austin email address would be Angie.Button@house.state.tx.us. Spread the word to people in your precincts to get in touch with her.

Below are a couple of emails from Cathie Adams, our new RNC Committeewoman with more details about this race:


Friends,

The "gang of 11" that I wrote you about yesterday made their choice today: Rep. Joe Straus, R-San Antonio.

Straus' experience in the Texas House is very short. He has only been a member of the Texas House for 2 sessions, contrasted with the current Speaker Craddick's 20 sessions.

The fact that coup leader Rep. Charlie Geren was in contact with Democrats who promise 64 votes, means that candidate Straus would only have to garner 12 votes to reach 76, the simple majority of the 150-member House.

Do you want a Republican Speaker who is elected by only 12 Republicans and 64 Democrats? The "gang of 11" would only need ONE extra vote to elect their Speaker candidate.

If you think that is as RIDICULOUS as I do, then please contact your State Representative by email or telephone and ask him / her to vote for a Republican Speaker who would be elected by a MAJORITY of Republicans, not only 12 members. And ask your State Representative to demand that the vote be public, not a secret ballot.

Rep. Straus' voting record is NOT conservative:

* He voted to make it easier to perform 3rd trimester abortions (SB 419, vote 672, 2005)

* He voted in support of homosexuals as foster parents (SB 6, vote 327, 2005)

* He voted to expand casino gambling (HB 10, vote 939, 2007) (His family is part of the management of a horse racing track in San Antonio: http://www.retamapark.com/?cat=31&id=7.)

* He voted against parental rights concerning student referrals by school counselors to groups like Planned Parenthood (HB 2136, vote 592, 2007)

Email your State Representative by replacing his / her name in this equation: firstname.lastname@house.state.tx.us

On Monday, please call your State Representative through the Capitol switchboard at 512-463-4630.

If you need to determine WHO your State Representative is, please enter your address here: http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/welcome.php

Thank you for your help. Remember that the vote for the Speaker is the MOST IMPORTANT vote of the session because the Speaker appoints committee chairmen and assigns bills to committees. Can you imagine Straus with his liberal voting record appointing committee chairmen and determining the agenda for the Texas House? The success or failure of our conservative agenda depends on electing a conservative Speaker.

Cathie Adams

Friends,

Remember how the "gang of 12" US Senators stifled President Bush's court appointments? This type of renegade politics is now being practiced by a "gang of 11" TX State Representatives concerning the election of the next Speaker of the House.

The Speaker will be elected on the opening day of the Texas legislature. This is the MOST IMPORTANT position in the Texas House because the Speaker appoints committees and assigns bills to those committees. The Speaker's decisions can make or break our pro-life, pro-family agenda. Their "gang of 11" ringleader is Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, who is part of a group called "ABC" meaning "anybody but Craddick" the current Speaker.

The fact is that the current Speaker Tom Craddick of Midland has done an admirable job in the face of great odds. And he is more conservative than all the candidates currently challenging him. During the 2007 legislative session, for example, a renegade legislator led a walk-out less than 2 weeks before the session ended, which in turn caused numerous bills to die. Some of those renegades lost their re-election bids, others chose not to run again, but still others are back to their old shenanigans.

The articles below identify the "gang of 11" and their nonsensical attempt to choose a Speaker behind closed doors by "consensus" then try to push him or her off on the other members of the 150-member House, claiming to be "sensitive to everybody's feelings!"

This is clearly a coup attempt by the "gang of 11." They plan to meet Friday, January 2, behind closed doors and not emerge until they have reached "consensus." If you would like to influence this process, I encourage you to call their offices AND YOUR OWN LEGISLATOR's office and ask them to #1 vote for a Republican Speaker (With a Republican majority, this should go without saying!) and #2 make their votes public, not secret.

Rep. Charlie Genen: charlie.geren@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0610

Rep. Rob Eissler: rob.eissler@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0797

Rep. Brian McCall: brian.mccall@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0594

Rep. Burt Solomons: burt.solomons@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0478

Rep. Jim Pitts: jim.pitts@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0516

Rep. Tommy Merritt: tommy.merritt@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0750

Rep. Delwin Jones: delwin.jones@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0542

Rep. Byron Cook: byron.cook@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0730

Rep. Jim Keffer: jim.keffer@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0656

Rep. Joe Straus: joe.straus@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0686

Rep. Edmund Kuempel: edmund.kuempel@house.state.tx.us 512-463-0602

Capitol switchboard: 512-463-4630

Thank you for also calling your own legislator through the Capitol switchboard. If you prefer emailing, please substitute his / her name in this equation: firstname.lastname@house.state.tx.us

Happy New Year!

Cathie Adams