The 20 Republican members of Texas' congressional delegation have signed a letter to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison urging her not to resign her Senate seat – something she pledged to do during her unsuccessful bid for governor.
A cynic might suspect that a campaign is underway to provide her political cover to do something many suspect she wants to do anyway -- shelve her promise to resign from the Senate after the health care debate. Certainly, many GOP strategists (including Cornyn) hope she stays, to avoid having to defend the seat. Letters of this sort are meant to become public; after all, the House members could convey their advice privately easily enough.
House members who crossed the governor (by endorsing his rival) may not be keen to get left out to dry now.
The bankers and the Farm Bureau are also urging Kay to stay... this is far too organized not to be organized by Kay herself (link).
I think the only argument for Kay staying that makes any sense at all is that we just went through an expensive gubernatorial primary, so it is not time to go through an expensive special election to fill her seat and potentially leave it vulnerable to a folksy populist rural Democrat like John Sharp...
Otherwise every argument for staying is thin. She is not a good legislator. She is ineffective at articulating an argument against Obama's agenda. Kay votes with Democrats far too often. Fighting health care was a bust... she even voted the wrong way on a procedural vote related to health care... I am just kind of done with Kay I guess which is a big turn around from one year ago when I was up in the air about Rick or Kay.
Ron Paul most certainly is not a 'hypocrite' on pork barrel spending.
ReplyDeleteRon Paul votes against 'waste' and AGAINST unconstitutional spending. However, he will amend bills to add his constituents share so that if OTHER people require his constituents to foot their share of the bill, they also get their share of the spending. It adds not a penny to the bill, since the bill would already appropriate whatever the full amount is. It merely says where part of what would otherwise be a blank check to executive office agencies will go.
Separation of the power of the purse from the executive to the legislature was a major milestone in democracy going back to the Magna Carta. EVERY PENNY appropriated by Congress should be earmarked, not given in a slush fund to be designated to beneficiaries out of sight behind closed doors. That is the Constitutional position, and that is Ron Paul's position.
In this case, do you think Rick Perry would appoint someone better for Hutchison's stump term? Really?
Kay, please keep just this one promise.
ReplyDeleteLeave office and become a lobbyist.