GOP Defector Signals Subtle Shift in Power

It was a shot heard ’round the world. Well, that’s a serious overstatement, but it was a shot heard ’round the Texas political world and one that will continue to reverberate well into the future.

State Rep. Kirk England’s decision to switch from the Republican to the Democratic Party was not spur of the moment, by any stretch of the imagination. It was something that had been contemplated for quite some time and obviously discussed thoroughly with Democratic officials.

The minute England’s decision was made public, Democrats were lined up to welcome him, and that’s exactly where they needed to be.

Oh, as one would expect, there was some dissension in the ranks. A few folks wondered why we were bending over backwards to welcome a Republican just because he had demonstrated somewhat of a conscience and a little individuality during the last legislative session.

There are a couple of reasons: One is that it’s truly incredible for a Republican to demonstrate a conscience and individuality in today’s Texas House of Representatives. Speaker Tom Craddick takes sort of a Star Wars approach to government in that he likes automatons; whether a proposed bill will be supported by voters in a rep’s district doesn’t figure prominently into ole Tom’s equation — only whether ole Tom supports the measure.

The House Republicans have made the leadership skills of lemmings seem impressive. But a few were smart enough to notice that some of the brethren had gone over the cliff last session and knew that those unpopular votes forced by ole Tom had played a big hand in their colleagues losing bids for re-election. They wanted a new speaker but when that effort failed, many fell right back into line supporting ole Tom like nothing had changed.

Not Kirk England. The then- Grand Prairie Republican went against his own party on several key measures and wound up with a fairly respectable voting record, especially considering he hadn’t changed parties yet. Now he’s made the switch and the second big reason we should welcome him is simpler than the first. It’s called math.

Whether you’re talking about achieving a majority in the House of Representatives or in the state as a whole, Democrats must bring more into the fold. I agree with all those who think those who’ve tilled in the vineyard during the bad seasons should get extra credit going forward, but that doesn’t mean those who now wish to join should be shut out. We need them.

I don’t think Kirk England is a hero. I think he saw his district turning more and more Democratic and thought his future would be brighter riding on a donkey.

But he was the first in the House to make the switch, and that’s never easy. It will be far easier for those who follow, and they will.

This is how power shifts. The fading party tries to shore up the dam as long as possible. Then a little water finally breaks through; then a lot; then the floodgate opens.

We saw it with the Republican Party back in the 1980s. Now, with Kirk England’s announcement, be prepared to watch history repeat itself.

You can almost hear Ronald Reagan’s famous line ringing in your ears — just with a slightly different twist: “I didn’t leave the Republican Party. The Republican party left me.”

(Originally published by Examiner Newspaper Group)