Things Are Tough All Over (Part 2)

As I mentioned earlier, the Republicans are not having a good time of it here in Texas, despite how happy some of them might look about sticking it to Craddick on a daily basis.

Sure, like Statesman says, there may end up being a motion to vacate this weekend. Yes, there are the requisite phone calls and backroom deals being made, as the Chron reports, and I'm sure plenty of people feel newly empowered in Austin. What seems to be missing from most of these revelations, though, is that this kind of tomfoolery not only represents the failure of Craddick's leadership; it also represents that the Republican boat is sinking.

Now don't get excited. This doesn't mean that Democrats will win 32 seats next time, or that we will wake up on Monday and mysteriously find a Democratic Speaker for a few hours. Democrats are still vulnerable to vagaries and specifics of Texas as a state, and although the ground is softer these days, it is a long way from being totally fertile.

It does, however, mean bad things for the Republicans as an organized force. The public display of weakness by one of the most powerful Republicans in the state is bad for Team GOP, and anyone with any sense knows it. I know if Craddick called my dad to try to shore up my vote on a bill (as the aforementioned Chron story details), we would both have a hearty laugh.

Me and Dad, that is. We would have a hearty laugh, and then I would paint it on the wall of the nearest highway-facing structure in Austin so everyone would know what Craddick had been reduced to. Some people are as good as political glue, and I would argue that Craddick was just as much of an institution as Perry or Dewhurst. If someone doesn't step up to fill the void, and soon, ambiguity near the top will cause trouble in the Texas chapter of the House of Abe.

A shaky king portends bad things for the future, the literal exact badness in this case being a clumsy power grab at the top. Dewhurst has likely already blown his chances to be governor, and Dan Patrick is going to be flamethrowing about conservative apostates to a radio audience that is not insignificant, so he will likely do more harm than good to Republican party unity. I can honestly say I have no idea what Perry will do — although I wouldn't count him out of running for governor in 2010 — and the state Senate and Congressional delegations are a mess. KBH is going to retire any day now and, well, we all know about Cornyn.

So like I said — what a mess.