Pedigree versus purity

As are other groups preparing for battle during next year’s legislative session, TSTA obviously is very interested in the outcome of what is becoming a nastierbytheday race for the House speakership. But all we can do is wait and watch as the suddenly inflated Republican majority – egged on by rightwing activists – fights its unholy war over who is the most conservative.

Believe me, folks, we are keeping a safe distance from this one. But as a native of Speaker Joe Straus’ hometown, San Antonio, I find the speaker’s defense of his Republican credentials more than a little ironic.

Growing up during the days of oneparty, Democratic Texas, I didn’t know there were any Republicans in San Antonio until I learned of two, both named Straus. They were the speaker’s parents. They were what everyone else called Country Club Republicans, fiscal conservatives, and they were Republicans when it was still very unpopular politically in Texas to be one.

This was years before the emergence of the social conservative, Libertarian variety of Republicans, the genre which now is questioning Joe Straus’ conservative, Republican credentials, his ideological purity.

In truth, Straus has longer partisan roots than most of his detractors, including challenger Warren Chisum, who was elected to the House for years as a Democrat before figuring it was politically safe to switch parties.

Straus also has been a Republican longer than Gov. Rick Perry, who also was elected to the House as a Democrat before switching parties to seek statewide office.

Straus may need more than his pedigree, though, to overcome his rabid critics.