Leading Off (01/06/09)
1. What do you want to know about new House speaker Joe Straus? That he’s not as ideologically hellbent as the man he’s replacing? That when Republicans burned the secret ballots that named him speaker, the smoke alarm went off? That the horse racing industry has a bet on him to win, place, and show? That the odds are pretty good he’ll someday become a lobbyist? That he is NOT this guy? C’mon, I’ve got five links here! I’m like Fingers of Fury up in this piece!
2. The ice storm knocked out power for 48,000 North Texans, and reminded us how hot Sigourney Weaver is.
3. In the Fiesta Bowl, Texas beat Ohio State, 24-21, with a last-minute touchdown. Good for them!
That is some fine art!
1 = Out with the old, in with the old. He doesn’t come across as a game-changer. What makes him interesting is his across-the-aisle support — without Democrats, he wouldn’t have won.
Are we talking about Straus or McCoy?
Straus is a game-changer just because he’s in and Craddick is out. The House will be a very different place. Committee chairs will be different, with Democrats holding the gavel in some committees, and nonsense bills will stop making it out of key committees to the floor. The crazy right-wingers are going nuts. They will lose their dominance. If you don’t believe me, check out nut-case David Barton’s blog. He’s drowning in his own hyperbolic hysteria.
Hook ’em.