Blood In The Water

State Rep. Jim Keffer addressed the Republican Forum in downtown Fort Worth today. Keffer was invited by the forum to provide a counter response to Speaker Tom Craddick's recent speeches in the area.

The club normally gets a few local candidates and elected officials in attendance at its monthly meeting. The crowd was a bit larger this time, with State Reps. WIll Hartnett of Dallas and Sid Miller of Stephenville, along with every Republican State Rep. from Tarrant County except for Todd Smith of Euless.

Here's the play-by-play:

After a quick intro from State Rep. Charlie Geren of Fort Worth, Keffer dived quickly into his thesis.

“I want you to know right now that I’m a proud Republican," he said.

Keffer said the last session introduced two radical ideas: “one was absolute power and one was the elevation of the speaker’s office to a statewide position.”

Keffer argued that since 1871, members of the House always assumed they had the power to overthrow the speaker if needed.

“If you woke us up in the middle of the night and asked us if the speaker had absolute power, we would have all said 'No'.” Keffer said.

Keffer said he was "disappointed" by Attorney General Greg Abbott's opinion on Craddick's use of absolute authority but agreed with Abbott that the matter will likely be settled by the Rules Committee for the next session.

“If you take absolutism to its final destination, if you’re speaker of the house, you really don’t need the other 149 members because it's going to be your will," Keffer said.

Keffer described the Craddick situation as a toxin in the House that was infecting the public's view of state government.

“When you talk to people in the street, they are sick and tired of Washington, D.C. politics," Keffer said. "Many people come to me...and they ask us and they bug us ‘Do not let Austin politics become Washington, D.C.”

The way this speaker situation plays out will be vital for the state GOP, he said.

“Not suppressing opposition but allowing debate to happen," Keffer said. "And that’s how we’re going to go forward in this state. That’s how the Republican Party is going to be successful in this state.

“Texas will survive because I believe in the system. I believe in the House of Representatives," he said.

"I have concerns about the Senate," he quipped.

There were four questions after the debate.

First question: A man asked how Craddick compared to previous speakers.

Keffer said, referring to former speaker Pete Laney, “I was never imposed of my vote to vote on a particular issue. I cannot say that of Tom Craddick."

He then said that as the House gets closer to a 75/75 split, the more important it was going to be to have a speaker that could create coalitions.

Second and third questions: Both State Rep. Vicki Truitt of Keller and her husband, former Richland Hills mayor Jim Truitt, said that Republicans in the minority and Democrats in the minority have acted very differently and attributed the change in tone of the House to the recent transfer of party power.

"Any Democrat that shows a willingness to work with Republicans, they’re automatically a target,” Jim Truitt said.

“And vice versa,” Keffer added.

“I don’t have a problem reaching across the aisle,” Jim Truitt continued. “I have a problem reaching across the aisle and your hand is slapped back.”

Keffer's response: "I never heard from any Republican that Pete Laney told them that they were irrelevant and they were not needed in the process. The current speaker has told that to Democrats.”

Keffer added later: "Parity 75/75 [or] 74/76? It’s going to be tough. It’s going to be an issue because obviously, the other side smells blood in the water."

Fourth Question: State Rep. Bill Zedler of Arlington suggested the speaker be chosen by having each party hold a caucus to pick their nominee.

"Well Bill," Keffer said, "I’m sorry you weren’t listening to what I said during this whole speech but no I think that’s the worst idea. That’s how Washington, DC does it.”

Zedler tried to speak again.

“No you’re through,” Keffer said.

“No I’m not through,” Zedler shot back.

“I have absolute authority,” Keffer quipped. “I don’t have to listen to you.”

Keffer than said he was just joking and allowed Zedler to speak.

Regarding the inevitable Democratic support of a speaker candidate that’s not Craddick, Zedler said, “That is an attack on the Republican majority.”

"The speaker of the House of Representatives of Texas is not caucus chairman of the Republican Party,” Keffer said.

“I really hope, and I saw this with all due respect, that absolute authority is involved in every race," Keffer said.

AFTERWORDS: After the speech, Hartnett told me there were several times under former Speaker Pete Laney Gib Lewis where he was not recognized for a motion. The key in the house rules for the next session will be a stipulation that no speaker fights be allowed in the last month.

In the last session, he said, “I’m sure several pieces died because of the speaker’s fight."

I noted that Craddick has said that no votes were prevented by the speaker fight. Hartnett said it still affected whether some bills passed, including the all-important water bill.

“It was on life support strictly because of the speaker’s race and I don’t want to see that happen again,” Hartnett said.

TOMORROW: Quotes and (maybe) audio from my interview with Keffer after his speech.

-Aman Batheja