How Jonathan Stickland and the tea party outmaneuvered Joe Straus – Austin American-Statesman

Category: Tea Party

When the self-styled Freedom Caucus killed dozens of bills last week in what became known as the Mothers Day Massacre, the damage wasnt immediately apparent to most observors. Turns out that among the scuttled legislation was a must-pass measure to keep some state agencies open.

The maneuver left tea party-aligned Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick with tremendous leverage over the more moderate House Speaker Joe Straus. The House now must rely on Patricks Senate to pass the legislation keeping some state agencies operating. Patrick told Straus Wednesday he would hold hostage that key bill unless the House passed legislation popular among social and fiscal conservatives, including the transgender bathroom bill.

They thought we were idiots, state Rep. Stickland, R-Bedford, told me, referring to himself and other member of the House Freedom Caucus a dozen strong.

But, Stickland said, thanks to the Freedom Caucus strategic gambit, I was now witnessing the end of the regime.

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How Jonathan Stickland and the tea party outmaneuvered Joe Straus - Austin American-Statesman

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May 18th, 2017
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