House Education Chairman Kent Grusendorf — facing a tough race against former Arlington school board member Diane Patrick — told a PTA group Thursday that he would resign if the Legislature fails to pass legislation to fix school finance this spring. Grusendorf and Patrick also have engaged in finger-pointing over who was responsible for anti-Patrick fliers distributed at Republican events that include graphic drawings of homosexuality and drug use.
For political junkies here in Texas, their are few things more entertaining than watching the run-up to a GOP primary. Given the nature of political primaries, where only True Believers tend to vote, a Republican primary campaign in Texas is a study in rushing to the Right. Campaigns become an exercise in see who can pander to Social Conservatives most effectively, so what I like to call the Nutjob Effect truly approaches toxic levels.
Of course, if you’re a slash-and-burn, I-got-mine-you-get-yours Evangelical Social Conservative, you’re feeling pretty good about things right about now, because everyone on the GOP ballot is bending over and grabbing their ankles for you (metaphorically speaking, of course).
All of this is building up to elections Tuesday that Secretary of State Roger Williams predicted may draw only 13 percent of the state’s registered voters.
Sure, a committed, far-Right minority will determine who represented Republican interests in November. While I would sooner be marooned on a desert island with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus than vote for a Republican, I have to admit that this primary season has been particularly entertaining. If you can’t beat ‘em, you might as well be able to laugh at ‘em, eh?
