
Someone tell the Senate's self-appointed voice of all things conservative Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, who just made Woolley co-chair of his Tea Party Caucus.
The reason for the scorn? Earlier that day, Woolley announced she was pledging to support Speaker Joe Straus. Since Empower Texans has been leading the charge against Straus as the embodiment of everything they hate in the Legislature, they decided to emulate the People's Front of Judea from Monty Python and the Life of Brian, yelling "Splitters!" at anyone that fails their orthodoxy test.
As for Woolley, it was time to rewrite some history – or at least change the standards – since the only screaming going on around here is not her alleged liberalism, but coming straight from the contorted logic Smith applies. Apparently, getting a 78% ranking on Empower Texans' legislative score card for the 81st session makes her a liberal and, as Smith says, "only liberals like Straus."
And how liberal is Woolley? Well, since she's most famous for killing a minimum wage bill in 2007, proposing "God Bless Texas" license plates in 2003 and acting as a fund-raising foot soldier for convicted felon Tom DeLay's TRMPAC in 2002, we're not anticipating a switch to the Socialist Workers Party any time soon.
Republicans, Speaker Race, 82nd Legislature, Empower Texans, Beverley Woolley, David Smith, Joe Straus