Dingus Hits Craddick in Libertarian Weak Spot

Dingus (l.) and Craddick: Does Tom know something we don't?

So Speaker Tom Craddick invited ranking members of the Libertarian Party of Texas to his chambers on Monday to discuss what the GOP could do for them (check back in tomorrow's issue for exactly what State Chair Pat Dixon and Executive Director Wes Benedict told him.) He sent the invite before Benedict made it public that former Rep. Suzanna Hupp had been phoning LPT candidates asking them to not run in races where they might split the vote and let a Democrat take the seat from a GOP incumbent.

Smelling blood in the water, Craddick's own Demcratic challenger Bill Dingus has put out a press release. Even if, as some suspect, Dingus is just being used to tie Craddick down to some campaigning in his district, he's used this to throw some well-aimed punches at the speaker. The meeting, he wrote, was "supposedly 'about issues where we have agreement.' Pardon me for questioning whether there was more to the meeting than that."

But here's the kicker. One of the candidates Hupp called is Joe Allport, running against Rep. Wayne Christian, R-Center. Five-term ultra-conservative rep Christian had looked like a permanent lege fixture (apart from his abortive 2004 Congressional run.) If the GOP is having to go on bended knee to the Libertarians now for a seemingly safe bet like Christian, how worried are they about November?

See below the fold for Dingus' full press release.

Statement By Bill Dingus Regarding Tom Craddick's Pressuring Libertarians To End Their Campaigns For State Representative

"Once again, Tom Craddick is behind a desperate effort to mute the voice of those who would stand up to his special interest-driven leadership.

"On Saturday, the Austin American-Statesman reported that a close Craddick ally - former State Representative Suzana Hupp - admitted that she pressured Libertarian candidates to quit their races for State Representative and even mentioned to one the 'possibility' of an appointment to a state board.

"On Tuesday, the Statesman reported that Craddick's state-paid staff met with Libertarian leaders, supposedly 'about issues where we have agreement.' Pardon me for questioning whether there was more to the meeting than that.

"This is nothing new for Tom Craddick. In his infamous 'absolute power' ruling in 2007, Craddick denied State Representatives the ability to speak up for their districts on the floor of the Texas House of Representatives.

"This spring, Craddick tacitly approved a fruitless effort to deny the voters in his own district a choice in who will be their State Representative.

"This is what happens when you have a leader who works for the special interests instead of the public's interest. It's about power plays instead of open government. It's about partisan politics instead of practical solutions.

"The voters in District 82 and in dozens of other House districts are tired of Tom Craddick's self-serving politics. They want change. And they want it now."