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Homer decries extremism in politics

April 2nd, 2010

Daily Tribune

by Lou Antonelli

The extreme right wing of the Republican Party, says State Rep. Mark Homer, “they don’t like free thought. They want a heavy-handed strong fisted way of doing things (in the Texas legislature) and say ‘I will tell you how to vote.’”

Homer reported to the member of the Titus County Democratic Club Thursday night on how last year’s legislative session went, and what they can expect in this year’s general election.

Homer said that despite the naysayers who predict electoral problems for his party this fall, his six-county East Texas district is a “Democratic stronghold” and he expects that to continue.

He said the main change during the last legislative session was that the extreme partisanship of Republican Speaker Tom Craddick ended as a fellow Republican, Joe Straus, was elected the new speaker.

Craddick, who was the first Republican speaker since Reconstruction, brought in “pure Washington-style politics,” said Homer; in the past, representatives were free to vote what they thought was in the best interest of their district.

Homer said the change in the legislature with Straus as speaker was refreshing, “it was like the clouds parted, the sun came out, the angels began to sing. I looked around and said to myself, ‘we have turned the corner.’”

Republicans are even turning on their own party members for not being “Republican enough”, he said, citing the case of Delwyn Jones of Lubbock n at 84, one of the most senior members of the legislature n who has been forced into a runoff.

Jones, while still a Republican, served as chairman of the redistricting committee under Democratic House Speaker Pete Laney, noted Homer n an example of the way the parties cooperated in the past n and remains in that post.

Jones is a “level-headed fair minded individual” and other Republicans want to “knock him off”, said Homer, because they don’t trust he will be partisan enough during the next round of redistricting following the 2010 Census.

Homer said even if the Republicans retain control of the Texas House, “nobody will be more fair” than Straus, “we won’t get a better shake from anyone else.”

This is important “because the next session is a redistricting session,” he added.

That upcoming redrawing of district lines will be hard on rural districts because the state’s population growth is mostly in urban areas. He said current State House districts are apportioned based on a population of 139-140,000, while early projections are that the numbers will rise to the 170-175,000 range for the next redistricting.

Democratic Club Chairman Paul Lindsey introduced Homer to the members, who met for dinner at Luigi’s restaurant, as having “always been a friend of Titus County.” Homer, who had served six terms, is from Paris.

At the close of the meeting, as Homer took questions from the floor, Lindsey asked for his evaluation of his opposition, noting that the two Republican candidates, Holland Harper and Erwin Cain, “beat each other up.”

Homer said he really hasn’t heard anything to indicate the Republicans really have any issues with his local service, and they will run a “Congressional race” and attack him on health care, the federal budget, and such.

“I don’t have any more to do with that than they do,” he said. “All I can do is call my Congressman like you do. Heck, they’ll blame me for starting the war in Iraq!”

Lindsey noted early runoff voting starts Monday, but the sole runoff in Titus County is in the Republican Party.

There is a run-off in Franklin County, he noted, where two JP candidates originally finished in a tie.

The next meeting of the Titus County Democrats will be held Thursday, May 6.