Anti-Craddick walkout at 12:45 a.m.
About 45 members just walked out of the chamber, broke quorum and made the House adjourn until 2 p.m. Monday.
Right now, there's wild cheering in the lobby, the staffers are lining the steps from the gallery and clapping and yelling for everyone who walked out, and those left in the chamber are annoyed.
A Craddick staffer just passed me and said, "This is disgraceful" before pointing out that 94 members had just voted the last bill.
"That shows that he had 94 votes."
Nope. Someone ghost voted Senfronia, not everyone walked out, and if Ms. Thompson was ghost-voted, then who knows how many else were. Since Sly rang the bell for what felt like 10 minutes.
Anyway. Very weird ending to a relatively normal last night. Very dramatic.
Comments
I am very glad to see someone stand up for what is right, and that is for Speaker Craddick to be removed from his position of authority. He has taken his power and abused it without question. Glad to see someone have the courage to make a stand.
Posted by: Bryan C. | May 28, 2007 1:02 AM
Yahoo! At lest the ones who walked off and the ones who spoke today did something about the Humpty Dumpty ruling by Craddick and his two enforcement agents. I hope on the last day a vote will be taken to end the matter. If Craddick has the votes, why not vote?
Posted by: James Taylor | May 28, 2007 1:05 AM
All the vitrol can't be laid at Craddick's feet. Tonight's actions were all Sylvester Turner's doing. He was either too stupid or too stubborn to simply admit that he overstepped his authority by saying he had the right to refuse a motion to adjourn, which takes precedence over ANY motion from the floor. That is clearly spelled out.
He made his bed in aligning himself with "The Craddick 15". Now he's got to sleep in it.
Posted by: Mike J | May 28, 2007 1:23 AM
What a disgraceful show of cowardice. Lets forget about about the people of Texas b/c we are unhappy about a man who has done nothing illegal, so lets choose to walk out instead. And Jim Dunnam? Seriously how can you trust a trial lawyer that represents child molestors?
Posted by: P. | May 28, 2007 1:26 AM
The only number that will count is the 94 votes. Craddick won two major victories today. First, he passed the budget with 118 votes and then he prevailed in Pat Haggerty's highly inappropriate personal privlege speech roll call. The insurgents lost and he won. Now they need to shut up.
Posted by: tommy merritt's brain | May 28, 2007 1:36 AM
Because -- like it or not -- child molesters have rights, too. And you can thank your constitution and your fearless leaders for establishing and protecting those rights. What's disgraceful about tonight is the hang-onto-power-at-all-costs crap that Tom Craddick is pulling.... NOT the walk-out. But after reading btwn the lines of your comment, it doesn't surprise me that you support a man who circumvents House rules for his own personal gain and with no regard for the will of the people of Texas... And contrary to the rules and procedures that have been long-established! Let's not forget that the purpose for having rules is to ensure a fair and orderly process by which to govern this state. Don't you *dare* try to minimize the significance of his actions.
Posted by: Noonie | May 28, 2007 1:46 AM