Kingmakers and stalking horses
Per my post yesterday:
perhaps [Sylvester] Turner is trying to headoff a primary challenge by declaring for speaker. After all, he can't possibly think he has a chance of winning the speakership, can he? Most of the Democrats wouldn't vote for him [I assume], and Republicans aren't going to vote for a Democrat.Paul Burka speculates:
Let's say he can get to 25-30 supporters. That gives him a chance to be kingmaker, but not king--and we know who he'll be kingmaker for. More likely, this is not a play for speaker at all. It is a play to protect the Craddick Ds from a primary challenge. Turner's candidacy gives the Craddick Ds the opportunity to pledge to a Democrat. This removes the main argument that can be used against the Craddick Ds in the primary.I guess we're both surprised by the oddity of this move, and trying to read the tea leaves in response. Great minds think alike.
Yet, the idea that Turner is a stalking horse for Tom Craddick seems like awfully quick calculation on Craddick/Turner's part. They decided in one day that it'd be best if Turner became a candidate? Hmm, maybe, but I'm not sure I'm persuaded. Turner certainly didn't sound like a candidate in the interviews he gave a day before where he didn't sound loyal to Craddick but was going to keep his options open.
Plus, it doesn't seem like Craddick would've wanted the news of one of his top lieutenants seemingly defecting. After all, on the face of it, having Turner declare for weakness seems bad for the Speaker.
But who knows? That's what makes politics fun!
Posted by Evan @ 05/31/07 01:26 PM
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