Fall out!

I still don't know what kind of political fallout there may be from Rick Perry signing HB3 into law, but that doesn't stop me from writing about it at Kuff's World. Come see me try to work it all out.

I think we're seeing a shift in the rhetoric about conservative disgruntlement, by the way. Look at the following quote from Harris County Tax Assessor Paul Bettencourt, who's as big a hero to the Cut My Taxes Now! crowd as anyone, from today's Chron.

Bettencourt said Perry violated longstanding Republican Party principles and an important political rule: "You don't hack off the base because it's the base that gets you elected."

But he added, "I gave Perry my endorsement in 2004, and I haven't withdrawn it." And, he said, he wasn't sure that many Republicans, despite their anger, will abandon Perry.

Translation: Perry may be an SOB, but he's our SOB. Note that Steven Hotze did not get a mention in this story. This is the only place that the idea of base voters sticking it to Perry by staying home in November is brought up. That may simply be shortsightedness on Clay Robison's part, but it also may be an acknowledgement of the stark truth that Hotze doesn't carry nearly as much weight as he thinks; at least, not at the statewide level. It's possible that the real rebellion will be in 2008, after people realize that the much-ballyhooed property tax cut isn't worth all that much to them, and the 2007 Lege is forced to deal with the fiscal consequences of this year's actions. But hey, at least Rick Perry won't have to worry about that. He won't be on the ballot that year.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on May 22, 2006 to Show Business for Ugly People | TrackBack