Excerpts from statement by Tom Craddick, R-Midland:

MySanAntonio.com ^ | Today | Tom Craddick

[Arkinsaw]

Excerpts from statement by Tom Craddick, R-Midland:

... (House Democratic Caucus Chairman) Jim Dunnam's chief of staff said this morning that the Democrats bolted because they 'believe in a principle and a process' and they are 'standing up for their beliefs.'

The truth is these members are abdicating their constitutional responsibility to be here. It is their constitutional duty to shape legislation, to vote on issues, to fulfill their duties as the loyal minority.

Our citizen Legislature meets only once every two years and then for only 140 days. The members who left are wasting the people's time and money by letting key bills fall by the wayside — all in the name of partisanship. ...

... I think it should be noted that Democrats had a majority in the Texas House for 130 years before this year, and Republicans never once resorted to such an irresponsible stunt.

It's ironic that even as these members have cut and run that Hollywood is filming a movie nearby about that greatest of Texas epics. At the Alamo, when Travis drew a line in the dirt, inviting those who wanted to leave, only one man — Moses Rose — climbed over the wall and fled.

It's not a disgrace to stand and fight, but it is a disgrace to run and hide.

[Arkinsaw]

Haven't seen the full statement. But here are some quotes.

[sackofcatfood]

Our mandate should be to find them as soon as possible and bring them back in handcuffs, like common criminals.

[Arkinsaw]

They are in Ardmore so they can't be brought back.

But they, and their national Democratic Party counterparts, should be made to pay the price. Its high time that Republicans start putting together the full list of Democratic intrasigence, obstruction, and attacks on our system since the elections of 2000. We keep treating them like isolated cases. Its becoming clear that they aren't tactics, they are part of a bigger strategy. The only thing I can see is that they are attempting to throw the whole system into chaos.

Election bait and switch in New Jersey, election of dead people, keeping dead candidates alive in Hawaii, attacks on Supreme Court Justices, attacks on the Supreme Court itself, filibustering judicial nominees, walking out of legislative sessions, attacking the Electoral College, attempting to flip electors, attempting to bribe Senators into flipping parties to gain an unelected control of the Senate, attempting to gain non-traditional numbers on committees for the minority party, attempts to interfere with military voters, etc. etc.

These are not tactics, this is a strategy and it appears to be a strategy to throw our processes into chaos. They need to be called to account on the pattern as a whole and not each individual case as it comes up.