Everything you said about Straus is accurate. However there is a mischaracterization about the woman who moved to reject Straus. I served on that committee with her and know exactly what happened. She did NOT make herself a delegate in place of Straus. All committee members, under the rules, had the right to name themselves a delegate to Tampa. That happened early in the proceedings and the controversy over Straus was much later. There was no connection between the two actions.
We have a tradition that some member will move to make all our ‘statewide’ office holders delegates. Joe Straus technically does not meet that criteria because he is not elected statewide. But the Speaker in Texas is very powerful. Texas government is often described as a Triumvirate because the Governor, Lt. Governor and Speaker hold roughly equal Constitutional powers. Not much gets done unless they all agree.
All three officeholders are very controversial figures among the grass roots of the Texas Party—meaning the 8,000 plus delegates in attendance. Straus and Lt. Governor David Dewhurst had little support there and it is unlikely any report our committee forwarded to the floor with their names on it would have been approved. Dewhurst had the sense to tell us he did not want to be named and Straus was rejected by the committee. The resulting list was approved without dissent.
The woman should not be criticized for her role in rejecting Straus. She was straight up and represented the views of her district and of the overwhelming majority of all delegates. I can and have criticized her for other things she did that day—and in the past—but she should be applauded for her stand regarding Straus.