Taking Stock of the Farcical Battle for the Worst Job in Texas Government

Former Speakers of the Texas House are starting to pile up like the wives of Henry VIII. Last week, Beaumont’s own Dade Phelan dropped his bid to reclaim the gavel—which means that when the lower chamber convenes in January, members will be under the authority of their fourth Speaker in six sessions, the fifth Speaker since the era of the permanent Republican majority began. If you’re trying to remember them all, it goes something like this: Beheaded, collapsed in scandal, retired, beheaded . . .The turmoil matters. Polls regularly report that Texans know much less about the Speaker of the House than about the governor or lieutenant governor, which makes sense. The latter figures are directly elected by voters and frequently pose bravely on local TV news broadcasts.…

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