Much as we wish we could place the blame solely on the Democrats for the revenge indictment of Rick Perry, there are several Republicans who helped pave the way for it. The Texas State House of Representatives has long been a moderate’s haven under the gavel of left-of-center Speaker Joe Straus*, whose squishiness is well known here at RedState. As Breitbart notes, when Governor Perry tried to move the Public Integrity Unit from the Travis County DA’s office to under the purview of the Attorney General, it was Straus’ lieutenant Rep. Charlie Geren, a Fort Worth Republican, who made the move to kill the amendment that would accomplish the transfer. It’s hard to see Geren’s move as doing anything other than the bidding of the Democrats to whom Straus owes his Speakership. Per Breitbart, the Republicans who sided with Geren and the Democrats to kill the PIU’s transfer are:

Bill Callegarri of Katy (didn’t seek re-election) John Davis of Baytown (didn’t seek re-election) Patricia Harless of Houston Dan Huberty of Humble Jason Isaac of Dripping Springs Kyle Kacal of Bryan Jim Keffer of Eastland Ken King of Canadian Susan King of Abilene John Kuempel of Seguin John Otto of Dayton Diane Patrick of Arlington (defeated) Jim Pitts of Waxahachie (retired) John Raney of College Station J.D. Sheffield of Gatesville David Simpson of Longview Wayne Smith of Baytown John Zerwas of Simonton

When criticizing the nakedly political indictment of Governor Perry, we must remember that the blame doesn’t fall wholly on the Democrats. There are Republicans who helped make the indictment possible. The primary elections for the coming election this November are already finished, but Texans should keep this list in mind. We must find primary opponents for these Republicans for the next cycle, but for Joe Straus, there is still something Texans can do: ensure that he is not the Speaker for the next session. In particular, conservative Republicans in Texas should support Rep. Scott Turner’s bid for the Speakership.

We must make them pay.

*=Straus owes his Speakership largely to the Democrats in the State House, who helped give him the support needed to push out the previous Speaker, the unpopular Tom Craddick. Straus was elected by 65 Democrats and 11 Republicans in a mid-session special election.

