Posts Tagged ‘Gary Gates’

Who Is Behind “Texas Citizens Coalition”?

Monday, February 2nd, 2015

Back in the middle of January I got a four-page flyer form an outfit calling itself the “Texas Citizens Coalition.” The group is headed up by Rosenberg realtor Gary Gates.

Their ostensible goals sound conservative enough:

1. A smaller role for government at all levels

2. The elimination of over-reach and reduced regulation

3. A pro-business, pro-capitalism environment

4. Personal responsibility

All well and good. But why drop a flyer two months after the election?

My working theory is that Texas Citizens Coalition is another group created with the express purpose of supporting Speaker Joe Straus against his conservative critics.

Supporting evidence for the theory:

  • One of their first news blurbs is from Straus himself. (The fact that the most recent bit of “Latest News” is from January ninth suggests lack of follow-through on TCC’s part…)
  • Note that every single legislator singled out for praise in page 2 of the flyer was not among those backing Scott Turner for Speaker.
  • Note that many of those praised legislators (Giovanni Capriglione, Tan Parker, Drew Springer and Jason Villalba) were all notable for declaring themselves Straus supporters in November.
  • The only groups that have been dropping flyers to my mailbox post-election have been pro-Straus groups.
  • Finally, I sent an email through their contact address asking if they were formed explicitly to support Straus, and received no reply.
  • If anyone has an alternate explanation, I’d be happy to hear it. Here’s the flyer itself:

    TCC1

    TCC2

    TCC3

    TCC4