The Speaker's Race

A while back I posted my thoughts on the upcoming election for Speaker of the House. Now I realize this topic probably doesn't excite a lot of you, but choosing a Speaker has become an extremely competitive undertaking. In fact, whether or not your're on the winning side probably determines your power base and pecking order in the race for committee chairs. Once upon a time, the Speaker position was largely ceremonial; but now, most insiders will acknowledge that term limits has forever changed and dramatically increased the scope and power of wielding that gavel. Nowadays, the Speaker basically drives each session with committee appointments and assigning bills, which can have a major effect on whether certain pieces of legislation have any chance to succeed. That's simply the way it is, and whether that's good or bad, ultimately depends upon the Speaker.
Now that Representatives David Cook and David Rainey have dropped out of the race, I am one of those apparent few who are left uncommitted. I say apparent few, because it seems as if virtually everyone has made a committment at this point. I had committed to Rep. Cook long ago, and for legitimate reasons he has decided to take his name out of the hat. That leaves me with, what I believe is a very important decision. Representatives Robbie Wills and David Dunn are the two left vying for the job, and truthfully have been the front-runners from day one. I like both men and can see strengths for each one. Even though I am convinced that either one can and will handle the job; I will have to make a choice soon. I am leaning a certain way, but a bit more thought and reflection won't hurt my decision.