If we want to avoid another purple session, we must never give our elected officials rest from accountability; we must demand actions, not words.

When the tyrannical Joe Straus retired, many thought the battle was over. It should be obvious now, with the deception of Speaker Dennis Bonnen, that Straus was a symptom—not the problem.

With Bonnen running the House, Republicans failed to pass election integrity reforms, advance pro-life legislation, or achieve other legislative priorities set by the grassroots at the last Republican Party of Texas Convention. The tone-deaf actions of other Republican leaders like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who recently called for more gun control, only compounds the disappointment of Texans.

We are not alone. Millions of Britons right now are supremely frustrated that Brexit, which they voted for in 2016, still hasn’t happened.

Many thought that all it would take to achieve Brexit was to win at the ballot box, and their political leaders would take it from there. Oh, how wrong they were.

Shortly after winning the vote, even Nigel Farage—Mr. Brexit himself—retired from his party leadership role. This left a vacuum where there should have been a loud voice of accountability. Then came the delays, the stitch-ups, and the embarrassing failure of former Prime Minister Theresa May to deliver on what citizens voted for.

Britain now has a new prime minister, Boris Johnson, who has repeatedly vowed that the country will finally leave the European Union on October 31 with “no ifs, no buts.” But Farage has heard this before and isn’t buying it. Instead, he’s come out of retirement, started a new political party, “The Brexit Party,” won Britain’s election to the EU Parliament this year, and is consistently calling for British politicians to deliver on their promises to the people.

As far as Farage is concerned, actions—not words—are what he’s looking for; and if Johnson doesn’t deliver, Farage is ready to hold him accountable.

We in Texas should learn a thing or two from this.

Regardless of whether Bonnen remains in his current role, we should continually hold all of our elected officials’ feet to the fire, be it in the 2021 legislative session or a potential special session called before then. Don’t give them an ounce of breath, and constantly be calling, speaking, showing up, and holding them accountable.

Next time, ignore any “new day” rhetoric. Demand actions, not words.

Robert Montoya

Born in Houston, Robert Montoya is an investigative reporter for Texas Scorecard. He believes transparency is the obligation of government.

RELATED POSTS