OTG: “I Do What I Want! Respect My Authoritah!”

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For some reason, Carole Keeton McClellan Rylander Strayhorn is starting to remind me more and more of Eric Cartman from South Park.

Perhaps, it’s because I expect her to suddenly, in the middle of a press conference one day, start shouthing, “Whateva’! Whateva’! I do what I want! I do what I want! Respect my authoritah!”

That’s evidently kind of what she did when it came to her much-publicized investigation of the Texas Residential Construction Commission earlier this year.

Now, Texas AG Gregg Abbott says One Tough Grandma, Carole-Four-Names-Three Parties “had no authority to investigate and release a critical report about the performance of the Texas Residential Construction Commission this year.”

So, I guess she won’t be “blast[ing] this Texas Residential Construction Commission builder-protection agency off the bureaucratic books.”

But, she’s ready to raise hell with Gregg Abbott, and is mincing no words when telling the AG what he can do with his (also highly-publicized) opinion:

“I was asked by a legislator to investigate the Texas Residential Construction Commission. I did it, and if the Attorney General wants to take me to court, let’s go.”

My goodness! CKMRS was already in court once this week and she’s ready for another round.

Honestly, whether Strayhorn was right or wrong in instituting her investigation is, in fact, a matter of opinion. Though the AG is the highest “law enforcement” officer and the state’s top attorney, the fact is that his Opinions are opinions (that’s why they’re called that), and the only interpretation of the law in that regard that counts is the interpretation of a judge.

Keep in mind that the Comptroller’s office did, in fact, formerly have a lot of wide-ranging authority before she pissed off the Republican Party’s far right during the 2003 legislative session and they started peeling tasks away from her agency (in particular, things she could easily politicize) faster than Republicans run to a prayer breakfast.  Now, Abbott and Strayhorn disagree over whether or not she still has this authority following the 2003 legislation.
That said, while the TRCC is badly in need of both investigation and being wiped off the “bureaucratic books” (somehow, I never can find those at Barnes & Noble), OTG’s investigation was a mere political stunt. The fact is that she’s prone to such things, kind of like your dear, elderly, somewhat senile grandmother is prone to call you by your sibling’s name. And, that’s ok. Just like you chuckle about being called “Bobby” even though your name is “Sue,” we can chuckle about OTG’s ranting and ravings.

All of this, of course, is really more of Republicans eating their own.

Keep in mind that Abbott’s on his party’s far-right. Strayhorn’s been everything from a liberal Democrat to a God-fearing Republican to a bra-burning, child-health-insurance-protecting bleeding heart Republican and everhting in between before deciding that “Texas independent” fit her better than the shackes of the party she’s been identified with for so long.

But, given that even Abbott knows she’s daining votes from Perry, every punch the GOP establishment can land at her chin is, in their minds, beneficial.

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Vince Leibowitz posted this article under 2006 Texas Elections, Comptroller Cartman on Thursday, May 4th, 2006 at 2:50 pm You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a comment. Pinging is currently not allowed. View Technorati Linkbacks.