So-Called Conservative Members Kick Sand in the Face of Their Constituents & the Grassroots

Pat Hardy, Tincy Miller, and Bob Craig, Republican Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) members,  all voted on Thursday to strip the 20-year policy of teaching the “strengths and weaknesses” of scientific theories, including evolution.  Their split from the other seven Republican SBOE members, caused the 20-year old “strengths and weaknesses” language to be erased from the state science standard for all scientific theories.

At least one of these members, Pat Hardy, says she’s tired of people accusing her of not being a “real conservative” and claims she has solid conservative views.  Here’s something to consider, not only did she vote against the strengths and weaknesses language, she also spent a lot of time talking to the folks from Texas Freedom Network (liberal group that is to the left of the ACLU www.tfn.org) during the SBOE hearing and the day of the vote on this issue.  Bob Craig, basically made light of the over five thousand people that sent him emails asking him to keep the “strengths and weakness” language. Tincy Miller told me she is still upset with the seven other Republican SBOE members about a Math textbook vote that didn’t go her way and she “believes” that the other 7 Republicans would put creationism and intelligent design in textbooks, even though they made it clear they just wanted to keep the strengths and weaknesses langugage. She allowed this all to affect her decision, after admitting to me she had no problem in principle with the “strengths and weaknesses” language and that if those “7” were not on the SBOE, she would support the language.

They all heard the other SBOE members talk about the thousands of emails that had been sent to all SBOE members to keep the strengths and weaknesses language.

So if the question for Craig, Hardy and Miller is, are you a “real conservative”?  I say let the people decide based on their votes and the company they keep.

Share this:
Back to blog