#NCSEN: Tillis in Texas?
A friend of this site told me about an interesting encounter he had last week at baggage claim in the San Antonio Airport. While waiting for his bags to come down the carousel, he looked to his left to see — none other than — Thom Tillis.
Wait. You say Tillis is the speaker of the North Carolina House and is running for North Carolina’s US Senate seat? There are no votes for him in Texas.
Our source said he learned later that Tillis was in town for a fundraiser sponsored by Joe Straus, speaker of the Texas state House of Representatives. Straus — like Tillis — has had some heartburn in his relations with conservatives.
Gosh. Straus last week. Chris Christie this week. Ol’ Thom’s really going after that right-wing crowd, huh?
That reminds me.. http://projects.newsobserver.com/under_the_dome/obama_supporter_jim_rogers_hosts_fundraiser_for_speaker_tillis
Super under the radar, I can’t find anything about this – anywhere. Please keep digging, Brant. More to be revealed there.
Probably down there getting pro-amnesty talking points.
Was he totin’ his own luggage?
Yup …
If he was going down there to chum up with Ted Cruz or even Rick Perry, I would say GREAT! But teaming up with a flaming liberal like Joe Strauss is another matter entirely.
Joe Strauss got his Speakership, the same way that Richard Morgan, Tillis’ mentor, got his ”co-speakership” – by taking a small rump band of squishy Republicans and team up with the Democrats against the duly chosen candidate of the GOP caucus. The more things change, the more they stay the same. I guess this is just further evidence that Thom Tillis is still a Richard Morgan style ”Republican” at heart. One really wonders whose side he would really be on if he ever got to the US Senate. Would he pull a Morgan or a Strauss type move and align with the Democrats?
He might actually break even on this trip with conservatives if he would just go to the border for a photo-op and while there make some strong pledges to stop illegal immigration, whatever it takes. But his handlers doubtless lack the brains to even suggest that, and Tillis is probably too far owned by the US Chamber of Commerce and Karl Rove to think about doing it even if suggested.
Staying after from the border why hanging on Joe Strauss’ coattails really show Tillis’ true colors, and further discourages any conservative support.
Texas is Rove territory too, wonder if any Rovians were there at the same event?