PoliTex: Texas conservatives still have clout, U.K. paper says

16 Jan 2010 //

Texans may be out of power in Washington now that former President George W. Bush has moved to Dallas, but the state’s conservative voices still have clout globally, according to the U.K.’s Telegraph newspaper, which compiled lists of the top 100 U.S. conservatives and liberals.

Bush was the highest-ranking Texan of the six conservative newsmakers from the Lone Star State, coming in 12th overall. While Bush’s position among conservatives is secure, the Telegraph said, his "influence endures also because [President Barack] Obama and his advisers seem scarcely able to do anything without referring to his predecessor."

Bush’s longtime adviser Karl Rove is No. 32. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Lake Jackson, a magnet for Libertarians, ranked 48th.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry earned the 51st slot for his strong conservative advocacy, while former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, now chairman of FreedomWorks, earned the 71st spot for being "a major influence on the tea party movement."

Finally, just barely making the list at No. 99 is the unlikely figure of Tom DeLay, the former House majority leader from Sugar Land who ranked despite his cringe-inducing performances on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.

The No. 1 conservative? Former Vice President Dick Cheney, a former Dallas resident.

There were no Texans on the top 100 liberal list.

'Ideas in Action’

Speaking of Bush, apparently his policy institute will produce a half-hour weekly public TV show that focuses on issues such as domestic energy policy and global health.

The show, which will start airing in February, is called Ideas in Action, and it will be hosted by James Glassman, who heads Bush’s policy institute.

So far, there’s no word that Bush will appear on the show.

Summit guest

U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Arlington, took along his daughter Kristin to last month’s Copenhagen Climate Summit — at taxpayer expense. Lawmakers are permitted to have a family member accompany them on congressional delegation trips, commonly referred to as CODELS. (Barton’s wife, Terri, did not go.) CBS News noted the large congressional delegation, including Barton’s daughter, and asked "Copenhagen Summit Turned Junket?"

Kristin, 27, a N.Y.-based financial analyst, has been in the limelight before. The Texas A&M University and Ennis High School grad was tagged in a 2007 report by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington for being paid $12,622 by her father’s campaign committee in 2006.

Tea anyone?

The Burleson Tea Party hopes Cleburne becomes a statewide conservative mecca next month.

The group is planning a "Real Change is Coming" rally at the Forrest GMC/Chrysler Autoplex in Cleburne on Feb. 6. Organizers expect to attract conservatives from around the state to the event to protest federal spending and the Democratic plan for healthcare reform.

Organizer Angela Cox said the event is being held a week before early voting begins to encourage people to vote in the primaries.