Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick finally called out Land Commissioner George P. Bush over the Alamo. However, it’s not for the reason you’d expect.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Patrick scolded Bush and his staff for characterizing opponents and skeptics of the plan to Reimagine The Alamo as “liars” and “racists”. Additionally, Patrick reminded Bush that the Texas Senate voted unanimously in support of legislation that would have paused the Alamo redesign efforts and added the Texas Historical Commission and the Daughters of the Republic of Texas to a three-part group which would have overseen the disposition of the Alamo Cenotaph.
While the legislation eventually failed to gain traction in the Texas House, Patrick’s mention of the Senate support clearly throws the entire Texas Senate on the side of those, including the TNM, that want to see the Cenotaph protected, the Alamo properly honored, and the public to have a greater voice in the process.
Although Patrick clearly calls out Bush for his well-documented tendency to lash out at those with whom he disagrees, he stops short of a direct call to pause plans for the removal and relocation of the Cenotaph. He does, however, set up the potential for a political showdown pitting the sitting Lieutenant Governor against a Land Commissioner who has been slowly setting himself up to become Patrick’s successor.
Patrick’s letter to Bush and his subsequent statement to the media stand in sharp contrast to the continued silence on the matter from Governor Greg Abbott. While Texans from all over have been bombarding his office with calls for him to take a public stance, Abbott has been as quiet as a French mime in a silent movie on the issue of the Alamo. Yet, he has seemed to find enough time to Tweet about a Whataburger restaurant being out of Dr. Pepper.
Patrick’s statement to the media is included below.
