Texas Observer Crying Foul over Nothing?

by: Todd Hill

Wed Feb 04, 2009 at 10:17 AM CST

According to the Texas Observer the following allegedly occurred:

Sen. Steve Ogden, the chair of Finance, welcomed Davis to the committee. Ogden said it was customary for senators to sit up on the dais even if he or she wasn't a member of the committee. "I'd invite you up here but we don't have any chairs," he said of the packed committee.

That's when Sen. John Whitmire-the Senate's elder statesman who's reputation over the years earned him the nicknames "Senator Hot Tub" and "Boogie"-chimed in. "She can sit right here in this seat," he said referring to his own chair and rolling his eyes like a randy schoolboy.

It is true that Senator Ogden stopped testimony to recognize Senator Davis, who was sitting in the audience with everyone else.  However, I can confidently say that I did not hear what the Observer heard.  Senator Whitmire's comment was to the effect of "she can have one of our chairs up here..." a rather innocent comment if you ask me.  

I think it would have been far more appropriate to recognize the fact that Senator Davis not only was sitting in the audience, about three rows back, amongst everyone else, but that when Senator Ogden graciously invited her up front with her colleagues that she politely declined.  She was comfortable in the audience where she was taking studious notes over the testimony being given regarding the state of the Texas economy and the 2010-2011 budget.  I thought it was refreshing that a state senator was fine sitting in the audience with everyone else, doing what I observed throughout the day--soaking information in and immersing herself in the issues at hand.  I find that to be a better story than an offhand comment that appears to have been easily misconstrued.