Elizabeth Ames Jones's Failure to Stand Up for Texas

Elizabeth Ames Jones likes to brag about her success as Railroad Commissioner, but her record as an outspoken advocate fighting for Texas against the federal overreach of the Obama administration is overstated to say the least, a whisper few Texans have even noticed.

When the EPA threatened Texas jobs by suggesting strict carbon regulations, when the Obama administration issued a drilling moratorium in the Gulf, and even as the Keystone XL Pipeline (which some claim could boost the Texas economy by $2 billion) has been repeatedly rejected by President Obama, Commissioner Jones has either been the quietest spokesperson ever or just not that effective at championing state's rights.

While Governor Perry, Attorney General Greg Abbott, Senator John Cornyn, and Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams have repeatedly made appearances at tea party rallies and openly criticized the Obama administration’s unconstitutional overreach, galvanizing conservatives and strengthening the cause for a stronger Texas, EAJ has mostly been MIA.

In fact, a google search of Elizabeth Ames Jones and “drilling moratorium” only produces 755 results.  That’s a pretty poor showing for one of the highest oil and gas officials in the state on a key issue affecting thousands of Texas jobs. By comparison, searching Greg Abbott and “drilling moratorium” produces 11,000 results and searching John Cornyn produces twice that amount or around 28,000.

Google “Railroad Commissioner” with “EPA” and you will be just as hard-pressed to find many stories about EAJ standing firm against Big Government. The majority of results instead mention Railroad Commissioners Barry Smitherman and Michael Williams, both more effective and vocal proponents than former commissioner Jones, despite her 7 year tenure.

Perhaps Jones has been too busy running for office recently to pay attention to the duties she was actually elected by taxpayers to do. She spent the better part of 2011 running for U.S. Senate, which was one of the few campaigns last year to rival the Chevy Volt for most underwhelming launch. Failing to gain traction in a crowded field and seeking to save her political career, EAJ shifted races at the last minute to Texas Senate, all the while collecting a government paycheck while she ran.

On February 13, 2012, Elizabeth Ames Jones reluctantly resigned from the Texas Railroad Commission to run full time for office without pay after her opponent, incumbent Sen. Jeff Wentworth, pointed out that she was in violation of the Texas Constitution for claiming two permanent residences. She has refused Senator Wentworth’s request to return $30,000 in “unqualified salary”, which he asserts she still owes Texas taxpayers.

One wonders why former commissioner Jones wouldn't stay put in a job that demands strong advocacy against Washington power grabs if that's really her priority in running. As a state senator, she will have fewer opportunities to do the poor job she's done vocalizing support for the tenth amendment.

Whatever you think of Elizabeth Ames Jones, her claim to be a strong vocal advocate for state’s rights who has tirelessly stood up against the Obama regime just doesn’t pass the test. It is, I’m afraid, mostly a myth of her campaign’s own creation.

In the interest of disclosure, I volunteered for Dr. Donna Campbell's campaign when she was narrowly defeated by Rep. Lloyd Doggett for U.S. Congress in 2010, and I am happy to support her again for Texas Senator. I encourage you to take a look at the candidate’s records in this race and the special interests groups backing them before making up your own mind.