Turns out the only thing keeping Dade Phelan from speaking his mind was … his job. Who knew?
The former Texas House Speaker announced last month that he wouldn’t seek reelection. And since then, he’s gone from buttoned-up politician to that one relative at Thanksgiving who’s too old to care what anyone thinks. And honestly? It’s a lot more fun this way.
Take his musings on “free speech,” a favorite phrase of the right until Charlie Kirk’s death (now every Texas politician is hard at work grandstanding in the wake of the tragedy).
Since Kirk’s death, Republicans have been calling for people to be fired and prosecuted for anything perceived as celebratory or disparaging of the right-wing activist’s death.
After U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said authorities will “target” and “go after” people for alleged “hate speech,” Phelan warned that the party is on a slippery slope.
“’Hate speech’ is still free speech,” he wrote. “The cure for ugly words is stronger ideas, not censorship.”
He also retweeted a number of other posts defending free speech.
Translation: You can’t call yourself the “party of free speech” and then try to muzzle people because they said something gross.
And when Fox News morning slug Brian Kilmeade casually suggested the state kill homeless people with lethal injection, our boy Dade — now liberated from the shackles of office — suggested they “lethally inject Kilmeade’s contract” instead.
That’s the sound of a man resisting the urge to type, “are you kidding me?” Because again: the same crowd lecturing about “free speech” is fine with murder proposals getting airtime.
He also weighed in on the whole THC controversy, saying that a ban championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick “isn’t about safety – it’s about government overreach.”
Nothing but net from the Dadester! (Also, damn, where was this Dade Phelan when he had actual power?)
Of course, we know why he’s suddenly this unfiltered. Someone wrote, “Not running for reelection sure does free a guy to speak his mind.” And Phelan nodded vigorously.
But don’t get it twisted: Phelan hasn’t turned into a bleeding heart vegan watercolor artist.
About nine months ago, he was still speaker of the Texas House, where he helped to ban abortion, DEI initiatives at state universities, and medical care for transgender kids. But he bowed out of the race in December, after criticism from fellow Republicans for being insufficiently right-wing (Texas politics is wild these days).
Still, since he announced his full retirement, he’s gone from “measured politician” to “burn book with a verified checkmark.”
So here we are: Dade Phelan, unlikely truth-teller. Once tasked with herding cats in the Texas House, now standing outside the barn saying, “Man, these cats are insane.” And the best part? He doesn’t have to care anymore.
After years of half-smiles and pre-packaged quotes, it’s refreshing to watch a politician hit the “retirement snark” phase. You almost wish more of them would quit just so we could get the uncut version.
Because if this is what Phelan’s like off the leash, maybe the Texas GOP’s biggest mistake wasn’t ousting him. It was setting him free.