I’m often intrigued by squabbles within a political party, particularly among those in the dominant party.

Take the Republicans who rule everything in Texas.

With so few Democrats in power to kick around, Republicans are turning on each other. Look at state Sens. Tommy Williams and Dan Patrick, both of whom hail from the Houston area.

http://www.texastribune.org/2013/06/21/feud-between-patrick-and-williams-escalates/

Williams chairs the Senate Finance Committee and Patrick runs the Education Committee. They’re powerful in their respective rights. Patrick voted against the state budget, which angered Williams. Patrick supposedly voted against the budget because it lacked money for public education programs. Williams wrote in a column that Patrick’s no vote is intended to position himself in a possible run against Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.

Patrick said Williams’s attacks have been “personal in nature” and he takes great offense at them.

Poor guys.

This kind of in-fighting mirrors in a way the fight that’s under way at the national level in the U.S. House of Representatives. Tea party Republicans dislike the “establishment” wing of their party, and the feeling appears to be quite mutual. Since the Republicans control the House, many of them are turning on their speaker, John Boehner of Ohio, who has lost control of his caucus.

I’m trying to imagine such a thing happening under the leadership of legendary Democratic U.S. House Speaker Sam Rayburn of Texas. I kind of think Mr. Sam would take any rogue Democrat to the proverbial woodshed for an old-fashioned political whuppin’.

The Texas Senate is run by Republicans, along with the Texas House and every statewide office in Texas. Meanwhile, Texas Democrats who’ve had good reason to be demoralized at their loss of power, now have something to smile about as they watch two powerful Texas Senate committee chairs beat each other senseless.

Keep fighting, boys.