McLeroy Confirmation Has Been Blocked!

According to Kate Alexander of the Austin American-Statesman, the confirmation of Donald McLeroy as the chairman of the Texas State Board of Education has been blocked in the state senate. She writes:

The confirmation of State Board of Education Chairman Don McLeroy is dead in the water, Sen. Mike Jackson, R-La Porte, said Thursday.

Jackson, chairman of the Senate Nominations Committee, said McLeroy will be left pending in committee because there is enough opposition on the floor of the Senate to block his confirmation, which requires approval of two-thirds of the senators.

There are too many other important issues to take up on the floor to waste time on a doomed confirmation, Jackson said.

After a contentious confirmation hearing last week, Jackson said he would take the temperature of his colleagues before determining whether to give McLeroy a committee vote.

This is promising news for science in Texas. It is unfortunate that it came to this, but Dr. McLeroy, who is a practicing dentist, has demonstrated on numerous occasions that he is not qualified for the position he fills. See here, here and here for evidence of this. My letter may not be necessary, after all.