The secession controversy refers to the fallout from Gov. Rick Perry's remarks that hinted Texas could secede from the Union. The remarks were made at a tax day rally in April 2009 in Austin.
Perry said he thought the U.S. was still a "great union," but also said, "if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that?" The recording was made public by the Houston Chronicle.
"The remarks prompted glaring red-Web site headlines and instant fodder for cable-TV pundits. But for Texas political insiders, Perry's waving of the flag of secession was just the latest volley in a Texas-size Republican civil war — a face-off between Perry and his potential rival for the 2010 Republican gubernatorial nomination, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison," wrote Time magazine's Hilary Hylton.
Democratic Texas House leader state Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, reacted by introducing a resolution disagreeing with "any fringe element advocating the 'secession' of Texas" and adding that Perry's remarks were anti-American.
Perry later said he did not actually endorse secession. A few days after the original remarks, he told KVUE-TV:
"This is interesting that this has really kind of bubbled up, to uh ... I refer people back to my statement, and I got a charge out of it. I was kinda thinking that, maybe the same people who hadn't been reading the Constitution right were reading that article and they got the wrong impression about what I said.
"Clearly, I stated that we have a great union. And Texas is part of a great union. I see no reason for that to change. I think that may not be the exact quote, but that is, in essence what I said."
Texas cannot actually secede from the union. The 1845 Joint Resolution for Annexing Texas omits the right to secede but affirms Texas' right to divide itself into five states if it chooses.
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