Tea party activists statewide have every right to be proud of their grassroots efforts during the past election cycle, changing the dynamics of many a campaign with their call for limited government and reduced spending. The local group’s message quite obviously resonated, if the upset victory over state Rep. Jim Dunnam by Republican challenger Marva Beck, of Centerville, is any indication.

But we do wonder if it’s wise to put Beck and state Rep. Charles “Doc” Anderson, R-Waco, on the spot so soon in a move that would virtually force them to break their word.

Torn over speaker

No doubt flush with the thrill of victory, tea party activists across the state are putting pressure on experienced and new House members alike to support a more conservative choice for speaker — likely hard-driving social conservative Warren Chisum — rather than current Texas House Speaker Joe Straus, a Republican known for more moderate conservative stances and a rare success at true bipartisanship.

Problem: Beck already has made a commitment to Straus, which we believe might allow her to more easily pursue items on her agenda, considering that Straus apparently has the votes to win, including that of Anderson, another favorite of tea party folks. Anderson quite rightly praises Straus for his common sense and his fiscal conservatism.

And isn’t that what we’re really facing here? A budget shortfall of up to $24 billion, a vow of no tax hikes and a bureaurcratic creep that has quietly swelled state government as well as the federal government? And as Gov. Rick Perry noted during an interview on CNN on Sunday, the Texas Constitution doesn’t allow state lawmakers the privilege of leaving without balancing the budget.

We agree with Anderson: The last thing Republicans need is more infighting. Nor does Marva Beck, of whom we should expect much and demand much, need to be handicapped by pressing her to break her word to Straus before she’s even had a chance to take the oath of office.

There are surely more important matters to discuss. For instance, are there state agencies that would do better if privatized? Should pensions and perks for state employees be slashed or reformed, as other states contemplate? Can we maneuver around parts of health care law by expanding Medicaid?

These are the issues that all of us — the tea party crowd included — need to focus on here in Texas, not trying to topple a proven leader in the Texas House because he has a record of working well with both sides of the aisle. (Where we come from, that’s a strength.) It took both political parties to get us to this point — and it may take both to solve the big hurdles just up the road.