#TXLEGE: ANOTHER Cartoonish Debacle

"Whoever has no rule over his own spirit
Is like a city broken down, without walls."
Proverbs 25:28

Wow:

Republican Rep. D.F. “Rick” Miller of Sugar Land is facing primary opposition for the first time since 2012 as he seeks to keep his seat representing Fort Bend County in the Texas House.

He summed up one of his opponents like this: “He’s a Korean,” said Miller, describing Jacey Jetton, a former chairman of the Fort Bend GOP. “He has decided because, because he is an Asian that my district might need an Asian to win. And that’s kind of racist in my mind, but anyway, that’s not necessary, at least not yet.”

A second Republican primary candidate, Houston Fire Department analyst Leonard Chan, “jumped in probably for the same reason,” said Miller, 74, during an interview with Hearst Newspapers. “I don’t know, I never met the guy. I have no idea who he is. He has not been around Republican channels at all, but he’s an Asian.”

It gets better:

Gov. Greg Abbott rescinded his endorsement of state Rep. Rick Miller on Tuesday after the Sugar Land Republican said he was facing primary challengers because they are “Asian.”

“Representative Miller’s comments are inappropriate and out of touch with the values of the Republican Party. In light of Rep. Miller’s comments, the governor is withdrawing his endorsement,” Abbott spokesman John Wittman said in a statement to The Texas Tribune.

Abbott endorsed Miller for another term on Oct. 15, calling him a “strong, principled conservative who has represented the people of Fort Bend County with integrity.” The governor has backed all but a few House Republicans for reelection at this point.

By late Tuesday morning, a page featuring Abbott’s endorsement of Miller had disappeared from the governor’s campaign website.

Hoo boy.

There's a lot we could say, but we're not sure how much we should.

Suffice to say: Rick Miller's behavior has grown increasingly erratic since...well, you know.  Nothing really major.  But enough to strike one as odd.

The comment in the Houston Chronicle was the first time Miller's...odd...behavior occurred in public.

We can't prove anything, but we know what we suspect.

That being said, why Rick Miller said what he said is no longer relevant.  He said it.  What matters now is what happens next.

The good news is that all of this came in response to a primary challenge.  So there's already a mechanism in place to deal with the situation.  We don't do candidate endorsements anymore, but we would suggest the best way to make this story go away is to retire Rep. Miller at the earliest practical date.

Also, while we've been very critical of Governor Abbott in recent months, he does deserve credit for being proactive in this case.

Bottom Line: This was bad.  However, if it's dealt with promptly, the fallout should be contained.  We'll see what happens.