The Saga Continues

"The wise shall inherit glory,
But shame shall be the legacy of fools."
Proverbs 3:35

UPDATE:

Breaking: A federal judge has ruled in favor of @TexasGOP-Steven Hotze, ordering Houston to allow the RPT convention to proceed in person at GRB.

Hearing that it will likely be appealed for an emergency review by the city to the 5th Circuit Court.

— Brad Johnson (@bradj_TX) July 17, 2020

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ORIGINAL POST:

This speaks for itself:

The Texas Republican Party has postponed its state convention by a day to give itself more time to figure out technical issues that plagued the virtual gathering Thursday.

After a nearly four-hour meeting that ended after midnight on Friday, the State Republican Executive Committee voted 51-5 to resume convention business Saturday instead of later Friday. The delay was encouraged by party Chairman James Dickey, who expressed uncertainty throughout the night that the party could start the convention again Friday without encountering further problems related to its online credentialing process.

....

Now, with the SREC vote, convention business will not begin again until Saturday morning, likely about 8 a.m., Dickey said. That also means the convention will last a day later than originally scheduled, going into Sunday.

For weeks, the party had pushed to hold an in-person convention in Houston, one that was expected to draw thousands of people, even as coronavirus cases spiked across the state. After exhausting legal options earlier this week, party officials moved forward with the virtual meeting, which they said they had long been preparing for as a backup plan.

The saga has been especially high-stakes for Dickey, who faces a serious challenge to his chairmanship from Allen West, the former Florida congressman.

Honestly...what is there to say at this point...except...well:

via GIPHY

Bottom Line: If we cared, this would be depressing. But we don't. So it's funny.

Florida Man uses Psuedo Tough Guy act to deflect from Valid Question

"A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn."
Proverbs 12:2

We don't care about the RPT chair.  We really don't.  We're not a delegate this cycle and we find the whole concept of holding a leadership election for Captain of the Titanic after the iceberg has been struck to be bizarre.

Nevertheless, for those who do care about such things, the past week saw a highly revealing development.

It began when Big Jolly politics asked some questions about Allen West's extracurricular activities.

One of the biggest issues in the race is the ability and willingness of the candidates to serve as a full-time State Chairman. Seven months After the 2018 State Convention, (nearly a year and a half after Dickey first took office) the State Republican Executive Committee (SREC) approved a $150,000 annual salary for this State Chairman, with the expectation that the Chairman serve in a full-time capacity.

This strategy of expecting and paying for a full-time commitment from the State Chairman has paid tremendous dividends for the Party. Under Chairman Dickey’s full-time leadership, the Republican Party of Texas has posted record fundraising numbers, which is allowing the party to hire an unprecedented number of field staff across the state for the upcoming general election. Chairman Dickey has committed to continuing to serve as a full-time Chairman if he is re-elected to the post.

Dickey’s opponent, former one-term Florida Congressman Allen West, is well-known to many due to his frequent celebrity television appearances over the years. Since moving to Texas in 2014 to assume the leadership of the now-defunct National Center for Policy Analysis (which West led into bankruptcy), West showed little interest in Texas grassroots politics until announcing his candidacy for State Chairman last year.

West currently has a number of political and professional commitments that will make it impossible for him to make anything even close to the full-time commitment needed from the Republican Party of Texas State Chairman.

The Big Jolly piece goes on to detail various five and six figure commitments Allen West has made to any number of scammer PAC's "conservative organisations."

West replied on YouTube:


You should watch the three minute video for yourself, but the TL,DR version is that West resorts to blustery browbeating instead of candor.

West attempts to make this about the fact that he's "working for a living," or some such nonsense. This despite the fact that, as the excerpt above makes completely obvious, Big Jolly was asking if West would work full time for RPT. Political professionals call this "changing the subject."

This isn't about Allen West making money. This is about the fact that how Allen West is currently making money suggests Allen West won't be able to perform the duties if RPT chair. Last time we checked, the number of hours in a day remains capped at 24.

But there's another aspect about Allen West playing with matches in a field full of straw men that's far more disturbing.

During his diatribe, Allen West refers to being "a colonel in the United States Army" five or six times. You could turn it into a drinking game. The problem is, we've seen this playbook before. 

This is the Bill McRaven playbook: Use your military service (which isn't relevant to the position in question) to deflect any and all criticism of your current performance. Bill McRaven did this repeatedly during his time at UT (to the point that it became a running joke). The only difference between Bill McRaven and Allen West is that the former made it all the way to Admiral.

Unfortunately, it doesn't take a genius to see how this plays out in an RPT context.

Whenever the inevitable SREC questions arise about party finances, Allen West will attempt to gaslight the person asking the question: "CoLoNeL In ThE UnItEd StAtEs ArMy."

We prefer the Marines.

Bottom Line: This was a really easy question to answer, and the fact that Allen West chose to not answer it tells you what you need to know.

Direct Results of Dickey's Candidate Recruitment Effort

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

We wrote about Jessica Voyce Lewis, the GOP candidate running against the judge that imprisoned Shelley Luther, on Wednesday.  As we explained in the original post, we looked into that race on a hunch.  It just so happened to be the case that that hunch panned out.

Things got more interesting, however, when we saw this Facebook post from James Dickey:



We spoke with a knowledgeable source today.  Except for the fact that this effort began in January 2019, there isn't much to add.  Dickey's post pretty much speaks for itself.ad

Back in January, we observed that RPT's candidate recruitment efforts this cycle were actually pretty good.  That doesn't excuse the chronic underperformance of 98%(+) of the GOP's elected officials.  But, in terms of things RPT can actually control, that level of candidate recruitment is pretty spectacular.

This random judicial race, which wasn't on anybody's radar screen last year (or even last week) is a tangible example of that effort bearing fruit.

Bottom Line: Sometimes incumbents really do step in it.  When that happens, it helps to have an opponent on the ballot.  Kudos to those who had the foresight in this instance.

Florida Man's Long, Strange, (Wildly Expensive) Trip

"A good man obtains favor from the Lord,
But a man of wicked intentions He will condemn."
Proverbs 12:2

This is just strange:

For months, the race for Texas GOP chair has been in full swing, with incumbent James Dickey and his high-profile challenger, Allen West, appearing at a slew of at times feisty forums.

But it was not until last week that the two had to disclose their campaign finances for the first time — and West's report brought something of a bombshell: Not only did the former Florida congressman raise nearly half a million dollars — a large amount for such an election — but $250,000 of it came from a single person. That person: Richard Uihlein, the conservative megadonor and shipping supplies magnate from Illinois.

In recent election cycles, the reclusive Uihlein and his wife Liz have become known for bankrolling insurgent conservative candidates across the country, sometimes serving as their primary patrons. Richard Uihlein gave $37.7 million to outside spending groups during the 2018 cycle, making him the fourth biggest donor to such entities and putting him in the ranks of people like Sheldon Adelson and Michael Bloomberg, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.

For now, it is not entirely clear why Uihlein has taken such an interest in the race to lead the Texas GOP — a job that entails keeping it well-funded and organized ahead of a crucial November election for state Republicans.

Huh?!?

For several months, West's RPT campaign has been one of the odder phenomenons to observe.  While we understand West isn't a serious candidate, and that he wants to be RPT chair to boost his speaking fees, it still doesn't explain any of this.  Because West still needs to win the RPT race for this business strategy to pay off.

It's hard to see how this does anything other than antagonize convention delegates.

Richard Uihlein, on the other hand, is obviously a chump.

Bottom Line: You do you Florida Man.

The Two Questions Texas Republicans OUGHT to Ask Themselves

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself."
Philippians 2:3

[Note I: We outlined a more comprehensive forward looking policy agenda back in January.]

[Note II: In terms of redistricting, it's not quite as clear what will happen in the DFW area.  Thus, the situation there is a little more complicated.  But the basic principle about urban areas still applies.]

To be honest, now is a wildly premature time to discuss the RPT chair race.  There will be plenty of opportunity for backbiting, gossip, and place intrigue once precinct conventions start.  Nevertheless, if the discussion is going to be forced upon us, we might as well use the time productively.

Thus, we suggest the following two questions.

1. How do you compete in urban areas?!?
   Like it or not, Texas is urbanizing.
   
   Travis, Bexar, and Harris counties are all going to gain seats in the next redistricting.  While a favorable map can delay the day of reckoning, by the middle of next decade there will be no path to 76 seats that doesn't include better performances in the three counties mentioned above.  Those better performances, by definition, will have to include territory inside those respective cities' limits.
   
   The good news is that Democrat-controlled local governments give plenty of material with which to work.  The bad news is that, blessed with such a bounty, Republicans either a) Completely ignore the opportunity or b) Engage it so buffoonishly that it's counterproductive.  That being said, a serious, non-buffoonish, approach to urban governance could produce results faster than most people suspect.
   
   As we explained to the Texas Senate in 2017, in the context of legislation protecting the property rights of those who want to use their investment properties as short-term rentals:
   
   
   
   If the GOP wants more days like March 14, 2017 in the Texas Senate, they're there for the taking.
   
   There are those who will take the need to compete in urban areas as an excuse to go soft on so-called "social issues."  Nonsense.  If anything, smart discussions of life and religious liberty will help with older members of the African-American and Hispanic communities.
   
   That being said, so-called "social issues" are largely irrelevant.  What's needed is an intelligent conversation about gentrification.  By the way, it just so happens that gentrification is 100% caused by government.
   
   Unfortunately, this is the point where the second question becomes unavoidable.
   
2. How do you break the logjam in the legislature?!?
   
   We just wrote a cute little essay about how a future-oriented GOP could conceivably become more competitive in urban areas...but the dirty little secret is that those bills ain't goin' nowhere in this legislature.
   
   That cute little schpiel we gave about residents of Austin thanking the Texas Senate?!?
   
   That bill died.
   
   That's the case on many, many, issues.
   
   While it's great to discuss growth and future opportunities, none of it means anything if the legislature refuses to pass the relevant legislation.
   
   Organizations that don't have credibility can't grow.  They might survive, for awhile, by being modestly less crappy.  But the reckoning will come.  Eventually.
   
   The only real question is whether the economic reckoning or the political reckoning comes first.

Obviously, this author has our own opinions about answers (*).    This isn't about us, or our "6-point miracle plan to save Texas."  If we had one of those, we would have offered it a long time ago.

But it is to say that those are the two questions we believe should guide the discussion.

2024 and 2026 are eventually going to show up.  When they do, this author doesn't see a path to 76 Texas house seats without better performances in Travis, Bexar, and Harris counties.  Within city limits.

Bottom Line: These are our thoughts, take 'em or leave 'em....

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* -- Housing costs on the urban issue, abolishing taxpayer funded lobbying/union dues collection on "how to fix the lege."

Dana Loesch's Counterproductive Misdiagnosis

"For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods."
Exodus 7:12

Dana Loesch is a friend of this website.  We've known each other for many years.  We've been on her show.

Thus, we appreciate her discussing Texas-specific challenges last night on Twitter.

Unfortunately, however, her diagnosis misses the mark.

Specifically, she says:

Hearing from numerous folks in different counties that they’re being out-organized by out-state funded progressive groups while the Texas GOP snoozes at the wheel. Many city council and other races. The feeling is that the state party isn’t taking it seriously.

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 21, 2019

She's not wrong that this is a problem. But it's not one that's caused by the state party.  The state party are the ones trying to remedy the situation.

The problem, unfortunately, is that Republicans don't vote in local elections. Nothing more. Nothing less. There's only so much a political party can do when citizens are apathetic.

Furthermore, to make that accusation against a state party chairman who helped elect three Republicans to the Austin City Council is historically ignorant.

This is exactly how Cruz came so close to Beto last election. The ground organization effort is a disaster and I’ve spoken to a handful of veteran grassroots organizers who say they feel left out on their own to battle well-funded astroturfed efforts. No data sharing, nothing.

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 21, 2019

Kinda sorta.

It's certainly true that O'Rourke's campaign did a good job turning out their soft supporters.  Their ground game certainly helped in that effort.  But, absent Cruz's catastrophic failures, none of that's relevant.

By all means, criticize the candidates from last fall (starting with Cruz), but it's hard to blame the state party when incumbent United States Senators are making bizarre comments about hair dye.

The party will ignore this at their own political peril and it won’t become evident until they have their backsides handed to them in 2020 and GOP lose any competitive change to regain the WH again. @TexasGOP needs to wake up and wake up fast. I’ll discuss on #DanaRadio tomorrow.

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 21, 2019

More accurate statement: In 2020, the Texas GOP needs an affirmative record of accomplishments on which to run.  If that happens, they're fine.  They'll probably even pick up a few of the state rep seats they lost last fall.

Unfortunately, given where we are in the session, the odds of that happening are cloudy at best....

They did this in Colorado and in Nevada. Those who think it can’t and won’t happen (without strong counter organizing) in Texas are clueless and haven’t seen what’s been happening on the ground level — and in the most conservative districts.

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 21, 2019

You can't organize if you don't have a record on which to run.

Wendy Davis and Beto were nothing more than GOTV vehicles to further seed certain Texas districts blue. They weren’t run to win, they were used as cash cows and for data building.

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) March 21, 2019

Perhaps, to a degree. Democrats certainly have more data than they did five years ago. But none of that matters if Republicans are giving their own voters a reason to show up.

Again, Dana's correct to recognize a problem.   We're glad she did.  But the problem is the elected officials, not the state party.

A few other points:

• Anyone who wants to understand why the left has newfound momentum in Texas needs to look at Trump.  Anyone who pretends otherwise is either foolish or in denial.  If reading that last sentence made you angry, then you're part of the problem.

• We wouldn't be in this mess if national conservative media hadn't spent the past decade giving Greg Abbott softball interviews.

• A word or two about election integrity (esp. in Dallas, Hays, and Travis counties) would have been helpful.

• There's still time to get these trends moving in the right direction during the current legislative session, if anyone wants to help.

Bottom Line: We appreciate the attention, we just wish it were focused on the real problem....

The nastiest, most negative, campaign since Dewhurst

"A false witness will not go unpunished,
And he who speaks lies shall perish."
Proverbs 19:9

Before we leave the RPT convention, one final point deserves discussion: The noxious vindictiveness of Cindy Crocker Asche's campaign.

Asche's campaign was never about anything more than power for the sake of power.  There's an entrenched group that's been running this state for a long, long, time.  They're losing power.  They don't want to give it up.

Cindy Crocker Asche was their chosen vehicle.

Of course, you can't run a campaign on your desire to contain power within a small clique.  So they went with specious character attacks.  Securities fraud!  Accounting irregularities!  James Dickey fired incompetent people on staff!  It was a farce, and everyone knew it was a farce (some people played along with the farce for the sake of power).  Friday afternoon's stunt was merely the icing on the cake.

But, of course, we've seen this before.

In 2012 and 2014, everybody knew that David Dewhurst was interested in nothing more than power for the sake of power.  So Dewhurst was losing.  So Dewhurst attacked.  Ted Cruz is a Red Chinese Tire Manufacturer!  Dan Patrick spent time in a mental institution!  You know the results.  That Dewhurst got ripped off by his campaign consultants was the icing on the cake.

Bottom Line: Good riddance to both....

Dickey Raises Interesting Point about Detailed Platform

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

[Note on Format: We didn't take notes at last night's event, so we're writing this post from memory; the statements to which we will be referring in this post should be interpreted as paraphrases, not direct quotes.]

We attended last night's Hill Country YR convention training:



The program was what one would expect.  It mostly covered logistics.  Essential information for rookies.  Good review for veterans.

But during his remarks, Chairman Dickey made an interesting point about the platform.  Dickey stated that one of his biggest surprises upon becoming chairman was that he actually liked having a detailed platform.  The reason why was that it meant he didn't have to guess at the will of the body when unexpected issues came up.

Dickey specifically cited a conversation he had with a reporter about NAFTA.  Dickey was able to look up the party's position on NAFTA and easily answer the reporter's question.  Had the NAFTA plank in the platform not existed, Dickey would have had to guess.

Dickey also pointed out the absurdity of complaining about having a couple hundred planks in the platform when there are over 6000 bills filed during a legislative session.

Bottom Line: We hadn't thought about that....

Because of Dickey, RPT now training local activists to fight bonds....

"The rich ruleth the poor, and the borrower is servant to the man that lendeth."
Proverbs 22:7

This is phenomenal:

Grassroots Guide Saying NO to Debt From Bonds by Cahnman on Scribd

Fun fact: We told Dickey we thought this would be a fantastic idea several years ago (back before he was even county party chair); we have no idea if that conversation played any role in this, but we're glad to see it.

Bottom Line: Texas has the second highest local government debt in the country, and it's good to see the allegedly fiscally conservative training people to do something about it.

#TXLEGE: Dickey letters set #SpecialSession expectations....

"Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct."
Hebrews 13:7

Yesterday, RPT chairman James Dickey sent the following letter to Lt. Governor Patrick:



Meanwhile, he sent the following letter to Joe Straus:



This is a savvy move for Dickey; while there are certain obvious political conclusions that can be drawn, it's more notable for the fact that it happened at all.  One would think this would constitute the basic blocking and tackling of running a political party. Unfortunately, that's not been the case before, but we suppose better late than never.

We also find it notable that the Texas Tribune has yet to report on this topic.  For an organization who usually prides itself on being the first to report breaking information, it seems...odd...that they would overlook this one.  Readers can ask them why on Twitter.

Bottom Line: It'll be interesting to see how this unfolds, but Dickey's action strikes this website as constructive preparation for the special session.

Travis County GOP announces AMAZING fundraiser guest!!!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;"
Proverbs 3:5

And James Dickey hits the ground running:

Travis County GOP Fall 2016 Fundraiser

“13 Hours” movie screening and Q&A

-PLUS-

An Evening with Benghazi Hero
& "13 Hours" Co-author Kris “Tanto” Paronto

Sunday, October 16, 2016

*** THESE EVENTS WILL SELL OUT -- GET YOUR TICKETS ASAP! ***

TWO EVENTS:

1) Private “13 Hours” screening (Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane)
-VIP reception w/ photo & signed book (1:30-2pm) $500/per person
-Screening & Q&A ticket, w/ reserved seat (2-5pm) $75/per person

2) An Evening with Kris “Tanto” Paronto (Red’s Porch, 3508 S. Lamar Blvd)
-VIP reception w/ photo, signed book, & food/drink (5:30-6pm) $500/per person
-General attendance w/ cash bar and full menu available (6-7pm) $35/per person

SPECIAL DEAL: All-day VIP pass for a couple to all events, photo, and signed book, $1,500 per couple



About Kris “Tanto” Paronto:

Kris Paronto - “Tanto” as he is affectionately known - is a former Army Ranger from 2nd Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment and private security contractor who has deployed throughout South America, Central America, the Middle East and North Africa.

He also worked with the US Government’s Global Response Staff conducting low profile security in high threat environments throughout the world.

Mr. Paronto was part of the CIA annex security team that responded to the terrorist attack on the US Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, September 11th, 2012, helping to save over 20 lives while fighting off terrorists from the CIA Annex for over 13 hours. Mr. Paronto’s story is told in the book “13 Hours” written by Mitchell Zuckoff and his five surviving annex security team members.

Mr. Paronto was born in Alamosa, Colorado and obtained his Associate Degree from Dixie College (now Dixie State University) in St. George, Utah, Bachelor’s Degree from Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado and Masters Degree from The University of Nebraska at Omaha.

He served 4 years in the US Army and an additional 4 years in the US Army National Guard reaching the rank of Sergeant then becoming a commissioned officer in 2003. He started contracting for Blackwater Security Consulting in 2003 and continued to deploy on various security contracts, to include the Global Response Staff until 2013.

Mr. Paronto has been involved in security operations in hostile environments for over 10 years. His team’s involvement with the September 11th, 2012 attack on the US special mission in Benghazi, Libya was paramount in the saving of US lives and assets. He is a proven leader, teammate and friend to those who have deployed with him, and a devout father to three children.

This will be at the Alamo Draft House on Slaughter Lane two Sundays from now; learn more about the event here.

For the Record: James Dickey for TCRP....(and #NEVERTRUMP)

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

We haven't commented upon the TCRP vacancy.  Largely, that's because we don't support the deranged cretin the Republican party nominated for president.  It's also because we're not a member of the executive committee and thus don't have a vote.

That being said, a number of people have inquired as to our thoughts, and it's probably time to say publicly what we've been saying privately for two weeks: to the extent that we care, we fully support James Dickey.

In February, when we endorsed James in the primary, we wrote: "Since James Dickey became county chairman two years ago, the Travis County Republican party helped put the first two conservatives EVER on the Austin City Council. The Travis County Republican party has a DA candidate on the ballot for the first time since we've lived here....Why mess with a good thing?!?"  To the extent that we care about the Republican party, those sentiments still apply.

Events of the ensuing months have revealed James' character and leadership skills.  While we view the Robert Morrow interregnum as delightfully good fun and the two party system's just desserts, it nevertheless produced unique and unprecedented challenges for the organization.  James' grace, humility, and wisdom during this period were obvious to anyone paying even casual attention.  If anything, the fact that Robert Morrow and Matt Mackowiak have both endorsed James tells you everything you need to know.

Here's the thing: Deranged cretin notwithstanding, there are several strong Republican candidates running in Travis county this cycle.  Maura Phelan is the only choice to introduce integrity (and basic competence) in the District Attorney's office.  Joe Martinez, running for sheriff, is a champion for the rule of law.  Gabriel Nila is doing the Lord's work in HD-46.  Deke Pierce is a credible constable candidate.  In western Travis County, while we didn't support him in the primary, a mediocre incumbent like Gerald Daugherty (Commissioner's court, precinct 3) still sucks less than whatever hack the D's are running against him.  And James helped recruit every single one of them (except Gerald).

Looking to 2018, James is the only person in this race we trust to recruit a credible candidate for Travis County Judge.

Bottom Line:  At this point, it's impossible to forecast the deranged cretin's impact.  That being said, there's a lot one can accomplish at the local level regardless of the details of how this ongoing national bi-partisan dumpster fire unfolds.  On that note, if anyone can salvage something from the Republican party, it's James Dickey.

TCRP makes Lemonade....

"In the day of prosperity be joyful,
But in the day of adversity consider:
Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other,
So that man can find out nothing that will come after him."
Ecclesiastes 7:14

For obvious reasons, we've refrained from discussing the Robert Morrow/TCRP situation; that being said, we attended Morrow's swearing in ceremony and the subsequent business meeting and we think they've handled the whole situation about as well as they could have.

The most important takeaway is that the executive committee approved changes to the party bylaws that remove all powers from the chairman that can be removed under state law.  The executive committee created a new "executive vice chairman" position to oversee the party's day-to-day operations.  They also elected a steering committee to assist the executive vice chairman.

As for Robert Morrow: Morrow was Morrow.  During his 27 minute inaugural address, he outlined the crimes of which he accuses the past half century of senior American political leadership.  He specifically discussed Lyndon Johnson's role in the Kennedy assassination and George Bush 41's pedophilia.

That being said, following his inaugural address, Morrow called the meeting to order and presided over the bylaw changes without incident.

Truthfully, this incident reveals a shortcoming in state law.  Regardless of how we got here, it's absurd that there is no path for a county party's executive committee to remove a chairman for cause.  The legislature really should act next session.

We spoke last night with steering committee member T.J. Scott who asked "for every precinct chair to pray over how they could best serve their party"; T.J. called the current situation an "all hands on deck" moment.

Bottom Line: This too shall pass....

Texas' COMPROMISED Elections

"You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another."
Leviticus 19:11

From Senator Hall:

Texas election laws are not being followed in many counties. Without this consistency, and with the "it's the way we do it" attitude, this has greatly opened the door to fraud. The true intent of the Legislature was to ensure voter integrity at the highest expectation is achieved. Unwarranted waivers allowing election officials to ignore law that was intended to protect the integrity of elections and a blatant disregard for the intent of the legislature is creating unprecedented opportunity for voting fraud in Texas.

Because current Texas election practices and procedures are inconsistent, it is not possible to truthfully validate any election result or conduct a legally sufficient ballot recount in the Texas counties where “electronic” voting, without a paper trail, is being allowed. The procedures for assuring vote integrity, which are clearly stated in the Texas Constitution and Texas Election Code are not being followed.

Texas election laws mandate a system of checks and balances that include paper and electronic tabulation of election results when the polls open and close to prevent fraud and corruption of votes cast electronically. Specifically, Chapters 65 and 66 of the Texas Election Code provide that when polls close, precinct election returns (Results/Tally tapes) are to be printed, signed, and distributed into official election envelopes at the polling location, prior to the equipment leaving the building.

....

Currently, there are at least four different procedures being followed throughout Texas with regard to retention of paper backup election records for electronic voting. Many counties conduct precinct level voting.

Some of these counties print the tapes and some do not. Likewise, there are counties using countywide voting locations. Some of them print tapes and some do not. Without the printed tapes there is no way to validate the computerized election results. These inconsistencies in election record retention are breeding ground for election fraud and is an unacceptable practice for anyone who believes in the rule of law. Unfortunately many of these inconsistencies are driven by waiver letters, which direct counties to ignore the above election laws. These waivers are being provided by the Texas Secretary of State’s Election Division Office.

....

Regardless if Texas counties use precinct voting locations or countywide voting locations, all Texas counties should consistently instruct their election judges to a) print and sign Zero Tapes when the polls open for early voting and on election day, and b) print and sign precinct returns (audit tapes/Tally/Results tapes) directly when the polls close at the polling location, when the polls close for early voting and on election day.

In addition, the Secretary of State’s office should cease issuing waivers that instruct county election officials to operate elections unlawfully and in an inconsistent manner across the state. Vote integrity is one of the most sacred responsibilities of our government. Without integrity, we have no legitimate government.

Read the whole thing here.

Attempting to further unpack screwy election results....

"Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!"
Psalms 46:10

[Author's Note: This report incorrectly lists the date of the runoff as May 7th.  May 7th is the date LOCAL elections are held. The correct date for the primary runoff  is May 24th.]

KVUE had a excellent report Wednesday night detailing some of the strange results from this latest primary:



Highlights:

• TCRP denounces Morrow.

• Brent Webster came in second to Richard Walker, who was listed on the ballot as "Scott Walker."

• "Statistics favor the first name on a list of two unknowns."
• Can be worth as much as four points.

Our FINAL Round of 2016 Primary Endorsements

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man rules, the people groan."
Proverbs 29:2

[Author's Note: You can see our first round of endorsements here and our second round here.]

With election day 11 days away, we make the following endorsements:

STATEWIDE (Judicial)

Ray Wheless, Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2:

We've previously discussed this race. In Texas, there is a separate judicial track for civil and criminal cases.  The Court of Criminal Appeals is the highest criminal court in Texas and is the equivalent of the Texas Supreme Court.

We first became interested in this race when we realized that the corrupt judge whose unethical activities led to his recusal in the Ken Paxton case was one of the three candidates.  That candidate is a disgrace to the legal profession against whom we've filed a complaint with the state commission on judicial conduct.  We've heard conflicting reports about the second candidate, but at best nothing excites us.

Ray Wheless spoke at the Central Texas Republican Assembly's November meeting.  We were impressed by his knowledge and legal acumen.  Judge Wheless is from Collin County, where he has held a variety of judicial positions.

UNITED STATES HOUSE

Anyone but Pete, CD-32:

We've documented our differences with Pete Sessions over the years.  As a member of House leadership, Pete Sessions has been a key player in every Republican betrayal we've seen out of D.C. in the Obama era.  As recently as December, Pete Sessions voted for a grotesque spending bill.

In addition to his awful actions on policy related matters, Pete Sessions is also a RAGING jerk; in many ways, Pete Session is the Byron Cook of the United States House of Representatives.

We've heard good things about all of the challengers.  We haven't had an opportunity to differentiate them in an detail, but against Pete Session it doesn't matter.  #NoRePete.

TEXAS HOUSE

Jess Fields, HD-14:

We've known Jess Fields for several years due to his work with the Texas Public Policy Foundation.  We've been impressed with his sharp wit and incisive sense of humor.  We expect Jess Fields to give Jonathan Stickland a run for his money on the back mic.

Jess Fields is a prominent supporter of the liberty cities movement.  Liberty cities are a creative solution that undermines big city governments.  We like creative solutions that undermine big government.

Unfortunately, he's a dirty stinking Aggie, but that's probably an advantage in a district that includes College Station.

WILLIAMSON COUNTY

Shawn Dick, District Attorney:

Shawn Dick is challenging a DISGRACEFUL incumbent with whom we've had issues for many years.  This is the DA that tried to lock up some kid for life over a couple pot brownies and suppressed evidence in a capital murder case.  We've also heard from folks in the WillCo legal community that lower profile abuses happen every day in that office.

In addition to his time as a prosecutor, Shawn Dick has also worked as a defense attorney.  When someone is making decisions that could take away someone else's freedom, we think it's a good thing for that person to have been on the other side of the courtroom.  Speaking of the disgraceful incumbent, she actually had the nerve to attack him over this.

A vote for Shawn Dick is a vote for basic ethics and integrity in a critically important office.

Bill Kelberlau, Sheriff:

Bill Kelberlau is running to be a constitutional sheriff.  For those unaware, local sheriffs have a TREMENDOUS amount of authority to stop the Federal government from enforcing unconstitutional laws.  Milwaukee County (Wisconsin) Sheriff David Clarke is probably the highest profile constitutional sheriff today.

Bill grew up in South Texas and spent 30 years in the Navy in a variety of sensitive position.  That background leaves him well-prepared for the challenges he will face in law enforcement.  Bill Kelberlau also testified at Don Zimmerman's Austin City Council hearing on Syrian 'refugees' and, considering that a sliver of Austin extends into Willco, having Bill Kelberlau around to drive the Austin City Council NUTS is worth the price of admission all by itself.

When Donald Trump comes for our guns, Williamson County is going to want Bill Kelberlau as Sheriff.

TRAVIS COUNTY

Jason Nassour, Commissioner's Court (Precinct 3):

We started noticing problems with the incumbent last year when he was a loud and prominent supporter of the Courthouse bond on the Commissioner's Court.  That right there should tell you something.  Why was the lone REPUBLICAN on the commissioner's court loudly supporting a $300 million boondoggle that would only benefit rich downtown lawyers?!?  But it gets worse.  He's recently taken a number of other screwy votes.  We've also discovered recently that he's given money to Kirk Watson.  The incumbent is a good guy, but he's clearly been working in government for too long.

Jason Nassour, by contrast, is an entrepreneur who owns several well known local radio stations.  A newcomer to politics, Nassour was motivated to run for office by the incumbent's support for the Courthouse bond.  Jason Nassour wants to sell all county property within the city limits and use the proceeds to build a new multi-use county facility FOR CASH in an unincorporated area.  Have we mentioned we like creative solutions?!?

The debate last month between Jason Nassour and the incumbent speaks for itself, you can view it for yourself here.

James Dickey, Travis County Republican Party Chairman:

Since James Dickey became county chairman two years ago, the Travis County Republican party helped put the first two conservatives EVER on the Austin City Council.  The Travis County Republican party has a DA candidate on the ballot for the first time since we've lived here.  Finally, we learned last week that the Travis County Republican Party actually has more precinct chairs at the moment than the D's.

With a property tax revolt and an affordability crisis at hand, the issue environment favors conservative solutions in an obvious way.  We've had discussions with James Dickey about specific ways to address these issues, and we intend to ramp up those discussions after March 1st.  Why mess with a good thing?!?

One note about James' challenger: Robert Morrow is a friend and patriot.  He does valuable work in the areas to which his talents are suited.  The job of county chairman, however, is a poor match for Robert's strong suits.

Travis County Republicans promote Hispanic Educational Opportunity

"Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go;
Keep her, for she is your life."
Proverbs 4:13

East Austin College Prep Academy -- Last Saturday, the Travis County Republican Party co-sponsored an event promoting educational choice and opportunity in East Austin.  Hundreds of parents, the overwhelming majority of whom were Hispanic, learned about new options within the current system and during the current legislative session.  Highlights can be seen below:

TCRP Chairman James Dickey:



Highlights:

• "No one cares more about your child's education than you."

• You have a lot of choices right now.
• eg. Charters vs. government schools.

• "As you make these choices, we here at the Travis County Republican Party ... will work to make sure you have even more choices."

Travis County Commissioner Gerald Daugherty (R -- Precinct 3):



Highlights:

• Too often we like to separate communities.

• The most important component of education is parents.

• It's the parents who really make the difference.

Travis GOP welcomes 84th #TXLEGE to Austin

"Be hospitable to one another without grumbling."
1 Peter 4:9

Fresh off electing three members to the Austin City Council, Travis County Republicans welcomed members of the 84th legislature to town:



Highlights:

• TCRP is a resource for elected officials from out of town.