LOL Wendy Davis Defending "Women's Health Centers"

"You also took up the tabernacle of Moloch,
And the star of your god Remphan,
Images which you made to worship;
And I will carry you away beyond Babylon."
Acts 7:43

We came across this piece of silliness over the weekend:

The relevant part is at the 0:16 mark: "I stood for thirteen hours straight to fight the shutdown of women's health centers."

Is...this a joke?!?   Cuz that's not how we remember that night.   Davis' actions in June 2013 might have had a thing or two to do with a thing or two beyond "women's health."

But, of course, late term abortion doesn't play well in the suburbs.

Obviously, Davis' strategy is to obscure that reality behind euphemistic, fuzzy, language. There's no way that would have worked five or six years ago. At this point, however, that history is far enough in the past that the average voter might have forgotten. It's the responsiblity of those who oppose Davis' candidacy to remind them.

Bottom Line: For those who remember the history, that claim is quite the act of chutzpah...but the real question is how many remember.

#TX21: Word Games Notwithstanding, Davis Embraces SUBSTANCE of "Defund the Police"

"'The dogs shall eat Jezebel on the plot of ground at Jezreel, and there shall be none to bury her.’
And he opened the door and fled."
2 Kings 9:10

KXAN has an interesting write up about how the APD funding/council saga is playing out around the state. The whole thing is worth a read. But we want to focus on this quote from Wendy Davis:

Davis, who served in the Texas Senate for six years and was defeated in her campaign for governor against Abbott in 2014, said support for law enforcement and acknowledging needed changes in policing don’t have to lead to an and/or conclusion.

She would not second-guess the decision by the Austin City Council to reimagine public safety. Davis said she does not support defunding police.

“I don’t think we have to divide our support in either of these directions in order to accomplish the goals that we want to see,” Davis said.

Those goals — banning chokeholds, ending qualified immunity for officers, and improving training — don’t prevent a community from giving law enforcement the resources they need, according to Davis.

“I can tell you that living in the heart of Austin, literally a block away from downtown, this is a safe community,” Davis said.

“I feel safe here.”

Good grief.  She's certainly entitled to "feel" however she wants to feel.   But, well, if Wendy Davis "feels" safe downtown (it's own dubious suggestion)...she's certainly welcome to come to this author's neighborhood.

But beyond Wendy Davis subjectively perceiving Austin's public safety situation in the most politically self-serving way possible, there's the fact that "she would not second-guess the decision by the Austin city council."

If you're not "second guessing" council, you support the substance of Police defunding.

Any attempt to claim otherwise is the type of word games lawyers play.

Of course, Wendy Davis is a lawyer.

Bottom Line: Deeds > words.

#TXLEGE: Wendy Davis...and quasi-legal Bribery of Texas Legislators

 

"A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor;
Wherever he turns, he prospers."
Proverbs 17:8

Ouch:

Understand something: These charges are 100% accurate. The original source material is here and here. Wendy Davis ABSOLUTELY lived large off of her campaign contributors.

[Note to the Club for Growth: Since you brought it up, don't forget Wendy Davis' career as a conflict-of-interest infested toll road lawyer.]

That being said, this story isn't about Wendy Davis personally.  At least, not really (beyond the fact that Wendy Davis is personally running for another office this cycle).  This is about bidness-as-usual in Texas state government.

Cuz' Wendy Davis ain't the only one doing this.

[Note to opposition researchers: When running against a current or former Texas legislator, ALWAYS check the "expenditure" sections of their old campaign finance reports. Especially in cycles where they don't have credible opposition. Never know what you'll find.]

Also, you'd think that after Rick Perry and Royce West, those who've spent a career working in Texas State government would think twice about running for federal office.

Oh well.

Bottom Line:  Wendy Davis certainly didn't invent the game.  But she's been a player.  Whatever the impact in this particular congressional race, this is a teachable moment for the whole operation.

Davis continues repeating mistakes from last campaign

"Lest you ponder her path of life—
Her ways are unstable;
You do not know them."
Proverbs 5:6

She makes it official:



From a personal perspective, here's what's amazing: We just, two days ago, wrote a blog post about Wendy Davis repeating the mistakes from her last campaign...and she's doing it again!!!

In the video, Davis discusses her family (especially her father) extensively.  She discusses (her version of) her story.  What's missing, however, is any substantive discussion of public affairs or any compelling reason for her candidacy.

When she ran for Governor in 2014, Wendy Davis tried to make her biography one of her primary selling points...and it blew up in her face.

You'd think she'd learn.

Bottom Line: Wendy Davis' primary political problem will always be that her views on public policy are not aligned with the constituents she seeks to represent.  Fair or unfair, however, she also comes across as entitled.  Today's announcement video will help cement that perception.  If Wendy Davis uses the same playbook to run her congressional campaign that she used in her race for governor, she should expect the same result....

Davis already repeating mistakes from last campaign

"Lest you ponder her path of life—
Her ways are unstable;
You do not know them."
Proverbs 5:6

We first started hearing that Wendy Davis might run for Chip Roy's Congressional seat in January.

Almost two months ago, there was another boomlet of "will she or won't she?" speculation.

She didn't pull the trigger either time.

Now, national political operatives linked to Nancy Pelosi are leaking that...this time...Wendy Davis is totally, totally, TOTALLY going to run!!!

She might.  She might not.  Regardless of her final decision, however, she's already squandered the first six months of any potential campaign.  If Davis does choose to run, she's already waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay behind the 8-ball.

She's done this before.  In 2013, Wendy Davis' infamous filibuster was in June.  She didn't announce her campaign for Governor, however, until October.  Whatever initial momentum she may have had was squandered through indecision.

Bottom Line: This isn't the first time we've seen an extended Hamlet act from this particular individual....

Chip Roy will LOSE if he campaigns against "Hollywood and Manhattan elites"

"that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,"
Ephesians 4:14

It's not a secret that Wendy Davis is probably running against Chip Roy; unfortunately, Chip's opening salvo is depressing beyond words:



This is an idiotic strategy that is doomed to fail.

NOBODY.  CARES.

Or at least: No swing voter or soft partisan in CD-21 cares.  CD-21 is Austin, San Antonio, and the Hill Country.  Swing voters/Soft partisans in CD-21 are the type of people who travel to places like New York City and Southern California.  They might not like the policies of those places, but they will roll their eyes at this sort of nonsense.

Campaigning against "Hollywood" is intellectually-lazy claptrap.  It's a dying playbook.  We strongly suspect that, in Austin, San Antonio, and the Hill Country, it's already dead.  If anything, it will produce negative returns.

Bottom Line: This is the stupidest political attack since Ted Cruz's campaign went after hair dye....

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....

O'Rourke repeats Davis' South Texas Primary DISASTER

"As a dog returns to his own vomit,
So a fool repeats his folly."
Proverbs 26:11

Beto O'Rourke last night:

[Note: Also worth mentioning Cruz won more total votes than all three Democrats combined.]

Wendy Davis, 2014 Democrat Primary:

Obviously, Democrat turnout was up, so O'Rourke did capture more total votes than Davis.  But this continues the mutli-cycle trend of the nationally hyped Democrat candidate losing South Texas to a an underfunded candidate with a Hispanic surname.  Also, O'Rourke's 62% is a significant decline from Davis' 74%.

Also, as mentioned above, Cruz still won more total votes than all Democrat candidates combined.

Bottom Line: Maybe, before the national media starts overhyping, the ought to look at how the candidate performs in his own backyard in his own party primary....

#atxcouncil Invents New Entitlement (and you'll NEVER believe what Wendy Davis said)

"Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?!?"
Matthew 20:15

It's done, at least for this round.

Early this morning, in a 9 - 2 vote (Troxclair and Houston against), the Austin City Council created a municipal entitlement.  For every thirty hours any employee at any private/non-profit (but, of course, the City of Austin itself is exempt) employer will now be required to receive an hour of so-called "sick leave."  What could possibly go wrong?!?

Obviously, benefit mandates beget fewer jobs.  Obviously, this new entitlement will strangle startups in the cradle.  Obviously, the employer/employee relationship is none of the city council's business.

But we took a more practical route during public testimony:



Having worked (off and on) in the service industry since 2003, allow us to elaborate on the point we made about this new entitlement being abused: People are going to exploit this new entitlement to nurse hangovers.  People who work in the service industry like to get hammered after work.  If you stay out till 3AM and you have a 6AM start time, it doesn't take a genius to see how this new entitlement will function in reality.  Anyone who tells you otherwise either a) doesn't understand the service industry or b) is a liar.

And paying people to come in late to work because they have a hangover is wildly unfair to the rest of the team.

As for supporters:

The lovefest continued:

Meanwhile, Austinites are left with fewer jobs, lower wages at the jobs that remain, and higher cost of living.

Thanks council!

--------

If last night's debacle had been limited to bad economic policy, it would have been bad enough.  But supporters devised an even more diabolical rationalization for this new entitlement.  And you'll never believe which washed up hack of a politician they trotted out to make it:

:

[Note: That really happened.  Wendy Davis testified immediately following this author.  You can view the full six surreal minutes between the 8 minute mark and the 14 minute mark here.]

So, according to the left, we need to invent so-called "sick leave" entitlements to facilitate the slaughter of innocent children.

Gotcha.

But they weren't done; check out Alexa Garcia-Ditta from NARAL:



Again: That really happened.

Psychotown.

-------

Silver Lining: For as horrifying as that abortion talk might have been, it's also why we're confident the legislature will nuke this ordinance; even the RINO's can't kill it now.

-------

Bottom Line: There's a reason why, during public testimony, we used the phrase "hot mess."

#TXLEGE: Buffet Bill gets WORSE with new pro-abortion angle....

"Perversity is in his heart,
He devises evil continually,
He sows discord."
Proverbs 6:14

The merits and political peril of the Buffett bill bad enough that it was an easy call to join the statewide leadership letter denouncing it.  Making matters that much better, we just came across an abortion related angle that, honestly, has to be seen to be believed.  But we can assure you, it's very real.

It's not a secret that Buffett is a gigantic liberal and, as such, it's also not a secret that Buffett has donated over a BILLION dollars to pro-abortion groups (primarily, but not limited to, Planned Parenthood) over the decades.

But...did you know there's a Texas-specific angle?!?

In 2013, the 83rd Texas legislature passed one of the strongest pro-life laws in the country.  Unfortunately, in 2016, that law was significantly scaled back by the United States Supreme Court.  And therein lies the hand of Warren Buffett....

Much of the pseudo-'intellectual' justification for the 2016 SCOTUS decision came from a UT-based (naturally) program called the Texas Policy Evaluation Project; and you'll never guess who gave them their seed funding:

Make sure you pay attention to the arrow (just sayin)

As the Bloomberg article details:

The Texas Policy Evaluation Project, known as TxPEP, assigned five researchers to traverse the state to gather statistics from abortion providers, amass public records and interview women. The project was founded in 2011 at the University of Texas at Austin to study the impacts of reproductive health measures passed by state lawmakers. Its work was enabled by funding from the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation, named after Warren Buffett’s deceased first wife.

[Note: Emphasis added.]

As Michael Quinn Sullivan wrote last summer:

A University of Texas program is being lauded by liberals for helping undermine in court the Lone Star State’s safety-focused laws regarding abortion. Given the role the program has played in undermining commonsense laws, it is another example of a tax-funded institution working against the taxpayers.

The Texas Policy Evaluation Project (TxPEP) is a UT program to study the “impact” of legislation on “reproductive” issues. This entity has yet to find a limitation on abortion or abortion providers it didn’t hate, because it was designed to provide academic cover for tax-funded abortion services.

An agency of state government, UT’s pro-abortion project was funded by left-wing billionaire Warren Buffett.

....

While TxPEP claims to be privately funded, it operates under the auspices of the University of Texas. This gives the pro-abortion advocates running it – one “researcher” formerly headed an abortion services program in Massachusetts – both an easy tax shelter for liberal donors (like Buffett) and legitimizes their findings.

And how do our allegedly conservative Texas Senators, in their first session since the 2016 SCOTUS decision, address the role Warren Buffett played in undermining Texas' pro-life laws?!?

Apparently by arraigning special regulatory favors for Buffett's business interests (all while killing the pro-free market bill that would have addressed Buffett's concerns without special privileges).

Bottom Line: This boggles the mind, but it's really happening.

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Lt. Governor Dan Patrick: (512) 463-0001
Senator Kelly Hancock: (512) 463-0599

Zimmerman poised to test "Konni Burton Theorem"

"Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord,
But a just weight is His delight."
Proverbs 11:1

We have recently developed an informal hypothesis.  We've dubbed it the "Konni Burton theorem."  It goes like this: In swing districts, credible advocates for limited government win where kumbaya-style moderates lose.

In 2014, Konni Burton was elected to a Texas Senate seat in a Tarrant County swing district that was previously held by Wendy Davis (yes, THAT Wendy Davis).  During that year's general election, Burton was such a strong advocate for limited government that she refused to endorse the Texas "Medical" Association's monopoly over liability insurance.  Burton was successful in a district where moderates Mark Shelton and Kim Brimer had recently lost.

We mention Konni Burton as a long winded introduction to the fact that we attended Don Zimmerman's Austin City Council re-election campaign kickoff party last night and we sense a similar phenomenon.

Obviously, Zimmerman has been an unapologetic advocate for economic liberty and tax relief during his time on Council.  He leveraged his position on the dais to defeat the Travis County Courthouse bond.  He also stopped a hostile annexation for the first time in city history.

And, at least based on last night's turnout, Don has struck a chord in district 6.  Several dozen people showed up over the course of the event, though we didn't think about doing an actual body count until after the fact.  At a minimum, Zimmerman should have no trouble finding volunteers.

As we wrote about Burton and Zimmerman back in January: "Burton and Zimmerman are the most prominent voices in their respective legislative bodies in opposition to corporate welfare and other forms of cronyism and rent-seeking (*).  Both represent districts that are competitive in a general election.  Burton and Zimmerman's success proves that disgust with rent-seeking for purposes of "economic development" extends beyond Republican primary voters into the general electorate."

Bottom Line: We'll see what happens, but if Don Zimmerman ultimately wins re-election (especially in this climate), it will provide a lesson in how to win swing districts that others would be wise to emulate.

In Memoriam: Babs Miller

"There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."
Romans 8:1

We learned this morning that Babs Miller, wife of Texas State Representative Rick Miller, got called home to Jesus this morning.

We first met the Miller family in the summer of 2013, during the insanity that descended on the Capitol following Wendy Davis' filibuster.  We prayed together several times during those crazy weeks.  She was also a regular presence around the Capitol this past session, and it's crazy to think she won't be there next session.

Readers might have forgotten, but this website's greatest hit came during that 2013 special session when we released video of pro-Abortion activists chanting "Hail Satan" in support of Wendy Davis.  We've never mentioned this, because it's never been relevant, but we actually uploaded that footage to the internet and wrote the linked blog post in Representative Miller's office.  That moment doubled as the first time we met Babs.

Babs Miller was a Warrior for Christ, as her efforts at the Capitol made clear.  There was nary a pro-Life or pro-Religious Liberty bill that she wasn't front and center attempting to help pass.  Her humble diligence won't be easily replaced.

But the good news is that, while she will be missed here on Earth, there is NO DOUBTING which direction Babs Miller took upon departure.

Babs Miller was saved by Grace through Faith, and you can be as well.  Babs will spend eternity with Jesus in Heaven, and there's no reason you can't join her.  You can learn more here.

Babs Miller; Rest in Peace.

The myth that "only a moderate" can win Sarah Davis' district

"But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness."
2 Timothy 2:16

One of the more obnoxious pieces of conventional wisdom around the Capitol is that Sarah Davis is the only Republican that can win her unfriendly district, but how did her district actually vote in 2014?!?

From her district profile on the Texas House's website.  With one exception (which we'll discuss below), the Republican candidate won every statewide race in her district.  A small sample:

Governor:

Abbott - R 27,200 50.4%
Davis - D 26,030 48.2%
Glass - L 613 1.1%
Parmer - G 150 0.3%
Pavitt - W 1 0.0%

Attorney General:

Paxton - R 27,059 50.7%
Houston - D 24,715 46.3%
Balagia - L 1,155 2.2%
Osborne - G 397 0.7%

Comptroller:

Hegar - R 27,025 51.5%
Collier - D 23,743 45.2%
Sanders - L 1,216 2.3%
Shafto - G 517 1.0 %

Ag. Commissioner:

Miller - R 29,268 56.4%
Hogan - D 20,319 39.1%
Palmquist - L 1,276 2.5%
Kendrick - G 1,055 2.0 %

Tx. Supreme Court, Chief Justice:

Hecht - R 30,677 58.3 %
Moody - D 20,604 39.2 %
Oxford - L 1,336 2.5 %

The only exception was the lite guv race, where van de Putz won a PLURALITY over Dan Patrick.  Even there, however, van de Putz failed to crack 50%.  Furthermore, the result in this race was partially due to the fact that the Libertarian candidate out-performed the rest of his ticket:

Patrick - R 24,880 46.5%
Van De Putte - D 26,615 49.8%
Butler - L 1,536 2.9%
Courtney - G 423 0.8%

[Author's note: Emphasis added.]

While Abortion Barbie and van de Putz had nearly identical vote totals, about 3000 Abbott voters didn't vote for Patrick (though they DID vote for Paxton, which means it's not a conservative thing).  This means a chunk of them voted for the Libertarian while another chunk under-voted.  The most likely explanation is that this is a Harris County based district, Dan Patrick is from Harris County, and there's a small segment of Harris County Republicans who can't stand Dan Patrick.

Bottom Line: If "only a moderate" could win HD-134, Republican candidates wouldn't have won nearly every top-ticket race in the district.

Abortion Barbie belatedly complains about this website

"and the corpse of Jezebel shall be as refuse on the surface of the field, in the plot at Jezreel, so that they shall not say, “Here lies Jezebel."
2 Kings 9:37

This website didn't intend to ever write about Wendy Davis again.  That being said, she gave a speech at Princeton University earlier this week.  The best part:

“In my [gubernatorial] race, my opponent’s supporters derided me by using photoshopped sexual images of me in social media, with my face on a very sexy body, in order to invite responses from potential voters to view me as highly sexualized, rather than intelligent and confident potential state leader,” Davis said.

(h/t Pushjunction)

Cahnman's Musings is flattered to learn that, four and a half months after Election 2014, we're still living rent-free in Wendy Davis' head.

#HAILSATANTX

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While we're on the topic, we also find Davis' thin skin amusing compared to other female politicians who've been through worse.

Bob Deuell's HILARIOUS, Whiny, Butthurt

"For the turning away of the simple will slay them,
And the complacency of fools will destroy them;"
Proverbs 1:32

Wow:

Outgoing Texas state Sen. Bob Deuell says he’s not angry or bitter. No, but hurt and dismay still register pretty strongly across his face.

In one of the biggest surprises of the political season, the staunchly conservative and widely respected senator was defeated by a virtual newcomer to Texas and politics.

And of all things, Bob Hall did it by branding Deuell a liberal.

“To call me a liberal? It’s just ridiculous,” the Greenville Republican said over lunch in these waning days of his 12 years in office.

....

The disengagement of mainstream conservatives and citizens in general is one of Deuell’s biggest concerns. “I have people talking to me all the time about the next legislative session. I say, ‘But I lost.’ And they say ‘Really? When was the election?’”

Deuell, a 64-year-old family physician, tries to be philosophical about this unplanned change in life. “I have more time to practice medicine, so my income has gone up significantly,” he said.

....

He is troubled, however. “I’m concerned for my district. I’m concerned for my state.”

Knee-jerk, sound-bite conservatism is driving out thoughtful, common-sense conservatism, he said.

A perfect example is needle exchanges for drug addicts. Texas is the only state that won’t pay for them. Deuell repeatedly bucked members of his own party in trying to bring Texas in line with well-proven, life-saving, money-saving public policy.

....

He expects a long, difficult legislative session next year as the new crop of tea party officeholders are caught between their campaign rhetoric and economic reality.

“I think there’s just this angry movement out there,” he said. “The genesis was directed at Washington, which does have a spending problem. But then they turned that anger toward state government. In medicine, we call that displaced anger.”

 Read the whole thing here.

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A few thoughts:

1. We first became aware of Bob Deuell during the debate over the budget last year when we watched Wendy Davis sing his praises; keep in mind, this was a month or so before the filibuster that made her politically radioactive.
2. Deuell filed legislation to expand Obamacare in Texas; credit where it's due (or Dew), Dewhurst killed it.
3. This is the biggest sense of entitlement we've seen from an outgoing legislator since former U.S. Senator Bob Bennett failed to capture re-nomination in Utah.

Your Wendy Davis/Battleground Texas Schadenfreude Roundup

"Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel;"
2 Kings 9:36

Wendy Davis and Battleground Texas got whupped the other night, which made progressives all sorts of angry:

• Twitchy: 'I have officially lost it': Battleground Texas organizer for Wendy Davis totally melts down on Twitter.

• Mother Jones: Wendy Davis Loses Big in Texas.

• Salon: Mourning Wendy Davis' loss: As a Texan, here's why I'm so disappointed.

• Washington Examiner: Wendy Davis made Texas redder.

• The PJ Tattler: Battleground Texas Operative: The Election was Stolen!

• Mic: Wendy Davis Lost, but Here's Why She Really Won.

• Texas Tribune: What Went Wrong with Battleground Texas?!?

• MTV: Texas Senator Wendy Davis Channeled Wu-Tang on Election Day.

• Paul Burka: Red State.

• Jim Geraghty: Man, Did Battleground Texas Fail This Year.

Which begs the real question: With Wendy Davis out of the picture, will national conservative organizations stop sponsoring open bars in this state?!?

-----

Update:

• Salon (again): White women didn't just fail Wendy Davis -- They failed the rest of Texas, too

• Red State: Honoring Wendy Davis and the campaign of awesome.

Update II:

•  Mother Jones (again): Wendy Davis Spent $36 Million and all She Got was this Lousy Landslide.  Now what?!? 

•  Texas Tribune (again): Davis is Latest  to Fail with "Austin Insider" Attack.

• Progress Texas: Progressives are Ahead of Schedule 2014. 

Update III: 

Update IV:

• Houston Press: Texas Is Seeing Red: The Best (and Worst) Election Night Twitter Rants

Update V:

Update VI:

• Twitchy (again): '2x3 = shut up racist: Feminist journo lashes out at 'white folks' over Wendy Davis loss.

Converting three Millenial Davis supporters to Abbott

"The threshing floors shall be full of wheat,
And the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil."
Joel 2:24

21st st. Co-Op -- Earlier tonight, we visited a friend in the the West Campus area.  The conversation turned to the Governor's race.  We made an offhand comment that instantly converted three (very, very) soft Wendy Davis supporters into committed backers of Greg Abbott.  To be honest, this author was surprised by the strength of the reaction.  It took one word....

...BITCOIN!!!

This author casually mentioned that Greg Abbott was the first major candidate in history to accept campaign contributions in BITCOIN and that the BITCOIN community is moving to Austin as a result.  These kids were floored.  They simply had no idea.

These kids aren't particularly political, but they know BITCOIN is the right side of history.  When they realized a decision Greg Abbott made several months ago is going to bring BITCOIN closer to them, they were genuinely greatful.

It's become a cliche to say that disruptive innovation is going to radically transform the world over the next decade.  It's still true.  Those on the right side of history will reap a whirlwind.

Apparently, it's also good politics.

There's a lesson there; if people are willing to learn it!!!

Texas Republicans and Hispanics: Tim Carney chooses a poor metric

"For the needy shall not always be forgotten;
The expectation of the poor shall not perish forever."
Psalm 9:18

Tim Carney of the Washington Examiner is a friend and former colleague.  Today, he wrote a perceptive column about the lack of action in GOP efforts to woo Hispanic voters.  Unfortunately, he also included this line about efforts in Texas:

Texas, for instance, has nine majority-Hispanic [U.S. House] districts (all held by Democrats) and the Democrat is running without a Republican opponent in four of them. In four other races a minor GOP candidate is running with no support from the National Republican Congressional Committee in the form of contributions or independent expenditures, according to a review of data gathered by the Center for Responsive Politics. Only in the 23rd District — a sprawling, rural border district — is the GOP playing, backing Will Hurd.

With all due respect to Tim, he's looking at the wrong place on the ballot.  Texas Republican efforts to recruit Hispanic candidates are happening much closer to home.  Given the restrictive nature of Federal campaign finance laws, U.S. House races will be one of the last places these efforts bear fruit.

For example, Hispanic Republicans of Texas is a group founded by George P. Bush (*) in 2009.  They've currently endorsed almost 30 candidates.  Most of these candidates are running for county level executive and judicial positions in heavily Democrat counties.  The highest level of government they're endorsing this cycle is State Rep.  The group intends to start with city council, county, and school board candidates.

Meanwhile, at the top of the ticket, Greg Abbott has made the biggest outreach effort in the Rio Grande Valley of any Republican candidate ever:

But this year, Republican nominee Greg Abbott, the state’s attorney general, has set out to break [George W.] Bush’s record by making the rapidly growing Hispanic vote — and the Rio Grande Valley — central to his campaign. The day after Abbott announced his candidacy in San Antonio, he was in McAllen, on the Mexican border. He has visited the area 14 times during the campaign, most recently for his first debate with the Democratic candidate, state Sen. Wendy Davis.

He has also aired six Spanish-language TV ads, including one featuring his Latina mother-in-law that premiered during the Mexico-Brazil World Cup match in June. (“His values are our values. Faith, family and honesty,” his sister-in-law Rosie Phalen says in the ad.)

....

The situation has surprised locals who are accustomed to being a sideshow in big elections.

“This is the first time in my memory . . . that we’ve had the interest of the politicians,” said McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, who has endorsed Abbott and whose office is nonpartisan. “For years, the Democrats kind of took our county for granted, and the Republicans didn’t think they’d make any inroads.”

....

But [Wendy] Davis also has vulnerability among Hispanics. Republicans have seized on her position on abortion to paint her as anti-family. She surprised many people by losing several border counties in the primary — including Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy in the Rio Grande Valley — to an obscure 71-year-old Corpus Christi judge named Reynaldo “Ray” Madrigal, who barely campaigned.

Republicans concede way too much territory to Democrats.  Often the areas they concede overlap with majority Hispanic areas.  Tim was right to make this point.  But he's off the mark in Texas.  Texas Republicans are actively recruiting and running Hispanic candidates in Hispanic areas.  But these movements need to bubble up from the local level.  Federal races are the last place this will materialize.

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* Yeah, we know, but HRT does good work even if some of these candidates will need primary challenges in a few years.

Cosmo Magazine Juxtaposes Masturbation and Wendy Davis

"Then he said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot. 34 And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, “Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” 35 So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. 36 Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel"
2 Kings 9:33

Worth 1000 words:

#GAMEOVER: Travis County Voter Registration data reveals Battleground Texas' failure

"Then he said, “Throw her down.” So they threw her down, and some of her blood spattered on the wall and on the horses; and he trampled her underfoot. And when he had gone in, he ate and drank. Then he said, “Go now, see to this accursed woman, and bury her, for she was a king’s daughter.” So they went to bury her, but they found no more of her than the skull and the feet and the palms of her hands. Therefore they came back and told him. And he said, “This is the word of the Lord, which He spoke by His servant Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel dogs shall eat the flesh of Jezebel;"
2 Kings 9:33-36

According to the Tax Office's website, as of the close of voter registration yesterday, there are just under 650,000 registered voters in Travis County:

Compare that number to the 635,000 (and change) Travis County had in 2012:

In other words, between election 2012 and voter registration cut-off day 2014, Travis County added 14,685 registered voters.

Next, consider population growth in one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas of the county.

According to census bureau data, Travis County's population was 1.096 million in 2012 and 1.21 million in 2013; data for 2014 is not yet available.

Using reasonable extrapolation for 2014 (year to date), this suggests that Travis County has about 40,000 new residents in the past two years.

Against 14,685 new voters.

That means the number of registered voters increased by 2.3% while the population at large increased by (approximately) 3.6%.

Battleground Texas' strategy always required them to run up the scoreboard in Travis County.  This is one of their strongest counties in the state.  They haven't made a dent.

Bottom Line: Voter registration in Travis County has failed to keep pace with population growth, let alone the increase Battleground Texas would need to "change Texas turnout."

#GameOver