O'Rourke Regressing to Mean Faster than the Boston Red Sox

"Therefore, leaving the discussion of the elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,"
Hebrews 6:1

DMN yesterday:

AUSTIN — Beto O’Rourke wants to do everything he can to help Democrats win the Texas House this November — even if that means ​staying off the campaign trail and sending his volunteers to work for another candidate without him.

Whether the former El Paso congressman and presidential candidate’s help is a liability is a question after ​the Houston-area Democratic state House candidate he campaigned for in a special election last month was routed by a Republican.

After the election, the Texas House Democratic Campaign Committee​ ​advised its candidates​ in an email​ not to speak to an Associated Press reporter asking whether they would accept O’Rourke’s help with their campaigns.

“Our recommendation is to provide no comment,” Justin Perez, the group’s political director, told candidates in an email obtained by The Dallas Morning News.

O’Rourke said Thursday: "If ​my presence is unhelpful, I’ll stay as far away as I can. I have no pride in this. My only goal is to help secure a Democratic majority in the statehouse. My only goal is to stop Trump and Trumpism in what I think is the most important year in the history of this country and to do my part.”

O’Rourke’s statement may tamp down concerns about how his political views might play in more traditionally conservative Texas districts where Democrats are fielding strong candidates. His veer to the left during his presidential run in 2019 — especially his support of a mandatory gun buyback program — would create difficulties for campaigns trying to sway independent and moderate Republican voters.

Democrats hoped​ that the special election in Fort Bend County​ would be their first opportunity to make a dent in their nine-seat deficit in the House, but Republicans exploited O’Rourke’s work as a surrogate for the Democratic candidate, Eliz Markowitz, tying her to his record on guns and on revoking the tax-exempt status of churches that oppose same-sex marriage.

The Republican, Gary Gates, won that district by 16 percentage points — double the previous GOP margin of victory in the district — leaving Democrats to rethink their use of O’Rourke as a surrogate in future races.

 (h/t PushJunction)

The whole thing is worth a read.  The DMN talks to some experts and profiles some races.  As the sample size gets bigger, 2018 looks like much more of a fluke.

Bobby Francis O'Rourke is the political equivalent to the Boston Red Sox during the Alex Cora era.

(Except that the Red Sox won something.)

As time has passed, however, we know the next few chapters in the Boston Red Sox saga.  They haven't been pretty.  The exact same thing is happening to Bobby Francis O'Rourke.

Bobby Francis O'Rourke was never that good.  The only reason the U.S. Senate race was close in 2018 was because Ted Cruz's campaign blew chunks.  O'Rourke just showed up, looked pretty, and kept it vague.

That playbook was always destined to have a limited shelf life.

That limited shelf life has now expired.

Bottom Line:  It should surprise nobody to see long-term historical averages reassert themselves.

The Comeback Begins....

"For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God,"
Ephesians 2:8

Pop quiz hotshot: What if we were to tell you that there's something new coming out of the University of Texas and it's utterly, totally, completely, and unambiguously good?!?

We're talking, obviously, about the baseball team.

For those who aren't aware, the Longhorn baseball team just won their conference. With today's victory over TCU, combined with Oklahoma State's EPIC CHOKE against Tech, the Longhorns finished the regular season with the best record in Big 12 play. It was a long time in coming.

There's a lot we could say. There's a lot we probably will say. But the short version is that the 2018 Longhorn baseball team is the most interesting thing the athletic department has done since Colt McCoy graduated.

We know we're living on borrowed time until the UT Politburo figures out that the blogger "Cahnman" and the Longhorn Network Character "Heavy Metal David Ash" are the same person.  But before that day comes, there's something we need to say: For the first time in ages, we're happy.  The University has done something very, very, very right and we commend them for doing so.

Don't get us wrong: The University's most politically embarrassing days remain in front of it.  But the seeds of righteousness we started planting five years ago are beginning to bear fruit.  And we have a conference championship in baseball as proof.

Bottom Line: The University of Texas remains one of the most valuable brand names in the world.  Their athletic department just had its most significant accomplishment since Colt McCoy graduated.   And there's more coming....

9/11 and Rudy Giuliani Idolatry

"Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation./He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I shall not be greatly moved" Psalm 62:1-2

Today is the eleventh anniversary of 9/11; on this occasion, I want to comment on the biggest mistake our nation made in it's aftermath.

We didn't turn back to God.

One of the great cliches in life is that adversity doesn't build character, adversity reveals character.  The cliche is still true.  After 9/11, our nation plunged deeper into the idolatry that already plagued us.  Church attendance spiked briefly, but didn't last.  Far too many of us were more interested in shopping and baseball; we placed our faith in politicians.

Rudy Giuliani is the best example.  No one (credible) disputes that Rudy acted heroically during and after 9/11.  Rudy's calm, stoic leadership helped prevent a panic, which could have been worse than the attack.  Rudy brilliantly finessed the transition from a rescue mission to a recovery operation.  I still get choked up thinking about Rudy and the funerals.  Unfortunately, instead of getting on our knees and thanking God for blessing us with a leader like Rudy Giuliani, we built Rudy into an idol.

In my own life, I turned the New York Yankees into an idol.  Where I had previously been a fan, after 9/11 the Yankees became an unhealthy obsession.  The results speak for themselves.  The Yankees lost the 2001 World Series.  Except for 2009, they've endured a stagnant decade.  Heck, they even lost to the Red Sox.  Lesson (belatedly) learned.  Baseball teams are a hobby, NOT a substitute for Him.

It's not exactly a secret that things haven't gone as planned since 9/11.  From Iraq, to Katrina, to the 2008 financial market crisis, to Obama's spending and debt, to the horrific situation on our border, it's just not working.  While we absolutely need better public policies and higher quality leaders, step 1 is our personal relationship with God.

Fortunately, it's never too late with God: if we follow the instructions in 2 Chronicles 7:14, then He will bless us with 2 Chronicles 14:7.

Lou Gehrig's Farewell Address at Yankee Stadium

I almost forgot that today was the anniversary: