Branch offers reminder why (recent issues notwithstanding) Paxton was the better choice

"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves."
Matthew 7:15

Wasn't expecting this:

AUSTIN (KXAN) — During a one-on-one interview with KXAN earlier this month, indicted Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, now the subject of an FBI investigation into allegations of bribery and misuse of office, was asked why the public should trust him as the state’s top law enforcement official.

“Look at what we’re doing with Google,” Paxton explained, when listing his accomplishments.

Paxton was referring to an antitrust lawsuit against Google that his office has been preparing for more than a year. Texas joined the Trump administration’s antitrust lawsuit against Google in October.

In an open letter sent to the Dept. of Justice on Tuesday, a group of Texas leaders, including former members of Congress, academic leaders, mayors, and a former state supreme court justice, criticized the use of antitrust laws against Google and warned of the potential harm the effort could cause Texans.

....

Dan Branch, a former member of the Texas House, said Texas policymakers have an opportunity to reform antitrust laws to fit technology companies in the 21st century.

Branch, a Republican, lost to Paxton in the primary runoff for attorney general in 2014. He said he has concerns about censorship and free speech within the tech industry, but added that the antitrust lawsuit is a different issue.

“We’re known as a business-friendly state, that’s part of our moniker,” Branch said. “We shouldn’t be out leading the charge on litigation, we ought to be leading the charge on thoughtful reform.”

Translation: Coming from Dan Branch, the phrase "thoughtful reform" means "opportunity for crony capitalism and graft."

We've always been ambivalent about this particular lawsuit. We don't have a problem with it, but neither do we think it will accomplish its intended goals. It won't have much impact on Google one way or the other.

But the idea that you should avoid such a lawsuit because it will hinder your ability to extract legisaltive graft...tells you what you need to know about Dan Branch.

That gets to something else about which we've recently been pondering.

It's not a secret that this website was...rather outspoken in support of Ken Paxton in 2014. Since Paxton's recent issues came into play, we've been thinking back to that period. A lot.

We can't shake the conclusion that, whatever Paxton's subsequent shortcomings, his opponent at the time really was that much worse.

Now Dan Branch, obligingly, reminds us why.

So, yeah, Paxton's recent issues might be pretty bad...but no ragerts re: 2014.

Bottom Line: None of this is surprising, but it is illuminating given recent developments.

Cornyn's latest poll numbers are pretty terrible (but that's also nothing new)

"If a ruler pays attention to lies,
All his servants become wicked."
Proverbs 29:12

From the latest Trib poll:

Adding John Cornyn's job approval ratings in the @UTAustin / @TexasTribune Poll released this morning to the trend graphic for data from November 2015 to February 2020 https://t.co/4j80JiKFtq via @TxPolProject #tx2020 #txlege pic.twitter.com/aZkforoLGk

— Jim Henson (@jamesrhenson) February 15, 2020

We recommend exploring Jim Henson's links in more detail.

That being said, the key takeaways are:

• Cornyn's net approval rating is three points underwater.

• Cornyn's underwater with independents.

• Cornyn's job approval with Republicans is only 66%.

Those numbers are terrible for a three term incumbent.

We discussed this phenomenon a few months ago, when the last Trib poll came out.  We don't have anything new to add.  That piece remains our best guess as to an explanation.  This week's poll merely confirms the trend.

That trend ain't good.

That being said, in writing this blog post, we came across this post from 2013.  Cornyn's poll numbers weren't very good back then either.  Yet Cornyn proceeded to solidly (if not spectacularly) win both the primary and the general election that cycle.

So history's probably on Cornyn's side, especially now that national Democrats seem to be specialized in getting lousy Republicans across the finish line in Texas.

Still, nobody should be under the illusion that Cornyn's a strong candidate.

Bottom Line: Given recent developments nationally, it might not matter.  But the national environment can change quickly.  If it does, a three term incumbent with weak ratings in his own party, who's underwater with everybody else, probably isn't your best bet.

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....

SCOTX validates Pressley's concerns

"Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong."
1 Corinthians 16:13

SCOTX released its ruling in Laura Pressley's election challenge:

SCOTX Ruling in Laura Press... by on Scribd

You should read the whole thing for yourself; the TL,DR version is that the Supreme Court said Pressley raised very valid questions in her election challenge, but that they whole thing is so far in the past that they're not going to do anything about it.

It's similar to the ruling in the Wallace Hall case: validate the argument, then hide behind a technicality.

Non-lawyer opinion: SCOTX's reasoning seems less farcical here than the Hall case.  The term of the seat for which the election contest was originally filed really did expire two years ago.  Refer all your other questions to lawyers.

Casar and his buddies will spin this as a win.  But it's not.  Their macro-strategy is to smear people asking difficult questions as lunatics.  And SCOTX did them no favors there.

Bottom Line: Not everything we wanted, but it's a useful building block....

A case study in cost-effective campaigning

So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.”
John 6:12

Wayne Christian's campaign just released a fascinating write up about how they won their race on a shoestring (for a statewide campaign) budget:

MONEY SPENT:  Although Gates had proven himself to be a flawed candidate, his ability to self-fund was daunting. By the time the runoff was over, Christian was outspent nearly 10-1. 

Gary Gates:
Total Spent: $2,416,706.86
Total Raised: $35,854.16

Wayne Christian: 
Total Spent: $248,039.00
Total Raised: $248,039.00

THE STRATEGY:  It was apparent from day one, Christian would not have as many resources as Gates. To win, we would have to be deliberate and efficient in micro-targeting to make sure resources were only used on voters highest probablility to show up. Without a more high profile statewide race at the top of the ballot to increase the likelihood of a large turnout, we chose to narrow our voter targeting universe to just a handful of counties with other competitive runoffs.

....

By spending money only in areas where turnout was guaranteed to be inflated, the Christian campaign was able to maximize their voter outreach without having to spend at the same level as Gates. Much of Gates' spending was wasted on voters which didn't show up to vote, only having the Railroad Commission race to vote for.

When comparing Christian to Wheless, campaigns with similar endorsements and ballot placement, the difference between 49% and 51% had a lot to do with having additional resources to reinforce the third party messages. Endorsements and slate cards are important, but are rarely enough to secure victory.

Read the whole thing here.

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As a point of comparison, during their successful runoffs in 2014 Dan Patrick spent a smidgen over $4.5 million while Ken Paxton spent several million as well.

Ted Cruz, Dan Patrick, and Recycled Myths

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

Stop us if you've heard this one before: "Conservative candidate X can't govern."  "Conservative candidate X has alienated his colleagues."  "Conservative candidate X will lose in November."

Were not talking about Ted Cruz's 2016 Presidential run, we're talking about Dan Patrick's 2014 campaign for Lt. Governor.

Throughout the 2014 election, Texans were warned about the alleged DISASTERS that would befall Texas if Dan Patrick garnered the Lite Guv nomination or was subsequently elected.  Dan Patrick was hated by his colleagues!!!  Dan Patrick would lose to van de Putz in November!!!

So what happened?!?

First, Dan Patrick won his general election BY ALMOST TWENTY POINTS (and, while we're on the subject, came close to breaking records with Hispanics).  Dan Patrick then had a legislative session where, considering the distribution of votes he consistently punched above his weight against the pro-status quo legacy Republicans who have historically dominated the #TXLEGE.  Ultimately, Dan Patrick was so successful in his maiden session as Lt. Governor that veteran Democrat Senator Eddie Lucio said, "“This session was incredibly good for me. If I had to choose one of the 15 sessions I have served in the state legislature, I would rate this session as No. 1 and would I rate it No. 1 because of the leadership of Dan Patrick."

As Ted Cruz's viability is questioned today using arguments that were recently used to question Dan Patrick, it's worth reviewing the relevant recent history.  Bold conservatism wins.  The concern trolls were wrong in 2014 and they're wrong again today.

Bottom Line: Heard this before....

Sanctuary Cities: Patrick leads; Abbott, Legislature follow....

"So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them by the skillfulness of his hands."
Psalm 78:72

During his 2014 campaign for Lt. Governor, Dan Patrick explicitly campaigned on his desire to end sanctuary cities:

"Make no mistake - everything is on the line in this election," he once told a crowd. "You need a lieutenant governor who is going to secure the border, end sanctuary cities, end in-state tuition, lower your property taxes, pass campus carry and pass school choice."

[Author's Note: Emphasis added.]

Unfortunately, during the 84th legislative session, holdover legacy Republicans managed to squelch the bill in the Texas Senate; the Governor and House didn't want to have anything to do with the issue.

Then Kevin Eltife retired and, tragically, Kate Steinlie was murdered by an illegal alien in a sanctuary city.

In early August, Patrick revisited the issue:

AUSTIN – With debate over the nation’s immigration policies once again approaching full boil, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Wednesday pledged that the Senate next session would pass legislation to address so-called sanctuary cities.

Patrick lamented that the Legislature this year didn’t pass a measure to bar local rules that prohibit police from asking the immigration status of people they stop. A vote short this year from bringing up the bill on the Senate floor, he vowed that 2017 would be different.

“I’m totally confident that we now have the votes,” the Republican said. “I’m totally confident that one of the first measures we will pass in 2017, when we come back, will be to ban sanctuary cities in Texas.”

Over the next few months, Patrick continued to address the issue in lower profile settings; suddenly, in October, Greg Abbott made a big announcement:

Texas Governor Greg Abbott admonished Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez over her recent decision to consider honoring immigration detainers on a “case-by-case” basis. The governor said sanctuary city policies like this will “no longer be tolerated in Texas.”

Governor Abbott wrote the tersely worded letter to Sheriff Valdez after her decision to scale back on honoring immigration detainers sent to her jail by the federal government’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Her announcement was reported by Breitbart Texas on October 12.

“’Sanctuary City’ policies like those promoted by your recent decision to implement your own case-by-case immigrant detention plan will no longer be tolerated in Texas,” Abbott began in his letter attached below. “Your decision to not fully honor U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) requests to detain criminal immigrants poses a serious danger to Texans. These detainers provide ICE with the critical notice and time it needs to take incarcerated immigrants into federal custody.”

“Your refusal to fully participate in a federal law enforcement program intended to keep dangerous criminals off the streets leaves the State no choice but to take whatever actions are necessary to protect our fellow Texans,” Abbott continued. “Now more than ever, it is essential that state, federal, and local law enforcement work collaboratively to protect our fellow Texans and to ensure that our laws are upheld, not disregarded.”

Suddenly, the Texas Legislature's  participation trophy caucus was forced to weigh in:

Members of the Texas Conservative Coalition sent Governor Abbott a letter of support for his position on sanctuary city policies, prompted by Dallas Sheriff Lupe Valdez’ new policy on immigrant detentions.

Following that, it now looks like a MAJORITY of legislators support ending Sanctuary Cities:

A majority of lawmakers in both the Texas House and Senate back Gov. Greg Abbott's recent moves to rein in "sanctuary cities" that don't comply fully with federal immigration policies.

As conservative lawmakers continue to press for a special session on the issue, The Texas Tribune has confirmed that a majority of state representatives support Abbott's crackdown against sanctuary cities.

A letter sent to Abbott by the Texas Conservative Coalition on Oct. 28 contained signatures from 43 representatives, and another 14 state representatives have since added their names. At least another 19 representatives also support the measures according to responses to emails or calls from the Tribune, surpassing a majority of the 150-member body.

Bottom Line: Recent developments suggest there's a good chance sanctuary cities legislation will finally pass the Texas Legislature next session; in the event that happens, conservatives will have Dan Patrick to thank.

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.

Paxton Rebukes local Austin special interest group

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

Multiple Level Awesomeness:

A dispute over whether the Downtown Austin Alliance should have given $440,000 to last year’s failed light rail campaign, money that overwhelmingly came from a tax on downtown property owners, has moved to the Travis County courthouse.

But as is often the case with such matters, the legal argument is centered on a side issue — whether the alliance is a “governmental body” — and the resolution, when it comes, will not specifically address or bar such campaign contributions in the future.

The nonprofit alliance, under its formal name of Austin DBO Inc., on March 10 sued Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, asking the court to overrule a March 3 “letter ruling” by Paxton that the alliance is a governmental body and thus must surrender records requested in December by Austin activist Brian Rodgers. The case is pending, as is a nearly identical suit the alliance filed last year in response to a similar ruling by Paxton’s predecessor as attorney general, now-Gov. Greg Abbott.

....

The alliance was founded in May 1992 by a group of downtown property owners as an advocacy group for the central business district. Responding to a petition from downtown property owners, the Austin City Council in 1993 formed a “public improvement district” roughly bounded by Interstate 35, MLK Jr. Boulevard, San Antonio Street and Lady Bird Lake (although the Austin American-Statesman property and the Hyatt south of the lake are also in the district). The city levies an additional 10 cents per $100 of property value in that area, exempting the first $500,000 on each property, and forwards that tax money four times a year to the alliance.

That tax supplied about 98.3 percent of the alliance’s $3.3 million budget in 2014, according to the alliance’s annual report. Travis County contributed another $25,000.

Last year, the alliance made four donations to Let’s Go Austin, eventually providing about 40 percent of the $1.1 million the group spent to support the city’s light rail referendum. The alliance’s then-executive director Charlie Betts (he has since retired) said that the donations were legal and that the group had given to earlier issue-oriented campaigns (though not individual candidates) such as school bond elections and the Central Health vote for a University of Texas medical school.

....

Bill Aleshire, Rodgers’ lawyer and a former Travis County judge, said that if Rodgers prevails, he expects the records will generate anger from the public and legislators. That alone could discourage the alliance from making such contributions in the future, he said.

Read the whole thing here.

Bottom Line: If you have taxing authority, you are a governmental agency for purposes of open records laws.  Kudos to Attorney General Paxton for recognizing this distinction.  Double kudos for recognizing this distinction in the context of last year's urban rail boondoggle.

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.

Zimmerman Terrifying Lawyers and Lobbyists!!!

"Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,"
Ephesians 6:14

Gee, ya think they're feeling the heat?!?

 LOBBYIST & LAW FIRM MONEY FLOWS TO FLANNIGAN CAMPAIGN

AUSTIN, TEXAS – Jimmy Flannigan’s December 8th campaign finance report shows that, in the aggregate, Armbrust & Brown PLLC attorneys and their spouses top the list as Flannigan’s single largest donor in the run-­off reporting period. Armbrust & Brown-­related contributions account for $6,775 of Flannigan’s contributions, or nearly two times than the total of all reported direct PAC contributions. Armbrust & Brown claims “a particular expertise in complex real estate transactions, construction and development,” which alone could explain their support for Flannigan’s platform of “more thoughtful planning of future developments” in Austin. However, a series of successful suits by Flannigan’s opponent, Don Zimmerman, that exposed Armbrust & Brown-­provided legal advice as against the interests of the residents of the MUD it represented in Northwest Austin could be an additional motivating factor.

• $6,775 in contributions from Armbrust & Brown attorneys and spouses reported by Flannigan, nearly 17% of $41,059.19 total reported run-­off contributions. 

• Direct PAC contributions to Flannigan total $3350. Independent PAC expenditures, reported and unreported, on behalf of Flannigan or against Zimmerman total at least $40,926.09  

• Lobbyist contributors David Armbrust, Richard Suttle, Kevin Flahive, Michael Whellan, & Peter Cesaro bring additional contributions from notable real estate clients Endeavor Real Estate Group, Austin Board of REALTORS PAC, Austin Apartment Association PAC, & HPI Real Estate Services & Investment 

• Flannigan platform includes “more thoughtful planning of future developments” and denounces successful Zimmerman-­led suit to save taxpayers $18 million dollars after firing an Armbrust & Brown attorney who urged affected MUD residents to accept the tax as legal and constitutional.

Austinites may be familiar with the law firm of Armbrust & Brown due to high-­profile partners-­cum-­registered city lobbyists David Armbrust and Richard Suttle. Flannigan reports that Armbrust, Suttle, and their spouses abided by the city ordinance-­mandated $25 contribution limit triggered by their lobbying activities on behalf of Circuit of the America, Wal-­Mart, and other special interests. But in concert with other Armbrust & Brown attorneys and their own spouses, firm-­related contributions totaled nearly 17% of the total amount raised by District 6 candidate Jimmy Flannigan in the run-­off.

As a lobbyist, David Armbrust reports 22 clients, representing primarily real estate development special interests. Richard Suttle admits to lobbying for a whopping 123 clients, again the vast majority of which are listed as real estate development and investment businesses. Armbrust & Brown attorney Kevin Flahive only boasts 3 lobbying clients, but 100% are in the business of real estate development. Like other lobbyists with ordinance-­limited contributions to the Flannigan campaign, Armbrust & Brown lobbyists bring with them multiple maximum contributions to Flannigan from owners and employees of clients. Suttle’s clients include the Endeavor Real Estate Group, with related contributions totaling $1,400, and the Austin Board of REALTORS PAC, who reported a direct contribution of $350 and an independent expenditure of $15,540 on behalf of Flannigan.

While entrenched special interests will always support the candidate they feel is most likely to further their agenda, another reason for Armbrust & Brown’s staggering support of Jimmy Flannigan may be that District 6 candidate Don Zimmerman has gone toe to toe with the firm in the past on behalf of District 6’s Canyon Creek (the former Northwest Austin MUD #1) residents. The story is best told by lobbyist (and Flannigan contributor) Peter Cesaro’s own client, the Austin Chronicle. On December 5th, the Chronicle released a pro-­Flannigan piece by Amy Kamp entitled “District 6 Waiting for the Next Subpoena.” Kamp writes, “As Zimmerman's opponent, Jimmy Flannigan, likes to point out, Zimmer man also has a penchant for ‘governance by lawsuit.’”

Flannigan has indeed made a pet campaign issue of Zimmerman’s lawsuits on behalf of taxpayers. One of the most notable Zimmerman championed lawsuit challenged the legality of the 1988 Canyon Creek MUD allocation contract that was certified as legal by an Armbrust & Brown attorney. Upon firing that same Armbrust & Brown attorney, who also purportedly represented the Canyon Creek MUD, Zimmerman secured a new legal team and filed suit on behalf of the MUD. The case was won at the 3rd Court of Appeals, allowed to stand by the Texas Supreme Court, and saved Canyon Creek-­area residents $18 million in property taxes. Austin voters like David Gray, a Zimmerman supporter with a Democratic voting record, expressed disappointment that “Austinites may never know if Flannigan, absent Ambrust & Brown and other lobbyists’ financial support, would continue to be so fixated on Zimmerman’s willingness to champion taxpayer interests over special interests.” But, as Zimmerman responded, “the next time District 6 residents drive past the familiar litany of colorful signs proclaiming “Flannigan can fix it!” they may do well to ask themselves, ‘Fix what, and for whom?’”

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?!?

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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.

Border Security, Immigration, and the Death of a Politcal Myth

"You shall not remove your neighbor’s landmark, which the men of old have set, in your inheritance which you will inherit in the land that the Lord your God is giving you to possess."
Deuteronomy 19:14

In 2014, Texas Republicans took a hard line stand on immigration...and got 44 percent of the Hispanic vote.

Think about that.

The political lesson is clear, unless you're willfully blind.

Hispanic voters' views on border and immigration issues are indistinguishable from the general population.  The general population wants a secure border.  The reason why is obvious.

This website tends to avoid border issues.  Obviously, establishment attempts to pass amnesty "comprehensive immigration reform" are a corrupt boondoggle.  But a lot of Tea Party folks are bizarrely shortsighted on the need to expand and streamline legal immigration.

This website supports efficient, orderly, and safe legal immigration.  Step 1 is to allow the border patrol to do their job (and streamline bureaucracy).  Step 1(a) is to dramatically simplify the process for people who want to come here legally.  But the policy questions can wait for another day.  Today's lesson is political: border security wins General Elections.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is an imbecile or a liar....

Perry, Cruz, and Abbott tackle Texas' Future

"When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice;"
Proverbs 29:2 (a)

ACL-Moody Theater -- Following Governor-elect Abbott's landslide win, outgoing Governor Perry, Senator Cruz, and Governor elect Abbott addressed a standing room only crowd in Austin.

Perry:



Highlights:

•  "Makin' a little bit of history tonight, you are."

• "When this group of young men and women finish their terms they've just won, it'll be a quarter of a century since there was a statewide elected Democrat in Texas...well done!!!"

• "I would love to have gotten the opportunity to have served with them incoming GOP statewide office holders."

• There are young people today in Texas who have jobs because of the public policies we've put in place.

• Hispanic higher ed rates up 118% since he's been Gov.

• "It has been great fun to be Governor of the state of Texas over these last 14 years."

• "Greg Abbott understand that to give people freedom...is a platform, is a foundation by which this state will continue to lead America."

Cruz:



Highlights:

• Run, Ted, Run!!!

• "Two years ago, national Democrats declared that Texas was their target, right now the Texas Democratic Party has 312 paid staffers...they may not have the money for the paycheck next week.  Battleground Texas bragged that they have put in place 22,000 community organizers.  And we know the damage a community organizer can do."

• "Liberal Democrats from outside of Texas flooded into this state vowing they would turn Texas Blue, and tonight the citizens of Texas answered a resounding answer...'DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS!!!'

• "The Texas ethos, I will suggest to you, is give me a horse, a gun, and an open plain and we will conquer the world."
• Author's Note: As much as we love Senator Cruz, we are obliged to point out that you need a Bible BEFORE you use a horse, gun, or open plain.

• "There is a reason why a thousand people a day have been moving into the state of Texas...because FREEDOM WORKS!!!"

• Rick Perry = "A Strong principled governor under whom the state of Texas has gotten stronger and freer"
• Ted Cruz compliments Rick Perry!!!  Oh my Gosh!!!  How will the national media react?!?

•  "I heard a rumor there was a Capitol maintenace man headed to Harry Reid's office now with a screwdriver and a new sign for the door."

• "If and when we re-take the majority nationally, it will be incumbent on Republicans to lead."

• "Now is the time to do everything possible to repeal Obamacare."

• "Now is the time to honor the tenth amendment and repeal Common Core!!!"

Abbott:
(Note: Abbott's comment's begin at 7:30 of the video)



Highlights:

• "The people of Texas have spoken and I am deeply honored to be your next governor!!!"

• "Whether you voted for me, against me, or didn't vote at all, I'm going to work every single day to make Texas the best state in the United States of America."

• Cecilia Abbott = First Hispanic First Lady of Texas.

• "Tonight, Texans sent a message...."

• "The opportunity to succeed should not be confined to just one side of town, it should be the birthright of every Texas child."

• "As Governor, I will keep Texas number one in the nation for creating jobs."

• "Texas understands that government is supposed to be the servant of the people and not the other way around."

Travis County Voter Turnout: Meh....

"He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
So that their hands cannot carry out their plans."
Job 5:12

Today's Statesman details the failure of Battleground Texas:

Despite talk of it being a historic election, Austinites are, so far, showing about the same interest in this year’s round of politics as they usually do. Early voting for the November election ends Friday. Twelve percent of Travis County voters had cast ballots by the end of Monday, almost exactly the same turnout as at this point in 2010, and within the range typically seen for a ballot headlined by a governor’s race, according to county election officials.

The lower-than-expected turnout is happening in this deep-blue city despite a Democratic gubernatorial challenger who has energized the party base and an overhaul of the city government intended to engage a greater swath of Austin — not to mention nearly $1.4 billion worth of bonds to build an urban rail line and expand Austin Community College’s offerings.

Yet at this pace, only a modest 40 percent of voters will cast a ballot by the time the polls close on Election Day, according to election officials.

“It’s remarkable how closely (this year) has been tracking” with other gubernatorial elections, said Bruce Elfant, who oversees voter registration as Travis County’s tax assessor-collector. “I didn’t expect that. I thought turnout would be higher.”

Despite a first-day surge in statewide early voting across the state, reports have turnout flagging and now at about 10 percent, where it was at this point four years ago. (The early vote totals, in Travis County and statewide, don’t include absentee ballots.)

Early voting is an important benchmark because, if recent history is any guide, more than half the votes in Travis County will be cast by the time early voting ends. Elfant and other politicos had expected more people at the ballot box because Travis County signed up 4,000 deputy voter registrars and registered 65,000 new voters this election cycle, both unusually high for an election year not headlined by a presidential contest.

It gets better:

But the city moved its election this year to November. This was partly to expand the pool of people participating in city elections. That change was combined with a new, district-based election system that is supposed to empower whole areas of town where residents have felt disenfranchised.

Supporters of the switch argued it could draw new voters to the governor’s race, even people with virtually no record of civic engagement.

This has apparently not happened. As City Council candidates have campaigned, though, some have encountered voters who weren’t aware of the change. Some knocked the city for not conducting a more aggressive informational campaign, possibly with TV and radio advertisements.

Heh, heh; our voters know!

Read the whole thing here.

Former rival endorses Laura Pressley!!!

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

Fantastic:



Highlights:

• Austin was affordable 26 years ago; it isn't now.

• A single mother should be able to afford to live here.

• Laura has "the drive, that spirit, to represent this district in the right, correct way it needs to be."

• District 4 has been "left behind" in infrastructure for 20 years.

• District 4 vulnerable to gentrification.

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

District 8: Ellen Troxclair with a Puppy

"Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:28

"She likes Puppies and Uber."
Gabriel Nila

Truth in Advertising:



Learn more about Ellen's campaign here.

Austin City Council, District 3: Shaun Ireland Rebukes Minimum Wage Idiocy

"But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 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 20:13-15

We attended the District 3 candidate forum the other night; this clip was the highlight of the event:



As we've discussed previously, this minimum wage nonsense is personal, so kudos to Shaun Ireland!!!