#tx2020: Status Quo (in the short term)

"For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry."
Habakkuk 2:3

To summarize:

• Trump wins Texas comfortably.

• Cornyn wins even bigger.

• Partisan split of Congressional Delegation and Texas house remain identical.

• D's gain Senate seat they were widely expected to win...by narrower than expected margin.

• D's finally gain SBOE seat that was drawn to elect a Democrat ten years ago, that they'd previously blown twice.

None of this is surprising.

In terms of basic partisanship, there's a lot of reasons to be bullish if you're a Republican. Managed properly, conservatives should benefit as well. More in due time.

But Texas is going to remain an R+10 state for the forseeable future.

Bottom Line: There was never a good reason to believe otherwise, but the question has been answered.

O'Keefe's San Antonio Election Fraud report raises many more questions than answers

"Do not remove the ancient landmark,
Nor enter the fields of the fatherless;"
Proverbs 23:10

Ahem?!?

Highlights:

• Racquel Rodriguez working for Mauro Garza.
• Republican candidate for U.S. House in the District currently represented by Democrat Joaquin Castro.
• Note: West side of San Antonio. 

• Project Veritas paid her $500 to tag along.

• If the first woman she visited was voting for Lloyd Doggett (CD-35), why is someone working in the Castro/Garza district (CD-20) even talking to her?!?

• Rodriguez confesses to several known illegalities.

• Unidentified third party was filling out mail in ballots on behalf of the dead.

• "Mauro allowed me $2500 to buy gifts."

• What kind of IDIOT do you have to be to discuss any of this in a text message?!?

• If James O'Keefe thinks there's anything "new" about the "normal" of shady election practices in Texas, he needs to learn more about Lyndon Johnson.

Wow.

We should probably start out with a disclosure: We've met Mauro Garza a couple times.  Don't know him well, but we have met.  He's always struck this author as a bit of a patriotic simpleton. Certainly didn't see this coming.

Suffice to say: At a minimum, Racquel Rodriguez must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. To the extent that he had foreknowledge of her activities, Mauro Garza certainly should as well. Whether or not the Bexar county DA chooses to prosecute is another matter entirely.

That being said, the whole thing is bizarre. With some voters, she's helping them vote straight Democrat. With others, she wants them to vote Republican. Sometimes she's trying to faithfully execute the voter's choice, others she's actively trying to influence voters. Just odd.

Unfortunately, we now know (not that there was much doubt previously) why THE REPUBLICANS killed the election integrity bills last session. No, really, bang up job Stephanie Klick. You too Valoree Swanson.

Even if it doesn't always break down into a neat partisan narrative, the process as a whole couldn't be less trustworthy.

Bottom Line: There's a lot we don't know, but none of what we do know looks good.

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.

Beth van Duyne opposed Jerry's taxpayer subsidies (back when they were popular)

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

Some national group is attacking Beth van Duyne in CD-24:

[Note: For purposes of this blog post, the first five seconds are the relevant clip.]



What an utterly, totally, and completely bizarre line of attack.

Obviously, Jerry's taxpayer subsidies have been a bugaboo of this website for awhile. We weren't expecting them to come up in this context. But...well...we can go with it.

Taxpayer subsidies for professional sports franchises have always been a ripoff.  This has been well documented since at least the 1990's.   The website "Field of Schemes" has more.

So...Beth van Duyne opposed Jerry's subsidies back when they were "just" an issue of fiscal policy.

Good for her.

But what makes going after Beth van Duyne over this subject truly strange is the timing.

It's not exactly a secret that the NFL has taken a popularity hit recently.  It's also not really a secret why.   Furthermore, the NFL's current unpopularity has a longer history in Texas.   Thus, to attack Beth van Duyne over this subject at this time is...tone deaf at best.

But you do you "House Majority PAC."

If we were advising Beth van Duyne, we would advise her to embrace this attack.

Something like this:

Hi, I'm Beth van Dunye, candidate for Congress in district 24.  Before I was a congressional candidate, I served two terms as the Mayor of Irving.   As mayor, I opposed taxpayer handouts to Jerry Jones [cut to picture at the top of this blog post].   Back then, I thought that public subsidies for misogynistic billionaires was 'just' a matter of prudent fiscal policy.   I had no idea the NFL would become the anti-American cesspool is is today [cut to picture of Jerry kneeling]. But, unfortunately, the last five years happened. What was a good decision then looks even better in hindsight. Doing what's right, even when it's unpopular in the short term, will always pay dividends over time.

Finally, to introduce this subject the day after a Cowboys loss is just...**CHEF'S KISS**.

Bottom Line: We wouldn't have expected this to become a campaign issue at this time. But, apparently, it is. Beth van Duyne should run with it.

TPPF: Homeless, not Hopeless

"Let all things be done decently and in order."
1 Corinthians 14:40

Really good presentation from TPPF a couple days ago:



Highlights:

• "Housing first" is a farce.

• 75%(ish) of the homeless population has serious substance and/or mental health issues.

• Austin's policies making problem worse.

• Dozens of people sleeping outside within a few blocks of TPPF.
• Personal Note: Can confirm.

• Businesses have basically abandoned downtown Seattle.

• There have been multiple murders committed at UT-Austin by homeless individuals.
• Note: See here and here.

• When Chip Roy discussed the topic with Adler, all Adler wanted was more money from the feds.

• "You need to balance compassion with enforcement."

• If local governments won't maintain public order, anything else you try is a waste of time.

• Homelessness is down over 50% in Houston in the past decade.
• Note: This is worth further study, cuz' Houston ain't exactly conservative.

• Travis county is abdicating it's responsibility and letting the city take heat.

• Take a serious look at bringing back insane asylums.
• (VERY IMPORTANT) NOTE: The speaker said that.  NOT this author.  While we admit this is an interesting idea in the context of homelessnees, to put it mildly we don't trust the state of Texas on the subject of "mental health."

#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.

#TXLEGE: Fallon's Departure Virtually GUARANTEES Texas Senate Moves (significantly) Left

"A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself;
The simple pass on and are punished."
Proverbs 27:12

Meh:

SULPHUR SPRINGS — State Sen. Pat Fallon, R-Prosper, has won the Republican nomination to replace former U.S. Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Heath, on the November ballot — and will likely succeed him.

Fallon prevailed Saturday on the first ballot held by county and precinct chairs who had been tasked with replacing Ratcliffe on the November ballot. Fallon won a clear majority of the group, getting 82 votes. The runner-up was former Ratcliffe staffer Jason Ross, who received 34 votes.

The district is solidly red, so Fallon is expected to win in November even though a Democrat, Russell Foster, is also on the ballot.

Congratulations to Pat Fallon. We guess. Although we must confess we find the decision to voluntarily spend time in Washington D.C. to be strange.

But here's where things get really depressing: There is no obvious **good** person lined up to succeed Pat Fallon in the Texas Senate.

Consider the state reps whose districts overlap SD-30:

• Drew Springer -- Gross.  Unfortunately, virtually guarantee that he's running.  Even worse, he's probably the favorite.  Would be Kel Seliger 2.0 with twenty years to get worse.
  

•  James Frank -- Meh.
  

•  Reggie Smith -- Who?!?
  

•  Shelby Slawson (pending) -- Too green.
  

•  Tan Parker -- LOL.
  

•  Phil King -- Meh.

Of those turds, James Frank probably has the most polish.  King and Parker **MIGHT** cross a minimum threshold of acceptability.  But everyone on that list is significantly to the left of Pat Fallon.

Of course, the possiblity exists that someone from completely outside politics might enter the race. We hope that heppens. Because, as you can see, the pickings among current legislators is pretty slim.

Bottom Line: Whatever ultimately happens to Pat Fallon in D.C., you've just injected massive uncertainty into a Texas Senate that had previously been in relatively solid hands.

"Seniority" is a terrible reason to vote for anyone...ESPECIALLY Pete Sessions

"Therefore by their fruits you will know them."
Matthew 7:20

We've seen some chatter on social media about Pete Sessions telling people that his Seniority will allow him to do good things if he gets back to Congress. Don't believe it. At least, don't expect him to do anything good for central Texas.

We actually addressed this argument last fall, in the context of a different federal official:

Obviously, this website doesn't *really* support pork-barrel governance. Taxpayers elsewhere in the U.S. shouldn't *really* subsidize I-35 expansion. Still, for such a situation to emerge under the jurisdiction of a U.S. Senator who claims to "work within the system" indicates said U.S. Senator's incompetence.

Put differently: $23 Trillion national debt...and John Cornyn STILL can't secure funding for (already federal) I-35.

It's quite something.

Lyndon Johnson and Sam Rayburn may have been completely wretched. But at least Texas got some infrastructure out of them. With John Cornyn, we get the wretchedness without the infrastructure.

Here's what's funny: When we originally wrote that post, we came very close to including Sessions. The only reason we didn't is that Sessions wasn't currently in office. But if Sessions is trying to use this argument to get back into office, then it's worth considering the same thing.

Pete Sessions was a congressman in Dallas for twenty years. Did traffic in Dallas get better or worse during that time?!? If Pete Sessions couldn't secure federal funding to address the I-30/35/45 cluster[REDACTED], what makes anyone think Sessions "seniority" will mean anything good for anyone besides Pete Sessions?!?

Again, this is **NOT** an endorsement of pork-barrel governance, but it is to say that if Pete Sessions alleged "seniority" meant anything...Dallas would have had a lot more bacon.

After twenty years of Pete Sessions, Dallas remains largely bacon free.

Bottom Line: Dallas traffic tells you everything you need to know about whether or not Pete Sessions' alleged "seniority" bears fruit for his constituents.

Roy makes so-called "Paycheck Protection Program" meaningfully less useless

"He who despises the word will be destroyed,
But he who fears the commandment will be rewarded."
Proverbs 13:13

We just noticed this today, although apparently it happened a week ago:

The U.S. House overwhelmingly passed legislation Thursday to ease rules on small-business owners who are participating in a loan program meant to mitigate the economic complications of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new legislation was a bipartisan effort, spearheaded by two freshmen — including U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin. The goal is to give business owners and operates more flexibility in the rules small businesses must follow in order to have their loans forgiven. The bill now moves to the Senate, where Roy has said he expects it will pass. (Update: The U.S. Senate unanimously passed the bill on June 3, and it will head to the President Trump's desk for signature.)

"We want to make sure that money is being targeted and focused in ways that's best for those businesses in order to stay alive," Roy said in an interview last week as he was shepherding the bill through the chamber. "That's the concern, that businesses are unable to get through this and stay alive."

The legislation made significant changes to the Paycheck Protection Program, a fund aimed at keeping afloat small businesses devastated by the coronavirus pandemic. In this program, small-business owners secured loans that will ultimately be forgiven if they play by the law's rules. Roy's bill loosened those rules for small business owners by:

• Allowing recipients to defer payroll taxes. 

• Extending the time in which business owners can use the loans from June 30 until Dec. 31. 

• Reducing the ratio of loan funding that must be allocated to payroll from 75% to 60%. 

• Extending the period in which small-business owners who are not eligible for forgiveness can pay back the loans to five years.

 This is interesting for a few reasons:

1. The so-called "PPP" program was basically useless as originally passed.  Roy's modifications make it less so.  This is welcome news to anyone using it to navigate the government-mandated shutdowns.
   
   
2. The knock people love to make on Chip Roy is that he's more interested in "hollow posturing" than substance.  This development kicks that argument to the curb.  That Roy build overwhelming bipartisan consensus at a time when his party is in the minority is icing on the cake.
   

Bottom Line:  This will probably be the most meaningful accomplishment of this session of Congress; kudos to Chip Roy for making it happen.

Texas GOP Reaping Predictable Consequences of Multi-Decade State/Federal Election Law FAILURES

"The princes of Judah are like those who remove a landmark;
I will pour out My wrath on them like water.
Hosea 5:10

Via. Texas Scorecard:

As Democrats across the nation use fear of the Chinese coronavirus as a pretext to push for more mail-ballot voting, a process ripe for fraud, Texas is fighting back to preserve the state’s voting laws and election integrity.

Since March, the Texas Democrat Party has been pursuing two separate lawsuits targeting vote-by-mail limits set by the legislature—one in state court and one federal.

They aim to force county election officials to disregard state statutes and accept every mail-ballot application marked “disability” for the remainder of 2020, and possibly beyond.

The Texas lawsuits are part of a nationwide litigation strategy by Democrats using courts and the coronavirus crisis to push universal vote-by-mail and other election policies they sought well before COVID-19 emerged but weren’t able to win in state legislatures.

We recommend reading the whole thing...but you get the point.

Here's the real question: Why should anyone expect anything different?!?

Because it's not like the Texas GOP has ever made tightening our election laws a real  priority.

The state level failures are well documented.  Likewise, this website has been castigating Texas' Congressional Delegation for years.  At both levels, the core problem is that the relevant laws are poorly written and vague.  Poorly written, vague, laws invite creative lawyering.

Now, lo' and behold, we have a whole new round of lawsuits at both levels.

To be fair, the coronavirus offers a new set of circumstances.  And new circumstances offer their own inducements to creative lawyering.  Nevertheless, those new circumstances occur on top of laws that are poorly written and vague.

The only reason why those laws are that way is because the Texas GOP has failed to change them.

Bottom Line: Actions have consequences.  Likewise, lack of action.  Current circumstances are a tangible example.

#TXLEGE: Who does Leach think he's kidding?!?

"And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?"

Matthew 7:3

Apparently, Chip Roy was (correctly) raising heck in D.C. yesterday:

Well, hardly anything surprises me anymore - but ⁦@SpeakerPelosi⁩ just tore up the Constitution by jamming “proxy voting” thru so members of Congress can turn over their obligation to work for constituents to other members. We ask Americans to work. So should Congress. pic.twitter.com/al7fwiCeOv

— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) May 15, 2020

O.K. Good deal Chip Roy. Ghost/proxy voting is a wretched procedure.

Then this happened:

You're joking, right?!?

As we explained:

It's funny 'cuz proxy voting happens every single day (sometimes dozens of times per day) the Texas house is in session.

(But good deal @chiproytx for trying to keep this travesty out of Congress; we've seen how corrupting it is back home.)

Clerk will ring the bell....#TXLEGE https://t.co/jTmnJpnYFy

— cahnman (@cahnman) May 16, 2020

Case in point:

From last session:

But this isn’t a ghost story. It’s a story of representatives helping each other via an informed courtesy involving pushing their voting buttons when they’re away from their desks. Lots of votes are cast on a long day in the House. And lots of times members are elsewhere in the chamber when votes come up. They often leave instructions with desk neighbors on how they want to be shown voting, though they have to be in the chamber to vote.

But sometimes those votes are cast when a member is not in the chamber nor in the building nor even in Austin. That’s not supposed to happen.

But sometimes it changes the outcome of a close vote on an important matter.

You get the point, but there's a wealth of additional examples here.

Bottom Line:  For a member of the Texas house to decry ghost/proxy voting is quite something.

Wall Builds Name ID

"A man’s heart plans his way,
But the Lord directs his steps."
Proverbs 16:9

CD-22 GOP runoff candidate Kathleen Wall has a new ad out:



The ad itself is whatever. Way too Trump humpy for our tastes. But it's certainly factually accurate.

That being said, we find the degree to which it's gotten people talking to be very interesting.

Texas Scorecard:

PushJunction:

The Trib:

As a general matter, voters are ignorant about down ballot runoffs.  Anything one can do to get people talking (within certain obvious limits) is generally good.  That's even truer under current...unique...circumstances.

That being said, we do find this quote from the Democrat candidate astounding:

"Irresponsible, race-baiting comments like these from Kathaleen Wall are unacceptable and dangerous to TX-22’s large Asian American and Pacific Islander population, who are intimately aware of the FBI warning about the recent surge of hate crimes against their community," Democratic nominee Sri Preston Kulkarni said in a statement.

Ok dude.

If this Sri Kularni character wants to argue that it's somehow racist to point out that this virus originated in China...well...good luck with that.

Bottom Line: In a low-profile runoff, anything that can get people talking about you has got to be considered a win.

Statesman makes ASININE attack on Chip Roy

"Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly."
Proverbs 13:6

Editorial this morning:

Once again we find ourselves wondering: Who is U.S. Rep. Chip Roy representing?

....

With his vote over the weekend against a major coronavirus economic relief package, Roy chose hollow posturing over helping constituents. Thankfully the petty opposition by Roy, a Republican congressman for northern Hays and southern Travis counties, did not kill the measure, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives with overwhelming bipartisan support and now awaits Senate approval.

....

Roy protested that the package, hammered out by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, was unveiled shortly before the vote, with no opportunity for members of Congress to amend it. Certainly those circumstances are less than ideal. They also reflect the difficulty of the moment, with leaders of opposing parties racing to craft a relief package in the face of a public health emergency.

....

Reasonable debates continue over funding priorities and the reach of government. But when Americans are hurting, we expect members of Congress to set aside partisan squabbling and push for the greater good.

How silly.

Apparently, according to the Statesman, members of Congress actually knowing what's in the bill is "hollow posturing."  What else is there to say?!?  Pretty much speaks for itself.

But what's even more astounding is how the Statesman takes every single claim made by the government at face value.

On what planet does the government, as it actually exists in the real world, deserve that level of benefit of the doubt?!?

Bottom Line:  It's just astounding how, after every time we've been burned by the government rushing through major policy changes under the guise of crisis over the past 20 years, that an alleged watchdog organization would object to basic due diligence.

-------

Bonus: How much do you want to bet that the Statesman will (correctly) cry bloody murder if council tries to do the exact same thing with the land development code re-write.

Gohmert is Completely Correct

"He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer."
Proverbs 18:9

Good for him:

A U.S. House-passed package intended to deal with the coronavirus faced serious jeopardy, including a potential delay caused by a Texan, as the Senate anticipated addressing the legislation Monday.

The bill faced trouble in several directions, but U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Tyler, is putting up an initial roadblock. House leaders are sorting out what they describe as "technical corrections" on the bill. Gohmert is demanding the revised legislation be read on the floor, per multiple reports.

Most House members returned to their districts over the weekend. The changes could glide through that chamber without their return if no present members object to a motion to unanimously consent to passing the bill. But if there is an objection, all House members must return to Washington to pass the bill — a process that could take days.

"We still do not have a final draft of the negotiated changes being called 'technical corrections' and some of us believe that the newly worded laws should be finished before we pass them. #CoronaVirus," Gohmert tweeted Monday afternoon.

Honesty, this isn't difficult.

Bottom Line: Having a final draft of legislation ready, so that members actually know what they're voting on...what a novel concept!

Meh

"And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity."
Ecclesiastes 2:19

Today's primary day...whoop de frickin' doo.

You're probably going to be hit up by people pitching cheap, sentimental, claptrap.  Your "Patriotic duty" or some such nonsense.  Maybe something about veterans. 

Whatever.  97%(+) of the people who win today are going to suck within five years.  90%(+) are going to suck from the second they're sworn in.

Now, look, we're not saying don't vote (although we can't justify spending more than ten minutes in line).  Especially if you live somewhere where there's an open primary for state rep or Congress.  Furthermore, there are plenty of people running you should vote against (Kay Granger and Delia Garza come to mind).

But if you do choose to vote today, do so with very, very, very low expectations.

Cuz' you're gonna be disappointed with 97%(+) of these clowns.

In other words:



Do what works best for your schedule.

Bottom Line: Keep your expectations very low....

Cuellar probably wins big (if the results are close, however....)

"Do not remove the ancient landmark,
Nor enter the fields of the fatherless;"
Proverbs 23:10

The Texas Observer has a write up on the Democrat primary in CD-28.  Interesting read, but mostly what you'd expect.  This nugget about Henry Cuellar's 2006 race...however...stands out (rather significantly):

While Cuellar may have been viewed as a turncoat by plenty of Democrats, many in Laredo were eager to have their first hometown congressman in 20 years. Laredo was becoming a verifiable boomtown thanks to its lucrative trade and energy industries, and business leaders wanted a champion in Congress.

Cuellar, who had nurtured relationships with the region’s power brokers and business elite for nearly 20 years, was the perfect fit. As he ramped up his primary campaign, he tapped into a ready-made coalition of Webb County’s bankers, ranchers, oil and gas barons, and trading moguls who eagerly pumped hundreds of thousands of dollars into his coffers. Cuellar said he was better equipped to represent the new district and often quipped on the trail that “Ciro has done zero.”

Rodriguez won by a razor-thin margin of 145 votes, but Cuellar demanded a recount. Election officials found nearly 500 new votes in Webb County and neighboring Zapata—enough to swing the election in Cuellar’s favor. The batch of new votes immediately prompted suspicions of vote tampering, evoking comparisons to the infamous “Box 13” ballot-stuffing scandal in South Texas that helped Lyndon Johnson win his 1948 Senate race. “There is no way on God’s green earth that 177 ballots showed up for Cuellar [in Webb County] and zero for Rodriguez,” Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said at the time. “You have to look at this as one that will go down in Texas lore as a stolen election.”

Cuellar’s campaign declared victory. Rodriguez filed a lawsuit alleging voter fraud, which the courts eventually shot down. When all was said and done, Cuellar had eked his way into Congress by a margin of 58 votes.

Laredo had itself a congressman.

[Note: Emphasis added.]

Wow.

We said our piece about this race back in August.   We stand by it.  The TL,DR version is that we suspect, in a district that contains 70% of the Eagle Ford shale, Jessica Cisneros' support for the Green New Deal will play very poorly.

Thus, we suspect Cuellar wins fairly easily.

That being said, "we suspect" is not the same thing as "guaranteed outcome."

In the event this race does end up closer than expected, would anybody put...shenanigans...past the vote counters in Laredo?!?

We certainly wouldn't.

Bottom Line:  Keep an eye on this race tomorrow night.

GRANGER'S Fundamental Problem is that she's Completely and OBVIOUSLY LYING

"A righteous man hates lying,
But a wicked man is loathsome and comes to shame."
Proverbs 13:5

Came across this drivel scrolling through Twitter:

Few things in politics are more cynical than a leader’s (or prospective leader’s) eleventh-hour “conversion” on an issue that for many of us is simply a matter of principle.

Who can forget President Barack Obama’s “evolution” on gay marriage?

Or Sen. Mitt Romney’s flip from pro-choice governor to pro-life presidential candidate?
A bit closer to home, we have the declared evolution of Fort Worth’s own Rep. Kay Granger on abortion, a transformation some voters are meeting with skepticism.

....

As recently as 2007, when she was serving as a campaign surrogate for (quite ironically) Romney, Granger called herself a “pro-choice Republican.”

There must not have been many Republicans watching that MSNBC interview 13 years ago, because when video of her pro-choice declaration re-surfaced as part of an aggressive primary challenge from businessman Chris Putnam, many conservatives, myself included, were shocked.

The article goes on to argue that we should trust Granger because she's been endorsed by a couple of allegedly "pro-life" money laundering organizations and...something about Trump.

Poppycock.

Granger's problem, no matter how she wants to beat around the bush, is that she's a 24-year incumbent.  In that time, she's never actually lifted a finger to do anything about it.  O.k., fine, she voted for a couple bills that tinkered around the edges.  Anyone who thinks that's even remotely close to good enough is, at best, a cheap date.

But where the piece becomes particularly asinine is in the comparison to Trump.

Trump was running in a general election against someone who was known to be completely terrible.  In that instance, there's a case to be made for going with the unknown over the guaranteed bad outcome.  While this website never found that argument particularly satisfying, it doesn't take a genius to understand it.

Granger, by contrast, is running in a primary.  For a safe Republican seat.  Chris Putnam, meanwhile, has been endorsed by the only credible pro-life organization in this state.  In this case, upgrading makes total sense.

None of this is difficult to understand.

Bottom Line: After 24 years, a record of doing (at best) the absolute bare minimum isn't good enough.

Sessions Reminds Voters Why They HATE Politicians with a Sense of Entitlement

"Every prudent man acts with knowledge,
But a fool lays open his folly."
Proverbs 13:16

Bill Flores has belatedly endorsed a successor.  Whatever.  Not really surprising.

In response to Flores' announcement, however, Pete Sessions released quite the statement:

When I am elected to represent CD-17, I will begin with more seniority than Rep. Flores has now. That seniority will help deliver highway funding, support our research institutions, promote our agriculture community and protect Waco and Bryan-College Station in redistricting. That same seniority will help me also deliver on the key issues facing our nation: changing our immigration laws, building the southern border wall and balancing the budget. Most importantly, Rep. Flores knows nothing can be done for the Republican agenda in the House unless Republicans take back the majority. Having led the campaign to defeat Nancy Pelosi in 2010, Bill knows that I can help do that again. A freshman member of Congress will not be as effective in helping to win the majority, and Rep. Flores knows that. It took him three terms to get on Energy and Commerce.”

Is this a joke?!?

Some thoughts:

• Pete Sessions had 20 years in Congress to "help deliver highway funding," yet Downtown Dallas (where I-30, I-35, and I-45 intersect) remains the most congested area in the state.

• The Texas Legislature handles redistricting, not Congress.

• Pete Sessions was a well known obstacle to fixing the national issues he lists (immigration/spending) during his time in Congress.

• The only reason why Nancy Pelosi is speaker in the first place is because losers like Pete Sessions lost in 2018.

• "It took him three terms to get on Energy and Commerce."  That's not exactly wrong.  But it's still an incredibly smarmy thing that only someone with a gigantic sense of entitlement would say.

Bottom Line: Chutzpah, etc....

To be fair, Huffines also endorses Collins

"He who walks with wise men will be wise,
But the companion of fools will be destroyed.
Proverbs 13:20

Inbox:

THE HONORABLE DON HUFFINES ENDORSES GENEVIEVE COLLINS FOR CONGRESS

DALLAS, TX - Today, conservative businesswoman and Republican candidate for Congress in Texas’ 32nd district Genevieve Collins announced that she received the endorsement of the Honorable Senator Don Huffines.

Senator Huffines represented Texas’ 16th Senate District from 2015 to 2019. He is most known for authoring legislation that resulted in uncovering the largest government corruption scandal in Texas history, as well as authoring conservative legislation to establish term limits, promote life, and return rights from the government back to Texans. Prior to his time in elected office, he spent over 30 years as a successful businessman.

“I am pleased to endorse fellow businessperson and strong conservative Genevieve Collins for Congress today. During my time in Austin, I was proud to champion our conservative principles of small government and less regulation. I know what it takes to fight for Texas values, and I am confident that Genevieve will fight for them in Washington, D.C.,” said Huffines. “I am convinced she will work for term limits, a secure border, the sanctity of life, and the Second Amendment, just to name a few. Further, I believe she will use her business sense to protect our liberties and freedoms and ensure that power stays with the people, not the government. I look forward to helping in her election effort, and I urge my fellow Texas conservatives to join me in supporting her in the Republican primary on March 3rd.”

“It is my honor to earn Senator Huffines’ endorsement for the 32nd district Republican primary on March 3rd. Like me, he spent his career in business, creating jobs and forecasting growth. Now I am going to take my business acumen to Congress to get to work for the people of the 32nd district,” added Collins. “Early voting starts three weeks from today, and conservatives across the 32nd district are coalescing around our campaign. They know that it is vital we nominate a conservative businesswoman and lifelong Texan who will take the fight to far-left Colin Allred this November.”

We don't have a lot to add...but since we ripped on Collins for the Dan Branch endorsement, we have to acknowledge the Huffines endorsement.

Bottom Line: At this point, it looks like all the ex-politicos in Dallas County are lining up behind her.  Your guess is as good as ours as to what that means.  But there are few people in that neck of the woods more solid than Don Huffines.