Christian completely correct about allowing free market to work re: Energy Prices

"Consider the work of God;
For who can make straight what He has made crooked?"
Ecclesiastes 7:13

Apparently, with the recent dip in oil prices, some really bad ideas are making a comeback.

Wayne Christian addresses one:

One solution proposed to my agency, the Texas Railroad Commission, is to “prorate” or limit the production of crude oil in Texas. That proposal will be considered at the May 5 meeting. The Commission adopted “prorationing” in the late 1920s, but abandoned the practice after 1973.

....

Over the last few weeks, I have thought long and hard over whether this is a direction Texas should take. A lot has changed since our state last prorated oil production. For example, in 1950, Texas controlled over 20 percent of the world's oil supply, today we control roughly 5 percent. Given this, a government mandate cutting oil production twenty percent across the board would not have a significant impact on worldwide oil supply. Furthermore, industry is already reducing production on its own. By allowing the free market to work, producers can determine for themselves what level of production is economical.

Virtually every major trade association has come out against this policy from the Texas Oil and Gas Association which represents small to large companies spanning every sector of the industry. The Texas Alliance of Energy Producers stated in its testimony against proration that a vast majority of its 2,600 members "employ 20 people or less." Diamondback Energy credited the competitive free market in allowing it to grow from 10 to 700 employees since 2007, and said it would halt all drilling in Texas if the state implements proration.

....

[T]he truly bold decision in governance is to not give in to pressure and to say no. Implementing an antiquated policy simply because it exists is not bold. I refuse to do something just to say I took action, because taking the wrong action can actually make things worse.

A few thoughts:

• We weren't previously aware that this was even under consideration.

• Over the long run, this would only handcuff Texas producers while helping all of the various petroleum producing global bad guys.

• Most of the production cutbacks are already taking place, so-called "proration" would only make ramping back up in the future more difficult.

• So-called "proration" removes the incentive to innovate.

• We don't know with 100% certainty that this is the case, but we've heard that some of the bigger producers have escape clauses in some of their contracts that would kick in if the state took this action.
• Note: Like we said, we don't know this with 100% certainty...but it would explain a lot.

Bottom Line: This would seem fairly obvious.  Yet, apparently, it isn't.  Kudos to Commissioner Christian for sticking to his guns.

#TXLEGE: In newly competitive district, genius Texas Republicans nominate Worst Possible Candidate

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

Oh no:

A Democrat and a Republican are advancing to a runoff in a nationally targeted special election for a previously Republican-held Texas House seat.

With all vote centers reporting Tuesday night, the sole Democratic candidate, Eliz Markowitz, finished first with 39% of the vote, according to unofficial returns. Republican Gary Gates was the runner-up at 28%.

More:

Gates, who has run for a myriad of elected positions in previous elections, including railroad commissioner in 2016 and state senate in 2014, but failed to come out on top each time, was largely self-funded. He loaned himself a whopping $445,000 in the last reporting period alone.

Markowitz, the lone Democrat, garnered support from liberal special interest groups, and fellow Texas Democrats like former State Senator Wendy Davis, former presidential candidate and congressman Beto O’Rourke, and an array of sitting Texas House members.

She significantly outraised her Republican competition.

We didn't realize Gates was even running until this morning.  There's pretty much no candidate more poorly suited to a competitive environment.  Hoo boy.

-------

Seven Time Loser:

From last time Gates ran for office:

His record of losses is complicated. Gates first sought a seat in the Texas House. He lost. He tried again. And he lost again. He ran for the Texas Senate. And lost. Then he tried again for the Texas Senate. And lost. Along the way, he twice ran for a local school board seat. And he lost both times.

It’s tempting to label such a record as “sad.” But “pathetic” seems more appropriate.

Gates went on to lose the election in question.

-------

Slumlord:

Ought oh:

HOUSTON — In his run for a seat on the Texas Railroad Commission, Gary Gates has campaigned heavily on his business credentials, noting that he built a sprawling real estate company from scratch with his own sweat and dollars.

Gates, who has run for public office several times but never held it, suggests that his experience shaping and leading companies that now employ 350 people and own roughly 5,500 apartment units qualifies him to join the three-member commission that oversees the state's oil and gas production, natural gas utilities and mining operations.

....

Gates said that most of the apartment complexes he buys are considered “Class C,” typically older units that need rehabilitation and are rented out relatively cheaply.

He said he bought the Deerfield Apartments out of bankruptcy in 1987, just as his business was getting off the ground. The city of Houston later lent him $1.12 million to rehabilitate the property.

“It was in a real difficult area,” he said. “That’s kind of my specialty — buying very difficult properties.”

And that complex did present challenges.

In 2007, Houston sought to shut down the Deerfield Apartments for a year. In a lawsuit, the city alleged that his companies — APTDF and Gatesco — tolerated the rampant crime on the property. The lawsuit documented 55 offenses on the property over a two-year period, ranging from prostitution and drug offenses to sexual assault and capital murder.

“Defendants have made no reasonable attempt to abate the criminal activity at Deerfield Apartments, and should be enjoined from maintaining a common nuisance,” Houston argued.

Houston’s lawsuit followed complaints from fearful residents. At a city council meeting in August 2006, for instance, Councilman M.J. Khan discussed an email from a constituent who reported being jolted awake one morning by six rounds of automatic gunfire — and hearing more shots while police dispatchers told them they had no one to send out.

The resident said such violence had persisted for years in the neighborhood and wanted Gates to hire a security guard to patrol the area and to replace a fence that had been torn down, according to council meeting minutes.

Earlier that year, Gates’ companies faced a similar lawsuit after 9-year-old Jose Luis Briones was shot in the back and severely injured during a 2004 robbery at the Deerfield complex. Briones’ family levied similar neglect allegations and ultimately received a $3,500 settlement from Gates' company, according to court documents.

It gets better:

In the midst of his seventh run for public office – this time for the Texas Railroad Commission – new documents are coming to light showing that Houston real estate investor Gary Gates defaulted on a loan of over $1 million from Bayou City taxpayers.

On April 29, 1998, the City Council of Houston passed Ordinance No. 98-330 entering into a loan agreement with Gates’ company, APTDF, Ltd.

The loan was for $1,120,000 for rehabilitation costs in connection with Gates’ Deerfield Apartments located at 10001 Club Creek Drive. The interest rate for the taxpayer-backed loan was set seven percent annually. Gates personally guaranteed the loan.

The loan matured on November 28, 2000, but Gates defaulted.

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Full employment for (the worst) campaign consultants:

Again, from last campaign:

Campaign consultants keep taking Gary Gates to the cleaners as he desperately seeks one office after another. His reckless spending seeking Tuesday’s Texas Railroad Commission race demonstrates that even a big pile of money cannot make a bad candidate more attractive to voters.

Gates has no professional, educational or life experiences that would qualify him for a seat on the commission that has regulatory jurisdiction over the state’s oil and gas industry. As we have previously written, Gates merely wants to hold office but has been rejected in every single effort.

The Texas Tribune reports Gates spent $1.9 million in the race, which resulted in getting 28 percent of the vote.

....

Gates’ chief campaign adviser is disgraced State Rep. Jim Keffer (R-Eastland).

From Gates' most recent campaign finance report:

That's only one payment to Murphy-Nasica.  Gates had dozens more.  The only reason we didn't screenshot all of them is because this blog post has already gotten long.

Easily $250k(+) to Murphy-Naiscia.  Just one finance report.  Just one election.

Learn more about Murphy-Nasica here.

--------

Allegations regarding children and "the A word":

We have no specific comment about them.

We weren't there.

But only a fool would overlook them.

Learn more here.

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Old White Dude:

Obviously, you don't want to make candidate decisions based upon identity politics.  In any given election, you're looking for the best candidate.  But that's not to say it's irrelevant.

Over the past decade, a lot has been written about how Ft. Bend County is now the most demographically diverse in the country.

There's nothing inherently wrong with running an old white dude.  It does, however, bring an additional set of challenges.  That being said, when the specific old white dude has the baggage listed above...it doesn't take a genius to see where this goes.

The other two credible Republican candidates were both female and less than a zillion years old.

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Bottom Line: For any other candidate, this runoff would be a slam dunk.  But for a candidate with this much baggage...who knows?!?  Way to go.

Wayne Christian's GLORIOUS response to Schwarzenegger's anti-Oil and Gas Lawsuit

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

By now, we assume you've heard about Arnold Schwarzenegger's dumb lawsuit against the energy industry; well, Wayne Christian's response is pretty epic....

A Hypocritical “Hero”

By Railroad Commissioner Wayne Christian

Arnold Schwarzenegger is undoubtedly best known for his legendary heroics on the silver screen. Covered in mud, he survives the Predator – killing it by exploiting its one weakness. As the Terminator, he protects John Connor from a homicidal shape-shifting machine to save humanity. An unhappy construction worker, he can’t remember who he is, but finally recalls and with his last breath saves thousands of lives by releasing air into the Martian atmosphere.

Like the character he played in Total Recall, Mr. Schwarzenegger must be having a tough time remembering who he is – a former Republican Governor.

In Austin for the South by Southwest festival, he revealed he has hired a team of California lawyers to sue oil and gas companies for “first degree murder” by “knowingly killing people all over the world.” Instead of acting like a Republican, Mr. Schwarzenegger must be trying to play the hero again. The only problem is this isn’t the movies, this is real life, and there is nothing to “save” us from.

Like many of us, Mr. Schwarzenegger had a long commute to work. After he was elected Governor of California, he decided not to move to the Governor’s Mansion at the state capitol in Sacramento, but instead traveled more than 100 miles for seven years from his mansion in Brentwood, Calif.. The only difference: he took a private jet, which cost around $30,000 a roundtrip and impacts the environment about the same amount as a small car does in three years. And when he’s not taking a private jet to work, he’s driving around in a five-ton,12-mile to the gallon Mercedes or going to lunch in a military-grade Hummer.

But now, according to the Governator it’s “absolutely irresponsible” for oil and gas companies to sell their products because they “know [their] product is killing people.” Wait a minute, here. So, it’s okay for oil and gas companies to sell their products to Mr. Schwarzenegger when he needs to fill up his private jet or Hummer, but it’s not okay for them to sell their products to regular folks so they can drive their vehicles to work? This kind of do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do hypocrisy is repulsive and offensive. Mr. Schwarzenegger is not a hero, he’s just another elitist Hollywood hypocrite telling you and me how to best live our lives.

The real heroes are the oil and gas workers – the landman, the roughneck, the petroleum engineer – who wake up every day and go to work to support their families and our way of life. Together, these workers produce around 10 million barrels of oil and 96 billion cubic feet of natural gas each day that fuel our cars, light our homes, and make plastics and many other items we use every day. The industry doesn’t just provide the raw materials to make the things we need – it creates jobs and grows our economy. In 2015, the oil and gas industry supported more than 10 million jobs in the United States with an average salary over $100,000 and contributes more than $1 trillion to our economy every year.

Despite what Mr. Schwarzenegger may think, the story of energy before oil and gas was simple – most work was done by human or animal muscle. This caused the vast majority of the population to live short lives of hard labor in extreme poverty. Before oil and gas were used to power the industrial revolution, the global average life expectancy was only 25 years old with 30 percent of children dying before age 15. During the 1800s, 80 to 90 percent of the population of the United States worked in agriculture and spent 74 percent of family income on food, clothing and shelter. Today, the average person lives more than three times longer than the average person in 1800. This is partly because climate-related deaths, such as starvation or hypothermia, have decreased 98 percent in the United States since the use of oil and gas became widespread at the beginning of the 20th Century.

It’s sad – but Mr. Schwarzenegger has gone from superstar hero to Hollywood hypocrite. On the one hand he routinely uses gas-guzzling jets and cars while on the other he sues oil and gas companies. Given this stunning hypocrisy, I have a question. If oil and gas companies are murderers for selling their ­­­­product, does that make Mr. Schwarzenegger an accessory for being such a good customer?

Wayne Christian defeats Elon Musk

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

Enjoy your serving of chicken fried awesome:

Friends, Today, Congress unveiled their tax-reform package and I was excited to see the elimination of the electric vehicle subsidy in the text of the bill. Earlier this week, I penned a letter (learn more here) to Chairman Kevin Brady and the Texas Delegation encouraging the elimination of this boondoggle that allows for the  government to pay people – through a tax credit program implemented by the IRS – as much as $7,500 to purchase an electric car.  I believe that our tax policies should not pick winners and losers in the market place and certainly shouldn't pay individuals to buy any car – electric or otherwise. At the Railroad Commission, our mission statement asserts we are here to “serve Texas through our support of enhanced development and economic vitality for the benefit of Texans”. This federal subsidy is nothing more than a feel-good tax break for wealthy environmentalists to help them punish the energy industry that powers our state and nation. I’m proud to regulate this important industry, and when necessary defend it from government attacks cloaked in bad policy. I am thankful Congressional leadership has included the elimination of this subsidy in the initial draft of the tax-reform bill and hope it remains in the legislation as it moves through the House and Senate.  For Texas, Wayne Christian Texas Railroad Commissioner

Empower Texans has more here.

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.

2016 continues long-term historical #TXLEGE trend....

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

Here's the short version: In the Senate, Dan Patrick is SUBSTANTIALLY stronger and the Senate has SUBSTANTIALLY more leverage in inter-cameral disputes.  In the House, grassroots insurgents continued making incremental gains, but failed to land the knockout blow that earlier seemed within reach.  This cycle could have been better, but if modest gains every two years is a new baseline, that's also not a terrible place to be.

The most important result of the night was Dawn Buckingham's resounding victory over Susan King. As a Senator, Dawn will be a significant improvement over Troy Fraser.  Likewise, Bryan Hughes will be a major improvement over Kevin Eltife.  For Bryan Hughes to succeed where Susan King failed illustrates, once again, the degree to which Joe Straus carries negative coattails whenever House members try to run for anything else.  Adding Buckingham and Hughes to the mix will enable Dan Patrick to pass quickly a pro-growth, pro-liberty agenda early in the session then hold the line when the inevitable confrontation with the House comes late in the session.

In the House, we have mixed feelings.  Obviously, leadership is likely to return, and that's not a fact to gloss over.  On the other hand, if the best they can do is hold us to incremental gains while enabling a healthy churn in the open seats, that's just not a terrible place to be over the long run.

Consider the following:

• 4 Straus lieutenants got directly popped (Debbie Riddle, Marsha Farney, Doug Miller, and Wayne Smith) between the primary and the runoff.

• 3 more Straus lieutenants retired and were replaced by a substantial upgrade (Jim Keffer, Patricia Harless, and Allan Fletcher) during the primary.

• While we lost 4 seats to leadership (Molly White, Stuart Spitzer, David Simpson, and Scott Turner), that still means +3 for the  grassroots; furthermore, we'd expect the leadership candidates who just won to vote substantially less badly during their first term than the incumbents who just got popped.

• Speaking of leadership candidates voting less badly early in their tenure: There are several seats where incumbent leadership allies are being replaced by freshman leadership allies.  Freshmen leadership allies almost always vote better than longterm incumbent leadership allies.  Even when you don't get everything you want, churn is healthy.

That's our longwinded way of saying we expect there to be fewer "F's" and more "C's" in the House next session.  Obviously, that's frustrating when what you really need are "A's" and "B's."  But C's are still better than F's.

Also, Wayne Christian winning statewide was pretty awesome; we just had to throw that in there!

Bottom Line: We'd expect the 85th to be better than the 84th in a very similar way to how the 84th (for all it's flaws) was still better than the 83rd.  Obviously, it's not where we want to be, but it's still better than where we were.  While we're open to suggestion over how to hasten the process, if the worst case scenario is incremental gains of 5 to 7 seats (across both chambers) every two years, that will eventually get us where we need to go.

2016 Texas Republican Runoff Election: YOUR Conservative/Libertarian Voter Guide!!!

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

With early voting underway in the 2016 Republican Runoff, Cahnman's Musings makes the following endorsements:

STATEWIDE -- Texas Railroad Commission

Wayne Christian:

Read our previous endorsement here; read our endorsement from the 2014 cycle here.

With this race, we have an opportunity to fix the greatest injustice of the 2014 cycle.

Let's take it.


STATEWIDE -- Judicial

Ray Wheless (Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 2):

Read our previous endorsement for Ray Wheless here.

In addition, Judge Wheless won't be a rubber stamp for prosecutors.  That's often a problem in criminal cases.  Judge Wheless' record also suggests he will take a sane and rational approach to low level drug offenses.

While the worst candidate for this seat was eliminated in the first round, we remain unenthusiastic about Judge Wheless' opponent.

Brent Webster (Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 5):

If we can only communicate one message to voters, it's this: The Governor of Wisconsin is NOT running for a judicial position in Texas.

Richard Scott Walker is an unqualified Dallas-based attorney who put his name on the ballot in such a way that it allows him to coast off of the Wisconsin governor's name recognition.  That's the only reason he made the runoff.  It's also worth pointing out that, at least to our knowledge, Walker hasn't spoken to a single grassroots group during this entire campaign.

Brent Webster, by contrast, is an actual attorney with meaningful criminal law experience.  While his background in the Williamson county DA's office makes us nervous, we've gotten to know him over the past few months and are comfortable he will treat defendants with fairness and respect.  FWIW, he's also been endorsed by every conservative group in Texas.

TEXAS SENATE

Bryan Hughes (District 1):

Let's make it official: We're switching sides.

Obviously, we endorsed David Simpson in the first round.  Heck, we gave David money back in December.  But we cannot support David's actions during the runoff.

Since this campaign moved into the runoff, David Simpson has gotten into bed with the Ratliff family.  He's been endorsed by ParentPAC.  His attacks on Ken Paxton were the final straw.

Fortunately, Bryan Hughes also got into this race.  Bryan is a conventional conservative who will vote in a predictable manner.  In the Texas Senate, at this point, a consistent 20th vote is more important than anything else.

This race was always a close call.  Both candidates are good Christian men, but neither is perfect.  Either one will be mostly good on most issues most of the time, and they have both made bewildering decisions over the years.

Nevertheless, at this point, we're just more comfortable with Bryan.

Sometimes you need to swallow your pride and hop in a life boat.  Stubbornly clinging to a sinking ship doesn't help anyone.  Especially when the ship is sinking due to it's own design failures.

Dawn Buckingham (District 24):

Read our previous endorsement of Dawn Buckingham here.








TEXAS HOUSE

The Stickland Six:

Jonathan Stickland is currently supporting the following six House candidates in runoffs:

• Keith Strahan (Liberty, San Jacinto, Walker counties); previously donated.
• John Keating (Collin, Rockwall counties)
• Briscoe Cain (Eastern Harris County)
• Read King (Denton County); previously endorsed.
• Kyle Biedermann (Comal, Gillespie, Kendall counties).

• Cole Hefner (Camp, Morris, Rains, Smith, Titus, Wood counties). 

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION

Mary Lou Bruner (District 9):

We don't agree with Donna Garner on everything, but we do agree with her on issues related to the State Board of Education:

"Texas public school students, parents, and teachers badly need Mary Lou Bruner on the SBOE. Mary Lou is now retired; but she worked for 36 years in the Texas public schools as a teacher, counselor, and educational diagnostician. She knows how children think. She also knows the best ways to help them learn the foundational knowledge and skills that parents want their children to know. Mary Lou will not be fooled by those who want to indoctrinate our Texas children into anti-American thinking nor by those people who see no need for children to learn the basic skills needed for success (e.g., phonics, grammar, usage, spelling, cursive, math facts, etc.)."

The fact that Mary Lou Bruner's election will give both Thomas Ratliff and the so-called Texas "Freedom" Network conniption fits doesn't hurt either.

Empower Texans endorses Wayne Christian!!!

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

Not surprising, but interesting nonetheless:

“Wayne Christian has an established record as a conservative leader and government reformer,” said TFR’s president, Michael Quinn Sullivan. “More importantly, Wayne Christian has practical, hands-on experience dealing directly with energy policy and the issues that the Railroad Commission handles every day.”

....

While serving in the Texas House, Christian earned accolades from many conservative organizations for his leadership on policy matters. He had an A+ rating on the Fiscal Responsibility Index, and earned TFR’s “Taxpayer Champion” award.

“Wayne Christian has worked tirelessly for conservative principles and government reform long before it was fashionable,” added Sullivan. “Texans understand that we need a competent policymaker heading the agency charged with regulating the oil and gas industry. Wayne Christian has proven time and again that he puts protecting taxpayers, and the good of the Texas, as his highest priority.”

Read the whole thing here.

Our Next Round of 2016 Candidate Endorsements

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

[Author's Note: You can read our first round of candidate endorsements here.]

With the 2016 Texas Republican Primary barely two months away, Cahnman's Musings endorses the following candidates:

STATEWIDE -- TEXAS RAILROAD COMMISSION

Wanye Christian:

Among the candidates who filed, this was an easy choice.  We supported Wayne Christian when he ran for Railroad Commission in 2014.  Wayne Christian got hosed in that election and this cycle offers an opportunity to correct that injustice.

[Note: For those unaware, it's worth pointing out that, despite the name, the Texas Railroad Commission is the primary regulator of Texas' Energy Sector.]

UNITED STATES HOUSE

Steve Toth, CD-8:

Steve Toth is a friend of this website (we've gone to Church with the man).  To be honest, we wanted him to run for President.  We're pleased he's FINALLY running for Federal office.

During his time in the Texas House, Steve Toth was a persistent thorn in the side of leadership.  With GOP victory at the Federal level likely, it's important for conservatives to elect rank-and-file members who won't go along to get along.  We won't make any predictions yet about how the U.S. House will operate in 2017, but if a back-bench revolt is necessary, Steve Toth will lead it.

The 10-TERM INCUMBENT is the most liberal Republican in Texas' congressional delegation running in a safe Republican district.  As the sitting chairman of the Federal tax-writing committee, the 10-TERM INCUMBENT will have unlimited backing from the #WashingtonCartel.  Of course, the last time Steve Toth took on a committee chairman with close ties to the Speaker and every lobbyist in town, he won.

TEXAS SENATE

Brent Mayes, SD-24:

We've observed this race for several months.  We've met most of the candidates multiple times.  With C.J. Grisham's departure from the race (and subsequent endorsement), Brent Mayes is the clear conservative choice in this race.

Brent Mayes attended Konni Burton's candidate forum.  Brent Mayes ran for office to get Texas out from under the Federal Government's boot.  Brent Mayes has openly stated his willingness to oppose a Republican President.  Brent Mayes supports Constitutional Carry.  Brent Mayes wants to eliminate film subsidies.

To be honest, there is another candidate in this race we like.  Unfortunately, her background with the Texas Medical Association is a DEALBREAKER.  Vote Brent Mayes.

TEXAS HOUSE (Running for Re-Election)

Molly White, HD-55:

During the 84th #TXLEGE, Molly White gave global jihad a conniption fit.  That, by itself, is reason to support her re-election.  Molly White also voted for Scott Turner for Speaker.

Molly White is a powerful pro-life advocate who has spent years in the trenches of the pro-life movement.  Molly White worked with numerous pro-life non-profits and has stood for life in front of the United Nations.  A former GOP Precinct chair, Molly White was a grassroots activist long before she became a legislator.  Any grassroots activist who stands for life in front of the United Nations is OK in our book.  Pro-life champions like Molly White will, sadly, be necessary until the day Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Molly White is also a taxpayer champion who is no friend of the noxious cronyism that so often pervades the Texas House.

TEXAS HOUSE (Challenger/Open Seat candidates)

Bryan Slaton, HD-2:

Bryan Slaton is running against Dan Flynn; that alone is good reason to support Bryan Slaton.

When Dan Flynn became Joe Straus' hatchet man during the Wallace Hall impeachment fiasco, he earned the enduring enmity of this website.  There was a time when Dan Flynn was one of the stronger conservatives in the legislature, but over the years he's drifted closer to leadership.  All things considered, Dan Flynn is a strong case for term limits.

Bryan Slaton, by contrast, is one of the hardest working grassroots activists in this state.  During the 84th #TXLEGE, Bryan Slaton was a regular presence at the Capitol.  As a strong across the board conservative with the a work ethic to match, Bryan Slaton will be a welcome addition to the Texas House of Representatives.

Larry Smith, HD-54:

Of all the Candidates we've heard speak this cycle, Larry Smith might be the most impressive.

A ten-year veteran, Larry Smith came to the Kileen area during his military career and settled there after he retired.  Larry Smith wants to lead the diversification of the area's economy.  In an era of uncertainty surrounding the defense budget, relying upon Ft. Hood is an unsafe bet.

One final note: Larry Smith is committed to education reform where the money follows the child, not the bureaucrat; considering that this is the seat from which [Straus' education chair] Jimmie Don Aycock is retiring, electing a pro-school choice candidate in this seat would be particularly sweet.

Read King, HD-64:


Similar to Bryan Slaton, Read King is an extremely hard-working grassroots activist.  During this past legislative session, Read King was such a regular presence at the Capitol that we'd thought he'd temporarily moved down.  Turns out he was commuting to Austin from Denton.

Read King is a home school dad.  Read King is a Republican precinct chair and has been a delegate to several state conventions.  We will overlook the fact that he is also (*SHUDDER*) an Aggie.

In 2014, Read King came close to knocking off the incumbent; in 2016, this is an open seat.

Double Check Your Ballot: A Cautionary Tale

The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,
But diligence is man’s precious possession.
Proverbs 12:27

We voted this morning in East Austin; disaster nearly struck:

We almost voted for Ryan Sitton.

The names on the ballot were listed in all listed in alphabetical order.  In the other three races, we voted for the guy listed second (*).  We continued that pattern in the last race.

But here's the thing: alphabetically, Sitton comes after Christian.

Fortunately, we caught the mistake and fixed it before casting our ballot; but it was a dangerous, sloppy mistake.

Learn from our mistake, don't repeat it.

We've worked too hard and come too far: double check your ballots.

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* - If you know how to read between the lines, there's also a big fat hint about how we voted in the Lite Guv race in that statement.

On Rick Perry Endorsing McConnell

"...bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do."
Colossians 3:13

Last week, Rick Perry made a disappointing endorsement; having reflected a few days, we've reached a decision:

We don't care.

This isn't the first race where we've disagreed with Rick Perry.  It won't be the last.  But we also remember when he endorsed Wayne Christian in 2012.  Over 14 years in office, Rick Perry has made some outstanding endorsements.  And boy, did he ever get the recent Texas Supreme Court primary correct.

Besides, in the grand scheme of things, replacing Bill Powers is more important than replacing Mitch McConnell.

Rick Perry remains the best governor in America.  He remains the patron saint of the Texas Model.  A disappointing endorsement in an out of state race won't change that.

Republican Primary Statewide Endorsement List

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."
Hosea 4:6

We hadn't intended to post a statewide candidate list.  Enough people have asked us to do so, however, that we humbly oblige.   We are flattered and honored that you value our opinion.

Governor:  Greg Abbott

This is the easiest call on the list.  Rick Perry has been, on net, an outstanding Governor.  Greg Abbott has been a critical ally.  Where they differ, the differences favor Abbott.  While we urge Abbott to be much more confrontational with the legislature, maintaining the status quo Rick Perry bequeaths is already a big win.

Lt. Governor:  NO ENDORSEMENT.

Attorney General:  Ken Paxton (previously endorsed).

Continuing to nurse hurt feelings over something that happened three years ago, during a different era in Tea Party history, is insane; Vote Ken Paxton.

Comptroller:  Debra Medina

This is the toughest call of the 2014 cycle.  In our view, Debra Medina is the candidate whose natural talents align closest with the duties of comptroller.  As Texas' chief financial officer, the Comptroller deals with money.  A long time Ron Paul confidant, Medina has a knack for fiscal policy we've always admired.  We expect Medina to be a gigantic pain in the ass to a lot of people who deserve one.

That being said, many people we know and respect support Glenn Hegar.  That's fine, Glenn Hegar is a good man who was very helpful behind the scenes.  If he wins, he will perform solidly.

Unlike Debra Medina, there is an actual Joe Straus lieutenant in this race.  Cahnman's Musings would prefer not to help build his name recognition or website traffic.  Empower Texans has everything you need to know here.

Land Commissioner:  David Watts Jr.

The current Land Commissioner has abused his office in a way that makes it impossible to support his campaign for Lt. Gov.  David Watts Jr. is the only candidate to address this abuse.  While we're discussing this race, Cahnman's Musings has also had enough of politicians named George Bush, thank you very much.

Agriculture Commissioner:  Sid Miller

Sid Miller isn't perfect.  Unfortunately, the alternatives are a buffoon, a Democrat, or Tommy Merritt.  We reserve the right to support Kinky Friedman in the general.

Railroad Commissioner: Wayne Christian

Despite the name, the Texas Rail Road Commission is the primary regulator of Texas booming energy sector.  To be honest, we wanted Wayne Christian to run for U.S. Senate, but he's running for Railroad Commission instead.  As commissioner, Wayne Christian will protect fracking and anger the business as usual crowd.

U.S. Senate: Steve Stockman (previously endorsed)

Last week, John Cornyn re-enforced everything we knew.  While good people disagree on the best alternative, the objective this round is only to hold Cornyn under 50%.  Personally, we believe Steve Stockman is a pest similar to (retired NHL star) Esa Tikkannen, which is exactly what the U.S. Senate needs.

Texas Supreme Court: Re-elect ALL incumbents

This is the Jeremiah 17:9 race of this cycle.

Over the past two months, there's been a Democrat-financed whisper campaign against incumbent Texas Supreme Court Justices Nathan Hecht, Phil Johnson, and Jeff Brown.  Cahnman's Musings was offered this story as an exclusive last December.  We were astonished when the person who fed us this story admitted the purpose was to embarrass Rick Perry.

Fortunately, the truth has emerged.  Anyone who supports the challengers is, at best, a useful idiot for Steve Mostyn. It's a shame certain people chose to permanently tarnish thier credibility.

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Cahnman's Musings also encourages readers to do their own homework regarding candidates closer to home; off the top of our head, we know readers in Bexar, Dallas, and Tarrant counties have local primaries with statewide implications.

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Those are our primary endorsements, take the or leave them.

Anatomy of a Bogus Attack

"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."
Exodus 20:16

Cahnman's Musings understands that it's primary season.  We understand tempers will flare.  People will say things they later regret. But certain attacks need to be stopped dead in their tracks.  The latest slander against YCT is one of them.

Writing at Big Jolly Politics, David Jennings invents a "controversy":

Young Conservatives of Texas enter pay-to-play world

Sounds super-shady; Jennings then lists donations to YCT's PAC from YCT endorsed candidates.

Unfortunately, the dates don't match.

• On October 23 of last year YCT endorsed Glenn Hegar.for Comptroller (over, it should be noted, a YCT alum).  According to Jennings, Hegar's campaign gave YCT $7000 on January 22.  For those of you keeping score at home, that's three months later.

• On October 28, YCT endorsed Wayne Christian for Railroad Commissioner.  The corresponding "pay for play" transaction occurred on January 14.  Again, that's two and a half months later.

• On November 11, YCT endorsed Sid Miller for Ag. Commissioner.  Miller then gave YCT $7000 on January 14.  Once again, that's over two months later.

• On December 19, YCT endorsed Dan Patrick for Lt. Gov.  Patrick gave YCT $7000 on January 14.  Again, that's nearly a month later.

• It's also worth noting that YCT has endorsed Ken Paxton for Attorney General but, at least according to Jennings, they haven't received a dime in return.

In each case, YCT endorsed a candidate who has widespread (though not necessarily universal) support among grassroots conservatives.  That a few endorsed candidates, after the fact, donated a miniscule sum (by campaign standards) to the group isn't notable.  Such donations typically help cover incidental expenses like printing and transportation.

The key to 'pay for play' is that pay comes first; anyone who gives away the play before they get paid is, at a minimum, not very good at pay for play.

But why let facts get in the way of a lazy narrative....

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Update: Steve Toth adds his two cents....

Steve Toth Sorry Joe Sager, you're wrong on Young Conservatives of Texas. Show me where they've taken money from candidates and in turn endorsed them. They've endorsed my campaign twice and I've never given them a dime. They've endorsed the vast majority of the folks in the House who score in the mid to high 90's with TFR and haven't given them any money at all. Can't argue with the rest of what you've said though. All the best!

about an hour ago · Unlike · 1

Protecting "God's Gift of Oil and Gas"

Wayne Christian releases his first campaign ad:



Highlights:

• The Railroad Commission is responsible for "the Gift of Oil and Gas God has Given us."

• Started pumping Gas at "Daddy's fillin' Station": "I literally started at the bottom of the industry!"

• Vote for "the only Christian on the ballot!"

Could Pat Gray successfully challenge John Cornyn?!?

On tonight's television broadcast, Glenn Beck vowed to find a primary challenger to John Cornyn; this gives us an idea:

How about Pat?!?

One thing Glenn Beck will discover, if he's serious about finding a challenger to Cornyn, is that none of the obvious candidates wants to run:

• We asked Louie Gohmert last summer (at Restoring Love): he said no.

• We asked Rafael Cruz in April: he said he was too old.

• We asked Wayne Christian in June: he's running for the railroad commission.

• We asked Katrina Pierson in July: she's running against Pete Sessions, which is a good thing because she's got at least a 50/50 chance to win.

• We haven't personally spoken to Ron Paul, but a source who shall remain anonymous told us he wasn't interested in this race the same day we posted the blog linked above.

 All of the folk listed above have been asked, all have said no.

Which brings us back to Pat.

Pat would enter this race with instant credibility.  Freedomworks already sponsors the radio show and, knowing Freedomworks as we do, we strongly suspect they'd endorse him.  There's your fundraising.

If Glenn Beck is serious about finding a challenger to John Cornyn, he can do a lot worse than the guy sitting next to him during the radio show.

Would Wayne Christian Challenge Senator John Cornyn?!?

It's not a secret that Cahnman's Musings would like to see a primary challenge to Senator John Cornyn; the question is who will do it.  We've proposed having Senator Ted Cruz's father Rafael and Tea Party Superstar Katrina Pierson take this challenge.  Today, we have another idea.

How about former Texas State Rep. Wayne Christian?!?

The most important thing for grassroots Texans to understand about Wayne Christian is that the leadership of the Texas State House hates his guts; in fact, they hate him so much that they redistricted him out of his seat in 2011.

In other words, Wayne Christian already has a long record of confronting clowns on the Republican side of the aisle; willingness to confront Republican 'leadership' is one of the biggest things we need more of in Washington.

Similar to Katrina, Wayne Christian would enter this race with credibility and name recognition.  He's been through the ringer before, so he knows how to run a general election campaign.  If Wayne Christian had skeletons in his closet, Joe Straus would have dug them up by now.

As we wrote back in April:

John Cornyn is a nice guy.  That's the problem.  Nice guys like John Cornyn, who lack the internal fortitude to defeat this President (or any potential 2016 successor), are why the Republican party keeps finishing last.  John Cornyn voted for TARP.  John Cornyn voted for the 2011 Debt Ceiling deal.  John Cornyn voted for the Fiscal Cliff Senators never improve in third terms.

 Someone needs to step up, preferably someone with campaign experience; Wayne Christian would be a darn good choice.

Wayne Christian: Personal Observations and the YCT

Former Texas State Rep. Wayne Christian's latest newsletter has some worthwhile observations:

I believe Texas is regressing, whether under Republican or Democratic control, to a larger, more imposing government. Many throw out conservative “soundbites” and hide behind legislative issues that “frankly” in Texas are honored by most R and D voters alike. For example, gun rights and anti-abortion issues are two topics that a majority of Republicans and Democrats stand united. It is also easy to find legislatures who pass multiple “conservative anti-federal” resolutions, which while making for good “bragging rights” have no actual legal authority.

....

Here are a few additional personal observations that I have made over the past 14 years in the Texas House, which might help explain why your issues and concerns aren’t being treated quite in the manner you’d expect.:

1.      Neither “Party” is working primarily to accomplish the desires and beliefs of the citizens through winning issues and legislation. Both Republican and Democratic Parties are working to win elections for WHOEVER carries their label in the elections, regardless of their beliefs! Which technically, is not “wrong” unless they have lead citizens to believe otherwise.

2.      There are several multi-million dollar “groups”  composed of qualified, conservative intellects whose job it is to create studies, research, literature, debate topics and more, all in hopes to further the conservative effort. This would be highly beneficial if there was an added program within or related to each group to put their data into action. However, they have NO “real” dedicated programs or methods to actually attain legislative victories or in any way apply their valid conclusions.
While I do believe, their work is commendable and extremely valuable these groups hide (much as many churches do) behind the tax law and claim, “we would lose our tax status if we actually became involved in specific party politics or issues.” So, the facts you read about from various groups and institutions are just that, facts, but remain incomplete without enacted legislation. I guess that does at least prove one old saying wrong when considering government:  Talk ain’t necessarily cheap!

3.      So, why are we not seeing the benefit of the costly research done within each group? Because, any group, legislator, or individual who attempts to debate, organize, or inform voters to achieve the goals articulated in these studies may pay the perilous penalty of being “cast out” of the Capital!Therefore, creating a vicious cycle of:
A) Voters voting for the candidate who will hopefully fight for and win their particular cause or issue, but then…
B) We have Legislators who justify their less than aggressive stance in the legislature by using the debatable argument that they can accomplish more in office, than being ousted by fighting or challenging the goals of “leadership.” This is truly a sad and messy conflict of which most constituents are unaware.

Cahnman's Musings concurs with that last point; in that spirit, Wayne Christian endorses a new effort to translate principles into action:

Thus, it is with great pride I endorse the Young Conservatives of Texas’ new website and issues posting. These “young” conservatives act independently and boldly to expose and stand for true conservative issues, regardless of powerful opposition. This current session, Young Conservatives of Texas (YCT) have been one of few conservative voices making a real difference in the Texas Capitol. Last week, YCT released a finalized version of their new website designed to make legislators vote conservatively. The website: vote.yct.org contains over 500 bills and tells legislators ahead of time whether the bill is supported or opposed. The idea is to encourage legislators to push these bills out of committee and to the floor for a vote. With the bills specifically named, there is no excuse for Representatives and Senators to vote wrong on these important bills.

 This is a welcome development heading into the last six weeks of the 83rd Legislature.