Texas Statewide Races (Top 3)

It may seem crazy that the 2014 political season is already upon us, but the fact remains that it is. The Texas GOP will have several contested races for statewide positions. There's always the possibility that someone else will jump in, but at this point, anyone not already running is pretty far behind. I will address the top three statewide races here (Yes, I am ignoring the Democrats):

GOVERNOR:

This race is Greg Abbott's to lose, but keep in mind that 2012 brought us a Senate race that was David Dewhurt's to lose, and he did. I have known Attorney General Abbott and his main opponent, Tom Pauken, for several years. I met both of them through my association with Baylor's Young Conservatives of Texas chapter. I supported Pauken in his 1998 bid for Texas Attorney General, and I have supported General Abbott in his statewide races since 1996. To me, the Texas Republican Party would be proud to have either of these men as the nominee, and the State of Texas would be well-served by either one.

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR:

I used to like David Dewhurst. No, really, I did. However, I supported Ted Cruz in the 2012 Senate race, and Dewhurst lost even more of my respect with his gross mishandling of the last day of the first 2013 Texas Legislative Special Session. His attempt to use his influence to get a family member out of jail didn't help, either. Dewhurst is facing three serious challengers: Jerry Patterson, Todd Staples, and Dan Patrick. Any of these three would be an improvement. I have known Jerry Patterson the longest time, but at the moment, I remain undecided.

ATTORNEY GENERAL:

With Greg Abbott seeking the Governor's mansion, this position is up for grabs. Three men have announced: Dan Branch, Ken Paxton, and Barry Smitherman. Smitherman was just elected to a full term on the Railroad commission in 2012. Branch is a State Representative and is far too chummy with Texas Speaker of the House, Joe Straus for my tastes. Paxton is a State Senator, and is my pick here. Smitherman has the advantage of having won a statewide race before, but Ken Paxton is the type of man I would like to see in the AG's office.

2012 Texas GOP Convention Report, Part 2

The Platform

I am sure that there are other areas of disagreement about the Texas Republican Platform, but it seemed like the only plank people wanted to argue about was the one on Immigration.  The new plank in its entirety read:

The Texas Solution – Because of decades-long failure of the federal government to secure our borders and address the immigration issue, there are now upwards of 11 million undocumented individuals in the United States today, each of whom entered and remain here under different circumstances.  Mass deportation of these individuals would neither be equitable nor practical; while blanket amnesty, as occurred with the Simpson-Mazzoli Act of 1986, would only encourage future violations of the law.  We seek common ground to develop and advance a conservative, market- and law-based approach to our nation’s immigration issues by following these principles:

1. Secure Our Borders – The U.S. Border must be secured immediately!  We demand the application of effective, practical and reasonable measures to secure our borders and to bring safety and security for all Americans along the border and throughout the nation.

2. Modernize the United States Social Security Card – We support the improvement of our 1936 Social Security card to use contemporary anti-counterfeit technology. The social security card will not be considered a National ID card for U.S. citizens.

3. Birthright Citizenship – We call on the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches of the United States to clarify Section 1 of the 14th amendment to limit citizenship by birth to those born to a citizen of the United States with no exceptions.

4. Create an Effective and Efficient Temporary Worker Program – A national Temporary Worker Program should be implemented to bring skilled and unskilled workers into the United States for temporary periods of time when no U.S. workers are currently available.  The program should also require:

• Self-funding through participation fees and fines;
• Applicants must pass a full criminal background check;
• Applicants with prior immigration violations would only qualify for the program if they paid the appropriate fines;
• Applicants and/or Employers must prove that they can afford and/or secure private health insurance;
• Applicants must waive any and all rights to apply for financial assistance from any public entitlement programs;
• Applicant must show a proficiency in the English language and complete an American civic class;
• Temporary Workers would only be able to work for employers that deduct and match payroll taxes;
• All participants would be issued an individual Temporary-Worker Biometric Identification Card that tracks all address changes and both civil and criminal court appearances as a defendant.

This approach closely follows the suggestions of Newt Gingrich this year and Mike Huckabee four years ago.  It is within the mainstream of Republican thought and in no way paves the way for Amnesty now or in the future for those who have entered our nation illegally.

A softened approach to those who are already here (and who are being as productive as they can be in the shadow economy that is necessary for their survival) coupled with a commitment to securing the border is the most rational approach going forward.  I commend the Platform Committee and the Delegates who approved the new language overwhelmingly.

There are those who will claim that this language was slipped through because we didn't get to the Platform on the floor until late into the evening on Friday.  However, a reasonable analysis should lead to the conclusion that the vast majority of those opposed to the new plank would have been especially motivated to return for the 9:00 p.m. session.  Even so, the Texas Solution was approved by roughly a 2 to 1 margin of those present and voting.  I believe that if the entire delegation had been present, the ratio would have been closer to 3 or 4 to 1 in favor.

Maybe, just maybe, the Republican Party can stop antagonizing hispanic voters.  If we don't, the future of the Party in Texas will begin to look bleaker and bleaker.

2012 Texas GOP Convention Report, Part 1

There are so many things I could talk about relating to this year's Texas Republican Convention.  These thoughts will be somewhat random and will appear over the next several posts.

I was nominated by by State Republican Executive Committeeman (SREC), John Cook, to serve on the Temporary Rules Committee.  This meant that I was involved in the meetings that went on before the Convention actually opened on Thursday.  I was supposed to be there Monday at noon, but because of some mis-communication, I wasn't aware I had actually been appointed to the Committee.  I finally got there Tuesday afternoon, which was early enough to be involved in the discussion about most of the substantive rules.  I found myself on the minority side of a 22-9 vote on an issue that I felt pretty strongly about.  It was, and still is, my opinion that the then existing rule caused our Party to violate a provision of the Texas Election Code.  There are 31 Senate Districts in Texas.  Each one has a Caucus at the State Convention.  At the first meeting of that Caucus, each SD elects representatives for each of the Permanent Committees (Rules, Platform, Credentials, State Nominations).  I was elected without opposition, so I got to return to carry on with our work.  Four of our colleagues from the Temporary Committee had been defeated at their Caucuses.  After a few tweaks to allay some of the concerns from folks who had been on the Temporary Committee, the proposed rule change was presented again.  This time, my side was in the majority 17-14.  I was thrilled that we made the change to allow us to comply with the law.  I was flabbergasted that 14 people were more worried about practicalities and potential power plays than with complying with the law.

The major changes to the rules took out the term limits for Texas' members of the Republican National Committee; changed the procedure for the State Convention (the one I mentioned above); and eliminated one round for which our Delegates to the National Convention will remain bound to their pledged candidate.  The Ron Paul supporters had wanted us to change that rule to make our Delegates completely unbound at the National Convention.  First, even if we had, it would not have applied this year.  Second, there was no way we were willing to do that.  I'm not sure who in the room was actually fond of Mitt Romney, but none of us were willing to undermine the will of the majority of those who voted in the Texas Republican Primary.

The obligatory "catching up" post

It truly shocked me to see that I had not blogged since December 2010 (and that wasn't a real entry).  I blame Facebook.

Since my last real post, several things have happened.

Most importantly, my fifth daughter, Claire, was born in December 2010.

For those who followed my posts about marathon training, you should be pleased to learn that I did, indeed, complete the 2010 Dallas White Rock Marathon.  I also completed the 2011 Rock and the 2012 OKC Memorial Marathon.  I am currently training for the 2012 NYC ING Marathon in November.

I lost my job at the Dallas DA's Office at the end of 2010 and spent a few months trying to find a new job before deciding to open my own solo law practice.

My weight loss journey started back up again last fall.  During marathon training in 2010, I had lost 20 pounds.  When I took a few months off before kicking it back up in 2011, I had gained 10 of that back.  I thought I would be able to lose that 10 again just as easily as I had the year before, but it was not to be.  In fact, over the first 3 1/2 months of training last year, I gained 3 pounds to get back up to 250.  In September, I downloaded the MyFitnessPal app for my phone and started tracking my daily caloric intake and burn.  I got down as low as 193 in April.  Right now, I'm back up a little because I haven't been as diligent as I need to be.

So, what inspired my return to this corner of the blogosphere?  I was a Delegate to the 2012 Texas Republican Convention last week.  Although I am not particularly thrilled with who wound up as the GOP Presidential nominee this year (sorry to my Ron Paul supporting friends, it really is a done deal at this point), the convention (as tiring as it was) renewed my enthusiasm for politics.  Thus, you can expect a decidedly political focus going forward.  That's not to say that I won't mention other things, but politics will be the primary subject.

Kaufman County Politics

Before the February 16th opening of early voting, I will post my opinions on the various contested races in Kaufman County and Precinct 2. I won't opine regarding the Precinct 4 Commissioner's race.

I reserve the right to restrict the comments to the political posts. I won't let my blog become a forum for the candidates and/or their supporters to campaign.

I am likely to make some people unhappy with my opinions, but I've decided the time has come to speak up without fear of alienating certain people.

Long, Strange Trip

I can't explain why I haven't updated here since April. Let's blame it on Facebook.

Life has been through many twists and turns over the past 9 months.

To keep it short:

Work is still work.

I won an acting award for my performance in Suessical: the Musical as Best Actor in a Featured Role at the Awards Gala for Kaufman County Civic Theatre.

I decided to run for District Attorney in my county, and then at the last minute I had to drop out because of a work-related issue.

As a result of my candidacy, I missed an opportunity to appear on "Jeopardy!" I can only hope that now that I'm no longer a candidate, they will give me another shot. This is only the latest installment in this saga. You can read a brief account of my Jeopardy! Tale of Woe.

I've gained a little weight, but not so much that it's depressing.

I don't do New Year's Resolutions, but I have decided to get in shape and prepare to Run the Rock in December 2010.

2008 Presidential Election Prediction

After I did so well four years ago, I hesitate to put my prognostication skills to the test again, but here goes:

I foresee a win for Senator Obama, but not by nearly the margin that many predict. I have Obama winning 22 states plus the District of Columbia. That means Senator McCain will win more states (28) but they won't be the right ones to get him to 270 Electoral Votes. I have Obama at 273 EVs and McCain at 265. I believe the most EVs Obama will get is 291

If McCain does not win Virginia, I believe it's all over. I have never believed the possibility of flipping Pennsylvania, so McCain must win VA/FL/NC/OH/IN. Then, he has to pull out Colorado because I think New Mexico is a lost cause.

Here are the states I am calling for Obama with their Electoral Votes in parentheses:

California (55)
Colorado (9)
Connecticut (7)
Delaware (3)
District of Columbia (3)
Hawaii (4)
Iowa (7)
Illinois (21)
Maine (4)
Maryland (10)
Massachusetts (12)
Michigan (17)
Minnesota (10)
New Hampshire (4)
New Jersey (15)
New Mexico (5)
New York (31)
Oregon (7)
Pennsylvania (21)
Rhode Island (4)
Vermont (3)
Washington (11)
Wisconsin (10)

Initial Debate Reaction

John McCain needs to talk to the camera and not directly to Jim Lehrer.

His looking off to the right is off-putting.

Barack Obama sure does stammer a lot and uses the verbal filler "uh" too much.

Is this the change he means?

Take a gander at this picture taken in the Houston Barack Obama Volunteer office.



Just in case you aren't up on your Communist iconography, that's the national flag of Communist Cuba with the image of Che Guevara superimposed on it.


The image is a screen capture from the video located HERE.

Yet Another Reason I Like Mike (Huckabee)

At the California GOP debate at the Ronald Reagan Library, the last question was asked of all 4 participants. "Would Ronald Reagan endorse you for President?" Governor Huckabee was fortunate to get the final word of the evening, and this is what he said:

I think it would be incredibly presumptuous and even arrogant for me to try to suggest what Ronald Reagan would do, that he would endorse any of us against the others.

Let me just say this, I'm not going to pretend he would endorse me. I wish he would. I would love that, but I endorse him, and I'm going to tell you why.

It wasn't just his specific policies, but Ronald Reagan was something more than just a policy wonk. He was a man who loved this country, and he inspired this country to believe in itself again.

What made Ronald Reagan a great president was not just the intricacies of his policies, though they were good policies. It was that he loved America and saw it as a good nation and a great nation because of the greatness of its people.

And if we can recapture that, that's when we recapture the Reagan spirit. It's that spirit that has a can-do attitude about America's futures and that makes us love our country whether we're Democrats or Republicans. And that's what I believe Ronald Reagan did -- he brought this country back together and made us believe in ourselves.

And whether he believes in us, I hope we still believe in those things which made him a great leader and a great American.

Those, my friends, are the words of a true Statesman.

Republicans and Limited Government

To hear some Republican establishment types, the raison d'etre of the G.O.P. is to reduce the size of the Federal Government. This has been the basis for some of the criticism of Mike Huckabee in the Presidential race. The truth is that the only candidate with any credibility on this issue is Ron Paul.

And just how many of those establishment types are supporting Ron Paul?

Exactly!

So, the next time you hear this attack aimed at Huckabee, you can ignore it because you know it's insincere.

Right Wing Nation

I used to be able to post comments at Right Wing Nation with no problem, but apparently I committed the mortal sin of defending Mike Huckabee over there, so now I'm on "administrator must approve" status.

So much for the free exchange of ideas.

The offending comment was made on this post. After rightwingprof's response, I pointed out that his calling Huckabee a "a soft on crime socialist who spits in the faces of crime victims" is no different from those who attack by calling John McCain, MCSHAMNESTYMCCAIN! And that was the type of attack that he was condemning in the original post.

People don't like it when their hypocrisy is exposed.

UPDATE: Now, he's calling me an amoral idiot. Yup, really bringing the level of discourse up over there. Really avoiding the ideological nonsense he was condemning.

Hello kettle, this is the pot . . .

Fracture

Just wondering:

Why is Mike Huckabee accused of trying to fracture the so-called Republican coalition, but Giuliani, Romney, & McCain aren't?

Social Conservatives' values are ignored by Giuliani, belittled by McCain, and pandered to by Romney.

When less than desirable candidates from a social conservative perspective are nominated (Bush '92 & Dole '96 spring immediately to mind), values voters are told that we have an obligation to support the Republican Party because the Democrats are much worse. That may be true, but it's no less fracturing than Huckabee would be in asking fiscal conservatives to come along for the ride this year. In fact, I believe that fiscal conservatives have far less to fear from Huckabee than social conservatives would have to fear from Rudy, John, or Mitt.

After all, Huckabee is the only candidate proposing to completely do away with Corporate Income Taxes.

And personal income taxes, and estate taxes, gift taxes, social security taxes, medicare taxes, self-employment taxes, and capital gains taxes.

Republican Debate: Final Assessment

Thompson disappeared in the final segment.

Final Grades:

Thompson B+
Giuliani B+
Huckabee B
McCain B-
Romney C+

The focus group was completely opposite me on First and Last. They liked Romney most and Thompson least.

They thought Huckabee's first response was weak and waffling.

The focus group thinks Romney can beat Obama. They are deluded.

This woman just said "He speaks off the cuff and is very, very well-versed." I don't think she even understood that her statement was internally contradictory.

Republican Debate: Closing Arguments

Why are you the candidate to beat the Democrat?

Giuliani: I've fought the battles and gotten things done. Has worked successfully with Republicans and Democrats

Thompson: Only one at the table who has never lost an election. National Security, tax cuts, balanced budgets, good judges, pro-life. Has the courage to speak the truth to the American people.

Huckabee: Lived a life like most people live. Believes in lower taxes, lower spending, pro-life, Second Amendment, Experience in governing and practical problem-solving.

Romney: "I got in the race because my family told me I oughta." I know how to draw on the American spirit. I will work to change Washington.

McCain: We need leadership, and I bring the experience and the knowledge necessary to make the decisions. Will reach out to Independents.

Republican Debate: McCain's Age

McCain will not pledge not to seek re-election. He's exactly right. Making that pledge would make him a lame duck from Day 1.

Huckabee took the opportunity to compliment McCain.

Republican Debate: Giuliani Scandals

Giuliani admits some mistakes, but points out that some of the attacks that have been made against him were shown to be untrue in the New York Times. He just wished it hadn't appeared on page 39.

He had a good line that if anyone hasn't made any mistakes, then that person probably hasn't ever done anything.

Republican Debate: Flip-Flopping

Romney tries to put the best face on his flip-flops. He says that yes he changed his opinions on some things. Then, he turns around and fires off his litany of negative attacks on Huckabee.

Republican Debate: Negative Campaigning

They showed clips of two of Romney's attack ads against Huckabee and McCain.

Huckabee echoed something I've said, that people want to vote FOR somebody and not AGAINST somebody.

Romney claims his ads are not attack ads. I think the voters in Iowa told us differently. Romney recited his tired line about not touching his hair. Can this man be any more plastic?

Republican Debate: Second Break Assessment

Whew, that Immigration section was painful.

Interim Grades:

Thompson A-
Huckabee B
Giuliani B
McCain B-
Romney C+