Six days to the election, and I’ve spent most of the night handing out candy. Six days until we choose to follow the successful Texas Red State path of low taxes and limited government, or the failing Blue State California path of bankruptcy and bigger government.
Texas vs. California: Halloween 2012 Edition
October 31st, 2012LinkSwarm for October 30, 2012
October 30th, 2012I was going to have an insightful, data-filed post on the Texas 23rd Congressional district race, but then I realized that the Los Angeles Times data I was relying on flipped at least one bit of information (NRA-ILA is doing independent expenditures against Pete Gallego, not against Rep. Francisco “Quico” Canseco), which means I can’t trust the rest. Super executive summary: Canseco has a huge cash on-hand advantage, $785,623 to $23,250, but assuming the other LA Times numbers are right, the independent expenditure race is a lot closer to even.
Now on to a LinkSwarm a week before the election:
Tough Race to Replace Ron Paul in U.S. 14th Congressional District
October 29th, 2012When I looked over the new redistricting numbers, the Texas U.S. Congressional seat that leapt out at me as the most competitive was Rep Francisco “Quico” Canseco’s CD23, a swing seat which got minimal Republican reinforcement during redistricting. But right now I’m feeling better about that one. (Hopefully more on that topic in the next day or two.)
Right now the seat that worries me most is CD 14, Ron Paul’s old seat, where the Democrats are making a hard run to snag an upset in what looks to be a very down year for them both statewide and nationally.
Going off of Obama’s 2008 vote, the district got 9% less Republican in redistricting. The old 14th went 66% for McCain, the new one only 57%. That’s still a considerable advantage, but not necessarily an insurmountable one.
Moreover, in Nicholas Valentino “Nick” Lampson of Beaumont, the Democratic party has actually found a reasonably popular local politician with qualifying experience in Congress (including one term in Tom DeLay’s old seat). National Democrats have had this seat painted as a takeover target all year. Lampson’s FEC report includes a number of Texas lawyers and some out-of-state juice, including ACTBLUE, the Professional Airways Specialists PAC, and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Campaign Assistance Fund. (And who knows how much soft money will be spent on behalf of Lampson by outside groups this cycle?) The Lampson campaign was also one of two TX CD campaigns that flew in Bill Clinton for a campaign appearance. An internal Lampson poll released in August showed a very close race (usual internal poll caveats apply).
The Republican nominee, Randy Weber, is a two-term State Rep. Unlike Lampson, Weber had a crowded primary and a runoff to contend with, which ate up significant funds.
That Roll Call piece says that Lampson has $422,000 in cash on hand, while Weber only had $55,000. However, looking at the actual FEC numbers, updated in October 17 filings, it doesn’t seem quite so bad, with Lampson having $151,218 cash on hand compared to Weber’s $83,617.
Weber has serious (if largely expected) Republican endorsements, including Ron Paul, Rick Perry, Greg Abbott and Nolan Ryan. Ted Cruz had a joint campaign appearance with Weber today.
If you’re looking for a Texas race where your last minute donation can have the most effect, the Randy Weber campaign is a good choice.
Barack Obama Stands Down Throughout History
October 27th, 2012“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers
For he today that stands down with me
on Crispian’s day shall be my brother”
— King Obama V, October 24, 1415, the day before the English surrender at Agincourt
“Come and take it. No, really, come and take this cannon off our hands. It’s just cluttering up the place. We’ll just stand down while you haul it away.”
— Colonel John Henry Obama, commander of Texas forces at Gonzales, before handing over the town’s cannon to Francisco de Castaneda, October 2, 1835, ending the Texas Rebellion
TO PRESIDENT OBAMA STOP
FROM FT SUMTER STOP
UNDER BOMBARDMENT BY REBELS STOP
REQUEST PERMISSION TO COUNTERATTACK STOP
TO FT SUMTER STOP
FROM PRESIDENT OBAMA STOP
STAND DOWN STOP
STRIKE COLORS STOP
SURRENDER FORT STOP
— Telegram exchange, April 12, 1861, a month before the United States government recognized the Confederate States of America.
General George S. Patton, Commander, U.S. 3rd Army: Request permission to relieve 101st Airborne surrounded by Germans at Bastogne.
General Dwight D. Obama, Supreme Commander, Allied Forces in Europe: Attack two German armored divisions? That’s just nuts! Stand down.
— Field message exchange December 23, 1944, three weeks before the Roosevelt-Hitler Peace Treaty was signed
Gen. Douglas MacArthur: Pusan perimeter now stable. Request permission to launch Inchon landing under Operation Chromite.
President Harry Obama: There’s no way we can defeat so many red Chinese. Stand down, withdraw from Pusan, and evacuate all U.S. personnel from the Korean peninsula.
— Message exchange, September 8, 1950
Gen. William F. Garrison, Commander UNOSOM II: Two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters have crashed in central Mogadishu following raid on Aidid compound. Request permission to send rescue force in to retrieve survivors.
President William Jefferson Obama: Stand down. Our troops could never hope to survive such a hostile urban combat environment. We’ll just have to leave those men behind.
— Message exchange, October 3, 1994, three days before the American withdrawal from Somalia
“Democrat of the Year” Convicted of Stealing Money From Mentally Handicaped Elderly Woman
October 27th, 2012If you put this in a novel, the editor would reject it for the symbolism being too heavy-handed.
Estelle Carson, the Denver woman named the “Jefferson County Democrat of the Year,” has been convicted of stealing money from an elderly woman with physical and mental disabilities.
“A Jefferson County jury on Thursday convicted Carson of identity theft and theft from an at-risk person, both felonies, according to Pam Russell, spokeswoman for the district attorney. Carson, 67, is scheduled to be sentenced in December.”
And what was so vitally important that Carson had to steal money from the handicapped?
“Carson, who met the victim last year, wrote three checks from the woman’s account, including one to pay for Carson’s cable, Internet and phone when they were about to be canceled.”
On Carson’s Facebook page, she says that “My president needs four more years.” [Insert your own Obama stealing people’s futures metaphor here.]
A picture of the convicted felon from that page. Note the tie-dye t-shirt.
“C’mon people now/Smile on your brother/Everybody get together/Try to rob one another right now.”
Also from that page (a screen cap in case she takes it down):
Also from her Facebook page: “I am out walking and knocking for GOTV from now until November 6.”
Maybe. The article doesn’t say whether the judge let her out on bail before her sentencing.
(Hat tip: Gateway Pundit.)
Shrinkage
October 27th, 2012Mark Steyn’s latest column looks at the Incredible Shrinking Obama presidency, contrasting two videos (“the Islamophobic one and the Obamosexual one”) that “bookend the remarkable but wholly deserved collapse of the president’s reelection campaign.”
Given yesterday’s revelations about Benghazi, that the besieged Americans were denied aid thrice by higher-ups in Washington, I think it’s safe to say Obama looks smaller than at any point during his presidency.
I thought I would drive that point home in graphic format:
Pictures from Ted Cruz/Tony Dale Event in Williamson County
October 26th, 2012I attended the Ted Cruz/Tony Dale event at Williamson County GOP headquarters on October 25 and took some pictures. Click to embiggen.
Your humble blogger with the Guest of Honor, the next United States Senator from Texas, Ted Cruz:
And just in cased you missed it, here once again is my endorsement of Cruz for the general election.
Since I didn’t manage to get any good pictures of Tony Dale at his last event, I got two good ones this time around to make up for it:
Here are some pics to give an idea of the Wilco GOP digs:
They had a wide selection of GOP literature available:
Ted Cruz solo:
Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas Steve Munisteri, who I hope will forgive me for taking a picture than makes him look like The Joker:
I get the impression that it was a very long day for both him and Cruz. Two ravenous Cruz staffers went to town on the chicken nuggets; I think they’d been too busy to eat before then.
Also in attendance: Holly Hansen, Lisa Birkman, Third Court of Appeals candidate Scott Field, and Cedar Park Mayor Matt Powell.
It was a good crowd (I’m guessing about 50-75 people) and Cruz gave a very solid stump speech. I think things look pretty good for Cruz, Dale, and (fingers crossed) Mitt Romney.
Texas Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-umbass) Actually Forgets the Second Amendment
October 25th, 2012There’s this thing called the Constitution. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. Fundamental law of the land, guiding document for the federal government, etc. Sorta important.
There’s this section of it called “The Second Amendment.” “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Gives citizens the right to bear arms. Kind of a big deal. Especially in Texas.
Perhaps someone needs to tell that to Texas Rep. Ruben Hinojosa (D-umbass), who actually managed to forget what the Second Amendment was during a debate:
“I’m drawing a blank on the Second Amendment, but I think it’s the weapons, isn’t it? The NRA?”
Note: This being the Internet and all, I think I should emphasize that the above actually happened. My snarky self didn’t invent it out of whole cloth. An incumbent Democratic congressman from Texas, who’s been in office since 1997, forgot the Second Amendment. “I’m drawing a blank on the First Amendment, but I think it’s the churches, isn’t it? The Pope? Any maybe newspapers?”
There shouldn’t be a high school senior who doesn’t know what the Second Amendment is, much less a United States Congressman. Either Rep. Hinojosa is woefully ignorant of the Constitution, or else he’s suffering from some sort of debilitating mental illness. In either case, he’s unfit for office.
Rep. Hinojosa has a Republican challenger in Dale Brueggemann. He has an uphill struggle against an entrenched incumbent in a district that went 57% for Obama, but I doubt he expected his opponent to make such a huge gaffe. I’m sure he would appreciate any help fans of the Second Amendment could throw his way.
October Surprise: Cubs Not In World Series
October 24th, 2012Gloria Allred is getting ready to release her October surprise, and you won’t believe the magnitude!
Are you ready?
Brace yourself!
It seems that during the divorce proceeding of Staples founder founder Tom Stemberg 20 years ago, Mitt Romney may have misvalued the profit potential for shares of Staples, with the result that the greedy Trade Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo. While the congress of the Republic endlessly debates this alarming chain of events—
Oh wait, sorry, I accidentally spaced out for a moment and started channeling the opening crawl from The Phantom Menace, probably because it was the only thing I could think of less interesting than a stock valuation issue from a 20-year old divorce proceeding. Indeed, if the general public is given a choice between ancient divorce/stock value questions, or Jar Jar Binks reciting The Federalist Papers, then meesa thinksa yousa gonna be called ona to deliberate ona thisa newa Constitution!
This is a game-changer only if the game is “see if you can bore yourself to sleep.” A real game-changer would be something like “In Baghdad in 1990, Tom Stemberg, Saddam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden and I all snorted blow off Fawn Hall’s ass.” That’s about as likely as Mila Kunis showing up on my doorstep asking to be my love slave. The whole reason Mitt is poised to win this thing (beside Obama’s mind-numbing incompetence and the senses-dulling numbness of the Liberal Reality Bubble) is because he’s no fun at parties. If he had any real baggage New Gingrich’s opposition people would have unpacked it a long time ago. He’s so clean he squeaks, which must infuriate Obama’s dirty tricks team to no end. “Damn your clean nose and upright moral values, you vile Mormon!”
Sure, illegally unsealing an opponent’s divorce records is Obama’s finishing move, but given the distinct lack of any prurient interest angle, even the most devoted Journolista will struggle to breath life into this pathetic non-scandal.
Messa thinksa yousa wasted a lota tima!
Texas Vs. California: 13 Days Before the Election Roundup
October 24th, 2012With the election less than two weeks away, time for a roundup of how the champions of their respective political models (Texas for Red States and California for Blue States) are doing:
The total personal income (TPI) in Texas reached $1.07 trillion dollars in the second quarter of this year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. That’s an increase of 71 percent from the state’s corresponding total 10 years earlier, $626.7 billion.
Here’s another way of looking at it: Texas accounted for 8.02 percent of the nation’s TPI this year, up 1.10 percentage points from 6.92 percent in 2002.
That’s nearly five times larger than the runner-up, Florida, which increased its share of national TPI by 0.23 points in a decade. Just four other states registered gains better than a tenth of a point.
(Hat tips for many Texas items: WILLisms’ Twitter feed.)