Thanks Redstate

Redstate.com has added the infantile blogsite The Austiner to it's Texas blogroll. Thanks guys.

Doggett is vulnerable, but...

Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) says he is thrilled with his finally-settled congressional district. But a closer look at the district should give him some pause.

Check out how these Rs did in Doggett's new district.
Bush '00 - 53.3%
Hutchison '00 - 60.9%
Perry '02 - 51.1%

But...
Bush '04 - 46%
Chief Justice of Texas Supreme Court - 49%

Doggett will be asking around 80,000 new voters to send him back to Congress. Considering 164,000 total votes were cast in the district in '02 (non-Presidential election year), he's looking at almost half of his electorate being new voters. Most of those are from Hays, Caldwell and Bastrop counties: growth areas for Republicans.

He is vulnerable. This year. 2008, not as much so, but a good candidate can make a real run at him. Problem is, who? Republicans have had trouble finding good candidates to hold on to 3 state rep seats drawn for Republicans (lost 2 already, trying to hold the 3rd ).

Central Texas Republican leaders need to up the ante on recruiting conservative candidates who can win. Republicans attained majority status by actively and aggressively recruiting good candidates. We need to rediscover that passion.

Is Kay scared of a fight?

A couple of weeks ago, a nugget of political gossip made it's way around the circles that Senator Hutchison had sent or would be sending an "emissary" to one of Lt. Gov. Dewhurst reps, in hopes of talking Dewhurst out of running for Governor in 2010 (as he is expected to do).

The discussion is this: Is Kay scared of a fight?

She passed on two runs for Governor against Perry, both of which she conceivably could have won. Now she is begging, don't Dew it.

Does she want a coronation? Did she really think Republican grass roots and financiers would bless a multi-million dollar primary against their sitting Governor, while creating a half-dozen more multi-million dollar races down the ballot in it's wake?

What Republicans want to see from Kay is the same thing we see of her in the U.S. Senate: strength and courage. Texans want inspirational leadership. George W. Bush delivered that. He had the courage of his convictions and the strength to fight for those convictions. Sadly, Kay doesn't seem to possess either of these traits when it comes to fighting for what she wants. That is uninspiring.

If she so chooses to enter the 2010 Primary race for Governor, Kay will need to transfer more than just her federal dollars to a gubernatorial race. She will need to bring Senator Hutchison with her.

Wallace drops out

Today, Sugar Land Mayor David Wallace scrapped his plans to run a write-in campaign against Nick Lampson. He pledged to support the choice of a select group of smokey-back-room Republicans, Houston Councilwoman Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. Good move on several fronts:
1) Wallace is being a team player
2) a write-in campaign is difficult and success is impossible with 2 Republicans
3) depending on the outcome, Wallace is well-positioned to mount a run in the '08 Primary

The Champs are back

I overslept this morning and missed the scrimmage (poor form, I know), but a fellow orangeblood who managed to drag himself out of bed this morning reports that Colt McCoy looks to be the man behind center for the defending National Champion Texas Longhorns. Snead reportedly had a less-than-stellar day, but 3rd string freshman Sherrod Harris apparently showed some skills.

I'm sure it was hot. Good thing the Godzillatron scoreboard is up to give that extra bit of shade. Yes, Ohio State fans coming to town, everything is bigger in Texas. Especially our scoreboards.















Hook 'Em

The Circus comes to CD-22

I have to agree with Ft. Bend County Chairman, Gary Gillen. The GOP's effort to nominate the candidate of its choice to succeed Tom DeLay on the November ballot has blown up in our faces and we look like the featured clowns under the big top.

I need to spell this out for my own therapy: our only hope of keeping CD-22 in Republican hands is for our candidate to win a write-in campaign. As Bill Miller puts it, we have zero chance at succeeding (Miller needs to stick with lobbying and someone need to remind the Statesman that he isn't and never has been a "Republican consultant", but I digress).

So what do we do? We bypass a proven winner in the district, Dave Wallace, who is a strong campaigner and fundraiser, oh yeah, and a simple name (this IS a write-in campaign, remember?)...for a Houston City Council member with a hyphenated name with hints of Greek origin, with little name I.D. and money. And we do this behind closed doors and shut out the media. Yes, the eligible write-in candidate's names will be listed in the voting booth, but why do we insist on challenging our voters' ability to spell with an electronic scroll wheel?

Why do we forsake the candidate that the NRCC says has by far the highest name I.D., the most financial resources and a proven ability to win in the district? Because someone questioned his conservative credentials and it permeated into the conservatives in the grass roots. That drives me nuts. I'm no big Wallace fan. I know little about him, but I know he's more conservative than Nick Lampson. Wallace, despite "consultant" Miller's comments, may have pulled out this write-in campaign.

Where is our leadership? How did this circus clear the city limits sign? We deserve to lose this seat. And now with 2 Republicans in the race for the write-in (Sekula-Gibbs and Wallace) and one Libertarian, we have just sent Nick Lampson back to Congress. Yes, Lampson will be representing a 60% something Republican district.

Nice work team.