Yesterday's Texas Republican primary was maddening. A bunch of voters got snookered by a massive spending spree by Tim Dunn and the manipulations of his snotty "defend Texas liberty" henchmen: Michael Q. Sullivan, aka "Mucous" and Jonathan Stickland.
And then there were the three stooges of Donald Trump -- King Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. TaliDan Patrick, and the slitheriest snake in the west, Attorney General Ken Paxton.
We're sure they are gloating big time today that they forced Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan into a runoff in his home district. And, for what "crime," you might ask? Phelan has stood with the long-held tradition of our House Speakers, by giving respect to the opposing party, which represents millions of Texas Democrats. Dade Phelan, whether you agree with his policies or not, did deliver to conservatives, who then proceeded to go after him as a so-called RINO, Republican in Name Only. Really?
Phelan's statement last night says a lot about who he really is and why the Texas GOP is going mad as hell:
"Against a tidal wave of outside influence and the relentless flood of special interest
dollars pouring into House District 21, our campaign emerges today still standing strong against the tides that have sought to unseat me. The barrage aimed at our campaign over the past year was meant to be my undoing, and yet here I am, emerging from the most contentious and expensive primary in state history still fighting and more determined than ever. Clearly, what these outsiders have underestimated is the strength of Southeast Texas voters. I cannot thank them enough for their support.
"What they've also underestimated is the power of a platform based on actual results. As Speaker, I have proudly presided over the two most conservative sessions in state history, securing numerous victories including an $18 billion property tax cut, constitutional carry, a ban on abortion, increased penalties for illegal voting, the strongest border security measures in the country, protecting our kids from the radical woke agenda and more. While everyone is entitled to their own opinions, they are not entitled to their own facts. Despite the lies and attempts by my opponents to disparage this conservative record of the Texas House, the facts speak for themselves - my leadership has led to the passage of conservative legislation that Republican voters have long been fighting
for."
There's no question Phelan is a conservative. But, that's never enough for those who are out for tbe raw power it takes to keep corrupt officials like Ken Paxton in place and to lock down competitive elections, aka small "d" democracy.
Read this helpful Texas Tribune article for a good recap of the fools' foolish fun and the lawmakers they trashed, "Greg Abbott, Ken Paxton Declare Victory in Attack on GOP House Defectors."
The coming days are when the real action starts, at least from the vantage point of independent Texans. Is there a movement to be built from the millions of Texans who did not vote in either primary?
Don't forget that we have an open primary in Texas. That means we can still vote on May 28th in either political party primary runoff.
Ponder this and call us if you want to do something:
17,759,273 Texans are registered to vote. 3,228,358 Texans voted in either major party primary -- 18%. How do we move the 14,530,915 voters -- 82% -- who did not vote? Hint: It's the only thing that still counts to 99% of them all. It's called democracy stupid!
Note: We're looking forward to Paxton's trial on April 15 for securities fraud, well before the runoffs on May 28th. :)
PS Thanks to folks on the ground in House District 18 who complained to us about the non-stop texts and mail badgering them to vote to defeat a decent guy, Rep. Ernest Bailes.
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