Next Election

GOP State Rep. Glenn Rogers is one of the reps that arsehole Gov. Greg Abbott knocked off a couple of days ago. Rogers said this yesterday:

History will prove Ken Paxton is a corrupt, sophisticated criminal. History will prove vouchers are simply an expensive entitlement program for the wealthy and a get rich scheme for voucher vendors. History will prove Governor Greg Abbott is a liar.

History will prove that our current state government is the most corrupt ever and is “bought” by a few radical dominionist billionaires seeking to destroy public education, privatize our public schools and create a Theocracy that is both un-American and un-Texan.

May God Save Texas!

Commentary has said it before. The Democratic Party is the political party that abides by the rule of law. The GOP gave up on the rule of law in 2016. Don’t bother arguing with me on this.  GOP fellas like Rep. Rogers and GOP Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan should have spoken up a long time ago. Nope, they didn’t because it suited their purposes. Now that the monster has bitten then on their arses they have started whining.

Commentary has been closely observing the Texas Legislature since the Sharpstown scandal in 1971 and 1972.  I have also worked a few legislative sessions as an advocate/lobbyist and as a gubernatorial aide. One of the responsibilities of the Texas House Speaker is to protect his members. Speaker Phelan failed miserably at this.

He knew this school voucher issue was going to put a bull’s eye on the back of some of his GOP members. He should have grown a backbone and pushed back hard against Gov. Abbott. He should have done a better job of shielding his members.

Since the start of the pandemic in 2020, they have let Abbott turn into the biggest bully without putting a check on his authority. They have given him the runway to take off and land as he please.

In Texas, like our federal government, there is an executive, legislative, and judicial branch of government. They are supposed to be equal. Phelan has never pushed back on Abbott and look at what has happened.

Speaker Phelan could very well lose his runoff on May 28. He has no one to blame but himself. He didn’t do his job. It is that simple.

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Off the Kuff listed the candidates who had filed for the three Board of the Directors positions for the Harris Central Appraisal District (HCAD). Here is from the HCAD website:

Under the terms of SB 2, which was passed in the last legislative session and approved by voters in November, three new board members will be elected on May 4.

Fifteen candidates qualified to be on the ballot, and each had to select the at-large place they wished to run for. The Harris County Judge presented to the district the list of names in alphabetical order by place, and board secretary Jim Robinson conducted a random drawing to determine each candidate’s position on the ballot. (CLICK HERE for a video link to the drawing.)

The four candidates running for Place 1 are (in order on the ballot):

• Kathy Blueford Daniels
• Ramsey Isa Ankar
• Era Ford
• Bill R. Frazer

The five candidates for Place 2 are (in order on the ballot):

• Janice W. Hines
• Melissa Noriega
• Kyle Scott
• Jevon German
• Austin Pooley

The six candidates for Place 3 are (in order on the ballot):

• James Bill
• Amy Lacy
• Melody G. Ellis
• Mark V. Goloby
• Pelumi Adeleke
• Ericka McCrutcheon

The winning candidate must receive a majority of votes. If no majority is reached, a run-off between the top two candidates in each place will be necessary.

Anyone who is registered to vote in Harris County can vote in this election on May 4.

Guess what else is going on that day, May 4? This is what I said yesterday:

For what it is worth, according to the Texas Secretary of State website, Michelle Bonton, Molly Cook, State Rep. Jarvis Johnson, and Todd Litton were the only ones to file for the May 4 State Senate District 15 Special Election to fill the vacancy and serve out the rest of the term that ends on December 31 of this year. Looks like only Jarvis and Molly will be campaigning.

In a few weeks, Commentary will get my mail ballot that will have the names of the four SD 15 Special candidates and the 15 HCAD Board candidates. 3,901 mail ballots were cast in the SD 15 Democratic Party Primary.

The featured photo is the carrier envelope for my 2024 Democratic Party Primary election mail ballot.

Another 558 mail ballots were cast in the SD 15 GOP Primary, and they will also get the same mail ballot that the 3,901 receive because anyone can vote in the May 4 SD 15 Special.

Interesting, don’t you think.

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Let’s see. Donald Trump insults Cancun Cruz’s wife and Cancun endorses Trump.

Trump insults U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell’s wife and Mitch endorses Trump.

As the great and late comedian Henny Youngman used to say:

“Take my wife, please.”

No honor in the GOP these days.

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Opening Day is three weeks from this afternoon. We will host the Yankees. I am getting ready.