Adios, 2022!

Commentary does politics. So, let me do my political take for 2022, as a loyal, staunch, and no talking points Democrat.

Donald Trump continued his hold on the GOP. That is supposed to help Democrats and it did in the U.S. Senate races.

We hung on and added a U.S. Senator for a 51-49 majority.

We lost control of the U.S. House of Representatives. We still haven’t gotten over the 2010 shellacking and the resulting gerrymandering.

In Texas, we failed in the statewide arena. It wasn’t even close. We had the resources. It seems like Texas is the only place in the country where Democrats can’t gain ground. 

It is like the killer freeze of 2021 and Uvalde didn’t matter. 2024 will mark three decades since Texas Democrats had a successful message conversation with Texas voters. That is unacceptable.

The Texas Democratic Party Chair got the Runner-Up Bum Steer Award from Texas Monthly, deservedly.

I don’t see us gaining any ground in Texas. The folks running the Texas Democratic Party are inept. All of them. I don’t see anyone stepping up to replace this sad loser bunch.

In Harris County, we now have a 4-1 super majority on Commissioners Court and 3 of the 5 are Latina or Latino.  That is a historic breakthrough that folks are not talking about enough.

Democrats did lose less than a handful of countywide judges.

A mixed bag of results for Democrats here locally.

As far as Commentary is concerned, we need a new set of folks running the general elections campaigns in Harris County. We should be doing better. Commentary has been doing campaigns in Harris County longer than anyone around and I couldn’t tell you who is running the Democratic operation here locally in general elections.

Remember back in President Joe Biden’s first year in office, folks were piling on relentlessly? After 2022, not so much. President Biden had a good 2022.

The inflation issues and the price of gasoline didn’t hurt Democrats as much as the GOP was hoping for. Thanks in part to the MAGA extremists GOP candidates.

Remember when the GOP ridiculed President Joe Biden for making his anti-MAGA speech in prime time in Philadelphia? Hey, it worked.

_____

The Chron did a piece on what the H-Town Mayor’s last year in office will look like. Here is a part:

Perhaps no issue looms over (Mayor Sylvester) Turner’s final year as much as the firefighters dispute. The high court is expected to rule by next summer whether the fire union’s effort to gain pay parity with police officers, approved by voters in 2018, is legally valid. It will also rule in a separate case relating to the stalemate. The city has made conflicting arguments in the two cases. If the union wins one or both, the result for the city could upend city finances, with a bill likely measured in hundreds of millions of dollars.

Turner said it would be a “huge financial blow,” but he was adamant that it is one the next mayor will have to reckon with, even if the decision arrives on his watch. He said his administration has enough financial flexibility, with a projected budget balance of $339 million at the end of the fiscal year in June, to bridge the gap through the end of the year.

“It will not impact my administration,” Turner said. “If there’s an adverse decision that comes forth, from a financial point of view, the city of Houston — through 2023, the next budget cycle, which will be May and June — will be fine. This decision will impact the next administration.”

Here is the entire read: How Mayor Sylvester Turner plans to spend his last year (houstonchronicle.com).

Commentary gets it. The issue with the firefighters stands out. Commentary has said it a few times and no one has disputed or challenged me. The mayor doesn’t get elected mayor in 2015 without the support of the firefighters’ union.

Oh, well.

_____

Here is a headline from the Chron hard copy front page today:

Airline poised to resume full flight schedule

Southwest meltdown deals blow to brand

Nah. Folks will get over Southwest. Just wait.

_____

Tomorrow marks 50 years since the tragic death of Hall of Fame great Roberto Clemente. He died in a plane crash on a humanitarian mission. 3,000 career base hits. .317 career batting average. 2 World Series rings. 15 time All-Star, MVP, World Series MVP, and 4 batting titles.  Yes, his number 21 should be retired by MLB.

Have a safe and Happy New Year’s Eve and Day weekend!

Adios, 2022!