Election Wrap Up: The Texas View

Ever since the primaries wrapped up here in Texas, I’ve been begging every Liberal blogger, pundit, reporter, and…well, any damn Liberal who was willing to put there money where their mouth is…to bet me in the statewide elections here in Texas. The bet: $100 that the Republicans would sweep every single statewide race. If a single GOP candidate loses even 1 out of 13 races, I have to pony up $100 to each and every Liberal man (or woman) enough to put their money where their mouth was.

Go back and read the recent archives at Burnt Orange Report — perhaps it’s because the kids running that place all work for various Democrat candidates —  they were pretty damned sure they were on their way to “turning Texas blue.” (silly kids….youth is so wasted on the young)

I offered my bet on their site on more than one occasion. But — feign surprise, not one of them took it.

So, instead of a pocket full of Benjamins, I’m left with the smug satisfaction of being on the biggest blow out in Texas electoral history. Not only did we win every single statewide election (again), but we also flipped at 22 legislative seats, unseating some pretty smugly-entrenched Liberal stalwarts. Like Democratic House Leader Jim Dunnam (TX HD 57), who lost to Marva Beck.

My shooting partner, Gov. Rick Perry won another full 4-year term, which will make him the longest serving Governor in Texas history. I can’t even begin to tell you how batshit crazy this is driving the dwindling number of Texas Liberals. Which makes this the most gratifying victory of the entire election cycle.

At the beginning of the cycle, my state representation included one Republican (US Rep. Lamar Smith) and two Democrats (State Rep. Valinda Bolton, TX HD 47  and State Senator Kirk Watson, SD 14). After last night’s election, I’m no now represented by one more Republican, Rep-elect Paul Workman, who beat Ms. Bolton.

We’re coming for you next time, Kirk.

With the new HUGE majority in the Texas Legislature, the Speaker of the House (currently and most-likely-to-remain) Joe Straus had better get the message loud and clear from the voters.

As Michael Sullivan notes:

Speaker Joe Straus, originally selected for his post by 65 Democrats and 11 Republicans in a tightly divided 76-74 legislature, now faces a strongly conservative majority. He really has no choice but to move quickly to name a very different, and much more conservative, committee leadership team. Will he?

Texas voters are clearly uninterested in power-sharing and compromising with the failed policies of liberals. There is no longer a need for liberals and moderates to chair major committees, as they currently do under Mr. Straus.

Once the legislative cycle gets under way, the very first bill to land on Gov. Perry’s desk better be Voter ID, which the obstructionist Dems managed to block last year. Which has Liberals already starting to freak out about the possibility of  OH MY GOD, having to prove who they are and that that they are legally entitled to cast a vote before actually doing so.

Melissa del Bosque, a writer at the progressive Texas Observer, lamented last night on Twitter:

[tweet id=29532611899]

Which makes me wonder if the fewer remaining Dems will once again resort to the Ardmore Strategy (only 21 of the 51 Democrats who fled to Ardmore in 2003 are still in the Texas House) to block Voter ID? I wouldn’t be surprised. Cowards.

After Voter ID is law, the House needs to get started on doing the job the Federal Government is unwilling to do, and that’s to secure our borders and prohibit local cities from ignoring the illegal status of criminals and suspects in crimes.

Oh, and did I mention that Texas is the big winner in the reapportionment of Congressional seats, picking up at least 4 new US House seats? And guess who gets to redraw those districts? That’s right — our newer, bigger Majority Republican House. If there’s a Sweet Baby Jesus looking down on us, the new House will redraw Sheila Jackson Lee’s minority majority district to ensure she gets booted the next time she runs.

I’m also hopeful that Open Carry will finally make it to Governor Perry’s desk now that we have fewer anti-gun and anti-second amendment Democrats to kill it.

The Biggest Story on Election Day in Texas

The biggest story being overlooked (intentionally?) by the state and local media is that 10 of the new 24 new Texas Republican Congressmen & House members are Hispanic, Hispanic descent, or African-American. Despite the fact that, you know, we’re all just a bunch of racist rednecks who hate brown people.

Considering that most Hispanics are deeply Catholic and thus deeply pro-life, I’m always somewhat baffled at their willingness to side with the pro-abortion/anti-life Democrats.

Oh, and by the way,last night the Grand Old Party of Texas was also the first party in Texas to elect a Latina to statewide office (Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman). Not the Democrats.

The GOP, not the Democrats, also elected the first Hispanic Republican to statewide office (Railroad Commissioner Tony Garza, 1998). Oh ,and the deeply racist GOP also elected the first African American to a non-judicial statewide office in Texas history (Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, 2000).

It’s getting harder and harder to paint us as a bunch of racists when we keep electing more and more minority candidates to represent us, and elect them to higher positions than the Dems.

The Race I Could Have Won

At this time last year, my wife and I lived in Texas HD 48, where Donna Howard (D) beat Dan Niel (R) by a razor thin 15 votes (pending a recount). That’s it. 15 votes. A couple of mini vans full of soccer moms.

Had we still lived there, we would have voted for Niel. Plus the two kids we sold our house to where, according the bumper stickers plastered to their fuel-efficient 4-cylinder sub-compact, as Liberal as Bwany Fwanks is gay.

Had we not moved, that’d be a net gain of 4 votes for Dan.

And I have no doubt that my political activism and Get Out the Vote influence with my neighbors and community is always good for at least 75-100 voters either flipped to our side, or encouraged to go vote when they otherwise wouldn’t have.

So I feel somewhat guilty knowing that I probably could have won that election for the GOP had I simply not moved. Sorry Dan — but I’ve got fingers on both hands crossed for you that you prevail in a recount.