Tag Archives: Ken Paxton

local news, political news, State news

Here is a sure-fire political prediction

A while ago I gave up trying to predict political tides … particularly in Texas, a place I have called home for the past 42 years.

I’m going to veer off that wagon for just a moment and offer this tidbit for you to ponder, which is that James Talarico doesn’t beat the stuffing out Ken Paxton their race for the U.S. Senate seat, the Texas Democratic Party might as well pack it in forever.

Talarico is the Democratic nominee; Paxton is running under the Republican banner. What is going to get plenty of play in the weeks to come is that Paxton well could be the weakest GOP candidate for statewide office in memory. I can think only of the late Clayton Williams, the GOP candidate for governor in 1990 as someone whose weakness rivals Paxton.

Let’s look for a moment at Paxton’s record. He served in the Legislature as a state representative from Collin County. Then he got elected AG in 2014. Almost immediately he got indicted by a Collin County grand jury on an allegation of securities fraud. Then several of his top lawyers resigned and then lodged a corruption complaint against Paxton. After that the GOP-dominated Texas House impeached Paxton on charges that he took bribes and cheated on his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton; Sen. Paxton then filed for divorce from her husband, citing “Biblical grounds.” He then gained amazing wealth on an AG’s salary and recently has been frolicking with a married woman.

Kind of a head-spinning record, ya know?

Talarico is campaigning as a goody two-shoes. He’s a former school teacher, a Presbyterian seminarian, a man of deep Christian faith. He leans heavily on his faith but understands that the Constitution of the U.S.A. is a secular document and that our founders were consciously keeping religion out of government’s nuts and bolts.

I just want this young man to take his message across the finish line ahead of the other guy. If he doesn’t, then we’re in deeper trouble than I ever imagined.

political news, State news

How will Donald react to the drubbing?

Hey, it’s time to ask what I believe is a pertinent question regarding the midterm congressional election that is now just around the corner.

How is Donald Trump going to react if his Republican Party suffers the drubbing it is expected to receive from voters across the land who are tired of going to war, weary of the inflation caused by tariffs and sickened by the POTUS’s power grab?

My hunch? He will hate it all with a purple passion and will seek to find conspiracies around every corner and in every nook and cranny of the electoral system.

We now can presume that Trump cannot stomach the thought that he is a loser. Except that he is. He keeps challenging the results of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden. He’s lost more than 60 court challenges. Loser!

What will happen if Republicans lose in states where they haven’t lost since The Flood? Will the party accept the results of free, fair and legal results if Democrats end up with more votes than the GOP? Bwahahahahaha!

Republicans will be fueled by the POTUS’s anger. They’ll gobble up the lie about elections being stolen.

I’m trying to fathom what might occur in Texas, where Democrat James Talarico holds an estimated 5-point lead over Republican Ken Paxton. Suppose Talarico’s lead is real and suppose as well that it translates into a victory in November. Trump will become apoplectic! He’ll go crazier than he already has become … especially if it’s a narrow Talarico win.

I am going to hope for the best. Which is that Trump realizes finally — finally! — that his battle to cling to power is lost forever. And that he’ll accept the thrashing he is expected to get and settle into the lame-duck status that is his alone.

You can stop laughing now.

local news, State news

Talarico’s time has come?

James Talarico has gotten the attention of a lot of politicos far outside Texas’s vast borders … and with good reason.

The young man stands a decent chance of wresting the Republicans’ vise grip on statewide office in Texas. It’s not necessarily that Talarico is an immensely strong candidate. His strength lies in the weakness of his GOP rival, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Paxton is being called the “most corrupt politician in the country.” He might be all of that.

He was indicted in his first year (2015) as AG by a Collin County grand jury for securities fraud allegations. What has gotten little play in the national media is that Collin County is Paxton’s home county. He represented the county — where I now live, by the way — when he served in the Legislature. For a hometown grand jury to decide the charges brought against Paxton merit a trial, well, that’s a big …. deal. You know what I mean?

Then he got impeached by the Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives. The GOP-laden Senate didn’t convict Paxton. Why? Beats the stuffing out of me.

He’s been accused of taking bribes, of doing favors for political contributors — and of cheating on his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, who’s divorcing her hubby on “Biblical grounds.”

I’d be willing to write Paxton off. Except for one thing. He is a Republican and GOP voters in this state have shown a remarkable loyalty to their party over the actual qualifications of candidates who run under that party flag.

local news

Our crook? Pfffttt!

A letter to the editor that appeared in today’s Dallas Morning News dredges up an old saying that seeks to dismiss crooked politicians’ seedy behavior.

The writer refers to Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s behavior since taking office in January 2015. “Paxton may be a crook,” the letter writer suggests, “but he’s our crook.” The writer sought to draw a parallel between Paxton’s shenanigans and those that bedeviled President Nixon in the 1970s, and how the GOP then sought to unify itself behind the wounded pol.

Sigh …

I must ask, though, when does a crooked politician ever seek to benefit his constituents with lawless behavior? Nixon sought to save his hide by covering up his involvement in the Watergate scandal of 1972-74. It didn’t work out well for the president.

Paxton has been alleged — or actually caught — to have done a number of seedy things. They involve marital infidelity, securities fraud, payoffs to political pals, bribery. None of it helps the people who he served as AG. Several highly experienced lawyers blew the whistle on much of that nonsense — and they lost their jobs as a result.

This “our crook” BS reminds me of what they used to say about a crusty ol’ Democrat who represented Southeast Texas in Congress until 1995, when he got voted out in the Contract With America election. They used to say of the late Jack Brooks, that he was a “son of a bitch, but he is our son of a bitch.” Brooks actually liked that description of himself. But he continued to deliver the goods to the labor union and Black families who supported him no matter what.

The DMN letter writer seems appropriately skeptical of Paxton’s history. However, I consider him a plain ol’ crook.

political news

Paxton didn’t get a mandate in that GOP runoff

Before the MAGA morons who supported Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s Republican runoff victory over John Cornyn get too full of themselves, allow me to briefly put a this victory into some perspective.

Yes, the AG scored a decisive victory, beating the U.S. senator by 27 percentage points in the runoff. However, Paxton only tallied about 12,000 more votes in the runoff than he got in the GOP primary.

The runoff turnout fell into the basement compared to the already low primary turnout. That, by itself, is not unusual. Republicans, though, do not appear to be too enthused by someone topping their ticket who is so heavily damaged by political and personal scandal as Paxton.

Paxton’s wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, is divorcing him on “biblical grounds,” which is a sort of shorthand for all extramarital affairs he’s had. His top legal aides blew the whistle on him for alleged unethical behavior. A Collin County grand jury indicted him on charges of securities fraud. Texas Republicans impeached him in the Texas House.

And so, Texas Democrats are licking their chops waiting for the fall campaign to begin. Their Senate candidate, state Rep. James Talarico, is a choir boy compared to the AG.

As for Sen. Cornyn, do you really believe he is going to campaign for the MAGA dipshit who defeated him?

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Candidate will be gone, ideology will remain

One day quite soon, I am confident that our American political system will rid itself of the poisonous MAGA founder, Donald Trump.

He’s been elected twice as president. The Constitution says two terms is enough. No more. He’ll be gone and on Jan. 20, 2029, someone new will take office.

I will be glad to send Trump packing. I fear, however, that the movement he founded will linger for a good while longer. It will lurk in the shadows. It will present itself on occasion when the right candidate feels comfortable enough to run on the MAGA notion … whatever the hell it is.

I say this provide some counsel to those who are looking forward to Election Day 2028 when Trump’s name won’t be on the ballot for the first time since 2012 when Barack Obama won re-election as president. The 2016, 2020 and 2024 elections all had Trump’s name on ballots.

This imbecile has poisoned the presidency. His corruption is utterly breathtaking. So is his vengefulness. His lack of empathy, his grace, his collegiality all are MIA. Trump’s poison will take time to cleanse itself.

Trump’s exit is welcome. I won’t be cheering too loudly, knowing that what he has built will remain.

political news, State news

Cornyn wins Charade Gamer of the Year award

I never saw this one coming, but it’s here and today I want to bestow on a veteran Texas senator an award he wouldn’t like receiving but he’s going to get it anyway.

Republican John Cornyn is the winner of the High Plains Blogger Charade Gamer of the Year award. How did he earn this honor?

The nature of his political campaign for re-election to the Senate makes it sound as if Donald Trump endorsed him in the upcoming GOP runoff election and not his opponent, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Texans have been “treated” to TV ads showing the MAGA meister in chief heaping praise on Cornyn for all the work he did to secure our borders, fight crime and back Trump’s political agenda. Cornyn tells us he “voted with Trump 99% of the time,” and worked to appoint conservative judges to the federal bench.

It’s a sham, man!

Paxton drew Trump’s endorsement because he’s a MAGA moron through and through. Paxton’s own ads show Trump spouting those meaningless platitudes about Paxton. He calls the AG a “winner,” a “great guy.” No mention of his work as attorney general. Not a word specifically citing a particular policy.

Cornyn, though, continues to campaign as if he’s the candidate who garnered POTUS’s endorsement.

I don’t have a dog in this fight. I’m not voting in the GOP runoff. My hope rests with the Democratic nominee, Texas state Rep. James Talarico. However, my ears aren’t deceiving me. John Cornyn sounds like the guy blazing to the finish line with the cherished endorsement of Donald the Crook.

It’s all phony … just like the POTUS.

national news

Yes, on ‘career pols’!

I am going to stand briefly and speak well of a sub-species of human beings who, in my view, are vilified too often simply because of the profession the choose to pursue.

I am talking about your run-of-the-mill “career politician.”

One of the latest victims of this ill-informed epithet happens to be U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, the Texas Republican who’s in the fight of his political life trying to fend off a challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who wants the seat Cornyn has occupied on Capitol Hill.

The TV ads Paxton is running refer to Cornyn derisively as a career politician. I am weary of that put-down of men and women who choose a career in public service.

I say this being well aware of the scoundrels among us who take more than they give back. There happen to career pols who are in it for themselves. We also have bankers, lawyers, insurance brokers and any number of private professions full of individuals who don’t give a rat’s ass about anyone other than themselves. Politicians, though, become fair game because they do so while collecting public money, taxpayers’ money, to do their jobs.

Think for a moment of those who forgo private-sector careers — where they could earn many times the salary they collect in public office — and choose instead to pursue less lucrative careeer in public life.

Don’t call me a Pollyanna because I choose to stand for those who serve the public. My eyes are open to what I know exists in the world of politics. I merely am trying to cling what is left of the nobility of a profession where its practitioners mean it when they take an oath to serve the public good.

political news, State news

Now the fun really begins

As if the U.S. Senate runoff between Republicans John Cornyn and Ken Paxton could get more fascinating …

Well, it did with the endorsement today of the Texas attorney general over the incumbent U.S. senator by none other than Donald J. Trump. This is the kind of news that fills me with — oh, I don’t know — a mixture of outrage and cautious optimism.

I now will set the table briefly. I did not vote in the GOP primary in early May. I cast my vote for the winner of the Democratic nomination, Austin state Rep. James Talarico. I am standing foursquare behind this young man.

Trump’s endorsement of Paxton is a statement in favor of the moronic MAGA movement that continues to roil the Republican Party. If you’re a MAGA moron, then Paxton’s your guy. The AG has been snared by scandal after scandal since his election to statewide office in 2014. During his impeachment and subsequent trial over myriad corruption charges, we learned about Paxton’s extramarital affairs. His wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, R-McKinney, had enough and filed for divorce on what she called “biblical grounds.” We all know what that means.

The Cornyn campaign already has introduced that aspect of Paxton’s past into the runoff campaign. It’s gotten ugly. It is going to get a whole lot uglier. Believe me!

The runoff is set for a few days from now. Polls across the spectrum show Talarico within spitting distance of Cornyn … and actually leading Paxton.

A part of me is enraged by Trump’s endorsement of a deeply flawed candidate over a principled conservative who on occasion has reached across the aisle to work with Democrats on legislation. That’s a non-starter for your average MAGA dipshit.

However, on the other side we well could have the real prospect of Texas voters getting to decide whether they want a scarred GOP senator or a fresh voice who speaks with crystal clarity. Talarico is the rare Democrat who doesn’t shove his Christian faith to the back of the shelf. He talks about it with pride, but also warns of the dangers of “Christian nationalism” that seeks to turn the United States of America into a theological state … which is something the founders expressly forbade when they wrote the Constitution.

Let us see how this GOP runoff plays out, shall we? I sense we are headed for a wild ride to the finish.

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Talarico: the real Democratic deal!

James Talarico has emerged as the latest political star in Texas and he hopes to parlay his standing into a successful career in Congress.

The man has my support and I am about to explain why.

Talarico is a man of deep Christian faith. He wears his faith plainly and professes it from the campaign stump. He’s a Presbyterian seminary student and he has a graduate degree in economics. He’s a smart guy.

Talarico’s faith, though, carries an important caveat that he’s also proud to display. Talarico understands what the founders intended when they drafted the nation’s governing document. They intended to create a secular state free of religious influence. James Talarico gets it … and endorses the founders’ intention.

He has emerged as a fierce foe of Christian nationalists, those who seek to turn the U.S.A. into a Christian nation.

I guess I favor Talarico because he and I share the same view of the religion to which we both profess our faith. I practice my faith with enthusiasm, but am reluctant to shove it down the throats of others.

I want Talarico to succeed in his quest to win a U.S. Senate seat. If he defeats Sen. John Cornyn in the fall, I suspect it will occur because voters have grown weary of D.C.-centered politicians like Cornyn passing laws we all must follow. If he manages to beat Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, it well might be because Texans are disgusted with the way Paxton has conducted himself in the decade he has served in statewide elected office.

Talarico is a new breed of Texas Democrat, which in its way mirrors the way Democrats here used to present themselves.

The Democratic Senate nominee has time to refine his message, to fine-tune the manner in which he intends to deliver it. I also want him to ensure to keep the many promises he no doubt will make as he travels the length and breadth of this great state.

Many of us are waiting, James Talarico.