You can exhale: The 2010 EFD Midterm Election Endorsement-o-rama

This is going to be short and sweet. Well, maybe not sweet. Perhaps not short either. (Ha! I write after finishing this book!)  My blog writing is like a Hickory Farms gift basket. You never know what you’re going to get. Especially if you get a canned ham that stays too long. I think I wrote about that the other day. Worse case of food pizening — yes I know that is incorrectly spelled — that I ever had.

Although I released one candidate endorsement already this year, I am going to give the rest. Here it is:

Vote the straight Democratic ticket.

Yee hah!  That didn’t take long.

Rick Perry has done nothing other than take Texas backwards. I think Goodhair makes former Gov. Bill Clements look like a statesman. And I am not talking the Austin American-Statesman.

When Perry first came out with his Trans Texas Corridor plan, all packaged neatly with drawings of how transportation corridors, highway, rail, pipelines, high-speed digital transverse dilithium crystal pods and a mechanical rabbit for greyhound racing could all fit in one big boputa — I don’t even know if there is such a word but there should be — the TTC kind of made Rick look visionary. It turned out to be visionary in the way Dock Ellis might have seen his catcher and umpires the time he pitched that no-hitter while tripping on acid. Go ask Alice, when she’s 10 feet tall …

The Trans Texas Corridor turned out to be a bad trip for Slick Rick. Wanting a company from Spain to run the whole kitten kaboodle — yes I know I mis-smelled that — wasn’t the best idea. But the worst idea is taking away land from people who could give a kitten kaboodle’s butt for the 7:19 to Bellmead and the 7:21 to Lacy-Lakeview. Great places. Check out the bar on Old/New Dallas Highway in Bellmead that advertises “Fat Girls.” If it’s still there. This is in greater Waco that I am talking about.

Public domain. It gets your baseball and football stadiums built, by Golly. But it’s not a pretty thought to have a couple hundred acres of improved pasture land taken away so pipelines, high lines and a toll booth operated by King Juan Carlos’ grandkids can sit outside your living room.

Okay, so Trans Texas Corridor is a dead duck and all of that is irrelevant as for Gov. Rick and his challenger, former Houston Mayor Bill White, the Democrat. Well, not really. The toll road idea which was a big part of  TTC seems to have caught on, for sure. And there are still thousands of rural acres that could be swallowed up by some idea, real or an acid trip. Now don’t get me wrong. Texas needs to do something about  its overcrowded roads. What roads you say? I say I-35 from Dallas-Fort Worth to San Antonio. And Interstate 10, in my neighborhood. Once the I-10 is widened to three lanes in Orange County to the Louisiana border, it will be 3 lanes all the way to Houston. Then, it will be obsolete. Trucks will be relegated to the outer two lanes. Then those lanes will be torn up from the strain and require constant fixing. Who really knows  what kind of an LSD journey — not that I am saying Perry does acid, he probably could see more clearly now the rain is gone if he did take LSD — the governor will take in another term. Oh, and do you remember him saying Texas could drop out of the 50 United States?

Locally, I don’t know what is wrong with our Democratic party leaders in that they can’t get someone to challenge Judge Ted Poe as our congressman. A Libertarian is running against him. I think I’ve mentioned him, David Smith, before. While he has a few ideas, he is a Tea Party guy and I can’t imagine anyone more conservative than Ted Poe. At least Poe spends his time on the Mexican border or on Fox TV on the Mexican border than trying to woo voters. Poe is really into the immigration controversy. Not so much into regular constituent issues like what the local VA hospitals and clinic do or do not provide.

So, vote straight, Democratic ticket, I implore you!

But I will mention a couple of endorsements, all Democrats, the first one was my first endorsement of this 2010 election. But he is worth a second mention:

Kenneth Franks. Democratic candidate for District 9 State Representative. Shelby, San Augustine, Sabine, Jasper, and Nacogdoches Counties.

Pineland, Texas, is a tiny place. Nonetheless, the only sensible choice for the Texas House District 9 lives near there. I don’t personally know Kenneth Franks. But we have common friends. Don’t hold that against  him. His opponent has done little to distinguish himself except for helping out his beach house neighbors on Bolivar Peninsula, many miles from his district. Ken has an impressive grasp on an assortment of issues. If you will check out his Website you can read them for yourself. What I think separates Ken from his opponent is Franks’ knowledge and his experience in education. Texas is in a mess when it comes to public education and we need people with an amazing  background in classroom education such as Ken Franks to help sort out that mess. From what I have gathered exchanging e-mails and such, it also seems like Ken has the common sense that is sorely needed in our Texas Legislature.

You know, the Legislative Reference Library of Texas notes that a state legislator has not gone to Austin from Sabine County since Fitzhugh L. Beauchamp of Bronson served in the 52nd Legislature from 1951-53.  A lot of talent exists in the Pineywoods of East Texas. Perhaps that is where folks who live in District 9 of the Texas House of Representatives should look for their next state rep.

State Rep. Jim Dunnam,  Incumbent Democrat, District 57, McLennan, Falls, Robertson, Leon, Madison counties.

Waco attorney Jimmy Dunnam has been a state representative since 1996. He currently serves as the House Democratic Leader. I am sure he doesn’t know this blog from Adam but I saw this guy in his element — on the street and on the House floor — and he is good. Oh he’d probably remember me if I told him my name, but why spoil the fun. Seriously, our state needs Jim Dunnam. Elect him. Again. You’ll feel good doing it.

John Mabry, Democratic candidate, District 56, McLennan County.

Mabry, another Waco attorney, served from 2003-05 in the Texas House. No matter that he is partner in Dunnam and Dunnam, sound familiar? Hey, Waco isn’t exactly New York City. John served with distinction in the House, whatever that means. Seriously,  Mabry did an outstanding job as a Freshman house member, which really means he actually got off his butt and got out into the mix. If anyone could help ensure Waco continues to have a little political prestige in the Texas Lege then they need to elect Dunnam and Mabry. The partners from Dunnam and Dunnam. Yeah, I know it sounds incestuous, but hey it’s politics and fair is fair is …

Reggie Cotton, Democratic incumbent, Precinct 2, County Commissioner, Nacogdoches County.

Reggie doesn’t know I have a blog and would probably deny knowing me. No, he wouldn’t. He is a good guy and even has all, or at least most, of his gray matter as far as I know. Odd for a Texas county commissioner. If he is still the Reggie Cotton I have known for the better part of a couple of decades then believe me, you need him for another term as commissioner. Oh, the kiss of death!

U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, Incumbent Democrat, U.S. House, Bosque, Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Hill, Hood, Johnson, Limestone, Madison, McLennan, Robertson, Somervell, counties.

I know it is kind of odd to put a member of Congress at the bottom of a list of endorsements, even below a county commissioner. So what? I tell you what. My little endorsement don’t mean a thing and it ain’t got that swing. Especially after reading The Dallas Morning News endorsed Chet. Yeah, I call him Chet, the guy that Nancy Pelosi thought would make a good running mate for Obama. Never mind the politics that goes on these days. Chet has come out Mr. Conservative. He has to do so. And it’s not an act. He is a conservative, or moderate. Most of my friends are conservatives. Not so many are conservative Democrats. Most aren’t even too much moderate. Although, even I get conservative about things.

Edwards has two very important committee assignments, Budget and Appropriations. On the latter,  he chairs the military construction and veterans affairs and serves as second ranking member on the Energy and Water subcommittee. All some pretty heady stuff.

Chet represents an area that was the home to President George Walker Bush. Yeah, he was Gee Dubya’s congressman. It is a pretty GOPped district. His committee assignments and his tenure attest to why Congressman Edwards needs to return to office. That is, unless, you want to see “U.S. Sen. Chet Edwards” sometime in the future. It’s not all that bad an idea. Just not right now.