This past Saturday, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram unveiled the possible Lone Star State Dem candidate for U.S. Senator. Here are snippets from Burkablog’s take on the story:
It took the Democrats only one day after Murray’s announcement to produce a credible candidate: Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez. Born in Rio Grande City, Sanchez became commanding general in Iraq in 2003. After his command ended a year later, Sanchez was openly critical of Bush Administration policy in Iraq, both in speeches and in Wiser in Battle, his book about his experience in Iraq, which he wrote after his retirement from the Army.
And:
A potential blemish on his record is the Abu Ghraib scandal, involving abuses of prisoners that occurred during his tenure as commanding general. Sanchez was in line to become the second Hispanic four-star general in army history. He was cleared of any wrongdoing but never received his fourth star. He relinquished command one year after assuming it. After retiring from the army in 2006, he published Wiser in Battle, which is critical of the leadership of President Bush and his administraation.
Any Democratic candidate is going to have an uphill battle, but Sanchez is the kind of candidate the party is going to have to run: an Hispanic whose personal rectitude is beyond reproach — or, to put it another way, is not a politcian. Generalizations can be dangerous, but I think it’s fair to say that Hispanics are among the most patriotic and pro-military of Americans. Sanchez is the kind of candidate who could inspire Hispanics to vote in greater numbers than they are doing now.
The biggest problem for Sanchez is his party. The brand has been destroyed. He is going to have to go into battle defending the policies of a president who is extremely unpopular in Texas. Whoever the Republican nominee is, the strategy will be a page from Rick Perry’s playbook: Sanchez will be defined as a creature of Washington and an ally of the big-spending Obama administration.
And
The Senate Democrats are placing a very long-shot bet on Texas. I wouldn’t dare put any chips on it. Patty Murray’s explanation for why she thinks Texas might be in play is “demographic change.” We have been hearing that line for many years now, and there is no evidence that demographic change has changed voting patterns. Democrats make the mistake of looking at Hispanic participation in California, in Colorado, in Arizona, in New Mexico, and thinking that Texas could be just like those states. I disagree. Hispanics in those states are alienated. Angry people vote. Hispanics in Texas are not alienated. Unless the Democrats have some pretty good polling that shows the Republicans are overreaching with their budget cuts–and I doubt that they do–they should continue to regard Texas as a lost cause. If he runs, Sanchez will do better than any other Democrat could–but not well enough.
I don’t really agree with Burkablog on some stuff. First of all, I think a lot of Latinos here in the Lone Star State are alienated. It is just that the Dem Party here in the Lone Star State never has provided the resources to get that alienation to the polls.
Can the Dem candidate win? It all depends on how a campaign is run. If the Dems run away from The President, then we’re goners.
This is a different dynamic. General Sanchez is a retired three-star general and he commanded the forces in Iraq. He’s a Latino who will have a campaign that’s properly funded.
So what happened to John Sharp? Stay tuned!
In what year did the ‘Stros have four players (the most ever) bat .300 or better?
Burkablog also said this: The party chairman has resigned and his replacement is likely to be a longtime political hack from South Texas.
Who is Burkablog talking about?
From the My Doodoo Don’t Stink Dept: The Star-Telegram has a piece on a bill in the Texas Legislature that allows state legislators to carry concealed pieces any place – churches, schools, bars, and at The Yard. Here is from the article:
"I think it’s another example of legislators trying to live above the law," said Rep. Lon Burnam, D-Fort Worth, who does not have a concealed-handgun license. "It sets a really bad example. It’s embarrassing, frankly."
Here is the article.
Here is more from the article:
Many times, lawmakers are invited to places they have never been to give speeches or meet with constituents. Kleinschmidt said they don’t have a security detail and must often navigate dark parking lots, stairwells or alleyways.
"These things are not intended to show a favoritism," he said. "It’s a safety factor for elected officials who dedicate many hours of their lives to public service.
"You’re afraid of that 1 in 10,000 or 1 in 100,000 that shows up and you are the target because you are in the public eye."
Hey, got a problem! Then don’t run for office.
Latino leaders will get together again today to go over City of H-Town redistricting strategies. Stay tuned!
In 1998 of course, B-G-O batted .325, Derek Bell batted .314, Moises Alou batted .312, and Jeff Bagwell batted .304.
With the ‘Stros leading in the top of the eight and after an error by our shortstop Angel Sanchez, the team error total for the game was three. Dante leaned over to tell me the team that makes the most errors is bound to lose. He was right as we unraveled and lost 8-6.
The only good thing about the game was Dante getting his first foul ball ever while I was fetching him a Mr. Pibb – cool.
I found the following in the Houston Press. It is about the future owner of the ‘Stros (maybe) and his EEOC record. Yikes! Check it out. I hope he has changed his evil ways because there are a lot of folks of color working at The Yard these days including a bunch that wear the brick red. I hope he doesn’t do away with Latino Night and stuff like that.
For the beer connoisseur, you can now sample Sierra Nevada Pale at The Yard on the main concourse on the third base side. The team is now 5-11 and have the day off then go to The Big Apple to take on the 5-11 Mets.
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