Joe Martinez, Democratic Party Primary candidate for Harris County Constable, Precinct 2 has a problem. It is a problem that some candidates just have to live with. He keeps getting his campaign signs (yard signs and the big ones) stolen or ripped up because some of his opponents think he’s doing a real good job engaging the voters of Precinct 2. Joe Martinez is Commentary’s client.
There are 10 candidates running for this open position. Understandably many of the Democratic elected officials are on the sidelines. Not so for H-Town CM James Rodriguez. Rodriguez, who lives in Precinct 2, says this:
“I urge the Democrats in Constable Precinct 2 to join me in supporting Joe Martinez. I’ve known Joe for a number of years and have always admired his dedication to his profession and to community service.”
Of the candidates running for this position, Joe does have the most years of experience working in a constable’s office. Joe has ideas on what he’ll do to make the office work better. I have nothing against the incumbent, my pal Gary Freeman, but every office can be improved.
I’m not going to say or reveal much about Joe’s campaign other than to say that Joe and his crew certainly know what has to be done between now and May 14 and May 29. Joe knows how to focus.
Joe Martinez has also been endorsed by the Coalition of Police and Sheriffs, Local 911 (C.O.P.S), Democracy for Houston, Harris County Tejano Democrats, Houston Area Stonewall Democrats, Houston GLBT Political Caucus, International Union of Police Associations (I.U.P.A.), Mexican American Bar Association of Houston, and Momentum PAC.
I hope more folks will consider supporting Joe Martinez. He’ll be a great Constable.
‘Stro second baseman Jose Altuve turned 22 yesterday. Altuve is currently in the MLB Top 10 in three offensive categories – name the three categories?
Like I said last Friday, Commentary got interviewed by Huffington Post. Here is part of the piece on politicians and Cinco de Mayo:
I have to give it to President Obama. He’s actually been pretty smart about this stuff,” said Marc Campos, president of Campos Communications in Houston, referring to the annual White House Cinco de Mayo reception and the president’s Rose Garden push for immigration reform on Thursday. “But you just know some politician is going to show up somewhere this weekend in a guayabera (a type of shirt) or a sombrero at some party with the fajitas and the guacamole and no knowledge whatsoever of what the people in that room are really concerned about. That’s, unfortunately, how it’s often done.”
Campos, a Mexican American who has worked as a political strategist for dozens of for Democratic candidates since the 1970s, has seen so many politicians try to appeal to Latino voters with cultural celebrations and food that friends this week called him to joke that that they wished the White House reception included the bacon-wrapped shrimp that are a standard of Washington parties. Instead, pork and fish tacos, pico de gallo, sopes and various mole-marinated meats were on the menu.
In 2000, Campos did “truth-squad” research on George W. Bush’s accomplishments in Texas. And, he served as a deputy campaign director for the Democratic Party’s get out the vote effort the last time a Democrat carried Texas. The candidate was Jimmy Carter and the year, 1972. (Actually it was 1976).
Here is the entire HuffPo piece.
Speaking of the Latino vote, Politico had a lengthy piece yesterday on the Latino vote in the 2012 race for Prez. Here are parts:
He (Romney) called Arizona’s immigration law a national model, and said he would veto a “Dream Act” that provides a pathway to citizenship for children of illegal immigrants if they serve in the military or go to college. He advocates “self-deportation” — essentially making life so difficult for undocumented residents that they see little option except to leave the country.
“He (Romney) hasn’t begun an aggressive, national campaign for Hispanics,” said Ana Navarro, a Republican strategist in Miami. “He needs to introduce himself, define himself beyond the narrow narrative coming out of the primary and at the same time go after Obama hard, both on immigration and economic failures.”
I disagree. I think Latinos have already been introduced to Romney. Sadly GOP strategists think we’ve been on siesta or something like that. Latinos have been watching the immigrant bashing going on over in the GOP Prez primary.
And:
The Obama campaign is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars advertising on Spanish language TV stations in Colorado, Nevada and Florida.
But neither the Romney campaign nor the conservative political groups paying for pro-Romney ads has bought any time on Spanish networks.
And:
“Hispanics are shopping around,” said Jennifer Korn, executive director of the Hispanic Leadership Network and Hispanic outreach director for the 2004 Bush-Cheney campaign.
What are we supposed to be shopping for – a Mitt wearing a sombrero?
Here is the entire politico piece.
I was watching “Meet the Press” yesterday and one of my favorites, Tom Brokaw, was on and he kind of mildly chastised the White House Correspondents dinner. Here is from a web piece about his remarks:
Veteran NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw on Sunday said Washington’s annual White House Correspondents’ dinner has become a symbol of a press that is increasingly out of touch. ”If there’s ever an event that separates the press from the people they’re supposed to be serving, symbolically, it is that one. It is time to rethink it,” he said on NBC’s Meet the Press.
“Look I think George Clooney is a great guy, I’d like to meet Charlize Theron, but I don’t think the big press event in Washington should be that kind of glittering event, where the whole talk is about Cristal champagne, taking over the Italian embassy, who had the best party, who got to meet the most people. That’s another separation between what we’re supposed to be doing and what the people expect us to be doing, and I think that the Washington press corps has to look at that, and by the way I’m a charter member of the White House Correspondents Association, I was there early on and often enjoyed it, but it’s gone beyond what it needs to be.”
It is what it is. White House correspondents and many of Washington and national news reporters, anchors, and columnists are celebrities themselves – Tom Brokaw included. They show up on Leno, Letterman, Colbert, Stewart, Maher, Fallon, Kimmel, and Conan. They also interview celebrities like Clooney, DeNiro, Theron, Pitt, Jolie, Penn, Bono, and countless others that give their time and money to humanitarian efforts. Sorry Tom, but we’re never going back to the good old days.
Goober Pyle is no longer with us. That’s too bad. George Lindsey left us yesterday. I always cracked up when Gomer would ask Goober to do his Cary Grant impression and Goober would rattle off “Judy, Judy, Judy!”
‘Stro Jose Altuve is 9th in batting average (.352), 4th in base hits (38), and tied for 2nd in triples (3) of course.
We’re 13-15 and Dante is already asking if he can go with me to the World Serious – huh! What does he know?
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