Prop 2 Campaigns

Name the Astro hitter who struck out the most this past season?

With 6 days until Election Day, it’s health care versus Brown people are bad. Just saying.

Last night, I dropped by Lagers and Legislators, sponsored by Holler Brewing and Craftpac. The event was at Holler Brewing, a few minutes from my place. State Reps. Carol Alvarado and Sarah Davis were the speakers. I learned from Rep. Davis that the first thing she does in the morning is read the Chron, then the Trib, then Kuffer. Now you know.

Here in Harris County, after Day 9, 557,264 have Voted Early in Person.

In 2016, the entire total was 882,580.

In 2014, the entire total was 307,280.

We are at 63% of the 2016 Early Vote in Person turnout and 181% of 2014. Care to guess where we end up?

I wonder if folks will be able to put the pieces back together. Did it really have to come to this? Commentary is talking about the Prop B campaigns. Here is the latest Chron story: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Prop-B-supporters-opponents-make-closing-13349649.php.

Sigh. It has turned bitter. It has been divisive. It is not good for our image. A lot of folks are disappointed that it has come down to this. Sigh.

Marwin Gonzalez of course led the team by striking out 126 times.

I wonder if Marwin is coming back?

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It’s the #BetoForTexas Factor

It’s official. Name the 6 Astros free agents this morning?

The messed up racist from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has decided to use the armed forces during this political season. Really? He’s sending 5,200 troops to the border to challenge the refugees. Commentary is wondering if any of his military advisors mentioned to him the success we had with Black Jack Pershing and Pancho Villa. He also wants to do away with part of the 14^th Amendment by Executive Order. This is f__ked up, folks.

Meanwhile, the gutless GOP leadership remains silent. Gutless.

Is Commentary the only one who says it’s the #BetoForTexas factor? Read this from today’s Chron:

An unprecedented number of Texans cast their ballots during the first week of early voting, but it is impossible to predict whether that surge will benefit Republicans or Democrats because more than 25 percent of the voters have no primary election voting history, an analysis of data from the Secretary of State shows.

People whose voting records provide no clue of their party affiliation cast 27.8 percent of the ballots in the 15 most populous counties in Texas, according to the analysis by Republican consultant Derek Ryan.

About one-third of the early voters in those counties had voted in a Republican primary in the past; for Democrats, it was 30 percent. Those percentages are consistent with early voting totals from the last midterm primary, in 2014, Ryan said.

Here is the entire article: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/politics/texas/article/Five-things-to-know-about-the-Texas-early-voting-13345501.php?src=hp_totn.

Here is what Keir tweeted yesterday:

After seven days in Harris County, 18.6% of in-person early voters are under age 35.

I don’t think it is more Donald Trump voters showing up. They showed up in 2016.

Does it take a rocket, err political scientist to figure this out? Commentary has been to those #BetoForTexas rallies. Those gatherings have that feeling of electricity in the political atmosphere. He has hit that political nerve that is moving folks in Texas. I may be dead wrong, but I don’t think so. You have a better explanation? I am all ears if you do.

Here in Harris County, after Day 8, 494,712 have Voted Early in Person.

In 2016, the entire total was 882,580.

In 2014, the entire total was 307,280.

We are at 56% of the 2016 Early Vote in Person turnout and 161% of 2014. Care to guess where we end up?

Evan Gattis, Marwin Gonzalez, Dallas Keuchel, Martin Maldonado, Charlie Morton and Tony Sipp are free agents of course.

Fear the beard.

Go vote early, please.

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From His Base

Since the 2000 season, which league has won the most World Series Championships!

Here in Harris County, after Day 7, 429,009 have Voted Early in Person.

In 2016, the entire total was 882,580.

In 2014, the entire total was 307,280.

We are at 49% of the 2016 Early Vote in Person turnout and 140% of 2014. Care to guess where we end up?

In 2016, the Sunday Early Vote in Person total was 35,874, yesterday, it was 34,338.

Gutless GOP elected officials won’t call out Donald Trump. It is good to see this from the NY Daily News:

President Trump is not welcome to visit Pittsburgh unless he denounces white nationalism and “stops targeting and endangering all minorities,” a group of the city’s Jewish leaders said Sunday.

“For the past three years your words and your policies have emboldened a growing white nationalist movement,” said a letter signed by 11 Jewish leaders on the website of Bend the Arc, a progressive Jewish organization.

“You yourself called the murderer evil, but yesterday’s violence is the direct culmination of your influence,” the letter said.

Trump said he would visit Pittsburgh following the slaughter of 11 worshipers Saturday inside the Tree of Life synagogue during Sabbath morning services.

Authorities say the suspected gunman, Robert Bowers, yelled anti-Semitic slurs during the rampage.

Hours before the mass killing, Bowers ranted online against HIAS, a Jewish immigration advocacy organization.

“HIAS likes to bring invaders in that kill our people. I can’t sit by and watch my people get slaughtered. Screw your optics, I’m going in,” he posted on Gab, a social network site.

The letter on Bend the Arc’s site noted that Bowers’ anti-HIAS post came “at the end of a week in which (Trump) spread lies and sowed fear about migrant families in Central America.”

“He killed Jews in order to undermine the efforts of all those who find shared humanity with immigrants and refugees,” the online letter added.

They pointed out that the Torah states each person is made in b’tzelem Elohim, in the image of God.

“This means all of us,” the group said. “In our neighbors, Americans, and people worldwide who have reached out to give our community strength, there we find the image of God. “

“While we cannot speak for all Pittsburghers, or even all Jewish Pittsburghers, we know we speak for a diverse and unified group when we say: President Trump, you are not welcome in Pittsburgh until you commit yourself to compassionate, democratic policies that recognize the dignity of all of us.”

The letter was signed by: Jamie Forrest, Joshua Friedman, Jamie Harris, Tammy Hepps, Harry Hochheiser, Sasha King, Rachel Kranson, Elinor S. Nathanson, Avigail S. Oren, Kate Rothstein and Yael Silk.

Trump is not going to call out a part of his base. Sorry.

It is also sad to see the gutless GOP talking heads say “both” sides need to tone it down and comparing the #MAGABomber and Saturday’s shooter to the dinner interrupters. Gutless.  Sorry, that ain’t going to work.

I was watching CNN on Friday when they showed the #MAGABomber’s car from an aerial shot. I noticed it was smothered by signs and bumper stickers, but I could not read them – too far away. Then the FBI put a tarp over it. I knew then that it was a Trump supporter. I was right. It was a #MAGABomber.

Best line of the past week

“I’m not calling him a racist. But the racists believe he’s a racist.”

Mayor Andrew Gillum, Dem nominee for Florida governor, on Ron DeSantis, GOP nominee.

It took me 8 minutes to vote yesterday from the time I walked into the voting room at Moody Park until I walked out. I timed it. I voted straight ticket Democratic Party. I also reviewed my ballot to make sure I didn’t make a “user error.”

What is up with that anyway?

I was watching Game 4 Saturday night and when the Dodgers took a 4-0 lead after 6, I couldn’t help but think about the 4-0 lead they had on us going into the bottom of the 4^th at Minute Maid last year in Game 5. Just saying.

Since 2000, the AL has 10 World Series Championships and the NL 9 of course.

Congrats to the Red Sox!

Go vote early, please.

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Happy Birthday, Carol!

Today is Rep. Carol Alvarado’s birthday! Happy birthday, Carol!

Since the 2000 season, name the team with the most World Series titles?

Here in Harris County, after Day 4, 249,383 have Voted Early in Person.

In 2016, the entire total was 882,580.

In 2014, the entire total was 307,280.

We are at 28.3% of the 2016 Early Vote in Person turnout and 81.2% of 2014. Care to guess where we end up?

Let me say this. In 2016, Donald Trump beat Hillary Clinton in Texas 52% to 43% – 9 points. In Harris County, Clinton beat Trump 54% to 42%. Even if you buy in to the polls that show Sen. Ted Cruz with a 5 to 6 point lead over #BetoForTexas, what does that say about the Harris County vote? Just saying.

Kuffer said this today:

It is almost certainly the case that there will be fewer votes cast in judicial elections once the straight party ticket option is eliminated. How much it is reduced, and whether the reduction is uniform or if it varies by ballot type (absentee versus in person), early versus election day, geography, race, ethnicity, age, party, etc etc etc, are all questions we will get to explore in the coming years. I will say that some judicial candidates now are much more active and visible than others, but it’s far from clear to me that there’s any connection between an individual judicial candidate’s level of campaign activity and performance at the polls. From my very anecdotal perspective, I don’t see such a connection, but I make no claim to validity for that observation. I do hope someone more qualified than I will take a stab at quantifying that and other questions in 2020 and beyond.

I will take a stab at some of this. This isn’t scientific. In the 2016 November election,  around 5% of the voters skipped voting on the judicial races. 872 thousand voted straight ticket Dem or GOP so the judicial races were covered. Roughly 452 thousand were ticket splitters so do the math. Maybe 15% of the ticket splitters skipped over the judicial races.

If you look at the recent 2018 Dem and GOP primaries. Judicial races were skipped over by Dems anywhere from between 17% – 23%. GOPers 17% – 28%. This isn’t scientific, just saying.

I received mailer #3 from the Support Our Fire Fighters PAC on supporting Prop B.

Chalk up two more devices from the #Magabomber this morning.

From Royko on my #Magabomber take yesterday::

Any attempt to pin this on Trump supporters is not credible. Trump beat Hillary, and she is an albatross for the Democrats; why would we want to get rid of a perfectly good gangster to vilify?

No Trump supporter is as stupid as a Democrat, and try to mail a bomb.

The Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, was an Al Gore acolyte.

One would not be surprised to learn that is all an orchestrated set-up to change the news as the Democrats were dropping in the polls.

Thank you.

Commentary has been loyal to the “Today” show since like forever. Everyone knows that I wasn’t thrilled when they brought over Megyn Kelly. Tamron Hall was doing a very good job in the third hour. It looks like Megyn Kelly is a goner. I am not surprised.

Saint Arnold Amber is now in a can.

The Giants and the Red Sox have three World Series titles apiece since the 2000 season of course.

Alex Bregman, Dallas Keuchel and Martin Maldonado are up for Gold Glove Awards.

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#Magabomber

Commentary is not surprised Donald Trump isn’t outraged over the pipe bombs that were mailed to his critics. That is who he is. The fella regularly incites his supporters.

He calls out and blames the media, but not a word about the #Magabomber.

Don’t even get me started on the gutless GOP elected officials who let Trump get away with his current behavior. Gutless!

Here in Harris County, after Day 3, 190,455 have Voted Early in Person.

In 2016, the entire total was 882,580.

In 2014, the entire total was 307,280.

We are at 21.6% of the 2016 Early Vote in Person turnout and 62% of 2014. Care to guess where we end up?

Local Dem Party Chair Lillie Schechter has an Op-Ed in today’s Chron on voting the straight ticket for Dems. It is a good take and here it is: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Actually-straight-ticket-voting-in-Texas-is-good-13334128.php.

Just so you know, in 2016 in Harris County, 471 thousand voted the Dem straight ticket and 401 thousand voted the GOP straight ticket. Two thirds of all voters voted the straight ticket.

So, if we are voting along the same lines, Dems are currently holding a 10 thousand vote lead among the straight ticket voters. Nice!

There is an Op-Ed by Trump, Jr. in today’s Chron. Talk about a waste of ink.

Megyn Kelly’s show didn’t come on today.  Interesting.

No MLB question today.

Go vote early, please.

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Election Night Returns New Look

Last season, five Astros regulars ended the season batting .300 or above. How many of the Astros regulars ended the season batting .300 or above?

Commentary tweeted out the other day that the Harris County Elections folks had a new look on their website and nobody gave a rat’s arse. Go check out their Election Results / Election Day web page. You will be able to check out which precincts have reported and how they voted. If there are no glitches on Election Night this could be very useful. Cool if it works. I wonder what the #FireStanStanart crowd will think?

Megyn Kelley comes on right after the “Today” and sometimes I don’t change the channel, just so I can see what is going to fall out of her piehole. Yesterday it was defending blackface. I just kind of shook my head and turned off the flat screen. She deservedly got twitter roasted. She later half arse apologized.

Craig Melvin and Al Roker were having none of her half arse apology this morning. Roker said she needed to give a “bigger apology.”

She did this morning.

Maybe that s__t is Ok for Fox news, but not for “Today.”

A lot is being said about Early Vote in Person turnout in Texas and a lot should be said.

Keir tweeted probably the most interesting stat after Day 1 of Early Voting in Person:

15% of Harris County voters yesterday were under age 35, as compared to 8% of the 2014 electorate.

Here in Harris County, after Day 2, 127,969 have Voted Early in Person.

In 2016, the entire total was 882,580.

In 2014, the entire total was 307,280.

We are at 14.5% of the 2016 Early Vote in Person turnout and 41.6% of 2014. Care to guess where we end up?

I read where some analyst ran the numbers for the first day in Texas and found 36% GOPers and 33% Dems. That’s 31% unaccounted for – just saying.

Commentary is going to address campaign signage at the Early Voting locations. Easily a record. So many signs that I don’t think any voter pays attention to any individual sign. Collectively, they do remind folks that this is where they can vote early. So, I guess that is a good thing.

Jose Altuve was the only Astro regular batting .300 or above this season with a .316 clip of course and that is one of the reasons we are not playing in the World Series.

Vote early, please.

 

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Don’t Ask Alice

Who has a better 2018 postseason team batting average, the Dodgers or the Red Sox?

Houston Firefighters were certainly out in force at every Early Voting location yesterday. It looks they will be at all the EV locations over the next couple of weeks. Interesting.

Alice Stewart is a CNN conservative commentator and used to work for Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign. She doesn’t always stick to the GOP talking points. She did miss by a lot last night. Maybe it was because she still like Sen. Cruz. Check her tweets from last night:

Alice Stewart‏@alicetweet 12h12 hours ago

TX is ground zero for @tedcruz & @realDonaldTrump message to pass Kate’s law, end visa lottery & end chain migration. #CruzCrew #GOPUndo

 

Alice Stewart‏ @alicetweet 12h12 hours ago

Timing is everything – @realDonaldTrump message of caravan, chain migration & build the wall works in TX. #GOP #CruzCrew

 

Alice doesn’t know what she is talking about. I don’t think Alice has spent a lot of time in Texas lately. She certainly isn’t catching on to what is going on with the #BetoForTexas campaign. Come on! There is a reason Donald Trump was at Toyota last night. Sen. Cruz is in trouble.

I also don’t think that Alice knows that Texas is 42% Anglo, 39% Latino, 13% African American, and 5% Asian American. We are certainly ground zero for diversity.  We are doing our best to rid our state of hate and divisiveness.

Sadly, Alice was sounding like Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick last night.  Don’t ask Alice.

Voter turnout was blowing up across Texas yesterday. I am sure we will know later today, what the voters looked like yesterday.

Commentary was going to tweet a picture of the caravan with a caption along the lines of “heading to the Texas border to vote early”, but I decided against. I don’t have time to deal with haters these days.

In the 2018 postseason, the Red Sox of course are batting .253 and the Dodgers .218.

The World Series starts this evening.

Go vote early, please.

 

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Early Voting in Person

Have the Red Sox and the Dodgers ever met in the postseason?

On the first day of Early Voting in Person in Harris County in 2014, 20,215 showed to vote and 41,520 mailed in ballots.

On the first day of Early Voting in Person in Harris County in 2016, 67,471 showed to vote and 61,543 mailed in ballots

Care to guess what will be reported around 5 pm today?

The Chron E-Board Saturday endorsed the City of H-Town’s Prop A and opposed the H-Town Firefighters’ Prop B.

The Chron E-Board Sunday endorsed #BetoForTexas, Gov. Greg Abbott, and Lt. Governor Dem candidate Mike Collier.

Here is from the E-Board’s Prop A take:

As we said at the time, the drainage fee was established by a vote at City Hall, not a vote at the ballot box. If Proposition A fails, that fee doesn’t go away. Voters will merely lose the Rebuild Houston lock box that requires the city to take a pay-as-you-go approach to funding street and drainage improvements rather than resorting to the more expensive route of borrowing money and paying interest.

That’s BS and silly pure and simple.

Commentary worked for passage of the November 2010 vote on Rebuild Houston. Here was the ballot language the H-Town voters approved:

Shall the City Charter of the City of Houston be amended to provide for the enhancement, improvement and ongoing renewal of Houston’s drainage and streets by creating a Dedicated Pay-As-You-Go Fund for Drainage and Streets.

If the ballot item – Prop 1 – had not been approved by the voters at the ballot box in 2010, a drainage fee would not have been established – period. So saying “the drainage fee was established by a vote at City Hall, not a vote at the ballot box” is a load of BS. The E-Board is quick to chastise public officials for talking BS. Now they are doing the same. Quit disrespecting H-Town voters and stop saying this, please!

Spooky Halloween Evan says the Chron E-Board endorsed 65 GOPers and 57 Dems for the November election.

There is a story in the Chron today about Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump and here is a line:

“Look, they went to counseling, things are okay now, they’re back together, they’re getting along now,” said Rick Tyler, an MSNBC political analyst and Republican strategist who worked as a spokesman for Cruz’s 2016 presidential bid.

I didn’t know arse kissing was therapy.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s dinner was interrupted Friday evening. I wonder if Mitch has considered takeout lately.

In 1916, the Red Sox beat the Brooklyn Robins (now the LA Dodgers), 4 games to 1 of course.

Don’t be surprised if the team decides to continue to have replica World Series ring giveaways a few times next season. Hey, it worked this past season.

Last year, Christmas shopping was easy. Just about everyone on my list got World Series gear. I am going to have to work a little harder this year.

In case you are wondering, MLB returns to The Yard on March 25 and 26 next year when we host the Pirates for a couple of exhibition games. Our season home opener is Friday, April 5 when we host the A’s.

Boston returns on Friday, May 24 for a weekend series.

Go Vote Early, please!

 

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Settled, Done

Blame the baseball gods, folks!

$14.25 postseason Saint Arnold prices. 122% price increase on some tickets over the past couple of years. Some folks I know are not coming back next season or are moving to other locations at The Yard.

Joe West. Roberto Osuna.

The baseball gods decided we were not worthy of repeating.

4 and 1 and done.

Make that 2 For Prop B mailers I have received in the last couple of weeks.

The Chron E-board today endorsed the Dem candidate for Land Commissioner, 7 GOPers for family court judgeships, and 2 Dems for family court judgeships.

Early Voting in Person starts on Monday.

I like this from the internet:

Rihanna stands with Kap. The “Work” singer declined an offer to headline the Super Bowl LIII Halftime Show because she “supports Colin Kaepernick,” a source tells Us Weekly exclusively.

“The NFL and CBS really wanted Rihanna to be next year’s performer in Atlanta,” the insider reveals. “They offered it to her, but she said no because of the kneeling controversy. She doesn’t agree with the NFL’s stance.”

I wonder if they will be called Caesars Crawford Boxes next season.

No MLB question today.

During the National Anthem before Game 4 Wednesday evening, they had a color guard made up of first responders, so folks were focused on the flags by home plate. I checked out the flag poles in the outfield and I noticed the flags were blowing and waving even though the roof was closed. Where was the wind coming from? I guess they had a wind machine or huge arse fan out there and they didn’t want a limp flag.  Just saying.

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Blown Call

Move over Mike Renfro.

F__k Joe West and f__k MLB!

Because of where I sit at The Yard, I have become way too familiar on what is considered the field of play. Last night I had an angle on the where the ball landed and clearly Mookie Betts’ glove was beyond the field of play and the fan had every right to the ball.

Joe West had absolutely no angle and he guessed wrong – period. I repeat, guessed wrong.

MLB is not going to cut us any slack because they prefer Boston in the World Series. So, our chances on overturning the call on review by the folks in New York were slim.

F__k Joe West and f__k MLB.

The Chron e-Board called out HISD trustee Diana Davila and some of her colleagues today. That’s their right to do so. Funny, though. They have never called out certain trustees for their outrageous behavior. That is chickens__t.

The Chron E-Board today endorsed 8 GOPers for district judgeships and 2 Dems for district judgeships.

No MLB question today.

F__k Joe West and f__k MLB.

7 pm start this evening and it is do or die.

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