THE BIG DAY

Tuesday, July 31, is the Texas primary runoff election.  The day my family's fate is decided.  Dramatic?  Maybe, but that's how strongly I feel about the race for Congress in this new district I've been thrown into.   The comfort of knowing Lloyd Doggett represented our interest had me blissfully complacent.  Losing him has given me a much-needed wake up call.  I answered that call with every bit of energy, time, money and devotion I could spend on the Rose for Congress campaign.  Tomorrow, the Democratic candidate will be decided.  Jerry Trevino received the most popular votes on May 29.  Rose has run an awesome campaign visiting every corner of District 27 she could reach.  Many of us in each district county have been actively pursuing votes for Rose in the runoff.  I personally had seven people vote that had either never voted before or hadn't voted in a great while.  It will be exciting to see the numbers for Caldwell County and the entire district. 

That urgent feeling I have about the race for Congress pales when pondering the Senate runoff election.  Paul Sadler is the only sane choice in the race.  I have met him and heard him speak in Houston at the state convention.  He exudes honor and conviction.  A Texas native and long-time state representative with many lauded accomplishments that benefited education, Paul is more than adequately qualified to be our United States Senator.  I've been told that there is no way any democrat can win that seat; not in Texas.  While this may be a statistically-true prediction, I remain enthusiastic and hopeful about our chances of snagging that Senate seat.  In November, Texans should consider the alternative: Dewhurst, another Republican whose loyalties lie with big corporations instead of small business or the TEA Party golden boy.  The GOP is moving further to the right, and the last thing Texas needs is a Senator Cruz to put that move on the fast track.  If Ted Cruz should upset the lieutenant governor in the runoff, I am more confident that Paul Sadler will become our next Senator from Texas.  I can't stand the thought of a TEA Party Senator anymore than I can stand the thought of a TEA Party Congressman.

In 2012, we should begin to see the shift to a more moderate political scene in Texas.  The governor and his bold, abusive political moves, and embarrassing presidential candidacy, may just have been the catalyst for waking up some of our more reasonable citizens who ordinarily lean to the right.  The shift may be unnoticable to most, but I believe this is the year it will take flight and begin to effect real change in subsequent elections.  People are finally seeing the utter hypocrisy of the Republican party, and it has become personal.  Many conservative friends are already sowing seeds of doubt as they've systematically received refund checks from their health insurance carriers as part of the federal health care law.  They are beginning to believe that given time, things can only get better.  And they will get better if we get smart about electing our leaders.

PLS ~ Martha