“Elections Matter…and They have Consequences”
| “Elections Matter…and They have Consequences” |
Greetings and first of all, I pray you have survived this winter storm that has hit most of the country, some 40 States. I am always amazed at people who say that they love winter and cold weather. I spent too many days in the Army in the cold to like it. Well, here we are, once again in a critical election cycle, and yes, it is crucial. This one is what is termed a midterm election, meaning the middle of a four year term for the president. And American political history has not been kind to an incumbent president, and his party. I came into Congress in 2010, Barack Obama’s first midterm, he suffered a resounding loss in the House of Representatives, and in his second midterm election, would lose the US Senate. We all know that in President Trump’s first term he lost his midterm and his remaining two years were filled with incessant impeachment drama by the Marxist leftists. It meant the end to his legislative agenda, and we also had to contend with the Covid issue in his final year. And that caused an abysmal train wreck to what was a booming American economy. History does have a way of repeating itself, as we just got news of 4.4% American GDP growth, fastest rise in recent history. However, all of this will come to a crashing halt if leftists take control of the US House of Representatives and the Senate. Now, one would think that the American people would be astute enough to continue to want economic, energy, national, domestic, and border security…but sadly, there is a very energized, loud, and lawless core that does not. The Marxist leftists want their ideological agenda, the safety, security, and prosperity of the Country be damned. Here in my home of Dallas County Texas we are preparing for our primary election. Early voting will begin on 17 February and will go for two weeks. The primary election day will be on March 3d, which is also the 190th anniversary of Texas independence. But, what has recent history told us about primary elections? In 2024, two years ago, Republicans across the State of Texas, which had 17.94 million registered voters, the overall Republican voter turnout was 12.94%, 2.32M. Again, two years ago it was a presidential primary election cycle. In 2022, the last midterm election cycle, Texas had 17.18M registered voters, the Republican voter turnout was 1.95M, 11.37%. Just for reference, the general election turnout in Texas in 2022 was 8.1M, 45.8% and in 2024 the general election turnout was 11.38M, 61.15%. Primary elections matter, and they have consequences, so many people will show up in the November general election and ask, who am I voting for? Or worse, how did this person end up being my choice. It reminds me of the song by the rock group Rush, Freewill…”if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice”. Albeit no one registers as a Republican, Democrat, or Independent in Texas and we have open primaries, something of which I disagree, primary elections are vital, it is where the respective parties are supposed to “pick” their team…of course an open primary precludes such. Regardless, it is imperative that Republicans pick it up and drive out more voter turnout in the primary elections. This is where you build a solid base, and it evidences voter enthusiasm, engagement. I am sure what I just articulated is not just an issue in Texas, but in other so-called Red States, where Republicans can no longer afford to “dial it in”. The consequence is that in a State like Texas, you could see areas, municipalities that resemble Portland, Seattle, San Francisco, or Minneapolis. Matter of fact, that is already happening in many Red States where the major urban population centers do indeed resemble the aforementioned failed cities. Here in Dallas County, we cannot afford to have a GOP primary turnout in the low teens, matter of fact, it needs to be above 30%, just asking for 1 in 3 Republicans to vote in the upcoming primary. I challenged our Dallas County precinct chairs to get to a 40% Republican primary turnout in this midterm primary election, yes, I have high standards. If we can do 40%, just 4 out of 10 Republicans, perhaps we will get to 60% in the midterm general election…the stakes are high and the repercussions are monumental. As we enter into this midterm election cycle, I want you to think about the Soldier, Sailor, Airman, or Marine standing watch somewhere in the world. Standing on freedoms rampart to safeguard your liberties and freedoms, one of which is the distinct privilege to be an American citizen, who can vote…they ain’t there for illegal immigrants to be voting! So, there are no excuses, I do not have the time, the line is too long. I remember going nearly 36 straight hours on back to back combat operations in Iraq…and that ain’t nothing. Read the story about a true Texas hero, my dear friend, US Army Green Beret Sergeant First Class (Ret) John Wayne Walding of Groesbeck Texas, and his exploits in Afghanistan at the Battle of Shok Valley. John’s right leg was shot off by an enemy sniper below the knee, he applied a tourniquet, secured his dangling leg to his right thigh, and continued to fight for another four hours. That is how it is done, and when people say to John, “Thank you for your service”, his reply is “You were worth it”. Well, if you are sitting on yer fourth point of contact during this Texas midterm primary election, think about John Wayne Walding, and that ilk…and ask yourself, “am I worth it?”. Steadfast and Loyal. |