The Perplexing Paradox of Texas Politics

Published on:

January 27, 2025

Chairman's Monday Message

Howdy, everyone! What an incredible week it has been. The 47th President of these United States, Donald J. Trump has been sworn in and immediately got to work. There has been more productivity emanating from the Trump administration in the first 48 hours than in 48 months of the Biden administration. There’s a palpable sense of relief and joy that one felt being in Washington, DC, for the inauguration and in these ensuing days.

I had the pleasure of attending the annual National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) firearms industry trade convention, Shot Show, in Las Vegas. All about the convention floor there was a visible excitement, one that is being exhibited all across the land. It is truly refreshing to see that ICE is doing its job again and criminal illegal immigrants are being arrested and deported.

Donald Trump carried the Lone Star state by some 15 percent back in November of 2024. That is almost a 10 percent increase from his 2020 electoral performance in Texas. Senator Ted Cruz, who was supposedly embroiled in some tight race with Colin Allred, ended up winning by 9-10 percent. When one goes back and assesses the Texas presidential electoral map by county, 254 counties, from 2016 to 2024 you will see a strong trending toward red. The trend was so strong in 2024 that the Texas Democratic Party Chairman resigned. There were 12 of 14 Texas border counties that went red, an amazing achievement. Even here in Dallas County, the shade of blue is not as bright as it has been.

However, there is a very perplexing paradox in Texas politics. 

As Texas is trending more red, it is being governed, legislatively, more center to the left. And nothing is more reflective of that premise than what has been the opening salvo of actions from the Texas State House, controlled by a majority of Republicans 88-62.

First, we had some 36 of these so-called Republicans join with 49 Democrats to select a Texas Speaker of the House. The Texas GOP House Caucus rule states that a Speaker should come from the majority. Then there was the latest faux pas which occurred last week. The office of the Texas Speaker of the House, Dustin Burrows, issued the House Rules package at 4am and expected a vote later that day. The rules package was over 200 pages. Perhaps everyone in the Texas State House are graduates of the Evelyn Woods speed reading program, but I doubt that. The 88 Republican majority was precluded from having debate on the rules package due to a “Republican,” Representative Jared Patterson, invoking the previous question, also referred to as the nuclear option. That maneuver ended all debate before debate was even started. The rules package passed and we were bombarded by propaganda that Republicans had banned Democrats from holding committee Chairman positions, but as Lee Corso of ESPN College Gameday would say, “not so fast, my friend.”

The rules package ended up mandating that all Vice Chair positions in the Texas State House with majority Republicans should be held by Democrats. Furthermore, it increased the budgets of these Vice Chair positions and made them pretty much equal to the Chairman position with increased powers. In essence, this created Co-Chairs. As well, this rules package gave committee parity in some cases to Democrats and quietly gave them sub-committee leadership positions. Hey, no wonder that the Democrats voted for this package and were laughing all the way to the bank.

I have to be quite direct, the propaganda social media posts that came from these cowardly and traitorous Republicans, such as Morgan Meyer, Jared Patterson, and Jeff Leach congratulating themselves for “voting to ban Democrat chairs” was offensive, demeaning, denigrating, and condescending. The disdain that these individuals express is cause for great concern. There is a saying we have in the military that fits their disconcerting action, “don’t go pi**ing on my back and tell me it’s raining.” It is clear that they have no regard for the conservative grassroots in Texas, ya know, the folks that delivered Texas for Trump and Cruz in 2024. For some very odd reason, they have a reticence in standing up for legislative priorities that reflect the political map of Texas.

Now, consider the difference in California, where their State legislature, with Democrat supermajority, met recently to conjure up how to “Trump-proof” their state. One would think they would be considering how to fireproof their state. You can look at other hard blue states like Illinois, New York, or Massachusetts. Democrats in those states are not seeking power-sharing agreements with Republicans.

So what is it with this perplexing political paradox here in Texas? Why do these so-called Republicans feel a need to cozy up with progressive socialists when the state of Texas is trending red and conservative? Why is it that 90 percent of conservative grassroots legislation was killed in the 88th legislative session not by Democrats, but by Republicans, fellas like Dade Phelan and Dustin Burrows?

Why is it that here in Texas, Republicans in a majority cannot seem to act like they are in a majority? What do they fear? It would appear that they do not fear the voters. Let’s remember that these leftists that they are so keen on are the same ones who fled to Washington, DC, and were regarded as heroes by the Biden-Harris administration and leftists across the country. These are the same Democrats who did so to block electoral reform legislation in Texas, and they returned to no consequences or ramifications. Nope, they are met with more concessions by the most disgustingly weak individuals I have ever seen.

I for one will not side with weakness. On the battlefield I do not want a coward, a Bo Bergdahl type in the foxhole with me. Sadly, the perplexing paradox of Texas politics has given us this level of depravity and lack of intestinal fortitude. Texas on the electoral map is red. Texas, in the halls of the Capitol in Austin, is something completely different. Heck, even the capital city of Texas, Austin, is more a reflection of leftist — no Marxist — California than the Lone Star State.

The great thing about it all is that the countdown to the next March 2026 primary election has begun, and the sand is running out on this abhorrent behavior.

Steadfast and Loyal.