Report Card for Team Democrat

From The Lion Star Blog by Jaime Abeytia

It bothers people in the party when I calls it likes I sees it, but this is one of those times that it needs to be done.

I can’t stand when some people advocate for straight ticket voting but don’t actually work for the team. In other words, they want to benefit from straight-ticket voting but don’t want to work for it.

So I thought I’d do a little report card of the candidates in terms of who’s being a team player and who’s not. It’s not personal, so if you are named in this piece and are pissed about it, too bad, get over it.

My measurement isn’t the quality of the candidates or their policies or their track record or if I personally like or dislike them. I’m talking about campaigning only.

A+
Congressman Reyes’ Campaign – They’ve put a lot of money in to the Democratic pot. They are in no danger of losing their race yet they are working hard doing the grassroots effort. The Congressman has been to most, if not all, Democratic Party rallies this campaign season.

Jose Rodriguez’s Campaign – Rodriguez is going to win his campaign by a large margin as well, partially because his opponent is a perennial candidate with a weak record and prone to gaffes, but also because his campaign is pushing hard and not taking the election for granted.

Veronica Escobar’s Campaign – Again a candidate that is in no danger of losing, but is still pushing hard. Her campaign is also pushing for the team, not just her campaign. She’s also sent out campaign emails mentioning volunteer opportunities for other candidates.

State Rep Norma Chavez – She’s stayed behind the scenes and her unpopularity hasn’t hurt other candidates.

B
State Rep Joe Pickett – He’s attended events in his district and brought along his big fire truck. He has an opponent and is going to win big, but he’s done his part.
Commissioner Willie Gandara – Not up for re-election in this election but still hosted a big rally in the valley. It was well-attended and the heavy weights in the party were there.

Marissa Marquez – She showed up to a forum and spoke on behalf of Bill White’s campaign. She doesn’t have an opponent but she’s been around and showed up to events.

C
State Rep Elect Naomi Gonzalez has only been a couple events and is only there for a few minutes; even the ones in her district. She showed up for a few minutes and left, but she’s new, was financially supported by Republicans, and doesn’t have an opponent in the general. So she deserves kudos for showing up, even if it’s just for a few minutes and time will tell how well she incorporates in to the party. So far, it could be better, but not too bad.

F
State Rep Chente Quintanilla – Chente’s gente are mostly Democratic and he should be helping with GOTV. He’s nowhere to be seen. I haven’t seen him anywhere near one of the campaigns, which is counter intuitive because he is the one who’s seat is in most jeopardy of losing his seat to redistricting. It will be strange if he asks to the party for help later considering he hasn’t been seen anywhere during the campaigns.

I feel I should clarify that my grade for Quintanilla is not a reflection of my opinion of his service as a state rep. In fact, I have spoken with several constituents in his district that have been happy with his service and his office has been attention on issues that have been raised to their attention. He is also my state rep.

My critique is specific to his lack of assistance with GOTV operations.

I’m sure there are other people I should’ve mentioned, so if I forget anyone, my bad I’ve been real busy.

Joe Moody needs the help of everyone in the party. His colleagues should be there to help.

What's irritating is that there are a couple of candidates that are going to ride the coat tails of the hard work others in the party have done. If there was ever a candidate that should've gone Lower Valley on his opponent its Dr. Eduardo Servin. Haggerty has plenty to run against and he hasn't hit him hard. Hopefully his last minute push will be enough.

Dion Dorado hasn't campaigned hard enough. I've written that previously and he hasn't changed his tactics at all. If he tried half as hard as Barbara Perez has to win her election, which she's going to win big, he would be winning. He's a guy that is going to benefit from everyone else's work and I stand by my critique of his lack of effort. The only time he showed up to anything significant was over the weekend in Canutillo.

He spoke and board the couple of people in the crowd who were actually listenting. He will end up with more votes than actually reflect the work he put in to the campaign, which is a shame because he seems to be a pretty decent candidate. Ironically he was on with Strelz today, who said he was going to support Dorado, and said that unfortunantely Democrats tend to be "lackadaisical" when it comes to voting.

The dictionary defines that term as "Lacking enthusiasm and determination; carelessly lazy."

Sounds more like the definition of Dorado's campaign.