Oscar Leeser, SCOUTS Leak, & El Paso Women

As the Republican Party continues to test just how hypocritical they can be - the Party of Small Government trying to shrink government down so much that it fits inside a woman's uterus - there has been a predictable local reaction. 

El Paso women aren't happy. And not just women, but a LOT of Democrats. 

Several members of El Paso's City Council have put an item on the city council agenda to create a commission to protect women's rights in El Paso.   

This isn't a debate about whether or not its a good idea, whether or not it will be effective, or what exactly it would do. It would be advisory, so it would only matter to the extent that the elected officials on council would care about it. 

Not at all the point to this post. 

The point of this post is that this item put Mayor Leeser in a much-needed hot seat. His administration has been largely defined by drama and well, not much else. I mean there hasn't been anything transformative under his administration. He hasn't created some signature project or policy. He didn't fundamentally change anything in El Paso. 

At this point Mayor Oscar Leeser's legacy can be summed up in one word, "meh". 

But as they say in Selena, pues orale, rewind....

Lets rewind to Leeser's last election. 

You memmur, memmur? 

Thats when he and consulting firm of Eddie Holguin and Lily Limón wanted to go around the local party's policy of staying out of non-partisan races and went to the Texas Democratic Party to ask them to intervene so that he could get the endorsement of the Democratic Party. 

I guess he left out the part where he voted Republican in his past, but whatever. 

Anywho - he and his consultants made the last mayoral election about party platform. He told local Democrats he'd uphold the values of the Democratic Party. 

Protecting a woman's right to choose is a major part of the Democratic Party platform. Thats not to say that there aren't "pro-life" Democrats within the Party, because there are a few. We don't run people off if we disagree about some parts of the platform, but make no mistake about it - there are some things that the Party holds strongly to and a woman's right to choose is absolutely one of them. 

How the city reps vote on the creation of this commission - whether its fair or not - is going to be interpreted as where they stand on women's rights. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the members of council that vote against this are going to get mailers sent against them - targeted to women - about this vote the next time they are on the ballot. 

Leeser has long held visions of grandeur of running for congress. I mean, he's not viable for it - but he's long held on to the idea. 

Now is where people will see where he stands. He's long gotten by not having to take a stand on basically anything because as Mayor he can say whatever he wants but he only votes when there is a tie. 

But this item is one that Leeser's silence will speak volumes - because he went out of his way to ask for our endorsement and to tell us he'd fight for our values. 

Lets see if he was all talk when he came and asked to be endorsed by the Democratic Party...