El Paso Politics

Looks like Rick Armendariz is going to quarterback Dee Margo's Spanish-language media outreach. Armendariz is a political operative in town known to not really be tied to a political idealogy or persuasion and has worked with Democrats and Republicans in the past. Armendariz recently worked with State-Rep Elect Naomi Gonzalez who defeated long-time State Rep Norma Chavez in the last election and he previously did work for Chavez as well. He was also the name that the Camino Real Mexican American Democrats organized under when they first organized as a proprietorship.

I guess this piece is more of a critique of the Bill White campaign than it is a critique of Governor Rich Perry. What I find frustrating about Bill White, and why I think he’s going to lose is that I think he’s peaked too soon. From The Lion Star Blog There was a time when a few polls in the state of Texas made this race look like it was winnable for Bill White, the Democratic Party nominee. White was originally going to run for Senator and eventually shifted gears to retool his campaign toward a shot at the governor’s mansion. But after an initial buzz after defeating Farouk Shami, Bill White’s campaign seems to have lost some steam. The bulk of his campaign leadership seems to be a younger group of campaign workers. From The Lion Star Blog Maybe that’s why they appear to have missed a great opportunity to capitalize on the naked stupidity of Governor Perry. The governor made a remark recently in which he gave both Pinocchio of the guy who lies from Saturday Night Live a run for thei...

Former State Representative Anita Blair passed away today following complications with her heart. The 92 year-old former legislator was a pioneer for women in politics in the state of Texas. Tune in to The Strelz this afternoon at 4pm for more details and a rememberance of the life and times of Anita.

My Uncle Bernie sends me really good emails, mostly jokes. He sent this one this morning I thought I'd share with the rest of the class. "AN INTERESTING FACT ABOUT AUGUST 2010. This August has 5 Sundays, 5 Mondays, 5 Tuesdays, all in one month. It happens once in 823 years. I'll probably miss the next one." Gotta love my Uncle Bernie...

From The Lion Star Blog Tim Collins has been actively soliciting signatures to try to get his name on the ballot for the November Congressional Election for a couple of months now. Today Collins collected the last few confirmed signatures needed to appear as a write-in candidate on the ballot. He will be facing the incumbent Democratic Congressman Sylvestre Reyes and Republican nominee Tim Besco. Collins' efforts may be in vain. The State of Texas allows a spot for write-in candidates on the ballot, but requires the candidate to get a certain amount of valid signatures before the votes for a write-in candidate will be counted as votes. Had his actual name appeared on the ballot, I think there was a real chance for him to received more votes than the Republican candidate Tim Besco.

I think this is one of the best responses to the discussion of the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque".

From The Lion Star Blog Gilbert Sanchez is making no secret about the fact that he is considering another run for political office. Sanchez has openly discussed running for City Council and County Commissioner's Court. A run a city hall would put him up against City Rep V. Rachel Quintana, if she chooses to run for re-election, or a large field of candidates that many on the eastside are predicting to surface. A run at County Commissioner's Court would pit Sanchez against Commissioner Anna Perez. A run in a field of candidates for the city rep seat is the better play for Sanchez because he's used to that type of campaign and has the family support needed to gather the most amount of votes and end up in a run-off. From The Lion Star Blog A run against Perez is probably not a good idea because Perez has already shown herself to be more than capable of beating an opponent with baggage. Its way too soon for Sanchez to jump in a race like that. Even if Sanchez beats the rap, whi...