Burnt Orange Report

Y'all constantly talk about problems at polling place. You stated that there were some problems in "two of Cuellar's strongholds". These strongholds were administered by Democrats for Democrats and they found some "additional" votes for their candidate to overturn an apparent win for Ciro Rodriguez. Your favorate, the head of the Hispanic Congressional Caucus, was displaced by some "additional" votes found and counted in the final total by Democrats.

Doesn't this sound at all too familiar to the happenings in Washington State? In Wash. State they're finding "additional" votes in many counties. Sound like those people working in Zapata County have something in common with those in King County, Washington. Is this a trend? Where was the call for outside election monitors for Zapata County? Are y'all going to call for some for 2006?

Or, are we both dwelling in sour grapes, for our guy lost in the overturning recounts?

I accept Cuellar as the winner. We'll challenge him in 2006..

Peter, you make some excellent points.

In a district like this one, where Republicans are non existant in the southern part of it (where the controversy went down), party affiliation is little more than an afterthought. The political battles aren't Republican vs. Democrat, they are Democratic faction vs. Democratic faction. Cuellar controlled these counties and they came up with mysterious votes after the count. It was fishy, it might be crooked and I suspect he stole the race.

And I think that what went down in Washington State was bullshit too. Something fishy is going on there, and I suspect there might have been some corruption. I think that you have to be very suspicious about the whole situation and I'm not convinced Gregoire won fair and square. Stealing elections is the ultimate sin in my book, and this might very well have happened in Washington.

So to answer your question- yes, there should be increased scrutiny of polling in both Washington State and Zapata County. I would rather lose honestly than win dishonestly. The ballot box is sacred and when people don't trust it, chaos is the result.

We agree Andrew. Honest losses are always better then dishonest wins. Please look up some stuff on Milwalkee, Wisconcin same day registrations too. There may have been some wierdness in our Presidential vote there in 2000 and 2004. I feel that the majority of election workers are like you and me. They want to do whats right and legal. Just ordinary Citizens doing an honest days work at the polls.

In agreeing here, I feel 100% that W won in 2000 and 2004, both were legit wins.

I agree, but for different reasons. W won in 2000 because the electoral college chose him as president. That is the only legitimate way to win a presidential election- our constitution gives only those 538 electors the power to choose our president, for better or for worse (I think better). He won in 2004 because not only did he win the EC, but about 3 million more Americans voted for him than Kerry. It sucks, but he won, time to move on to the next fight.

Yep that's good . . . eat your own. And especially your Hispanic incumbents . . . just what Rove wants.

A majority of Democratic primary voters pick this guy and you want to take him down . . . let it go, because Cuellar's first lesson is to not repeat the mistakes of his predecessor. He won't make himself vulnerable . . . I want to know if you're going to support efforts to try and take down Doggett for running for cover in a Hispanic-majority district?

Maliciously yours from north of the Red River . . .

It's a Democratic district. Rodriguez was vulnerable because it was a new district that included half of Laredo and a bunch of counties connecting it to San Antonio. The old district was just an urban San Antonio district. Doggett's a solid Democrat, and I'm glad he's in Congress, Cuellar is not in my opinion. It has nothing to do with race... the issue for me is having solid Democrats in solidly Democratic districts.

So much for that there big tent . . .

Yeah, well, the tent just ain't big enough for crooks. People who steal elections will be firmly asked to leave the tent posthaste.

Furthermore, you have to pick a tent. Byron forgot to point out that Cuellar got the job in Perry's administration because he supported and endorsed Bush for President in 2000. THe guy has never retracted that. This isn't about being "uncompromising," it is about picking sides and sticking with them. If a GOP congressman had endorsed Kerry would you be hanging around the guy?

A good Dem who isn't a crook or a crossdresser runs, he's got my support. I'll do my part to get my sister (who lives in the district) to vote for him.

Yeah I forgot about that... good point.

*chuckle*

My, you guys have a stereomyopic vision of politics . . . "steal elections" . . . willing to disown LBJ?

Or the 1991 gerrymander?

And what, exactly, is wrong with crossdressers?

I have a friend who ran Cuellar's primary campaign. He is and will be a Democrat. He was a Bush Democrat when he was in the lege, but not now. He ran against Bonilla for god's sake. He wanted to be a congressman and he's now one because of the redistricting. Laredo had been bunched with San Antonio since the 50s I think. Chick Kazen was the last Laredoan in Congress. He left in 1984.

Cuellar will defeat Rodriguez in 2006. The Laredo part is growing faster than the San Antone part and has better turnout. A race against Richard Raymond would cause some problems for Cuellar but he would probably survive on incumbency.

Many won't like it, but he'll vote more like Stenholm or Turner Democrat than a Rodgriguez/Doggett Democrat.

Well.. those are Andrew's comments, not mine.

LBJ's election was stolen from him in 1941 by Pappy O'Daiel, then LBJ stole the seat back against Coke Stevenson in 1948. The whole Texas political system sucked back then (ok, some things don't change), but LBJ did what he had to do.

O'Daniel

And BTW.... pc - I emailed you a few weeks back. What's up?? Email me...

Absent evidence to the contrary, who can deny the possibility that an anti-Cuellar poll worker down in Zapata "forgot" to count the original ballots discovered in the recount? Fraud can happen on any side! Unless there is hard evidence, charging the Cuellar camp with fraud is nonsense. Let's get beyond the election. Henry Cuellar has the brains, the background, and the bi-partisanship to be a great Congressman. Isn't that what Democrats should champion? And the Democrats along the border deserve representation. Cuellar will win the 2006 primary because he is in the kitchen cooking up good stuff for the 28th district, and he ain't too important to help wash the dishes. And, for being too cozy with the Republicans, what about Sen. Judith Zaffirini supporting Henry Bonilla against Cuellar? Is she a crossdresser? Duh!

All of whom are Democrats . . . "Pass the Biscuits Pappy" was a populist . . . and so was Coke . . . or do you recall the famous LBJ story about "let's put it out there that old Coke is ****ing goats to see the crusty old bastard deny it!"

This DINO crap is why you lose majorities . . . purity over majority . . . remember what Billy Preston said? "Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin'"

Ciro Rodriguez and Henry Cuellar are both good Democrats, barring some future decision by the latter to emulate Rodney Alexander and switch parties. Rodriguez is more Liberal than am I, and Cuellar more Conservative. Cuellar did try to knock off Republican Henry Bonilla in 2002, receiving the backing of Simon Rosenberg's NDN. Let Rodriguez and Cuellar square off and go at each other again in the next Congresional elections!!!! The Democratic Party must be a Big Tent coalition.

Cuellar is definitly a Dino, i don't know why dems in Washington would ask if he were going to switch parties because his career would be over if he switched.

Ciro took his re-election for granted, i doubt Cuellar will do the same in 2006 but will the voters of Webb county show up like they did in 04.

PC you should really check the population totals for the Bexar portion and Webb portion of the district because no amount of population growth would come close to matching the two.

Maybe Raymond and Rodriguez will run, thus splitting the Webb vote, that would be awesome.

Neither Pappy O'Daniel nor Coke Stevenson were "populists" if by that term you mean to imply "liberal."