Infection_Ag11 said:

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If going by the traditional defintion of Republican, there are more RINO's today than there are R's and the margin is quite wide in my opinion.

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The GOP has embraced populism and isolationism to the point that it has rendered all historical party definitions meaningless.

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Yes, the GOP has drifted left a long ways, but historical party definitions still have meaning IF the people start holding the GOP accountable.

Unfortunately, the so called conservative voters bend over backwards making excuses for why they can't vote for a chance at a conservative candidate. That resistance is why the GOP drifts left and gives them cover for trying to hijack the definition of Republican as being moderate. But still, the traditional definition remains and I'm not a fan of rewriting definitions instead of just calling the GOP today moderate.

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There really aren't any "traditional republicans" in congress anymore.

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Cruz, Massie, Paul, Roy, Jordan to name a few. There's not many, but there are some.

I don't have an explanation for why the MTG types became popular temporarily, but my hunch is it was the people's giving up on establishment types and a reinvigorated desire for anyone that was an outsider and showed signs of being a conservative. They were willing to gamble on new blood and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but at least they didn't just settle for the same old true RINO types they've seen the past several decades.

It's the same reason I am willing to gamble on Paxton's baggage or Hunt's previous bad voting in 2016 because since then they show a chance at being conservative now whereas Cornyn is a guaranteed RINO in the traditional sense.

So who to vote for, for attorney general?

Given your username and list of characters, you need to accept being a Libertarian and quit trying to Randy-Massie the GOP.

The Tea Party quickly hit a ceiling and even Cruz has moderated from those days. It's a losing strategy.

Hard pass.

Or, follow me on this, the so called conservatives need to be honest that they aren't actually conservative and are instead moderates and should advertise themselves and the GOP as so.

Why should I change my name when I've been consistent for decades yet the GOP and it's so called conservative voters are the ones advocating for moderate policy and politicians?

I have long said that the labels are today meaningless. But if there are to be labels then I agree they should be honest about what they actually stand for.

You don't have to change your labels. It perfectly acceptable to stand on your back porch and yell at clouds.

It may be personally satisfying, but it's not effective.

Labels are meaningless yet should be honest, and you want me to incorrectly label myself as a Libertarian?

You may be right that me standing my ground on my principles is not effective but if I'm one of the few that don't want to march to the left with the rest of the so called conservatives then yes I will just stand on my principles yelling at clouds. I only wish there were more conservatives that had the guts to stand on their principles too instead of follow the crowd to the left.

I'm not sure why you are painting the support of the GOP's march to the left as a win though.

AgDad121619 said:

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we prob need to take the dems lead and all crossover vote for Crockett in primary - because she writes negative ads every time she opens her mouth

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Not a bad idea. I've done that once, my first election in 1984, and it was because Dems were the only meaningful choice, and in Texas that generally meant the choice between the conservative Dem (think Phil Gramm before he switched - same for Reagan) and the moderate to liberal Dem (the far left was only represented by the big city minorities, and I wasn't in the big city). I also knew Reagan didn't need my vote, so no harm voting for the conservative Dems in the primary.

TX-9 should be interesting

Abbott endorsed Briscoe cain. Trump endorsed Alex mealer


(This is Al greene's redrawn district)

Because I am not a dyed in the wool conservative. I am certainly not on the libertarian in. And you mentioned Massie and Paul. They are way more libertarian than Republican. It's not meant as an insult.

I tend to think many of the libertarian / true conservative ideals are a noble concept of limited government to strive for. But we live in the here and now real world, and that means compromise.

You cannot pull the Nation back to the middle or over to the right by pulling from the barest thread at the end of a rope. You get more leverage pulling in the middle.

Cruz understands this and actually had a political career because of it. But he's probably got his ceiling unless he becomes a SCOTUS justice. Randy is tapped out. He probably can win reelection in perpetuity. But he's goes no further. Massie's ceiling is Randy's sphincter.

Not asking you to change your principles nor your vote. But
Realize the state of play if you choose to participate. And wasting votes on no chance candidates is war worse than holding the nose and voting someone on the right that may be to close to the middle for you.

I honestly think Wesley Hunt is the obvious choice. He's not perfect, but he is head and shoulders better than Cornyn, and in my opinion better than Paxton too.

I would vote for Hunt but Trump signaled that we should not vote for certain colors so now I will have to await further instruction from Dear Leader.

I actually need to look more at Hunt. Cornyn is useless and Paxton is slime.

Outside of his prior Dem voting ways, what has he done?

Teslag said:

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Old McDonald said:

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i've voted for cornyn every time he's been on the ballot, but i'll be supporting paxton in the primary. he's the best chance talarico has at winning.

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Why did you vote for Cornyn over Hager? Would you vote for Cornyn over Talarico? Crockett?

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cornyn > crockett
crockett > paxton
talarico > cornyn by a hair
talarico > paxton by a mile

The fact that any sentient human would consider voting for Crockett tells me all I need to know. I would not vote before I would ever consider a vote for her.

yep, that's how terrible paxton is

Old McDonald said:

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yep, that's how terrible paxton is

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Nobody is terrible enough to make me vote for Crockett. She is by far the worst of the bunch.

I appreciate the feedback and honesty in you being more center/right than conservative, but it appears you are assuming the Overton window philosophy does not exist and has not been shifting to the left the past several decades.

Or you believe that shifting the window to the left in the short term will give enough power to the center/right to finally start governing conservatively in the long run. The issue with that strategy is it's been tried for several decades and failed every time though I can understand why people would want to try it again. It makes sense in theory but unfortunately there are too many low information voters that stay in the middle, wherever the middle is.

Hence my strong dislike for Cornyn in the primary. He is the obvious choice of keeping the status quo of one step right and two steps left.

David_Puddy said:

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Haven't done much research on Wesley Hunt just yet, but why should we not consider him? On paper he looks decent enough - black, conservative, who served in the military, and is young.

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Anybody......? Bueller.....Bueller?

Would prefer to hear the board's thoughts before I do a deep dive.

No endorsement for Toth (or Crensaw) from Trump, Abbott, Young Republicans. Turning Point endorsed Toth.


Is this a sign those three don't think Toth is viable?

I'm backing Hunt.

1- He is not Cornyn.

2-No scary red flags at this point.

3-He doesn't have scummy baggage like Paxton.

4-While I think all three men can beat any democrat, I am least worried about Hunt beating winning the general.


So Hunt in primary, then whoever wins in general.

Not a deep dive, but my high level take on Hunt.

He started out as what appeared to be a typical establishment RINO (in the traditional sense before people jump on me) as shown by his past voting habits and started to govern that early in his term. I was strongly against him in his primary and did not vote for him in the general because of my view of him. The military service was a good resume builder but we've seen quite a bunch of bad eggs come from the military so it is that doesnt get the benefit of the doubt it used to. As his tenure went on he started to show a lot of promise as a conservative often aligning with Trump on conservative issues, but almost too much when Trump's liberal policies are in the headlines.

Overall he's been trending in the right direction, though it's hard to tell if that's because that is the way the wind was blowing (ala Abbott) or if he is actually becoming more conservative than from where he started.

I will need to do a deeper dive on him, but I am cautiosly optimistic he has a chance to be conservative rather than a Crenshaw, but it's either take that gamble or take the known RINO in Cornyn.

Tea Party said:

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I appreciate the feedback and honesty in you being more center/right than conservative, but it appears you are assuming the Overton window philosophy does not exist and has not been shifting to the left the past several decades.

Or you believe that shifting the window to the left in the short term will give enough power to the center/right to finally start governing conservatively in the long run. The issue with that strategy is it's been tried for several decades and failed every time though I can understand why people would want to try it again. It makes sense in theory but unfortunately there are too many low information voters that stay in the middle, wherever the middle is.

Hence my strong dislike for Cornyn in the primary. He is the obvious choice of keeping the status quo of one step right and two steps left.

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The Overton nonsense is just that. It assumes the starting point is Unthinkable / Radical when that is simply not that case in most instances. It can explain how very insane ideas become more mainstream, but it fails to account for policies resulting from ideas that were not insane.

I would also flip Sensible and Acceptable in their analysis, but that just a nit. Regardless, most policies begin life outside of the extremes.

If we start with ideas that are sensible and acceptable that then become popular and result in policy, then we have just described democracy! Funny how that worked.

Take the past 60 years and we have tilted left and right at times, likely to continue. I do think we are poised for a good tilt to the right, but people need to tug from the middle as that is where the support needed to win power resides.

If you want dramatic overnight shift to the right, then dust off your muskets and let;s go with a revolution. I'd support you, heck would lead it with you. But its not going to "organically" happen no matter how much you wish it so.

Old McDonald said:

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Teslag said:

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Old McDonald said:

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i've voted for cornyn every time he's been on the ballot, but i'll be supporting paxton in the primary. he's the best chance talarico has at winning.

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Why did you vote for Cornyn over Hager? Would you vote for Cornyn over Talarico? Crockett?

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cornyn > crockett
crockett > paxton
talarico > cornyn by a hair
talarico > paxton by a mile

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Why did you vote for Cornyn over Hager?

flown-the-coop said:

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I would vote for Hunt but Trump signaled that we should not vote for certain colors so now I will have to await further instruction from Dear Leader.

I actually need to look more at Hunt. Cornyn is useless and Paxton is slime.

Outside of his prior Dem voting ways, what has he done?

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When did Hunt vote in the Dem way?

Ag with kids said:

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flown-the-coop said:

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I would vote for Hunt but Trump signaled that we should not vote for certain colors so now I will have to await further instruction from Dear Leader.

I actually need to look more at Hunt. Cornyn is useless and Paxton is slime.

Outside of his prior Dem voting ways, what has he done?

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When did Hunt vote in the Dem way?

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2008 for Hilldawg in the primary and Big Mikes Hubby in the general. Recall yesterday a poster tried to insinuate racism in an ad against Hunt because it pictures him adjacent to a pic of Obama when discussing this.

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You cannot pull the Nation back to the middle or over to the right by pulling from the barest thread at the end of a rope. You get more leverage pulling in the middle.

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I strongly disagree. Centrist governing does nothing but pull things farther left.

Ferg said:

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I was being kind. That said, are you guys for Paxton or one of the others?

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Paxton has the best shot to unseat Cornyn and his machine (John's team commits voter fraud at a level that would make LBJ blush.)

Hubert J. Farnsworth said:

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You cannot pull the Nation back to the middle or over to the right by pulling from the barest thread at the end of a rope. You get more leverage pulling in the middle.

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I strongly disagree. Centrist governing does nothing but pull things farther left.

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Meh, that's recency bias. And it's not a default position.

Again, it's a weakness of trying to overly apply the "Overton window".

flown-the-coop said:

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Hubert J. Farnsworth said:

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You cannot pull the Nation back to the middle or over to the right by pulling from the barest thread at the end of a rope. You get more leverage pulling in the middle.

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I strongly disagree. Centrist governing does nothing but pull things farther left.

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Meh, that's recency bias. And it's not a default position.

Again, it's a weakness of trying to overly apply the "Overton window".

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It's not a weakness. It's a reality.

You are advocating for pendulum swings over time that go from center-right to far left. You aren't even giving the pendulum a chance to go right if you are targetting the political middle as the right side of the pendulum swing

By definition, you are advocating for shifting the Overton window to the left.

agwrestler said:

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Ferg said:

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I was being kind. That said, are you guys for Paxton or one of the others?

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Paxton has the best shot to unseat Cornyn and his machine (John's team commits voter fraud at a level that would make LBJ blush.)

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Paxton claims multiple properties around the state as homesteads and was neck deep in corruption charges. Do you think he is really the cleaner of the two? This doesn't even mention his multiple affairs.

agwrestler said:

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(John's team commits voter fraud at a level that would make LBJ blush.)

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How's the weather in Fantasyland today?




(I'm voting Hunt, then whoever is not named Cornyn in a runoff, then any republican in the general)

Not at all. You see it from your far right libertarian window so it's your perspective.

Again, Overton having a starting position of radical or worse is a weakness. Not all policies start at such extremes.

Tea Party said:

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Not a deep dive, but my high level take on Hunt.

He started out as what appeared to be a typical establishment RINO (in the traditional sense before people jump on me) as shown by his past voting habits and started to govern that early in his term. I was strongly against him in his primary and did not vote for him in the general because of my view of him. The military service was a good resume builder but we've seen quite a bunch of bad eggs come from the military so it is that doesnt get the benefit of the doubt it used to. As his tenure went on he started to show a lot of promise as a conservative often aligning with Trump on conservative issues, but almost too much when Trump's liberal policies are in the headlines.

Overall he's been trending in the right direction, though it's hard to tell if that's because that is the way the wind was blowing (ala Abbott) or if he is actually becoming more conservative than from where he started.

I will need to do a deeper dive on him, but I am cautiosly optimistic he has a chance to be conservative rather than a Crenshaw, but it's either take that gamble or take the known RINO in Cornyn.

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Appreciate the insight! You're totally correct re: the military stuff. Dan Crenshaw has always beat people over the head with his military experience and always reminds people that is why he lost his eye, but he has been a huge snake in the grass.

Im Gipper said:

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I'm backing Hunt.

1- He is not Cornyn.

2-No scary red flags at this point.

3-He doesn't have scummy baggage like Paxton.

4-While I think all three men can beat any democrat, I am least worried about Hunt beating winning the general.


So Hunt in primary, then whoever wins in general.

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That's the way I'm leaning as well

Give me Paxton or Hunt. Anybody but the useless moderate Cornyn.

flown-the-coop said:

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Hubert J. Farnsworth said:

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You cannot pull the Nation back to the middle or over to the right by pulling from the barest thread at the end of a rope. You get more leverage pulling in the middle.

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I strongly disagree. Centrist governing does nothing but pull things farther left.

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Meh, that's recency bias. And it's not a default position.

Again, it's a weakness of trying to overly apply the "Overton window".

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The democrats are embracing socialism and communism, but God forbid the republicans fill their ranks with actual right wing conservatives to fight back. Moderate republicans helped lead us to this point by compromising everything away over a number of years. The moderates have had their chance and failed.