GOP Set to Conquer Redivided Texas

[kskiska]

Party Can Control State With One Win Over Democrats in Fall Contests

CLEBURNE, Tex. -- Texas Republicans kicked up a mighty ruckus last year with their bare-knuckled congressional redistricting exercise, prompting court challenges, a grand jury investigation, and wholesale escapes to Oklahoma and New Mexico by Democratic legislators trying to derail the plan.

Now that the smoke has cleared, however, Republicans appear to have achieved exactly what they wanted: surgically redesigned districts that are jeopardizing the careers of five Democratic House members and significantly enhancing GOP hopes of keeping the House majority this fall and beyond. The Texas legislature has created districts so heavily Republican that even some of Congress's most conservative Democrats will have trouble winning reelection.

"The Democrats are putting up a very brave spin, but if the Republicans don't win every one of these races, they're guilty of malpractice," said Paul Burka, executive editor of Texas Monthly magazine and a longtime independent observer of Lone Star politics.

Two of the endangered House Democrats -- 26-year veterans Martin Frost and Charles W. Stenholm -- are among the most prominent. Frost, the top Democrat on the Rules Committee, is an avid partisan who led his party's national efforts to win House seats in 1996 and 1998. Stenholm is the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee and one of his party's most conservative members.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30107-2004May15.html

[aquart]

1. Maybe.

And maybe not even that will save them.

[cyclezealot]

2. Of course the Nazi's play dirty.

But, The head party strategist- Delay, who won't step foot in NYC if he can help it- had some of his plans foiled.
He was out to screw Rep. Lloyd Doggett...Gave Doggett one of the weidest configured districts in the whole of the US..Delay considers the principled Dogget a traitor..
The district runs all the way from Austin to Brownsville. Like 400 miles...Delay thought this minority community would never go for a anglo progressive like Doggett..
Dogget learned Spanish..He won decisively...Delay has to endure Doggett...Ha Ha... A real thorn in Delay's hide. Not a compromising style Texas bland Democrat. So for those demand Democrats be centrist.
Another Texas Democrat we hope the best..Rep. Shelia Jackson.. Delay can't redistrict her , I hope.

[Th1onein]

3. I think they're going to be real surprised come November.......

Everyone I talk to HATES Bush. I think that hatred will extrapolate to the rest of the Repugs.

[MGKrebs]

4. We need to go into the voting machine business.

Hey, if Wally O'Dell can own one, why can't we?

We count liberal votes twice!

Board of Directors of Liberal Informational Batching System:
Al Franken
Kevin Mitnick
George Soros
Ben Cohen
Al Gore
Max Cleland
Cynthia McKinney
Roy Barnes

[Erika]

5. The Gays in Texas are Outraged!

Bush pretended to include them in the then newly devised GOP tent and Bush sought votes from the Log Cabin members. The Texas gays/lesbians are now outraged at Bush's betrayal. The environmentalist are outraged at him for his lies. The GOP will suffer in Texas big time.

[lindashaw]

6. This is where I live. We're having a Deanie meeting this afternoon

to try and help Chet Edwards more. Last weekend he came to Burleson and we passed out brochures and fans, etc. (I parked behind Arlene Wohlgemuth's big white Lincoln Towncar.) But we do have a good group of Dems here. I don't think Babington talked to anyone but Republicans here in Cleburne.