October 19, 2013

"Texas is not America... It’s in America, but it’s not America."

"National polls don’t mean anything. Democrats haven’t won a statewide office in Texas since 1994. There are no Peter Kings in Texas."

Quote from Matt Mackowiak whom the NYT identifies as "a Republican political consultant in Austin and the former spokesman for... Kay Bailey Hutchison," in an article titled "Texans Stick With Cruz Despite Defeat in Washington."

Matt Mackowiak is most likely...
  
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34 comments:

Michael K said...

The beltway almost reaches Texas but veers west to include California.

Anonymous said...

My friends in Austin hate his guts, but that's Austin and they are lefties, as Titus says....natch.

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

My guess is that, in Texas, Cruz has "suffered" a significant win.

From Inwood said...

How about rephrasing your choice:

A political consultant who wants to be consulted by liberal media & uses "Republican" as a gimmick.

To

"A political consultant to Republicans, possibly really one himself, but one who's more concerned with being hired to appear on the Telly as the sensible Republican in the room?

The Davids Frum & Brooks?

SteveR said...

This is nothing another ten years of migration from California won't solve. Throw in a nice Amnesty Bill and Texas will turn blue like Colorado did. People like free stuff.

Before the old Democrats died off, Republicans like Kay Bailey Hutchinson had to play nice to win elections.

harrogate said...

What he says in snippeted quote provided in the post, is true. I would think Texas Republicans would be proud as punch of the truth of the statement as well.

Wince said...

Please, tell me where I have this wrong:

1.) Cruz is in the Senate, and held the floor for 21 hours and concluded before the partial government shut-down.

2.) Several bills that would have funded most of the government but not Obamacare originated in the House and were passed.

3.) Each of those bills to fund the government was killed in the senate by Harry Reid.

4.) Given that federal tax revenues are several times the debt service amount, there would have been no "default" unless Obama and Treasury Secretary Lew did it by choice.

5.) It's Ted Cruz's fault.

Christopher said...

Anybody who thinks this will negatively affect Cruz in Texas has no clue what the hell they're talking about.

The lefties there already loathed him before this, the activists on the right are mostly thrilled with his statements regarding Obamacare and the debt, and those not in either camp aren't actually paying attention (they'll vote for whichever party they've always voted for).

Now you could make a case that this hurt him on a national level if you think he's running in 2016 (as it will be forgotten by 2020), but that is about all you could claim.

I do suppose that it's possible the RNC could try to undermine him but given their failure to derail him originally, coupled with the possible backlash should they be caught, I think it's rather unlikely.

Big Mike said...

@Inga, you have friends?

@EDH, you are right through #4. The correct #5 is that it's John McCain's fault.

Tom said...

I know some Republican political consultants. They are, for the most part, Republicans. They hate the tea party movement because it's upsetting the apple cart. And they hate the tea party movement because they're armatures and they say no when they should say yes and visa versa. These political consultants are interested in what government does and how it operates. They care little for why government exists - it's purpose. For the most part, I've found the tea party folks to focus solely and passionately on governments purpose. So , these groups talk past each other. And that makes sense. I have some tea party leanings and one of things I said to my political consultant friends is that if I was ever office, one of the firs things I'd ask the consultants to do is help me devise and execute a strategy so we don't need so political consultants because the size and scope of government is realigned to promote liberty and stay out of the way of private interactions. That tends to end the conversation and that's because they don't believe the same things I do.

Tom said...

And they spell better :-)

raf said...

I picked choice #4 because it is clever. This probably invalidates the whole poll.

Anonymous said...

Big Mike, yeah and many of them are righties! O_o

Oso Negro said...

He lives in Washington DC and posts on the Huffington Post. That is all I need to know about him to state that he is unlikely to be a Texas Conservative. Please note, I sent a letter of support three days ago to MY Senator, Ted Cruz.

cubanbob said...

Its nice to know that Texans have principles instead of being rank opportunists. The only 'victory' the Democrats have demonstrated is that if you have the bulk of the media on your side and you promise more 'free' cheese moochers will vote for you.

Titus said...

Texas is gross.

Titus said...

The bumper sticker Don't Mess With Texas" is gross.

I won't travel and further south than DC.

And I am grateful that many southern losers hate it here too...unfortunately you hear their twangs constantly on the streets around here on some Duck Boat.

The South are taker states.

We in the Northeast are giver states.

Ted Cruz will never win a national election though. Not ever...thank Christ, our Lord and Savior.

Titus said...

I would rather vaca in Iran than Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Georgia, Nebraska, South Dakota, Kansas or Oklahoma-totally grossie states.

Those states are so old industry. Every technical piece we use today is from fab blue states. And you oldies who rely on new Health Care developments.....blue states, natch.

I'm Full of Soup said...

Consultants like Karl Rove, who live in the Imperial City, do not truly reflect the states they are from.

I bet this guy has lived for years in the Imperial City or its environs.

somefeller said...

And what, precisely, is objectionable about this comment? It describes the political environment in Texas, at least among conservative Texans, pretty accurately. I don't think it describes the views of educated Texans in the larger cities of Texas, but they aren't a statewide electoral majority. Yet.

somefeller said...

Those states are so old industry. Every technical piece we use today is from fab blue states. And you oldies who rely on new Health Care developments.....blue states, natch.

Yeah, no one goes to the Texas Medical Center in Houston for important health care developments or Austin for the tech industry. Plus, last time I checked, advanced technology requires energy (i.e., oil and natural gas) to operate.

Oso Negro said...

We have bigger queers than you in Texas, Titus!

Love and Licks,

Oso

somefeller said...

We have bigger queers than you in Texas, Titus!

Houston's current mayor is a lesbian. New York passed on that opportunity in the last mayoral election. And let's not talk about life in the Montrose on any given Saturday. Or Sunday. Or any day.

cubanbob said...

Look at a map of the country by red-blue counties and most of Texas is the United States and most of New York City is in the United States.

Mark said...

"Texans Stick With Cruz Despite Defeat in Washington." As James Taranto would say in 'Best of the Web': Fox Butterfield, is that you?

Mark said...

"Texans Stick With Cruz Despite Defeat in Washington." As James Taranto would say in 'Best of the Web': Fox Butterfield, is that you?

Biff said...

Tom at 10/19/13, 12:39 PM - Spot on analysis! A childhood friend of mine is a very senior GOP consultant, and I am continually astonished by the vitriol he reserves for the Tea Party (and the GOP base, in general). Meanwhile, I truly don't think I've ever heard him say anything bad about Democrats, aside from thinking that they spend too much on the cities.

ken in tx said...

Titus is gross—but that goes without saying.

I love Texas. I am moving there next year, Austin.

Texas is America. Even the weather report reflects it. You can have snow in Wichita Falls, a hurricane in Brownsville, and a drought in Waco. One time I was voting absentee in South Carolina, the clerk asked why I would not be in South Carolina on election day. I said, “Because I am going to be in Texas.” People in line with me looked at each other and said with envy, “He's going to be in Texas.”

Some of my ancestors are buried there. I love Texas. But I said that.

Henry said...

Rhode Island isn't an island. It has some islands, but it isn't an island. National polls don't mean anything. Hawaiians haven't won a statewide office in Rhode Island since forever. There are no Abercrombies in Rhode Island.

Careless said...

So I looked up his political donations. Mostly to Maveric PAC, which appears to be a vehicle to elect George P Bush and/or Jeb Bush.

Also some to Boehner, Rick Perry, and Ted Cruz and a couple of other Republicans.

MD Greene said...

I lived in Texas. I think I understand the place. I respect it.
Cruz not so much. He chose an unwinnable issue on which to make his stand (better to let the ACA founder on its own cost and incompetence) without regard for the good of his party and the country.
Cruz is smart, no question, and establishing his brand.
Just the other day, in New Jersey, we elected Cory Booker to the Senate. He's the mayor of Newark who no longer lives there and spends most of his time courting Silicon Valley and Wall Street. Loved him 10 years ago, but now he too is establishing his brand.
This cannot end well.

MD Greene said...

I lived in Texas. I think I understand the place. I respect it.
Cruz not so much. He chose an unwinnable issue on which to make his stand (better to let the ACA founder on its own cost and incompetence) without regard for the good of his party and the country.
Cruz is smart, no question, and establishing his brand.
Just the other day, in New Jersey, we elected Cory Booker to the Senate. He's the mayor of Newark who no longer lives there and spends most of his time courting Silicon Valley and Wall Street. Loved him 10 years ago, but now he too is establishing his brand.
This cannot end well.

Mark said...

I instinctively like Corey Booker for the same reason I do the Tea Party: both are hated by the right people.

Politicians who need consultants are like bicyclists who need training wheels. Exactly why are they in the saddle?

Loren said...

I wanted to vote for 3 of the 4 choices.

The one I excluded was number 2.