House Speaker Tom Craddick has named the panel to investigate and rule on the three House challenges. Republican Terry Keel of Austin is the chair, while Democrat Craig Eiland of Galveston is the vice chair. Will Hartnett (R, Dallas) is the "master of discovery". The panel consists of five Republicans anf four Democrats, presumably not counting Hartnett as there'd be six GOPers with him.
The Republicans are playing for keeps here. Check out this email sent out by State GOP Chair Tina Benkhiser, which throws charges of fraud by Democrats all over the state (and again I have to ask: if the Democrats are that good at stealing elections, why didn't they steal more of them?) without any evidence to back up her claims. You think that panel's going to come under some pressure to deliver? It sure looks that way to me.
UPDATE: Forgot to note that one of the panel members is Phil King (R, Weatherford), the author of last year's re-redistricting bill who testified in the federal lawsuit against that bill "I would look at each district and say, 'How could I make this district more Republican?'" Just something to keep in mind.
Posted by Charles Kuffner on December 07, 2004 to Election 2004 | TrackBackThat email by Tina Benkhiser is sickening. How can I feel good about winning some victories when our party isn't man enough to admit defeat when we loose?
If the leadership of the Texas Republicans were a position player in baseball, they would be the bullpen pitches along the right field line: too far right to even be considered in the field of play.
Shame.
Posted by: Red Dog on December 7, 2004 9:39 AMPhil King is the key to this committee, it appears. As you point out, he is an ultra-partisan whose record shows that he thinks nothing of gaming the system to help his parety, regardless of the voters' expressed will at the polls. King is the kind of radical extremist who gives "zeolotry" a bad name. That Craddick chose him for this committee may be the strongest hint yet that the fix is in.
Posted by: Oh, Sarah! on December 7, 2004 10:18 AMI have to ask: if the Democrats are that good at stealing elections, why didn't they steal more of them?
I suppose the official GOP answer is that they did: if the Democrats hadn't cheated, the House would be 150-0! After all, who'd elect a 'Merka-hatin' traitor over a red-blooded GOP patriot? It's just that only three Rethugs (coincidentally, those whose losses were closest) were bold enough to challenge the malfeasance!
I'd we willing to take charges of Democratic election fraud a bit more seriously if they actually controlled any significant portion of the election apparatus in this state. How the heck are the Democrats supposed to have done this even with a Rethug SoS buying the voting machines from GOP-controlled corporations?
Posted by: Mathwiz on December 7, 2004 2:59 PM