Lone Stars To The Rescue: 1500 Texans Flew Under The Radar In Key Swing States

Human Events ^ | 12/1/04 | Chris Lilik

[bobbyd]

[Owen]

Well done, NY. And Rhode Island. The GOP semi coordinated this entire thing this year. I know I saw notice that they would reimburse travel expenses, but I never looked into it thoroughly. I paid my own way and spent my time as I chose on my "weekend getaway", but the GOP could coordinate this better next time. This was just one of many things they might improve. It also more properly ensures there's no problem with "in kind contributions" that may be an issue with campaign finance laws. I suppose a traveller can spend his or her money as he or she chooses on airfare and hotel so that's okay, but best this be addressed explicitly.

The TSF in Nevada was solid, but there's an accent problem on the phone. The people called think the caller is from TX GOP headquarters. Some are flattered by that and some are not. Pronouncing Nevaaaadah correctly, vs Nevaahhhhdahh, was also a significant issue. The lawyer poll watcher trainees were being instructed on that because out of state poll watchers were not allowed in Nevada and wrong pronunciation would get them challenged. I don't know what their final choice was on that. I think the out of state lawyers were arranging to provide logistics support to the in staters and stay on the right side of the law.

So that's my point. The GOP could have coordinated the travelling volunteers and given some liaisons with the local, paid people, these issues could have been emailed to the travellers.

We won, but I'll bet this kind of regional thing is true all over the country. We can do better next time.

[GeneralHavoc]

[talleyman]

Didn't even have to pay them off with crack - amazing! (Hehehe...)

[jmaroneps37]

I worked with a group of Texans in Northeastern Pennsylvania. We stayed at the Ramada in Clarke's Summit They were the best bunch of people I have yet to meet in politics. They were great workers that never got tired and were always quick with a smile and a kind word.
If any of them are reading this this is Coach speaking
Hi Y'all!

[wildbill]

A couple I know was one of the Texas volunteers in Ohio. I didn't even know they were that active until I found out about their trip when they returned.

Just another bunch of the silent majority doing their part in the great American experiment.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Strikes me that when it comes to Congressional runoff elections, the local red counties outside the contested CD should be tapped for volunteers before calling on people from a red (or blue) state.

[MeekOneGOP]

bump!

[Wu]

Ahhhh...one of those Republican Dirty Tricks we have heard so much about.

[deport]

Sounds like they are going to work the 3rd out of Lafayette rather than go deep into the bayou country....... Good luck to those that are going....

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Strikes me that when it comes to Congressional runoff elections, the local red counties outside the contested CD should be tapped for volunteers before calling on people from a red (or blue) state.

I'm sure that has been done. There are just so many people available, and willing, who can give up three days to politic. Besides, a great many people in this part of Texas have friends and relatives in that part of Louisiana.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Looks to me like they're going to work Lake Charles rather than Lafayette. I may go over to Lafayette on my own as half my family came from there a couple of generations back, and I've worked that area in the oilfield many times.

[StJacques]

"Sounds like they are going to work the 3rd out of Lafayette rather than go deep into the bayou country....... Good luck to those that are going....

Yeah, we have a number of out-of-staters here in Lafayette who are really in town to help Billy Tauzin III in Iberia Parish, just to our south and out of our 7th congressional district. Even though the early projections were that Tauzin would have a cake walk in his race and things would be tight for our candidate Charles Boustany here in the 7th, the reverse has turned out to be true. Tauzin ran some attack ads against his Republican opponent Charles Romero in the November general primary that left Romero and his supporters quite angry at the outcome, since Democrat Charles Melancon only beat Romero into the runoff spot by a hair, I think it was less than 1% of the vote off the top of my head. Since the November primary Romero has refused to endorse Tauzin and Melancon and his people have worked real hard in Iberia Parish, which puts Tauzin's chances of victory in jeopardy. So most of the help that has been imported is for Tauzin.

On the brighter side of things, Charles Boustany is not quite a lock to put Democrat Willie Landry Mount away to win the 7th congressional district seat, but he is the clear frontrunner and I expect him to be elected.

I'll probably put up a Friday post on what the outlook is for both Tauzin and Boustany when I get some better information on what is going down. We usually see some late polls from Verne Kennedy of Market Research Insight of Pensacola, Florida just before the elections. They will probably give me a good idea, since Kennedy has a pretty good track record in Louisiana polling. I'll ping you if I put something up deport.

And thanks for the ping here.

[StJacques]

I forgot to mention in my previous post that Charles Romero, Tauzin's Republican opponent in the November general primary, is from Iberia Parish. I wanted to add that now.

[deport]

Yes ping me if you put additional info. I was down in the bayou country [Berwick] a couple of times just prior to the General. I saw a lot of signs for Tauzin but don't remember any for the others....

The 7th will be interesting in that it pits Lake Charles versus Lafayette which there has been a rivalry developed over the years between the two.. I grew up around the Lake Charles area and graduated from ULL which was SLI when I started and USL when I graduated...

I hope both races go Republican....

[deport]

Yes I agree that it seems the Houston group is going to Lake Charles but I was referring the the statement; [Two Congressional run-offs require our help; one is in Lafayette and the other is in Lake Charles.] .... Maybe no one is going to Lafayette, was just a guess on my part since it was referenced in the email posted. Agree it maybe like ol' home week for some as SE Texas has roots going back into South Louisiana.

[StJacques]

So you grew up around Lake Charles and graduated from what was then USL? Well I lived for a few years in Maplewood and Westlake before moving and I later went to USL also.

I'm sure we'll get at least one of the two congressional races. I just wish they wouldn't hold these runoffs on a Saturday. In the same sense that public opinion polls don't favor Republicans on weekends I'm convinced Saturday polling days go against us too. My best estimation of the probabilities right now is that Boustany has a 60% chance of winning and Tauzin has about a 52.5% chance. We'll see.

[deport]

I just wish they wouldn't hold these runoffs on a Saturday.

---

I personally doubt it makes much difference what day they are held when you only have only one or two contested races on the ballot.... The interest from the public just isn't there. Doesn't LA still hold some statewide elections on Saturday? They always seemed to get a good turnout if I remember correctly.

Take care.

[StJacques]

". . . Doesn't LA still hold some statewide elections on Saturday? They always seemed to get a good turnout if I remember correctly."

We hold all statewide elections, gubernatorial, statewide referenda, and congressional and senate runoffs on Saturdays. The turnout is generally pretty poor. There were 535,000+ more votes cast in the presidential election just held than for the gubernatorial election the previous year just as an example. The Democrat Kathleen Blanco won that race with about 100,000 fewer votes than John Kerry received and Kerry only got 42% of the total vote to Bush's 57%. That is why I wish we held all our elections on Tuesdays.