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Posted on 12/20/2001 2:33:28 PM PST by GOPcapitalist

The recent Brown campaign in the mayoral runoff election in Houston, was a case study in urban politics. Brown's campaign was capped off by more than a 'get out the vote' effort; he was carried to a final term as Mayor as the result of an operation the Democrat Party has perfected.

Contrary to what the Brown campaign, some of the media, as well as some Republicans, would have you believe, the race was not a Republican vs. Democrat contest. Nor was it a conservative vs. liberal race. Such overly simplistic analysis's are misleading and in many instances 'spin' by those who would discredit the Sanchez 'movement'. A large portion of Sanchez's Hispanic voters in the past had traditionally voted for Democrats. Most of whom are liberals, or progressives as they now stylishly refer to themselves. Whether or not Hispanic return to voting for Democrats remains to be seen. Exit polls revealed they were not simply voting for Sanchez because of his surname. Hispanic are much more astute than some of their elected representatives would have you believe.

The Sanchez reform message was the driving force behind his campaign. People of every group, whether Hispanics, Asians, Anglos and even some Blacks , when the incumbent is not Black, will vote for a reform candidate. New approaches are appealing; cronyism, as personified by Brown, and even some Republicans, is out of favor.

This Mayoral election contest was in fact a struggle between two diametrically opposed groups. The Brown coalition , bound together by patronage and privileges, were fighting to maintain the status quo. The Sanchez campaign was a reform movement made up of an eclectic group of voters who some tried to write off as simply, anti-Brown. While that may have had a ring of truth in the beginning Orlando's appeal was broadening every day and the momentum was clearly attributable to the reform message. The Sanchez coalition of Hispanic Democrats , independents, and some traditional Republicans were fighting for principle. The incumbent Brown's troops were fighting for their lives, and a continuation of government by and for the special interest. It was and remains a struggle for the soul of Houston. It is far from over. The reformers lead by Sanchez lost a battle but I predict they will win the war.

To understand how Brown 'won', you must first understand there is virtually no ballot security in Texas, or in most states for that matter. This is by design. We have been sold the baloney that there is a rebutable presumption that anyone who shows up at the polls, (no registration, no drivers license, no nothing ), should be permitted to vote. That works to disenfranchise all legitimate voters, and must be stopped.

Folks intent on aggressive GOTV' efforts and not particular about election law compliance, have a 'free fire zone'. The 'Buffalo Soldiers ', mentioned in the attached article, are pros at using this lax system to their partisan advantage. Until we toughen the laws and demand that our elected officials enforce the existing laws, eligible voters who vote only once can expect to see their votes cancelled by fraudulent ballots. What exists in America today, and clearly in large urban areas, is not a democracy.

Every citizens must be franchised, and all embrace the principal of one man one vote but that is not what we have today. With trained groups of professionals who are paid to 'influence' elections, the result is not a democratic process. In fact it is something akin to ballot box stuffing. Voter fraud has been winked at and excused for too long. Officials are too afraid of being accused of 'intimidation', or being branded 'racist', so laws are not enforced. That too must end. The unprecedented spike, a 25% voter increase, in Brown's vote in the Brown/Sanchez runoff election, should raise all sorts of red flags. But not so in Harris County; just business as usual. The Sanchez Campaign's poll watchers, who exercised their rights under existing laws to observe the voting process, were damned and called 'intimidating'. That mantra began before election day and clearly tipped the hand of the Brown campaign.

It was not surprising. Brown played the 'race card' early and whipped his supporters into a frenzy . On Election Day Ron Wilson, a Black Democrat State Representative, added the exclamation point with the most blatant racist radio commercial in Houston's history. No editorial of condemnation of either the Brown tactics or Wilson in particular, appeared in the local news papers or other media. Their silence speaks volumes about balance and integrity. Can you imagine the outcry had a Republican elected official supporting Sanchez made such an outrageous, misleading , broadcast appeal? Should we be debating the merits of a double standard for race baiting?

Harris County Commissioner El Franco Lee, the man who runs Harris County and now the City of Houston, reportedly funded Brown's very elaborate and costly GOTV effort. Why? Perhaps because Lee's privately owned engineering company's biggest customer is Mayor Brown and the City of Houston. A quarter of a Million Dollars to fund Brown's GOTV push is chump change when you are raking in millions of dollars each year to 'design' sidewalks for Houston's Cracker Jack Public Works Department.

Lee stands in the shadows today, the most powerful political figure in Harris County. His power flows from two sources. First because Republicans Steve Radack and Jerry Eversol, his fellow Harris County Commissioners, empower him by voting in lock step with his wishes. Their solid majority rules Harris County and they can in turn lean on other elected officials when their budgets come up for review. Talk about intimidation. Secondly, Houston Mayor Lee Brown owes his political life to Lee. El Franco Lee has succeeded Former Mayor Lanier as the 'Godfather ' of Houston's Democrats. Make no mistake, El Franco is one shrewd dude.

Here is but one example of how this cabal works. The Republicans on the Court supported Lee in appointing his 'faithful retainer', Mike Surface, to oversee a billion dollars in construction at Reliant Park. The people who are in the bond business, practice law and accounting, or in the design and construction business are drawn to those who control large expenditures. Their influence and campaign contributions flow to Lee and his allies. The Reliant Stadium project is exempted from state bid requirements. Originally a $ 310 Mullion Dollar project, it was last reported at well over $400 Million and headed North. Surface is approving change orders like they are going out of style and the chickens will eventually come home to roost when they are totaled. Can we expect the taxpayers to get stuck with the overruns? Everyone feeding at the trough could care less. Sadly, Metro, the Port, the Sports Authority and the City are not too different.

The county board Surface chairs failed to file financial reports, required by law, for over a year. That lapse went unreported by the local media . The County Jail, another construction fiascos, originally was launched by Surface. That embarrassment is just winked at and ignored, by Lee and his allies at the county. The latest Surface surprise is the current City of Houston downtown Fire Station 'bid'. The sordid story of that process was recently reported in the HBJ , That little sweetheart deal was of course not reported in the 'Houston Comical'. The Fire Station is but one more example of how the 'daisy chain' works for Lee, and his band of merry men. Surprise, surprise, Surface heads the 'winning' group for the fire station complex. Enough about Lee's boys and their fun and games with the public's money.

Back to the election, and the source of Lee's power. There was a parking lot full, some say hundreds of rented vans, near the intersection of Studemont and Washington. It was reported that 2500 out of town 'helpers' , lead by the Buffalo Soldiers, descended on Houston to bail Brown out and the vans were their wheels. Now that is a campaign expenditure of gigantic proportions. John Williams refers to this army as a 'rag tag band'; romantic Freedom Fighters we are left to suppose. How quaint.

Williams' story is but the tip of the iceberg. I compliment John for writing the story and the Chronicle for not spiking it as they have done with stories that unfavorably reflect on Lee and Radack. For example Steve Brewer of the Chronicle is working on a story now on Lee et al and it will be interesting to see if it ever see the light of day and if so, will it be so grossly edited to render it benign. Being a one daily news paper town sucks.

Enough grousing about our local print media. Back to what we can do to correct the abuses of power. Every Republican has given up on convincing Radack and Eversole, Republicans in name only, to vote with Republican County Judge Robert Eckels and thus stop empowering Lee. Until those two are next up for election, we can use our energy and focus on election reform.

We need to :

1. Demand that existing laws on voting be enforced;

2. Demand that tough new election reforms be enacted to prevent multiple voting and 'non -residents' and others ineligible from voting;

3. Repeal the motor voter laws that registers each year hundreds of thousands of illegal voters in Texas, probably millions nationally ;

4. Demand that a photo identification be required for each voter , or otherwise make positive ID on all voters; and

5, Require election officials to follow up after elections and prosecute those guilty of election fraud.

Until we guarantee the integrity of the election process, there will be a taint on all elected officials who reach office by dubious means. And to think those guys accused president Bush of stealing an election. Those who squealed the loudest were simply angry because their Buffalo Soldiers lost the biggest battle in their war. The Buffalo Soldiers promised to come back to Texas; will Texas be ready for them?

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