Liberals’ only talent seems to consist of being adroit at criticizing anything and anybody. Besides that and offering handouts in return for votes, they got no game. For example, where’s their budget? And oh yeah – when’s the last time the CIC said something that turned out to be accurate?

Now the CIC’s talking points are being repeated in April town halls to Rep. Paul Ryan – by his supporters. Ryan answers point for point. This informative video is making the rounds. Watch.

Uploaded by MacIverInstitute on Apr 29, 2011

Human Events:

The new Uncommon Knowledge video from our friends at the Hoover Institution is now available.

This week’s video features Andrew Ferguson, senior editor of the Weekly Standard and author of the recent book Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course in Getting His Kid Into College. Through detailing his experiences guiding his son’s recent college search, he exposes the unsustainable trend in which colleges become more expensive, yet result in less learning. He details how this trend developed, and possible ways in which the “higher education bubble” may eventually burst.

Over at Youtube, commenter qncsc sez:

“What’s fascinating about the ed attainment statistics to me are the consequences of an increasingly educated populous (general ed) in the face of globalization and wage pressures to compete with China and India. Going forward, it seems there is less and less demand for the educated American.”

Uploaded by HooverInstitution on Apr 18, 2011 Part 1 of 5

Open season on conservatives is coming to an end. Then it's open season on RINOs.

UPDATE*** Check out Senator Dan Patrick’s comment below!

by Donna Garner | April 29, 2011 3:46 PM | Liberty Linked

This Facebook account of what happened in the Texas Senate today was sent to me a few minutes ago. The Solomons’ Texas State Board of Education map E120 was passed 28-3, and Senator Dan Patrick was ruthlessly kept from even presenting the map that the majority of the Texas State Board of Education members preferred – E118 map.

ENTRENCHED LIBS ACHIEVE THEIR “FIX” ON THE SBOE MAP!

I’ve been told for some time that the “fix” has been in on this and on the House redistricting– didn’t get to watch Sen. Seliger’s venom at Senator Dan Patrick, as reported by those who did;  they just passed the SBOE map E120, by 28-3  The libs [RINO's and Democrats] are not too pleased at our exposure of their underhanded doublecross tactics.  Let’s watch to see if their unbalanced redistricting, obviously punitive to conservative members and their now-gerrymandered districts, will pass legal muster.  Who stands to gain by gutting a conservative State Board of Education?   This has been as ugly as it gets. They would not even permit Senator Patrick’s open debate on E118 [the map the majority of the SBOE members wanted], with Seliger moving to table it almost immediately.  Watch the Archives of the session – then ask Governor Perry to veto E120! At the very least we have been able to watch the players…important for 2012!

======================

Since Gov. Perry has the power to pass or veto the House and/or the Texas State Board of Education redistricting maps, we need to contact his office and ask him to veto these maps that are deliberately targeting conservatives who are presently in the Texas Legislature and on the Texas State Board of Education.

Gov. Perry’s Office:

Phone:   800-252-9600 or 512-463-1782

Fax:  512-463-1849

E-mail: http://www.governor.state.tx.us/contact/

Spread the word. More facts an research here.

Click to Register

After speaking with Ken Mercer Wednesday night after the SBOE redistricting hearing I wrote to Charlie Garza of SBOE District 1 to ask if he would like to make a statement regarding the unusual proceedings surrounding the sudden appearance of E120 and total disregard shown E118, the conservatives’ choice. Here is his response.

“That the committee on redistricting evidenced that no one saw the complete map prior to voting on it has clearly told Texans that ‘The Open Meeting Act does not apply to us. We are the legislature and above the law.’”

Charlie Garza, State Board of Education District 1
United States Naval Academy Blue Gold Officer

by Sharon Roberts | April 29, 2011 | Texasfor56

How many times have we seen environmentalists and the affiliated entourage “spin facts” to reflect their personal views? The same liberal tactics are being used to unnecessarily create fear among Texans.  Thus far, several versions of scare mongering prose has been used by the motley crew.

We have witnessed articles featuring quotes from the Sierra Club, Mother Jones, SEED, and others. When the first version of “facts” was discredited, different environmental groups were brought in for a “press conference of sorts.

The most recent statements attack the free market system that is resolving the costly chore of waste management for Texas and other states involved in an interstate compact. Disposal of low-level hazardous waste is a high cost proposition for states. Many states have tried to manage the whole process and failed. Thankfully, the states were able to partner with a high quality private enterprise company for solutions.  This company is Waste Control Specialists (WCS).

Innuendo and rhetoric about private enterprise and associated profits indicate an aversion by the leftists to the way business is conducted in the United States.  Mutually beneficial business agreements not only survive, but thrive in America’s free market system. To insinuate inequitable profit margins and fees is baseless and proof can be found in the state code as to the review of all fees on a regular basis.  Perhaps a review of economics 101 or supply and demand would benefit the naysayers.

Read it all at Texasfor56.wordpress.com

A very clear explanation of how the world works here in Texas. Thanks Donna! – SW

by Donna Garner | April 28, 2011 | Opinion Editorial

In a perfect world, the full Texas House yesterday would have had two redistricting maps upon which to vote.  The “good guys in the white hats” would have voted for the Nixon/Cain H212 map.  The “bad guys in the black hats” would have voted for the Solomons/House Committee map. Then we grassroots citizens would have gotten a copy of the recorded vote; and when the elections of 2012 come along, we would know which House members are the “bad guys in the black hats” and need to be booted from office.

The problem is that we do not live in a perfect world, and there was no choice yesterday (2^nd reading) between the Nixon/Cain and the Solomons’ map because only one map was allowed to be placed on the floor for a vote – the Solomons’ map.

According to the Republican Party of Texas e-mail blast this morning (on 2^nd reading vote), “In the end, 89 Republicans voted for the plan [Solomons], 10 Republicans voted against the plan and 1 Republican was absent.”

I do not believe that most Texas conservatives believe the Solomons’ redistricting plan reflects the clear message that was sent by the voters in the election of Nov. 2, 2010:  “Texas is a conservative state.”

We sent 101 Republicans to the House, and the majority of them had run on a conservative platform.  We expected them to approve the Nixon/Cain H212 map, and they did not.

Read about the Good and Bad News here.

by Erwin Cain | April 28, 2011 | Press Release

“Weakens East Texas, fractures communities of interest”

Austin — Today on the floor of the Texas House, State Rep. Erwin Cain rose to speak on the passage of the House Redistricting Committee map.  The map, authored by Rep. Burt Solomons (Carrollton), passed by a vote of 92-52.

Cain said, “This map made the redistricting process unnecessarily painful.  Almost every core district is deconstructed.  This map simply does not represent the people of East Texas.  We can do better for Texas.  We can, and should, draw a better map.  East Texas deserves that.”

“East Texas representatives had virtually no input into our districts in this map,” added Cain.  “We have been submitting maps to the Redistricting Committee for weeks, but only saw what was done to my district when the full map was published.”

The Solomons map has been widely panned as unrepresentative of communities of interest, especially in East Texas.  For example, Rep. George Lavender’s district, currently anchored in Texarkana, would stretch to Paris.  Rep. Wayne Christian (Center) would lose 85% of his current district.  Reps. Bryan Hughes (Marshall), David Simpson (Longview), and James White (Woodville) all have districts significantly altered under the Solomons plan.  Reps. Cain and Dan Flynn (Canton) are paired in a “C” shaped district in the Solomons map.  District 3, currently represented by Cain, is broken into four (4) separate districts.

The House approved plan now goes to the Senate for consideration.  If the Senate does not approve the map or if the Governor were to veto, the Legislative Redistricting Board (LRB) will be charged with drawing the state map.  The LRB consists of Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, Speaker Joe Straus, Attorney General Greg Abbott, Comptroller Susan Combs, and Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson.

###

The Austin Economic Club is proud to announce that Herman Cain, former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza and possibly the future Presidential Candidate in 2012, will be its featured speaker at a breakfast event on May 13th, 2011 at the Austin Club in downtown Austin.

Herman Cain grew up in Atlanta, Georgia with loving parents and little else. His father worked three jobs—as a janitor, a barber and a chauffeur—and his mother was a domestic worker. Even though these jobs required hard work and little glamour, his parents knew this life was better than the sharecropping farms upon which they grew up. They also knew that this hard work was the key to achieving their American Dreams.

Herman’s parents had two dreams. First, they wanted to own their own house. Secondly, they wanted both of their children to graduate from college. During the segregation era in the Deep South, these aspirations might have seemed lofty, but they knew that if they kept their faith in God, faith in themselves and faith in the greatest country on the Earth, they could achieve.

Inspired by the work ethic and character of his parents, Herman continued his education by earning his Master’s degree in computer science from Purdue University while working full-time developing fire control systems for ships and fighter planes for the Department of the Navy.  Though Herman enjoyed using his talents as a civilian employee for the Navy, he gravitated towards the culture of business.

Herman returned to his home of Atlanta to begin working as a computer systems analyst for the Coca-Cola Company. After considerable success at Coca-Cola, he moved to the Pillsbury Company. Within a short period of time, Herman rose to position of Vice President. Although the comforts of a corner office on the 31^st floor of a majestic corporate building seemed satisfying, Herman knew that he needed a challenge.

Energized by overcoming the many obstacles of his job at Burger King, Herman took on the biggest challenge of his career. He accepted the call to become the President and CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, a company that was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. In just 14 months, Herman returned Godfather’s to profitability and he led his management team to a buyout of the company.

His professional successes garnered the respect and admiration of industry peers who named him the President of the National Restaurant Association. Through appearances on behalf of the National Restaurant Association, this led to his acceptance of a position on the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, and he was subsequently elected their chairman. In this role, he analyzed economic conditions in the region and notified the Federal Reserve of how their policies should respond.

Most recently, he hosted a radio talk show, “The Herman Cain Show,” on Atlanta’s WSB 750 AM/ 95.5 FM. He serves as a regular contributor on several broadcast networks and as a keynote speaker at conferences and events around the nation.

At the urging of grassroots conservatives across the U.S., his presidential exploratory committee was founded January 2011. For more information, visit http://www.hermancain.com.

* Distinguished Lecture Series 2011 *

FEATURING

HERMAN CAIN

Former CEO of Pizza Hut &

Potential Presidential Candidate in 2012

“THE AMERICAN DREAM UNDER ATTACK”

Friday, May 13^th, 2011

The Austin Club, Downtown Austin

110 E. 9^th St

7:30 a.m. ~ V.I.P. Reception

8:00 a.m. ~ Breakfast Begins

9:30 a.m. ~ Press Conference

Seating is limited, so call to reserve your seat today!

Tickets: $35 per person

Read Herman Cain’s post at Texas Insider:

Obama’s Energy Policy: Blame at the Pump

by Colleen Vera | April 28, 2011 5:43 PM | UPDATE

I just called Perry’s office and they told me that our Governor DOES have the ability to VETO the redistricting plan for the SBOE (State Board of Education) but it goes to his desk pretty fast after it is passed so if there is something we want him to stop, we need to let him know NOW.

So call Perry’s office today and let him know you want him to VETO the SBOE redistricting plan E120 if it passes. You only want him to sign a plan like E118 that strengthens the conservative base for our schools.

Gov. Perry’s Office 800-252-9600   or   512-463-1782       (FAX) 512-463-1849

We have to stop this bill. We can’t let the liberals have control of our schools for the next 10 years.

By Mark Ramsey | April 28, 2011 | Opinion Editorial

Popular State Board of Education (SBOE) Conservatives irreparably harmed by rogue redistricting plan not even released until after committee meeting started

Urgent:  Please go to:  http://austinreteaparty.com/Signthepetition.aspx, sign the petition, and encourage your friends and email loops to do the same, and then PHONE CALL and FAX your Texas Senators.  TODAY.  NOW.

This is why:

Texas Senators failed to honor the “deal” struck two weeks ago in the House.

As late as Tuesday night, word was being spread that stealth attempts at harming SBOE conservatives via redistricting were being dropped, and the preferred-by-conservatives and preferred-by-SBOE plan “E118” was going to be adopted, as the gentleman’s deal called for.

The committee meeting started a little later than its 8 am posting.  All appeared  normal.

Then Sen. Seliger of the Panhandle dropped a bomb–a political improvised explosive device with the power to wreck the Texas GOP for years to come.  He pretended to not know of the vast support for both the SBOE conservatives and their plan (E118), and submitted a rogue plan (E120), that had not been vetted or discussed or even visible to the public.  The fix was in.  Conservatives had been had.  While E118 had been open and transparently available to the public for nearly two weeks, E120 was not even available online until 8:15 yesterday morning, after the committee starting time!  Analytical details of E120, produced by the Legislative Council on all such plans, were not available until after the committee meeting adjourned.  The public, and even then committee members themselves, had zero input.  The SBOE members, with two possible exceptions, both freshmen rinos, did not either.  (Word on the street is that rookie Marsha Farney—whose husband donated to Barack Obama’s campaign–has a paid consultant in a high government office, and does not want Brazos county in her district.)  So much for transparent Government.  Texas, Lt. Governor Dewhurst, and Gov. Perry should be ashamed of the committee—if not outraged.

To add insult, just before press it has been discovered that the rogue E120 was finalized Tuesday morning, a full day before the committee meeting, but was intentionally hidden from public view!

Senator Dan Patrick of SD7 was the lone “hero” of the day, ably questioning the rogue plan, asking why Midland and Ector counties were flipped, (the unspoken but well-known reason is that Bob Craig does not want an opponent who happens to live in Ector County), its effects on rising GOP star Charlie Garza of El Paso, and importantly, the lack of time to study it.  Sen. Patrick was as surprised as everyone else, yet still went to battle for conservatives.

It was later discovered that the rogue stealth and hidden Seliger plan actually violates Federal Voting Rights Act (VRA) law guidelines, where the E118 had been crafted specifically to comply with this and no concerns about this with E118 had surfaced in two weeks!  Nonetheless, Sen. Seliger’s non-answer to nearly every issue raised by Sen. Patrick was an un-supported “we had to due to VRA issues” type response, which is patently false as E118 is at least one other plan compliant with the VRA.  When unsupported, this is the redistricting equivalent of “playing the race card.”

In short, one political insider described it as the “worse thing I’ve ever seen happen in my political career.”

Please take action today—now—sign the petition AND CALL AND FAX your Senators.

Thank you.

Additional info:  See “Radioactive Results” article here.

CLICK TO VIEW THE MAP

Please politely indicate to your elected officials that you support the conservative SBOE plan 118 (or improvements) and oppose the rogue plan E120.

To contact Governor Perry or Lt. Governor Dewhurst:

Governor Perry                                    800-252-9600 or 512-463-1782                                     –512-463-1849 fax

Lt. Governor Dewhurst  512-463-0001                                                                        –512-463-0677 fax

To Contact the Senate Members, see names/numbers below  Bolded indicates Committee Members.  Faxes may also be sent via faxnumber@fax.com, e.g. 5124753733@fax.com.

Everyone is reeling from the redistricting marathon slug out last night. “Veteran political observer” Russ Tidwell of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association – which btw owns the Democrat Party – could hardly contain himself. According to the Chron he said “They’re all political animals and this is the ultimate political board game.” And he must have been literally salivating, too. Check out this morsel:

Lawmakers are trying to draw new districts for themselves, Texas members of Congress and the State Board of Education — but all of the modifications are sure to land in a courtroom with multiple legal challenges. Redistricting is required to account for population adjustments after the Census, and Texas is the fastest-growing large state, having added 4.3 million people since 2000.

The question that demands to be asked: How many of that 4.3million are legal citizens of the United States? Enquiring minds want to know. Trial lawyers and the politicians who feed them apparently don’t. And if you write to Speaker Joe Straus with your concern this is what you get.

Dear xxx :

Thank you for contacting me to express your support for requiring e-verify.

I support strong action to secure our border and stop illegal immigration.  We are a nation of laws and we must enforce our laws.  The federal government continues to drop the ball on programs to deter illegal immigration while refusing to comprehensively address federal immigration policy.

In 2007, I helped enact legislation requiring businesses receiving public subsidies from government entities to certify that they do not and will not knowingly employ undocumented workers.  The statute allows a governmental entity, economic development corporation or the Attorney General to bring forth a civil suit to recover any amounts owed to the governmental entity or economic development corporation for violation.

When the 82nd Texas Legislature convened, Governor Perry declared the issue of sanctuary cities an emergency item.  The House is in the process of considering House Bill 12 by Representative Burt Solomons, which will prohibit local governments from undertaking certain actions that would restrict the enforcement of state and federal immigration laws.

I wonder if he can be more vague than that. Is it possible?

House members have also filed several bills specifically dealing with e-verify: HB 140, HB 178, HB 202, HB 296, HB 582, HB 601, and Senate Bill 84.  Each bill attempts to address the issue of e-verify in a different manner and members are working to craft a solution for our diverse state.

Yes, but will they get a hearing and a vote?

I encourage you to track the progress of these bills by visiting Texas Legislature Online at www.capitol.state.tx.us or by calling the Texas Bill Status Hotline at 1-877-824-7038. The website includes My TLO, a helpful tool that allows you to track the status of particular bills by creating custom watch lists. You can also receive alerts when significant actions are added to the bills on your lists.

I will continue to fight to address the multitude of immigration issues affecting the state of Texas.  Thank you for your concern for these important issues, and please feel free to contact me if I can be of further assistance.

Sincerely,

Joe Straus

Speaker

Does he sound as if he’s fighting to you? Who is he really fighting and for what purpose?

Woah! Around the 4:00 mark Michelle Malkin starts blasting Trump for, despite his birther bombast, being fundamentally non-tea party in his actions, much like Mark Levin has been doing on his show. Watch.

Texas, we have a problem.

The generation that wrote songs like Hey, Mr. Spaceman are now running the legislature. And the Senate is clearly the most “creative” department of our state government.

Yesterday those progressives went full force with their “creative” new and improved form of legislating and did a full end run around everything the elected State Board of Education has done for setting text book curriculum and dealing with the needs of public school students in Texas. How? By redistricting out or marginalizing people with whom they disagree.

It doesn’t get any more “creative” than that.

In essence they changed the voters in conservative districts. Now that is essentially what redistricting does – but in a representative republic the voters themselves are supposed to have a say in the process. And they had been calling their Republican senators for a couple of weeks asking them to vote for E118.

If you think that’s unfair you can go here and sign the petition!!

Senator Kel Seliger

Why did Senator Kel Seliger reject the well-researched and constituent preferred E118 plan and not give it a hearing?

Hal: E118 (The O’Grady Plan which was approved and supported by conservative members of the SBOE) was NOT allowed to be heard…We are in deep trouble if floor amendments do not alter the targeting of conservatives on the SBOE.

Why was his obviously preferred plan E120 kept under wraps until 8:25 AM for an 8:30 AM hearing?  Plan E118 had been available for a couple of weeks prior to the “creative” hearing.

The language was difficult to understand. Why were the analyses of E120 not made available until after the hearing was finished?

Was there a closed door meeting somewhere that we should know about? Maybe. Otherwise how did liberal Thomas Ratliff come out and testify for the map that was revealed mere minutes before?

“There was no 120 until this morning,” said Ken Mercer in a telephone interview Wednesday evening. He had been calling every senator over the past two weeks asking them to vote for E118. “How can you have a public hearing on a map that has just come out and that nobody has seen yet?” He said that Senator Dan Patrick, leader of the Tea Party Caucus, stood up and protested the measure.

“The bottom line,” said Mercer, “Is that this map may be on the senate floor – are  you ready for this – as early as Friday. That’s how bad it is. I told a reporter ‘This is like saying conservatives need not apply’.”

And it gets worse.

Even if you’re a Hispanic like Charlie Garza, if you are conservative you’re out.

Some insights from eye-witness Hal:

Newly elected strong conservative Charlie Garza will have a very hard time getting re-elected as Midland Co. and Ector Co. were switched on the map (Midland was taken from Garza D-1 and given to Craig D-15 and vice-versa).  Midland was a conservative stronghold for District 1 and helped elect a conservative Hispanic to the SBOE… however RINO Bob Craig had a viable conservative contender to run against him in 2012… by switching the two counties Bob Craig’s contender will not be able to run against him due to boundary conflicts.

Now it will be up to floor amendments to try and save conservatives on the SBOE.

Dear Democrat-progressive activist Senators, why can’t you cooperate? Does the end really justify the means? If you think so, as you apparently do, then what are you doing crafting laws?

Oh, I forgot. A lawyer’s job is to find loopholes and get around the rules. Silly me.

EPA is Threatening Oil & Gas Jobs in West Texas Counties

The Obama Administration is at it again.

Not content to destroy our economy through de-valuing our dollar, rampant inflation and profligate entitlement spending through Obamacare – now the Washington D.C. liberal elite are coming after jobs right here in Texas.

The issue at hand is the proposal by the Obama Administration to list as federally endangered – the “Dunes Sagebrush Lizard,” or sand dune lizard. Critics believe this proposal is an entirely politically motivated move to hurt the energy industry in America. Regardless, the listing of the sand dune lizard under the federal Endangered Species Act could devastate oil and gas production in the Permian Basin for at least two years. Production in the following counties would be among the worst impacted: Gaines, Andrews, Ward, Winkler and Crane in Texas, and Lea, Chaves, Eddy and Otero in New Mexico.

Make no mistake – many businesses and jobs could be threatened by the potential eradication of oil and gas production in the above-named counties!

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold a public information session and public hearing on the matter on Wednesday, April 27, at the Midland Center. The public information session will be from 3:30 to 5 p.m., and more importantly, the public hearing will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at which time speakers may provide two minutes of public testimony. Similar hearings will be held in New Mexico, the day after. If you can be in attendance at the public hearing, we encourage you to speak up and make your voice heard that the Obama administration should focus on saving American jobs and businesses instead of embarking on another battle in their ongoing assault against the Texas oil and gas industry!

Said RPT Chairman Steve Munisteri, “The United States is facing an energy crisis of enormous proportions. Our country unfortunately, is very dependent on foreign sources of oil from areas experiencing increased instability. This is both a national security problem and an economic problem for our country of great magnitude. We are already beginning to see some of the disastrous results of the Obama administration not having a comprehensive energy policy. Gas prices at the pump are approaching $4 a gallon, and could rise higher. More disturbingly, projections are, that by the end of the year, the world will use approximately 90 million barrels of oil per day, despite the fact that the world production capabilities are only approximately 88 million barrels of oil per day. Needless to say, as oil supplies tighten, prices will go up further, jeopardizing what is an anemic economic recovery and possibly causing a double-dip recession. That is why it is imperative for our government to adopt policies which encourage, not discourage, domestic oil and gas exploration as well as the utilization of other domestic sources of energy.”

Munisteri continued, “Unfortunately, the policies of President Obama have actually worked to make the country more dependent and have deepened our crisis. In his first two years in office, his environmental Protection Agency proposed classifying coal byproduct as a hazardous waste, thereby jeopardizing the economic viability of the utilization of coal, he placed a lengthy moratorium on offshore drilling permits, and now threatens the supply of oil from one of the most productive areas of Texas in order to protect a lizard. These types of policies are why it is imperative that we all work together to defeat President Obama next November, and in the meantime we ask all Republicans to stay engaged by raising opposition to this proposal.”

Former Midland Mayor Ernie Angelo echoed Munisteri’s sentiments, saying “It, frankly, is unbelievable to me that in a time when America is fighting at least two wars in the Middle East, offshore drilling in America has been severely diminished in the wake of the BP oil spill last year, the price of a barrel of WTI hovers at more than $110 and the price of a gallon of gas is close to $4 in some states, and the recession is still in full bloom, the federal government would propose such an act.”

Texas Public Policy Foundation has been keeping us in the loop with conference calls every Monday. Here is some information you can use.

Check out:  Comparing the House and Senate budgets

And the Laffer Report:  Reforming Texas’ State & Local Pension Systems for the 21^st Century

Hat tip David Guenthner.

The buzz today comes via John Drogin and a Q1 report on comparative fundraising by candidates for Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s soon to be vacant seat. What’s weird is that I was sitting in a seminar listening to Ted Cruz debating a liberal back in January this year when we all got the news that Hutchison had announced she would not seek re-election. Everyone hopped to it to get an interview with Mr. Cruz.

Now this. Excerpt:

Cruz’s financial support is broad, deep, energized, and enthusiastic.  It spans Texas, rather than being geographically concentrated in a single city.  And it is national, unlike the rest of the field’s.  It appears that the other candidates have primarily tapped their friends and family in their home cities, and have limited support outside their geographic bases.  In contrast, Ted’s financial support is statewide and growing.

• In the “sub-primary” to determine the strongest conservative candidate in the race, Cruz is in by far the strongest position.  Indeed, numerous national conservative commentators and grassroots leaders publicly (1) expressed concern that Michael Williams could not raise enough funds to run a credible statewide campaign against a deep-pocketed self-funder, and (2) stated that they would choose between Cruz and Michael Williams based in significant part on who could raise the most money to run a strong conservative campaign.  Nevertheless, Michael Williams was only able to raise just over $400,000, and in Q1 Cruz raised 2 ½ times as much.

• In order to mount a credible statewide campaign in the Republican Primary, a candidate will need at least $5,000,000 to $10,000,000 to communicate with voters from January 2012 through Election Day.   Michael Williams is not on a path to raise those funds.

• To be sure, a candidate with significant name identification among primary voters could conceivably compete with less than $10,000,000.  However, multiple statewide polls have demonstrated that none of the current candidates has substantial name ID.  Indeed, despite Michael Williams’s having served in a down-ballot elected position for many years, he and Cruz are statistically tied in statewide name ID.  With the exception of Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, voters simply do not know any of the candidates, and it will take serious financial resources to change that in a state as large as Texas.

• This race will come down to two questions:

1. Which candidate is best prepared to stand up and fight to stop the Obama agenda?
2. If Lt. Governor David Dewhurst chooses to enter the race, which candidate is the strongest alternative to Dewhurst?

The Q1 fundraising results—combined with the Ted’s proven record winning conservative battles nationwide and remarkable statewide grassroots team (over 57,000 supporters on Facebook)—indicate that the answer to both is Ted Cruz.

Find more details here. Here’s a clip by Moe Lane at RedState.

by Rod Baltzer | Wednesday, April 27th, 2011 | The Texas Solution Blog

Read it all.