Texas Runoff Election TODAY - Vote PATRICK and PAXTON

Today is the 2014 Texas Republican Primary Runoff Election Day! VOTE from 7am to 7pm.

The people elected today will likely win against the Democrats in November, so this Republican Primary Runoff Election is very important.

There are many important races, but I have kind of taken a break and so I really have only gotten involved in 2 races, the Attorney General's Race and the Lieutenant Governor's race.

I SUPPORT DAN PATRICK for Texas Lieutenant Governor over David Dewhurst. You can search the many articles that I have written about him and you already have received several emails from me about Patrick.


I SUPPORT KEN PAXTON for Texas Attorney General over Dan Branch. I might have opposed Paxton in his race with Barry Smitherman because I believed that Smitherman was better in that race, but now the race is between just Paxton and Branch. Even though I initially supported Smitherman, I always declared that Paxton is a conservative and that I would hands down support him over the more moderate Dan Branch. For instance, I did not like that Paxton withdrew from the race vs Joe Straus, but at least Paxton had the guts to oppose Straus in the first place, and not only that, Branch was one of the guys who helped elect Joe Straus and Branch completely supports Straus. Texas needs Paxton for Attorney General and not Dan Branch!

Barry Smitherman ONLY Texas AG Candidate w/ CHL - More Trusted on Gun Rights than Ken Paxton or Dan Branch

Barry Smitherman is the ONLY candidate in the Texas Attorney General race with a Concealed Handgun License (CHL). The fact that Barry Smitherman actually packs heat, on top of the fact that he got an A+ rating from the National Rifle Association (NRA), is why I believe that Barry Smitherman is clearly the best gun rights Texas AG candidate over Ken Paxton and Dan Branch. Anyone can talk a good talk about supporting gun rights, but Barry Smitherman actually practices his right to bear arms. Anyone can say they understand the importance of gun rights and anyone can say they defend the right to bear arms, but at the end of the day, if you have never even gotten a concealed handgun license then you DON'T really fully understand the importance and need to protect gun rights. If you did really understand the importance of guns and gun rights then you would ALREADY have a concealed gun license.

One of the biggest issues facing America right now is an unprecedented attack on the 2nd amendment rights of Americans. Obama and the Democrats are doing everything they can to strip away our gun rights in exchange for gun control. The Texas Attorney General will need to protect and defend the 2nd Amendment rights of Texas. The Texas Attorney General will need to protect and defend the gun rights laws that the State of Texas has passed. It is not a matter of if. It is a matter of when. So the question is, when the time comes for Obama and the Democrats come after our guns, who do you want "behind the barrel of the gun" firing back at the liberals? I want Barry Smitherman.

When it comes to voting for the person who I can trust most to understand and defend gun rights, I pick the guy who actually packs heat instead of the guys who talk about the right to pack heat but have never felt it to be important enough to actually pack heat.

Furthermore, the State of Texas is actually NOT even the most gun friendly state in America. Texas does not even allow any open carry handgun laws even though MANY states DO have open carry laws. These laws to allow open carry in Texas have been pushed in recent years, but the Senators and State Representatives have blocked the laws. I would be willing to bet that most of those legislators do not have a concealed handgun license and therefore do not really understand the importance of gun right. They certainly do not understand that open carry is no more dangerous or alarming than concealed carry. Just look at the other states with open carry rights, no one is getting into shootouts in the middle of the streets or anything and I would be willing to bet that a criminal who sees someone with a gun is less likely to commit a crime in the first place knowing for sure someone has a gun and will fire at them.

Because Texas has a long way to go to be even more of a gun rights state, it is imperative that the next Texas Attorney General be someone who goes above and beyond just supporting the current Texas gun rights laws. The next attorney General for Texas should be someone who will push for even more gun rights than what we currently have in Texas.

The list of Texas Concealed Handgun License holders is not a public list. So how do I know that Barry Smitherman is the only candidate with a concealed handgun license? It is simple. Barry Smitherman has talked about having a CHL in public with the other candidates around and the other candidates have not chimed in about them having a CHL. Furthermore, Barry Smitherman has actually come out and said that he believes he is the only candidate in the race with a CHL and neither Ken Paxton nor Dan Branch have disputed this statement from Smitherman. You don't allow someone to say they are the only candidate with a CHL unless they actually are the only candidate with a CHL.

Ken Paxton Supporters Revert to Name Calling When Shown Paxton’s Vote to Mandate Smart Meter Fee for ALL Texans

Ken Paxton supporters in denial about exact wording of law that Ken Paxton passed:  "The Commission (PUCT) SHALL establish a nonbypassable surcharge for an electric utility or transmission and distribution utility to use to recover reasonable and necessary costs incurred in deploying advanced metering.” And it is the intent of the legislature that net metering and advanced meter information networks be deployed as rapidly as possible to allow customers to better manage energy use and control costs, and to facilitate demand response initiatives."

The bottom line is that Ken Paxton voted to mandate a Smart Meter fee that all Texans must pay regardless of if they get or even want a Smart Meter. Go ahead, prove me wrong. Show me that Paxton did not vote to create a “nonbypassable” Smart Meter surcharge.

Supporters of Ken Paxton like to point out that Barry Smitherman was the head of the PUC when the PUC was in charge of implementing smart meters. They conveniently ignore that Paxton’s role in Smart Meters, so I wrote an article showing that it was actually the Texas Legislature and Ken Paxton who voted to create and promote smart meters and even to mandate a fee that all Texans must pay for the meters. This law told the PUC and Smitherman to implement Smart Meters. Smitherman did not create Smart Meters, he was just following the law and implementing them because the law that Paxton voted for instructed Smitherman to implement them. Only Obama decides what laws he is going to follow or toss out. After I revealed that information, all Hell broke loose with Paxton supporters calling me names and saying I am a liar. They say that Paxton and the legislature never intended for the meters to be mandatory, but they conveniently ignore the actual wording of the law that Paxton supported. At least I don’t call names and am actually trying to show evidence about Paxton’s vote for Smart Meters. For the record, I do not think Ken Paxton is a bad guy and I know he is conservative. I just also know he is not as perfect as his supporters say he is and I believe 100% that Barry Smitherman is more conservative and a better leader and the best man to be the next Texas Attorney General

Let’s say that they are right and Paxton and the legislature did not intend for Smart Meters to be mandatory. That only makes what Paxton voted for EVEN WORSE because the law that Paxton voted for, HB 2129, Clearly and Indisputably states "The Commission (PUCT) SHALL establish a nonbypassable surcharge for an electric utility or transmission and distribution utility to use to recover reasonable and necessary costs incurred in deploying advanced metering.” So it is an indisputable fact that Paxton voted to mandate a Smart Meter fee that all Texans must pay. If Paxton and his supporters are denying that Smart Meters were never intended to be mandatory, then Paxton is admitting that he voted to force all Texans to pay for Smart Meters even if they do not want one and do not get one. Voting to force someone to pay for something they do not want and will not get is not a good thing and it is interesting to see the Paxton supporters act like there is nothing wrong with that.

Smitherman Implemented Smart Meters that Paxton and Legislature voted to create, at least Smitherman tried to add an opt out in the law

The Texas legislature told the PUC to implement the meters and to find ways to deploy them as rapidly as possible because the advanced technology is good for Texas and consumers. So yes, Barry Smitherman did his job and he implemented smart meters and promoted them. Only in Obamaland can someone ignore a law. Smart meters were the law passed by the legislature and the law required the PUC to implement them. So that is what Barry Smitherman did. Smart meters are actually not all that bad and many people love them because they do have many advantages. The issue that arose is that not everyone likes them or wants them because there are many questions surrounding the meters including privacy and health. Instead of ignoring the voice of the people, Smitherman actually realized the flaw and requested the Texas Legislature to amend the law to include an opt-out so that people who do not want one do not have to get one. Ken Paxton, who voted on the law, never once made a statement supporting opt outs and never once tried to amend the law or support any bills to amend the law.

Debate over whether or not Smart Meters are Mandatory

I admit, there certainly can be a difference of opinion over whether or not the law that Paxton passed actually mandated that everyone has to get a smart meter. The problem is that the law does not specifically say whether or not people can opt out of it. If you look at the wording of the law that requires everyone pay a mandatory fee for smart meters and also the part in the law where the legislature calls for the meters to be deployed as rapidly as possible, it sure would seem as though the law intended for all old meters to be replaced with this new smart meter technology. That I admit can be debated.

NO Debate over the FACT that law Paxton voted for FORCES ALL Texans to pay a nonbypassable fee to pay for Smart Meters and called for the meters to be deployed as rapidly as possible.

We can debate whether or not Paxton and the legislature intended Smart Meters to be mandatory. People can try to say Smart Meters were all the fault of the PUC who was only just following the law and implementing the meters. We CANNOT debate the fact the Paxton and the legislature passed a law that promotes Smart Meters as good, calls for them to be rapidly deployed, and requires everyone to pay for Smart Meters. So do ahead, you can reasonable deny that Paxton intended Smart Meters to be mandatory, but that does not make what he voted for any better. Read the law yourself below. Paxton had to have wanted to promote Smart Meters based on the wording of the law the voted to approve. Does what you read below look like something that someone would vote to approve if they did not want to push Smart Meters?

Exact Wording of Law that Paxton Supporters Cannot Deny even if the Deny that Paxton intended Smart Meters to be Mandatory:

In 2005 Ken Paxton and Dan Branch voted to approve HB 2129. Section 7(h) of HB 2129 states: "The Commission (PUCT) SHALL establish a nonbypassable surcharge for an electric utility or transmission and distribution utility to use to recover reasonable and necessary costs incurred in deploying advanced metering and meter information networks to residential customers…"

Section 8(a) of HB 2129 states: “In recognition that advances in digital and communications equipment and technologies, including new metering and meter information technologies, have the potential to increase the reliability of the regional electrical network, encourage dynamic pricing and demand response, make better use of generation assets and transmission and generation assets, and provide more choice for consumers, the legislature encourages the adoption of these technologies by electric utilities in this state."

Section 8(b) of HB 2129 states: “The Public Utility Commission of Texas shall study the efforts of electric utilities to benefit from the use of advanced metering and metering information networks. The commission SHALL present to the legislature on or before September 30 of each even--‐numbered year a report detailing those efforts and identifying changes in the state’s policies that may be necessary to remove barriers to the use of advanced metering and metering information networks or of other advanced transmission and distribution technologies.”

In 2007, the Texas Legislature passed HB 3693, again making clear its intention that smart meters be deployed as rapidly as possible. Again, Ken Paxton and Dan Branch voted for this legislation. Section 20(i) of HB 3693 states: “Subject to the restrictions in Subsection (h), it is the intent of the legislature that net metering and advanced meter information networks be deployed as rapidly as possible to allow customers to better manage energy use and control costs, and to facilitate demand response initiatives."

Related articles:

Barry Smitherman saved Texas Taxpayers OVER $130 MILLION – Slashed Spending, Cut Budgets – Attorney General Race Update

Texas Right to Life Endorses Barry Smitherman for Attorney General

Smitherman REJECTS Budget Increase - Paxton, Branch APPROVE Increases - Texas Attorney General Race

Paxton and Branch Missed Hundreds of Votes in Legislature – Texas Needs a Full Time Attorney General

Statement by Barry Smitherman in response to USDOJ Challenge to Texas Voter ID Law

The Race for Texas Attorney General - Barry Smitherman's Record

AG Candidate Dan Branch Joined House Democrats Seeking to Expand 3rd Trimester Abortions

AG Candidate Dan Branch Joined House Democrats Seeking to Expand 3rd Trimester Abortions

the following article is by Bob Price posted at Texas GOP Vote:

In the wake of yesterday's court ruling blocking Texas from implementing portions of its newly passed pro-life law requiring abortion doctors to have admitting privileges at a hospital within 30 miles of their abortion facility, it becomes even more clear why we must have a Texas Attorney General who is as solidly pro-life as our current AG, Greg Abbott. After a little research into the records of the candidates to succeed Abbott, it is apparent one candidate does not fill those shoes - Dan Branch.

During the 79th Legislature (2005) SB 419 was introduced to continue functions of some medical boards in Texas. During the debate on this bill in the House, Representative Dan Branch authored an amendment to allow and expand 3rd trimester abortions.

Texas law restricts these late term abortions to cases where the baby has irreversible brain damage. Branch's amendment sought to expand this to irreversible damage to a "vital organ". After Branch argued in support of his amendment, the House voted to table it. Branch joined with House Democrats to vote "Nay" on the motion to table.

Democrats will continue to use the courts to overturn advances made to protect life by Republicans in the Texas Legislature. We must have an Attorney General whose commitment to pro-life issues is unquestionable. After yesterday's court ruling, General Abbott filed an emergency appeal to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Branch's record raises concern about whether he would have filed a similar appeal.

General Abbott's spokeswoman, Lauren Bean, issued a statement yesterday on behalf of the Attorney General. “The court upheld part of the law and enjoined part of the law. The State has already appealed the court’s ruling. We appreciate the trial court’s attention in this matter. As everyone – including the trial court judge – has acknowledged, this is a matter that will ultimately be resolved by the appellate courts or the U.S. Supreme Court.”

Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Barry Smitherman, a candidate for Texas Attorney General, reaffirmed his committment to pro-life issues in a statement yesterday.“I am disappointed by Judge Yeakel’s ruling," Smitherman stated, "but I applaud General Abbott’s decision to seek an emergency appeal. As Attorney General, I will vigorously defend Pro-Life laws in the state of Texas. Judge Yeakel’s inappropriate refusal to acknowledge that the statute was rationally related to preserving the life of unborn children and protecting women’s health will hopefully be corrected upon appellate review.”

Perhaps this attempt by Branch to expand abortion rights in Texas was behind Texas Right to Life's omission of Dan Branch in their recent endorsements of Barry Smitherman and Ken Paxton. His being left off that list was a clear statement by this leading pro-life group.

If you are a pro-life voter in the 2014 Republican Primary, I think it is safe to say you can take Dan Branch off your list for consideration. Texas needs a solidly pro-life Attorney General and Dan Branch doesn't cut it.

- See more at: http://www.texasgopvote.com/regions/texas/ag-candidate-dan-branch-joined-house-democrats-seeking-expand-3rd-trimester-006014#sthash.9vrxHPvc.dpuf

Smart Meters FORCED onto Texans by Ken Paxton and Dan Branch – TRUTH REVEALED - Votes Don't Lie

see updated article with more information here: 

Ken Paxton Supporters Revert to Name Calling When Shown Paxton’s Vote to Mandate Smart Meter Fee for ALL Texans

Fact: Texas Attorney General Candidates Ken Paxton and Dan Branch voted in 2005 to FORCE Texans to get a Smart Meter and FORCED Texans to pay for them. The laws they voted to approve reveal the shocking truth that even they cannot deny. They passed laws that specifically forced the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to implement Smart Meters and to create a fee for Texans to pay for them. Texas Attorney General Candidate Barry Smitherman is the only candidate in the race who has listened to the outcry from conservatives and in response has teamed up with conservatives in the Texas Legislature, like State Rep. David Simpson, to try to amend the law and make Smart Meters optional instead of mandatory. Legislators Ken Paxton and Dan Branch have done NOTHING to try to introduce or promote any bills to stop the mandatory Smart Meters.

It is time people heard the truth. I am tired of Texas Legislators passing the blame. I am tired of fellow conservative groups believing the lies about who actually created and mandated Smart Meters. Voting records do not lie. In this article I will show you the exact laws that Paxton and Branch voted on to mandate Smart Meters. The Legislature and the yes votes that Paxton and Branch made are why Texans were forced to get and pay for Smart Meters. No one else is responsible.

Smart Meter outrage took the Texas scene by storm within the last few years. Texas Conservative groups were rightfully mad about these intrusive, big brother, potentially health hazardous Smart Meters. Some conservatives mistakenly got upset at the PUCT. The truth is that it was the Texas Legislature that passed the law to force Smart Meters onto Texans. It was the Texas Legislature that passed the law to force Texans to pay for the Smart Meters, not the PUCT.

In 2005, the Texas Legislature passed HB 2129, mandating a fee for the implementation of smart meters and encouraging the adoption of smart meters. Both Ken Paxton and Dan Branch voted aye on this bill.

Section 7(h) of HB 2129 states: “The Commission (PUCT) SHALL establish a nonbypassable surcharge for an electric utility or transmission and distribution utility to use to recover reasonable and necessary costs incurred in deploying advanced metering and meter information networks to residential customers…

Section 8(a) of HB 2129 states: “In recognition that advances in digital and communications equipment and technologies, including new metering and meter information technologies, have the potential to increase the reliability of the regional electrical network, encourage dynamic pricing and demand response, make better use of generation assets and transmission and generation assets, and provide more choice for consumers, the legislature encourages the adoption of these technologies by electric utilities in this state.

Section 8(b) of HB 2129 states: “The Public Utility Commission of Texas shall study the efforts of electric utilities to benefit from the use of advanced metering and metering information networks. The commission SHALL present to the legislature on or before September 30 of each even--‐numbered year a report detailing those efforts and identifying changes in the state’s policies that may be necessary to remove barriers to the use of advanced metering and metering information networks or of other advanced transmission and distribution technologies.”

In 2007, the Texas Legislature passed HB 3693, again making clear its intention that smart meters be deployed as rapidly as possible. Again, Ken Paxton and Dan Branch voted for this legislation.

Section 20(i) of HB 3693 states: “Subject to the restrictions in Subsection (h), it is the intent of the legislature that net metering and advanced meter information networks be deployed as rapidly as possible to allow customers to better manage energy use and control costs, and to facilitate demand response initiatives.

Conclusion:

If you notice in the above laws that were passed and approved by Ken Paxton and Dan Branch, the word SHALL was used. The word SHALL means it must be done and is NOT optional. The Texas Legislature mandated the PUCT to implement smart meters by passing a law stating that the PUCT SHALL do it. The Texas Legislature also used the word NONBYPASSABLE in reference to the fee that Texans must pay to implement the Smart Meters. Like shall, nonbypassable means it is mandatory and not optional. So before anyone starts to say that the Legislature did not intend for Smart Meters to be mandatory or that the PUCT should have just not implemented smart meters, you need to check your facts. We Texans do not live in Obamaland. We do not just decide which laws to enforce or not enforce like Obama does. The Texas Legislature passed laws creating and mandating Smart Meters and instructing the PUCT to make it happen. The PUCT followed the law that was passed by the Texas Elected officials. Obama thinks he can just ignore laws passed by Congress, but here in Texas we hold ourselves to a higher standard and the PUCT did the only thing they could and they followed the law passed by Paxton and Branch.

The Legislature is to blame for Smart Meters, not the PUCT. The Texas Legislature even went as far as to pass a bill in 2007 encouraging the RAPID deployment of Smart Meters. So they wanted to force them on us and then they wanted to make it happen as soon as possible. After reading the wording of the laws passed by Paxton ad Branch, no one can deny that Smart Meters were created and pushed by the Legislature. Furthermore, the only authority that can stop smart meters, besides a Judge, is the Texas Legislature. If people are mad about Smart Meters, which they should be, then it is up to Texas Legislators like Ken Paxton and Dan Branch to take a stand and amend the law that they wrongfully voted for. The PUCT and Barry Smitherman have taken a stand with conservatives and asked the Texas Legislature to change the law, but so far the legislature has done NOTHING, including Ken Paxton and Dan Branch doing nothing.

Mandatory Smart Meters are a big problem. Maybe no one in the Texas Legislature knew about the problems that would arise when Smart Meters first came out. But hey, now you know! So what are you going to do to fix the problem? You change the law. At least Barry Smitherman is actually trying to fix the problem. The legislature and the laws they passed are to blame. Since the negatives of Smart Meters have been made know, Smitherman has listened to conservatives and he has tried to get the Legislature to change the law. The legislature, including Paxton and Branch, has not responded.

So Thanks alot Ken Paxton and Dan Branch for passing Smart Meters and thanks alot for not trying to change the law to correct what you previously approved. Smitherman is the only Texas Attorney General Candidate brave enough to listen to conservatives and respond by trying to correct the problem and by trying to get the legislature to change the law and not make smart meters mandatory.

So that is the truth about who created, Pushed, Mandated, and is still allowing Smart Meters to be forced onto Texans who also are forced to pay for them.

Texas Voter Poll: Barry Smitherman Has Higher Favorability Percentage and Leads Attorney General Race vs. Paxton and Branch

I was doing some research this week regarding the Texas Attorney General Republican Primary Election 2014. I came across a professional survey that was released a couple of months ago. I was surprised that I had not seen any coverage of this poll. The results were pretty clear cut. Barry Smitherman leads Ken Paxton and Dan Branch in both favorability and a poll of who Texas voters would elect for Texas Attorney General if the election were to be held now.

Below are the highlights from the poll:

Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research conducted a study of likely Republican Primary Voters in Texas. Respondents were screened to ensure that they were neither a member of the news media nor a public relations company. The sample for this survey was stratified based on gender, age, and geography. This methodology allows us to minimize post-survey “weighting” which can reduce the reliability of survey results.

Respondents were contacted by phone via a live telephone operator interview May 13-15, 2013. The study has a sample size of 751 likely Republican Primary voters in Texas with a margin of error of ±3.6%.

Key Findings

Barry Smitherman has a stronger name ID than Dan Branch and Ken Paxton.

The question was asked, “After I read each one, please tell me if you have a favorable or unfavorable impression of that person.”

Barry Smitherman – 14% favorable

Dan Branch – 5% favorable

Ken Paxton – 8% favorable

Smitherman has a seven point lead on the overall ballot with more than three quarters of likely GOP Primary voters undecided. Smitherman is very competitive in Paxton’s and Branch’s home region of Dallas-Fort Worth, and he has an 11 point lead in the greater Houston area.

The question was asked, “If the Republican Primary election for Attorney General were held today, for whom would you vote if the candidates were...”

All Likely GOP Primary Voters:

Barry Smitherman – 13%

Dan Branch – 4%

Ken Paxton – 6%

Undecided – 77%

Barry Smitherman Missed ZERO Votes out of 21,000 in 9 Years – Texas Attorney General Race Update

I recently wrote an article revealing that Texas Attorney General Candidates Ken Paxton and Dan Branch missed several hundred votes each in their past 6 sessions in the Texas Legislature. Missing hundreds of votes in inexcusable considering these votes shape State law and they have a huge impact on the people the laws apply to. I contended that this shows a lack of the commitment and leadership that is needed to be the next Texas Attorney General. I suggested that Conservative Republican Barry Smitherman is the real deal leader that Texas needs as Attorney General because he has proven himself to be a committed, effective, passionate conservative Republican.

I have had a few people tell me that the missed votes were no big deal because everyone misses votes and Smitherman is sure to have missed some votes too. Smitherman can’t be as good as he sounds right? I also had people tell me that they agree that the missed votes were not good, but just showing something negative about Paxton and Branch does not necessarily make Smitherman better than Paxton and Branch.

Wanting to know how many votes Smitherman has missed over the years was a valid question. If I want to show that Smitherman is really a better leader than Branch and Paxton, then I need to look up all the number of votes that Smitherman missed over the years. That is the only way for people to compare Smitherman’s dedication to that of Paxton and Branch.

The answers I found blew me away. I knew Smitherman was good, but I figured he had to have missed a couple votes here and there.

Barry Smitherman has missed ZERO VOTES out of over 21,000!

In the past 9 years at the Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) and the Texas Railroad Commission (RRC) Barry Smitherman made over 21,000 votes without ever missing a vote or missing a single meeting!

Well there you have it. Barry Smitherman really is as good as he sounds. Smitherman has proven time and again that he is not just talk. His record shows that he really does stand for conservative Republican values on a constant basis. From cutting budgets and reducing spending, to standing for religious rights of Kountze, TX Christian cheerleaders, to opposing Abortion, to building Texas up to be self-sufficient, to suing Obama 7 times, etc., etc. Smitherman is a committed, passionate Conservative Republican who I believe is the best leader to be the next Attorney General of Texas.

Related articles:

Barry Smitherman saved Texas Taxpayers OVER $130 MILLION – Slashed Spending, Cut Budgets – Attorney General Race Update

Texas Right to Life Endorses Barry Smitherman for Attorney General

Smitherman REJECTS Budget Increase - Paxton, Branch APPROVE Increases - Texas Attorney General Race

Paxton and Branch Missed Hundreds of Votes in Legislature – Texas Needs a Full Time Attorney General

Statement by Barry Smitherman in response to USDOJ Challenge to Texas Voter ID Law

Dan Branch Tweet Takes Shot at Ted Cruz? Wants Republicans to Give in to Obamacare?

Texas Attorney General Candidate Dan Branch upset many conservatives yesterday over something that he retweeted on twitter. Given the current standstill in Washington, the post from Branch seemed to imply that conservatives, like Ted Cruz, should not stand so strongly against Obamacare.

I suppose I am not surprised. Dan Branch has a long record of teaming up with Democrats to oppose the majority of Republicans and conservatives during his time in the Texas Legislature. That man can NOT become our next Texas Attorney General. He will compromise with Obama in court instead of fighting tooth and nail against him.

Yesterday, Dan Branch retweeted a Ronald Reagan quote "I'd rather get 80% of what I want than to go over the cliff with my flag waving"

Any other time, in normal debates, this quote would ring true.

These are not normal times though. American is crumbling under an enormous amount of debt and Obamacare might be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Senator Ted Cruz and House Republicans have taken a stand against Obamacare in order to save America. The Republicans have even offered reasonable compromises like just delaying it for a year. The Democrats are not budging so that has led to a "government shutdown" which is really just a government slimdown.

Given the current government situation and the timing of the retweet from Branch, some believe that it was a jab at Ted Cruz and other conservatives who are holding the line against Obamacare. It would seem that Branch might want conservatives to give in more in order to end the shutdown. Branch is wrong though. Standing against Obamacare is not going to end with Republicans going off a cliff with our flags waving. Fighting Obamacare till the end will save America from the cliff that she is sure to go over if Republicans DO give in. So stand strong Ted Cruz and fellow conservative Republican Congressmen.

If Branch meant something else by the retweet then it sure needs to be clarified because many people saw it as invoking conservative hero Ronald Reagan as a plea to conservatives to give in to the Democrats instead of "going off of a cliff" while completely opposing Obamacare, even though the cliff is what standing against Obamacare is saving us from!

This kind of statement sure fits in with Branch's history of compromising conservative values. If you remember, Dan Branch was a member of the original gang of 11. These 11 Republicans teamed up with all of the Texas Democrat State Representatives to kick out the Republican House Speaker and pick a more Democrat friendly, pro-choice, moderate House Speaker Joe Straus.

I personally support Barry Smitherman for Texas Attorney General. He is a proven conservative statewide leader who has shown that he will stand for Texas and fight Obama without backing down.

Paxton and Branch Missed Hundreds of Votes in Legislature – Texas Needs a Full Time Attorney General

Texas deserves a full-time, dedicated Attorney General who shows up to work every day. Candidates Ken Paxton and Dan Branch have missed SEVERAL HUNDRED votes each during their 6 sessions in the Texas Legislature. That shows a severe lack of the leadership that is required to run the Office of the Attorney General, the second largest state agency in Texas.

Ken Paxton

Don’t get me wrong, Paxton is a conservative. But is he the best conservative leader for the job compared to conservative candidate, and proven statewide leader, Barry Smitherman? Just being conservative does not mean much if you don’t show up to vote. According to preliminary numbers, in his six sessions, Ken Paxton has missed a total of 314 floor votes. In committees during his six sessions, he has missed 273 votes.

Dan Branch is even worse than Paxton when it comes to missing votes. According to preliminary numbers, in his six sessions, Dan Branch has missed a total of 570 floor votes. In committees during his six sessions, he has missed 292 votes.

Dan Branch

Conservatives are already not fans of Dan Branch because of his ties to pro-abortion RINO Speaker Joe Straus, so Branch’s missed votes will probably not mean much to the conservative Republicans who already do not like him. Conservatives should be shocked though when they read this article and learn about the inexcusably high number of votes that Ken Paxton did not care to show up for.

When Paxton entered the race, a couple of conservative State Representatives contacted me and let me know that, as much as they think, like I do, that Paxton is a great guy, they do not believe he has the dedication and leadership required to run a statewide agency. They told me about the many votes he missed. They even told me that this past year in one of the special sessions, they recall that the Senate had to wait for him to show up before they could vote on an important bill. The Senate had a hard enough time fighting Wendy Davis and the Democrats, they shouldn’t have to also battle with their fellow Republicans not showing up on time to vote.

Barry Smitherman

Not only is Smitherman conservative, but he actually shows up and gets involved at a high level that is rarely seen. Anyone who has ever met Barry Smitherman will tell you that he is one of the most dedicated leaders they have ever met. Smitherman gets involved and stands up for conservative, Republican values in just about everything, from big things to small things, all while running a statewide agency, the Texas Railroad Commission. From suing Obama 7 times to supporting the Kountze Cheerleaders who held signs with Bible Verses, Smitherman has proven himself to be a reliable, conservative statewide leader.

All opinions aside, the facts are the facts. There is no denying that Paxton and Branch missed HUNDREDS of votes when they thought no one was watching. This is inexcusable and displays a long history of a lack of leadership and commitment. They missed the votes that were not being graded by the conservative groups. They missed the votes that they thought were not important. Well the truth is that, even if the votes were not important to them, they were important to someone. Every bill impacts someone’s life or business and if someone runs for office they are expected to show up to vote. What happens if Branch or Paxton become the next Texas Attorney General? Will they ignore the cases that they think are small and unimportant? Sometimes the small cases are the ones that end up in the Supreme Court and end up taking away our Constitutional rights.

When I was on the Texas State Republican Executive Committee, I would always get frustrated when some of the members would try to end debate of important issues, or leave early because they did not want to have to be in the meeting past dinner time. I never understood it. We only meet 4 times a year and we vote on important issues that impact the Republican Party for the entire State of Texas. That is what we were elected to do and the least we should be expected to do is to commit to sitting through the full meeting and debate the issues before voting on them. We were certainly not elected to leave the meetings early to go watch the big Saturday Night College Football games. I had a long drive home to and on the days that the meetings went long, if I did not have money for a hotel room, I would stop into one of our great Texas State Parks and sleep in my car.

Everyone has something important come up every once in a while that might make them miss a meeting or a vote, whether or not they are on the SREC or in the Texas Legislature. But missing several hundred votes is a pattern of bad leadership and a low level of commitment that should be unacceptable for anyone on in the Legislature, and especially unacceptable for someone wanting to run the Office of the Texas Attorney General.

related article:

Smitherman REJECTS Budget Increase - Paxton, Branch APPROVE Increases - Texas Attorney General Race

Smitherman REJECTS Budget Increase - Paxton, Branch APPROVE Increases - Texas Attorney General Race

Barry Smitherman

In 2013, Texas Attorney General candidate Barry Smitherman REJECTED a budget increase for his personal government office while candidates Ken Paxton and Dan Branch APPROVED budget increases for their personal government offices.

Families in Texas are having to tighten their belts. Gas is not going down, health care expenses are skyrocketing, appraisals and local taxes are rising. Texans have to be more conservative and cannot just vote to give ourselves more money for our household. We expect the government to tighten its belt too.

Texas Railroad Chairman Barry Smitherman made a bold move this year. Smitherman rejected tens of thousands of dollars in budget increases for his personal office, even though the other railroad commissioners voted for the increases.

Over in the Texas House of Representative, Dan Branch voted to INCREASE the budget for his personal office. On the Texas State Senate side of the Capitol, Ken Paxton also voted to INCREASE the budget for his personal office.

Barry Smitherman is the clear winner this round.

The Texas Attorney General Race is a tale of 3 candidates. For conservatives though, it is only a tale of two candidates. Conservatives in Texas do not like or want Dan Branch. Dan Branch is a Joe Straus Lieutenant and a moderate on many important issues.

So Conservatives have Barry Smitherman and Ken Paxton to choose from for Texas Attorney General. Barry Smitherman is a good Christian conservative. I am not going to lie and say that Paxton is not a good either, because he is. So you have two good conservatives in Smitherman and Paxton. Well guess what, only one of them can win and I believe the best conservative for the job is Barry Smitherman. So, without attacking Paxton, I have to show that Smitherman is the better conservative for the job.

Besides Smitherman already being a statewide leader who has experience suing Obama, this personal budget vote is a great example of why Smitherman is the better conservative leader to be our next Attorney General. The vote to increase personal budgets is a vote that usually goes unnoticed. No one will likely know or be watching to see if the legislators or other elected officials votes to increase their office budgets. Well, I think it is best to do the right thing even when no one is looking. While no one was looking, Smitherman voted to reject an increase for his personal office while Paxton and Branch voted to increase theirs.

The House Vote to increase Personal Office Budgets can be found here in the Texas House Journal

The Senate Vote to increase Personal Office Budgets can be found here in the Texas Senate Journal

Smitherman's Texas Railroad Commission vote on to reject a Personal Office Budget Increase can be found here at the end of the RRC Conference open meeting minutes.

Texas Attorney General Candidate Forum in Tyler, TX Sept. 14th, 2013 w/ Smitherman, Paxton & Branch

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is running for Governor. That means Texas will need to elect a new Attorney General. The three candidates in the race are Barry Smitherman, Ken Paxton, and Dan Branch.

I have already written a couple of articles on Barry Smitherman, who is a strong Christian conservative. Now you can see Barry Smitherman yourself, along with the other two candidates Ken Paxton and Dan Branch, as they discuss the issues. More info about the forum below.

The following information about the candidate forum is from Grassroots America:

Regional Candidate Forum: Candidates for Texas Attorney General

September 14 @ 2:30 pm - 5:00 pm« RSVP Now - Authentic TX House ConservativesSend Champion of Liberty Back to Austin! »

The East Texas Constitutional Alliance – of which Grassroots America is a founding member – will sponsor the following candidate forums.  [Note:  Grassroots America will also hold candidate forums for other statewide and local races.  Scheduling is in progress.]

Candidates for Attorney General to Participate in Tyler Forum

State Rep. Dan Branch, State Sen. Ken Paxton & Texas Railroad Commissioner Barry Smitherman will be in Tyler on Saturday, September 14 for our first candidate forum for the 2014 campaign season!

The three declared candidates vying for the Republican nomination for Texas Attorney General will be in Tyler on Saturday, September 14 for a candidate forum sponsored by the East Texas Constitutional Alliance. The Alliance is composed of grassroots conservative organizations from across the East Texas region.  Grassroots America is a charter member of the Alliance.

The candidates will take questions from panelists JoAnn Fleming and Mike Kinzie. The candidate forum is free and open to the public. It will be held at the UT-Tyler Ornelas Activity Center, 3402 Old Omen Road. The doors will open at 2 PM with the event starting promptly at 2:30 PM. The event will end at 5 PM with a straw poll. 

The panelists:

• Michael Kinzie has been active the Texas TEA Party Movement since attending his first rally on April 15, 2009 in Sulphur Springs, Texas. He is a gifted writer, the founder of the Lake Fork TEA Party Patriots and the creative talent behind TeaParty911.com website, an informative collection of TEA Party news, blogs and events.

• JoAnn Fleming has been a leader in the constitutional conservative movement for twenty-one years. She is the two-term Chair of the Texas Legislature’s TEA Party Caucus Advisory Committee – a citizen advisory board to the TX Legislature’s TEA Party Caucus. In this volunteer role, she works directly with legislators, statewide officials, grassroots leaders from across the state and with statewide organizations as a member of the Conservative Budget Coalition. She is the full-time volunteer Executive Director of Grassroots America – We the People; a self-retired county commissioner; a sought-after public speaker; a Heritage Action Sentinel; and a member of US Senator Ted Cruz’s “Kitchen Cabinet” grassroots team of advisors.