Redstate

Posted at 2:28pm on Jun. 6, 2008 A Moment For Republican Pete Olson

By haystack

CQ Politics tells us "that Vice President Dick Cheney is scheduled to attend a fundraiser in River Oaks today for Republican Pete Olson of Sugar Land and the Texas Republican Party." Olson's opponent, Nick Lampson, replaced Tom DeLay and now we need to help Pete replace HIM.

GO here now and show Pete your support. According to the CQ piece:

Olson has a big money gap to close. "At the end of March, the last period for which records are available, Olson’s campaign was technically in debt, with almost $128,000 on hand and a debt to the candidate, who provided a personal loan of $175,000. Lampson had $1 million in the bank."

Don't let the wrong guy stay in office because you thought someone ELSE gave Pete the money he needs.

Do it for Pete.

Do it to help clean up the House that Nancy trashed.

Posted in 2008 | Pete Olson — Comments (4) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:46am on May 28, 2008 Target TX-22

By Erick

Bob Novak has an article this morning on the Blue Dogs. One of them is Nick Lampson, running against RedState endorsed Pete Olson.

The one dissenter on the Colombian free trade vote and the one absent Congressman on the Iraqi troop withdrawal was the same person: Rep. Nick Lampson (D-Tex.). Paradoxically, he is arguably the most liberal of the selected l0 Blue Dogs as reflected during five previous terms representing the Beaumont area. He was wiped out in the 2004 election following the Texas redistricting engineered by former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.). Lampson filed as a candidate in DeLay’s Houston-area district and campaigned as a moderate in this Republican territory. Lampson was elected when DeLay was indicted by a politicized district attorney.

Lampson, proving he is more political than ideological, has all of a sudden become quite conservative, being one of the least reliable votes for Pelosi.

That, of course, cannot cover up for years of being a party line toeing liberal and for voting for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. In 2006, Lampson only won with 52% of the vote in a disaster of an election for Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, who RedState helped toss out in the primary.

The district went for Bush with 64% in 2004. This is a very middle class to upper middle class district that is ripe for the GOP to take it back. The Cook Partisan Voting Index puts it at R +15.

Lampson is probably the most vulnerable of the Democrats in the House. HIs opponent, Pete Olson, is a veteran and he is backed by Phil Freakin' Gramm. He'll be a dependable conservative vote.

Folks, we can beat Nick Lampson pretty damn easily, but we need to cough up some change for Pete Olson to get this seat back. It may be one of the only seats we do get back, so let's make it count.

Posted in Nick Lampson | Pete Olson | Targets | TX-22 — Comments (2)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 10:10pm on Apr. 8, 2008 TX-22 Runoff Results: Pete Wins!

Pete Olson or Dr. Wackjob - who ya got?

By Ben Domenech

And it all comes down to this. Harris County Results are here, and GalvestonVotes should have more here. Initially it looks good for Pete, but we'll have to wait and see. The Chronicle should also be updating, and has local races as well.

Update: The AP and the Houston Chronicle have called the race for Olson. It's a dominant performance from the look of it. With 100% of precincts reporting:

Pete Olson
15,492 68.5%

Shelley Sekula Gibbs
7,118 31.5%

To which we say:

Posted in 2008 | Crazy Republicans | Pete Olson | Shelley Sekula-Gibbs | TX-22 — Comments (38)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:01pm on Apr. 3, 2008 TX-22 Sekula-Gibbs Channels John Kerry On Taxpayer Funded Illegal Worker Day Labor Sites

By haystack

There's nothing in Texas law that prevents crazy people from running for public office. But really now-are voters expected to actually elect someone as crazy as Shelley Sekula-Gibbs and allow her to DO anything to worsen the problems we Texans face every day...like the illegal immigrant problem we already HAVE in Houston? Either she thinks we're crazy down here in Texas...or she assumes we're too stupid to know any better. Whichever it is, she's bad news...and she's got to go.

Remember John Kerry's famous "I was for it . . .before I was against it" line? Shelley certainly does-in fact, the crazy lady from TX-22 fancies it well enough to have used it herself in a debate with Pete Olson the other day, hosted by the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce.

"When people wanted day labor sites when there was urinating going on and destruction of private property (by laborers without a government-funded gathering place), I supported that. When it was made clear it was a failed experiment, I voted against it."

Read on . . .

Posted in Pete Olson | Sekula-Gibbs | State Politics | TX-22 — Comments (1) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 3:02pm on Mar. 31, 2008 TX-22: Where Republican Voters are Proud of their Stupidity

By Ben Domenech

Another day, another amazing revelation about the brief reign of error of Dr. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs in Congress (emphasis mine):

Records of Sekula Gibbs' spending of the public money for her offices in Washington and the district "reveal a total disregard for taxpayer's money," Goldstein said.

Posted in 2008 | Crazy Republicans | Pete Olson | Shelley Sekula-Gibbs | TX-22 — Comments (16) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:04pm on Mar. 6, 2008 Pete Olson Gets Endorsed by 12 Texas Congressmen

By Ben Domenech

Well, this is a darn good way to start a runoff. From the campaign:

Today, Pete Olson received the backing from TWELVE Texas Congressmen who see Pete as the clear and conservative choice in the Republican runoff election for the 22nd District. Pete is proud to have the support of Senator Cornyn and the following Texas Congressmen:

John Culberson (Houston, TX-07);
Michael McCaul (Houston, TX-10);
Pete Sessions (Dallas, TX-32);
Jeb Hensarling (Dallas, TX-05);
Kenny Marchant (Coppell, TX-24);
Sam Johnson (Richardson, TX-03);
Kay Granger (Ft. Worth, TX-12);
Mike Conaway (Midland, TX-11);
Louie Gohmert (Tyler, TX-01);
Lamar Smith (San Antonio, TX-21);
Randy Neugebauer (Lubbock, TX-19); and
Mac Thornberry (Amarillo, TX-13).

* On average, these congressmen have a lifetime American Conservative Union rating of 94%.

This says a lot, folks. Both about Pete's opponent, and about the man himself.

Posted in 2008 | Pete Olson | Shelley Sekula-Gibbs | TX-22 — Comments (3) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 12:28pm on Mar. 6, 2008 The Splendiferous World of Shelley Sekula-Gibbs

By Ben Domenech

On an earlier thread, a few people asked for clarification on why I would refer to Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, the opposition to Pete Olson in the TX-22 runoff, as a "crazy lady."

A true accounting would be too voluminous to take up your time. But since you asked, put on your Mad Hatter tophat, and allow me to welcome you on a brief sojourn into SSG's splendiferously nutty world. It's like It's a Small World, but with more action!

Posted in 2008 | Crazy Republicans | Pete Olson | Shelley Sekula-Gibbs | TX-22 — Comments (6) / Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 2:19pm on Mar. 5, 2008 Big Red Tent for Pete Olson

By Ben Domenech

BRT cites RS and launches a page for Pete Olson in the runoff versus Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. Head over to donate.

Posted at 3:55am on Mar. 5, 2008 Pete Olson vs. Crazy Lady For TX-22 Runoff

Do the right thing, Texas - Listen to Phil Gramm

By Ben Domenech

With 99% of precincts reporting, here's the result in TX-22:

Shelley Sekula Gibbs 16,533 28%
Pete Olson 11,599 21%
John Manlove 8,281 15%
Robert Talton 8,113 15%
Dean Hrbacek 5,858 10%
Cynthia Dunbar 2,109 4%
Brian Klock 988 2%
Jim Squier 986 2%
Kevyn Bazzy 876 2%
Ryan Rowley 423 1%

That means it's runoff time, folks. That means it's time for Texas Republicans who voted for someone else - whether out of local loyalties or other considerations - to wake up and realize that sending a crazy woman like Shelley Sekula-Gibbs back to Washington just ain't so bright. It's time to realize that Pete Olson is the man for the job. It's time to give him what you can to help put him over the top.

Head over to Olson for Congress and help Pete take back a seat we should have.

Posted in 2008 | Crazy Republicans | Pete Olson | TX-22 — Comments (31)/ Email this page » / Read More »

Posted at 9:21pm on Mar. 4, 2008 Pete Olson Leading in Early Returns

By Ben Domenech

The very, very early returns are as follows for TX-22.

Pete Olson 5,836 33%
John Manlove 2,926 17%
Shelley Sekula 2,851 16%
Dean Hrbacek 2,557 15%
Robert Talton 1,282 7%
Cynthia Dunbar 827 5%
Kevyn Bazzy 400 2%
Jim Squier 380 2%
Brian Klock 376 2%
Ryan Rowley 162 1%

Posted at 10:17am on Nov. 3, 2007 Flirting With Lonestar Sacrilege

But meaning no disrespect

By haystack

Down here in the Lonestar State we're very proud of our Texas Monthly Magazine, and "messin' with The Monthly" is right up there with...well, you get the idea. There's a highly titled and otherwise heavily read fellow by the name of Paul Burka (Senior Executive Editor) for whom I have much respect...ordinarily.

In this particular instance, however, we couldn't disagree more.

I'm honestly sick and tired of having to listen to 'political experts' tell me over and over again that the only thing that matters is winning; somehow what one stands for or believes in means nothing when it comes to politics.

It doesn't help that Burka takes a cheap shot at Redstate and Erick Erickson, and it only serves to cheapen the debate when "holier than thou" platitudes are ascended towards in the pursuit of sounding right, regardless the facts being mangled to do so. Burka's piece appears to be more concerned with tilting the playing field away from someone for whom he has no real appreciation.

He lists, and immediately discounts, each of the GOP candidates in kind and makes it clear he considers the two candidates NOT running as the only ones likely to unseat Lampson. Overall, he apparently believes the GOP field is weak and leaves TX-22 looking as if it were Lampson's to lose.

While that may turn out to be true, it seems more like a pre-clarion call to bring in 'his boys' as opposed to advising the declared field on how to better approach an attempt at defeating the incumbent.

Respectfully, Mr. Burka-you got this one wrong:

More below the fold...

Posted in Pete Olson | State Politics | Texas Monthly | Texas Politics | TX-22 — Comments (19)/ Email this page » / Read More »