42nd Annual Fiestas Patrias Parade
I love parades! And this parade was awesome, with plenty of floats, politicians, vaqueros, dancing vaqueros, balloons, horses, firetrucks, everything! And the weather was absolutely perfect, unlike last year when the threat of rain kept attendance down. I’d guess there were between 5 and 6 thousand people lining the streets of downtown Houston to enjoy the parade.
Unlike last year, Republicans were well represented. County Judge Ed Emmett, who was forced to miss the parade last year due to a prior commitment, led the way, literally. Man, I don’t know if it is the huge lead he has in the polls or if he is on some kind of super duty exercise program, but the guy was bursting with energy. Seriously. I thought I’d follow them for a block or so but it was clear after a few yards that I’d have to undergo some jolly old conditioning exercise before I tried that! The guy literally ran the entire parade route, from one side of the street to the other, handing out flashlight rings. The Houston chapter of the Latino National Republican Coalition joined his team for the walk and I bet LNRC-Texas Chairman Artemio “Temo” Muniz, one of the banner carriers, was glad when that walk was over! Some pics of the Emmett team:
Judge Emmett’s opponent, immigration lawyer Gordon Quan, was also there:
Um, enough said about Mr.Quan.
District Clerk candidate Chris Daniel participated as well. If hard work leads to success in elections, Chris will do very well this year because the guy is working his tail off. He attends any event, it matters not who sponsors it nor how big or small it is. Here is Chris with Telemundo’s Mariah Pellicer:
Chris’ opponent, first term incumbent Loren Jackson was also there:
By all accounts, Mr. Jackson has done a very good job in his first term after being elected in the Obama tsunami. It will be interesting to see how this race turns out. Obviously, Mr. Daniel won the day here because of his riding partner!
Another Republican working his tail off is Fernando Herrera and yep, he was there riding on top of a cool firetruck:
I didn’t see his opponent, way-too-long-time incumbent Jessica Farrar.
Like I said earlier, Republicans will no longer cede the Latino vote to the Democrats. I wish Leo Vasquez had been able to participate this year, telling both Houston Votes and the Republican primary voters to stick it in their ear, but he had a previous commitment. I wish more Republican candidates had been there and I really, really wish the county party had bothered. One person asked me why the county party made such a big deal out of some Indian festival at the GRB a while back and ignored thousands of Latinos. I have no idea. Ask ’em yourself because I’m tired of trying and am focusing on the candidates.
A few more pictures from the parade:
Plaza Americas Voter Registration
Okay, I admit that I wasn’t all that interested when Judge Lynn Bradshaw-Hull told me that she and other Republican judicial candidates would have booths set up at the Plaza Americas mall, formerly known as Sharpstown Mall. Shows what I know.
If you haven’t been to this mall, I gotta tell you, it is active. As in hard to find a parking place within a football field from the door. Goodness. And I was so proud of our judicial candidates, man, that was awesome. I walk in and see tables of Republican judicial candidates directly across the aisle from a few Democratic candidates at a mall designed for and full of Latinos. Awesomeness.
It is extremely important to note that this was NOT a Republican event. Burt Levine, a public relations person, developed this idea for the malls owners. At least two independent voter registration groups were there (no, Houston Votes did not have a presence) and probably 30 different candidates. I arrived late and some candidates had already left but Judge Bradshaw-Hull was still there along with Judge Roy Moore and candidates Sheri Y. Dean (newly minted Judge Dean) and James Lombardino. It was a blast (literally) because a bandstand was setup directly across from the Republican candidates. Check out this quick clip of Sheri Y. Dean and Burt Levine:
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Okay, lest you think most of my enthusiasm is just that, enthusiasm, think again. The Democratic candidates don’t quite know what to think about the Republican invasion and are confused and even angry about it. When I first walked in, I saw Burt and some people I didn’t recognize and waved them together for a picture. After taking the picture, one of the candidates walked up to me and told me that some of those in the picture were Republican, she had no idea why they were there, and they really shouldn’t have been in the picture. True story. She proceeded to disparage her Republican opponent – let me just say that I rarely hear judicial candidates attack their opponents like this. Except in the primary, that was brutal, but not since. Interesting.
One of the booths was way cool. They were setup to play “Voter Jeopardy” and the contestants won by answering questions about the voting process. Not only is it a great way to generate excitement in the mall, but it also educates the players about the system. Neat idea, be sure and check out the photos of that booth.
It was a busy weekend but well worth it to see Republicans venture into non-traditional territory.