Big Jolly Politics

politics in Harris County and Texas

Mattress Mack vs Hanoi Jane

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In the race for Harris County Judge, it is incumbent Lina Hidalgo versus challenger Alexandra del Moral Mealer. Or is it?

Judge Hidalgo trotted out a dinosaur from the ’60’s to help with her faltering campaign:

Hanoi Jane supports Comrade Hidalgo

Interesting choice for Judge Hidalgo. This is the enduring photo of Hanoi Jane that I remember:

Hanoi Jane openly cheering North Vietnamese soldiers as they man an anti-aircraft gun.

How many American boys lost their lives because of traitor Jane? Sickening that the Harris County Judge brought her into our county to cheer for her now. But perhaps appropriate?

Meanwhile, Alexandra Mealer has a local guy championing her cause.

Jim ‘Mattress Mac’ McIngvale is supporting Alexandra Mealer.

Which one has done more for Harris County? Mattress Mack or Hanoi Jane?

The latest horse race poll has the candidates in a statistical dead heat, a long way from where Alexandra Mealer started.

“As early voting gets underway, the new University of Houston – Hobby School of Public Affairs poll is solid confirmation that residents want new leadership in Harris County. It’s unprecedented that after starting as an unknown, in just seven months of general election campaigning, Lina and I are in a dead heat. And the two reasons I chose to enter this race, crime and government corruption, are the top two issues for the vast majority of voters in our county. To those who are skeptical about my ability to execute my campaign promises, I would just say that if you think I am moving fast on the campaign trail, imagine how fast I can run once in office with a full team behind me. 

This race is intensely personal to me – Houston is where I am raising my kids and as a West Pointer and combat veteran, I couldn’t stomach sitting back and watching our public safety continue to erode when I knew there were immediate solutions we could implement.

It would be the honor of my life to serve as the next Harris County Judge – this is a challenge that I have spent my career preparing for and I can think of no better opportunity to apply my unique skills than restoring accountable, efficient, and effective governance to Harris County.”

Alexandra Mealer

It is really not remarkable that Hanoi Jane is campaigning against Alexandra Mealer. Alexandra represents all that Hanoi Jane hates about America. Check out Alexandra’s bio:

Alexandra is a West Point graduate, a dual-degree holder from Harvard University (JD/MBA), and a proud wife and mother. She is blessed with two precocious toddlers who she is raising alongside her husband Clay, a fellow West Point graduate and combat veteran. On November 11, 2021, she announced her plans to leave the private sector and her career in oil & gas finance to pursue a new stage of service. 

I liked this graphic that Michael Berry’s team put out:

Judge Hidalgo has already been bad for Harris County. Imagine another four years.

Early voting starts today. Go Vote! And take 10 neighbors and friends with you. Harris County has a unique opportunity to stop the madness.

Or you can do nothing and let Hanoi Jane win the day.

Will Lina debate Alex? It doesn’t look like it

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From the InBox:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 7, 2022

Alexandra del Moral Mealer Issues Statement on Judge Lina Hidalgo’s Refusal of a Televised Debate 

Today, Alexandra del Moral Mealer announced that she has accepted ABC 13’s (KTRK) invitation for a televised debate. Unfortunately, Judge Lina Hidalgo has refused to debate Alexandra. The invitation to debate was initially offered on August 22nd and was immediately accepted by Alexandra. Since that time, over two weeks have passed, and Lina has now declined ABC 13’s debate.

“Though I can understand why she doesn’t want to talk about her glaring failures around crime and ethics, the voters of Harris County deserve the opportunity to make an informed decision about the person they are going to trust to lead Harris County. There is no more transparent way to inform the voters than to hold a public debate. Unfortunately, my opponent would rather attack and name-call versus defend her own policies. In fact, her personal attacks are not merely limited to my candidacy, but she has also personally attacked senior leaders within her own party, from Senator Whitmire to District Attorney Ogg. It is deeply telling that the person routinely accusing everyone else of political pandering, consistently engages in such antics herself. Lina’s personal conduct is not only disrespectful, but also beneath the dignity of the office. I look forward to working hard this campaign season to return integrity and ethics to the position of Harris County Judge.”

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This is of course not unexpected. Lina has nothing to gain if she were to debate Alex and much to lose. There is simply no way that Lina can defend her record on crime, spending, or flood control, which, coincidentally, are the areas that should be at the forefront of any debate.

But that doesn’t mean that Lina doesn’t have anything to run on. She can tout her support for spending taxpayer money to defend illegals in court. Or her support of Black Lives Matter riots. Or her support for spending taxpayer money on abortions. Or her support for providing $100,000 per year per child for day care. Or for putting thousands of people out of work and bankrupting hundreds of small businesses with heavy handed tactics relating to COVID-19.

Notice anything in common with those issues? Yeah, exactly none of them have to do with the office of Harris County Judge.

Hopefully Alex and the Republicans will have enough money to get the word out. Speaking of which, you can donate to her campaign by clicking here. I did.

Rally to Stop Houston Murders NOW!

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A new PAC has been formed to stop the out of control crime rate in Houston and Harris County directly attributable to Democrat judges and office holders. They are having a press conference and rally Wednesday morning, July 27th.

From the Inbox:

This Wednesday, July 27, join us at the rally for Stop Houston Murders–a group of families whose loved ones were murdered by criminals let out on bail by soft-on-crime Democrat judges. We will rally for change near the Harris County Criminal Courthouse on Wednesday, July 27.

Click here to RSVP for the Stop Houston Murders rally. Attendees should arrive no later than 9:30 a.m. The victims’ families will hold a press conference at 10 a.m.

The group included this graphic:

Guess what happened in 2018? Um Hmm, Republican judges were ousted by Democrats and Republicans were replaced on Harris County Commissioners Courts by Democrats. Fact.

I hope that concerned citizens show up to support these families. I know, I know, middle of the week, downtown, and HOT! That doesn’t seem to stop criminals or criminal-coddling judges, does it?

So if you can make it, I’ll see you there.

New poll has Alex Mealer poised to upset Hidalgo

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The Hobby School of Public Affairs released a survey of voter intention in the November election for Harris County Judge. The executive summary states:

In the Harris County 2022 county judge race, Democrat Lina Hidalgo holds a 1% lead over Republican Alexandra del Moral Mealer (48% to 47%, with 5% undecided) among likely voters. The results suggest that at the present time Hidalgo and del Moral Mealer are in a statistical dead heat in the Harris County 2022 county judge race.

That is great news for those of us that hope for a return to good government in Harris County. For decades under Republican leadership the county was fiscally responsible, crime was low, and the Commissioners Court focused on its job, not on national, divisive, partisan issues. Alex released this statement about the poll:

This morning’s poll shows what we all already knew—the ideologically driven policies of Lina Hidalgo’s government do not reflect the priorities and values of Harris County residents. Crime and corruption are the top issues for Harris County voters, and she has failed miserably on both.


We all deserve to live in communities of which we are proud and in which we feel safe. I look forward to continuing to bring my mission of putting families first to every voter in Harris County. In November, voters will finally be given a choice for county judge who prioritizes safety and good governance.  

There is a lot of information to digest from the questions in the poll but for now I’ll focus on the Latino voters surveyed. Amongst this group Alex has a 3% advantage, 47% to 44%. But the reasons that Hispanic voters favor Alex is the key to winning the election. Since identity politics are all the rage these days, take a look at the priorities between three sub-groups, whites, blacks, and Latinos.

The top three county-oriented policy issues among white likely voters are crime and public safety (77%), government corruption (70%), and property taxes (55%).

The top three county-oriented policy issues among Latino likely voters are crime and public safety (82%), government corruption (73%), and property taxes (54%).

The top three county-oriented policy issues among Black likely voters are voting rights (87%), crime and public safety (79%), and racial equity and equality (71%).

That gives Alex a clear roadmap to victory. Crime, crime, and taxes.

I was asked why I was voting for Alex. Here is what I had to say:

Alexandra Mealer is the right choice for Harris County, right now. She understands the issues that the county faces due to the current County Judge’s coddling of criminals, poor fiscal policy, cronyism, and dividing our county by favoring certain groups over others. As a wife and mother of two small children, a military veteran, a child of a single mother, and a successful business person, she has demonstrated the values necessary to lead our county government back to fiscal responsibility, reduce out of control crime, unite our diverse community, and lead Harris County to new heights. I hope that you will join me in voting for the next Harris County Judge, Alex Mealer!

And I do hope that you will join me in voting for Alex. But we need to do more this time around. We need to fund her campaign. No, we are not all wealthy and cannot give her a million bucks. But you know what? If every Republican that voted in the Republican Primary in Harris County contributed $20 to her campaign, that would amount to $3.7 million dollars. And that ain’t chump change. After you give your $20, spread the word. Get like minded people registered to vote and then make sure that they do vote.

We have a chance to fix a broken Democratic led Commissioners Court. Let’s make it happen!

Cassy Garcia is as unique as a taco! No Bueno Biden!

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From the InBox:

Texas Congressional Candidate Cassy Garcia Launches “UNIQUE AS A TACO” T-Shirt and Merch

SAN ANTONIO (July 12, 2022) — Following Dr. Jill Biden, Ed.D.’s gaffe-filled visit to a “Latinx IncluXion” conference in San Antonio where she said Hispanics are “unique” as tacos, South Texas Republican congressional candidate Cassy Garcia ­launched her campaign’s merch store, NoBuenoBiden.com. Store visitors can buy a “UNIQUE AS A TACO” t-shirts, bumper stickers, and other merch that will be unveiled in the coming days.

“Jill Biden said the quiet part out loud yesterday. Woke Democrats don’t know us or our culture. Their understanding of Hispanics goes no deeper than a taco. Unfortunately for them, we’re voters,” said Cassy Garcia.

Garcia, a South Texas native who was recently labeled a “far-right Latina” by The New York Times for attending church with her family, also pushed back against liberal media bias against conservative Hispanics.

“CNN and The New York Times attack me because I’m fighting for the people of my community. Hispanics want a strong economy, safe communities for our families, and an end to the chaos at the border — not the radical policies of Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats, like Henry Cuellar.”

Recent surveys show Democrats struggling with Hispanics nationally and in Texas. According to a July 2022 New York Times poll, Joe Biden’s approval rating with Hispanics nationwide stands at 32%. In Texas, Biden is at 30% among Hispanics.

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This is how Republicans win. Laugh a little. Have principled policies. Laugh a little more. Let people know that you want them to enjoy life. Laugh loud and laugh often.

Harris County should not set bail bond fees

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So I open the inbox this morning and I see that Bill King is once again trying to remain relevant by supporting more regulations on the bail bond industry. Here is a snippet of his latest regulatory intrusion scheme.

Harris County is experiencing a spike in violent crimes. Numerous media reports have shown that a significant portion of the increase in violent crimes have been committed by individuals who have been released on bail. One of the reasons for the increase in the number of defendants accused of violent crimes being released is that some bail bondsmen have been discounting and/or financing the fee to obtain a bond.

Historically, bail bondsmen have required a 10% fee to post a bond for a defendant. For example, if a judge sets a bond of $100,000, a defendant would normally be required to pay the bondsman a fee of $10,000.   But there are numerous reports of some bondsmen either deeply discounting the fee or writing a bond for a small down payment and financing the balance. By engaging in these practices these bail bondsmen are effectively reducing the bond required by the court and financing a part of the fee creates an incentive for defendants to commit other crimes to make their payments.

That’s crap. Bovine processed hay. And another example of the self-professed unapologetically liberal Bill King.

Let’s be clear. The responsibility for any and all crime committed by people out on bail lies solely with the person committing the crime. Period.

Now, if you want to argue that SOME people that are charged with committing violent crimes should not be released on bail, great. Argue it. Judges have the discretion to not release people into the streets if they are deemed to be risks to society.

Blaming a bail bonding company for the crimes committed by criminals is crap. Bovine processed hay.

But typical Bill King. His SAM party has endorsed one candidate in the November elections. A lobbyist in the Austin area for HD-19. Go figure. BTW, his SAM party is being financed by the Arnolds. Yippee.

How about we focus on the policies of the Harris County Commissioners Court and the actions of the Democrat judges in the county if we want to stop the madness that we see reported on the news every single day. Crime is completely out of control in Harris County and you can lay the blame for the increase at the feet of those that have emboldened criminals.

Let’s face it. Criminals are no longer afraid of law enforcement in Harris County. Want to stop it? Change the politicians in power.

Don’t blame the bail bond industry. BTW, why is 10% a magical number? Why not outlaw bail bonds entirely if they are the issue?

They aren’t the issue but it’s easy to focus on an industry that few of us will ever interact with. Just say no to the unapologetically moderate.