TexasCHLforum.com

when considering the difference in polling between Ted and Beto you also need to remember that Beto outspent Ted by a significant margin, had major star power pushing for him, The media in his pocket, and a serious socialist movement in his corner -- yet he still lost. On paper, and in the minds of Beto's people, it was impossible for him to lose.

We can keep Texas red but it will require a lot of making friends and not enemies, it will require education of the public, and it will require showing people why they are better off with freedom than [not really] free stuff.

Keep in mind that Progressives (Socialists / Communists) have been subverting public education in the US for more than a century -- gradually softening minds and rewriting history so that Socialisms failures and inherent flaws aren't taught or understood. To boot, the media has also been co-opted, acting as the propaganda arm of the Left. Their fight to this point has been long and they are now reaping some rewards for the efforts put in by generations of Leftists.

If we are to remain under a Republican form of government (not Republican as in the political party but the simple form of our Federal Government), the time and effort needs to be put in on the so-called Conservative and Libertarian sides, focusing on education and media for lasting impact. Though I find Trump's methods sometimes distasteful, I appreciate his attack on media bias as a strong thrust in the right direction. The rest of us who appreciate our birthright of Liberty as US citizens must capitalize on opportunities to educate and inform.

Funny thing. I am as white as one can get and the race of a candidate never even enters my mind. I vote for the candidate who best represents my concerns. But I hear minorities often admitting to placing a vote for the person who best fits their race. If I did this it would be called racist. They do this and it is acceptable reasoning. Why is this OK?

Not meaning to derail the topic, but it seems that some isms (Racism, Sexism, Ageism come to mind) come with a double standard built in -- at least for folks with little character, who often appear leading the chants against others. I recall something from scripture admonishing those who'd cast the first stone... A person of any color may be racist against people of any color. Even so and inconveniently so in cases you won't see publicized much, racism of any kind is wrong, full stop.

Back to the topic at hand, Cruz' epic photo picking up Shiner Bock at a Buccee's stop yesterday has gotten some pretty good publicity returns, particularly in relation to Robert O's "cool kid" attempts.

I'm not interested in watching some sleazebag dem on YT...

This one is satire -- she is not really a democrat. If you enjoy satire, it is pretty good.

It's uncommon for someone to put the country's needs above their own in this day and time. People just do not accept that many of these social programs are not sustainable long term.

We are mired in the muck we are in with creeping Collectivism, exploding Debt, and partisan politics because the tendency you note for men to be corrupted produced career-politicians instead of citizen legislators as our Founding Fathers wanted. The career politicians, the Political or Ruling Class, now simply do and say whatever they think stands the best chance of advancing their career another term -- or ten -- while at the same time working back-room deals to enrich and empower themselves.

While I am not convinced that Ted Cruz isn't a simple politi-creature, he has done pretty much what he said he'd do and I applaud him for that. I am pretty sure that Robert O'Rourke is a power and money-hungry politi-creature, and one of the worst sort bent on dragging the US into the Collectivist abyss.

I also firmly believe that we do need to regulate gun ownership more than is the current standard. Speaking just of the Texas LTC process I think both the written and proficiency tests were pretty much a joke and definitely need to be made far more difficult.

You and I will have to agree to disagree where regulating gun ownership is concerned. The Texas LTC standards for the written and proficiency tests are, in my opinion, bare minimum standards and are not designed to limit concealed carry unnecessarily, which I think is in the spirit of "shall issue". Since LTC holders are demonstrably law-abiding, with far lower incidence of criminal activity than your "average" citizen, what purpose would further limiting concealed carry by licensed persons serve (I get the CONTROL part of gun control, but what else)?

Sen. Cruz has an image problem. He simply doesn't come across as especially likable -- perhaps due to the fact that in most rooms he might actually be the smartest person, and he knows it. That said, he has principles and appears to make decisions primarily based on those principles. This is character that I look for in someone to represent me.

Beto, on the other hand, is all image and no principles. All hat and no cattle, so to speak -- but then again he is running as a Democratic Socialist and saying this about any of them is simply redundant.