There exists in Texas, something of a bizarre situation in regards to the state politics. What happened, several decades ago, when the Democrats ran the place, was that the Austin County Prosecutor’s Office became vested somehow with a state authority to prosecute politicians for various infractions. The Travis County District Attorney’s Office is partially funded with revenues collected from the entire state, and they act as a, “watchdog,” group for all of Texas. As far as I know, Texas and Wisconsin are the only states in our nation that use this set up.
The Travis County DA, a position dominated by Democrats since dinosaurs roamed the Lone Star State, has used this state mandated authority exclusively for the purpose of harassing GOP officials who’ve had the temerity to actually win elections. Since Texas has since flipped to the Red Column from the previous solidly Blue stalwart that it used to be, that activity has increased dramatically in recent years.
For as long as I can remember, ad hominem attack has been placed on steroids in the political arena, and capricious prosecutions have been used as a means to eliminate competition. Newt Gingrich, Jack Ryan, and even Sarah Palin have found themselves afoul of political activists armed with trumped up and completely debunked after the fact charges of wrong doing. And even though the charges of wrongdoing were eventually proven to be bogus, in each instance, the desired effect of ruining future political aspirations was achieved, which was undoubtedly the goal all along.
No other group however, has achieved the status of art form with respect to this particular political dirty trick, with quite the same panache as the Democrat Party machinery entrenched forever in Travis County Texas. Boss Tweed and Richard Daley would be blushing with jealousy at the goings on in that state.
So, in a political age where Ted Kennedy kills a girl then goes on to Chair the Senate Judiciary Committee, Barney Frank gets caught running a gay brothel out of his apartment in Washington D.C., then goes on to chair the House Judiciary Committee, Rick Perry gets indicted for using his Constitutionally mandated authority to veto the funding of the single most corrupt political expenditure anywhere in our fruited plains.
Conservatives finding themselves on the business end of politically motivated accusations is nothing new. There is a sameness to all of these incidents. When the rally cries of, “there’s no actual evidence of wrong doing,” get sounded, we’ll be assured that it’s, “the seriousness of the charge,” which must be respected. The targeted politician will resign, and then it’ll all go away when somebody in our Judiciary realizes that not a single accusation is rooted in actual truth. The charges will eventually be thrown out or the accused in question will be vindicated, none of which will happen until after their political career has been effectively ended. The vindication and or dropping of the charges will also be unreported, as if it never happened in the first place. Those who use this trick as a weapon are never held to account for their criminal behavior, and in fact will usually be able to repeat at will.
What’s going on with Governor Perry however is slightly different. In his case, he stands accused of trying to take on the very heart of the Machine’s apparatus. He threatened to take away the State’s funding of the Travis County Machinery. My question is what took him so long? Why did he wait for the Travis County DA, Rosemary Lehmberg, to star in several police videos, threatening her arresting officers with the intimidation of her office, to put an end to the graft and corruption legislated into the Texas law enforcement apparatus?
Perry’s political aspirations are done, his career ended, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t return the favor. It’s about time that this sick joke perpetrated upon the tax payers in Texas find its end. Rick Perry at the moment is the one who’s in the best position to see this happen. I only hope that he has it within himself to find that vindictive petty demon who lives within us all. Revenge is not always wrong, and in this case, it is most certainly a good thing. Go get them Rick!
If the good people in Texas truly want a, “political watch dog group,” to prosecute political chicanery, might I suggest that they endeavor to set up a system that is representative of the entire state, unfettered by political ideology, and not tied to a party machine. That would at the very least stand some sort of chance of actually putting a dent into graft.
Cross Posted from Musings of a Mad Conservative.
Tags: Rick Perry, Texas
