Sign of the Cross, and Other Reflections

Sign of the Cross

Former state Solicitor General Ted Cruz came in second in the Senate primary, thus forcing a runoff with current Lt. Governor David Dewhurst.  Whether his showing was "strong" or "weak" depends on one's perspective, I suppose.  As a Cruz supporter I had hoped for a stronger showing.  Various Texas political pundits contend that his showing was strong, and that by forcing a runoff in late July, Cruz' chances of winning the nomination are reasonably good.  I am not so optimistic:  Dewhurst's greater name recognition and personal wealth make him a formidable opponent and the deck seems stacked against Cruz who has both a financial and voter deficit to overcome.  As I pointed out yesterday, both are good candidates and either will be a "win" for the state.

Salvaging the 198th

Scott Monroe won the 198th District Attorney race handily and now we will have the opportunity to see what kind of a DA he will be.   Several "blots on the escutcheon" need to be scrubbed after some unfortunate events of recent years including the disciplinary actions against former DA Ron Sutton and former Judge Karl Prohl.  The most egregious sin of the 198th has been the actions of the "198th District Attorney Police Force" which terrorized I-10 under the direction of current DA Amos Barton.  This sorry organization even drew attention on a national level.  Most solid citizens were shocked to learn that a district attorney could run his own police force. 

I've been critical of this contest for months since it was largely bereft of any serious discussion of major issues, choosing to revel in whether Monroe was rude to police during a traffic stop (who wouldn't be) or whether McCullough had an affair with a staff member or had lived in Texas long enough (he hadn't).

DA's generally like to run on the question of how "tough on crime" they will be, how many folks they lock up and what maximum sentences they will pursue.  I hope Monroe will prove to be in the lower percentiles on these issues.  In our economy people need to be aware that putting people in jail or prison is a very expensive proposition for the state.   Nonviolent offenders should not need to be incarcerated when probation and home monitoring are more effective and are in fact more dreaded by the offenders.   We've been locking up minor drug offenders for 40 years and have nothing to show for it but more drug offenses and larger jail and prison budgets.  However, if we quit over-reacting to minor nonviolent crimes, I'm not sure what the Kerrville Daily Times will find to print on their front page.