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Abbott being Abbott


Mo Horn

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The stuff I'm getting from Beto daily via text or email says Abbott has amassed a $100M war-chest to campaign against him. Beto has raised a lot money, including getting some from me (and I've never donated to a political candidate in my life), but apparently it's a pittance compared to what Abbott's got. Based on the incessant ads for Abbott on The Ticket here in Dallas -- versus none from Beto -- I believe it.

I put Beto in my junk mail a long time ago and I get crickets from the GOP. I’m a marked man after giving to the dems last cycle. I probably get 5-8 emails a day judging by my quick glance before deleting that folder’s contents.

It’s all one big grift. Never giving another dime.

Identity politics are all about solidifying beliefs, not changing minds.
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You don't have to give any email address actually.  or a real phone number.  As long as your name and employer/business entity are real, they'll take your money.  I get maybe one text a week and 2-3 emails in a whole week despite being on hundreds of lists.  If they start calling you, just tell them you're reporting it to the FEC or FTC...they'll get a phone bank manager on the horn real quick and they'll drop you like 3rd period French.  They know not to get the campaign itself in trouble with the Feds.

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On 10/10/2022 at 9:05 PM, tx 3 putt said:

 

Parker County seems like it sucks 

Parker and Wise County have some great Democrats.  I know both those chairs and they are smart, hard working, feisty ladies.  And they are up against formidable odds.   

So if you do decide to nuke those two counties, give me some warning so I can have the evacuate?  Thx.

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5 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Why do y'all use your real email address when making campaign donations?  You know you're going to get spammed to hell.

I have had the same email address since the early 2000s when I was a Republican and a campaign volunteer.  No way I’m going to escape it unless I end that email account and it bounces back to them as undeliverable.  And damn sure not going to use the unsubscribe function,  cause that’s a great way to confirm to them that a human being still checks that account.  Even opening one of those emails can easily trigger a tracker letting them know a person still checks that account (reading an email that loads a single image pixel remotely lets them know a person opened in). To Apple’s credit, and probably Google as well, they make it easy to disable remote image loading to prevent spammers from seeing that, but still.

It doesn’t matter though, they can still buy databases with your main email addresses from many companies.  Shit, I’ve changed email addresses a few times since the 1990s, and have moved over half-a-dozen times (including a couple of states) and the NRA still sends me mailers at my current physical address, as well as one of my main email addresses, begging me to come back, with promises of NRA-branded merchandise, because they think I want to let the world know I have shit worth stealing, and that I want to help pay Wayne LaPierre’s jet fuel bills.

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5 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

 

I have had the same email address since the early 2000s when I was a Republican and a campaign volunteer.  No way I’m going to escape it unless I end that email account and it bounces back to them as undeliverable.  And damn sure not going to use the unsubscribe function,  cause that’s a great way to confirm to them that a human being still checks that account.  Even opening one of those emails can easily trigger a tracker letting them know a person still checks that account (reading an email that loads a single image pixel remotely lets them know a person opened in). To Apple’s credit, and probably Google as well, they make it easy to disable remote image loading to prevent spammers from seeing that, but still.

It doesn’t matter though, they can still buy databases with your main email addresses from many companies.  Shit, I’ve changed email addresses a few times since the 1990s, and have moved over half-a-dozen times (including a couple of states) and the NRA still sends me mailers at my current physical address, as well as one of my main email addresses, begging me to come back, with promises of NRA-branded merchandise, because they think I want to let the world know I have shit worth stealing, and that I want to help pay Wayne LaPierre’s jet fuel bills.

Y'all do know you can set up burner accounts on gmail and the sort, right?

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The Dallas Morning News just endorsed Greg Abbott. Really surprises me since they've been endorsing state wide dems these past few days. 

Not exactly a ringing endorsement:

“This is not an unreserved recommendation. The Republican Party of Texas that Abbott leads has become a deeply troubled organization where conspiracy theories, election denial and blind partisanship have taken root. Many of its leaders have no intention of governing broadly, but rather holding onto a narrow majority as a path to power.

Abbott is not untouched by this, though he has not wholly embraced the aggressively partisan rhetoric that defines other top elected Republican officials in Texas. He has, however, changed in his years in office and has been pulled from the pro-business moderate he once was into a far more strident leader. He has become more insular, meeting less often with a broad group of business leaders, for example, who could offer him insights that would be valuable to maintaining our growth and prosperity.

If he continues down the road he’s on and follows the worst elements of his party, it will be dangerous for the state. Business leaders across the country are looking at how Abbott and Texas Republicans have led on abortion and guns, and some are taking pause.”

Dallas News, - 10/23/2022 - Page 116
https://edition.pagesuite.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?edid=ae6509f4-896d-4fee-8ca4-cfbf8d76d042&pnum=116
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3 minutes ago, TexPx said:


Not exactly a ringing endorsement:

“This is not an unreserved recommendation. The Republican Party of Texas that Abbott leads has become a deeply troubled organization where conspiracy theories, election denial and blind partisanship have taken root. Many of its leaders have no intention of governing broadly, but rather holding onto a narrow majority as a path to power.

Abbott is not untouched by this, though he has not wholly embraced the aggressively partisan rhetoric that defines other top elected Republican officials in Texas. He has, however, changed in his years in office and has been pulled from the pro-business moderate he once was into a far more strident leader. He has become more insular, meeting less often with a broad group of business leaders, for example, who could offer him insights that would be valuable to maintaining our growth and prosperity.

If he continues down the road he’s on and follows the worst elements of his party, it will be dangerous for the state. Business leaders across the country are looking at how Abbott and Texas Republicans have led on abortion and guns, and some are taking pause.”

Dallas News, - 10/23/2022 - Page 116
https://edition.pagesuite.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?edid=ae6509f4-896d-4fee-8ca4-cfbf8d76d042&pnum=116

If you're going to imply it so damn hard, you may as well just fucking say it:

"...but, what are you going to do? Vote for a liberal?!?"

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If you're going to imply it so damn hard, you may as well just fucking say it:
"...but, what are you going to do? Vote for a liberal?!?"

“A majority of Texans do not agree with the near absolute ban on abortion that Abbott has supported. But it’s also true that a majority of Texans have consistently backed politicians who have called for a limit on abortion rights. Abbott would be wise to listen to the American middle and find common ground between the ban currently in place and what was the law of the land under Roe vs. Wade.

On guns and in the age of terrifying mass shootings like those in Uvalde, Sutherland Springs, El Paso and Santa Fe, Abbott has to recognize that the Second Amendment does not amount to an absolute right to individual ownership of firearms. There is broad agreement that Americans have the right to bear arms but that this right has to be balanced with reasonable regulation that will make us all safer. That includes instituting red flag laws and universal background checks, limiting ammunition purchases and magazine sizes and setting an age limit at 21 on firearm purchases.

Abbott’s opponent, Democrat Beto O’Rourke, 50, continues to demonstrate that he is an effective campaigner who is willing to go into solidly red parts of this state to try to sway voters. His openness is appealing in contrast to Abbott’s insularity.

But after all of these years of campaigning, for the Senate, for president and now for governor, it’s still unclear how O’Rourke would lead. He seems to shift with the moment and the audience.

While he uses moderating language, many of his root ideas flow from progressive ideology, from eliminating the STAAR test to his statement on the campaign trail that sending state troopers and guardsmen to the border was a “solution in search of a problem.”

Many on the left reflexively condemned Abbott’s Operation Lone Star that devoted billions in state dollars to sending state law enforcement and military to the border. While there have been concerns about the program, it was a response to a genuine failure by the federal government to enforce border security.

And while his decision to bus migrants who volunteered to large self-defined sanctuary cities in the north was a stunt, it was not the cruel treatment that it was portrayed as and it did raise awareness about a true crisis.

The work of actually governing a state as big and complex as Texas requires hard decisions. Abbott has not gotten all of those decisions right. And he risks his legacy if he fails to lead this state as the pluralistic place that it is.

But his time in office has seen Texas become stronger even as we have faced major challenges. Voters should give him another term”
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19 minutes ago, TexPx said:

And while his decision to bus migrants who volunteered to large self-defined sanctuary cities in the north was a stunt, it was not the cruel treatment that it was portrayed as and it did raise awareness about a true crisis.

Haha Jesus fucking Christ.

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5 minutes ago, CowboyFred said:

So I saw an ad for ol hot wheels and it was a mother talking about her son being murdered. She goes on to say that the killer was released on bond and proceeded to kill another person. Then she says Beto’s soft stance on bail will lead to more of this happening.  
 

YOU STUPID FUCKING BITCH WHO WAS IN CHARGE WHEN YOUR SON WAS KILLED/HIS KILLER GIVEN A BOND?!?! BECAUSE IT WASN’T FUCKING BETO 

I swear we have the dumbest fucking voters in this state if they fall for that shit.

 

It's been made clear that this stuff works. The real dumb move is not doing the exact same ad, but pinning that on Abbott. 

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And of course this stupid bitch blames the internet for when her other child went on an armed robbery spree back in 2014. from the looks of it, she raised a bunch of model citizens. Fuck her

 

 

https://www.khou.com/amp/article/news/crime/mother-of-teen-girl-accused-in-crime-spree-monitor-your-childrens-internet-usage/285-259059800

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2 hours ago, TexPx said:


Not exactly a ringing endorsement:

“This is not an unreserved recommendation. The Republican Party of Texas that Abbott leads has become a deeply troubled organization where conspiracy theories, election denial and blind partisanship have taken root. Many of its leaders have no intention of governing broadly, but rather holding onto a narrow majority as a path to power.

Abbott is not untouched by this, though he has not wholly embraced the aggressively partisan rhetoric that defines other top elected Republican officials in Texas. He has, however, changed in his years in office and has been pulled from the pro-business moderate he once was into a far more strident leader. He has become more insular, meeting less often with a broad group of business leaders, for example, who could offer him insights that would be valuable to maintaining our growth and prosperity.

If he continues down the road he’s on and follows the worst elements of his party, it will be dangerous for the state. Business leaders across the country are looking at how Abbott and Texas Republicans have led on abortion and guns, and some are taking pause.”

Dallas News, - 10/23/2022 - Page 116
https://edition.pagesuite.com/html5/reader/production/default.aspx?edid=ae6509f4-896d-4fee-8ca4-cfbf8d76d042&pnum=116

Live look in at the DMN Editor:

Senator_Susan_Collins_2014_official_port

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1 hour ago, CowboyFred said:

So I saw an ad for ol hot wheels and it was a mother talking about her son being murdered. She goes on to say that the killer was released on bond and proceeded to kill another person. Then she says Beto’s soft stance on bail will lead to more of this happening.  
 

YOU STUPID FUCKING BITCH WHO WAS IN CHARGE WHEN YOUR SON WAS KILLED/HIS KILLER GIVEN A BOND?!?! BECAUSE IT WASN’T FUCKING BETO 

I swear we have the dumbest fucking voters in this state if they fall for that shit.

 

But it was the county that released him.  Not the Republican controlled legislative and executive branch.  It's like you don't even listen to the ad copy. /sarcasm

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Weird moment this morning.  Was having breakfast with a colleague from Lakeway.  We met in Bee Cave (halfway between our homes).  I decided to saunter over to their City Hall and just knock out early voting since I was waiting for the rain to die down and finish my to-go coffee.  Suddenly, a buncha unmarked suburbans and Dodge sedans pull up and guys with earpieces sweep the area.  Apparently, Gov. Abbott was coming there to vote.  But it was weird, no big media carnival like most incumbents do when voting in person.  Just a handful of security detail and a staff photographer.  I guess Bee Cave and other towns in the mSA like it and kinda the buffer between "blue" Austin and "red" hill country, I dunno.  Just thought it was a weird place to do such a lowkey voting photo op.  

In totally unrelated news, Dan Patrick will be voting from a private booth that looks like an awful lot like a changing room at a factory outlet store for Lane Bryant.

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I just assumed they had some stations on the ground level.  I dunno, I walked out between his advance team arrival and his arrival.  Clerk said he was doing an event there in the HCG so made sense logistically, but maybe not physically.  

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Just saw on KXAN that Abbott has a 10 point lead. That's a blowout for a guy that's presided over bounties on abortions, made guns easier to access in the face of mass shootings, and the winter freeze. Then he got trounced in the debate.

It's amazing to me.

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17 minutes ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Just saw on KXAN that Abbott has a 10 point lead. That's a blowout for a guy that's presided over bounties on abortions, made guns easier to access in the face of mass shootings, and the winter freeze. Then he got trounced in the debate.

It's amazing to me.

Based on what? 

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We get the pleasure of voting for new representation in Texas House 52.

They gerrymandered our incumbent out of the district.

Then, the Republicans placed hand-picked Caroline Harris for the Republican choice. She helped write the abortion bill as a staffer for Bryan Hughes. She has done nothing but worked politics in her career and they are looking to reward her.

Huge war chest, about 90% more than the Democrat choice.

Funny thing, she lost the primary to a well-known local but got enough to force a run-off. That's when the war chest got filled to the brim from outsiders, and she was able to win the run-off.

For sister-in-law is hammering her and family for protecting pedo brothers and mom, who allegedly had multiple abortions.

Illusion of choice in this farce of a Texas democracy.

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I can’t exactly call it a new low because it’s the Abbott, but not since the days of Wille Horton have we seen the image of the scary black man used prominently to stoke the racial anxieties of white voters in campaign ads. Completely on brand, governor 

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2 hours ago, Satchel said:

I can’t exactly call it a new low because it’s the Abbott, but not since the days of Wille Horton have we seen the image of the scary black man used prominently to stoke the racial anxieties of white voters in campaign ads. Completely on brand, governor 

The fact that he’s shamelessly exploiting the grief of a black mother is, well, on brand  again.

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22 hours ago, FirstTimeCaller said:

Just saw on KXAN that Abbott has a 10 point lead. That's a blowout for a guy that's presided over bounties on abortions, made guns easier to access in the face of mass shootings, and the winter freeze. Then he got trounced in the debate.

It's amazing to me.


hopefully this is a GOP tactic to keep Dem voters at home. ‘The Dem has no chance, no reason to bother voting !’

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On 10/24/2022 at 10:52 AM, CowboyFred said:

So I saw an ad for ol hot wheels and it was a mother talking about her son being murdered. She goes on to say that the killer was released on bond and proceeded to kill another person. Then she says Beto’s soft stance on bail will lead to more of this happening.  
 

YOU STUPID FUCKING BITCH WHO WAS IN CHARGE WHEN YOUR SON WAS KILLED/HIS KILLER GIVEN A BOND?!?! BECAUSE IT WASN’T FUCKING BETO 

I swear we have the dumbest fucking voters in this state if they fall for that shit.

 

Abbott’s other ads are equally idiotic and also assured to persuade the quivering mass of angry imbeciles that is 55% of the Texas voting public.

These include one with a rando Karen concluding that Beto is “too extreme for Texas” because he spoke against a Republican-drafted bill that would  have banned trans kids from playing sports. “He criticized Big Government interference in youth sports and institutionalized discrimination against a minority group! What a crazy extremist!”

In another, Abbott’s niece endorses him. To be fair, I guess it’s unusual when those who are most personally familiar with a Republican politician are nevertheless still willing to vote for them. “Hey, at least I’m not loathed by my entire family like Ted Cruz and Paul Gosar. Vote Abbott!”

 

 

Edited by BrickHorn
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I just assumed they had some stations on the ground level.  I dunno, I walked out between his advance team arrival and his arrival.  Clerk said he was doing an event there in the HCG so made sense logistically, but maybe not physically.  
He spoke at Shitz Family BBQ yesterday morning.
Didn't take questions like a coward, but did stay to take pictures for an hour with his fans.
My ladyfriend waited, declined the photo and asked him about more resources to prevent rape (as he promised as a cure for abortion bans) and she didn't go to jail. Her takeaway is he's very likeable in person if you don't listen to what he's saying.
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17 minutes ago, BrickHorn said:

In another, Abbott’s niece endorses him. To be fair, I guess it’s unusual when those who are most personally familiar with a Republican politician are nevertheless still willing to vote for them. “Hey, at least I’m not loathed by my entire family like Ted Cruz and Paul Gosar. Vote Abbott!”

Yeah, politics aside...his wife does seem to genuinely love him.  And his daughter dotes on him whenever I see them together.  He was a good guy until something in him snapped between Trump and Huffhines.  But he's a good dad and husband.  

Contrast that with Ted Cruz.  His wife fucking loathes every cell in his body.  Not sure if the rumors about his daughters hating him are true, but it can't help that they never see their mother happy when Ted is around.  She's either fucked up getting fucked whenever Ted happens to be in town.  Part of the reason Cruz spends so much time traveling to do TV, sporting events, keynote speeches, etc.  It's beyond awkward at home and knows it's better to be away from the family in most cases.  Even his most ardent supporters are starting to realize he might vote/not vote how they like, but he's something of a shitheap.

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17 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

Yeah, politics aside...his wife does seem to genuinely love him.  And his daughter dotes on him whenever I see them together.  He was a good guy until something in him snapped between Trump and Huffhines.  But he's a good dad and husband.  

It’s money.  I posted a thread about some West Texas billionaires (new money, fracking, etc. ) who were funding Huffines and some of the groups that are hard right wing (Freedom Caucus, etc.), and I think they have Abbott scared shitless, because they threw millions at Huffines knowing he’d lose, but it sent a message to Abbott.  Wouldn’t surprise me if they were behind Allen West trying to start shit with Abbott as well.

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4 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

It’s money.  I posted a thread about some West Texas billionaires (new money, fracking, etc. ) who were funding Huffines and some of the groups that are hard right wing (Freedom Caucus, etc.), and I think they have Abbott scared shitless, because they threw millions at Huffines knowing he’d lose, but it sent a message to Abbott.  Wouldn’t surprise me if they were behind Allen West trying to start shit with Abbott as well.

This makes sense.  I think we talked about when I was Lobo several months back.  

I come from a time and place in Chicago politics where if you didn't do what the Mafia wanted, they'd break your legs.  Obviously they threatened Abbott with something different.  

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13 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

This makes sense.  I think we talked about when I was Lobo several months back.  

I come from a time and place in Chicago politics where if you didn't do what the Mafia wanted, they'd break your legs.  Obviously they threatened Abbott with something different.  

It’s too late for them to fuck with mounting a third party run to mess with Abbott, but he has some plans for 2024, and they could easily embarrass the absolute shit out of him by supporting DeSantis and they could see to it that Abbott comes in a distant second to DeSantis.

Abbott’s problem, among many, is that he’s hit his ceiling in Texas, and is just spinning his wheels hoping for something bigger, like a major cabinet position, or even something like a Supreme Court nod, something I bet he’d be happy with.

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10 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

It’s too late for them to fuck with mounting a third party run to mess with Abbott, but he has some plans for 2024, and they could easily embarrass the absolute shit out of him by supporting DeSantis and they could see to it that Abbott comes in a distant second to DeSantis.

Abbott’s problem, among many, is that he’s hit his ceiling in Texas, and is just spinning his wheels hoping for something bigger, like a major cabinet position, or even something like a Supreme Court nod, something I bet he’d be happy with.

I see what you did there.....

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I seen’t it too!

If DeSantis were to win, the only wild card would be if Thomas or Sotamayor would die during his term. Neither will retire before natural death.  Alito is the only one who would step down 5-6 years from now to secure the seat for a conservative before anybody regardless of party is sworn into the Oval on January 20, 2029. 
Everybody else is young and healthy enough.  
 

if Abbott is half smart, he cuts a deal with DeSantis for that spot.  The money can get to the two of them. But nobody can force Alito to retire.  Abbott would need assurances from Alito even more than Ron.  Plus Greg would have to figure out something noble to do in 2027 and 2028 as alito wouldn’t step down the last minute.  I guess Dean of a law school or something ?  He can’t be a university president or system chancellor since most undergrads and professors hate him.  
 

Plus Abbott would be 70 in 2028.  Uncommonly old for a Supreme Court nominee.  

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1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

It’s money.  I posted a thread about some West Texas billionaires (new money, fracking, etc. ) who were funding Huffines and some of the groups that are hard right wing (Freedom Caucus, etc.), and I think they have Abbott scared shitless, because they threw millions at Huffines knowing he’d lose, but it sent a message to Abbott.  Wouldn’t surprise me if they were behind Allen West trying to start shit with Abbott as well.

Yeah, I posted about the CNN piece done by Texas Ex (and buddy of mine) Ed Lavandera on the two West Texas tycoons funding all this far-right madness in Texas.

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