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Today’s Stories

TED CRUZ hasn’t been top-notch for some time.

That’s not just a statement about his bona fides but his execution as a politician.

This week the junior Senator from Texas took time to call 2021 Capitol LARPers “terrorists.” It’s not entirely unpredictable behavior from Cruz.

Last year, speaking to one of the most influential conservative groups in Texas, the True Texas Project, he ham-handily endorsed Greg Abbott.

Read the room, Ted.

Keep in mind; these folks are the reason he’s a Senator. Winning an underdog campaign against David Dewhurst in 2012, even with an assist from a delayed primary, would not have been possible without their support.

He’s smart and knows he will upset these supporters with the Abbott endorsement; not softening the blow by pacing the crowd is hard to excuse.

Of course, the irony in all this is that if Abbott is playing the Dewhurst role in this year’s election contests, Cruz has slid into the role played by Rick Perry ten years ago. During that year’s U.S. Senate contest, then-Governor Perry famously endorsed then-Lite Guv Dewhurst. Perry’s endorsement didn’t help Dewhurst, harming Perry’s political standing.

Aside: Is the 2022 election not being delayed to avoid a repeat of 2012?

It’s hard not to notice that the dude has let himself go physically. If this were confined to the Senator’s weight, it would be one thing, but he’s disheveled to boot.

Deciding to take that soft bod to Cancun during last year’s wintry crisis was a faux paux befitting a rookie politico, not someone who’s been politically active at the highest level since Dubya’s first presidential campaign or someone in serious contention for the GOP nomination in 2024.

Cruz is running again for President but would need to claim the overwhelming majority of delegates out of Texas to have any shot at the nomination. If the election were held today, Cruz would finish third.

Check yourself, Senator.

The UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS BOARD OF REGENTS is facing pushback over taxpayer subsidies for children's sexual “transitioning.”

Yes, you just read that last sentence correctly. This practice isn’t just legal in Texas; taxpayers subsidize it.

[Note for the bureaucratically uninformed: The University of Texas “system” is a collection of over a dozen academic and health institutions. While the flagship campus in Austin is the most famous, UT-Southwestern is its sister institution. The same Board of Regents oversees all.]

At issue is a partnership between UT-Southwestern and Children’s Medical Center of Dallas called “GENECIS.” UT-SW euphemistically states this program “cares for children with gender dysphoria.” In reality, it’s more of a gaslighting and grooming operation.

In response to a recent open records request (by PushJunction contributor Adam Cahn) for information regarding the communication between the Board and UT-Southwestern over this program, the UT-System claimed there had been none.

Zip. Zero. Nada.

This is one of those situations where it’s unclear lying or telling the truth is worse since neither is acceptable.

Kevin Eltife, the board chairman, is a savvy political operator. The former State Senator was appointed to the board, by Greg Abbott, in 2017. Eltife became chairman in 2018, following behind-the-scenes maneuvering by Abbott.

On a related note, a PAC tied to UT-Southwestern has given six-figure donations to several high-ranking Texas politicians. (AC)

DAN PATRICK is bragging about being endorsed for re-election by the Texas Medical Association. Gag.

TMA has been a bad political actor, across a variety of issues, for decades.

While Patrick remains strongly positioned for 2022, the trend lines are obvious. If he wants to run for anything past this cycle, Patrick should see what we said about Cruz above. (AC)

The REPUBLICAN PARTY OF TEXAS engaged in a last-minute candidate recruitment spree for local races in South Texas. This was a solid move on RPT’s part.

While signs of Republican strength in the region have existed, the recent acceleration seems to validate the so-called “tipping point” hypothesis famously advanced by Malcolm Gladwell.

In other RPT news, the latest edition of their history newsletter discusses a terrorist campaign waged by White Democrats against the integrated Republican party during the re-establishment of White (Democrat) rule-following Reconstruction.

Must read. (AC)

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THU brief 1.6.22