The Rajun Cajun (RC)

The Beaumont Enterprise published a pro and con editorial concerning Marc Derouen and Robert Reid.

RAJUN CAJUN (RC) responded with a comment that included a quote from my previous posting. I've split this comment into two pieces, since my blog and the JP race are two different issues. RC seems to be obfuscating one issue with the other: 

Cut and pasted from the Blog site Operation Klein Watch 2010 "Philip R. Klein, self-proclaimed political consultant, can't recognize a shrewd campaign strategy when he sees one. Why should any candidate waste money on a potentially expensive campaign when contesting irregularities in an application can eliminate an opponent? "

Maybe because all Americans, not just Democrats, have a constitutional right to VOTE for the candidate of their choosing. A peak under the veil of this blog exposes one of its main contributors, no need to go further, but it speaks volumes to the mind set of the political machine running for the JP office in Pre. 2.

On this subject of my blog, RC implied that I have a personal interest in this matter, but not the nature of this interest, how RC managed to "peak [sic] under the veil of this blog," or how RC "exposed one of it's main contributors."  I suspect RC has indulged in Philip R. Klein's prune-flavored Kool-Aid.

Actually, there is only one contributor to this blog and the buck stops here. Mr. Cajun's anonymous argument seems inconsistent, but I certainly agree that all Americans have a constitutional right to vote for the candidate of their choosing.

When one votes in the November Precinct 2 JP race, a voter can write in Robert Reid, Philip Klein, or any other name. Mickey Mouse received several thousand votes during the last presidential election, based on his write-in campaign. I'm certain that even Philip Klein would receive a few votes during a write-in campaign - I'm reminded of statements on fooling the electorate by Presidents George W. Bush and Abraham Lincoln.

As such, this case has nothing to do with whether the rights of RC or Precinct 2 residents were abridged because Reid was removed from the ballot. Instead, the issue is whether Marc Derouen followed the proper rule of law.

The rest of RC's comment corroborates this confusion (emphasis is mine): 

By his own admission Mr. Derouen has bragged about the tremendous financial war chest he has accumulated so if he doesn't have to run an expensive campaign where does the money go. Not to worry, Mr. Derouen DOES have the experience of running a campaign where the monies collected didn't need to be spent on the campaign itself. Should make for another heck of an election night party. The real question remains: Why would Mr. Derouen expose himself to the extreme risk of negative publicity, already being encounter by HIS challenge of Mr. Reids petition, if he has the Democratic Party Machine behind him(including by some observers the most astute politician in Southeast Texas, Former State Sen. Carl Parker) a massive (by his own admission) campaign war chest with which he can easily out spend any opponent two to three maybe four times to one, and has the backing of the voters of Pr. 2 ? Maybe he just likes to throw big election night parties or MAYBE he knows he doesn't have the backing of the voters of Pr. 2 in this horse race. Kind of strange, the injured horse shoots the healthy horse and wins the race. Hopefully not only in America and not in Jefferson County.

I had a hard time following RC's logic, but the real questions are as follows:

1. Did Robert Reid submit an invalid petition according to Sec. 141.064 of the Texas Election Code?
   
2. Can Reid be removed from the ballot after his petition is certified according to Sec. Sec. 141.032.
   
3. Does Judge Ron Walker have the authority to remove Reid from the ballot, according to Sec. 142.005.

I've addressed most of this here and here.  One would expect a judicial candidate to follow the proper rule of law in filing a petition and application for a place on the ballot.  In my opinion today, Marc Derouen's case seems sound.

If not, Robert Reid has a capable attorney, Rick Williams, who can proffer an opposing argument.  As someone who enjoys politics as a spectator sport, I'm looking forward to watching this unfold in the proper venue and hearing Reid's legal arguments. If Reid can demonstrate that Derouen's arguments lack merit, I reserve the right to change my opinion.

Putting all of this into perspective, Derouen's ballot challenge is standard Texas politics and not limited by party or county.

• In the upcoming November elections, Democrats sued to keep the Green Party off the November ballot, after they discovered that the Green Party ballot initiative was apparently funded by out-of-state Republicans to split the vote during the gubernatorial race.
  
• In 2008, Libertarian Presidential candidate Bob Barr sued to keep Barack Obama and John McCain off the Texas Presidential ballot.
  
• In 2006, a contest with national timbre broke out over Tom DeLay's place on the ballot for US Congressional District 22.

Like many of Philip R. Klein's postings, JC's argument relies on fallacious logic, specifically red herrings, straw men, and an appeal to emotion. Perhaps it's better to examine the objective arguments in this case without introducing speculative and inflammatory rhetoric into the mix to confuse the real questions.