A week after my post Sen. Hutchison formerly announced she was not resigning her Senate seat.

“I realize this will keep me in the Senate past the primary election,” Hutchison’s speech says. “These issues are too important to leave the fight to a newly appointed freshman senator who will be selected in the midst of a political storm.”

The decision came amid alarm among top Hutchison supporters about the direction of the campaign. As predicted, she did not help herself by shifting back and forth on when she will resign, especially with political figures down the line who are waiting to run for vacancies that would be created by her resignation. The Dallas Morning News’ Wayne Slater reported supporters inside the Hutchison camp were worried “answers about when she might resign made her look indecisive.”

Hutchison along with some of her advisers informed Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Attorney General Greg Abbott to file for re-election, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Not surprisingly, Sen. John Cornyn was pleased Hutchison wasn’t setting down. Sen. Cornyn said Hutchison was “putting Texas first” by staying through March to fight “the Democrats’ out-of-control spending spree and government-run health care proposals.”

The announcement came on the same day as a new Rasmussen Reports poll showing Perry is leading Hutchison 46% to 35%. This is a turn around from an earlier Rasmussen Reports poll showing Hutchison in the lead.

Did I call it or what? Just call me the Oracle of Delphi. I am not bragging, I’m sharing.

War of words: Perry Pulls Another Rove
Within hours of Hutchison’s announcement, Perry began sowing the seeds of division among Hutchison’s supporters about whether her decision not to resign might mean she has given up the governor’s race altogether.

As a sign the campaign has escalated into a war of words, Hutchison took immediate action making robocalls and going on air to assure her supporters she still is in the governor’s race. Her ad focuses on an issue that Republican primary voters are passionate about – government-run health care – and reminding voters that she’s in Washington fighting it. Hutchison says her decision to stay in the US Senate to fight Democrat-backed health care carries a “risk to my political future” but is necessary because she’s fighting for Texans.

Perry countered with his usual anti-federal stimulus, anti-Washington rhetoric. By attacking Washington, he is able to portray Hutchison as a Washington insider. Perry’s commercial casts him as a tax-cutting fiscal conservative in contrast to what his campaign called the “disastrous fiscal policies of Washington.”

The battle lines of the civil war are drawn. I would not be surprised if this election tear the party apart as Gov. Perry and Sen. Hutchison battle for the soul of the Republican Party.

Democrats’ hopes
Sen. Hutchison announcement created speculation that Houston Mayor Bill White might jump from the Senate special election campaign he has been running to get into the Democratic contest for governor. Spokeswoman Katy Bacon denied any switch will occur.

If Mayor White and Former Democratic Comptroller John Sharp are banking that Sen. Hutchison will resign after the primary, they can forget about it. Prior to her announcement she was not resigning, a Hutchison aide “brushed off the question of whether she would quit if she ends up losing the primary to Gov. Rick Perry” when asked by CNN.

As of this writing, there have been a surprising turn of events. The Houston Chronicle reported that Democratic candidate Tom Schieffer announced his withdrawal from the governor’s race to leave clear path for Mayor White to run for governor.

As a result of that Sunday afternoon meeting, Democratic candidate Tom Schieffer — who was a Bush administration ambassador to Australia and Japan — announced Monday that he will withdraw from the race for governor to clear the path for White. Schieffer urged other Democrats in the race to drop out and join him in support of White.

Shortly after Schieffer made his announcement, Mayor White held a City Hall news conference to say he will “agree to consider running for governor,” at the urging of Texans throughout the state. Mayor White said he will make an announcement by Dec. 4.

But there is further evidence Mayor White will run for governor. In a prepared statement, El Paso state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh openly endorsed Bill White for Governor on Monday.

“I am very excited today to endorse Bill White as the next Governor of the great state of Texas,” said Shapleigh, D-El Paso, in a prepared statement.

“Under his proven, responsible leadership, our great state can finally deal with the challenges of our times: better paying jobs, great schools, affordable college, water, real access to healthcare, 21st century infrastructure and sustainable energy.”

This is very significant because it ends speculation that he may run for Governor, According to the Rio Grande Guardian, there is now speculation that Shapleigh might run for Lieutenant Governor or Land Commissioner on a possible statewide Democratic ticket.

I have expressed my views on this matter openly and I do hope Mayor Bill White decides to run for Texas Governor. Not because Bill White was my Mayor when I lived in Houston or that the Democrats are sorely lacking star power. Its because I have witness the kind of leadership Texas sorely needs. I can personally testify his record as Mayor speaks volumes and he truly can be Texas’ Great White Hope.

I rarely make endorsements. If Bill White decided to run for Governor, I will have no problem posting my endorsement.

In my last post, I mentioned that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison decided to delay her resignation from the Senate as she pursues her gubernatorial campaign against incumbent Gov Rick Perry in the Republican Primary.

When Senator Hutchison formally announced that she was a Republican candidate for Governor of Texas, she said she would resign from her Senate post in October or November. She later decided to delay her resignation until after the health care vote. For right now, all would-be candidates are forced to watch and wait.

What does this mean for Texas and why does it matter. It matters a lot. Political junkies note that her resignation would could set off a political chain reaction that could affect the Republican strong hold regarding statewide offices.

Background Information
If Hutchinson were to resign, Gov. Perry would name an interim senator and then call a special election to fill Hutchison’s term through 2012. The date Hutchinson resigns plays a factor on the date and mechanics of actually filing for office. Usually, there is a 30 day period during which a candidate must file for office in order to have their name on the ballot. For next year’s Democratic or Republican Primary ballot, a candidate must file for office between December 3, 2009 and January 4, 2010.

Since her announcement, several candidates have stated their interest for Hutchison’s seat.Democrats in the race are Houston Mayor Bill White and Former state Comptroller John Sharp.

On the Republican side, it is a different story. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams are considered leading contenders for the appointment. However, other Republicans interested in Hutchison’s seat are former Secretary of State Roger Williams, Texas Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones and state Sen. Florence Shapiro.

Will She or Won’t She
Her wait and see strategy is beginning to frustrate members in her party because they are frozen in place by her non-decision. So what is her strategy?

Before Senator Hutchison officially announced her intentions to run, Texas’ junior US Senator John Cornyn made it known that she not resign her seat. As chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the political committee dedicated to electing Republicans to the US Senate, Sen Cornyn will have his hands full next year as the NRSC will try to hold onto six seats now held by retiring Republicans.

In July, responding to Senator Hutchison announcement to step down, Sen Cornyn told POLITICO: “I’m not in a position to influence her decision as to time. All I’m in a position to do is to try to do everything that we can to hold onto that seat.”

It is not hard to see that Sen. Hutchison’s strategy is to make sure it is a win-win for her and the GOP. Current election laws in Texas allow her to do so.

In Texas, certain officials are required to resign their post before running for another office. However, Article XVI, Section 65 of the Texas Constitution does not require state and federal legislature to resign their current seat in conjunction with the filing of an application for a place on the ballot. The “resign to run” rule reads:

This section applies to the following offices: District Clerks; County Clerks; County Judges; Judges of County Courts at Law, County Criminal Courts, County Probate Courts and County Domestic Relations Courts; County Treasurers; Criminal District Attorneys; County Surveyors; Inspectors of Hides and Animals; County Commissioners; Justices of the Peace; Sheriffs; Assessors and Collectors of Taxes; District Attorneys; County Attorneys; Public Weighers; and Constables.

Earlier in the year, Attorney General Greg Abbott answered a question submitted by state Rep. Leo Berman, which he wanted to know whether a legislature is required to resign their position after announcing their candidacy for Governor. In response to Rep. Berman’s question, Attorney General Abbott ruled that a “legislator is not required to resign from office upon announcing his or her candidacy for Governor.”

Multiple provisions within the Texas Constitution restrict certain officials from running for one elected office while serving a term in another office. For example, no person holding a “lucrative office” in state or federal government or in a foreign government is eligible for the Legislature during the term for which that person is elected or appointed. Tex. Const. art. III, § 19. Similarly, certain district and county officials, upon announcing their candidacy for any other office, must resign the current office held. Tex. Const. art. XVI, § 65(b). However, we find no constitutional or statutory authority that prohibits a legislator from running for Governor while continuing to serve as a legislator.

It is important to remember that prior to being elected to the Senate, John Cornyn was the Texas Attorney General. Therefore, he is well versed in Texas’ election laws and it would not surprise me if Sen. Cornyn, as head of the NRSC, is playing an important part in Hutchison’s decision to be coy in setting a date to resign her seat.

It is amusing to see the local media around the state trying to speculate what Kay Bailey Hutchison reasoning for being so coy. There really is no reason for her to resign. If she were to lose in the Primary, its not like she will be out of office, she will still keep her Senate seat. Even if she were to win the primary, she is not obligated to resign. Article XVI, Section 65 of the Texas Constitution allows her to remain office until the Nov election. Its a win-win situation for her and the GOP.

I also said in my last post, Hutchison’s indecision could also backfire. It looks like I was correct in my assessment. The latest poll shows Perry retaking the lead. According to the inaugural University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll, Perry now has a 12 point lead over Sen. Hutchison. Unfortunately, with those numbers, there is no reason for her resign now.

There is further evidence Sen Hutchinson will not be resigning. Dan Branch and other state Republicans are now opting to seek re-election instead of seek a higher office. The plan was, Branch run for attorney general, Greg Abbott run for lieutenant governor, and Lt. Gov David Dewhurst would run in a special election to replace Hutchison.

It is obvious Sen. Hutchinson and her inner circle are withholding crucial information from members of her own party. If I am correct that Senator John Cornyn played a major role in Hutchison’s wait-and-see game. This strategy may come back and haunt them.

It is frustrating to see some Democrats spend so much of their resources on a special election that most likely will not happen. The fact is, the Democrats are sorely lacking star power. The latest polls show neither Tom Schieffer, Kinky Friedman and Tyler rancher Hank Gilbert would give either Perry and Hutchinson run for their money.

On the Democratic side, nobody had great numbers. Kinky Friedman leads the pack, with 19 percent, followed by Tom Schieffer, with 10 percent, former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, with 5 percent, Mark Thompson, with 3 percent, Felix Alvarado, with 2 percent, and Hank Gilbert, who got 0.3

I hope Mayor Bill White would reconsider running for Senate and decide to make a run for Texas Governor. Although I believe we would make a great Senator, the writing is on the wall, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison will not resign, making it one less seat the GOP has to worry about as they try to save as many Senate seats as possible.

In a recent interview with the Dallas Observer, Mayor White insist Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison will resign. Maybe he knows something many of us don’t know. But truthfully, I still think it is wishful thinking, I honestly don’t think she will.

This week, it seems like the Republican inner circle is sending Gov. Rick Perry a clear message – he is too much of a liability. This week, former Vice President Dick Cheney has endorsed and will campaign for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s bid to unseat Perry in the Republican Primary. Cheney will officially endorse Hutchison at a Houston fundraiser on Nov. 17.

Cheney’s endorsement comes right after Rick Perry has come under fire for a 2004 execution cover-up that has made national news. The controversy that is now plaguing Perry’s re-election bid is the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham in 2004 after being convicted of setting a house fire in Corsicana that killed his three children.

The Texas Forensic Science Commission hired a nationally recognized arson expert, Craig Beyler, to examine the fire science used to convict Willingham. Just as the commission was set to hear from Beyler’s report, Perry abruptly removed three of its members, including the chairman. The new chairman, Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley and conservative ally of the governor, says he needs time to study the Willingham arson report.

The report that was made public in August found:

The investigators [in Willingham's case] had poor understandings of fire science and failed to acknowledge or apply the contemporaneous understanding of the limitations of fire indicators. Their methodologies did not comport with the scientific method or the process of elimination.

To make matters worse, the Houston Chronicle and Hearst Newspapers are now suing Gov. Rick Perry for not releasing a clemency report that could have stopped the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham. The report was used by Perry to decide whether to give Willingham a 30-day stay of execution.

More evidence the GOP inner circle are cutting their ties with Perry, there are other high profile Republicans – particularly those close to former GOP President George W Bush – who have publicly endorsed Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. A couple of those Republicans have close ties with the Bush family, Karl Rove, Karen Hughes and former Bush fundraiser Jim Francis.

Earlier this month, I mentioned Gov Rick Perry was trying to pull a Rove by trying to get the media to focus on something else – possible hacking of campaign website – other than the 2004 execution cover up. It seems it has backfired.

It would be wise for Hutchison to finally set a date for her resignation is she truly wants to take full advantage of her support. Although she is not required to resign from the Senate to run for governor, she did publicly state she intended to resign in October or November. Now that she has backed out, her creditability certainly can become an issue.

In a statement e-mailed to reporters, Mark Miner, campaign spokesman, said:

“Today’s ‘Talkin’ Texas’ webcast by Gov. Perry was deliberately interrupted by a denial-of-service attack, preventing countless users from logging in to view the Governor’s remarks. This planned and coordinated attack was political sabotage, and we are working to identify those responsible for this illegal activity.”

Over the weekend, the FBI decided to open an inquiry into whether hackers disrupted Gov. Rick Perry’s live webcast. FBI spokesman Erik Vasys told the AP that “The FBI confirms that it is conducting a preliminary inquiry into the possibility that an intentional intrusion was conducted on the governor’s computer from out of state. The FBI considers this a hacking event with unknown origin at this time.”

However, there are more questions than answers. According to KXAN News Austin, the problem didn’t resemble a distributed denial-of-service attack, (DDoS), which causes the server act extremely slow or inaccessible to most visitors. Instead, the site displayed a Drupal, content management platform, generated error message reading “unable to connect to database server.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Something stinks in the state of Denmark!

Negative campaigning is nothing new. It has become part of the American political process, we have come to accept it. But there is something familiar with the recent news story and how it was played out. Almost Rovian in design – leak, lie, defame, obfuscate, and deny.

Faux Attacks

It will come as no surprise that one of Karl Rove’s most notable tendency in close races is to go negative against his opponent, early and often. One of Rove’s most valuable assets is his knowledge of gaming the media in order to achieve the desired result. He has often relied on the media to cover a controversy because he knew if the story was dynamic enough, even if story was not true, the media would breathe life into it by being caught up in the he said/she said side of the story.

One of the highlights in Rove’s career is the tight 1986 Texas governor’s race, in which Republican oilman Bill Clements, sought to oust the Democratic incumbent Mark White. Just before a debate between the two candidates – which, coincidentally or not, distracted attention from the debate in which Clements was expected to lose – Rove claimed that someone had bugged his office and hinted that Democrats might be responsible.

Another instance occurred in Alabama’s 1996 hard-fought race for a seat on the Supreme Court between Rove’s client, Harold See, and the Democratic incumbent, Kenneth Ingram. In a 2004 edition of the Atlantic Monthly, Joshua Green writes:

According to someone who worked for him, Rove, dissatisfied with the campaign’s progress, had flyers printed up-absent any trace of who was behind them-viciously attacking See and his family. “We were trying to craft a message to reach some of the blue-collar, lower-middle-class people,” the staffer says. “You’d roll it up, put a rubber band around it, and paperboy it at houses late at night. I was told, ‘Do not hand it to anybody, do not tell anybody who you’re with, and if you can, borrow a car that doesn’t have your tags.’ So I borrowed a buddy’s car [and drove] down the middle of the street – I had Hefty bags stuffed full of these rolled-up pamphlets, and I’d cruise the designated neighborhoods, throwing these things out with both hands and literally driving with my knees.” The ploy left Rove’s opponent at a loss. Ingram’s staff realized that it would be fruitless to try to persuade the public that the See campaign was attacking its own candidate in order “to create a backlash against the Democrat,” as Joe Perkins, who worked for Ingram, put it to me. Presumably the public would believe that Democrats were spreading terrible rumors about See and his family. “They just beat you down to your knees,” Ingram said of being on the receiving end of Rove’s attacks. See won the race.

Rove’s finger prints could also be found in the 2002 Iowa Senate race between Tom Harkin and GOP candidate Greg Ganske, just before the election, a story was leaked that the Harkin campaign hired a “mole” to spy on the Ganske campaign. There was no proof of course, and no one was ever actually accused.

Karl Rove’s approach to politics can be found in the strategy memo that Rove wrote for former Texas governor Bill Clements. Quoting Napoleon, the memo says: “The whole art of war consists in a well-reasoned and extremely circumspect defensive, followed by rapid and audacious attack.”

Gov. Perry is no newcomer when it comes to using Rovian “dirty tricks” to win an election. During Perry’s run for agriculture commissioner in 1990 against incumbent Jim Hightower, Perry’s campaign was directed by Karl Rove. During a Washington, D.C., fundraiser, Rove told reporters that Hightower’s office was under investigation by the FBI and that Hightower and several aides “faced the possibility of indictment.”

During the 2002 gubernatorial race against Democrat Tony Sanchez, Perry claimed that Sanchez’s defunct Tesoro Savings and Loan had been used by Mexican drug lords to launder $25 million in drug money, which was used for the murder of a law enforcement agent. Mr. Sanchez was cleared of any wrongdoing, but Perry continued to link Sanchez to Mexican drug lords to instill fear by playing on stereotypes of Mexican-Americans as drug dealers.

Perry, Texas’ longest serving governor, is set to run for an unprecedented third four-year term in 2010. Like the 2002 election, Perry is facing a serious challenger, not from a Democrat, but from somebody in his own party, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. The Texas Democratic Party is such in disarray, Democratic governor hopefuls – former Bush ambassador Tom Schieffer, Smith County rancher Hank Gilbert, entertainer Kinky Friedman – are having a hard time convincing its party base they can win a statewide race. So word on the street, Hutchison is his only real challenger.

According to Rasmussen Reports, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is now leading by 2-points – 40% to 38% – in the volatile 2010 Republican Primary race for governor. This is bad news for Perry, since Perry lost his mid-July 10-point lead over Hutchison.

One does have to wonder if last weeks hacking allegations by Perry was an attempt to pull a Rove on Republican challenger Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Before you dismiss this as the wild ravings of a conspiracy theorist, consider a few points.

Phillip Martin reports that the attack occurred 10 mins before the schedule event. When pressed on whether the campaign thought Kay Bailey Hutchison was behind the “sabotage,” Miner responded: “I hope not. I hope they would not be that stupid.” Miner may not have directly blamed that somebody from Hutchison’s campaign hacked Perry’s website, but is leading the reader to conclude that it is possible.

Another thing to consider, Perry’s website coincidentally was hacked the same week a bombshell that could have been politically damaging. The Houston Chronicle reported that Gov. Rick Perry had canceled a meeting of the Texas Forensic Science Commission because it was sure to produce headlines claiming that in 2004 he authorized the execution of an innocent man.

To make matters worse, Gov. Rick Perry replaced the head as well as two others on the nine-member Texas Forensic Science Commission. Perry said his move was a typical use of his power on appointments, the same argument used by former President George W Bush to replace US Attorneys.

We may never know if the hacking scandal will be traced back to Perry’s campaign, but the real question is, how much longer are we willing to put up with Perry’s win at all cost “dirty tricks?”

The fact is, you have to give it to Texas for marching to a different beat. While some states choose their presidential delegates through primary elections, others use a system of caucuses. Here in Lone Star State, we combine those two systems. This is what is now known as the “Texas Two Step.”

Right now, Texas Democrats are being told they have a chance to vote twice in the presidential primary. We may have screwed up on many things in Texas, education and pollution among others, but let me assure you, we have not plumbed to the depths of absurdity when it comes to voting. Maybe a little. Yes, we can now vote early, but no, we don’t vote often.

I just want to clear things up about the “Texas Two Step” because the both campaigns are confusing people to no end. When I voted on Friday, one person was so confused he thought our vote didn’t count because he thought we were participating in a large tracking poll and in order for our vote to count, he had to participate in caucus. No, this is not true. Although the Presidential Primary is dominating the airwaves, however, it is not the only election taking place today.

The “Texas Two Step” is the beginning process to choose the 67 Texas delegates who will attend the party’s national convention in August. After we vote in the Democratic primary, WE have the option of participating in the precinct caucuses, which are held at the election day polling location once the election is over. If the person voted early, it WILL NOT be at that location, they will have to locate the place where you would vote on election day. Since voting ends at 7:00 PM, the caucuses will either begin at 7:15; HOWEVER, caucuses CANNOT begin until the last voter has cast their ballot.

If both camps feel they can stack the deck in favor of their candidate and “take over the precinct conventions,” they better think again. The process is more complex because the Texas Democratic Party has a three-level convention system. The purpose of that convention is to choose delegates as delegates to the appropriate County or Senatorial District convention. Those who attend their County/Senatorial Convention will elect delegates to the State Convention. Those who attend the State Convention will elect delegates to the National Convention.

This is where the fun begins. You see, even if Obama won the statewide primary vote, he can still lose to Clinton. The last time the Texas Democratic Party was the center of attention was in 1988, when Michael Dukakis, Jesse Jackson, Al Gore, Richard Gephardt and Gary Hart battled it out. In 1988, Dukakis won the statewide primary vote; however, he ended up having the same number of delegates as Jackson because of the Texas primary and caucus system.

Texas primary and caucus system 101
A total of 126 delegates will be awarded based on the outcome of the vote in each of the 31 state senatorial districts. But the number of delegates available in each district is not equal: Delegates are allocated based on the votes cast in districts in the 2004 and 2006 presidential and gubernatorial elections. The state convention also elects 35 superdelegates and an additional 25 pledged-party and elected-official delegates.

What makes this process confusing; there are an additional 42 at-large delegates that are awarded at the state convention in June. These are the delegated both camps are trying to win over. Based on participation that begins in precinct caucuses on election night and ends in senatorial district caucuses at the state convention, these delegates pledge to support an individual candidate.

Once the caucus is called to order, the chair will announce how many participants support each candidate or remain uncommitted. Now how can a person remain uncommitted if they had just voted? It is possible because a person could choose to vote their conscience by voting for one of the candidates who dropped out. Or you could have voted for either Clinton or Obama and change you mind. Anything is possible.

Example
To determine how many delegates a presidential candidate will get is based on the Texas Democratic Party EZ Math Precinct Delegate Formula. For example, 58 people attended a Precinct Convention, and that precinct is entitled to elect 24 delegates and 24 alternatives to the County/Senatorial Convention. I’ll add a twist to this scenario. The people who are there 25 voted for Hillary Clinton, 18 support for Barack Obama and 15 are for John Edwards. Yes, Edwards and Bill Richardson were on the ballot.

First, you would need to figure out is Edwards camp meet a certain threshold to participate in the process. To do that, you would divide the number of attendants 58 by the number of allotted delegates, 24. Because the answer is 2.41, TDP rules, require you to you round up, therefore, the threshold for to form a caucus is 3.

Next, is to figure out the number of delegates each caucus will get. To do this, you would divide the number of supporters by the number of precinct attendants and then multiple it by the number of allotted delegates.
Clinton Group: 25/58 = 43.10% X 24 = 10.34 Rounded down = 10
Obama Group: 18/58 = 31.03% X 24 = 7.44 Rounded down = 7
Edwards Group: 15/58 = 25.86% X 24 = 6.20 Rounded down = 6

If you were one of those who did vote their conscience, but do not have enough to elect one delegate, you are allowed choice another group, in this case, either the Clinton or Obama camp. The group will then make their nominations to fill all of the delegate and alternate positions.

That is just the first step. Once you are an elected delegate or an alternate for your precinct, you will then attend your County/Senatorial Convention. In large urban counties where there are several Senatorial Districts (like mine, Harris County), you would attend a Senatorial Convention instead of a County Convention.

What is interesting about going to the County/Senatorial/State Convention, a delegate can change their minds if they wish. Like a superdelegate, they can do anything they want. Even though they were elected by rank-and-file members of the party, they have the liberty to change sides if they feel it is for the greater good of the party. From the Texas Democratic Party’s How to Be a Delegate Brochure:

Each delegate will officially sign-in indicating his/her presidential preference or uncommitted status when the delegate picks up his/her credentials.

In other words, the person you elected at the Precinct Convention can have a sudden change of heart and change their support after being elected at the Precinct Convention and you the voter will never know.

This could explain why Hillary is not worried if she doesn’t win Texas. She probably does not even have to worry if Obama won more delegates. Because in the end, it is temporary, they could support one candidate one day and change their minds between now and the next convention. I am pretty sure she would like to win flat out, but she is politically astute and she well aware how Texas politics works. Sure, you will hear the politicians talk about how this system was intended to open up the process to greater public participation and get the voters involved, but that total BS.

Politics is actually controlled by party bosses behind the scenes. Once the process goes past the Precinct level, the system reverts back to the status quo where local party bosses will get to decide who will get the nod

The days of the smoke-filled back rooms is not dead, they are just well hidden within our so-called democratic system. It is just smoke and mirrors. The political system is seized by insiders who will manipulate, coerce, deceive, and control the entire process. As Robert Putnam, author of “Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community” and “Better Together: Restoring the American Community,” put it “civic engagement is for suckers.”

I will update when I start getting some results. Hold on folks we are in for a bumpy ride.

8:00 PM
In early returns, Obama was leading with 63 percent to Clinton’s 37 percent in Harris County. Statewide, Obama led with 57 percent to Clinton’s 42 percent.

However, Hillary Clinton received more than 70 percent of the early vote in two big border counties, Hidalgo County and Webb County, according to the Rio Grande Guardian.
In Hidalgo County, Clinton won 36,454 early votes to Obama’s 12,271 votes. In Webb County, Clinton won 21,251 early votes, compared to Obama’s 5,752 votes.

9:00 PM
With 6% of the vote counted
Hillary Clinton 566,426 47.5%
Barack Obama 607,305 50.9%

In Ohio with 25% of the vote counted
Hillary Clinton 320,176 58%
Barack Obama 221,250 40%

9:30 PM
With 17% of the vote counted
Hillary Clinton 660,531 48.5%
Barack Obama 676,005 49.7%

In Ohio with 39% of the vote counted
Hillary Clinton 489,201 57%
Barack Obama 345,242 41%

10:00 PM
With 25% of the vote counted
Hillary Clinton 731,235 49.3%
Barack Obama 723,944 48.8%

In Ohio with 53% of the vote counted
Hillary Clinton 663,922 57% <- Projected Winner
Barack Obama 470,481 41%

10:30 PM
With 48% of the vote counted
Hillary Clinton 920,672 49.6%
Barack Obama 892,058 48.2%

10:45 PM
With 53% of the vote counted
Hillary Clinton 1,000,849 50.2%
Barack Obama 953,855 47.9%

11:30 PM
With 66% of the vote counted
Hillary Clinton 1,119,118 50.2%
Barack Obama 1,066,753 47.9%

Midnight
With 76% of the vote counted
Hillary Clinton 1,219,597 51% <- Projected Winner
Barack Obama 1,138,533 47%