Democrats 2, Republicans 1 = Not The Actual Perspective

Let's face it...In recent weeks, the Democrats have outpolled Republicans largely by a 2-to-1 margin. Some would point that there is more enthusiasm on the left side of the aisle than on the right. But from a broader perspective, a 2-to-1 Democrat majority at the polls is not very troubling to Texas Republicans, and what I will present will explain...

First, the presidential race is already over for the GOP. Polls show John McCain with a huge lead over Mike Huckabee. In spite of Huckabee's chances to appeal to socially conservative voters, he still comes up short compared to large McCain majorities witnessed in suburbs like those of Northern Virginia and Milwaukee after Mitt Romney dropped the ball (To be honest, Mitt would have carried Fort Bend had he stayed in it, and I was going for Rudy Giuliani well before he dropped the ball...I stayed in it well to the end). McCain has picked up Mitt (fiscal conservative), Rudy (classic moderate) and Fred Thompson (Southern conservative) as supporters, and more is surely to come for McCain. By contrast, Huckabee is practically in it either to give religious conservatives a choice, or better yet to give McCain a potential running mate opportunity. Ron Paul is no longer a factor in the race.

By contrast, the Democrats are now at a crossroads. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are playing the shell game when it comes to what they want to win, and who they want to win over. Therefore, Democrats are energized for the first time in years, independents already sold on a McCain GOP nomination are taking a look at this race, and Republicans themselves want to sweeten the pot.

In Clinton's case, she is betting on high voter turnout among older Americans, meat-and-potatoes Democrats who advocate minimum wage and health care, Latinos (older ones mainly), and those who believed in Bill Clinton's legacy. For Obama, the key to victory (and a November honeymoon with McCain...and Ralph Nader) focuses on younger voters (and I know many friends who are Obamacrats and Obamacans), wine-and-cheese Democrats and more affluent socially moderate-to-liberal Republican stereotypes, African-Americans, and those who want something different (including those who agree that Hillary is divisive). As Fort Bend is a family county, I cannot pick sides on this one since Fort Bend represents America, and America as a whole is diverse, united in pride and patriotism, and looking towards a brighter future, much in the same way Fort Bend is.

Therefore, the stakes are more divided in the Dems' den, and therefore the Democrats are the big primary for the moment. Not to mention John Edwards holding out on who to nominate, but he seems to be the eventual veep nominee.

Second, the numbers for early voting statewide show Democrats outpolling the GOP 3-to-1. In fact, only in Montgomery County (which went 3-to-1 for Bush in 2004) did the GOP outpoll Democrats, and cannot think of one Democrat holding elected office other than precinct chair in MonCo, just like the Republicans dominate countywide office here in Fort Bend (it probably won't be the case in Harris though courtesy of the Chuck Rosenthal scandal). Given the proportions, any county whose early voting for Republicans measured four percent or more of registrations this year suggests good prospects for Republicans in 2008...and that bodes well for Collin, Denton, Fort Bend, Montgomery, and Williamson county GOPers.

Finally, Republicans have already settled on their choices. Save for the CD22 primary, Texas GOP pools have already been set in stone, with John Cornyn running for re-election, many Republicans without major opponents, and some members of the party now beginning to stand up for what they believe in instead of what their more controversial cohorts have done. In contrast, the Democrats have done poorly in capitalizing on their takeover of Congress, and now Democratic pundits in Austin are aiming to tie Republicans of all stripes, regardless of how independent their voting records are, to Rick Perry and Tom Craddick when in reality many GOP state representatives have taken shots at the two...Charlie Howard for instance attacked Perry for his stance on the HPV vaccine. When apples get compared to oranges, voters will eventually see that the views of a handful of organizations should not set the agenda for our state, or our country.

These facts should not discourage Republicans from going to the polls. We have a competitive CD22 race...a competitive HD26 race...competitive Precinct 1 races...and come May, a competitive race for Mayor in Sugar Land.

Vote March 4...it will be the one day you will never regret!