Debra Medina - My Impressions

Briefly, so you'll understand where I'm coming from: Once upon a time, when I was a naive youngster, I voted for Jimmy Carter under the impression that it just made sense to have a God fearing man as president (it took nearly 30 years to elect a worse president ;o). I didn't get involved in politics until a few years later when we started home schooling our youngsters. At that time, I got on board with Ross Perot and United We Stand. After a month or two of that, I figured out that I was in the wrong place, found some activists working to reform the Republican party and dove in. To give you an idea where I stand on the "conservative scale," I was a delegate to the '96 Republican National Convention. Our delegation refused to elect our sitting governor, GW Bush, as president of our delegation because we felt that he wasn't conservative enough - more about big government power than reducing government. I figure we called that one rightly. 

While I was trying to figure out how to spell conservative, Debra Medina was already diving in (please give me a little latitude -- I was indoctrinated in government schools and didn't really start my education till we started home schooling our youngsters). Anyway, Debra was busy learning about how life really works because she was raised on a ranch. Apparently, her dad taught her a few things about honor. She's careful about what she says because she knows she has to own her words. Something that's sorely lacking in politics of any era. 

I first met Debra a couple of years ago at our state convention. Keep in mind that the power structure in our party was put in place by folks like me. We worked hard to get "good ole boys" out of the system. But guess what, I, and many of my fellow warriors, let our guards down once we "won" the battle. The next thing you know, the leaders we put in place began to like it there. They didn't want to step down (thank God we managed to place, then keep term limits on party officials!). Our conventions evolved into a showcase for the "good ole boy" system only now, our people were the good ole boys. The order of business was arranged so that it was next to impossible to unseat the incumbent power structure. Deborah, not knowing that the folks in power don't have to obey the rules, became our point person to try and overturn this lopsided structure. Of course, it wasn't just her, but she was the point person and led the charge all the way to the court house. In the court house, she discovered that the judge knew who buttered his bread (we elect judges in Texas so judges pander to whichever party it takes to get elected). Anyway, she lost that battle, we lost the election for chair, and the sitting Chairwoman, Tina Benkiser, did a little victory jig across the stage just to make sure everybody knew that she had mashed this little hayseed into the dirt. I won't forget that. 

Well, Deborah still didn't know that she was supposed to sit down and do as she was told. What she knows is that power has to be tempered by truth and justice. You see, over the years, she had become a student of classic liberals (if you think "liberal" originally referred to Democrats then you have some educational gaps to fill). I'm talking about liberals like Thoreau, Locke, Mieses etc. True to her education, she is now standing on principles because they are right. She introduced me to the concept of how property taxes mean that we don't own our land (after doing my homework, I agree with Deborah). Deborah is brave enough to make the property tax issue a plank of her campaign -- which demonstrates another level of her character -- do what's right because it's right, not just because it's convenient. 

Deborah understands humility. She's in this race because it's a job that needs to be done, not because she wants power. She is responding to people who kicked, goaded, and begged her to take on the challenge. I think this is the sort of statesmanship that our founders assumed would exist: Do your tour of duty, then go home. 

Because of Deborah's foundation, we won't have to work so hard to keep her under control. Example: I was proud of our legislature when they nullified Gov. Perry's executive order for putting our young daughters on Guardisill. This is just plain off limits in Deborah's world view so it never would have happened. 

On the life issue, Deborah is a little bit to the right of the Pope. Instead of throwing in caveats about rape, incest, health or whatever she acknowledges that human life begins at inception and that life has the right to exist until its natural death. Her position is not just about saving babies and old people. A TRUE protector of life understands that it's not up to us to decide who lives or dies (except for capital punishment, which itself is in need of a makeover). When we understand that life comes from God, that should temper all our decisions related to fundamental rights. If the question of life is arbitrary, then EVERYTHING is arbitrary and that's the foundation (if you can call it that) of post modernism - another enemy of liberty. 

Probably the biggest reason that Deborah Medina is the best choice for Texas is we Texans. When she becomes governor, it will be because we Texans elected her. She won't have to mollycoddle big donors with deep pockets. When she's elected, the legislature will know that we Texans have spoken. The legislature will begin to respond to we Texans because we Texans will become the seat of power. I know this will take years and decades but she's getting the ball rolling. 

And one final note for now. . . Deborah Medina was living the 9-12 principles and values decades before Glenn Beck ever came along. She doesn't have to live up to his standards. He obviously has trouble living up to hers. Maybe she can school him a bit if he can keep his arrogance in check. Yet another reason why Medina is the best choice for Texas!