I Think I've Found The Most Conservative County In Texas: Hartley County

Over 90% for Greg Abbott with turnout at over 60%.

The population is 5,537 which includes those in the confines of Dalhart Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

We've Got Another College Kid Winning That Basketball Contest

Unlike the one I posted last week, he got help on the rebounds. (Boy, did he need it.)  And nice 'fro on the white boy!!!

Hey, That Lady From Iowa Who Grew Up Castrating Hogs Won!

Let's go to her for a reaction to the big win:

Index

I don't think you could get away with this today.

Random Wednesday Morning Thoughts

• No election surprises on the national or Texas level last night. 
• I was impressed that J.D. Clark got a whopping 83% of the vote for Wise County Judge but then I noticed basically every single Republican in statewide voting received 80% or more of the Wise County vote. I'll have to check, but I bet that is at all time highs. 
• Texas won't be blue if Democrats sit on their arse: In the last presidential election, 3,300,124 Texans voted for President Obama.  Wendy Davis received 1,820,571 votes in this election. Yeah, it's a mid-term election, but still. 
• But I just checked Abbott's comparable numbers: Romney got 4,569,843 and Abbott received 2,775,353.   If my math is right, Davis received 55.1% of what Obama received and Abbott got 60.1% of what Romney received. Significant, but not "game on" changing. 
• I love this election stuff. 
• Nationally, the most entertaining thing to watch in the future is how the Normal Republicans and the Tea Party Republicans get along in the Senate. I'm counting on Ted Cruz to not let us down in the entertainment department.
• And since President Obama can veto any crazy legislation without fear of an override, we have a stalemate for the next two years. And I'm fine with that. 
• Craig Watkins lost the DA's race in Dallas County by a hair. An incumbent and a Democrat DA in that county lost. You have to be a major screw-up to pull that off. And, make no mistake about it, he's a major screw-up. And not very smart. And unethical. Other than that, he's a swell guy. 
• The Republicans lost 27% of the house in the mid-terms. Oh, I'm sorry. Wrong election. That occurred under Abraham Lincoln. It takes a while for the "current" to be put into "historical" perspective. 
• I've said it before, if the government tells me I can no longer sell my mineral rights to a fracking company, hasn't the government, legally speaking, "taken" my minerals without compensation?
• Brian Knox has a column in the Messenger this week which begins "Dear APD:".  I think I'm a smart guy, but I have no idea what the heck he is talking about. It's written like a break up letter but he's clearly talking about some undescribed medical procedure. Someone over there clue me (and the rest of the county) in. 
• Bad cop: A Grapevine police officer was placed on administrative leave after admitting to taking and ingesting K-9 training narcotics.
• I've often wondered about cops stealing drugs.  If I have a client accused of possessing 2.5 grams of meth (a third degree felony) and the lab comes back with .9 grams (only a state jail felony), we probably aren't going to complain. And the cop can always say, "The 2.5 grams was the weight including packaging." 
• "Alex from Target" was a marketing scheme? (And how do I know about Alex from Target? I have a teenage girl in the house.) 
• Bowie had its first murder in 20 years.  You know, it's possible the guy could have claimed it was an accident (and he still might), but it doesn't help that you later burn the body. 
• Looked up last night and Family Pup #2 had a diaper on. 

Above The Fold

Six In Ten Go Straight Ticket

Wise County straight ticket voting early: 60 percent. Of those, 87 percent Republican, 13 percent Democrat.
— WCMessenger.com (@WCMessenger) November 5, 2014

And I expect that will mirror the final results. Edit: Those numbers are basically exactly what the final numbers showed.

I've never understood the straight ticket voter regardless of party.

Dancing Anchor Guy During Break Wrapping Up Your Monday

Side note: I bet she's the life of the party.

DPS Was Lying To You In 1974

So it's the end of August with around 1,550 traffic deaths in Texas. (I'm assuming "Major" Bell wasn't using fiscal year numbers.) So let's go crazy and assume it double by the end of the year to get us around 3,000. (That's what is was for 2009 and 2010, by the way.)

How many murders/homicides actually occurred in the U.S. that year? (Back up source with same number.)

Heck, there were 970 murders in Chicago in 1974.

David Dewhurst Won't Die!

Ballot irregularities omit my name from ballot in Bexar Co. Call Secretary of State if you spot other problems http://t.co/7KEr3k5bC9
— Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 4, 2014

In all seriousness, this better not be a widespread problem throughout Bexar County. Abbott could win without it, but still.

Edit: Reports are trickling in that we've got a photoshop hoax here.

Index 1956

This is for Bridgeport folks only, I suppose.  Heck, it may only be for me.

For my entire childhood and teenage years, Mr. and Mrs. Funk (they always let me call them G.B. and Norma Gale) were my next door neighbors. I got a kick out of coming across their wedding story. Lots of long time Bridgeport names in there.

There's not much else on the page other than a State Fair ad and an alert about an "apartment shortage" with instructions to alert the mayor if you have a place to rent.

Edit: And Norma Gale to the rescue in '74:

Senate Forecast For Tonight

Those are the States in play. Seven Democrat incumbents. Two Republican.

The "+" means the number of percentage points of the expected win. For example, in North Carolina, there is a 69% chance that the Democrat will win with the most likely margin being by 1% point of the vote.

Source: The great Nate Silver. (I don't know how he does it, but that guy is good.)

Did Someone Kidnap Tony Romo And Replace Him With A High School Kid?

Random Index Photo From 1974

Random Tuesday Morning Thoughts

• Marshall ISD has banned tackle football for the 7th Grade. So it begins?
• Mark Cuban gave another press conference while he was on the Stairmaster yesterday. How he isn't smart enough to know how embarrassing that looks is amazing.
• The Republicans shouldn't worry about taking the Senate today. The Republicans should worry about the future if they can't take the Senate today.  If they don't, my long term prediction of "It's Demographics, People" has officially taken hold.
• But LiberallyLean.com, based upon my own personal exit polls, has just projected Greg Abbott the winner in the governor's race. [Insert fanfare, a Texas flag, an eagle, and a cowboy here.]
• On The Ticket's Hardline yesterday, all three guys (who are 45 years of age or older) did not know what time the polls close.
• In of all the good economic news I put in a bullet point yesterday, I forgot to mention gas prices around $2.60.  (But I'm sure that number is the product of cooking the books and you have to pay more if you really knew what was going on.)
• "Special prosecutors are claiming that Texas Gov. Rick Perry should not be given access to a grand jury transcript, citing 'concern' of retaliation against witnesses." Here's a little advice for the special prosecutors: Turn it over. You come across as unethical and scared little girls trying to conduct a witch hunt. 
• Had an out-of-town lawyer come up to me and another Decatur lawyer in the courtroom during felony docket the other day and ask, "Could you point the prosecutors out for me?" I'd hate to tell his client, but that's not a good start. 
• I watched a little bit of The Voice last night to watch Reagan James (she's from Burleson and the daughter of the former producer of the Mark Davis radio show.) She's great. But I think it was wierd that momma, who is smart, tweeted afterwards "If you could all spare $1.29 to buy my daughter's single [and] make her dreams come true that would be lovely. https://itun.es/us/Fp5U3  #TheVoice."  A note of encouragement wouldn't "make her dreams come true"? You have to monetize it? (Trust me, they ain't hurting for money.)
• My prediction of the Cowboys winning less than eight games is still intact. But, man, if it came to fruition, we'd have the greatest meltdown in Cowboys history. And I talked to a guy in the courthouse yesterday who actually bet the Cowboys would win eight or more and he was very nervous. 
• It's 23 days until Thanksgiving. It's 51 days until Christmas.
• Remember all the ongoing court fights over Voter ID? Guess the number of official "voter ID" cards that Texas has issued? If you chose 340 you would be correct.
• Motorcycle death in Fort Worth. Motorcycle death near DFW airport.
• It really is Idiocracy when an endorsement by Chuck Norris actually has an impact . . . 

Firing It Up Early For Tomorrow

Reader Email

Barry,

I read your blog everyday. So funny. Have you heard about the Jimmy Kimmel thing where he asks people to video their kids after telling them they all all their Halloween candy? its pretty great. So, I did it this year. Can you help promote my video. I live in Fort Worth.

Well, here you go. But I'm not responsible for what I believe to be the thrashing you are about to receive. Godspeed, sir.

Although it can come across as a funny bit when edited:

Time, Sadly, Marches On

Click has lost his Clack. NPR announces Tom Magliozzi of @cartalk has died. Rest in peace
— Arnie Seipel, NPR (@NPRnie) November 3, 2014

I'm not saying that Car Talk was "must listen" radio for me, but I listened to it a heck of a lot over the years. I know nothing about cars, don't really car about cars, but the chemistry and the laughter between those two guys would put a smile on anyone's face.