Every Friday morning, I join the Cardle & Woolley Show on Talk 1370 Radio in Austin to announce the week’s Winners & Losers. Not sure why there are so many more winners than losers this week, but here’s who made the list.
WINNER: Texas Congressional District Map Stands
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the Texas new congressional map can stay in place for next year’s election. My favorite line from the ruling is the conservative majorities’ assertion that the “lower court had failed to presume legislative good faith.” I think many people have forgotten that there is any such thing as “legislative good faith”—so great to see it affirmed.
The Supremes also charged that opponents of the map had presented circumstantial evidence and that it was too close to the election (the filing deadline is on Monday). The high court said, “the District Court improperly inserted itself into an active primary campaign, causing much confusion and upsetting the delicate federal-state balance in elections.”
Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch wrote that it was clear that Texas lawmakers had drawn lines based on partisanship—whether voters were likely Democrats or Republicans—not race, which made the map legal. This is a big win for Texas Republicans. It will add five new Texas house seats and energize Republicans across the state who have been engaged in congressional campaigns for months.
California’s new map that adds five new Democrat-leaning House seats will have to meet the same challenge, proving partisanship, not racial gerrymandering. Odds seem good that will happen, but you never know.
WINNER: Trump Ends Biden’s Green Fuel Mandates
In a great move for Texas and the world this week, President Donald Trump announced that he is ending Joe Biden’s fuel economy and emission regulations for new cars and light trucks. Biden had pronounced that they’d all have to get 50.1 miles to the gallon by 2031. Trump rolled that back to 34.5.
This move will likely make cars cheaper—we saw just last week in California that they have decided that electric vehicles are not really financially feasible. Biden’s regulations have been costing both jobs and money, while Trump has always seen that policies that hamstring fossil fuels have crippling side effects that sap our economic strength and even our national security. And, as we know in Texas, fossil fuels are critical when it comes to reliability.
WINNER: Trump Pardons U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar
President Donald Trump issued a “full and unconditional pardon” this week of Laredo Congressman Henry Cuellar. Cuellar, a Democrat, was the first Texas Secretary of State to serve under former Gov. Rick Perry, who appointed him in 2001. He was first elected to Congress in 2005—so he’s been there 20 years.
Trump stated that the feds went after Cuellar when he broke with his party regarding their open border policies, instead supporting what Trump had done to close the border. Nobody doubts Cuellar when he said the people in his district he agreed with him. Cuellar is one of the few remaining moderate Democrats, and says he intends to run for re-election next year.
WINNER: Creighton Takes Charge at Texas Tech
Brandon Creighton, the new Chancellor at Texas Tech, is not the first Texas conservative to call out the ideological indoctrination that has contaminated the culture on most university campuses, including in Texas, but, working alongside Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, he is the first person to take steps to eradicate it.
Creighton wrote legislation that empowers regents to review the curriculum. And this week, he provided the guidelines for that process. For starters, no one will be taught that there are more than two genders.
Next, no one will be taught that one race is inherently superior to another. Do they do that? Absolutely. Theories of “white supremacy,” and “colonization” appear in dozens of courses, teaching that students of one race are guilty of crimes and other races are not.
The same is true of the notion that an “individual, by virtue of race or sex, is inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive, consciously or unconsciously.” Does that happen? You bet it does. Ever hear anyone say, “Check your white privilege at the door”? That’s why prohibiting the teaching that moral character is determined by race and that individuals bear responsibility or guilt for actions of others of the same race.
Creighton’s memo also said no person can be discriminated against or receive adverse treatment because of race or sex. Isn’t that already illegal? Yes, but just last year Texas A&M had to end its involvement in a higher ed program that did not allow white or Asian students to apply.
Finally, Creighton’s directive notes that students cannot be taught that “meritocracy or a strong work ethic are racist, sexist, or constructs of oppression.” If you are thinking, who thought they were, the answer is basically every DEI professor and text book writer in the country. Michael Sandel, at Harvard, wrote a book called “The Tyranny of Merit.” DEI programs have identified an “emphasis on hard work” as racist, as well as time schedules and punctuality requirements.
Creighton has been fearless in tackling this massive ideological misinformation campaign, and his latest move is one more step in returning our universities to places of open inquiry and freedom of thought.
WINNER: Trump Puts Media on the Record
I concluded a while ago that fighting media bias is tilting at windmills. Even when you catch the media red-handed, they never confess, they never apologize, they never correct and, most importantly, they never change.
Just this week, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessant slammed down New York Times’ writer Andrew Ross Sorkin, who questioned him about a New York Times report that Trump was slowing down—working shorter hours, holding fewer meetings. Hours after the New York Times story was released, the White House provided logs showing that Trump routinely works 12 hour days, in addition to outside political activities.
Bessant pointed out that the New York Times was deeply involved in the repeated failure to report Joe Biden’s cognitive decline—which he called “one of the greatest scandals of our times.”
It was fun to watch Bessant take down Sorkin, but it is unlikely to make any difference. Still, the Trump White House website, Misleading.Bias.Exposed, is a good counter to the avalanche of biased news coverage.
Speaking of, it’s time for Politifact’s annual “Lie of the Year” contest where they allow their readers to vote on what they deem to be the biggest untruths of the last 12 months. This year voters can choose from six alleged “lies” by President Trump, five alleged lies by other conservatives, versus one alleged lie each from J.B. Pritzger and Hakeem Jeffries—along with internet story that Trump was dead.
LOSER: Jasmine Crockett’s Potential Senate Run?
A poll from the left-leaning Change Research reported this week that half of Democrats say they definitely would not vote for U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, who is suggesting that she will announce on Monday that she is running for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Sen. John Cornyn.
Crockett, who represents a big chunk of Dallas in Congress, gained notoriety after referring to Gov. Greg Abbott as “Governor Hot Wheels,” and explaining that she supports open borders because black people are done picking cotton—meaning that illegal immigrants are needed to work in America’s fields.
Crockett has the highest name ID of any Democrat in the poll, but 40 percent of Democrats view her negatively, which can give us all some hope that Texas Democrats aren’t totally clueless. Crockett said this week that she is “closer to yes than to no” when it comes to running for the statewide job, and told reporters today said she was calling others who are already in the race.
It would be absolutely terrific for conservatives if Crockett was at the top of the Democrat ticket in Texas running for the U.S. Senate—she is a gift that keeps on giving. Every time she opens her mouth, she demonstrates the combination of irrationality and hatefulness that has become the progressive Democrat brand. Still, I will not be surprised if she ultimately walks away. Even if she wins the Democrat nomination she is unlikely to win the seat. Even this lefty poll shows Democrats 10 points behind. I think it’s a stunt by Crockett to get attention—but I would love to be wrong.
WINNER: San Antonio Spur Victor Wembanyama Makes Forbes ‘30 Under 30’
It is a victory for all of Texas that the 7’4” San Antonio Spur Victor Wembanyama has been named to the Forbes “30 Under 30” list in the sports category, not just because he was “Rookie of the Year” and then NBA defensive player of the year, but because of everything else he is doing to expand the basketball fan base. The Spurs don’t win as much as they used to, but Wemby feels like the championship Spurs used to feel—international, innovative and dedicated to the community. Whenever Wemby is playing, the game gets better—and now more people will be watching.
WINNER: Tech Plays for Big 12 Title
Texas Tech Red Raiders will take on BYU tomorrow in Arlington for the Big 12 Championship. Tech beat BYU last month in Lubbock in what some viewed as an upset, and the Raiders are the favorite to win tomorrow—but it won’t be easy. BYU will be looking for revenge. GUNS UP!
Have a great weekend.