Good morning!

Accountability is not an “election-thing,” but a governing mindset every citizen must have toward elected officials every day. I reflect on that notion at the end of today’s Texas Minute.

– Michael Quinn Sullivan
Friday, Nov. 11, 2022

Love Our Nation? Thank A Veteran! 🇺🇸

• Today, Americans pause to honor the men and women who have answered the call to serve our nation by donning the uniforms of our armed forces. In war and at peace, at home and abroad, they faithfully upheld their oath to defend our nation from its enemies. 
   
• From all of us at Texas Scorecard, thank you!

📺 The Headline In Arizona

• The Headline with Brandon Waltens is coming to you this week from Arizona. He is on the ground in Phoenix as ballots continue to be counted in the gubernatorial race that could have major implications on how Texas handles the invasion at the border. The Arizona GOP’s Gina Swoboda explains why the process is taking so long and what the campaigns are doing to make sure the election is fair. 
      
• You can watch this special edition of The Headline on our website, or on Texas Scorecard’s YouTube or Rumble channels.
      
• Waltens also interviewed Texas’ Don Huffines, who has spent several days this week with the Lake campaign. “I think that she will be similar to Ron DeSantis in Florida. But the fact that she’ll be a governor of a border state makes her position more important. I think she’ll prove what it means for a state to be sovereign. And the border issue is the foundation of that.”

SBOE Members Attend Conference Promoting Critical Race Theory

• Five members of the State Board of Education – three Democrats and two Republicans, including the chairman – attended a conference promoting critical race theory. Katy Drollinger has the details.
      
• The conference was hosted by the National Association of State Boards of Education. The four-day conference encouraged SBOE members from across the country to attend sessions and talks to “leverage their role in the education ecosystem to lead for equity and excellence.” Seemingly innocuous, “equity” is commonly associated with critical race theory, and education officials often use the term to push for equal outcomes instead of equal opportunities.
     
• Attending the conference from Texas were Democrats Aicha Davis, Rebecca Bell-Metereau, and Marisa Pérez-Díaz, as well as Republicans SBOE chairman Keven Ellis and Tom Maynard. While SBOE members are elected in districts, the chairman is appointed by the governor.

Three Strikes… Is Beto Out?

• Once considered a “rising star” in the Democrat Party, Robert “Beto” O’Rourke has now lost three straight bids for office. Sydnie Henry explores what could be next for the candidate now known as a “superstar loser” by the liberal media.
      
• A former U.S. congressman from El Paso, O’Rourke dashed onto the national stage by challenging U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018, only to lose by nearly 200,000 votes. He turned that loss into a failing bid for the Democrats’ presidential nomination in 2020.
     
• After three very expensive failures, any future electoral bids for O’Rourke will be a challenge.

Slaton Endorses Tinderholt for Texas House Speaker

• State Rep. Bryan Slaton (R-Royse City) endorsed State Rep. Tony Tinderholt (R-Arlington) for speaker of the Texas House. 
   
• Tinderholt announced his challenge to incumbent House Speaker Dade Phelan (R-Beaumont) last week, saying his concerns with Phelan stem from a lack of movement on the Republican Party’s legislative priorities. Notably, Tinderholt wants to end the practice of Republicans giving leadership positions to Democrats.
   
• Slaton echoes Tinderholt’s concerns with Phelan, saying: “Texans have voted to put Republicans in power because they want Republicans to control government and Republican policy to become law.”

Cravens: Harris County’s Election Meltdown

• Felicia Cravens has more than 20 years of experience serving voters at the polls in Harris County. In a new commentary, she explains what brought elections to a standstill in Texas’ most populous county.
     

• “We’re stuck with another unelected elections administrator who continues what the first one started: undermining the confidence of voters in this county in their elections,” writes Cravens. “Maybe it IS time for the Legislature to get involved. The Harris County Elections Administration has proven that it cannot be trusted to manage our elections.”

Friday Reflection
Accountability Season Never Ends

No one likes to talk about “accountability.” It has become kind of a dirty word.

We like being given credit, and we can stomach a “friendly criticism.” Most people, though, rebel against accountability – personally and professionally. You know where this is going.

And, yes, I know the election is over and some are wondering why I’m talking about accountability now. It is because the need for accountability never ends. It is because the politicians made a lot of promises over the last several months, and now the citizens must demand they deliver without excuse.

Frankly, the lack of political accountability is destroying our nation.

In part, it is because we treat the art of governing like a game. Most of us focus on the major leagues, the Elephants versus the Donkeys. A few people enjoy the minors, with less sexy names like “Greens” and “Libertarians.”

In the gamification of politics, though, none of us actually want to be seen as criticizing our own team. We vehemently condemn “the others,” even when it’s our team stabbing us in the back.

First, we need to back off from the political teams and sides and remember that, as citizens, we are the masters and guardians of this republic and our rights – not the politicians or the bureaucrats.

Second, we need to stop treating politicians like celebrities; they are our servants. If at lunch a waiter spills coffee in your colleague’s lap and laughs about it, you’re unlikely to leave a tip or even visit that restaurant again. It’s not personal, you just don’t want to take the risk of wearing coffee.

Third, it’s easier to blame someone else. It’s easier to assign fault to politicians from somewhere else than to admit we might have made a bad choice in a previous election. If the incumbent on our ballot was a disappointment, doesn’t that mean we failed?

So, in defiance of rationality, we re-elect our own incumbents while wanting everyone else to ditch theirs. We want political accountability to be what other voters do to their incumbents.

Instead, we should treat electing politicians just like we do hiring employees in our businesses. When an employee doesn’t work out, the business owner or hiring manager doesn’t take it personally; those things happen. The resume and interview were great, but the employee failed to perform. Move on to someone who will.

The results of an “accountability” mindset might come fruition on Election Day, but it starts again the day after the election. We must be in constant communication with both our elected servants and our fellow citizens. We must continually remind the politicians of our expectations, and encourage our neighbors and friends to do likewise.

We must be tracking the servants’ performance, or lack thereof, and ensure they know that we know what they are doing in our name – for better or for worse.

Yes, there is an entire industry in our state and national capitals devoted to shielding politicians from accountability. But those efforts only work when the citizens aren’t actively engaged.

In this self-governing republic, accountability must be our civic watchword. We must give credit where it is due, assign blame for failure, and always do so by putting the ideals of liberty – the ideals of America – first.

🎶 We'll Be Watching You (Government) 🎶