On this Salcedo Storm Podcast:
Michael Quinn Sullivan Publisher of Texas Scorecard
AND
Brandon Waltens Texas Scorecard Managing Editor
AND
Luke Macias Texas Political Consultant and host of the Luke Macias Show
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
Folks, the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton about ready to get underway. And you know, I thought it would be a good thing to talk about its impact but not only its impact, but the way the the Paxton impeachment was rolled out as an exclamation point to the failed legislative session of failure because of the actions of certain Republicans in the Texas House of Representatives a complete and utter disaster.
This last legislative session was courtesy of these people. So I wanted to discuss not only the legislative session that was, I also wanted to discuss the ken Paxton impeachment and then what it portends for politics in Texas in the future. We kind of did something like this a Texas scorecard with me Brandon Waltons and Michael Quinn Sullivan, it was called Texas ledge in review to the Texas legislature pass GOP priorities. You can find that on YouTube. This will be the audio version extended version and we’ve added another voice that comes your way next on the Salcedo storm podcast. And now a word from our sponsor, the establishment media is out of touch with the real things real Texans care about real news for real Texans. That’s what Texas scorecard does every day. Learn more and subscribe for free. Texas scorecard.com/chris.
Wallace want to bring on some heavy hitters, some some big time honchos in the conservative movement here in the great state of Texas, Michael Quinn Sullivan, he’s the publisher of the Texas scorecard. Brandon Waltons. He’s the Texas scorecard and managing editor and Luke Macias Texas political consultant, and host of the Luke Macias show. Gentlemen, welcome.
Thanks for having us on. Appreciate it. Thank you. Thanks.
So guys, we’re gonna do a little bit of a replication of, of a program that Texas scorecard already put on, it’s in video form. And we’re going to have a little bit of an expanded conversation, and leaning more out of session and into the future. So it was great, folks, I hope you can check it out on the YouTube channel. My discussion with Brandon and with Michael Quinn Sullivan. It was good. I think it was a very good recap over and actually went beyond two guys have have the grassroots in their frustrations with the Republican Party or the Republican lawmakers in Texas. So the first question to each of you, and we’ll just go down the list. Michael, you first. The first question is the there were plenty of disappointments in the legislative session. Let’s acknowledge that. What was your biggest disappointment? Legislation? Conservative legislation that didn’t get passed?
Yeah, I would have to put it somewhere between House Bill 20, which was legislation by Matt Schaefer, that would have taken some actual legitimate strides and border security. That that’s kind of tied with legislation that actually passed out of the Senate, but then was killed in the house dealing with blocking China from having more access to Texas, Texas land and resources. You know, look, I there’s a part of the careers that kind of gets when Republican politicians don’t want to mess with the icky social issues that are literally killing our country right now. But I can at least understand that mindset, but you’re here we’re literally talking about border security. We’re talking about protecting our nation from people who have sworn literally to destroy us. And yet the Texas House refused to take actions on those very critical issues. That to me, just kind of is one of those no brainers and, therefore, it’s it feels to me a lot like the the biggest failure of the legislative session.
Mr. Waltons, what about you?
Yeah, well, you know, I’ll try to say something different here. You know, you’re just thinking about and we’ve published quite a bit of this a Texas scorecard, but looking into China’s Communist China’s influence into the Lone Star State. We’ve had theories running on this from our investigative reporters, now for over a year looking into this, and nothing was done in the state legislature queue, for example, stop foreign, hostile countries like Communist China from coming in and buying up 1000s of acres of Texas Land, in some cases near Texas military bases, buying up farmland, etc. There was legislation in the Senate, or the pass through to do this. That bill was ultimately killed in the house. And I think this was a particularly disappointing thing, because, you know, we had heard from the governor literally at one point during the session, where he had posted I believe it was on Twitter or Facebook or something and said that the Texas was going to take action on this, and yet, health leadership, let it die.
Mr. Macias, what do you think?
So I’m going to just pick another one. Because these are already great options. There’s one very obvious layup so to me, if you didn’t pass this bill, it might not be the most consequential but it’s so absolutely absurd that it didn’t pass the Senate passed a bill that would have said that when you’re born a boy, and a male, and that is on your birth certificate, you cannot change it. Because currently in Texas, you have these radical transgender parents, who will go and make the state of Texas change the birth certificate of their child to actually be the opposite of their biological sex. And so the Senate passed a bill that just said, You can’t do that anymore. And the Texas House killed it. Stephanie, click Chair of Public Health. So I actually wrote a piece on Texas scorecard. 48 conservative bills, the Texas House killed, which has a much broader list, I recommend anybody just go read that it has the bills that have been mentioned here and a bunch of others, just such obvious ones that we could have done.
For me your liberty loving Latino. I’m going to start with my very, very close almost tie the close second was the bill that was already mentioned, the prohibition of foreign enemies like Mother Russia, the People’s Republic of Iran, the number one state sponsor of terrorism, and yes, Communist China, from buying land in Texas, to compromise our food supply, to cop to spy on our military to spy on our people. So that was the close second. The number one for me, has been a longtime advocacy point for the Chris Saucedo show and the Salcedo storm podcast, which has been parental school choice. It was unconscionable given what gov Ed has been doing to our children, and what they have how they have been poisoning. And we just got word of this because of the China virus pandemic, how they’ve been poisoning the minds of our young people, for now, at least two generations. And basically this goes beyond Democrat and Republican. It’s as bipartisan support. Texans want parental school choice and education freedom. And the folks inside the Texas House, the Republicans sided with the Marxist and the socialists to deny it. So those two are my big E’s, as well.
Well, Chris, if I can just jump in. I mean, there’s your show. I’m going to I’m going to I’m going to jump into your say, you’re not only it’s one of the things that we spoke about the Brandon Waltons brought up that Lucy is brought up that I brought up, those were the Texas House, not taking action, you know, kind of the the sin of omission, right? What you’re talking about was school choice. It’s not like that they could come up with some vague sense of, you know, a misprint that they couldn’t get fixed or they ran out of time but the dog ate the homework, whatever. No, with school choice, the Texas House, okay vote. They vote to prohibit school choice from being enacted in the state until you had Republicans in the Texas House joining with Democrats to actively block school choice so that nuts a sin of omission. You know, that, that that’s in so many ways even worse, because they in some ways they could just get you to they ignored us on these other things. With school choice. You had Republicans thumbing their nose at their voters.
Yeah, and gentlemen at the Texas heist identifies the Dirty Dozen, the Chris Salcedo show and the Saucedo storm podcast as identified 24 Republicans who joined the Marxists and socialists in denying parental school choice and education freedom. And I’m just suggesting, no matter which side of the ledger you’re on, if you don’t believe, if you love big government more than you love your own children, then use this as a voter guide. Go ahead and make sure those Republicans return like Charlie Garin and others returned to Office. However, if you prize and love your children to believe you should be the arbiter of how they’re best educated, then maybe you should vote against those, those so called Republicans, I want to go down the list guys, because it was kind of a basic theme. And I’ve said this several times. And I’m just going to take I’m just gonna ask you guys for a vote if it’s too strong. You guys go ahead and feel free to correct me if you think I’m being too strong. But if you were in the Texas legislature, and you vote to kill a prohibition on foreign enemies gaining a foothold in the United States, am I to in your face or brash calling those who would kill that, of course, I’m talking to you, Todd Hunter. I’m talking to you Dustin burrows, I’m talking to you speaker feeling for those of you who killed the lowest Kolkhorst bill. Is it wrong of me to call that act a traitorous act? Michael Quinn, Salomon.
It, you know, it might be a little strong, but it’s not inaccurate. is definitely putting our people at the risk of potential harm. So to call it traitor as well, that’s going to make you know, some of our friends in you know, Republican clubs on the happy by saying it. It’s kind of accurate.
Brandon, what do you think?
Yeah, I think that, you know, especially now and I know you had on recently on your show, State Representative Brian Harrison, who called out Todhunter specifically on this bill. You know, there is a lot of anger because people know now right? They know what’s happening. They see these games that are played behind the scenes and so yeah, people people of course, are very upset of this.
And Mr. Macias again, don’t don’t feel bashful about saying, Hey, I wouldn’t use that language. But if you think it’s spot on, don’t feel Don’t be a bastion about agreeing with me either. What do you think?
I think we can all agree that it’s cowardice and so traitorous the only thing is that it implies that they’re actually loyal to these countries. And the sad thing with these guys are I don’t think it’s that I think they literally just don’t have any desire to have contentious contentions with nations who hate us. Brandon Creighton passed Senate Bill 1846. Let me tell you what this bill does. It says no things that go into our voting machines can be built from China or North Korea or Iran. Really simple. Right Senate passed it in mid April, went to the calendars committee after the elections committee sat on it Dustin burrows killed. It’s just an example where you go, does that mean that Dustin burrows literally once China to help build our voting machines? I don’t know. All I know is the man is incapable of asking his Republican colleagues to vote on a bill that if it got voted on would probably pass with 100 votes. Right. I bet you there are Democrats that would vote for sure.
And I think you’re so spot on about that, because I think that they knew that this prohibition on foreign and America’s enemies buying land in Texas would sail through it would it would go all the way through so you have to ask yourself, why would you stand in the way of a bill you knew is shares popular support, nobody wants to see America’s enemies gain a foothold into the United States to compromise our food supply or spy on our military installations or our people. So why would you protect China Why would you protect the People’s Republic of Iran Why would you protect Mother Russia and I think that Dustin burrows Dade feeling and Todd Hunter oh the people of Texas in explanation why they did so I think they owe us an explanation.
Michael like it feels like a citizen alert and or State Ag Commissioner on his put it very well when he when he describes this problem and the situation where he talks about people putting profits ahead of patriotism Yeah, and he talks about the the opposition to this coming coming from these guys who think you know what, I bought this land hoping to know to turn it around. I’m not a gentleman farmer I’m not a I’m not a real farmer. I’m an investor in properties. And you know what, if China’s going to come in and paint, pay me the most money then as a as a capitalist? I’m gonna have to go to bed at night and hope they don’t put nucular bombs on the land or something. Yeah, it’s just it’s very self centered, very ego, ego driven version of capitalism. That new beginning where it kind of says Hey, it’s okay to sacrifice our nation as long as I make a buck off of it and at some We as conservatives say, Wait a second, you know, that’s capitalism is a tool. Not a not a deity.
Yeah, no kidding. You know what? What good is that? If we’re not here, you know what good is capitalism? Yeah, go ahead.
Yeah, Chris, I, Michael, just expose a lot of this in the Texas heist, right. The documentary that got released, and talked a lot about why this is that that the legislators see their particular chamber as a chamber that needs to work with Democrats. And I will tell you, that many of these members, they believe that they have to give Democrats a certain amount of wins, and they try to convince all the new freshmen that come in, Hey, you don’t understand, we can’t pass all the Republican stuff, because then the Democrats will get so mad, and who even knows what will happen at that point. And so it truly is the mindset that they try to convince these legislators have, which is, guess what, this is just the nature of how we do things in here. And so you know, what if a bunch of these bills die, it’s just part of doing business in Texas. It is a broken mindset.
It’s like everything else. It’s all based on a lie, because we all know what the game is. It is conspiring with Democrats with just enough Republicans to basically capture power. And it has an end as the Texas heist points out, it wasn’t always like that. There. There’s the majority in Texas that votes for conservative principles and values. And it seems the Texas House as well, our job is to forget all of that. And that’s exactly the opposite of what legitimate government any legitimate government should be doing. Michael Quinn Sullivan, Brandon Waltons and Luke Macias, my guest folks on the Salcedo storm podcast. Fellas, I want to I want to pivot now, to what’s coming up here, which is on the fifth, I believe of next month. This is being recorded folks in the last part of August. So we’ve got the Paxton impeachment. And I know there were some meetings that took place until the Senate got together and they so I don’t think they’re going to dismiss this thing. Michael, read the tea leaves. First off, how’s this gonna go? Do you think? And then how are the people of Texas? Gonna respond to it?
Well, you know, I’ve always held that I’m not a political prognosticator, if I could, if I could correctly predict what politician to do, I wouldn’t be talking to you nice guys are going to beach somewhere with a drink with an umbrella right now. But that whatever. But what I am better at doing though is reading the leaves of the citizens and the mood and attitude of the citizens. I have yet to meet a single voter who thinks any of this is a good idea. Even the people who disliked Paxton, when they’re honest, the thinking the Republicans who think that may be taxing the bad guy or whatever. Even they will say, you know, this is a bad look for Texas. It’s a bad look for Republicans. There are so many other ways to deal with an incumbent official who you think just needs to go. And this just is not one of them. Particularly with, you know, this is all stuff everyone’s known for years. You know, everyone’s been talking about these things gossiping about them. I’m laughing in many cases about them, that no one actually takes this seriously. And you know, for example, there’s a state representative from North Texas, I’m not confirmed this. I’m not going to say his name. But who allegedly has been telling his constituents privately when asked she says, Oh, well, you know, we didn’t endorse him on this, that Ken Paxton took a bribe earlier this year. What well, then why didn’t you impeach him for that? It No, it’s they’re so busy spinning these fairy tales and these stories, because what this whole process is really about versus they don’t like compaction, the the crony establishment Republicans and the Democrats decided they don’t like having an active fighter as the attorney general. And so they need to get rid of him. And they can’t say that so they just make up whatever excuse happened to be conveniently lying on the table next to them. And I think that voters are not going to are not going to quickly forget what an embarrassing situation the Republicans have in the Texas House of put the state down.
Brandon, I know that you’re going to be watching it and covering it on the scorecard on the new side. But this whole process or proceeding, how it’s not only how is it going to go, but how do you think it’s going to be received by the readers of Texas scorecard.
Yeah, so what’s interesting about this whole process and you know, a lot of people have different questions about well, what is it daily? What does a day in this trial going to look like? How long is it going to go? Who’s gonna get to talk etc? You know, a lot of these questions you can talk to, you know, a handful of different lawyers, they’ll all give you different answers. Why? Well, the reason is, is that here in Texas, we haven’t used this process, right. And the last time a statewide official was impeached was over 100 years ago. And so luckily, we don’t have too much experience with this. And so that means there’s a lot of open questions. You know, potentially, you could see a situation where they dismiss many of the charges, perhaps on the first day, that’s a possibility. But if not, what you’ll probably see is the trial take two to three weeks. And I think, you know, people want to see, first of all people want to see that this process is fair. There’s certainly been questions about that even earlier this month, when you had Dan Patrick announced, he’s, he’s going to be sort of the judge in this situation. So he announced that Mark Brown, former justice from Harris County would be sort of helping guide them through that. Well, it turns out, there were a lot of conflicts of interest with this guy, he seemed very close to the people who are trying to seek to have Paxton impeached. And so he would true that pick somebody else who seems to be the less tied to either side. I use that as one example to say that, you know, above all, people do want to see that this is a fair process. Because, you know, like Michael said, citizens are really angry about this. And they’re angry about this for another reason, too, which is that it’s just another issue where we see such a difference between Texas and the rest of the country. I mean, at a time where, you know, we’ve got the mug shot of Donald Trump, and now, you know, trying to get him on 100 200 however many different charges they’re trying to indict him on, where Democrats are doing that at this point. I mean, consider what is Texas doing, Texas is allowing Democrats in this supposedly Republican controlled state to go after one of the most conservative attorney generals in the country, despite the fact that this is not anything that Republicans had been calling for, for any time, right. This came out of nowhere. And so really, I think that that, in itself is sort of embarrassing, should be embarrassing for Texas Republicans that this is what we’re doing right now, while Democrats are going to war on the national level.
Well, look, you know, since Paxton dared to go against the Karl Rove bushy machine, here in Texas and decided he’d run for attorney general. And actually when the Long Knives have been out for Ken Paxton, I’ve watched this devolve over the initial charges he was initially slapped with. He still hasn’t gotten his day in court over that they keep hanging it over him every single election. What is your read? Is this just the final play of the Bushi faction here in the state of Texas to get rid of somebody who didn’t bend the knee?
That well, that it’s definitely it’s repeatedly? Yeah.
Yeah. And they definitely it is definitely a desperate attempt by Dadeville in the bush faction Texans, for lawsuit reform all of these moderate establishment interests, who have been losing power, recognize what they’re frustrated about. The Texas House is more conservative today than it was six years ago and the Texas Senate far more conservative today than it was six years ago, the Republican Party of Texas moving to the right, so this is them basically flexing to say the little bit of power that we have that we feel like we are losing, we’re going to use to take out one of our biggest political rivals. And I want to point out a poll that the defend Texas Liberty pack released today. So Drew Springer is one of the senators who is seen as kind of on the bubble. Honestly, if you asked my opinion, I think he probably wants to vote to remove Ken Paxton because he’s a more moderate establishment senator. So in his district, the Republicans 59% of them have a favorable opinion of the job Ken Paxton is doing 94% of them know the impeachment is happening. 52% of his Republican voters want the charges against Ken Paxton dismissed. Only 22% of the voters that are Republican actually want this to proceed to a trial. So understand that if there’s a vote in the first day or the second year, the third day, and drew Springer says I am voting against the motion to dismiss I want to trial. He’s voting with the small remaining sliver of Bush faction Republicans in his district. And that is honestly what all of these forces are asking senators to do. Texas for lawsuit reform came out and said they’re the number one donor for six or seven different state senators that are sitting in that trial. And they said do not vote against the motion to dismiss. They’re basically trying to tell them vote directly against what your voters want only. Here’s what’s so funny. The one little two points that I think you’ll find interesting, Chris, one is that we asked voters in that district. If Ken Paxton gets impeached, he could still run against John Cornyn and 2026. How would you vote if he ran? And he’s beating John Cornyn 47 To 33. 14 point lead, Ted De Hoeber John Cornyn, and then they’ll the last point I’ll make is we asked him, hey, many people see this as a struggle between the establishment and the conservative side of the party. Do you agree? And 72%? Say yes. 7% say no. And this is what that means. That means a bunch of people that say, Yeah, I want him impeached are also admitting I’m an establishment Republican. I mean, yeah, that’s the battle because I’m in the establishment. So that I just think that those numbers are worth just focusing on for a minute to recognize. This is not a position that the four of us hold. This is a position that the vast majority of Republicans hold. And the senators right now are being asked don’t vote in their interest vote in the interest of a handful of Bush Republicans that still exist in your party. And the Democrats are united behind the idea of you giving them this whip.
Yeah, be like the Texas House leadership and screw over your voters that that’s in essence, what they’re saying to the to those of senators. And by the way, Luke, that was a perfect transition to the last. The last segment here that I wanted to talk with the gentleman about Michael Quinn Sullivan. He is the publisher of Texas scorecard. Brandon Waltons. He’s the Texas scorecard, managing editor, and Luke Missy is Texas political consultant and host of the Luke Misia. Show. So gentlemen, as we look ahead, and I am chomping at the bit and I maybe you guys don’t sense it, maybe it’s just my wishful thinking, I don’t know. But I am sensing with it as Brandon brought up, it’s, it’s with what’s going on with Trump. What’s going on with the surrender caucus in the Republican Party. We had Mitch McConnell freezing up again, in front of the cameras a second time. And this is a guy that’s making life or death decisions for our people, that the conservative movement isn’t inclined anymore, in particular, in states like Texas, to accommodate or to look the other way on so-called Republicans who are undermining their conservative values. We hire Republicans, we expect them to do a job. And we don’t hire people because we want them to go out there and hate us and legislate against us. So coming into the primaries, how do you see things unfolding in particular with the Dirty Dozen identified by the Texas highest in the Texas scorecard, the 24 Republicans that Salcedo storm podcast has identified Michael Quinn Sullivan, do you think this is going to be a very different primary season?
This feels a whole lot like 2010 felt that was we would have the the misery of the Obama election 2008 that ignited a whole lot of people who’d been frustrated a lot of conservatives who’ve been frustrated by Bush, you know, the big bailouts by Bush, in an incomes Obama doing even the worst things. And she had this this this kind of energized, conservative movement, people who had kind of stopped paying attention, who suddenly started realizing they had to pay attention, I’m feeling that same kind of vibrancy, that same kind of, Oh, my goodness, this is on me kind of an attitude coming from coming from a lot of folks. As I travel around the state, I’m going to these clubs and organizations that would, you know, in the dead of summer have 30 or 40 people there and instead are having 100 or 200 people. This is indicative that the march 2024 primary is not going to go well, for Republicans who think that simply being a nicer Democrat is going to get them elected. If they’re challenged. No, look, you know, you don’t need somebody with nobody. And so you these guys win if they’re not challenged, if they have a credible challenger, they’re not gonna do well. And the same thing goes, you know, going into November, I might just have to have this sense that people are ready to do in 2024. What we saw people do in 2010. And that is, is you stand up and in the effort to reclaim the government.
Brandon, how do you read this? Are you sensing a different kind of energy coming into this primary?
Yeah. And I think it’s for one of the reasons that I listed out earlier, which is that this this year, right now in this session, and this has been sort of building up a trend, but it seems like people are becoming more and more aware of what’s going on right, the scam that’s being played on there in the state legislature more so than 10 years ago, certainly more so than 20 years ago. And so that’s got a lot of these guys scared. Lastly, there’s also an interesting thing and you talked about school choice, something that Republican lawmakers with lawmakers in general rather, are going to likely be called back later this year for a special session on you have some people. One example would be state representative Glenn Rogers, who was somebody that It was who narrowly won in the last election with the support of Governor Greg Abbott has since then opposed school choice. Abbott has said that this is his kind of biggest issue right now, and certainly has been an issue that he’s been campaigning on. So the question is, is without that sort of support going into the next session, going into the next election, rather, you know, what effect does that have on it? I think that there’s a lot of question, I think a lot of these guys right now are trying to make that calculus saying, Look, did we really do enough this session that I can go home and campaign and say that we that we did a good job, and you know, we’ve listed out just a few bills, but we could list out I mean, you know, Luke has a list of like, 50 of them, right, just different bills that the Texas House killed. And so there were a lot of missed opportunities. And I think each one of those is going to be very, very difficult for some of these guys who are especially tied to leadership to explain to their voters back home.
And Luke, do you think you brought this dynamic up, that there’s that there is a an attitude, and I we’ve even highlighted this with certain lawmakers on the radio show on the on the podcast, they say they get they get set down up there, and they get told this is how this is the culture here we, we kiss the butts of Democrats, that’s what we do here in the Republican Party, and the Republican controlled House. And now that as Brandon articulated, the people are starting to get, you know, hip to the game, and they don’t want to play anymore. They know it’s not a game. They know that their families are hurt by what these so called Republicans are doing. Do you think that this is the year where the Strauss element, the bond element, is wiped out of the Texas House.
So I do think that the most liberal members of the legislature are very vulnerable, going into reelection, that much is very clear. I will just say that if people in their districts don’t organize, and don’t work to go out and tell every single Republican voter about what’s happened, then those people will remain in power, statistically, the vast majority of them remain in power, we have had a handful of these wave elections, that has taken a lot of them out. So I just think that if people don’t take it seriously, the cake is not baked, yet. It is going to take a lot of work. And I will tell you this: the establishment is going to spend more than they ever have. And I see it already the casino gambling interests that are coming in, they’re teaming up with Texans for lawsuit reform, I envision that coalition spending 10s of millions of dollars to try to cover up the sins of so many of these legislators that they committed during the legislative session. So it is gonna take a lot of work. That being said, the voters are not happy to Michael’s point, they’re upset, they know that they’ve been played, and they’re not having it. So the more educated voters are more upset than ever before, that sets up for a great environment, which is why you see a lot of Texans around the state deciding to jump into the fray deciding to launch their campaign. So I’m excited about the momentum that I’m seeing. I’m excited about all the candidates that I’m seeing, I expect more challengers to convert to liberal Republicans than at any time in Texas history since I’ve looked at it, which is 2006. So from 2006 to now, I think we’re setting up for a very good situation.
From your lips to God’s ears. Michael Quinn Sullivan, Brandon Waltons Luke Macias, some of the most trusted voices in the conservative movement, and in actual real news here in the state of Texas. Gentlemen, you have my admiration and my thanks.
Thanks for having truly appreciate it. Thanks, Chris.
That puts a wrap on this special edition of the Salcedo storm podcast. Do me a favor my friends, visit Texas scorecard.com You’ll find the Texas heist there you’ll find a lot of good stuff there. And you’ll get better coverage of the Paxton impeachment at Texas scorecard than anyplace else. In Texas. Also go to Chris salcedo.com CHR is Sal ce do.com That is where you find me the Chris Salcedo shows on AM 700k SCV the voice of Texas that’s morning talk radio also on Newsmax TV. That is four o’clock in the afternoon to five Eastern Monday through Friday, always at home on the Salcedo storm podcast. Till we visit again, my friends remember this society’s worth is not measured by how much power is stolen by government. It’s measured by how much power is reserved for you and me. We the People stay safe out there my friends.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
