Dickey: Press fiddles while Rome burns

Travis GOP Chairman James Dickey was interviewed on KXAN-TV about the ridiculous back-and-forth about the wives of presidential hopefuls Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. But Mr. Dickey had a perspective other than which wife would make the best First Lady or if either were cheated on: 

"Bottom line, it’s an unfortunate effect of the celebrity race – and culture – we find ourselves in that in a week when dozens have been killed by terrorists, and our President literally attended a baseball game not only with a dictator but with leaders of groups classified by his own State department as terrorists, the focus is on the rumors about the private life of one of the candidates."

More observations, including the news clip, are on Dickey's blog at: http://jamesrdickey.com/2016/03/26/on-the-uncorroborated-allegations-against-ted-cruz

Austin Republican convention given live coverage

Leland Freeman

You've got to love Austin politics.

Where else would you hear law-and-order types from the Travis County Republican Party interviewed during the same radio segment as a documentary maker promoting lifestyle-based voluntary Anarchism?

Hats off to Be Brave Radio for their amicable approach toward our common struggle for greater liberty and personal freedom, and for their coverage of the Travis County Senatorial District 14 Convention on March 19. The weekly radio show is broadcast live on local Christian radio enterprise Logos Radio Network on KAWZ-FM, 89.1-FM and online. Be Brave Radio is hosted by a trio as diverse as Austin -- Republican Liberty activist and filmmaker Leland Freeman, holistic therapy practitioner Elizabeth Everett, and Brave New Books store owner John Bush. Add this cooperative effort to yet another thing we flat-out adore about living here.

What would a brokered national convention look like?

Mocked as conspiratorial nonsense just months ago, the specter of a "brokered convention" now seems a realistic possibility to seasoned political observers.

Even former presidential hopeful Gov. Scott Walker has predicted that the nominee will be neither Donald Trump nor Sen. Ted Cruz -- and he wasn't talking about Gov. John Kasich, either.

With this plausible scenario in mind, Caldwell County Republican Party Chairman Kathy Haigler reviewed the ins and outs of what it would take for a convention to go from simply nominating the ballot favorite in Cleveland to the body of national delegates selecting their own presidential contender after multiple rounds of arm-twisting and parliamentary maneuvering.

Scam phone calls target elderly, spread misinformation about GOP SD conventions

We're mystified as to the intent behind fraudulent telephone calls being made to deter Republican voters in Travis County from attending their Senatorial District Conventions this Saturday (March 19).

These calls have reportedly been targeting the elderly to tell them either of the four SD conventions (aka. the county conventions) have been moved or have been cancelled. Calls have been from a "Michael," though no Michael involved with the conventions claims any connection to them.

The allotted number of state delegates and alternates will not change by peeling off a few voters here and there from the SD conventions (see full list of conventions here), so we're scratching our heads at the strategy being employed.

Chronicle: 2nd Amendment supporters 'the other half'

Michael Cargill, radio show host, South Austin gun shop owner, and a previous Republican candidate for several offices was the subject of an Austin Chronicle feature looking in to the lives of those who dare to strap on long guns and march in defense of the Second Amendment. 

The article, titled "How the Gun-Toting Half Lives: Life under open carry with Michael Cargill," is an obvious play on the phrase "see how the other half lives" -- which may make Cargill's gun shop and local activism seem more like a zoo exhibit rather than the subject of journalistic intrigue. 

Current Travis GOP Chairman still optimistic

Travis County Republican Party Chairman James Dickey has more than 90 days left to oversee two elections, coordinate four Senatorial District conventions, and lead a delegation to the Texas Republican convention.

The way the press is talking, however, you'd think he's done for. Not so fast, Dickey warns, urging members of the Travis GOP Executive Committee -- as well as the chairman-elect -- to see the big picture.

His heartfelt address to Austin-area Republican Precinct Chairmen is as follows:

Travis Republicans pass resolution rebuking Chairman-elect

The following resolution passed by a wide margin on March 8 at the Travis County Executive Committee meeting:

Robert Morrow voters likely 'Christmas treed' their ballots

“I didn’t spend one penny. I barely asked anyone to vote for me" --Robert Morrow, Travis GOP Chairman-elect, via the Texas Tribune.

As the schoolyard legend goes, a student once passed a multiple choice fill-in-the-bubble exam by drawing a Christmas tree on the answer sheet. The thought goes that if you fill enough of the bubbles in, you'll eventually pass by sheer luck and no forethought, assuming blank lines and multiple answers do not throw out your entire answer sheet from the scanning machine. Eeny, meeny, miney, moe.

Even though there were only two bubbles to choose from, this is more or less what happened on election night in the Travis County Republican Party Chairman's race, when Robert Morrow beat popular incumbent James Dickey by about 6,000 votes.

This article isn't intended to call into question Mr. Morrow's credentials: we'll let his reputation speak for itself.  And he will gladly tell you what he thinks if you ask. The press has done an ample job explaining who he is and what he believes, as well as placing the onus on the local Republican party for choosing him (except that it may not have been a conscious choice, as we'll explain below).

Election results for Super Tuesday

Unofficial results may be obtained from the following sites. Below are some notes on tonight's totals.

State results:
https://enrpages.sos.state.tx.us

Travis County results:
https://www.traviscountytx.gov/county-clerk/elections/20160301

Super Tuesday states results:
http://www.decisiondeskhq.com

UPDATES:

Where to vote on Super Tuesday

The Travis County Elections Division website was reportedly experiencing glitches this morning, leaving many voters wondering where to cast their ballot this Primary Election Day.

The Travis County Republican Party's website quickly became a go-to source for anyone looking for the list of voting locations in the Austin area. We include the URL below (full list of precinct numbers, addresses, etc.):

http://www.traviscountygop.org/news/203/38/Where-do-I-vote.html

As a reminder: Travis County utilizes a "vote center" model, which allows voters registered in Travis County to vote at any polling site within the county. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.  Please note that Republican precinct conventions will take place on a Saturday this year.

Could the glitches at Travis County Elections be indicative of record-breaking turnout? Leave your comments below!