If I lived in El Paso and was paid a pittance to live in Austin and drink beer for about 140 days last year... and tried to slip a stranger into a an open seat... I'd be pretty damned:
- Embarrassed - Both for losing and for trying to pull the wool over your neighbor's eyes. Oh, and for putting Ms. Tamayo through that.
- Sorry - Both for losing and for trying to pull the wool over your neighbor's eyes. Oh, and for putting Ms. Tamayo through that.
- Angry - at myself for thinking I was way smarter than I actually was. Oh, and for putting Ms. Tamayo through that.
If I was a member of the delegation, I'd be making sure my last bit of campaign cash was used to flood Claudia's doorstep with flowers, chocolate and those giant Teddy Bears they sell outside the Haskin's center during graduation week. You might include some handwritten, heartfelt letters saying you are sorry as well (I prefer the card selection at Walgreens to other vendors).
What the delegation did was wrong - not just to her, but to the voters of that district. The delegation came together and decided that YOU would be too stupid to catch them sneaking in a person from Austin to run in a seat so they can control them. And in that they took an innocent young woman with a bright future ahead of her and threw her into an ugly situation. Ms. Tamayo did not deserve to be put in a position that any intelligent person could see was going to end badly for her. So while you're sending cards and flowers and gifts - put Ms. Tamayo on the list. And don't forget to make sure you get her a good job in Austin to replace the one she had. You owe that much to her. Losing an election hurts. (Ms. Tamayo, if they don't help you out, email me and I'll help you.)
Some of you may be asking why the delegation should be so conciliatory toward Claudia... Good question.
First of all, Claudia is no slouch. She has a background with the state legislature and with a congressional office in DC. She knows the game and how to play it.
Second, she's well liked by people... the 'right' kind of people in Austin. She will immediately be seen as an asset for any committee no matter what the partisan line is. She'll be in the room where most of the El Paso delegation is never invited. If you want in that room, you better get on her good side.
Third, it's the right thing to do given she has never been nasty with any of you. Those idiotic, frivolous ethics complaints were shameful. It's okay to pick a team to get behind, but to cheat, lie and steal to win is dishonorable and below the offices you each hold.
I don't have a fourth, but I'll reiterate - she's going to be a force in Austin and you need her help. She does not need yours. Each member of the delegation's reputation is sullied and don't think your colleagues in Austin don't know what you did. As the great Phil Collins once said:
"Well I was there and I saw what you did, I saw it with my own two eyes
So you can wipe off that grin, I know where you've been
It's all been a pack of lies"
The delegation was too clever by half thinking the voters wouldn't notice. I've got news for you - when you have a candidate who has previously won with 70 percent of vote on the ballot, do not bring a stranger in to challenge them. The math is never going to work out for you. And by God if you're going to poke the enemy with a stick, make sure they aren't carrying a sword.
I think today about how a smarter delegation could have simply just called up Claudia and had a conversation. Who knows, they may have made a friend for life.
Also - all those other bloggers and former media figures/staffers who bought into this game - shame on you too. You can't scream and cry about corruption on your email lists and blogs and then support a backroom deal to bring in a person from another city to represent you. You're the original hypocrite just hungry for power when you get caught saying one thing and clearly supporting its inverse.
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