GregsOpinion.com

Based on reports out of Burnt Orange-land, things are looking good for Garry Mauro to be the next state party chair. Ann Richards, Jim Dunnam, & Dolph Briscoe are all backing him. The Austin Chronicle reports (as do most other sources) that Charles Soechting is still in the hunt. The El Paso Times adds Jim Hightower, and Bob Kruger to the list of Mauro-backers. There's also this from Mauro:

"The party under Garry Mauro is going to be a party that treats every living, breathing Democrat like an asset and a resource," Mauro said in attempting to deflect complaints that he would perpetuate party factions.

"We're going to be totally united. There's not going to be any Mauro faction or (John) Sharp factions or labor factions or business factions," Mauro said. "You're going to see a very diverse party but a party that has just as much room for trial lawyers and for business people."

Yeah, let's add up all that support Garry Mauro had fom the business community back in 1998 ........ done! Essentially this selection (due this weekend) is between Garry Mauro and anybody-but-Garry. The pick is only on an interim basis, but Mauro is planning on running for the full term in June regardless of Saturday's outcome.

This is a tough call. In principle, state party chairs aren't always that big of a deal. But when the team is on the losing side of 29 statewide elections, something bold is required, and I'm not sure if its going to come from the person who garnered all of 30-something percent against George Bush in 1998 and who has little to no appeal outside of the Yarbarough wing of the party.

That said, the job is more about getting a good crop of candidates out on election season and appeasing a wide array of party factions as they bicker over the trivialities of party decorum. Even Molly Beth put a pretty good slate of candidates out and I'm not all that crazy about her. So while I'm not completely enamored with the thought of Mauro as party chair, I suppose I'm trying to find a bit of solace in the notion that *perhaps* he'll just do the job required of him rather than do what every other state party chair hoped for: to be given a winnable statewide race for a job well done.