GregsOpinion.com

Well, Matt Stoller has already outted one of Houston's newest bloggers, Keir Murray over at Houtopia. Introductions aside, we get a bit of major news that I've had an inkling of suspicion about lately ...

Will the Texas GOP just outright seat Talmadge Heflin over Hubert Vo? Kier thinks its a distinct possibility and has a source from the other side of the legislature confirming the suspicion. One of the things that ought to have registered locally was County Tax Assessor and otherwise willing water carrier for any conservative cause, Paul Bettencourt adding his official two-cents that 167 illegal voters cast votes in the race.

Of course, one major problem here is that one cannot determine that the 167 voters would have changed the outcome unless you drag each and every one into a courtroom and have them swear how they voted. That's what it came down to in the Gene Green v Bennie Reyes court challenge back ... what was it ... 1994?

But the Texas Legislature doesn't have such restrictions. As Keir points out, they can pretty much take Bettencourts word that there were 167 bad votes cast, assume that they put Vo ahead, and call Heflin the winner. And yet, for all the respect that I truly have of Vo as a campaigner and faith that he'll be an incredible State Rep, I almost hope they seat Heflin.

Why?

Because it will lead to Joe Nixon's outright defeat in 2006 (as well as the inevitable election of Vo in the 149th that year) ... just as Keir alludes to as well. Let me drop one little statistical tidbit in here that's worth mentioning. Keir notes that there's a growing Asian population in Nixon's neighboring 133rd district. That's true. But it's not the whole story. There's all kinds of Asian populations, as we all know. One thing that will most definitely not be forgotten is this: the one census tract in all of Harris County that has the most Vietnamese residents is not within Vo's 149th ... it is within Nixon's 133rd.

If Heflin is seated, I will personally hit those homes the first weekend following with a voter registration card and information on how their State Rep supported Hubert Vo.

And the consequences will go on well outside of Harris County, obviously. The pattern of excess that the state GOP now represents is the undoing of the party. I'd think there's plenty of reason for those Republicans of good temperment to see the light of day on this one. Funny things happen when the war goes nuclear ... the side with the most to lose ... loses the most.