A portrait of DK sleeper account user wyoyellgla.
Turning Texas is a group electoral clearinghouse for Democratic races in the Lone Star State. That means Wendy Davis and every other Texas race. We welcome all contributors with an interest in and knowledge about Texas electoral politics.
This morning two things (and now one more tonight!) happened to me here on Daily Kos that had never happened before, and I feel pretty honored by both. First, I was commenting in
Denise Oliver Velez's diary
Republican 'outreach efforts' doomed and someone signed up just to take me to task for my comments about Texas A&M. While I think the person was misreading what I wrote, there was validity to their irritation and I appreciate that someone would sign up to answer what they saw as an unfair generalization on my part. So,
anyman, I salute you. Please stick around and lend your voice, especially on Texas issues.
Then I went to look at an old Turning Texas diary and noticed it had comments I hadn't seen since last Monday when it published. Scrolling down I did a double take at the hide rates, but lo and behold a 3 year sleeper had come out of the cupboard just to let me and everyone else at Daily Kos know that he has a crush on Ted Cruz and also guns.
Jump the fancy longhorns for more...
The Comment:
Alamo Gun Rally (0+ / 4-)
The only thing that really bothers you guys is that Texans actually like guns and always intend to like guns, and there isn't a thing that any dimwit democrat is going to be able to do about it.....the only thing that we like more than our guns right now, is Senator Ted Cruz........
by wyoyellgla on Mon Oct 21, 2013 at 11:43:20 AM CDT
Note: The possibility of an anagram did not bear out for the name, unless you drop letters.
I am no expert on sleeper accounts and what motivates their creation or their eventual usage. Being around here since 2005 I have seen my share of sock puppets, zombies and other weirdness. Never personally seen a sleeper, though. I gather one remaining dormant as long as this one doesn't happen all that often, so figured I would share.
The content of this comment is intriguing, the first and only from the account. It is articulate and not inflammatory. Even the disparaging remark about "you guys" (not y'all or you all) and Dems being dimwits is tame as hell. Dimwits? That's a reserved characterization for someone willing to sign in and let us have it. I get the feeling the author is educated and professional, and he is older. He also addresses us is a way that is specific and germane to the content of the diary. He's Tea Party, for sure, drawn here by a search for news for guns, Texas, San Antonio, Tea Party, who knows what. Or not. There is no way to tell the motivation, but clearly the subject of my diary hit a nerve of some sort. Wondering here which nerve was hit?
This diary was about Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson due to speak at a Tea Party gun rally in violation of City of San Antonio law ( and long standing tradition informally enforced by the descendants of Texans killed there) against political rallies at the Alamo. The Alamo is a Texas State Park and Patterson is the boss of the agency that manages it.
Patterson wrote the current Texas concealed carry bill as a State Senator, and the "Come and Take it San Antonio" rally was meant to push the envelope on where and how the law is applied and enforced. For Patterson, the rally was a naked political move to drum up right wing tea Party support in his bid for Attorney General. The current Attorney general is Greg Abbott, who will run against Wendy Davis next year in an epic cage match for the future of the Lone Star State.
Texas Monthly's Paul Burka writes in the link above about the event. He quotes a Patterson op-ed distributed before the rally and I think it is worth reprinting here:
"The last time hundreds of Texans showed up at the Alamo with rifles, they were hailed as heroes in their stand against a tyrannical government. Texas--and Texans--have changed a lot since then. But the fundamental, Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, hasn't.
The main goal of today's rally at the Alamo is simple: The peaceful exercise of a right we fear losing."
Burka has a take on the "why" of it:
You may ask "why?" The gun advocates' answer is that they have a simple goal -- to remind ordinary citizens and law enforcement officials that they are allowed in Texas to legally and openly carry what are known as "long guns." It is going to be quite a sight, all those people at the Cradle of Texas Liberty toting guns of all types. The real agenda of the organizers, I suspect, is not just to remind their fellow citizens of their Second Amendment Rights, but also to agitate for open-carry legislation that would allow gun owners with concealed-carry permits to wear their handguns unconcealed, Old West style, anywhere in the state.
Texas Monthly is a great publication, I am an online subscriber and I read regularly. Their editorial stance on something like Patterson and guns and a political race necessarily won't assign a motivation for Patterson's role in this. Fear of losing gun rights is a crock of shit. Patterson may be the most enthusiastic gun right proponent in Texas state government but he knows damn right well concealed carry or anything else isn't going anywhere here.
So is Mr. Bojo's nerve the Tea Party nerve, or the gun rally nerve, or the Patterson nerve? We do not know. One possible clue that makes this diary unique has me wondering:
(full disclosure: I am a personal friend of one of his children. I have met Mr. Patterson and on an individual level he is a very decent man.)
People write a lot of things about politicians and races, from all angles. Things get said, people are partisan, it can be ugly. A quick DK search for gun diaries
about Texas is pretty slim pickings. Mine is the only one related to this subject, and really the only one recently, so it makes sense he would show up here if motivated by the subject in general.
But the internet is full of anti-gun rhetoric from the left and my diary was not anywhere near spectacular in that regard. On this issue specifically, the SA Alamo rally, there was lots and lots of traffic on the subject talking about how crazy it is and much of it was harsh. There is nothing extraordinary about what I said or how I said it that can't be found elsewhere greater in temperature except for this personal connection. I find this possibility interesting, at the least.
Whatever the cause, it makes me wonder, are they getting nervous? Are they opening their eyes and ears to the damage Cruz has done to their cause? Are Texas Tea Party voters and operatives anxious about Abbot and his chances against Davis?
I think they should be. Let's give them a reason to be if they aren't.
Thanks for reading, y'all.
- bastrop
SERENDIPITOUS UPDATE: Now three things have happened today along these lines. Longtime lurker Elwood came out to rep for registered lurkers in the comments! He last commented Tue Dec 28, 2004 ! Now that is a true honor. Thank you Elwood. I do get your reasons for lurking but I hope to see you again soon.
I love this place.
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