In a recent fundraising email, Lt. Governor Dan Patrick oddly invoked the words of Marquis de Lafayette to declare that “the American union… must prevail at all costs.” Did he just make #TEXIT a campaign issue?
Since his recent missteps while stumping for tougher gun laws, Patrick has been on the receiving end of some puzzled looks and a good bit of well-deserved backlash. This has been the result of his often rambling and conflicting public statements on the issue, leading many to wonder if he is becoming unhinged. A new fundraising email from Patrick won’t likely help his case.
The email begins with a story about a meeting between the Marquis de Lafayette, the French ally of the 13 American colonies, and Sam Houston. In this meeting, Lafayette purportedly told Houston that “the American union and democracy must prevail at all costs.” Then Patrick asserts that those words guided Houston “in his fight to win independence for Texas.” Somehow, Patrick tries to connect advice to preserve the union of the 13 States of the newly-minted United States of America to the independence of Texas.
This is just a setup for the real point of his email which is summed up in this excerpt:
“Texas conservatives must be more united than ever before, whether you are an ultra-conservative or on the moderate side of the spectrum. Instead of arguing with each other, it is essential that we focus on those who oppose liberty and freedom.”
Following Patrick’s logic, we should unite with people who are moderately unfriendly to freedom and liberty to defeat people that are also unfriendly to freedom and liberty so that we can seize control of a federal government that is downright hostile to freedom, liberty, and Texas so that the American union and democracy can prevail.
However disjointed Patrick’s argument might be, his alarmist tone calling on Texans to save the union has revealed the Achilles heel of the political class in this election cycle. TEXIT supporters are the ultimate “king makers”. Patrick is asking the 54% of Texas Republicans and 49% of independent voters who support independence to hold their noses and vote for pro-federal candidates under threat of a socialist takeover.
What Patrick and the establishment politicians need to realize is that pro-TEXIT voters are becoming increasingly immune to hollow promises and alarmist rhetoric as we have received nothing in return for our support. There is only one way for a candidate to guarantee receiving votes from pro-TEXIT voters – publicly pledge to give Texans a vote on independence in the next session and then deliver.
