On December 16th I was concerned enough to make an open request that a qualified candidate challenge the buffoonery of Rachael Palmer in the Republican Primary for the CCCL 13 judicial race.
Well Santa ponied up on Christmas Eve when Don Smyth announced that he would be that guy.
Not only is Smyth highly qualified for the position; he is also one of the few remaining senior ADAs who is not a coward when it comes to standing up for what is right at the Harris County District Attorney's Office.
JBH taught Smyth well and Denise Bradley should take note.
Shamefully, the real issue now is not who is most qualified for the bench; but whether or not qualifications will prevail over political corruptness.
If I were to compare the judicial abilities of Don Smyth to Rachael Palmer, it would be tantamount to comparing former Chief Justice William Rehnquist to a struggling misdemeanor 3.
Logic precludes a realistic debate on who is more qualified for judicial leadership.
Palmer's mentor and handler, Pat Lykos, has proven that perception trumps reality in the world of Harris County GOP politics.
So if Lykos is calling the shots, her playbook is actually quite simple:
1. divert attention from the real issues such as the candidates' actual experience and qualifications,
2. capitalize on your opponent's skeletons--real, enhanced or imagined and
3. employ double talk, innuendo and fluff to supplant truth and rightfulness.
So look for more of the same in this race.
That is unless Palmer's political consultant and campaign manager, Steve Brewer, prevails in taking the high road; as he is known for.
Brewer has the political savvy to now recognize that his client has very weak comparative credentials and cannot win on the merits. But unlike most paid political consultants, Brewer is a very ethical straight shooter who believes in the various causes he fights for. So he must soon decide whether "winning at all costs" will ironically be an accurate label for his candidate this time and worth the sacrifice of his core values.
Rather than basing political endorsements on who pays homage to Junior League pretense and attends archaic lily white blue haired tea parties; the Harris County GOP ought to be more concerned with what is in the best interest of the citizens of Harris County and discern:
Who exactly are Don Smyth and Rachael Palmer? What motivation does each have in running for judge? What actual expertise and experience is brought to the table? In short, who is the most appropriate and qualified candidate deserving of GOP support?
Palmer, in my opinion, is far from being a good trial attorney. But, on a positive note, the fact that she has actually tried some criminal cases sets her apart from Lykos. That and ~50 years of mileage....political that is.
Notwithstanding, she is a far cry from being the best candidate for the position sought and not remotely close to being in the same league as Smyth.
Smith is not only vastly more competent and experienced than his opponent; he also will strive to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do.
Smyth will not be a political puppet and his bench will not be for sale to the highest bidder.
Lest history repeat itself, Palmer's efforts to be be elected judge must be overwhelmingly crushed like a cockroach invading your kitchen.
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30 comments:
Both Lykos and Palmer have mileage.....
brewer is perfect for rachael since there both looosers. lol
12:29,
no shit bro
Great blog, Ink. I have know Don Smyth for more years than I care to remember and I have known Rachel Palmer since she first interned at the office. Don Smyth is so clearly the better qualified candidate. You could always count on Don Smyth to do the right thing. He will do the same on the bench. Let's help elect him.
In terms of political consultants, what has Brewer ever done. WHO has he consulted. Not a good start for the Grinch.
STEALTH:
When Palmer's boy labels Don Smyth a former top Rosenthal lieutenant I wonder what your excuse will be then. Give me a fucking break.
Rachael Palmer's ancestors were the inspiration for Kafka's "The Metamorphosis".
When she loses her bid for judge maybe she can pose for RAID.
anon 6:16,
U-G-L-Y she ain't got no alibi, she ugly. I'd rather look at a roach on a can of bug spray than a can of Rachael Spray.
Inkman, are you going to be at Don's petition drive this afternoon?
WOW! I bet Lykos really is thinking hard about setting up a runoff by instructing Leitner to run in the CCL 13 race. It worked for her before didn't it?
Smyth was one of Rosenthal's henchmen. Rachel kept her distance from the "folks" because she did not want to be a part of the corruption that invaded the DAO under Rosenthal's regime. Smyth is the fox guarding the hen house.
I have yet to disagree with Ink Man but don't understand why he defends Palmer's campaign manager.
Anon 8:58 Palmer got real close to a lot of folks in the office during the Rosenthal era.
Anon 8:58,
CORRECTION: Rachael is the RAT guarding the cheese.
Anon 8:58,
Rachel was HIRED by Rosenthal. She thought highly enough of Rosenthal to ask for, then accept, a job from him. Good job keeping her distance.
Rachel does not deserve the abuse she is getting. She dedicated her entire legal career to the citizens of Harris County.
When is Rachael's boyfriend the "BADGER" going to come into play?
Rumors are swirling about a badging incident? Any truth to that?
Anon 9 29,
Please define "close"
Maybe you know something about Steve Brewer that I don't but he's a big reason why we're all in the mess we're in.
Well it looks like little Jimmy and his boy Clint have weighed in on your straw poll and Slate may be moving into 2nd place by lunch.
AHCL or Black Ink,
Rumors are flying about an incident related to impersonating a police officer or improper use of a badge?
Do either of you have any info on this.
A huge Republican primary turnout for Kay Baily v. Perry will not be good for Rachael....too bad so sad.
ROFLMAO
Slate is my darkhorse for this bench. He knows a lot of people and has a very diverse network of connections. The main problem he will have is spending money to keep up with the GOP candidate's deep pockets!
I really enjoyed my long talk with Don about his decision at his signing the other night. I won't say that he is really tired of the shinagans at the office, though that might be obvious. I will say that he spent considerable time making the decision. He said he had no real opinion about his opponent other than she was far less qualified than he was, and that was first on his list of reasons to run. I also won't tell you of the reaction of the management, though that might be obvious as well. Don't count on much support there.
None the less, I can tell you that I came away feeling that Don will be as dedicated to that job as any of the many jobs he held in the office. He will be fair, non-partisan and usually right.
To the police: If you do your job the way you were taught, you don't need to worry about Don.
Jigmeister,
I agree with you 100%.
Don will be an outsanding judge and he has too much integrity to continue under Lykos.
Furthermore, law enforcement needs to appreciate that doing what is right is what they signed up for.
To critisize Don for prosecuting dirty cops at HPD, HCSO, etc. would be tantamount to negating law enforcement's primary function--fighting crime. If they have a problem with that then they need to interview with Lykos & Co.; she's always looking for a few bad apples.
Nothing should be taken for granted in our support of Don.
We can't let Palmer pull a Lykos.
I am very interested to hear how management reacted. My belief is in the party and the values the party represents. From reading the reaction to Rachel Palmer, I now have concerns about her qualifications. No other candidate has drawn such negativity on this blog, AHCL or any other I have read. The negativity leads me to believe there must be some truth in what posters are saying (I am assuming most is just hate mail or jealousy for some reason).
On AHCL's blog, a strange ramble was attributed to her boyfriend which is cause for concern. Why the party and management is supporting this person and not Mr. Smith leads me to believe that the party is not being informed of the truth. The buffer between the democrats is way to thin to promote a liability. Every single race is important and we have to be very careful about who we promote.
If Management is bullying or frowning upon the more qualified candidate then management needs to be exposed.
All I need is the facts. We cannot have party infighting if we can avoid it. True republicans do the right thing for the right reasons.
According to the Dem website Slate has filed for Court 3! NO Dem has filed as of now in 13
Rachel Palmer looks like Tom Petty in drag.
Dem website now shows Slate in 13. Must have been an earlier misprint.
Good for you Aggie. I won't comment on what Don told me regarding the management reaction for fear of retaliation. Nor do I have any opinion on Palmer. I did spend several years working alongside Don when we were Trial Bureau Division Chiefs together in the Holmes years. He really cares about people and sees real problems with lack of appropriate training and lack of trial skills in the young prosecutors and if what I hear about Palmer is true, she is one of those in need of the training. Not much of a qualification for the bench.
Anonymous 1-3: 7:27 - you are right...The "front" resemblance of Palmer to Petty is amazing; as for the backside, Tom Petty's derrière actually fits in his clothes.
I am confused why Palmer doesn't recognize her fiancée on her website. I have never seen a political website where the candidate does not state the spouses / fiancee's name and occupation. Rachel knows her boyfriend is nothing to brag about and a HUGE liability (both politically, professionally and personally). Compare this to the website of the irrational Janice Law who includes an entire resume of her spouse.
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