Every Friday morning at 8:30 a.m., I join the Cardle & Woolley show, Talk 1370 Radio, in Austin to pick the week’s top Winners & Losers in Texas, America and the world. Although it seems like the current presidential campaign has been going on forever, traditionally, Labor Day is the election year launch—the sprint to the finish, the beginning of the end. At this point, both sides have consolidated their respective bases and the battle is over a couple hundred thousand votes in the swing states. Early voting starts in Minnesota and Virginia on Sept. 20, so from that perspective, campaigns have less than three weeks to make their case.
With 66 days to go until Election Night, Nov. 5, here’s who made the Labor Day Weekend list:
Maybe a Winner: Vice President Kamala Harris
Never forget that the only relevant question in politics is “compared to what.” Harris didn’t have to be good in her first interview after avoiding the press for the over 40 days since she secured the Democrat nomination for president. She just didn’t have to be bad, and she wasn’t that bad. Granted, she provided no explanation about why she adamantly opposed fracking when she was running for president in 2019, but she is fine with it now.
She also didn’t explain why her position has changed on decriminalizing border crossings or building the border wall, which she called Trump’s “medieval vanity project.” She didn’t express any regrets for telling the American people that President Joe Biden was absolutely, totally fit for office when 90% of Americans could see that he was cognitively impaired. And she glossed over going around the country insisting “Bidenomics” was making life better for everyone.
For those who know her record, when she said “my values have not changed,” it was an ominous warning. Unfortunately, a poll released by the Media Research Center this week found that 70% of registered Biden voters and Independents don’t know anything about what she stands for, including the fact that she voted to the left of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders when she was in the Senate. Those people may be fine with her flippant “that was then, this is now” responses.
Those of us who care about public policy and the future of the country were appalled by the lack of depth and the faulty analysis Harris provided in her first interview, but we were never going to vote for her anyway. In the end, elections boil down to math, and the interview for Harris was better than most people thought it would be. So it could turn out to be a win for her.
Or maybe not. Newsweek Star Sports released its latest betting analysis this morning and, according to its numbers, Harris’ odds of winning “deteriorated noticeably” after the CNN interview. Harris went from having a 52.4% chance of winning to being tied with former President Donald Trump at 51.3%. Trump must capitalize on this, of course, if he is going to regain the Big Mo.
Labor Day Winner: Texas
The good news this Labor Day weekend is that Texas earned an A+ from the Commonwealth Foundation’s Analysis of Public Sector Labor Laws. That group put out a new report this week comparing state positions on limiting collective bargaining and collecting union dues for public sector labor unions. Texas is a free state with strong right-to-work protections. Looking at all states, the reports shows that big public sector unions, including the National Education Association (NEA), the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) have lost over 300,000 members nationally since 2018, as more states have stopped unions from requiring membership in order to work.
Keep in mind that these public sector unions, whose employees are paid by taxpayers, are one of the most important organizing forces in the Democrat Party. Teachers unions have blocked school choice in Texas for two decades, putting their members’ preferences over the needs of Texas children. And when it comes to elections, public sector unions are the boots on the ground for Democrats, heading up efforts to get voters to the polls. Good for Texas for reining in this taxpayer-funded activism.
Loser: CNN and the Mainstream Media
Last week, Iran-backed Houthi rebels attacked a Greek oil tanker in the Red Sea. It was carrying 1 million barrels of oil, four times what was on the Exxon Valdez. Fox News and other conservative media outlets have been reporting this story for a week. CNN and the rest of the mainstream media didn’t pick it up yesterday, perhaps because the Houthis are pro-Palestinian. Could it be that even when the threat of a monumental environmental disaster looms, the left-leaning press would slow-walk a story that indicts allies of the Palestinians, who they consider to be the “good guys” in the Middle East? Does anyone think that had Israel bombed an oil tanker it would not have been front page news minutes after it happened?
Loser: ABC News & Jonathan Karl
Another mainstream media loser showed up this week when Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, demonstrated how some reporters shill for the left. Cotton took on Jonathan Karl in an interview on ABC this week. When Karl insisted he “knew” Vice President Harris’ position on fracking, health care and the economy were not as left-wing as Cotton said they were—even though Karl had not spoken with Harris and she hadn’t told the country yet that nothing she said before July 21 matters now—Cotton pushed back. Watch the clip if you haven’t. Karl is pathetic.
Loser: Mark Zuckerberg
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg finally told the House Judiciary Committee that Facebook had bowed to government pressure from “senior Biden officials,” and censored content during the COVID 19 pandemic. He also reiterated that he was wrong to suppress the story of Hunter Biden’s infamous laptop in the days leading up to the 2020 election, because Biden’s team told him it was “Russian disinformation.” Zuckerberg’s confession provides a huge window into the power of social media and its ability to impact public opinion and elections, especially when it acts in collusion with the government.
Zuckerberg promised he’d never to do it again and says he’s not going to put $400 million into “get out the vote” efforts this year like he did in 2020. It’s good that he finally admitted what we all knew to be true, but it’s not enough to make him a winner. When you consider all the damage he caused by blocking information on COVID 19 and possibly impacting the election, the confession is way too little and way too late.
Winner: Katy ISD’s “Gender Fluidity” Ban
Too many Texas public school librarians are pushing back against bans on pornography in public schools, saying they don’t have time to look at all the books and, besides, banning any book is somehow un-American. That’s why Katy ISD is a winner for continuing to make clear the kinds of books that don’t belong in public schools, including those that promulgate “gender fluidity.” Science tells us that sex is binary, but gender fluidity enthusiasts insist that gender is actually everyone’s choice and that you do not have to accept whatever sex your doctor “assigned” to you when you were born. That is, of course, hogwash. If you want to know the kinds of books they are talking about read my review of Gender Queer.
Winner: Rep. Shawn Thierry
If you think that this crazy “gender fluidity” notion is a fringe ideology, keep in mind that Texas Democrat voters ousted State Rep. Shawn Thierry, D-Houston, from office in the spring primary because she voted against allowing pornography in public libraries and in support of blocking parents from allowing their children to take puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones and even undergo unnecessary mastectomies or castrations. Today, Thierry announced that she is leaving the Democrats behind and has joined the Republican Party. Thierry promised to work hard on issues that reflect common sense and the values of most Texans, including fighting Democrat efforts to change Title IX so that men can play in women’s sports. This is a win for Thierry and the Texas GOP.
Loser: DEI Programs in Business
Lowe’s is the latest company to announce that it is abandoning its DEI efforts because they have proved divisive and counterproductive in moving their companies forward. Harley Davidson, Jack Daniels, Tractor Supply and John Deere made similar announcements recently. Thanks to social media, customers now know if a company has a DEI program and they can express their disdain by shopping elsewhere. A big plus from the DEI withdrawal is that these companies have also dropped their sponsorship of the Human Rights Campaign, an organization that used to advocate for gay rights but now is almost exclusively focused on so-called transgender and gender identity issues. If you are going to do household projects this Labor Day Weekend, go to Lowe’s.
Winner: Dennis Quaid and the Reagan Movie
Another Labor Day holiday option is Dennis Quaid’s new movie, “Reagan,” which opens today. Quaid, who is from Bellaire, outside Houston, was on hand for a screening of the movie at the Bullock Museum earlier this month, where he talked about why he made the movie and how he prepared to take on the role of the former president. “Reagan” comes at an important time, as Americans are watching Russia invade Ukraine, reminding Europe and the rest of the world what that threat means. The story is told from the perspective of an old Russian spy played by Jon Voight, whose character provides a great history of how the Cold War was fought and why it was important. Predictably, Hollywood is giving the film a thumbs down, but who cares? Go see it.
Winner: Tomorrow is Game Day!
No. 4 ranked University of Texas at Austin kicks off tomorrow at 2:30PM against Colorado State and the No. 20 Texas A&M Aggies will meet No. 7 Notre Dame at 6:30PM tomorrow night. ESPN’s College GameDay will be broadcasting live from College Station so the football show there actually starts at 8:00AM. Get your signs, get out there and get on TV! Texas Tech will play Abilene Christian, Texas State will take on Lamar, and the University of Houston will play UNLV.
Wonder what those rankings will look like next week. Have a great holiday weekend!
Sherry Sylvester is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Texas Public Policy Foundation, and the former Senior Advisor to Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick.
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