Why GOP Opponent of the Fine Lawmaker Rep. Cuellar Must Win

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, is in a tough fight in this November’s reelection bid. Cuellar is an atypical Democrat. He’s the only pro-life Democrat in the entire Congress and he’s also one of the few who has had the backbone to stand up against the Biden administration’s purposeful evisceration of our border.

Cuellar just barely survived a primary from a leftist challenger. It’s understandable that Republicans would want to reward his type of independent thinking.

He votes the right way on many issues, just as many Republicans would. But there’s one vote that Cuellar has cast in the past, and is likely to cast again, which is reason enough for his defeat — his vote for speaker of the House.

That’s the whole ball game, because the speaker controls who is assigned to committees, who will chair those committees, what bills will advance and what the agenda will be for Congress. A Democrat speaker means that Democrats will dominate each committee, while a Republican speaker means control for the GOP.

Continued Democratic dominance means countless more investigations against Donald Trump and his allies and none against Hunter Biden or anyone in the Biden administration.

Want to get to the bottom of the disgraceful Afghanistan withdrawal? Won’t happen with a Democrat speaker.

Want to find out if Joe Biden was the “Big Guy” collecting 10% on Hunter’s earnings from his dealings with companies controlled by the Chinese Communist Party? Won’t happen unless Republicans control the chamber.

Want to know if officials misled us on COVID?

Want hearings on what the economic impact will be to a nation keeping an open border or to start impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas?

Want to get to the bottom of the unprecedented raid of a former president’s home?

Want to find out why Nancy Pelosi and the mayor of Washington, D.C., rejected President Donald Trump’s request for additional National Guard troops on Jan. 6?

None of these things will happen if Henry Cuellar continues to be in Congress and he casts the deciding vote to give Democrats the speaker’s gavel come January 2023.

The need for one’s favored party to control the people’s house harkens memories of my campaign for the New York State Senate in 1990.

I was a young and popular two-term conservative Democrat county legislator who was winning with large numbers in a Republican district. (I switched my registration to Republican in 2010.)

The incumbent state senator in my district, Caesar Trunzo, was part of the Republican bloc from Long Island that maintained the majority in the state senate. It acted as a balance to the Democratic assembly and Democratic governor, Mario Cuomo.

On paper, I should’ve won that race easily. By this time Trunzo was appreciably relic-like in appearance and demeanor. To be certain he was a very nice man, but he did not cohesively exude the characteristics of having what it takes to run for and keep a position of responsible elected office.

I was an attorney and policy wonk who could rattle off a sidewinding speech as to how we could reform the state government to the benefit of taxpayers.

But, alas, that meant very little. The one thing that my constituents wanted more than anything else was to keep the Long Island Republican bloc in control. They had the clout to bring home the bacon to our districts and to deliver a check and balance to the liberal policies emanating from the leftist in the Assembly.

It hurt dearly when the numbers came in election night and I fell for short of my goal. Why, I asked, would people continue to put back into office a nice man who somehow did not look or sound the part?

I found the answer years later when the Democrats finally took over the Senate in 2009. They immediately went to work imposing liberal policies that hurt Long Islanders. The most notorious new dagger they thrust into the hearts of taxpayers was an onerous payroll tax for suburbanites to pay for the New York City transit system.

It dawned on me why the voters back in 1990 would keep voting back into office a less-than-impressive Republican. It wasn’t a rebuke of my policies. It was all about preventing the crazy radicals from New York City getting control of both houses of the Legislature.

So, the people of south Texas have a decision to make.

Reward a good man, Henry Cuellar, who has done the right thing on border issues and other matters of concern, or elect his Republican challenger, Cassy Garcia, who will vote similarly to Cuellar on many issues, but will go one step further and send Nancy Pelosi packing.

It’s not a difficult choice at all.

Congressman Cuellar, thank you for your service and your independence, but unless you’re willing to do the impossible and vote for a Republican to run the House, it may be time that the people of your district ask you to consider moving on and make way for someone who will.