Corrupt Politicians Are People Too~Norma, Erin, Ernie, Masso, Baseball

Erin H. Garcia, Norma Hernandez

"Today is the last day to vote early friends! I can't do this without your vote! Please take a group of friends and head to an early voting site and vote Erin H. Garcia for JP"

The above announcement that appeared on my Facebook newsfeed was almost stunning in its normalcy.  Perhaps, getting so occupied with voter fraud, politiqueras, corrupted mail-ins has made me forget that even politicos that cheat still campaign somewhat, have a base of support including legitimate voters and do much of the work that honest candidates perform.  

Polls prior to the recent primaries showed Erin H. Garcia consistantly in the low 30's in percentage of actual support.  Among the JP candidates in the Democratic primary, Erin was the only candidate to receive substantially more votes than polls indicated, but she still trailed Yolanda Begum by 500 votes.  In the runoff, the Hernandezes and their politiqueras, van drivers and strategically placed poll workers and election judges pulled out all the stops, blatantly so, to "win."  

Ignoring for a moment the obvious fraud the family utilizes, it still takes tremendous coordination, actual work to manage the politiqueras, van drivers, adult day care employees and others involved in what is obviously a well-organized political machine.  Without that machine, Ernie Hernandez, Jr. would not be a County Commissioner today, nor would his daughter Erin be the Democratic nominee for JP, 2-2.  Norma Hernandez has to receive strong consideration for the 2012 Mean Mister Brownsville Public Disservice Award(Armando Villalobos garnered the 2011 honor well before his actual indictment.).  Like the Zetas, La Cosa Nostra and other notorious crime families, the Hernandezes cannot be rightfully accused of having no work ethic.  

Jose Canseco
Rio Grande Valley Whitewings

The Hernandezes are in some ways not dissimilar to Jose Canseco, former major leaguer,  who played baseball at a very high level with the aid of "performance enhancing drugs."  There is no doubt that Canseco could actually play baseball.  He was highly skilled.  It's just that the illegal drugs added an indeterminable extra strength and power to his abilities, allowing him to garner awards he did not deserve as well as accomplishments noted in the sport's record books he did not achieve honestly.  He cheapened, dishonored, disgraced the game, depriving other honest, non-cheating ballplayers of deserved recognition.  While no one could question Canseco's work ethic, skill or pre-cheating performances, he is an absolute disgrace to the game just as the Hernandezes have disgraced county and city government.  

Has Carlos Masso Found A Job Yet?

Luis Saenz, Carlos Masso
Public Reconciliation

Do you remember how, shortly after the July 31 runoff election, Ernie Hernandez proposed creating a new Justice of the Peace position for Carlos Masso, the loser in the DA race?  This was alleged to have been a political payback for Masso picking up the financial slack for the money drained Erin H. Garcia JP campaign.  Van drivers, politiqueras, home heathcare workers who delivered the elderly, disabled and mentally challenged all had to be paid.  That proposal for a new JP position seems to have been tabled.  

But, now that Saenz and Masso have seemingly buried the hatchet, would it surprise anyone if Masso ends up in the Luis Saenz version of the district attorney office, should Saenz win the election?  Again, corrupt politicians are people too.