SPAZGATE REVISITED OR "HOW I LEARNED TO STOP WORRYING AND LOVE THE BLOG"

Chris Valadez, "Pinto Bean"
to Robert Sanchez

Last week, I stood face-to-face with a story that, if published, would destroy friendships, limit contact and access, pissing off people who'd been nice to me.

But, to paraphrase an earthy, old Arkansas saying:  "either blog or get off the pot."  The story itself came to be known as "Spazgate," if, for no other reason then it developed after a highly successful Carlos Cascos fundraiser at the Ambassador Event Center August 30, featuring the Spazmatics, an 80's rock parody group with an applause sound track and wind machines.

On September 5, I messaged Robert "Captain Bob" Sanchez to ask if local Republicans had set him up to run as a Democrat candidate for County Judge in the primaries against Eddie Trevino.

Sanchez replied at 8:35 AM September 5:  

"Tad Hasse 600, Cris Valadez assiisted with social media promotions, no signs no bumper stickers nothing. No one set up debates I only went to UTB candidate forum where Morgan Graham was nice to me

Carlos Cisneros wanted money from vendors at PUB. And wanted me to get money from them for my vote and in exchange for Carlos voting me to board he wanted money. I went to District Attorneys office and reported him"

I then asked:  

"So Tad didn't give you $1,000, just $600. Was that cash or a check? What did he expect for the money?

Was that to help with the filing fee? So, Tad was an adviser to your campaign?"

More from Sanchez:

"Filing fee. He is my friend. I have. Known him and his sister for decades and decades. He is advicer like Valadez Roman Perez Montoya Paz McHale PUB Executives former City Commissioners Alex Dominguez and many other attorneys

Amanda MacDonald was advicer also along with Rebecca Sexton and Letty Grazoria"

One of Robert's biggest concerns is that I not use his jail mug shot in the story.  He sent me 4 suggested photos of him to use for my story.

When I told Robert that Tad Hasse claimed he'd gotten the money from Rebecca Gomez, not him, Robert changed his story:

"Ok I got it from her sure.  

Yes all ones."

To understand why Republican operatives would think it a good idea to run a candidate against Eddie Trevino in the 2018 primaries, we must go back to the 2010 Democrat primary with Eddie Trevino, John Wood and Rebecca Gomez facing each other.  It was during that election that the seed was planted for throwing a candidate in against Eddie Trevino in 2018.

Notice what Juan Montoya of El Rrun Rrun said at the time in an article posted January 28, 2010:

Rebecca Gomez, c.2010

"Not too many people give Rebecca Gomez – the Grandma activist from Las Prietas – a fighting chance to make a runoff. But perhaps she might just force one. Remember, in a primary the winning candidate needs to get 50 percent of the vote plus one vote."

Juan's words were prophetic, because, while Eddie Trevino led that March 2, 2010 primary, he didn't receive the necessary 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff.  Then, after that, John Wood won the May 2010 runoff for the right to face Carlos Cascos in the general election, defeating Trevino.

So, Rebecca Gomez's participation in the primary contributed to Trevino's loss.  In the general election, returns had Cascos winning, then losing, then winning again after 50 ballots were found in a men's rest room.  Eddie Trevino supporters, to some extent, stayed home in the general election, not voting, pissed at the whole scene.  

Emboldened by the 2010 results with an additional candidate in the primaries, Valadez and Hasse turned to their friend, Robert Sanchez, to persuade him to run against Trevino in the primary in 2018.

Depending on who you believe, some combination of Rebecca Gomez and/or Tad Hasse gave Robert most of the money for the $1,250 filing fee.

Sanchez has given at least three figures for the financial help he received, $1,000, $600 and $800 and first said Hasse gave him the money, then said, "Ok, it was Rebecca."

Like Donald Trump, Sanchez would not be very effective on any witness stand.

No one is saying what Tad and Chris did was illegal.  They are strategists, fighting "no holds barred" for their beloved Cascos.  Tad, a Republican/Libertarian, also once took one for the party, running as a Democrat in 2010, the same year Rebecca Gomez ran for county judge.  Chris, I'm told, is not a Republican at all, maybe not even a Democrat, simply a Cascosite.

So, all these fake runs for office from the opposite party are modus operandi for the Cameron County G.O.P.

Bobby Wightman-Cervantes

Bobby Wightman-Cervantes, currently functioning as the blogger spokesperson for the Republican Party, will misinterpret, misconstrue, misunderstand much of what's written above, scrambling everything up into the kind of giant conspiracy for which the BROWNSVILLE VOICE is noted.

We can't help that.  Bobby will be Bobby.  Brace yourself for his next tizzy, written in language so unintelligible your head will spin.