Democracy's Last Stand?...Jessica Reyes-Martinez...Back on the ballot?...Maybe...

Okay, good news out of The Monitor this morning. Reports are that a recent Texas Supreme Court ruling would allow candidates like Reyes-Martinez to get back on the ballot. If she decides to run again for District 39 House seat, she would be going up against her soon to be ex-husband, incumbent Armando "Mando" Martinez. That was the big to do earlier this month, when the whole scandal blew wide open. War of the Roses, and what not. Some of us got beyond that, I for one wanted to know "why?". It was interesting for me, and left me wondering if Martinez' own wife doesn't believe he should be in office, why should we? Why indeed. And this is one of the reasons why I believe she should get on the ballot again. In the report she is quoted as saying, "I would love to get back on the ballot, but I know I'm at a great disadvantage, I decided to run because I wanted to win." You bet, Jessica Reyes-Martinez, you are right on both counts. Her disadvantage is because she would not be alloted enough time to campaign correctly. Campaigns are stressful enough, but to bring everything to full throttle with only a few weeks until early voting begins, I would imagine that would be almost suicidal. This in turn leads to her other dillemma- she wanted to win. Hell, doesn't everybody, and everybody's got their own crossroads to deal with, but I just want to go on the record as saying that Jessica Reyes-Martinez should get back on the ballot, if only to prove that democracy works not only on the national level, but on a local level as well. Back when the Democratic Chair ruled her ineligible, that was a blow to the process. How? It meant that the old boss politics still ruled in this county. It said that because of personal politics, and influence the have nots would be left out in the cold, and the haves could still put those smiling faces on political ads spread out in newspapers, and television spots all over the Rio Grande Valley. This is the type of politics we've dealt with for as long as I can remember. And according to my personal profile, I'm no 'spring chicken'. But I'm also a Scorpio, which means I have a keen sense of rising from the ruins and keep on fighting, and I share that sense with anybody in this world who considers himself or herself an underdog. Depending on how you view this situation, you might think this is as underdog as it gets. Maybe so, if you're looking at palm trees on the horizon, but if you've got enough sense to look at the setting beyond the palms, you'll agree she should, and she must get back on the ballot. For Democracy's sake.