Promoted from the diaries.

Welcome back to Texas, Governor! You got into this race to provide American conservatives with a choice in the Presidential race. We asked for a proven leader and you stepped up. Five months ago I hoped to be looking at a very different race than we are today but it wasn’t in the cards.

The silver lining in this race for me (most texans really) has always been that we either got to have you serve as President, or you came back to finish out your four year term as governor of our great state. It’s the rest of the country that lost out.

Even as you return to Texas, you have something to prove. Liberals and moderates have already set to work laying out their narrative for the next two years…and, big surprise, it involves you being a lame duck Governor. There is nothing they would enjoy more than the opportunity to sideline your conservative influence and they will do everything within their power to achieve that end. I expect more from you than that and have no doubt that you will prove me right.

As I see it, you have two choices:

1. Allow yourself to be squeezed into the mold of a lame duck and pushed to the margin of political relevancy or,
2. Spend the next couple years as Governor fighting the same battle you hoped to take to Washington. Fighting in such a way that every conservative American asks themselves why they didn’t put you in the Whitehouse.

Here are a few of the things I want to see come out of your last two years as our Governor:

• Push the GOP caucus in the TX House and Senate to stand up for the Republican platform. Moderate House leadership under Joe Straus and lack of resolve from GOP Senators led to several items of unfinished business this last legislative session. That needs to fixed.
• Stronger measures to push back against illegal immigration. There is a limit to what you can do as Governor but we’re sure not getting any help from the Federal Government. Banning sanctuary cities is an important next step.
• Deny legislators the opportunity to use budgetary gimmicks. DC is worse but too many of our legislators in Austin aren’t willing to stand up for fiscal responsibility. You need to show them the way.
• Further applying the principles you championed during your campaign back here in Texas. You’ve fought for them through the last 10 years but there’s still much more to do.

Ultimately, your impact in the remainder of your term is up to you. My hope is that you will bring the same fight you’ve shown on the campaign trail back to make Texas a more conservative and more prosperous state.

Davy Crocket delivered these parting words to the people of Tennessee after losing his reelection bid to Congress: “You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.” I’m pretty sure you were thinking the same thing as you announced your withdrawal from the race this morning.