Thumbs up, down
Mattress Mack calls it for Biden — finally; Green gets props; and a bittersweet farewell.
It was touch and go for a while there as Donald Trump’s false allegations of widespread voter fraud plunged the country into chaos, making many Americans doubt not only the Electoral College but whether Congress would recognize the election results. But as the white smoke rose from the Gallery Furniture chimney on Sunday, we knew: Habemus Presidentam. That’s when Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale announced he will make good on the rebate promotion for people who correctly guessed the outcome of the 2020 presidential contest. Could he have done so after the Associated Press called the race? Maybe. Could he have started sending out checks when the Electoral College gave Joe Biden the win? Perhaps. According to McIngvale, he just wanted to be sure. “We didn’t want to pay it twice in case there was a flip, although the odds were very small,” he said. Yeah, we get it. If democracy dies, do you really need to give yourself more work?
While Mattress Mack was late to the party, U.S. Rep. Al Green got there early and stuck around to help with the cleanup. The Texas congressman was recognized this week by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer for his multiple efforts to impeach Trump back when inciting insurrection was but a glimmer in the president’s eye. Green, who in 2017 first called for impeachment based on Trump’s support of white supremacists in Charlottesville, Va., the Muslim travel ban and appalling treatment of Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria, was blasted by Republicans and many Democrats for being on a quixotic quest. Turns out the windmill was not only a real giant, but it enjoyed putting its own need for power ahead of the welfare of the United States. Good on Green for his clear-eyed patriotism. Now, does anyone know if impeachments are like COVID-19 vaccinations? It takes two shots to get rid of the virus.
We turn from a Green thumbsup for planting the seeds that would grow into mighty impeachments to a Texas flower shop owner who we’re not very frond of. Jenny Cudd was taken into custody by the FBI this week in Midland along with Eliel Rosa. The two face charges of entering a restricted building and disorderly conduct stemming from the Jan. 6 insurrection. “Thistle get a ton of likes,” Cudd may have thought when she posted a video on Facebook saying that “we did break down” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s door, but she told the AP that she was not part of the violets that day. Even if Cudd and Rosa are not convicted and labeled garden variety criminals, we hope they take stalk of what they did, get to the root of the problem and move on from believing Trump’s lies about the election once and floral.
Perennial defendant and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is being investigated by the FBI over bribery allegations and is still under indictment on felony securities fraud charges, is not a public employee — which is great, because we couldn’t believe we hired him. At least that’s what his office is claiming in the court fight against four former aides who say they were illegally fired after coming forward with allegations of wrongdoing by Paxton. The attorney general is not “a public employee” but an elected official, and therefore Texas Whistleblower Act protections don’t apply, his office argues. That’s not a bad line of defense. We know that ignorance of the law is no excuse, but how could Paxton even know the law when he tries to put himself so high above it? We await the judge’s ruling.
Consider this a thumbs up for editorial board member and writer Tim Morris, and a thumbs down for the fact that he retired this week. Can we begrudge him for wanting to go back to his family in New Orleans after spending 10 months locked in his Houston apartment? Yes. But will we? Yes. But should we? No. After 45 years in the newspaper business he’s earned some time off, even if we will miss the intelligence, passion and good humor he brought to every discussion. Editorials are unsigned because they represent the board’s opinion, but that opinion is only an idea. It is up to the writer to turn that into something worth reading, worth thinking about and ultimately, worth acting upon. Morris is one of the best. We wish him well.