Welp, I don’t like it, but Beto’s campaign probably ended today before it even started.  Reuters has published a story that he was involved as a teenager with a computer hacking group, Cult of the Dead Cow, which was selling tools to hack into Microsoft Windows machines.  Members of the group kept his involvement secret during his Senate run, but have now spilled the beans.  Beto acknowledged the truth of the story today, admitting that his involvement “…was not anything that I’m proud of today.” Dems will instantly throw him overboard by Monday.

I know, I know, he was a teenager, blah, blah, but I can see the RNC commercials now, and all I can hear right now is Ol’ Dandy Don:

As we all know, Cruz beat Beto last night in a tighter race than anyone could have imagined a year ago.  In his victory shout, Cruz actually offered a fragment of an olive branch to Beto supporters saying, “I want to also say millions across this state were inspired by his campaign. They didn’t prevail and I am grateful the people of Texas chose a different path.   But let me say to all of those who worked on his campaign, all of those who were inspired that I am your Senator as well. My responsibility is to represent every Texan.”  Questions for Raphael – does this mean you’re going to stop trying to destroy health insurance and public schools in Texas?  I doubt it.  Are you going to stop demagoguing and spending all of your time running for president in Iowa?  No way.

In more dark news, Kim Olson lost to the worst human being in Texas, Sid Miller, and all other statewide offices were kept in the death grip of deplorables.  It’s so depressing.  I’m reading that turnout was even larger than in 2014 AND 2016, but straight party voting was the kiss of death to really good statewide candidates on the Dem side.

One really bright spot, though, was that “Liberal Lizzie Fletcher” decisively beat John Culberson.  Lizzie is a real breath of fresh air, and the message was clear that Houstonians are sick and tired of being unrepresented by an unresponsive, out of touch career politician.  Don’t let the door hit you on the ass on your way out the door, John.

Dems also had strong showings in Dallas and Tarrant Counties as well as in Harris and Fort Bend. At a minimum, the Dems wrested control of the House of Representatives from Republicans, so at least one part of the legislative branch will begin doing its job holding His Orangeness in check.  That should prove to be ugly, but I’m looking forward to the entertainment value.

All in all, though, I am personally sick to death of Texas being controlled by stupid people.  I’m sick and tired of the Texas Democratic Party being the millstone around great candidates necks instead of the wind at their backs.  I’m tired of poor turnout that simply hands races to the Repubs.  Yeah, I’m still in the ditch, but I’m still here.

Former Verizon attorney, Ajit Pai, who is now chairman of the FCC, is rolling out plans to repeal the Obama era rule that treated internet service providers as common carriers (like cable and network television companies) under Title II of the Communications Act.  What does that mean?  That means that Comcast and other internet service providers can decide what websites you can see and what apps you can use.  They can also throttle the speed of your internet according to how much you pay.  No longer would telecommunications companies be required to provide everyone with equal access to the internet.  Even worse, Pai is also pushing rules that prevent the states from protecting consumers from predatory practices of huge internet service providers.  In announcing his plan he talked how repeal of net neutrality would free the industry from crushing rules that require them to treat you fairly.

Pai, who was appointed as an FCC commissioner after Mitch McConnell recommended him in 2012, was elevated to chairman by Donald Trump in January of this year.  He has since waged war on net neutrality ignoring the the cacophony of opposition from the public.  This is what you get when you put an industry lobbyist in charge of regulating the industry you represent.

UPDATED FOR COMMENTS ABOUT BERNIE NOT BEING A DEMOCRAT:

Note: My usual warning…If you are a strong Hillary supporter, and believe her political loss in 2016 was purely the result of misogynist pigs denying her her birthright, please, please, please DON’T read this.  You will hate it, guaranteed.  However, if you want a little inconvenient truth, buckle up.  This one is a bumpy ride, but there is something to learn here…

Remember how all you Hillary supporters dismissed everyone who criticized her during the 2016 election?  Remember the way you unfriended people like me on social media and labeled us misogynist pigs who were being too hard on her?  Remember insulting Bernie supporters and libeling him at every opportunity?  Well, I do, and I have something to say about that and more.

Yesterday, Donna Brazile, who is a really good person, above board, honest, and a loyal Democrat published an excerpt from her new book, Hacks: The Inside Story of the Break-ins and Breakdowns that Put Donald Trump in the White House.  The excerpt described what she discovered when she took over the DNC after Debbie Wasserman Schultz was ousted during the Democratic Convention in the summer of 2016.  Her revelations about the state of the DNC is nothing short of shocking, but even worse, virtually all of the fears anti-Hillary folks had about how the nomination process was run were well founded. Hillary and her operatives HAD taken over the DNC and then proceeded to destroy every reform that had been implemented by Howard Dean and President Obama.

After Brazile took over the party, she first discovered that it had been deep in debt since the 2012 election and had been starved for cash since.  Worse, in September, she found the smoking gun.  She unearthed a document known as the Joint Fund-Raising Agreement between the DNC, the Hillary Victory Fund, and Hillary for America.  The document, negotiated between Robby Mook, Hillary’s campaign manager and the DNC,  handed FULL CONTROL of the DNC over to Hillary’s campaign office in August of 2015.  You read that correctly.  Hillary took full control of the DNC FIVE MONTHS before the primaries even started.  The DNC could do nothing without Hillary’s approval, including fund raising, staff hiring decisions, even press releases.

And file this under It Gets Even Worse; the money laundering charge that was asserted by Politico in May of 2016 was true.  We’ll let Brazile describe it herself –

“Individuals who had maxed out their $2,700 contribution limit to the campaign could write an additional check for $353,400 to the Hillary Victory Fund—that figure represented $10,000 to each of the 32 states’ parties who were part of the Victory Fund agreement—$320,000—and $33,400 to the DNC. The money would be deposited in the states first, and transferred to the DNC shortly after that. Money in the battleground states usually stayed in that state, but all the other states funneled that money directly to the DNC, which quickly transferred the money to Brooklyn.”

Money from the lavish fundraisers Hillary was holding all over the country for the DNC was actually laundered from the states, then to the DNC, and then to her own campaign coffers.  The state parties got less than ONE HALF OF ONE PERCENT.  So all you suckers donating in Texas to rebuild the party were actually backdoor funding Hillary’s campaign.  The party sucked wind. As Brazile describes this shameful scheme, the operation wasn’t illegal, but it was certainly unethical.

So let’s recap.  The charge that Hillary controlled the party during the primaries is true.  She controlled the DNC from the summer of 2015, controlling the primaries, party strategy, fund raising, management, and all other aspects of the DNC’s operation. Her people ran it, including the moron who ignored the FBI’s warning that the DNC’s email system was compromised.  The board of the DNC was sidelined.  The primaries WERE RIGGED.  Debbie Wasserman Schultz was nothing more than a tool for Hillary’s campaign, since she was installed to get Hillary elected.  The entire DNC effort from 2015 on had one goal – getting Hillary elected.

This shameful corruption does more damage than even Brazile described; it not only “compromised the party’s integrity” as she said, this documented and incontrovertible evidence of corruption plays directly into the stereotype of the Clintons running right on the edge of ethics and even legality.  While Hillary spoke loudly about campaign finance reform, blah, blah, blah, she was doing exactly, no, precisely the opposite.

You wanna know what really pisses me off?  These revelations of Hillary’s behavior adds fuel to the “lock her up” fire. It’s going from a bonfire to a 10,000 acre blaze that’s going to rage for months. Trump is already playing with the matches, tweet raging this morning that the FBI should investigate her criminality.  Here we go.

Hey, Hillary folks – hate Trump?  Well, goddamit, go buy a mirror.  Hang it on the wall, and then look into it for a long time.  Thanks.  For nothing.

UPDATE:  Let’s summarize comments from our hardcore Hillary supporters:

1. Nothing to see here.  Move along.
2. So?  Doesn’t everybody do it?
3. She won by 3 million votes!
4. It wasn’t criminal, so it’s OK.
5. Bernie’s not a Democrat and wouldn’t have won anyway.
6. El Jefe is an asshole.
7. Brazile is a LIAR!
8. Nuh Uh!

First, I didn’t believe Bernie would win the general, but I voted for him in the Texas primary.  What’s more important, and most Clintonistas IGNORE, is that the wall of money Hillary had erected scared off really good candidates like Joe Biden.  No one can deny that if Biden had run he would have decisively won.

Second, I’m always amazed at the prevarication and excuses from Hillary supporters.  Since when is corruption OK?  Trump and other Republicans are excoriated for this kind of conduct.  When it’s a Clinton, its like, “What? That’s a problem?”  I personally find it shocking the lengths Clintonistas reach defending her Highness, no matter the scale of the offense.

I personally witnessed the lengths that Howard Dean went to in 2006 and 2008 to make it clear that the DNC supported ALL candidates and was diligently neutral in partisan races.  He steadfastly defended neutrality and honesty.  Hillary poured kerosene all over those principles and struck the match herself.  Those who dismiss this kind of conduct are nothing short of radical hypocrites, and are no better than the hypocrites on the other side.

So there.

UPDATE 2: Lets talk about Bernie not being a Democrat.

This is the stupidest argument forwarded by Clintonistas.  “Bernie’s not a Democrat!” “He should have run on his own!”  “He should have not been allowed to run!”  And other BS.  OK, let’s settle this – BERNIE RAN UNDER THE RULES OF THE DNC.  HE QUALIFIED UNDER THE RULES OF THE DNC.  Period, end of story.  YOU may not like it, but he ran under the rules and qualified for the primaries.  He had EVERY RIGHT to run, even though YOU want to deny him that right.  The laws of the United States are stacked against independent runs.  It’s virtually impossible for an independent to qualify in all 50 states.  The state governments even pay for the major party primaries.  An independent run is virtually impossible to pull off.  You may hate him, but Bernie ran under the only rules that allowed him to run, AND HE QUALIFIED.  Don’t like that?  Then get all 50 states to make it easier for independent runs.  Until then, get over yourself and stop making stupid, irrelevant arguments.