On Friday, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst released the committee assignments for your Texas Senate. From the looks of things, Senator Jose Rodriguez has just as much stroke in Senate as Chente Quintanilla.
Rodriguez will serve, AGAIN, as vice-chair of the Jurisprudence committee in the Senate. He will also serve on the Veterans Affairs and Military Installations, Criminal Justice and Government Organization.
You know what this all means?
When it comes time to deliberate in a Senate committee the proposed state budget, El Paso will not be heard. Why will El Paso not be heard? Because Jose Rodriguez is an ineffectual Senator. Jose is too busy trying to be everybody's friend at a El Paso Young Democrat's meeting instead of trying to be everybody's friend in the Senate.
And do not tell Max that Jose is being marginalized because he is a Democrat. The Senate budget-writing committee has 2 Democrats from the Rio Grande Valley, 1 Democrat from Dallas and 1 Democrat from Laredo. Laredo!!! That's right. Laredo. El Paso is getting lapped by Laredo. The only person marginalizing Jose Rodriguez is Jose Rodriguez.
Don't spin the idea that the Veteran Affairs and Military Installations committee is important. It's not. Anything military is by and large federal. Go to Beto O'Rourke for these things, not Jose Rodriguez. That is unless of course you want a Texas flag. Then yes, go to Jose Rodriguez.
The El Paso House Delegation - namely Marisa Marquez, Naomi Gonzalez and Joe Pickett- will have to shoulder much more of the legislative burden because Jose's lack of influence in the Senate. And when the House Delegation cannot carry Jose's load, well, then that's when those guys that you all do not like - Paul Foster and Woody Hunt - have to take time out of their own busy lives to help out because El Paso sent an ineffectual Senator to represent them.