Maldonado Moving Right?

One positive thing I have to say about the Maldonado campaign: They have some very good handlers for the beleagured incumbent representative.  After her disastrous performance at a Round Rock Chamber event earlier this week, the campaign quickly trotted out a press release in which Maldonado seems to join Tea Party types in calling for increased border security. 

According to the release sent Thursday morning, Representative Maldonado allegedly joined "several colleagues in the Texas House" in addressing a letter to President Barack Obama.  To my knowledge, the actual text of the letter is not included in the release itself, which is posted at Texas Insider, and no other House members are mentioned by name. Supposedly, the letter requests two MC-12 Aircraft to beef up security on the border.

Wow.  I feel better already.

Sources who were present at the Round Table Discussions, said comments attributed to Representative Maldonado in the release are in stark contrast to her performance at the event earlier this week.  She was vague and somewhat evasive, especially on Voter Photo ID legislation, telling the questioner that they "just disagree on this issue."  Her answer to a border security query  included an ambiguous reference to troops returning from Iraq, leading the audience to wonder if she was suggesting placing combat troops on the Mexican border. 

Of course this isn't the first time Representative Maldonado has written to Obama.  In March of this year she joined other liberal politicians in the Progressive States Network to urge the President to push through socialized health care reform, specifically the Senate Bill (sans Stupak,) even though most Americans vehemently opposed the legislation.  Maldonado got her way, and now we are all gearing up to pay the consequences. 

While Representative Maldonado doesn't necessarily understand the reasons for voter frustration, she and her campaign must realize to some extent that the future does not bode well for liberal-progressive candidates in conservative-leaning districts.   Their actions indicate they are trying very hard to 'move Maldonado to the Right,' but unfortunately for them, her record doesn't leave much doubt as to where she really stands.