County Judge Escobar to Constituent Alejandro "Alex" Guzman "U R NOT MY FB FRIEND"

"U R NOT MY FACEBOOK FRIEND" if you dare have an opinion different than County Judge Veronica Escobar who "unfriended" her constituent the respected Alex Guzman, a social political Democratic Activist and prominent Gay Rights Advocate

As I stated in my previous "Blog Housekeeping" post, a respected blogger shared with me some thoughts and suggestions on how to go about blogging.  

He suggested that if I make fun of something or someone to make sure I also make fun of myself. Tell a story, what did I learn from the experience…how does it apply to a blog post. And so it is in the spirit of telling a story, that I comment and tie my “U R not my friend” story to the current scandal between County Judge Veronica Escobar and one of her prominent Democratic constituents Alejandro “Alex” Guzman.

Technology has certainly altered communication, especially for politico’s and politics.  My last year serving in the Texas legislature, I was involved in the “shorthand” text messaging scandal known as “U R not my friend”.  To tell this story, I must first share that I was never part of the Alicia Chacon/Paul Moreno political faction.  They never asked me to run for public office. And after I beat their candidate Nacho Padilla, I was never able to develop a good relationship with Paul because of his sister.  Making a very, very, long story short, I eventually got involved with the opponent that would defeat him and that would be the beginning of the end of my legislative career.

Lilly Ruiz, my at the time District Director, was anxious to introduce me to a young woman she said would be an excellent candidate against veteran Paul Moreno.  And so I met Marisa Marquez at Carlos and Mickey’s for a vetting session. After the initial meeting, I decided to get involved in her run to defeat Paul. I took her to Austin, set up her meetings with key individuals in the lobby, introduced her to Bob Hoy, Maria Teran, Robert Brown and others, and suggested her to people who would eventually introduce her to her political deep pockets the Texans for Lawsuit Reform . They funded most of her campaign, aside from the initial seed money her father gave her, and funded the TV scripts I wrote, the radio spots I wrote and produced, and ¾ of her political mail I developed (I have the computer files if she says otherwise). She was a quick study but through that campaign both Lilly and I recognized she was less than honorable and that we had done a big mistake helping her.  She treated us both so poorly, but I insisted we stay involved because my political capital was at stake (little did we know what was at stake taking him out).

Every beginning of a legislative session, the Latina senior members of the House have an informal dinner to meet the incoming freshmen Latinas.  A meet and greet. In 2009, we went to the Fonda San Miguel and in a private room we conversed with our colleagues. I sat at one corner of a long table, Marquez at the other.  As the evening went on and as the wine got to her head, she started to make fun of an extra credit class project I had asked her to help me with during her campaign because I needed extra points for a test.  In front of all the Latina women colleagues, she made fun of my class and the extra credit project. The women legislators closest to me were shocked and tried to talk over her loudness and increasingly drunkenness.  I said nothing.  That is how we started our session together.

In May, as I reached the end of my last legislative session, and as I reached my higher education goal and was getting ready to “walk”, I made arrangements for my family and close friends coming to Austin and accommodated my colleagues who wanted to be a witness at the ceremony. It was going to be the most important ceremony in my life, second to my first swearing in ceremony.  And seeing Marisa Marquez on the House floor, I was reminded of her laughing at me after asking her for help. I sent her a text, “U R not my friend” I don’t want you at my family event please.  And from there it was a story in the El Paso Times, and blogged here and there.  I’m not proud of that. It was my mistake, but Marisa Marquez dishonoring me again, now by giving the text to the press, was equally wrong and unforgiveable. 

We all know Facebook is a social media networking system that crosses all lines of communication.  If you are not on Facebook, you know someone who is. Universities are now studying the implications of social media, where a few short years ago most political consultants said, “don’t worry about blogs – no one reads them” and most politicos didn’t have Facebook pages. Now members of Congress, and elected officials in all levels of government have a Facebook page of some sort and all political consultants suggest a dedicated political person to deal with social media and blogs.  Candidates for office use it widely and President Barack Obama is probably the trend setter on social media political outreach.

I didn’t really use Facebook, as an open discussion forum until I was no longer an officeholder.  There are too many opportunities to establish a permanent internet footprint and to write the wrong thing, or possibility to have something taken out of perspective.  So I used it as a cautious “hello” type tool until I was no longer in office. 

So it is with amazement that I witness County Judge Veronica Escobar with her very own social media scandal.  She has de-friended Alejandro “Alex” Guzman calling him a “liar, bully, and stalker” on FACEBOOK.  She is very dismissive of a hard working, well respected Democratic social political activist and Gay Rights advocate.  Further, on her wall and post, coming to her defense is the County “Ethics” Attorney Michael Wyatt, who was her immediate past campaign treasurer, and who had to resign from being her treasurer, in order to be nominated, hired, and paid a six figure salary funded by the taxpayers of El Paso.

The reason that Alex is being “de-friended” by Judge Escobar on Facebook, is not because he ridiculed her, but because he has pointed out her political policy mistakes.

He is being de-friended by Judge Escobar because Alex will go head-to-head with her on the issues and has bluntly stated that her political standing for a Republican created Redistricting map is wrong, and because he calls her political pandering of the map she favors for her political ally, as self serving and not in the best interest of the overall County she represents, nor is it good for Democrats statewide. He points out that she is willing to pontificate for her political BFF’s (best friends forever) at the expense of the taxpayer and her constituents .

He was de-friended after posting videos of the disabled community and ASARCO workers picketing a political forum and her BFF, Baytoe O’Rourke, at a Congressional forum.  He was de-friended because he has called her out for her blatant mistake pushing and screaming, that all of Ft. Bliss was going to be awarded to a San Antonio Congress person, which she publicly learned was FALSE!! 

He was de-friended because he pointed out to her that Ft. Bliss has always had dual representation because it crosses over into New Mexico. He was de-friended by Judge Escobar because he stated how ridiculous she looked to the state and national Democratic Resdistricting attorneys including the Civil Rights legal team MALDEF, after she commanded County Attorney JoAnn Bernal to be directly involved SUPPORTING the gerrymandered Republican map that violates the Voting Rights Act, suppresses Latino voters, and removed the vitally important Lower Valley from being represented by an El Paso Congressman.

He is being de-friended because he called her out when she made fun of the Democratic Party “enchilada” fundraisers and because she marginalized the Democratic Party banner she runs under.  He is being de-friended because his Facebook wall became a memory wall of her unflattering Playboy Magazine interview with her other BFF playmate, Rep. Susie Byrd, calling rolled tacos at an El Paso favorite eatery “Chicos Tacos” a unique delicatessen for locals because of the “good welfare cheese” flavor. 

Alejandro “Alex” Guzman, even though you helped and campaigned for her – “U R NOT HER FRIEND”. County Judge Veronica Escobar and her political faction the “Veronicuns” (named for their politically cunning and deceitful ways) are not your friends!  I cannot imagine a County Judge in anywhere Texas un-friending a CONSTITUENT who has simply pointed out political policy errors and boondoggles that could hurt a constituency and the County she leads.

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