High Noon in Brownsville:...Vote Count in Race For County Judge Gives Job To Democrat John Wood...Some Are Incredulous...Some Just Laugh...

By PATRICK ALCATRAZ
Editor-In-Chief

BROWNSVILLE, Texas - Politician Carlos Cascos cannot be faulted if he takes a head-first leap into his medicine cabinet and drowns himself in bottle after bottle after bottle of Pepto-Bismol. That race he thought he won Nov. 2nd for sure now has him in the spot Mexicans know well as, "Madre, que pedo?!"

And who could blame the guy?

The last few days - Weekend of the Recount - had Cascos doing electoral somersaults. One day, he had confirmation of a victory and the realization that he would continue to serve as Cameron County Judge; the next he didn't. No doubt it's been a rough two days for the Republican not known for public brawling. Will he take the latest tally that has opponent John Wood winnning the office by 5 votes calmly and simply walk away? Five votes! Wood, 20,576; Cascos, 20,571.

Already, the sound of cracking knuckles moves across Brownsville like a moving cantina punch-out. Someone, it is being said, will soon face the full-fury of the scorned Republican. That someone could be Cameron County Elections Administrator Roger Ortiz, the man who delivered the bad news to Cascos yesterday, as nice and cool a day as the Rio Grande Valley of Texas has enjoyed lately.

Said Mssr. Ortiz in the wake of the tally, "All I can tell you is that the only thing that matters is the integrity of the election — whichever way it goes."

Odd, that "integrity" thing. Around here, it is sprinkled liberally in post-elections commentary, especially by the cornered bureaucrats and the winners. The losers forever have another word they like, and that one is, yeah - Bullshit.

Interestingly, Wood had conceded the race a bit earlier yesterday, given it up in a congratulatory telephone call to Mssr. Cascos, who, even as the supposed final count sent the contest Wood's way, boldly issued a press release saying he was going ahead with plans to continue serving the people.

It all brought back images of the mess in Florida during the 2000 presidential election, when a myriad of questionable moves by vote counters tipped the race to then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush and sent Vice-President Al Gore packing. Those thousands of Africa-Americans living the Miami area whose votes never were counted are still angry, as are the thousands of senior citizens who thought they'd voted for Gore and saw their votes recorded for Bush. It's a game, yes, but it's a game for Big Boys willing to roll in the dirt and the in mud.

So, what is no-nonsense Republican Cascos' next move? Al Gore took the fight to the U.S. Supreme Court, where a 5-4 vote sided with Bush as the winner. It was, yep, 5 Republicans voting for Bush and 4 for Gore. Bullshit? Absolutely...

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