Cornyn Tweets a little bigotry, draws a Latina challenger

Big John does the wrong thing on the wrong day.

Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn is defending a social media post about President Obama's health care program that's drawing calls of racism and insensitivity:

"POTUS sez you can get O-care questions answered in 150 different languages - is English one of them?" 

Cornyn's press office defends this post as a legitimate policy question, but two Texas political experts say it is not.

"There are a lot of smart, useful questions that could be asked about the health care program. This is not one of them," said Cal Jillson, an SMU political science professor. "This is snide and demeaning. There's no reason for it."

No policy reason, maybe, but Jillson said there is a political reason.

"He's talking to the tea party,” Jillson said.

Never a good day to Tweet that out, but particularly not a good day to do so on the day you get a primary challenge from a Houston immigration attorney named Linda Vega.

During a Tuesday announcement five months ahead of the March primaries, Vega said she will push for limited government and the fight against excessive government spending.

“Washington, D.C., needs a red-state model on education and economic growth, that of low taxes and pro-business,” she said.

And she said there are "politicians from our own state who feel so entitled to their political position that one week they tell you they are for something, but the following week they are against the same thing they previously supported."

It sounds to me as if she slots in to his left, and not his right.

Her practice is focused on immigration and labor law, according to a biography on her campaign website. Vega is also a founding member of Latinos Ready to Vote, a conservative political advocacy group that promotes voter registration and participation among Latinos.

Vega describes herself as supportive of immigration reform but warns against a system that penalizes businesses.

"In Texas, we believe that the power comes from the individual, from hard work and the private sector," Vega said. "Small businesses are often the first start to the road of prosperity for many immigrants who come here in search of the American dream."

In her announcement, Vega said she admires Gov. Rick Perry. She has also previously lent her support to Attorney General Greg Abbott in his bid for governor, calling his outreach to the Latino community “positive conservatism.”

Frankly she would have made bigger news if she followed Judge Carlo Key's lead.  I'm not sure if Vega alone has what it takes to knock off Senator Box Turtle.  If a right-winger joins the fray then I think he stands a good chance of being pushed into a runoff.

If he ignores Vega, refuses to debate, Tweets out some more racism, then we might have something to talk about while we wait for a Democrat to decide to run.

Update: Big Jolly likes Vega's bid.  I still can't discern if this is a good thing or a bad thing, but I do enjoy the way he cracks on "Cardboard" Cornyn.