The Political Business

"In the first place making an announcement in MyHarlingenNews was a major mistake. In fact, it is like a kiss of death. If you were influenced by Juan Ortega, believe me, he is a loser. In fact, Tony Chapa, who operates that blog, cannot even vote. Is this who you want supporting you?"... - Blogger Jerry Deal, in an Eail to Philip Sotelo

By DUARDO PAZ-MARTINEZ
The Paz Files

HARLINGEN, Texas - Who knows about this greenhorn Philip Sotelo? He may be a good and honorable man ready to serve the community, or he may be just another Mexican looking for some publicity to shine over a vacuous, lackluster life. At present, he is an unknown entity, of which there are, well, too damned many in the under-achieving Rio Grande Valley.

As always, we'll say again that the Book of the Border is full of promise. Sadly, however, that promise rarely finds altitude and almost never does a damned thing for the region's all-around needy people.

Perhaps that is why that whenever a new face arrives on the scene, the first inclination is to ask questions in the most direct manner possible. It's a little late in the evolutionary process of this horrible shank of land to grant anyone a free ride from the outset. Questions must be asked, absolutely. Who are you, and what the Hell do you want?

Mssr. Sotelo, said to be an employee of one of those annoying telephone call centers, seeks to replace lately-whipped, but still popular City Commissioner Jerry Prepejchal as the next representative of District 4. Fine and dandy. It's what we do in this country, either we do our civic duty and go for it or we let some other bozo do it. Sotelo appears primed for a run. His seriousness in doing it, however, is the mystery.

Blogger Jerry Deal, editor of MyLeaderNews.com, wants answers. He questions Sotelo's motives and is hard on the rookie for daring to make his announcement on the worst possible blog he could have selected. Deal is right, of course. Sotelo's initial decision has quickly branded his style suspect. Does he not know of that pedestrian website's penchant for being hateful and racist? Does he not care?

Thankfully, there is still much time left before the contest gets to the eventual finish line. And, yes, Mr. Sotelo made his points in responding to a quirky Email sent his way by Jerry Deal. The local blogger's motivation was dead-on as a Journalism stab, but it failed miserably in conveying the importance, mainly because Deal used the missive to unnecessarily diss his blogging opposition.

A list of pointed questions, prefaced by a calm, intelligent introduction, would have done the job a bit better. Deal had the man's Email address and it is getting answers to pertinent questions that should have been his goal. Sotelo is a novice, perhaps unsophisticated in the way of the press. But he, too, is a human being and human beings normally dislike and distrust impromptu interrogations from unknowns that come armed with seeming anger. Deal's Email fit that description, yes.

So, we wish Philip Sotelo the best in his coming efforts and hope that he finds the better path to accomplish his mission. He's not the first Valley would-be politician to do things differently. Ego flashes hot & heavy in the RGV. Elected officials feel they have gained some higher social standing just because the people entrust them with a government job. Most of them, the record shows, fail and fail quickly. One of the main reasons for this is that they invariably find that serving the public conflicts with their ability to serve themselves. It is the anvil shouldered by too many Hispanic elected officials currently allegedly serving the Valley. If it's not booze, its someone else's wife or husband. The story always has a bad and sad ending.

Jerry Deal will recover from this misstep and keep on trucking. He's done it enough to now know the drill.

As for candidate Philip Sotelo, well, we'll have to see and learn more about this fellow before we pass final judgment. So far, there is nothing to indicate he's something new...

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