Letter to the Editor: Is it the truth or is it just theatrics? Know the difference
In every election cycle, we are bombarded with speeches, slogans, and shiny promises from politicians eager to earn our trust—and our vote. But in the noise of campaigns and commercials, a critical truth is too often overlooked: words are cheap—actions reveal character. It is not enough to listen to what politicians say; we must look closely at what they have done.
This story is a call to pay attention, dig deep and educate yourself with factsnot fantasy. Policies, votes, records, and results tell a clearer story than any campaign ad ever will. If we want real change and honest leadership, we must stop being swayed by polished rhetoric and start holding leaders accountable for their track record. Because in the end, a politician’s legacy isn’t in their promises—it is in their performance.
Politicians are masters of distraction. When their records fall short, they don’t try to fix the past—they try to make you forget it. One common tactic is blameshifting:-- they point fingers at opponents, predecessors, or even the public itself.
“If only the other party had cooperated,” they say, ignoring the fact that they held a majority or had executive power when key decisions went unmade.
Another favorite method is repackaging failure as progress. A broken promise becomes a “long-term goal.” A policy that hurts working families gets reframed as “part of a broader strategy.”
They use buzzwords like “equity, “innovation” or “resilience” to paint over policies that have little to no measurable success.
And then there is the crisis card. When cornered, politicians invoke emergencies— real or manufacturedto justify poor results. “We are in unprecedented times,” they claim, while ignoring how their own decisions worsened the crisis.
Take the example of campaign finance reform. A candidate may run on promises to curb the influence of big money, only to later accept massive donations from PACs and lobbyists.
When questioned, they deflected with vague reforms or symbolic gestures—while quietly voting in favor of the very interests they campaigned against.
These aren’t isolated incidents; they are part of a strategy. Distract. Reframe.
Blame. Promise. Repeat.
The most effective politicians know that theatrics work better than transparency. When the heat turns up, they stage press conferences, articles in newspapers or social media—all displays designed to show how great they are and to look like leadership without requiring any of its substance.
And then there is substituting symbolism for solutions. This is the age-old “kissing the baby” show. They have pictures taken at ribboncuttings for important and beneficial events, postings on social media with heartwarming victims, all to give the impression of caring about the public. Meanwhile, real legislation that could change lives-bettering schools, improving healthcare, building infrastructure investment-all sit ignored, stalled, or gutted by amendments.
A favorite method of distracting the citizen voter is the data dump distraction where they flood the public with charts, figures, and economic forecasts, confident most people won’t question the source or context. A slight drop in unemployment becomes “the lowest in history” and a temporary tax cut is labeled “historic relief”, even as the cost of living rises and wages get left behind.
Politicians and their marketing agents count on you not looking past the headlines.
The story isn’t in what they say. It’s in the budgets they pass, the deals they sign, the lives their actions affect. The story is in what they have done On November 5, 2024, the
STATE SETS EMPLOYMENT RECORDS IN 2024 Texas again broke all records for employment in 2024 as the state again led the nation in jobs added over the past 12 months.
“The No. 1 economy in America is built by Texans,” said Abbott. “Texas leads the nation in annual job creation and more Texans are working than ever before as we break record after record for total employment.”
The state’s workforce reached a new high of 15,536,100, while the seasonally adjusted unemployment of a point to 4.2%.
“After another month of job growth, the Texas labor force participation rate has reached a 10-year high, at 64.7 percent,” said Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Bryan Daniel. “This positive trend shows the strength of the Texas workforce, job seekers.”
CORRECTION
people of Texas and across the United States declared through their voting that they wanted more responsible conservative government. But calling oneself a conservative does not make one. The proof of that claim lies in what the person has done and the reason for the action.
Good government begins at the local level. Across Texas grassroot conservatives are calling out elected officials for their failure to address the values for which they were elected. In the months ahead, your local county Republican chairs will be bringing you updates on issues facing our rural districts, bills passed in the 89th Legislature as well as those that did not, how that legislation will affect our rural areas, and how our State and District representatives voted.
We look forward to working with each of you in the months ahead so decisions can be made on factual data and not theatrics. The future of our state and our country is at stake. We must remember, so goes Texas-goes the nation. God Bless and we will see you next time.
Falls County Republican Party Executive Committee Elizabeth Nelson, County Chair Due to an editing error, the party breakdown cited in last week’s item about the 2025 legislative session was incorrect. There will be 88 Republicans and 62 Democrats in the Texas House when it convenes next week, rather than 87-63 as we reported. We apologize for the error.
Gary Borders is a veteran award-winning Texas journalist. He published a number of community newspapers in Texas during a 30-year span, including in Longview, Fort Stockton, Nacogdoches, Lufkin and Cedar Park. Email: gborders@ texaspress.com