Voting & Elections
The closest thing Harris County government has to a CEO is the Harris County Judge.
Despite the title, it's not a judicial position. The Harris County Judge presides over
Harris County Commissioners' Court - like a city council, but for the county, and has
certain other duties, particularly with regard to emergency management.
In 2018, popular Harris County Judge Ed Emmett was defeated in what many observers
felt was something of a fluke. A 28-year old Colombian immigrant with no experience as
an elected official won - mostly due to Democratic straight-ticket voting by supporters of
Beto O'Rourke, a candidate for U.S. Senate who carried Harris County by a wide
margin despite losing the statewide election to Ted Cruz.
Hidalgo's service as county judge has had some controversy. Critics have a lot to say
about her views on criminal justice reform and pandemic mandates, and three of her
key staff members have been indicted for allegedly steering an $11 million vaccine
outreach contract away from the UT Health Science Center to a political consultant with
no relevant experience.
Still, Harris County has leaned pretty far left for the past several elections, and some are
skeptical that any Republican nominee - even another Hispanic female - can unseat a
Democratic incumbent.
Your assignment: You are now the phantom campaign manager for one of these two
candidates. Design a campaign to win the election. Write this assignment as a 2 - 5
page memorandum.
(but with cited sources) from you, the campaign manager, to your candidate. Outline the
race for them, how much money you think they need to raise, how you will raise it for
them, what you propose to spend it on, what issues they should talk about, how you
want to deliver their message, etc.
Some things to keep in mind:
● Most important: Remember, you're writing a memo to your client, not a report
about your client. Talk to your candidate. Don't tell them their own biography -
they already know where they went to school, how many kids they have, etc.
Focus on the campaign you want to run.
● Lina Hidalgo is the incumbent. Incumbents always enter a race with a
decided advantage, although - to be fair - Hidalgo won this race four years
ago by beating the incumbent. She is young, intelligent, energetic and
articulate.
● Alexandra Mealer has an impressive background, graduating from West Point
and serving as an Explosive Ordnance Disposal officer in Afghanistan.
● This race is far down a long election ballot, after dozens of federal, state and
local judicial races. Many voters are going to the polls because they're mad
about gas prices, inflation, abortion rights and January 6 - none of which are
issues over which a county judge has any control. How do you deal with that?
● In 2018, many voters chose the "straight ticket" option - voting for either all
Democrats or all Republicans with a single choice at the beginning of the
ballot. Straight ticket voting is no longer available in Texas. You can vote for
all the candidates from one party, but you have to choose those candidates
individually, one race at a time. Will that impact the outcome of a
"down-ballot" race like this one?
● What's your candidate's message? How will you deliver it, and to whom? How
much money will you need? How will you raise it? How will you spend it?
rgues that war should be avoided (Begby et al (2006b), Page 332) and that we should proceed circumstances diplomatically. This is supported by the “last resort” stance in Frowe, where war should not be permitted unless all measures to seek diplomacy fails (Frowe (2011), Page 62). This means war shouldn’t be declared until one party has no choice but to declare war, in order to protect its territory and rights, the aim of war. However, we can also argue that the war can never be the last resort, given there is always a way to try to avoid it, like sanctions or appeasement, showing Vittola’s theory is flawed.
Fourthly, Vittola questions upon whose authority can demand a declaration of war, where he implies any commonwealth can go to war, but more importantly, “the prince” where he has “the natural order” according to Augustine, and all authority is given to him. This is further supported by Aristotle’s Politics ((1996), Page 28): ‘a king is the natural superior of his subjects.’ However, he does later emphasise to put all faith in the prince is wrong and has consequences; a thorough examination of the cause of war is required along with the willingness to negotiate rival party (Begby et al (2006b), Page 312& 318). This is supported by the actions of Hitler are deemed unjustly. Also, in today’s world, wars are no longer fought only by states but also non-state actors like Al-Queda and ISIS, showing Vittola’s normative claim on authority is outdated. This is further supported by Frowe’s claim that the leader needs to represent the people’s interests, under legitimate authority, which links on to the fourth condition: Public declaration of war. Agreed with many, there must be an official announcement on a declaration of war (Frowe (2011), Page 59-60&63).
Finally, the most controversial condition is that wars should have a reasonable chance of success. As Vittola reiterated, the aim of war is to establish peace and security; securing the public good. If this can’t be achieved, Frowe argues it would be better to surrender to the enemy. This can be justified because the costs of war would have been bigger (Frowe (2011), Page 56-7).
Consequently, jus ad bellum comprises several conditions but most importantly: just cause and proportionality. This gives people a guide whether it’s lawful to enter a war or not. However, this is only one part of the theory of the just war. Nevertheless, it can be seen above that jus ad bellum can be debated throughout, showing that there is no definitive theory of a just war, as it is normatively theorised.