WHO’S REALLY IN CHARGE?

Anthony is back with an extended episode from the Republican Party of Texas Convention in Houston, and this week’s message is clear: elections matter, but appointments, party rules and obscure agencies can shape Texas politics long after the ballots are counted.

Anthony breaks down the convention energy in Houston, the chairman’s race, Ken Paxton’s presence, Gov. Greg Abbott’s speech and the growing demand from grassroots conservatives to close the Republican primary. He explains why it is not enough for Republican leaders to say only Republicans should vote in Republican primaries. The real question is whether state leaders will stop using taxpayer dollars to fight the party’s own effort to protect its primary.

Then Anthony turns to one of the episode’s most important themes: appointments matter. From the Secretary of State to the Texas Funeral Service Commission, he lays out how donor influence, agency appointments and hidden power can shape policy outcomes in ways most Texans never see until the damage is already done.

Anthony also touches on the rise of organized parents in Maine, Trump and Paxton, the possibility of a national Republican gathering in Dallas and why grassroots conservatives cannot afford to ignore the “small” fights buried inside government.

This is a warning about how power actually works in Texas.