After a long wait, we finally have a Primary Election date of May 29, 2012! TCR hopes the GOP nomination for President is still in play as it should boost turnout and give us a lift like the Democrats got in 2008. TCR will be active as always in Harris County and for the first time in key races around the state to ensure well-qualified conservative candidates are nominated by the Republican party.

Another pseudo-scandal advanced by political enemies of the Harris County District Attorney has bitten the dust.

TCR has commented previously in Much Ado About Nothing Part 1, 2 & 3 about other alleged pseudo-scandals that bit the dust. Recently, the investigation against respected Assistant District Attorneys Steve Morris and Carl Hobbs and two court reporters falsely accused of actions in connection with the runaway Grand Jury that called for a contempt of court show cause hearing by Judge Susan Brown (a central figure in Much Ado About Nothing Parts 1-3 pseudo-scandal) was ended for lack of evidence.

So let's see, in each instance of the political hits described as "legal investigations," the Harris County District Attorney's Office and its leader Pat Lykos, have been found to have engaged in NO wrongdoing whatsoever.

Maybe now the major media will give it up and recognize they were used in an attempted political mugging. Maybe an apology would be appropriate and joining in the apology should be Judge Brown, her handpicked Grand Jury Foreman, and the attorneys she appointed to aid the runaway grand jury.

With gas now over $4.00 a gallon (and approaching it in Texas) in the spring before we switch to the summer gas blend, where we could be approaching $5.00 a gallon, the administration's energy plan is a joke. President Obama's energy plan -- don't drill and use high cost alternative fuels, is not working. Even former President Bill Clinton says we should build the Keystone XL Pipeline from Canada now.

Just last week, Secretary of Energy Steve Chu said his department's goal has to decrease dependency on oil, not to lower gas prices.

And the latest from the EPA leadership are rules that make it too expensive to operate coal plants. This has caused two electric companies to shut down nine coal-fuel plants to be replaced by nothing except a new electric power shortage.

So what is our alternative? New technology onshore and off will allow the U.S. to become the largest energy producer in the world with the revenue and employment that comes with it, possibly as many as many as a million new jobs, with added revenue for the government too. This is done by ending the slow walking of drilling permits by Obama's regulators.

One other thing, CNBC's Rick Santelli said recently, " ... we all know if you put the GDP up, energy usage is going to go right along with it." So our sluggish economy has been consuming less oil recently due to our economic conditions and high unemployment.

So it all makes sense, tank the economy, boost unemployment and oil usage declines.

Rule 1: Define your "big idea." What is the overarching theme of your campaign? What is the first thing you want people to think and say about you? What do you stand for? What does your candidacy mean?

Rule 2: Sell your benefits, not your features. Electoral success is not a reward for past services rendered; it is about promises for the future.

Rule 3: Do not dilute your positions to win over middle-of-the roaders. If that worked, the moderate John McCain would have defeated Ronald Reagan. You will never win the presidency by being the lesser of two evils; you have to attract voters to win. Boldness, directness, and honesty will trump subtlety and nuance every time.

Rule 4: Do not let the Obama campaign brand you. Brand him. Your campaign must clearly shape the choices for the American voter. If you do not, the Obama campaign will do it for you - to your detriment. You must relentlessly advance your own brand, and you must relentlessly aim to brand President Obama. If you are not on the offensive, you will be on the defensive.

Rule 5: Locate your campaign headquarters outside of Washington, D.C. You will be running against Washington. This may seem obvious -- though somehow it wasn't to the Clinton or McCain campaigns in 2008.

Rule 6: Develop an electoral strategy with multiple avenues to success. You can't take for granted the states that John McCain carried in 2008, but you can reasonably expect to win them. The 2012 election will be all about the same 16 "battleground states" it was in 2008. Compete aggressively in all of them. You have good reason to think that the Republican nominee can recapture Indiana, Virginia, and North Carolina. Beyond these three states, you need to pick up only Florida, Ohio, and one other state to prevail with 270 electoral votes. Give yourself multiple ways to reach 270. A corollary: Don't waste your time and resources where you can't win. And don't waste your time with demographic groups you will never win over. Choose the markets that are advantageous to you; it is a mistake to try to convert your clear opponents.

Rule 7: Quickly and categorically reject public financing. Do not be defensive about this. If a longtime champion of public financing like Barack Obama can turn his back on public financing when it suits him, this should be easy for you. Be as cavalier about it as he was in 2008. Raise as much money as you can. Cede no financial advantage to the Obama campaign.

Rule 8: Run a good ground game. Nothing beats you or your surrogates' direct contact with the voters. Take a page from Obama campaign manager David Plouffe's 2008 playbook: Do not treat your staff and volunteers as pawns, but as valued customers and colleagues.

Rule 9: Consider someone like Marco Rubio as your running mate. You need to bring energy and freshness to your campaign. Choosing Sarah Palin was not wrong in 2008; letting her twist in the wind in the face of media attacks was. A positive, Reaganesque running mate like Marco Rubio will help you. The fact that he is Hispanic will help even more. And the fact that he is from Florida makes choosing him a trifecta.

Rule 10: Go all in. The vast majority of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. A sizable number believe the country's very future is at stake in this election. Act like it. Do not pull your punches, especially in a vain and benighted effort to curry favor with the media. The days of neutral media, if they ever existed, are over. The media are partisan, as in the early days of the republic; they have chosen sides. You must -- or at least your campaign and surrogates must -- take on Barack Obama directly. When you are criticized for doing so, know that you are having an effect. Double down on it.

TCR Comment: This brilliant analysis is the road map for victory in November. Remember, don't let the leftist media discourage or mislead, we can do it.

TCR Comment: The following is a documentary on the U.S.-Israel relationship since the start of the Obama administration. I urge you to take a look at this film which contrasts the President's rhetoric with his record.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wbH5KVPrPo

Red, White & Blue featuring TCR Editor Gary Polland and liberal commentator David Jones, Fridays at 7:30 p.m. and replaying Sundays at 5:00 p.m. on PBS Houston Channel 8 and on the web at www.houstonpbs.org.