In a forthcoming broadcast of your Editor's show Red, White & Blue (to be shown on PBS TV 8 Houston on February 27, 2015), there is an in-depth look at the 2015 mayoral race set for round one in November.

With ten expected major candidates, it will be fascinating to watch if you follow politics. Those candidates, or rumored ones, are: Chris Bell, Jack Christie, Stephen Costello, Joe Ferreira, Adrian Garcia, Ben Hall, Bill King, Marty McVey, Oliver Pennington, and Sylvester Turner.

A couple of observations: The first round is best described as a jungle primary. The ticket to the runoff is as small as 11.5% of the vote, so the jungle is really a group of major constituency primaries. In Houston, you have the major groups: (1) Republicans, (2) Democrats, (3) Afro-American, (4) Hispanics, (5) white liberals, (6) LGBT voters, and (7) independents. Now, obviously there is some crossover vote that each candidate will seek.

Of course, those groups come in play after the first battle - the money race. Expert analyst and University of Houston professor, Dr. Richard Murray, opines the minimum ante to be a player is $1.5 million.

Another factor possibly in play is the Houston Gay Rights Ordinance Referendum that "could" be on the ballot in November. If so, expect a major boost in turnout in round one and that it will become an issue for the major interest groups.

And the fascinating possibilities don't end there. There will be a runoff and the final two have to assemble a coalition after what promises to be a divisive and hard found round one. In the runoff, there will be no referendum boosting turnout, and the two survivors will not have a long time to raise money and seek support from those (probably in the vast majority of voters) who supported someone else.

All in all this will be one interesting race to follow, and TCR and Red, White & Blue will be on the front lines of coverage.

Twenty-three months and counting, the time left for President Obama to sink America so low that even a unified GOP government won't be able to dig us out.

It's hard to believe, but true, that Obama, according to reliable sources, has offered Iran pre-nuclear status and an end to sanctions in exchange for, not an end to terrorism against U.S. allies, not an end to threats to bomb Israel, not to follow IAEA rules and inspections without interference, not to stop building inter-continental missiles to ultimately threaten the U.S., but just for agreeing to take over the war on ISIS.

Now anyone with half a brain who understands the history of the Ayatollahs in Iran understands they will push their own interest of spreading their revolution to the Muslim world, and they will have nuclear weapons because Obama would have allowed it.

That is why Congress, led by key Republicans, must stop this disastrous idea.

With the artificial controversy created by the Obama Administration in full throttle to silence critics of the forthcoming bad deal with Iran, Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel has accepted an invitation to speak to Congress.

Since we at TCR believe in the First Amendment and believe honest debate helps form good policy, we support it. As friend Gary Bauer pointed out, "...it seems important that members of Congress and the American people understand what a nuclear armed Iran means for both Israel and the United States." Israel is a critical U.S. ally and it would seem that it is critical to hear Israel's perspective and the impact of a bad deal on them, the U.S. and the world. Would it not?

After lengthy deliberation, a jury has answered hundreds of questions in the suit to allow a referendum of the Houston ordinance regarding gay rights. The suit was about whether enough valid signatures were on petitions. The legal process has a ways to go, but it appears the petitions have enough as originally ruled by City of Houston Secretary Anna Russell. If the courts rule timely, it can be on the ballot in November with significant impact on city elections rounds one and two.

Common Core is the plan to essentially federalize and, more or less, eliminate the traditional emphasis in history courses on the American founders and our principles of constitutional government and free enterprise.

The plan, in essence, is to shift courses to the left. This idea, of course, flies in the face of the U.S. Constitution, which, in fact, leaves education via the Tenth Amendment to local communities and states.

The Heartland Institute, a conservative think-tank, in March of 2014 analyzed the distortions Common Core brings to the table in its U.S. history framework. Among the whoppers are these:

And this is just in the history area.

Texans should be glad that we live in a state whose conservative leaders said no to Common Core when first introduced. When we start looking at GOP candidates for President, one of the many things to look at is where they stood originally and stand on Common Core.

Red, White & Blue featuring TCR Editor Gary Polland, liberal commentator David Jones and moderator Linda Lorelle on Fridays at 7:30 pm on PBS Houston Channel 8.1, replaying Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 8.1, Mondays at 11:30 pm on Channel 8.2 and on the web at www.houstonpublicmedia.org.

Upcoming shows:
02-20-15, 7:30 pm - Texas Legislature Update
  Re-airs 02-21-15,  6:30 pm on PBS 8.1
  Re-airs 02-23-15, 11:30 pm on PBS 8.2
02-27-15, 7:30 pm - 2015 Mayoral Race Preview
  Re-airs 02-28-15,  6:30 pm on PBS 8.1
  Re-airs 03-01-15, 11:30 pm on PBS 8.2

The current show as well as past shows are available on YouTube.

Gary Polland is a long-time conservative and Republican spokesman, fund-raiser, and leader who completed three terms as the Harris County Republican Chairman. During his three terms, Gary was described as the most successful county Chairman in America by Human Events - The National Conservative Weekly. He is in his sixteenth year of editing a newsletter dealing with key conservative and Republican issues. The last fourteen years he has edited Texas Conservative Review. As a public service for the last 12 years, Gary has published election guides for the GOP primary, general elections and city elections, all with the purpose of assisting conservative candidates. Gary is also in his 15th year of co-hosting Red, White and Blue on PBS Houston, longest running political talk show in Texas history. Gary is a practicing attorney and strategic consultant. He can be reached at (713) 621-6335.