Metroplex version of ‘right-wing smear machine’ against Valdez?

It certainly seems that way, with Dallas Morning News editorial writer Rod Dreher moving his crunchy con schtick to just plain “con,” and apparently doing so in tag team with former Observer writer Matt Pulle, now working at the pseudo-nonpartisan online newsmag Texas Watchdog.

Dreher’s using offensive wedge politics over a sensitivity to sexual preferences survey the Sheriff’s Department used for the first time but that the Dallas PD has reportedly used for 15 years, or so Resource Center of Dallas says.

Then Pulle claims the Dallas PD says, nope, we haven’t used such a survey, according to Texas Watchdog. (Which is only “nonpartisan” in the sense that it’s not officially part of the Texas GOP; Matt’s boss used to work at a ’winger public-policy shop in Nashville.)

I don’t know what’s going on. I’d like to hear from someone higher up in the DPD than just a “spokesperson.” And, since Cece Cox of Resource Center of Dallas said it’s been handed out to DPD recruits “within the last year,” this may be something new over there, new enough for a “spokesperson” to not be familiar with any changes.

That’s my guess; it’s new, or it is in its latest version and so DPD spokesperson Janice Crowther may not be familiar with it. (It’s unlikely the entire DPD, even if the survey goes beyond new recruits, takes such a survey every year.)

That’s putting the least charitable interpretation on this. The idea that Valdez knew in advance what questions were on the survey, let alone the insinuation that she drafted it, is ridiculous.

Beyond that, the whole section of the survey is only about a dozen questions (PDF).

Also, given the right-wing public policy think-tank background of Texas Watchdog founder Trent Seibert, contra Rod Dreher, I think we have the Dallas Metroplex’s version of the “vast right-wing conspiracy” ginning up here.

The Dallas Voice has more on Matt Pulle’s background with stuff like this.

Which also makes it interesting that the Texas Watchdog PDF ONLY has the one page posted. NOT the whole survey.