Political or not, buy good ones, feed'm, show'm and try your best to be a good loser as well as a good winner??
For years I helped others with their kids and cattle, 1986-2002, during that time we never won a breed champ but put several in the sale. San Antonio, 2nd maine, 1st brahman, 4th charolais, Houston, 2 - 1st charolais, 1st-chi, Ft Worth, 2 - 1st, 2 - 3rd(european), 1st Amer, several placing. These are some that I can think of off the cuff. I was able to travel and look at alot of cattle while seaching for this family their calves, some were more expensive than others. Today with work to support my own family I can't get on the road and go search the way I did, therefore I purchase cattle closer to home, and not nearly as successful. Not necessarily political but knowing people who raise and sell good ones and having those contacts is a big help. I feel certain that Bonham has picked up more than one good one that everyone else passed up. There was a Charolais several years back that won Ft worth, I passed that steer up, shame on me, it happens. Guys if you can't prove with facts politics was a factor leave it alone, these people have put in their time getting to the top however you see it. Being able to come up with good cattle and being able to feed them to the end is a bigger factor than politics. I have seen politics, in San Antonio no dought, watched a girl in 9th place move all the way up to Champion one year while the fitter was on the fence throwing a fit. There was a girl in first that had a dang good steer, in fact a long time winner was sitting in front of me and had her picked to win the whole shabang til the 9th place moved all the way up to champion. I think he had the wrong girl, thinking she would have a pretty good kind of steer. Most of the time good ones win, you have to remember we are not the judge. Good luck to everyone down the road. Seems like a place for folks to vent. I was not there, waiting for Houston, sounds like the guy wasn't well versed in reasons, some verbage that wasn't necessarily appropriate. It was not one person telling me about the show, but looking on line at the photos looked like pretty good kind of cattle at the top.