![]() |
![]() |
Burnt Orange ReportNews, Politics, and Fun From Deep in the Heart of Texas |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
September 24, 2003What Our Next Chair Should Look Like...By Andrew DobbsSo I didn't get in on the blog burst action, simply because I was very busy and I felt that most of what should be said has already been said by others in a much better way. I still would like to weigh in on the issue of who our state party chair ought to be so I decided to post on what the qualifications should be and who might fit those standards. I think that this new leader will be very integral in the direction our party takes over the next several years and in 2004 in particular as they will be chair at least until June of next year. First and most importantly the person who is chosen must be a new face to the party, someone who is either young or at least not someone who's been around forever but someone who is willing to push the party in a new, positive direction. Frankly, I'd say that this qualification alone dropkicks Jim Mattox (who is way too conservative for my tastes anyways), Carl Parker and Garry Mauro right outta there. David Van Os is pushing it. He's 53 and has been active since the 70s, and is pretty establishment-ish, but he seems to have the kind of vitality that these two don't, but I think others would be better. Kirk Watson has got to be in his 40s but he looks a lot younger and acts even younger than that. Sherry Boyles is only 31 and rocks my world and Garnet Coleman is young and tells Patrick Rose to "stop kissing Craddick's motherfucking ass" in public. That's what I call fresh! Secondly, I think that we need someone progressive with a history of activity in the progressive movements (civil rights, abortion rights, feminism, gay rights, labor, environmentalism, etc.) because it was the lazy, corrupt, reactionary and short-sighted reputation of the overgrown Texas Democratic Party that gave the GOP an opening here and throughout the South. In 1961 when John Tower was elected to the US Senate as the first Republican elected statewide here since Reconstruction he won because all the liberals voted for him over the reactionary put up by the Dems. That's only one example but it highlights the kind of breaking point that a lot of moderate and liberal people faced where they either switched to the GOP or stopped voting in the first place. I think that this means goodbye to Jim Mattox and Carl Parker, both too conservative for this important position. Hello Watson, Boyles, Van Os and Coleman. Thirdly, we really ought to recognize the achievements of underrepresented classes of people, our party's base, with the chairpersonship. That really leaves Boyles (a woman) and Coleman (an African American) to vie for the spot. Either would be phenomenal and I'll leave it at that. Finally, we need someone who has won races, or at least come close, and can raise money and organize. Watson probably takes the cake on this one, though Coleman runs a political consulting firm and is the only one of those three currently holding office (though Watson was the popular mayor of Austin for several years). Boyles, god bless her, has never been elected to anything and did about the same as everyone else in 2002 in her race for Railroad Commissioner- 41.5%. Albeit the incumbent is kinda popular (Michael Williams, a black Republican gets paraded by the GOP as their idea of "diversity.") and it was a down ballot race in a year when Democrats were not held in terribly high regard, she still got thumped. Watson did about as well. Watson can raise money though, and he has been elected mayor of a major city. Still, I think that the statewide exposure this position will bring is the kind of push that would really set Sherry Boyles up for good things in the future. So there we have it- Watson, Coleman and Boyles. They each have at least one thing really going for them- Watson has money and organizing skills, Coleman has progressive cred out the wazoo and Boyles is young and energetic. Any of them would be great and any of the others (with the possible exception of David Van Os, though his record is a little shaky) are pretty bad. Call your SDEC members soon so we can get this party rolling! Posted by Andrew Dobbs at September 24, 2003 01:39 AM | TrackBack
Comments
Andrew, what's your take on Houston City Council member Carol Alvarado, who has expressed some interest in the chairmanship? Posted by: Charles Kuffner at September 24, 2003 12:00 PMAlbeit the incumbent is kinda popular (Michael Williams, a black Republican gets paraded by the GOP as their idea of "diversity.") Your bigotry against non-liberal minorities is quite shameless, Andrew. Posted by: Mark Harden at September 24, 2003 01:42 PMRemind me again who continues to fight against equal-rights for minorities of all types more consistantly than anyone else? Oh that's right, the soul of the Republican Party. Posted by: Karl-T at September 24, 2003 10:25 PMwho continues to fight against equal-rights for minorities of all types more consistantly than anyone else? Examples would be nice, Karl. Posted by: Mark Harden at September 25, 2003 07:17 AMTo be sure, the party needs vision, but not at the expense of instutional knowledge. Let's have an interum chair who knows where we have been. We have alot of work ahead. First, we have to understand how this happned. Second, we have to start building a structure to communicate our message in areas we are failing. Third, we map out where we are going. This battle is as much about infrastructure of the party as about where it is headed. I say we should look to an "old timer" for a transation. Then to someone like Watson. How about Mauro? What's he been up to? Posted by: jack at September 25, 2003 08:18 AMI love Garnet Coleman. He would be great - smart and energetic. Sherry doesn't have as high a profile, although she's been involved with the D party for awhile and is well connected. Also smart and energetic. I don't know Watson, only what I read in the paper while he was mayor, but seems very competent. I agree any of the three would be a good choice, but I think Coleman or Watson are heavier hitters at this point (sorry Sherry). Posted by: hope at September 25, 2003 08:50 AM"... I think that we need someone progressive with a history of activity in the progressive movements (civil rights, abortion rights, feminism, gay rights, labor, environmentalism, etc.) because it was the lazy, corrupt, reactionary and short-sighted reputation of the overgrown Texas Democratic Party that gave the GOP an opening here and throughout the South." ------------------ Couple of bones to pick here ... if the Democratic Party is to be the party of the very topics you mention, then we will be resigned to being a minority party, if not placed on the endangered species list. One of the points I echoed on my own blogburst was one made by Zell Miller (admittedly, the mere name may not incite joy, but hear it out): that the issues we choose to speak about say more than the merits of the ideas themselves. That should be rather obvious. So why haven't we offered a better vision for national security? ... why haven't we put forth a bolder agenda on building a more robust economy? In other words, if we as a party think the most driving issues are those that you list, then we will be doomed when the nation lists terrorism, defense, foreign affairs, etc as top issues. Even by the time you get to the economy, our party would be swamped out because there's nothing inherent in those causes that leads to a solid, coherent economic philosophy. The old guard may well have had its faults - no argument there. But moving to a "Trust Nobody Over 30" type of mindset is not a panacea. At moments such as this, I wouldn't mind hearing what Bob Slagle has to say about getting the party back to a competitive standpoint. It wasn't the fault of the old guard that the tidelands issue of the 50s, the Civil Rights laws of the 60s, and the McGovern campaign of 1972 drove this party to the point where it is. To some degree, we should have welcomed the exodus of some - particularly those irate over the Civil Rights laws being passed. But the others had an effect also. Like it or not, there aren't enough environmentalists, abortion rights activists, civil rights activists, etc ... to warrant 50%+1. The party has to be more open minded to the point we don't lose more mainstream voters. Posted by: Greg Wythe at September 25, 2003 10:16 AMI've been saying that for years Greg. Posted by: pc at September 26, 2003 01:22 PM
Post a comment
|
![]() |
About Us
About/Contact
Advertising Policies
Donate
![]()
Archives
May 2005
April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003
Recent Entries
Nebraska Gay Marriage Amendment Overturned
Military Musical Chairs Update Firefox Texas Democratic Party: $6,300 Making Homes Nuclear Text Messages DeLay and Frist: Out of Control Chris Bell Liveblog Parental Consent Bill Tabled Done Take the Pew Test Team Musselman Kuffner Interviews Lampson Sessions to support Bonilla for Senate? Rick Perry Has New Polling Numbers! Conservatives Finally Coming Around on Marijuana Decriminalization? Well boys, I reckon this is it -- nukyular combat, toe to toe with the GOP This Headline Cannot Contain My Boiling Rage Constructive Media Criticism University Democrats Endorse Jennifer Kim
Categories
2004: Dem Convention (79)
2004: Presidential Election (570) 2008: Presidential Election (8) About Burnt Orange (126) Around Campus (144) Austin City Limits (140) Axis of Idiots (29) Blogs and Blogging (134) BOR Humor (63) BOR Sports (59) Budget (16) Burnt Orange Endorsements (14) Congress (41) Crime and Punishment (2) Dallas City Limits (100) Elsewhere in Texas (14) Get into the Action! (5) GLBT (150) Houston City Limits (29) International (96) Intraparty (39) National Politics (497) Oh, you know, other stuff. (30) Politics for Dummies (11) Pop Culture (63) Redistricting (255) Social Security (30) Texas Lege (113) Texas Politics (681) That Liberal Media (2) The Economy, Stupid (15) The Stars At Night Are Big And Bright (1)
BOR Edu.
University of Texas
University Democrats
BOR News
The Daily Texan
The Statesman The Chronicle
BOR Politics
DNC
DNC Blog: Kicking Ass DSCC DSCC Blog: From the Roots DCCC DCCC Blog: The Stakeholder Texas Dems Travis County Dems U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett State Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos State Rep. Dawnna Dukes State Rep. Elliott Naishtat State Rep. Eddie Rodriguez State Rep. Mark Strama
Linked to BOR!
Alexa Rating
Truth Laid Bear Ecosystem Technoranti Link Cosmos Blogstreet Blogback
Polling
American Research Group
Annenberg Election Survey Gallup Polling Report Rasmussen Reports Survey USA Zogby
Texas Stuff
A Little Pollyana
Austin Bloggers DFW Bogs DMN Blog In the Pink Texas Inside the Texas Capitol The Lasso Pol State TX Archives Quorum Report Daily Buzz George Strong Political Analysis Texas Law Blog Texas Monthly Texas Observer
TX Dem Blogs
100 Monkeys Typing
Alandwilliams.com Alt 7 Annatopia Appalachia Alumni Association Barefoot and Naked BAN News Betamax Guillotine Blue Texas Border Ass News The Daily DeLay The Daily Texican Dos Centavos Drive Democracy Easter Lemming Esoterically Get Donkey Greg's Opinion Half the Sins of Mankind Jim Hightower Houtopia Hugo Zoom Latinos for Texas Off the Kuff Ones and Zeros Panhandle Truth Squad Aaron Peña's Blog People's Republic of Seabrook Pink Dome The Red State Rhetoric & Rhythm Rio Grande Valley Politics Save Texas Reps Skeptical Notion Something's Got to Break Southpaw Stout Dem Blog The Scarlet Left Tex Prodigy ToT View From the Left Yellow Doggeral Democrat
TX GOP Blogs
Beldar Blog
Blogs of War Boots and Sabers Dallas Arena Jessica's Well Lone Star Times Publius TX Safety for Dummies The Sake of Arguement Slightly Rough
Daily Reads
&c.
ABC's The Note Atrios BOP News Daily Kos Media Matters MyDD NBC's First Read Political State Report Political Animal Political Wire Talking Points Memo CBS Washington Wrap Wonkette Matthew Yglesias
College Blogs
CDA Blog
Get More Ass (Brown) Dem Apples (Harvard) KU Dems U-Delaware Dems UNO Dems Stanford Dems
GLBT Blogs
American Blog
BlogActive Boi From Troy Margaret Cho Downtown Lad Gay Patriot Raw Story Stonewall Dems Andrew Sullivan
More Reads
Living Indefinitely
Blogroll Burnt Orange!
BOR Webrings
< ? Texas Blogs # >
<< ? austinbloggers # >> « ? MT blog # » « ? MT # » « ? Verbosity # »
Election Returns
CNN 1998 Returns
CNN 2000 Returns CNN 2002 Returns CNN 2004 Returns state elections 1992-2005 bexar county elections collin county elections dallas county elections denton county elections el paso county elections fort bend county elections galveston county elections harris county elections jefferson county elections tarrant county elections travis county elections
Texas Media
abilene
abilene reporter news alpine alpine avalanche amarillo amarillo globe news austin austin american statesman austin chronicle daily texan online keye news (cbs) kut (npr) kvue news (abc) kxan news (nbc) news 8 austin beaumont beaumont enterprise brownsville brownsville herald college station the battalion (texas a&m) corpus christi corpus christi caller times kris news (fox) kztv news (cbs) crawford crawford lone star iconoclast dallas-fort worth dallas morning news dallas observer dallas voice fort worth star-telegram kdfw news (fox) kera (npr) ktvt news (cbs) nbc5 news wfaa news (abc) del rio del rio news herald el paso el paso times kdbc news (cbs) kfox news (fox) ktsm (nbc) kvia news (abc) galveston galveston county daily news harlingen valley morning star houston houston chronicle houston press khou news (cbs) kprc news (nbc) ktrk news (abc) laredo laredo morning times lockhart lockhart post-register lubbock lubbock avalanche journal lufkin lufkin daily news marshall marshall news messenger mcallen the monitor midland - odessa midland reporter telegram odessa american san antonio san antonio express-news seguin seguin gazette-enterprise texarkana texarkana gazette tyler tyler morning telegraph victoria victoria advocate waco kxxv news (abc) kwtx news (cbs) waco tribune-herald weslaco krgv news (nbc) statewide texas cable news texas triangle
World News
ABC News All Africa News Arab News Atlanta Constitution-Journal News.com Australia BBC News Bloomberg Boston Globe CBS News Chicago Tribune Christian Science Monitor CNN Denver Post FOX News Google News The Guardian Inside China Today International Herald Tribune Japan Times LA Times Mexico Daily Miami Herald MSNBC New Orleans Times-Picayune New York Times El Pais (Spanish) Salon San Francisco Chronicle Seattle Post-Intelligencer Slate Times of India Toronto Star Wall Street Journal Washington Post
Powered by
Movable Type 3.15 |
![]() |