Burnt Orange Report

UT to Admit Hurricane Students

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The following is a statement from Sheldon Ekland-Olson, Executive Vice President and Provost of UT, which contains condensed points from President Faulkner about who and how UT will admit students in Katrina affected areas to UT. Faulkner's letter is in the extended entry.

President Faulkner is about to issue a statement indicating how UT Austin will accommodate undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who are Texas residents or graduated from Texas high schools and are enrolled or enrolling in a college or university in the Katrina affected area that is likely to be closed for an extended period.

The basics are:

1. Students who had been previously admitted to any of our programs but elected to go elsewhere will be admitted on a regular basis.

2. Students who had no such prior admission will be admitted for the fall semester only.

3. We will accommodate exchange students from institutions with which we have exchange agreements. Exchange students who come to us for help and are not in that group will be assisted for placement in institutions that are partners with their home universities.

4. We are also indicating that we are offering to accommodate faculty with office space and access to libraries and other research facilities.

5. Finally, we will be reaching out individually to all of our current students from the affected area to see what special support they might need.

This is a very difficult moment for those impacted. We want to be responsive as possible.

Sheldon Ekland-Olson
Executive Vice President and Provost

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The University of Texas at Austin stands with the nation in expressing our sorrow in this time of terrible tragedy in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. We are committed to providing temporary help this fall to colleges and universities in the New Orleans area which are unable to operate while they are attempting to recover and rebuild. To assist university students and faculty who have been affected by the disaster of catastrophic proportions in our neighboring states of Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, The University of Texas at Austin is taking the following emergency steps, effective immediately.

The following policies apply to students who were enrolling or enrolled in colleges or universities in the area of greatest disaster impact and are likely to remain closed for an extended period.

• Undergraduate students who are Texas residents or graduates from Texas high schools will be eligible to take available undergraduate courses at the University for the fall 2005 semester.

• Graduate and professional students who are Texas residents or graduates of Texas colleges and universities will be eligible take available graduate courses at the University for the fall 2005 semester.

• Graduate students who have no need for coursework but who need to use libraries and research facilities will be eligible to use appropriate University facilities.

• Foreign exchange students will be eligible to take available courses at the University for the fall 2005 semester if the University has a formal exchange agreement with the students' home institutions.

The details of these policies can be found at the Web sites of the Office of Admissions and the Office of the Dean of Graduate Studies.

In addition, faculty members of colleges and universities in the affected disaster areas will be offered the opportunity to work on our campus, with access to office space, libraries, research facilities, and the Internet.

These temporary measures are intended to help students and faculty colleagues in a time of unprecedented disaster. The University of Texas at Austin is firmly committed to aiding the affected higher education institutions in any way possible as they seek to recover from the devastation brought by Hurricane Katrina.

We are also concerned about University of Texas at Austin students who have been affected by this disaster. Those students who need assistance with University matters or matters of a more personal nature are urged to contact LaToya Hill, Emergency Services Coordinator, Office of the Dean of Students, at lchill@mail.utexas.edu. They may also visit the Dean of Students Web site at http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ and go to the "Spotlights and Events" link on that site.

Larry R. Faulkner
President
The University of Texas at Austin

No Nonsense Blog

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The No Nonsense in November campaign has added a blog to their site. Check it out as it will be be updated by Glen Maxey and Co.

And remember, it's more important to Double Extra Ban Gay Marriage in Texas than get textbooks to school on time. And it's really more important than making sure that 9 Texas Public State Parks don't shut down because someone was too busy pissing away money on special sessions while ignoring requests from Texas Parks and Wildlife Executive Director Robert L. Cook that more money was needed to simply keep things open.

Reaching Out

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

One thing that I have been impressed with has been those in politics using the power of thier listservs to help victims of Hurricane Katrina. I've received messages from the DNC, Nick Lampson, Chris Bell, Save Texas Reps, and most Texas Blogs have posted appeals and ways in which you can help.

If you are in the Houston area, check out how to help at these posts by Kuffner and Bell. And of course you can always donate to the Red Cross through the link at the top left.

UT Republicans and Democrats Work Together for Hurricane Relief

By Katie Naranjo

Members from the University Democrats and the College Republicans met today to work on a bi-partisan effort to raise money for hurricane victims in Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi. All monetary and food/toiletry donations collected will be given directly to the Red Cross. The two groups have made an agreement to come together to show students at the University of Texas that aiding fellow Americans is above partisan feelings.

If you would like to get involved and donate money or physical products please contact Alex Hunt (U-Dems president) at president@udems.org.

"Not the Guacamole, Avocados are pretty good for you."

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Barbara Ann picked up a rather interesting bit of media today in the Statesman, in the Life section.

I think the message of this that story? She's "fit" to lead Texas.

I'd also like to point out that Radnofsky was in Fredericksburg this past weekend where my father (who's website was just relaunched) played host while she visited with Gillespie County Democrats and was in our Country Fair Parade float. She also managed to get a great article in the Kerrville Daily Times, not the easiest task as it is very Republican.

It was good to meet Barbara again, and I have to say, she's really on top of her stuff. I don't think I've met a first time candidate before that knows as much about her opponent and about the process (possibly more than KBH in some cases, as it seems that she keeps reacting to Radnofsky's Press Releases if nothing else). Like her bumber sticker says, she is a "smart dame" one which would be a huge asset to Texas if this uphill battle can be won.

This is the Yellow Dog Convertible that other such as Liz Carpenter have ridden in in our Parades.

This is the new float for the Gillespie County Democrats.

A Panel with Sarah Weddington

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Gearing up for the John Roberts nomination, some of the leaders of the women's movement as well as the warriors for choice will be here at UT next Tuesday for a panel discussion that "discusses options available to women before abortion was legal," which of course is important considering the upcoming nomination hearding for John Roberts.

When: Tuesday, September 6, 2005 at 12pm

Where: Eastwoods Room in the Texas Union at the University of Texas at Austin (2.102)

What: A Panel Discussion with Trailblazing Women On the Eve of U.S. Senate Confirmation Hearings for Judge John Roberts

Who: Speakers will include:
Sarah Weddington, Winning Attorney, Roe v Wade and Adjunct Professor, University of Texas
Barbara Hines, Clinical Professor of Law, University of Texas Law School
Victoria Foe, Research Professor, Dept. of Biology, University of Washington
Judy Smith, Director of HomeWord an Affordable Housing Developer in Missoula, Montana
Lin Smith, Media Specialist, Missoula, Montana

Former staffers from The Rag, a newspaper that put Austin on the counter-culture map from 1966 to 1977 will be conducting a panel discussion focusing on the state of women’s and reproductive rights before the Roe v Wade decision. The group will be in town for The Rag Reunion taking place during Labor Day Weekend. At this event, they will be talking about the history they share as part of the early women’s movement in Austin. These trailblazing women, all former UT students, organized a referral project to inform women about their bodies, about their rights, about available birth control options and about safe abortion. At a time when Texas law banned abortion “unless necessary” to save the woman’s life, the group printed public service articles about safe and unsafe abortion methods and sources. This same group eventually recruited a young Austin attorney, Sarah Weddington, to their cause. Weddington, currently an adjunct professor at UT, went on to file and later successfully argue the case of Roe v Wade before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Join these amazing and ground-breaking women for an open question and answer session that is sure to be informative and memorable. The timing of the event is historical in itself; confirmation hearings will be taking place simultaneously in Washington, DC for President Bush’s nominee for the Supreme Court, John Roberts.

Sponsored by: Voices for Choices
Ali Puente (832)-541-3262 psychotaco@gmail.com

Press Contact: Dilen Kumar, The Weddington Center,
(512)-478-7163, DilenK@aol.com

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – PANEL MEMBERS WILL HAVE PRESS AVAILABILITY BEFORE PANEL DISCUSSION BEGINNING AT 11:30AM AND AFTER

Blog Roundup

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Kuff: Reublican State Rep. John Davis has a challenger for the first time since 2001. Her name is Sherrie Matula.

Sherrie and her family are long time resident of the area (since 1974), long time active Democrats and she is a retiring educator who has her degree from UH while her husband and two daughters all have mechanical engineering degrees from Texas A&M. Sherrie is a third generation educator and as a topper, she served an elected four year term on the Clear Creek Independent School District Board of Trustees. She's been involved in all sorts of community affairs from local sports leagues to the community symphony.

This district is heavily Republican but within Tom DeLay's CD 22. Just like our synergy with CD21 and House District here in Austin is a good thing, the same goes for out in Southeast Texas.

PinkDome: Republican Rep. Suzanna Hupp is retiring from the Lege.

Grits: Scott has a good roundup of sources that are useful in looking up news on Texas politics, for bloggers and readers alike.

Campus Alliance Second Meeting

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The Campus Alliance Against Inequality is having another BIG Meeting to organize STUDENTS, FACULTY, AND STAFF to help fight the anti-gay Texas Marriage Amendment that will be on our ballot this November 8th.

When: Thursday, September 1st, 7-9pm
Where: Texas Union, Eastwoods Room, 2.102
(directly behind the info desk in the Texas Union)

The CAAI is the UT Campus Arm of the No Nonsense in November campaign.

BORed: How to (ab)use a blogger

By Matt Hardigree

Having worked as a blogger, and as a paid campaign consultant, I can tell you with authority that good communication benefits both sides. Also, if the mainstream media is the hard-to-get head cheerleader, bloggers are the cheap date that's a sure thing. Cultivating a symbiotic relationship with a real journalist is a challenging dance that is truly fascinating to watch. Cultivating a relationship with a blogger is as challenging as picking up a Big Mac. The following are a few tips to help aid the "online media strategists" and "communication consultants" out there:

Don't Send Press Releases, Send Press Releases With Notes - Will bloggers reprint your press releases in full when you email them out? yes; however, if you attach a little personal note you can enhance your message. Example: you put a note on top that says "Karl, how are you? I think this is going to be center-piece of our campaign" they'll write "I have it on inside authority from high-ups in the campaign that this is going to be a center-piece of their campaign." It is as simple as that. Remember, bloggers work on the idea that they've got access the regular person does not have.

"Free stuff? No, that's not a conflict of interest." - As I learned from my last column, writing about a candidate will get you free stuff. They'll even offer to give it to you in the comment section. For a regular journalist, this would be an appalling conflict-of-interest. For a blogger, this is par-for-the-course. Does giving bloggers free stuff work? Ask my dear friend Peter Brown. Did I mention that he's had a hand in downtown renovation?

Politicians are celebs for bloggers and blogger junkies - Doing a personal interview with a blogger, especially if you're a candidate for a statewide office, makes their day. Hell, they're excited to talk to Charles Soechting. This is good for you, but remember: THEY'LL PRINT EVERYTHING. I have to be honest, even I don't read all of them. So it might be advisable to get your candidates to stick to talking points.

Bloggers are cheap drunks -

That picture is of Karl-T after two shirley temples. After the third, he started making out with the cardboard Kerry. (Lies, lies! -KT) Wanna get a blogger on your side? By him or her liquor.

"You're... Mark? Nathan? Nathan Mark? Archer Wilcox? - Bloggers, contrary to popular belief, are people too. The ego of a blogger isn't great, and calling them the wrong name doesn't help. Other significantly human emotions also apply. One important emotion to consider is jealousy. If you spend a lot of time sending info to one blog, but ignore another, there isn't anything stopping that other blogger from saying bad things about you.

Avoid the comment section - In general, you can learn a great deal about what the most rabid politcos are thinking from the comment section. That being said, don't jump into the fray unless you have to, even if someone says something bad. At some point you're going to have to defend yourself, but if you do it once people will expect you to do it everytime. Plus, someone constantly harping on you starts to appear like another candidate's lacky and annoys everyone (though, I'm not singling anyone one out. Banana Apple Bargain Yoga SNickers OOgle Killer Sandwich.)

Don't waste all of your time on blogs The power of the web is always growing and impossible to ignore... but only 18% of people read blogs at most. Knock on a few doors!

Anything else? Leave it in the comment section:

PAC Non Suprises

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

ITPT bring us a tale today of the new Maverick PAC of Texas, made up of old Bush/Cheney Texas fundraisers, announcing their support of Bush's former Lt. Gov, Rick Perry.

Big suprise I know. About as big as Desis for Texas's endorsement of Chris Bell for Governor. Considering some of them are interning for him and, well, look at their treasurer, who happens to be campaign staff.

Should I be waiting for the Drug Policy Forum of Texas to endorse Kinky Friedman anytime soon?

A Helping Hand

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I noticed over that the Chris Bell campaign they had called off their online fundraising drive, not because it was going slowly (well, it wasn't doing speedily either) but because they have replaced it with a call for donations towards the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

I've added their donation link to BOR because this is one of those events where all Americans should step up to help our fellow citizens whose lives are totally disrupted. Though many feel they should send clothes or food or other such supplies, the best thing you can do, and what most Aid Organizations have asked for, is monetary donations. The Red Cross is taking the lead in this effort and can more efficiently get what is needed to where it is needed and can do that easier with dollars than objects.

So please help those in need of aid.

A Few Austin Events

By John Pruett

Cindy Sheehan will be speaking in Austin tomorrow. This will be the first leg of her bus tour across America that culminates with the National March for Peace in Washington, DC on September 24th.

Here is tomorrow's info:
Time: 5:30pm Wednesday 8/31/05
Place: Austin City Hall Plaza
301 W. 2nd St.
Austin, Texas 78701
(park at the City Hall garage enter off Lavaca)

Also, starting this Thursday, former members of The Rag will be hosting a reunion weekend. The Rag was a student newspaper created in 1966 at UT-Austin. The main events this week include:

Backward Through the Fog - RAGfotos
Thursday, September 1st, 6-10 pm
The Old School, 1604 East 11th
with protest and labor songs led by
The Melancholy Ramblers

RAG Art Show
Friday, September 2nd, 7:09-10 pm
South Austin Museum of Popular Culture
1516-B South Lamar

Rag Mama Rag Concert
Saturday, September 3rd, 8-12 pm
Threadgill's World Headquarters Beer Garden
304 West Riverside, $5 cover

Ten Best Laws You Should Know About

By Phillip Martin

On Thursday, hundreds of new bills passed by the 79th State Legislature will be put on the books. This week, newspapers and TV stations will begin their run down of major legislation, mostly looking at worker's comp, public utilities, telecom reform, budget changes, and the lack of any school or tax bills.

Here is my list of ten bills I think are very important but probably won't get as much attention as they deserve (some will, but most won't). Be sure to check Pinkdome tomorrow morning, to see their list of the ten best bills.

Here's some of the best things the 79th Texas Legislature accomplished:

10. Learning Financial Skills in High School

Going into college, I barely knew how to write a check, let alone manage my finances. HB 492 by Rep. Woolley will change that, though, as it requires that high school students -- at some time in their education -- be taught personal financial skills. Whether you're figuring out how to put together enough money to pay the bills or how to save up for grad school, this bill should help all students early on in life.

9. Student Regents Legislation

I know this one has been covered a lot by our friends at the Daily Texan, but it is important to note that, with the passage of SB 34 by Sen. Zaffirini, state campuses must allow one student onto the Board of Regents. While the student cannot vote and cannot affect the quorum of the meeting, at least now we got a foot in the door.

8. No Viagra for Sex Offenders

A recent nationwide study reported that sex offenders around the country receive discounted prices on sexual enhancing drugs by purchasing them through state-sponsored Medicaid programs. Rep. Hopson put an amendment onto SB 1188 -- an all-encompassing Medicaid reform bill by Sen. Nelson -- to stop registered sex offenders from receiving state-sponsored erectile dysfunction drugs, thereby saving the state millions of dollars a year in health care costs.

7. Cleaner School Buses

Tail pipe exhaust can make the inside of school buses extremely hazardous for children going back and forth from school, especially students in rural areas.

HB 3469 by Rep. Hochberg aims to reduce the diesel exhaust emissions from school buses, a small, but important, action to keep the air clean and safe for Texas school children.

6. The Donor Education, Awareness, and Registry Program (DEAR)

According to the bill analysis for HB 120, a new person is added to a donor transplant waiting list every 13 minutes, and every day, 17 people die while waiting for an organ transplant. Currently, there is no statewide registry for organ donors.

HB 120 by Rep. Dawson establishes DEAR to make it easier for the state to track organ and tissue donors in Texas, in hopes of saving more lives.

5. Screening for Cervical Cancer

In Texas, the mortality rate for women with cervical cancer is 30% higher than the national average. HPV is an early indicator of cervical cancer, which is almost 100% preventable.

HB 1485 by Rep. Thompson requires that insured Texans have access to HPV screening with no deductibles or co-pays, in hopes of reducing the number of deaths caused by cervical cancer and improving the health of women across the state.

4. Improvement of Colonias

For those who don't know, colonias are extremely poor communities along the Texas border, many of which are without such basic services as plumbing and electricity.

HB 775 by Rep. Gonzales will ensure that ORCA grant money given to certain political subdivisions be set aside for installing street lights. SB 827 by Sen. Zaffirini and Sen. Ellis creates a statewide classification system to identify colonia areas and track the progress of state-funded projects in those areas. SB 1202 by Sen. Lucio and Sen. Ellis expands the number of people and projects that can coordinate to improve conditions in the colonias.

3 & 2. Better Care for Sexual Assault Victims & Survivors

Law enforcement agencies are not required to request a forensic medical examination for victims of sexual assault, supposedly because many people request examinations that were not assaulted. Forensic medical examinations can collect evidence concerning the assault, which can help both in curing the victim and catching the criminal.

HB 544 by Rep. Naishtat and Rep. McClendon states that any victim of a sexual assault that requests an examination within 96 hours of a sexual assault must receive the examination, unless the request comes from a person with repeated false claims and there is no evidence of assault.

Another bill I wanted to point out is HB 677 by Rep. Thompson, which is aimed at improving emergency room conditions for sexual assault survivors. It requires the state's department of health services to coordinate and implement uniform policies across all emergency service health care facilities, to ensure that any victim of sexual assault receives prompt, professional care and attention.

1. Meth Prevention

Five years ago, 1,821 people in Texas were treated for methamphetamine abuse. Last year, that number had jumped to over 11,000. The skyrocketing use of meth, especially in rural areas of the state, poses serious health and safety risks to local communities.

HB 164 by Rep. Berman and SB 66 by Sen. Nelson both create tougher drug laws to help reduce and prevent the manufacture and use of methamphetamine drugs.

Talking With The Chairman

By Damon McCullar

Howdy Folks! I'm starting a new segment here on BOR where I try to get answers to the concerns that I've seen in the comments regarding the Texas Democratic Party. I do this by interviewing the State Party Chairman, Charles Soechting. So read what Mr. Soechting has to say. Agree with it or not, but I ask everyone who comments to be civil in their remarks. By all means raise the issues that you care about in the comments as they will will serve as my basis for the next interview. Without further ado, my interview with the Texas State Democratic Party Chair, Mr. Charles Soechting.

The big news this week is that Ruben Hernandez has been named Texas Democratic Party Executive Director.

DCM: Tell us about yourself; tell us about your past, what you’ve done in the past, and what you’re doing now.

Soechting: I am 54 years old and I live in San Marcos, as ever generation of my family has for the last 5 generations (we’ve been here since the 1850’s) and I just think it’s one of those great opportunities to live where you want to live. I am married to Elizabeth. I was a single parent to a son, Charlie, who is now 28 and a lawyer in Dallas who just took the bar exam and has a legal internship in Dallas for a great Democratic law firm. I also have two darling daughters, Ashley and Caroline, ages 11 and 8, respectively. Background: It seems like I’ve been a lawyer forever, but I was actually 30 when I first starting practicing law. I’ve been a lawyer 24 years this year. I work for a firm called O’Quinn, Laminack and Pirtle, which is a big plus because it is one of the best Democratic law firms in the state. Before that, I was a solo practitioner for 20 years or so. Although a fair amount of my time was spent in Houston, I also tried lawsuits in San Marcos and Austin as well. In fact, when I was elected Chairman, the Republicans said that my election completed the buy out of the Texas Democratic Party by the trial lawyers and it has turned out that I actually have one of the toughest relationships with trial lawyers of any Chairman ever because by virtue of the very fact that I am a lawyer myself, both sides negotiate very hard on what we think is good for the Party. Before that, I was a Navel Officer and I had a commission as a JAG Officer while I was in law school, which is something we can probably leave out because, as I told you about the other day, it’s hard to explain that situation. But, to me, it was a great situation because I got the best of both worlds without having to be there for a long time like you were, but anyway, there was that. Then I was a State Trooper before law school and worked my way through law school as a Deputy Sheriff in the Court System of Houston. My other claim to fame is that probably I am one of the few ever State Chairs to have actually carried a Union Card. Immediately out of high school. I joined the Seafarer’s International Union and sailed on a merchant vessel for about 6 months. I learned that, while that was a good-paying job, it was better for me to go back and get my education at that point.

DCM: Alright. And now, you’re Chairman of the State Democratic Party. Tell us how that happened.

Soechting: Yeah, all the way from an engine room on the ST Avenger to being Chair of the Party. There are a lot of similarities to those two jobs, but anyway, Chair of the Democratic Party is a complex job. You are constantly working to better the Party and at the same time better the situations of all the different diverse interest groups in the Party. But, it’s a job that is easily done as long as someone understands that every interest group in our Democratic Party deserves to be heard and has a great wealth to bring to the Party as a whole. An average day in the life of a Chair is trying to determine where all I can go, where the Party’s resources are best spent, and working as I was just when this interview started with Representative Aaron Pena on trying to bring a caucus system back to Texas to increase the relevance of a huge state like Texas. We are huge in land size, number of people, and in diversity. Last Friday, I had lunch with Representative Alonzo and then today a conversation with Representative Pena working on just exactly how to make all of this happen. I’m proud to report that those two State Reps get it and that this could be something huge for Texas. I’m actually going to let them take the lead on that.

DCM: Alright. How long have you been in office now?

Soechting: Since October 25th of 2003.

DCM: So, what is the role of the Texas Democratic Party in politics in the state of Texas?

Soechting: Well, it depends on how active the Chairman chooses to be and how active Democratic office holders have been. My administration has been a different role for several reasons. For one, there are no statewide officeholders, and I hope to change that situation. The role of the State Democratic Party is to administer the primaries and that in and of itself is a huge task but we work very well with the Secretary of State’s office in doing that. We also convene the biannual state convention and adopt Party rules, platforms and resolutions. For instance, I was talking to someone from Senator Feingold’s office today about him coming to Texas and they were telling me that the State of Massachusetts has not had a convention in either 8 or 18 years—I’d have to find my notes to remember which one—but we have a great convention here, and it appears that we are on track to have the largest state convention in 2006. Our convention last year was roughly 10,000 in attendance. Only one other state contends to have that many people and they have 8,000. So, we’re gearing up for that and we’re going to make it a success story because we’re going to have John Edwards, Wes Clark (who have already committed), Senator Hillary Clinton is thinking about it, another invitation has gone out to Bill Clinton so it would be interesting to get two Clintons there at once.

DCM: So basically, the Party’s responsibility is for primary races and the State Convention?

Soechting: Well, you know, your responsibilities are as much as you’ll let them be. We have undertaken candidate recruitment, candidate training schools, grassroots training, hiring a political director and field organizers, working with the Democratic National Committee to see that proper organization goes on around the state so, yeah, our statutory duties are few. Our actual responsibilities are many. You can be as lazy in this job as you want to be and thankfully, we have a staff that is neither lazy by nature nor content to be that way. We have a very hardworking and good staff.

DCM: Tell me more about the staff. What kind of positions do you guys have?

Soechting: Well, currently, Political Director, Executive Director, which I call the Chief of Staff, which it all means the same, but that is the person who is responsible for administering the day to day operations of the Party. Tell me, when do you think this interview is going to go online?

DCM: Oh, I want to get it up as soon as possible.
Soechting: Well, the reason I say this is that we are going to announce a change in the next two or three days so why don’t we let it be that you get the first. The new ED is going to Ruben Hernandez. He comes to us from a great background with Congressman Frost and SEIU, which is a labor union. It’s going to be a big change and it’s going to be a great opportunity for this Party to move forward. Under Mike Lavigne, the current ED, we’ve already moved as far as our relations with the State House goes to a point where it is just truly awesome to see the relationships there. Mike has done a great job interacting with the press and so I think people have a very positive perception of the Texas Democratic Party. And we had some rebuilding to do when I was first elected. It was the year that the State Reps had gone to Ardmore and for whatever reasons; I cannot imagine how everyone would not understand how good a thing that was. Some people did not appreciate that so I think we’ve done a great job showing the people in the state of Texas that was not only a smart move, it was a courageous move. So, then you have the Political Director, who essentially works with the SDEC, the County Chairs—everywhere from the Precinct Chairs to the State Chair and there are a lot of people in between there. Then you have the field organizers who work under the direction of the Political Director and right now, it is small, but that staff will be increasing with our DNC hires in the next several weeks. Of course, there is no idea yet who those hires are going to be. We are actively soliciting resumes from around the state so we should be hoping to start evaluating those hires pretty soon. Our greatest emphasis must be paid to the Hispanic Community because it is the one community that has had the least attention paid to it and so I’ll be talking to a special committee that I’ll put together just for that purpose—to see what it is we need, where it is we need it, and then we’ll sit down and figure out who it is that will be working on that.

DCM: Can you speak more about the new DNC hires? What role will they have in the State Party?

Soechting: Well, they will be field organizers, and that means that they will be working in the field organizing grassroots efforts, campaigns, etc. They are going to be invaluable at working in areas that have not seen on-the-ground Democratic operatives in a while.

DCM: And can you tell me where they will be active? What areas will they be in?

Soechting: You can expect that you are going to see special attention paid to any Hispanic area with great attention being paid to the valley, a lot of attention being paid to inner-city El Paso, everywhere from El Paso to Houston. And, of course, we have large interest in Dallas County as well and even in rural areas in places like Walker County we have pockets of Hispanics, so we’re going to be working where we need to work. But you can expect the greatest attention to be paid along the river from El Paso to Brownsville. Or Boca Chica. You know where Boca Chica is, don’t you?

DCM: I have no idea.

Soechting: It’s on the very, very tip right as it flows into the Gulf of Mexico.

DCM: Are there any other offices in the Texas State Party that you’d like to talk about?

Soechting: Yeah. We have my Executive Assistant, which is April Larsh, who probably does as much as anyone in this Party trying to make sure that we all go in the right direction at the right time for the right reasons. She’s been an invaluable hire. She just learned she’s expecting a baby and so we’re going to try to figure out how to work that in—there should be one more Democrat on the ground here soon. Then we have Shelley Smith and Evan Hicks who work finance for the Party who have more work than they can possibly say grace over, but we hope to have a new fundraising component coming online shortly and that will do a lot toward making their life unbearable because it’ll be more work than they already have (and I’m laughing when I say that, but it’s good for the Party when they are really, really busy!)

DCM: Some folks have criticized the State Party over the current level of funding. Can you speak to that at all?

Soechting: You know, I think it’s natural to criticize, especially when you don’t have a real good grasp for what’s going on, but the dynamics of funding have changed since McCain/Feingold and for those that don’t understand that and don’t see those change that would be a natural criticism. But, if you understand the realities of how campaign finance laws have changed, you understand that we are probably in better shape than we are in right now. But, no, funding is slow, absolutely. But a lot of the people that do some of the criticizing would be helpful if they would do some of the work to help resolve that problem. They can donate, come in and volunteer, etc. It’s easy to criticize and it’s easy to be frustrated, but for these folks, if they would come down and see how we make-do on the resources that we have, I think most people would be very impressed to see that we do as well as we do. The thing is, when I assumed the Chairmanship, this was a Party that had not had much success at winning races. That was not because of any current Chair, but it was because of the current state of politics in Texas. I think we’ve done a good job driving the information to show that the change was not good for people and people are starting to understand it. I mean, if you can’t find a farmer in El Campo hardly that claims he voted for Rick Perry, you can’t find a guy that works in the shops in the Houston that claims he’s a Republican anymore. You can’t find people standing in gas lines that say that they’re happy with George Bush and the price of gas, so I think there’s a lot of things that are going to start turning our way that just took a while for people to be screwed long enough. I’ll be the first to admit that George Bush will smile at you and screw you quicker than anyone who has probably held a public office anywhere, but he does it very effectively. Rick Perry made people think he cared about kids and education and school teachers. I sure like Lon Burnham. I sure like when he sent a strong message by refusing to cote for Tom Craddick, and I think all of those others that joined him this time sent a strong message and I hope that next time it’s an even stronger message.

DCM: Speaking of that, we just finished up our second special session of the summer, and there wasn’t anything accomplished as far as education and finance goes…

Soechting: There was nothing special as it relates to education in this special session. The telecom industry did well, which maybe they needed that relief, but kids needed to have some answers to the education plan in Texas.

DCM: Yeah, I’ve had some of our readers criticize the State Democrats as being obstructionists and not getting anything accomplished and not being willing to accomplish anything on school finances. Do you have anything to say to those folks?

Soechting: Sure, tell them they’re Republicans and it’s good to see that they’re reading a good Democratic blog because maybe they’ll figure out sooner or later that the Democrats are looking out for them. I don’t think any Democrat would say that.

DCM: Can you talk to us about the Hochberg amendment?

Soechting: Well, yes. What do you want to talk about on it?

DCM: Well, you know, basically…

Soechting: Well, what Scott called for was level of funding that would help bring Texas more into step with the rest of the nation. Yes, it was going to take some big commitment out of legislators to raise taxes in this state, but what Scott was, I think saying at first is, “Let’s see what our level of commitment is to education.” And then, of course, once you show that you have the level of commitment, you can sit down and figure a way to pay for it. Is it going to cost some? Yeah, but you know what? The way that Tom Craddick and Rick Perry had this education bill set up…The taxes for the rich in this state went down and the taxes on the poorest people went up and that’s not right.

DCM: Well, school is starting for me in a couple of days here at the University of Texas and fortunately for me, my tuition is taken care of, but it’s awfully expensive these days. Do you know how much it is?

Soechting: I was shocked to learn today when talking to one of our employees at the Party.

DCM: Why was that?

Soechting: The cost of tuition is outrageous. It’s criminal. It’s unbelievable that anyone in the legislature or in the public universities would have let something come to this point. I’m of course one of those liberals who thinks a public education ought to be free to whomever wants it and especially if they can’t afford it, but when I learned when talking to my staffer that his was going to be $ 3,800.00. .

Soechting: There is going to have to be a commitment from the legislature that they are going to take back the reigns of this tuition deregulation and get it back to where people can afford it. Period. Giving it to public education and telling them that they can charge whatever they think is fair…that was just an avocation of its role. They just flat said, “We don’t want to deal with this—you handle it.”

A Breakthrough Ad

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Thank to PinkDome for bringing this to our attention, but for progressives and the GLBT community, this ad by candidate Brian Ellner for Manhattan Borough President is really powerful. Take a look.

Here's a listing of all the candidates and some background on this wide open race.

Rural Superintendent Speaks Out

By Phillip Martin

In an article titled "Who's to Blame for the in the Legislature's Failure" in the Jacksonville Daily Progress, Dr. James Largent, the superintendent for Rusk ISD in East Texas, asks why legislators like Speaker Craddick and Rep. Berman continue to blame educators for the failure of the Texas Legislature to pass any school reform bills. Some highlights:

Regarding the failure of the Legislature to pass anything - the last time I looked, educators didn't have a vote on the floor of the capitol. If we did, we would have voted for the Hochberg amendment, or the Eltife/Ellis plan. While neither was perfect, they would have been beneficial to ALL students and educators in our great State, instead of providing unfair benefits to a few districts and adding millions of dollars of unfunded mandates as HB2 would have done.

Dr. Largent goes on to discuss the accountability he already faces:

We have TAKS tests, SDAA I and II tests, Performance Based Monitoring, Transportation and Food Service audits, TPRI results, LPAC's, ARD's, LEP's, IEP's, AEP's, PEIMS reporting and many more state and federal programs that we must account for on a daily basis. In addition, we receive the Financial Integrity ratings and our yearly financial audit. And some in the legislature say all we want is more money with NO ACCOUNTABILITY? That is a ludicrous statement made by people who obviously do not know or care what we do on a daily basis.

While Mr. Berman and others were calling for "education reform" we all watched as they introduced (once again) vouchers, a cap on recapture (to allow already wealthy districts to retain more dollars and widen the funding gap between rich and poor school districts), a later school start date and November elections for school board members. These are just some of the "reforms" they proposed, none of which has anything to do with helping educators teach students...

In the end, legislators like Craddick and Berman led the way in denying educators a much deserved raise, watered down the teacher retirement system, and then as a final farewell, gave all educators a kick in the teeth by blaming us for the failure of the legislature to act, while at the same time giving themselves a nice pension increase.

Add this to the list of rural and conservative voices speaking out against the failure of the Republican leadership to lead.

*from the Jacksonville Daily Progress*

Who's to blame for the Legislature's failure?

By Dr. James Largent - RISD Superintendent

I have remained silent as I have seen several articles lately in which Speaker Craddick and locally, Representative Berman of Tyler, blamed the Legislature's failures on educators. After seeing the ad Mr. Berman ran in the Tyler paper last week once again blasting educators, I just could not remain silent any longer.

Regarding the failure of the Legislature to pass anything - the last time I looked, educators didn't have a vote on the floor of the capitol. If we did, we would have voted for the Hochberg amendment, or the Eltife/Ellis plan. While neither was perfect, they would have been beneficial to ALL students and educators in our great State, instead of providing unfair benefits to a few districts and adding millions of dollars of unfunded mandates as HB2 would have done.

While some misguided and misled legislators were calling for more accountability, our staff was going through the mounds of paperwork and test results from the 48 tests we are required to administer to our students. These data are broken down by grade level, subject area, learning objective, ethnicity, economic level, etc., and we must "hit the mark" in ALL areas or else we are deemed failures by people like Mr. Berman.

Two weeks later, we got another report letting us know whether or not we made "Adequate Yearly Progress" as part of the No Child Left Behind project...again, more mounds of data to digest and more plans to produce to address areas of concern. We have TAKS tests, SDAA I and II tests, Performance Based Monitoring, Transportation and Food Service audits, TPRI results, LPAC's, ARD's, LEP's, IEP's, AEP's, PEIMS reporting and many more state and federal programs that we must account for on a daily basis. In addition, we receive the Financial Integrity ratings and our yearly financial audit. And some in the legislature say all we want is more money with NO ACCOUNTABILITY? That is a ludicrous statement made by people who obviously do not know or care what we do on a daily basis.

While Mr. Berman and others were calling for "education reform" we all watched as they introduced (once again) vouchers, a cap on recapture (to allow already wealthy districts to retain more dollars and widen the funding gap between rich and poor school districts), a later school start date and November elections for school board members. These are just some of the "reforms" they proposed, none of which has anything to do with helping educators teach students. This is in addition to our testing program that has gone from TEAMS to TAAS and now TAKS, and every time schools across the state show that we can meet the expectations, the bar gets raised and a new series of tests are developed along with a new series of unfunded mandates. It appears that the current leadership in Austin wants us to fail so they can demand more "reforms" and "accountability." Most of them having nothing to do with helping public school students, but more to do with advancing the political agendas of their wealthy campaign contributors.

On the other side of the coin is the so-called property tax reduction. The plan would have lowered property taxes, but it raised sales taxes and increased fees on such things as car purchases and household goods. Unless you make over $140,000 you would have seen a net increase in what you currently pay in taxes and fees. This doesn't sound like a tax reduction to me. Provisions to add a payroll tax to businesses and end loopholes in the tax law that give huge benefits for many companies were defeated by those lobbies and taken out of the bill, while a payroll tax on schools to supplement TRS Care remains.

In the end, legislators like Craddick and Berman led the way in denying educators a much deserved raise, watered down the teacher retirement system, and then as a final farewell, gave all educators a kick in the teeth by blaming us for the failure of the legislature to act, while at the same time giving themselves a nice pension increase.

I have a suggestion for these legislators. The next time you are called into session, why don't you actually listen to people who have dedicated their lives to educating children. Those of us who are in schools every day and work directly with students might have a little insight on what could be done to make our schools better. Instead of bashing us every chance you get and blaming us for your failures, why not work with us to write a bill that is good for ALL the children in Texas? How about a new "reform" that recognizes the importance of public education and provides equitable funding and resources to actually pay for the high expectations and standards you demand?

I am proud to say that Representative Hopson and Senators Eltife and Staples listened and sponsored bills and amendments to help all children. Unfortunately they could not counter the stronghold the leadership had on many legislators like Mr. Berman, which resulted in yet another failure of the legislature to pass a school finance bill.

Intern Opportunity with the Diane Henson Campaign

By Damon McCullar

Diane Henson is running for the Texas Court of Appeals place three. She's looking for an intern. If anyone is interested, email your resume to her.

Flynn May Have GOP Opponent In HD 2

By Vince Leibowitz

State Representative Dan Flynn (R-Van), may have a Republican Primary opponent next year.

According to sources within the Republican Party of Van Zandt County, Flynn may be opposed by Charles S. "Chuck" Tull, Jr., current President of the Edgewood Independent School District Board of Trustees, and son of former Grand Saline Police Chief C. Stanley Tull, Sr.

Flynn, who won unopposed—in both his Party Primary and in the general election in 2004—defeated former Greenville Mayor Sue Ann Harting and Rains ISD Trustee (and former justice of the peace) Mickey Cooper in the 2002 GOP Primary after an expensive and bitter battle.

Flynn, who is heavily backed by his party's far-right-wing, including millionaire tort reform/voucher advocate James Leininger, is considered to have a lock on next year's GOP Primary. According to January semi-annual Texas Ethics Commission reports, Flynn had about $21,000 in cash on hand in his campaign account. Subsequent reports indicate Flynn's campaign also carries around $13,000 in debt.

Hays County Dems LBJ Birthday Picnic

By Damon McCullar

Well, I just got back from The Salt Lick. Man am I stuffed. I've not eaten so good since the last time I was there for Katie's B-day party.

The Hays County Dems LBJ Picnic has been going on for over 17 years. Today's crowd was about 200 folks. Among the speakers were Gary Mauro, former Land Commissioner and 1998 candidate for Governor; Chris Bell, current candidate for Governor; Glen Maxey, former Texas Rep and campaign manager for No Nonsense in November. The State Chairman, Charles Soechting welcomed everyone to the event. He told us of how Hays county was the top performing county in getting the most Democrats to the polls and how they won 5 out of 6 contested seats in Hays county in the 2004 election.

Cactus Pryor, formerly of KLBJ regaled us with stories of an era past. He told us several antedotes of his years working with the Johnson family, all of them humorous.

Then there was the food! If you haven't eaten at The Salt Lick, you've not had great BBQ. I recommend it to everyone before they leave Texas.

Then came the candidates. We heard from John Courage, Diane Henson, Judge Jim Coronado, and Mina Brees. All of the last three are running for the Texas Court of Appeals.

The most interesting thing I saw there was the battle for CD 28. Henry Cuellar has three primary oppoents. They include Richard Raymond of the 42nd District, and former Congressman Ciro Rodriguez . I hadn't been paying attention in CD 28 but looks like there will be a highly contested race in that district. Look for these individuals to be added to my growing list of candidates for 2006 next week.

Finally, I found out that the San Marcos Area Democrats have just launched a site at www.smad.org. The host of the party, Hays County Democrats has a web site at www.hayscountydemocrats.org. The Democrats in Wimberly boast the largest Democratic group in Hays county and you can find them at www.wimdems.org.

It Comes... Go Now

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

If you are anyone you know is near New Orleans or the coast where Hurrican Katrina (now Category 5) will hit tomorrow, get on the phone and tell them to get suppied and get out of the area now.

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin declared a state of emergency on Sunday and ordered a mandatory evacuation of the city as potentially catastrophic Hurricane Katrina churned toward the city with maximum sustained winds near 175 mph.

All of Orleans Parish falls under the order except for necessary personnel in government, emergency and some other public service categories.

People who are unable to evacuate were told to immediately report to a designated shelter.

"I wish I had better news for you, but we are facing a storm that most of us have feared," Nagin said. "I do not want to create panic, but I do want the citizens to understand that this is very serious and it's of the highest nature."

Only three other Category 5's have made landfall. The Labor Day Hurrican in 1935, 1969's Hurricane Camille and Hurricane Andrew, which devastated the Miami area back in 1992.

So let your friends and family know this is totally serious and they should make plans to head on out, most all interstates are outbound. I fear the worst-case though for residents sake (as well as those associated with the Gulf Oil Industry...

In worst-case scenarios, most of New Orleans would end up under 15 feet of water, without electricity, clean water and sewage for months. Even pumping the water out could take as long as four months to get started because the massive pumps that would do the job would be underwater.

"People in New Orleans tend to think that the storm we've always planned on would never come," Louisiana National Guard Lt. Col. Pete Schneider said. "But people need to heed that warning."

Rappaport cautioned that New Orleans was not the only area threatened -- the storm's hurricane winds spread out as far as 100 miles. As far east as Mobile, Alabama, forecasters warned of storm surges reaching 8 to 10 feet.

Of course, it would be great if more of Louisiana's National Guard and Reserve were available to help with evacuation and protecting the city and its possibly overpowered levee system, but a large number of them have been called up to Iraq. And of those, the state is tied with New York in the number of servicemembers lost- 23, with all but one of those coming in the last 8 months.

Unfortunately, the citizens of the state of Louisiana are about to face the full force of Katrina without the benefit many of their National Guard troops to protect them. Maybe some of the 1500 pro-Boondoggle protestors out in Crawford today can caravan over to New Orleans to take their place.

Hank Gilbert for Ag Commissioner

By Damon McCullar

I didn't get to attend the Rural Texas Democrats Summit this weekend. Events here in Austin kept me close to campus, but the Tyler Morning Telegraph has a wrap up on it. Featured in the article is Chris Bell, Democratic candidate for Governor, but the thing that I found most interesting is that we now have a candidate for Ag Commissioner. The last paragraph of the article says:

Several other Democratic candidates were present for the convention, including David Van Os, who is running for attorney general, and Hank Gilbert, candidate for agricultural commissioner.

I know very little about Hank Gilbert, other than the fact that I met him at the SDEC Meeting here in Austin and at the time he told me he was only considering a run for Ag Commish. If anyone has any contact info for Hank Gilbert, please shoot me an email. Vince, I hope you have a report to file on the Rural Democrats Summit.

I'm heading to the LBJ Birthday Picnic at The Salt Lick this afternoon. I understand that Felix Alvarado and Maria Alvarado, candidates for Governor, and Lt. Governor respectively will be in attendance. I am looking forward to meeting them both. Chris Bell, John Courage, David Van Os and many of the 2006 field of candidates will be at the event this afternoon. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll run into Hank. If you've not got anything to do this afternoon, head on down to The Salt Lick, tickets to the picnic are $20 at the door.

A Walk With Andy

By Katie Naranjo

For those of you who haven’t seen Andy Brown on the weekends lately it is because he has been walking the neighborhoods of HD 48 meeting with voters. His early start has given him name recognition and happy salutations when knocking on doors.

Thus far the statistics stand: 3 months of walking and over 1,000 doors knocked on

The results: 330 supporters on his website (many notable names), over 60,000 in donations (without even a fundraiser) and bunches of bumpers stickers and literature handed out.

The Bio: Andy is the former campaign manager for Lloyd Doggett and is currently working in litigation over intellectual property rights. He has clerked for a federal judge and worked for Pete Laney when he was Speaker of the House. His resume is a mile long and very impressive considering he is a young democrat at the ripe age of 32. His hobbies are Taekwondo competitions (he is a black belt) and working pro bono on immigration cases. He is hardworking, experienced, intellectual, and charming, yet very humble in his mannerisms which create an appeal as a candidate.

HD 48: The history of the district is becoming positive for Democrats, with HD 48 races being so close that Kelly White lost by 147 votes in the 2004 election. Andy expressed optimism about HD 48, when discussing voters who will be voting democrat in November as a result of the Republican administration’s inability to resolve the education finance problem. For Andy, education is much more then a committee and problem to be resolved, but rather an issue he concentrates on because, “education is what separates America from 3rd world countries.”

The opponent: Todd Baxter (Republican) is the current representative of HD 48 and has been linked to accepting large corporate contributions during his 2004 race against Kelly White. He voted to kick 250,000 children off of CHIPS program in 2001 (the kids have not been allowed back on to this date) and supported vouchers for private schools. Todd is a classic representation of corporate interests over constituent interests.

Andy on the issues: Q. How would you tackle education finance?
We first need to assess the areas where funding is needed and what programs need monetary compensation and then subsidize the programs up to 60% of the budgeted cost. Currently the state pays for 35% of the schools costs for educational programs, where as in the 70’s the state paid for 60% of the cost. The increase of state compensation will keep local taxes in the districts and overall enhance the educational institutions of Texas.

How will you work to improve ethics on the state level?
I will work for campaign finance reform in the state of Texas. Currently there is a corporate run legislature because there aren’t limits on contributions from PACs and corporate PACs in state races. Limiting contributions from PACs will ensure that the interests of the district are not lost at the capitol.

Andy’s style when approaching voters is laid back and very conversational. The usual protocol follows and general introduction and then an inquiry about specific issues constituents want addressed. The reason for the inquiry is not the usual political rhetoric, but rather an interaction Andy hopes will aid him in representing his district rather then corporate interests. When asked why he is running Andy refers to his roots in the district as a graduate from McCallum high school and long time Austinite. He takes pride in his district, but has been becoming more upset with the lack of representation in his state representative Todd Baxter.

For more information about Andy, his accomplishments and goals for Texas visit www.voteandy.com

Conservative Voices Rally Against Leadership

By Phillip Martin

It's been a week since the end of the Second Special Session, and while the Leadership is pointing fingers at each other, there's a whole lot of conservative voices pointing at them. Here's a look at what some newspapers are saying:

Houston Chronicle: An absolute must-read, former Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff -- considered to be one of the best legislators this state has ever seen -- states in an interview that the problem isn't with Robin Hood: "What's wrong is that today the state is paying only 37 percent of public education costs. It may be even lower. If the state were paying near 50 percent, there wouldn't be a crisis."

Tyler Morning Telegraph: Refuting many conservatives' claims that we should blame the education lobby, this editorial states that, "There is no question that lobbyists and lobbying groups can put a lot of pressure on individual legislators...But in the end, only members of the House or Senate have a vote, and that is where the ultimate responsibility lies."

Bryan-College Station Eagle: Want to know what those folks near Texas A&M thought about the leadership refusing to work with anyone on the education bill? Their editorial reads, "Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst decided to keep trying, but at some $60,000 a day in costs to taxpayers, we have to wonder if it was worth it."

Wichita Times Record News: (Registration required). An editorial titled "ripping off students" chronicles how Perry's latest PR stunt and failure to fund textbooks for classrooms adds the word "dishonesty...to the long list of other words that could be used to describe our House and Senate leadership, another of which is incompetence." Even Wichita knows that this was the leadership, and not the Legislature, that screwed this up.

That's what conservative voices are saying about the Republican (lack of) leadership. And I'll bet you guys thought I was harsh.

Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls This Week

By Damon McCullar

TGIF folks! It's time for this week's installment of Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls! This post has gotten long due to the number of candidates in the field. Use the extended entry to see what's going on this week and who is running for what! If anyone has any leads on candidates or knows of someone I'm leaving out, please email me or leave a comment.

Chris Bell
Chris Bell is a former US Congressman who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.

8/27/2005: Chris will be traveling to East Texas in late August to address the Rural Texas Democratic Summit. The Rural Summit starts on Friday evening with a Blue Ribbon Ball, and then on Saturday there's a full day of meetings, workshops, and exciting guest speakers. Chris will be addressing the gathering on Saturday morning. The Rural Summit is being held at the Ramada Inn in Tyler. Regristration for the conference is $25 per person, and space is limited so register today! Register by phone at 903-530-5157 or by email at etdemsummit@hotmail.com.

8/28/2005: Chris is proud to be joining Hays County Democrats on Sunday, August 28th as they hold their annual LBJ Birthday Party celebration at the world-famous Salt Lick BBQ restaurant in Driftwood. Check out the HCDP website for all the details. See you there!

9/5/2005: Chris will be the featured speaker at the Senate District 24 Democratic Labor Day Picnic in Lampasas. The picnic starts at 11:30 AM at Hancock Park on Rt. 281, and Chris will be speaking around 1 PM. Come on out and spend your Labor Day with other Hill Country Dems! You'll have a chance to meet Chris and hear him talk about his plans for the campaign ahead. Don't miss out on the fun!

Felix Alvarado
Felix Alvarado is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.

Maria Alvarado is running for Lt. Governor.

David Van Os
David Van Os is running for Attorney General. Check out his new website.

8/26-27: Rural Democratic Summit, Tyler
9/3/2005: North East Bexar County Democrats, San Antonio. David will be one of the Guest Speakers
9/5/2005 Labor Day Democratic Picnic, Lampasas. David will be one of the guest speakers.

Barbara Radnofsky
Barbara is running for Senate against Kay Bailey Hutchinson.

Barbara Ann Radnofsky, fresh from a tour of El Paso and Lubbock, traveled to the Hill Country on Thursday, August 25th. She held an interview with Greg Shrader, Editor and Publisher of the Kerrville Daily Times and Gerard MacCrossan, Assistant Managing Editor, and toured Mooney Aircraft Company, an important Hill Country business located in Kerrville. She was met by BOR’s Karl-Thomas Musselman and his parents, Fredericksburg City Councilman Tom Musselman and Kelley Musselman, and attended a reception hosted by Gillespie County Democrats. In addition to speaking with Fredericksburg residents at the reception about critical issues facing Texans and in particular Hill Country residents, and with Tom, who teaches government and history at Fredericksburg High School, about education issues, Barbara and Kelley shared thoughts about how each could avoid the motherly instinct to clean their son’s college dorm rooms – Karl-Thomas and Max are safe for now! After the reception, Barbara and Ed returned to the Hanger Hotel and spent the rest of the evening strolling through the Gillespie County Fairgrounds.

Friday, August 26, 2005, Barbara will ride in the Gillespie County Parade in Fredericksburg at 10:00 a.m. She will attend the Gillespie County Fair at noon. Barbara will tour the important Kerrville Veteran’s Hospital at 3:00. At sundown, Barbara and her husband, Ed Supkis, will attend a private Shabbat service for members of her faith from across the Hill Country hosted by Kerrville resident Nancy Banks.

On Saturday August 27th, Barbara will attend a luncheon hosted by the Kerrville chapter of Texas Democratic Women from 11:00 to 12:30 at the Riverhill Country Club, 100 Riverhill Club Lane, Kerrville, Texas 78028. At 1:00, Barbara will attend a reception hosted by Kerrville TDW, Kerr County Democrats and Schreiner University Young Democrats at Schreiner University. Theater, 2100 Memorial Blvd, Kerrville, Texas 78028.

On Sunday August 28th, Field Director Robert Andrews of Austin will be representing Barbara at the LBJ Birthday Party held by the Hays County Democrats at the Salt Lick Pavilion in Driftwood, Texas, from 3 to 6 p.m.

Charlie Thompson
Charlie is a retired Naval Flight Officer exploring a run for Congress in CD-5

David Harris
David Harris is running for Congress in CD-06.

David Harris will be attending the UAW march on Joe Bartons's office on August 31st, at 4 PM in Arlington to support their effort to protest attacks against Social Security and soaring gasoline prices. Everyone interested is encouraged to attend.

On September 2nd, David will be attending petition signing events in Waxahachie, Corsicana and Centerville, ending in Houston for radio and press events. (Anyone interested in assisting in the south county events, please email Michelle at FM2DC@aol.com or call 817-706-2521)

The family will take a well deserved break from the madness to celebrate the Labor Day holiday in Galveston with friends.

Shane Sklar
Shane Sklar is running for Congress in CD-14.

John Courage
John Courage is running for Congress in the CD-21.

On Friday August 26th at 7:00 PM in San Antonio, John will be participating in the Platica with Suzanne Pharr. Participants will discuss the role of racism, sexism, and homophobia in right-wing political organizing. The event will be at Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, 922 San Pedro [near SAC @ Evergreen].

On Saturday August 27th in Crawford, John will be making a bus trip to Camp Casey in Crawford with a group of San Antonio Democrats and Activists to show his solidarity with Cindy Casey and the other Gold Star mothers. John Courage, a former member of the US Air Force, has been a long time opponent to the Iraq War.

On Sunday August 28th from 3:00 to 6:00PM in Driftwood, John will be participating in the Hays County annual LBJ Birthday Celebration and Fundraiser. The locations will be at The Saltlick BBQ Pavillion in Driftwood.

On Monday August 29th at 6:00PM in San Antonio, John will speak at the San Antonio Democratic League Meeting. The meeting will be held at The Picante Grill (on Broadway across from the Witte Museum).

Nick Lampson
Nick Lampson is running against Tom DeLay for Congress in CD-22.

Mary-Beth Harrell
Mary-Beth Harrell is running for Congress in the CD-31.

Andy Brown
Andy Brown is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 48.

Andy Brown will be blockwalking this weekend. Come meet Andy, talk to West Austin voters, and work on your tan! Contact Marc at 636-4345 or at marc@voteandy.com for more information.

Donna Howard
Donna Howard is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 48.

Dan Barrett
Dan is runing for State Representative in District 97.

Diane Henson
Diane is running for the 3rd Court of Appeals

Charles Baird
Charles is running for the 299th district court here in Austin. Let's get behind him and Keep Austin Blue.

Desis For Texas Endorses Chris Bell for Governor

By Damon McCullar

Desis For Texas, a South Asian PAC, has endorsed Chris Bell for Governor.

Since I've been in Houston, Congressman Bell has been a voice of responsibility, prudence and good sense. I remember watching the news when I first went to college, and seeing him campaign for the City Council elections. Right there, in that first bid for public service, were the seeds of what grew into his political ethos. He was telling Houstonians about how their government needed to be more efficient, more transparent, more honest about how they were spending the tax revenues and more accountable to the people. He demonstrated that we could have a better, stronger and more progressive city government without having to raise taxes, and in fact, by cutting them. He also authored legislation that made it more difficult for former municipal employees and servants to parlay their service into lucrative lobbying contracts, lining their pockets with monies exacted from hard-working Houstonians. I had never seen a politician talk that talk, much less walk that walk. At the time, I was just beginning to question my involvement in the Republican party, and I remember thinking that if this is what Democrats were like, perhaps I should switch parties.

To read the entire endorsement, check out the Chris Bell Blog.

Donna Howard- HD 48- Hat in the Ring

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

It's official. From the press release...

DONNA HOWARD TO RUN FOR TEXAS HOUSE 'DO-NOTHING' LEGISLATURE NEEDS 'CAN-DO' SPIRIT

(AUSTIN) -- Austin public education advocate Donna Howard today confirmed reports that she is planning to run for Texas House District 48 and will formally announce her campaign next month.

"This "do-nothing" Legislature has let our public schools slip to the brink of bankruptcy," Howard said. "I will be offering voters a "can-do" spirit to solve the real problems our communities face."

A former Eanes ISD board member, Howard was born and raised in Austin, graduated from Reagan High, and has spent her adult life working to help strengthen the community. She was a co-founder of Advocates for Eanes Schools, a parent organization that monitors the activities of the school board, and helped start the Texas Education Crisis Coalition, a grassroots group of parents and community leaders.

Certified as a Master School Trustee by the Texas Association of School Boards, Howard has previously run as a Democratic candidate for the State Board of Education.

"Partisanship and special-interest pandering aren¹t getting the job done," Howard said. "I will push for a united effort across party lines and ideologies to fix our public schools."

Howard earned a bachelor's degree in nursing and a master's in health education, both from the University of Texas. She has worked as a critical care nurse at Brackenridge and Seton hospitals, served as the first hospital-based Patient Education Coordinator in Austin history, and helped get the Seton Good Health School off the ground. She has also been president of the Texas Nurses' Association (District 5) and a Health Education instructor at UT.

Married to Austin attorney Derek Howard, the couple has three children, all educated in Austin public schools. Howard and her family are active in their neighborhood and in their church, where she has served on the board.

So it will be a primary between Donna Howard and Andy Brown (assuming no one else jumps in). I've been impressed with both candidates though Donna holds a special place for me as she was one of the candidates that was running in a SBOE District that included Fredericksburg four years ago when I came politically aware and active with the first John Courage campaign. My only hope is that this will primary will raise awareness of our candidate in HD 48, battle test them, and will be one that's clean and not down on the level of Rick v. Carol.

Kinky Spam

By Damon McCullar

If nothing else, it's cool to have Kinky running for governor for all the play on words that can be created. Seriously though, earlier today on Perry Vs World there was a spam attack that kept posting comments from seemingly different folks and they all had the same content: "www.kinkyfriedman.com". While I'm inclined to think this was the work of some overzealous supporter with some net knowledge, Kuff makes a good point about the future of the blog and bloggers:

I'm sure it's just a fluke, but the thought has occurred to me that this sort of thing could be a tempting dirty trick for some upcoming Karl Rove wannabe. Spam a bunch of blogs with an opponent's campaign URL so that the blog owners ban the URL and bitch about it to their audiences, thus not only generating a lot of badwill for your enemy among some opinion leaders, but maybe even getting some regular press coverage out of it just for the sheer novelty factor. It shouldn't be too hard to cover your tracks - I'm pretty sure the originating IP address for comments can be spoofed.

We've also had that kind of problem here at BOR with "Kinky" folks commenting with different "names" but all of the comments coming from the same IP address, although our comments like that have been more "human".

When I started blogging, I looked forward to having the power to spur debate amongst a common audience, but more and more the audience is becoming polluted with people that distort the debate for their own purposes instead of people that are content to bring their unique prospective to the debate. Blogs grew because the "Crossfire-ization" of cable news left a vacuum for honest debate. If we're not careful and can't find ways to police ourselves against these kinds of manipulation, the voice of honest debate will once again be lost and, barring the advent of another communications medium, could be lost altogether.

The Rumors of Summer

By Phillip Martin

I'm not one to indulge rumors that much, but our friends at Pinkdome have pieced together a set of tea leaves that peaked my interest.

Seems Paul Burka of Texas Monthly, Mike Hailey of Capitol Inside, and Ross Ramsey of Texas Weekly have all made mention of a possible swell to replace Speaker Craddick come January 2007. The logic goes something like this: the growing number of dissent among moderate Republcians with the hardline Republican leadership + another few House seats the Democrats could/should pick up in November = a more balanced House of Representatives.

I'm making note of this not because we should concern ourselves with an in-House Speaker's race that is parked fifth behind No Nonsense in November, the Primaries, the General, and the 2006 New York Marathon. I'm making note of this to demonstrate what a continued, sustained effort to support progressive candidates and causes over the next fifteen months could lead to: a serious improvement in the makeup of the Texas Legislature.

If you're as disappointed with the Republican-controlled Lege as I am, start working now. By the 80th Regular Session, that small bipartisan majority that fought to kill the horrendous tax and education bills could be the new, clear majority. Without Craddick & Cronies Inc. in the way, we might even be able to get something done.

Fundraiser Tonight, Get Involved

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

More news on the ever changing No Nonsense in November campaign. My inbox was full of back and forth information about things going on Campus. Things will be rocking there when we have our next full meeting for everyone back at school on September 1.

FUNDRAISER THURSDAY!

Please join us for our first fundraiser to benefit the No Nonsense In November Campaign. Release your frustration of the legislature’s failures by donating now to the No Nonsense in November campaign. Come to our Fundraiser at Mother Egan’s on West 6th Street, this Thursday, August 25 at 5:30 p.m.

No time this month for an organized effort? Drop by our fundraiser this Thursday; grab some pledge cards and information to keep in your purse or pocket. This way you can get voters to pledge while waiting in line at the grocery store or slip them to family members. Make your own phonebanking list of family and friends who live in Texas and support our cause. Call and get their pledge this August. By Sunday we want 500 new pledges and volunteers committed to No Nonsense in November in the Capitol area.

BLOCKWALKING SATURDAY!

Get your walking shoes on as we walk key Austin neighborhoods. We will knock on friend’s doors in order to shore up support and gather pledges to vote Against in November. Send an e-mail to Austin@nononsenseinnovember.com to sign up. We will get out the door at 10 a.m.; wrap up by 2 p.m.; come by at 9:30 a.m. for juice/coffee and an overview. You will be partnered up with someone else who has done work of this kind before so don’t feel like you need to have experience. Don’t worry, we are talking to friends and we are walking before the sun wilts us.

COMMUNITIES OF COLOR OUTREACH – Special efforts are being made to reach a diverse voter base. County co-coordinator Celia Israel needs to gather as many of our friends who are active or would like to be more active in the Hispanic or African American communities to help reach them with targeted and personal messages. Please send information or questions you may have to Celia.

Austin Headquarters: 1210 Rosewood
Austin Phone: 236-0843

Crawford PO Workers Halting Mail?

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

This is from Stu Adamslundy in Kendall County. Kay is her former hairdresser and now a member of Code Pink.

In my conversation with Kay this am we happened to stumble into a conversation about donations and that led to a conversation about the Post Office.

Seems as how the ladies working at the Post Office are none to fond of the Peace House (hostile comes to mind). For a couple of days the Peace House was receiving a flood of mail and then all of the sudden almost nothing. I do not know all of the details of what came next, apparently inquiries were made, can't deliver without the 11 digit zip etc.

Well to make a long story short, sometime within the last week, according to Kay, 4 Inspector Generals swept into the Crawford PO and they were caught red-handed (something about one or more letters addressed to Peace House with return to sender found).

Kay has no idea at all how many letters may have been returned, but here is their request. If you recieve a letter back please put it in another envelope, unopened, and send it back to the Dallas PO Box so that it may be used as evidence.

Crawford Peace House
PO BOX 710218
Dallas, TX 75371-0218

There is a volunteer at CPH from California who works for or is retired from the Postal Service and she knows the rules/law. If it is a known address it has to be delivered. This means if you send a letter to the Western White House, Crawford Tx, it is a known address. She even said if you send a letter to Cindy Sheehan, Camp Casey, Crawford, Tx, that that is a known address. And the Crawford Peace House is a KNOWN address. Just Crawford Peace House, Crawford, Tx is a known address, so the little bit about returning for not having the 11 digit zip was not quite right (maybe even a discipline/firing type of event). The workers at the PO let thier personal feelings intefere with doing their job as civil servants.

BORed: Crashing a Campaign Party

By Matt Hardigree

Last night I attended the Campaign Kickoff for Peter Brown, who is running for city council place one in Houston. Peter Brown is a great candidate, but even more important, it was a great party. Tis the season for campaign parties and these few tips could be the difference between a boring night with people you don't know and a great night with people you don't know.

1.Write Something Interesting on Your Name Tag - a great way to get people to interact with you, if they don't know you, is to give them some clue as to who you are. For instance, i wrote "burntorangereport.com" under my name. This let people know that I'm a blogger, which is a lot like a reporter, except that I don't ask tough questions and can reprint campaign press releases word-for-word.

This also encourages people who might be fans of the site to come over and say hello. One such kind gentleman did do this last night and, much to my surprise, said he cancelled his subscription to the New York Times because he now gets all of his news from BOR and other blogs. I swear, I didn't see him drinking.

My friend Dan had the best name tag, it read "Dan: Upstairs Neighbor" because Dan literally lives above the campaign headquarters. Now he gets to put a sign in his window.

2. Booze first, Guest of honor second, everyone else third - The first thing to go at a campaign party, specifically a Democratic one, is the free liquor. That means you should work your way through the crowd to enjoy the drinks while they're free because the people aren't going anywhere and some of the people aren't tolerable without liquor. Props to the Brown crew for keeping the vino flowing.

The second thing that goes is the guest of honor. Last night's guest was former Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs and San Antonio Mayor Henry Cisneros. He delivered a rousing speech about the importance of qualified individuals running for office that was one of the highlights of the night. Unfortunately, and understandably, he was fairly quickly out the door and on a plane before I could get a good conversation in.

3. Dress sharply - These things are often crawling with the daughters of important people, college students, young lawyers and politically active people and you want to look good. I recommend a business casual look that says: "I'm a professional and I can dress myself, but I'm not a hired campaign consultant."

4. Avoid anyone that a colleague may have accused of being part of a vast John Sharp conspiracy - Mark Nathan, of Draft John Sharp notoriety was at the event and, though I wanted to say hello, mingle, but I thought it might kill the buzz.

5. Make a friend on the campaign - It doesn't hurt to know someone, anyone, actually working on the campaign. Down the line it can mean the difference between manning the phones and standing in the freezing rain handing out flyers come election day. I lucked out last night as the volunteer working the front door went to my high school and doesn't hold that against me.

6. Don't continually push your cause - People go to these things to have a good time and support the candidate, yet someone always has to introduce themselves, and their agenda, to everyone else at the party. Don't be that guy. Sheila Jackson Lee dropped in a mention of a peace rally at the end of Brown's introduction and got away with it... but not many of us are Sheila Jackson Lee.

7. Finally, get while the getting is good - Campaigns are happiest to get rid of their paraphernalia at the beginning and the end of an election. If you want a cool shirt, button or Nalgene bottle, don't hesitate a moment. The hot item of the night was the Pete Brown magnet which conveniently fits on cars without an adhesive. One woman got hip to this and walked out with 20, you know, "For her friends."

These are just a few ways to make the campaign party extra enjoyable, feel free to share your tips in the section below.

It seems Mark Nathan and Nathan Archer and Nathon Wilcox are all different people, the correction has been made.

Fighting Prop 2 in Houston and Austin

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

From a comment left on a post of Kuff's about a previous BOR post.

The Houston Equal Rights Alliance (currently the Houston arm of the No Nonsense in November grassroots campaign) is having a blockwalk this Saturday morning to recruit volunteers and talk to people about why they should vote against Constitutional Amendment 2.

We're meeting at 10 am this Saturday, August 27th, at the GLBT Community Center at 3400 Montrose in Suite 207. We're in the building across from Kroger and in the same building as the SkyBar.

If you support equality for everybody in Texas, call 713-522-4372 to sign up for the block walk this Saturday, or e-mail me at goodland@rice.edu.

PinkDome also has some humorous analysis of other analysis on Prop 2.

A report from here in Austin...

Thanks to everybody who attended the joint meeting last Sat. w/ the Austin Association of Social Justice and the No Nonsense in November campaign. We had 100 people sign in, we jived as a group and we continued to gain ground and momentum to fight this crazy measure. How do we know?

We signed up 43 NEW volunteers in these areas: blockwalkers, phone bankers, houseparties, faith outreach, vigils, AASJ website, and campus organizing.

We gathered tons of new pledges, distributed even more blank pledge cards and instructed everyone on the use of these simple but powerful weapons of goodwill.

We deputized 49 new registrars so that’s a bunch of us now able to target and register new friends to vote! Thank you Bruce Elfant for your grace and generosity.

And, drumroll, please, with a simple ask at the meeting we raised $4,888 for the NNN campaign! With Mother Eagan sponsorships, that’s almost $10,000 raised in Austin before we’ve even had a fundraiser!

Zimmerman to Challenge Strama

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Republican Don Zimmerman has officially launched his campaign in District 50 to challange Mark Strama in 2006. His tagline? Real. Republican. Rezults. No, I'm not kidding. Those red Z's everywhere are kinda creepy.

But in any case, someone needs to tell him that Republican and Results (with an s) don't belong in the same sentence together as his party, the one in control of all three branches of this state, havn't delivered any so far this year on anything important to the State of Texas.

Might I suggest instead... Fake. Flazhy. Failure.

Mandate, Schmandate

By Vince Leibowitz

Texas Governor Rick Perry today issued an executive order directing the Texas Education agency to institute a mandate requiring that Texas' more than 200 independent school districts spend at least 65 percent of their budgets on classroom spending.

Naturally, Perry claims this mandate will mean local school districts will be more accountable to taxpayers and more efficient in school spending and directing funds to the classroom which, of course, is supposed to lead to increased student achievement.

Unfortunatly for Perry, he evidently didn't realize such a system is in place and being utilized by TEA. Of course, since the average person doesn't know this either, Perry can make himself look like the Savior of Texas Public Education.

In reality, TEA already has a program in place called The Financial Integrity Rating System of Texas, which came about as a result of action by the 77th Texas Legislature.

That system grades school districts on a number of factors including the percentage of the school's budget that goes toward instruction. According to current FIRST standards, instruction spending must exceed 54 percent. In addition to instruction spending, FIRST also grades districts based on a number of other important accounting-related factors to ensure the district's solvency and measure the district's financial management and financial wealth in general.

However, based on a read of some media coverage of the order, people might think the state has no financial accounting system for districts whatsoever:

Under Perry's executive order, TEA Commissioner Shirley Neeley will design and implement a new financial accountability and reporting system for Texas schools. The state will work with school districts throughout the state until the 65 percent goal is reached.

Given that the new mandate means a 10-plus percent jump in required "instrution spending," which can include things such as technology and teacher salaries, it's difficult to understand how some school districts will be able to cope with this in short order, especially given some onerous state regulations which districts are already under.

Of course, Perry claims:

"How schools guide this funding into the classroom will still be decided at the local level, but could include items like classroom computers and technology, science lab equipment, instructional materials and supplies, or even higher teacher salaries," Perry says.

How, however, is it local control if you have to make a ten percent swing in your budget? I'm not disputing that more needs to be spend on public instruction and less on "public relations," and similar frivolities, but shouldn't the local school board know what's best for the students? If that's 64 percent, or 59 percent, or whatever.

And, what about considerations for districts that have significant built-in non-instructional expenses, like transportation? What about rural districts that serve entire counties and end up being forced to run expensive transportation fleets? What about school districts in areas where bonds can't or won't pass that have to spend a lot on facilities because they are in disrepair? Will there be any flexability to this system?

Also, I found this pretty funny:

The governor also wants school districts to report how they spend "non-classroom" expenses such as counseling, nursing and social services; construction, maintenance and repair of district facilities; and funds spent on legal fees or public relations.

Hello, Governor! They already do: It's called a budget.

For those of you unfamilar with school budgeting, a school budget is a multi-faceted document. The independent school district board adopts a budget at the "fund and function" level. Funds are things like "debt service fund" "general revenue fund," etc. If you look at an actual school district budget (the detailed version), you'll see lots of numbers which refer to "functions," and are more detailed things like child nutrition programs and what not. Beneath that are "object codes" which are even more detailed.

Basically, you can pretty easily track the dollars and cents your school district is spending. Of course, since Perry says his mandate will make school districts more accountable to the local folk, I can only assume this means that kids will get to carry home (or have mailed to their homes) another school "report card" like the PEIMS or Academic Excellence Indicator data sheets sent home with kids during the year. Of course, most parents don't read these things, and fewer can understand exactly what they are reading because—let's face it—they aren't exactly drafted in lay terms.

So, really, what's the point of all of this: to look good next March (and maybe next November). Why revise something just initiated a couple of sessions ago? I've heard a number of school leaders complain that the the FIRST requirements already somewhat onerous in areas aside from instruction spending, and that compiling the appropriate data for the reporting is yet another time consuming administrative task (though the spreadsheet at TEA's site looks pretty simple to me).

Now Perry can look good and say he "increased instruction spending," in Texas schools (without the approval of the legislature) and make the tax phobic believe their tax dollars are being spent a little better.

KBH In Trouble?

By Damon McCullar

The latest Survey USA polling data is out and KBH has slipped 7 points in her popularity since her high of 64% in June. As of August 16th, Survey USA puts KBH's approval rating at 57%.

The Barbara Ann Radnofsky Campaign had this to say about the new poll numbers:

Impressive poll results showing a significant drop in support for our opponent punctuated our campaign trips to El Paso, Lubbock, and Austin last week. Survey USA approval ratings showed that Senator Hutchison's electoral façade has begun to crack. Across the board drops, in some cases as significant as 10 points, indicate that Texans have responded to our message: Senator Hutchison should be judged on her record.

Recent news reports showed that Senator Hutchison has abandoned the issues on which she based her announcement to seek re-election, choosing to focus on three issues our campaign identified: veterans’ affairs, education, and health care. She has crawfished on a variety of issues our campaign raised.

* She has flip-flopped on veterans affairs after a series of speeches and press releases from our campaign, and has finally called for a VA Hospital south of San Antonio, after months of my campaigning for such a facility.

* She has flip-flopped after her abandonment of her Constitutional obligation of Advise and Consent, and is now calling for Senate vetting of Supreme Court appointees, after her prompt rubberstamping of the President's nomination and her immediate call on her colleagues to ensure the nomination.

* She wrongly claims to be supportive of health care when in fact she voted against the bipartisan Bingaman-Smith amendment that restored Medicaid funding cut from Texas. After the last eleven years of rubberstamping and failed leadership, Texas now leads the nation in percentage of uninsured children and adults. She now parrots our campaigns call for insurance reform. We call on her to echo our call for prompt pay and preventive care.

* She wrongly claims to support education, while on her watch Texas has achieved the lowest high school graduation rate in the U.S. We call on her to echo our recommendations for mediation and full funding for grants for higher education.

* She has proudly touted her role in passage of the transportation bill. We call on her to concede that the transportation formulas in the bill that she rubberstamped have harmed Texans, sending our hard-earned Texas dollars out of state so that we can build needless construction projects in Alaska.

At our campaign stops across Texas, voters have already begun to call for public debates between Senator Hutchison and me. In less than two months, we've had an effect and changed public policy, and have focused attention on the needs of Texans.

The Circus Comes to Texas...

By Damon McCullar

...and the Elephants are taking center stage. If you haven't been following the mudslinging, let me bring you up date.

First the Perry campaign called Ms. Strayhorn a whore for asking for the votes of Democrats in the Republican Primary. Of course the Strayhorn campaign demanded an apology for the comments.

Now the Strayhorn camp has released a radio spot calling Mr. Perry a "big-taxing liberal" and going on to say "Perry called our Legislature back into special session six times, twice just begging ‘em to pass the largest tax increase in Texas history. And not one penny for education". Not to be out done, the Perry camp responded with "It’s clear now that she will not be using her trial-lawyer money to offer Texas voters anything positive".

So get your popcorn and peanuts, sit back, relax and enjoy the show. This big top will be in the state until March.

Compassionate Conservatism

By Damon McCullar

I would have posted the under really freakin' weird, but we didn't have that option. Pat Roberson called for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. From the AP:

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson called on Monday for the assassination of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, calling him a ``terrific danger'' to the United States

Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition of America and a former presidential candidate, said on ``The 700 Club'' it was the United States' duty to stop Chavez from making Venezuela a ``launching pad for communist infiltration and Muslim extremism.''

...

``You know, I don't know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we're trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it,'' Robertson said. ``It's a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don't think any oil shipments will stop.''

...

``We have the ability to take him out, and I think the time has come that we exercise that ability,'' Robertson said.

``We don't need another $200 billion war to get rid of one, you know, strong-arm dictator,'' he continued. ``It's a whole lot easier to have some of the covert operatives do the job and then get it over with.''

Mr. Robertson also blamed the 9/11 attacks on Gays and Lesbians in the United States in a statement that he says was taken out of context and later retracted.

Freedom of religion and expression is all well and good, but this is a little reckless. Also, these folks make up the "base" of the Republican party. If you aren't scared, you aren't paying attention.

No Nonsense Newsletter #3

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

From Glen Maxey, more good news

Over the past week, we’ve been responding to your volunteer offers and plugging you into projects and areas where your talents can best help our effort. We have accomplished a lot – thanks to your willingness to be a part of “No Nonsense in November,” the grassroots effort that will defeat the Constitutional Amendment that prohibits civil marriage and civil unions between same-sex couples inTexas.

Here’s what YOU helped accomplish!

FIELD OPERATIONS EXPANDING

No Nonsense in November has coordinators in the state’s 25 largest counties – following up on your offers to “act locally.”

We now have county organizations based out of the following cities – Abilene , Amarillo , Corpus Christi, Denton, El Paso, Longview, Lubbock, Marshall, Waco, South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley, Tyler, Waco and Wichita Falls.

Building the No Nonsense in November statewide database to fuel our VOTER ID and GOTV efforts is the biggest priority. Waco has set a launch-goal of 350 new names this week and plans to e-mail their friends across the country to donate. What will you do?

FUNDRAISING
HRC Members Leading the Way to Raise Funds for Our Infrastructure

A little friendly competition is taking place in the fundraising effort spearheaded by Texas members of the Human Rights Campaign to raise $120,000 statewide for the campaign’s infrastructure. San Antonio has thrown down the gauntlet, saying they’ll reach their goal first. You can mail a check NOW!! Just include a note with your donation asking it be credited to one of these local city’s tote-board totals --- San Antonio , Austin , Houston or Dallas/Fort Worth. Watch our web site for dates when each city will celebrate reaching their goal, so you can join in!!

House Party Dates and How-To Information Ready for Launch

Dates have been set for the No Nonsense in November House Parties – the event that puts the fun in Fundraising. We’ll jump start the effort on September 2 with our first statewide House Party night. I’ll “attend” all parties by phone and look forward to talking to party throwers and attendees on a conference call.

September 30 has been set as the date for the next coordinated House Party, where we will have a celebrity guest on the conference call. Our goal is 250 parties that night. We’ll wrap up the House Party circuit October 28 when we hope to have 500-plus House Parties swingin’ across the state.

Remember, you don’t have to wait for a scheduled House Party night. You can throw a House Party whenever and as frequently as you like! If you signed on to help raise money, a House Party may be just the way to do it. The September 2 party is a good opportunity for people new to the House Party idea to attend one, see what it’s all about and then plan to host your own! Watch our web site for a tool kit on “How to Host A House Party” and find House Party locations near you!

“NO NONSENSE IN NOVEMBER” STUFF COMING!

Our regional offices will have t-shirts, bumper stickers and buttons that you can distribute at your House Party. Contact the office nearest you to get the materials. If you’re not close enough to one of these offices, e-mail Elizabeth at Elizabeth@nononsenseinnovemebr.com.

SAN ANTONIO REGIONAL STAFF HIRED

We are excited to announce that two new Regional Coordinators have joined us to work in the greater San Antonio area.

David C. Fisher has been active in the community for many years. He has served on HRC's Board of Governors and as a Board member of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center. In San Antonio, he served as Co-chair of the GLBT for Kerry Committee and is currently serving on the board of Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio and on HRC San Antonio Steering Committee. David most recently worked on the winning Elena Guajardo city council campaign as Field Manager.

Roberto Flores is a Corpus Christi native who has lived in San Antonio for the past twelve years. He has his Masters in Psychology and more than 30 years experience organizing in Texas, including in Houston where he lived for 15 years and served as a precinct judge and voter registrar. He is a member of Stonewall Democrats and the Texas Association of Chicanos, and he is Assistant Coordinator of Soulforce, San Antonio . Two things Roberto points to with pride are that he is 70 years old and he has been in a relationship with fellow organizer Dan Graney for 31 years.

We’ve certainly accomplished more in a week than the Legislature has all session. As they get ready to “Sine Die” on Friday without resolving the state’s school finance woes, you’ll notice that editorials and Letters to the Editor are singing our song – “The Legislature has failed Texans by leaving the real problems unsolved.” We need to position the Marriage Constitutional Amendment as an example of the Nonsense they did achieve … and that message is getting out there.

Look who’s joined the coalition this week … Union for Reformed Judaism, Latinos for Texas, Far North Dallas Group of Drinking Liberally, Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church … to name just a few! Check the web site for a current list!!

Keep it growing …

Glen Maxey
Campaign Director
No Nonsense in November

To contact our regional offices, see our web site www.NoNonsenseInNovember.com

HJR 6 = Hate Amendment = Proposition 2

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Nonsensical legislating now has a name: Proposition 2.

The ballot order was selected by pulling slips of paper from a cookie jar. The enacting legislation, HJR 6, was of course pulled out of Warren Chisum’s ass.

Two years ago, just 12 percent of registered voters cast ballots in an election that gave constitutional authority to the Legislature to limit certain awards in civil lawsuits. About 7 percent voted in the 2001 constitutional amendment election.

…

"It's a matter of the simple issue of educating voters that no matter where they stand on these issues, the constitution is not the place to be having a social debate," said Glen Maxey, director of No Nonsense in November.

This is the battle folks, one which we can win thanks only to the unique circumstances presented to us in an election with nothing else grabbing people’s attention. Because it’s certainly not going to be any of the other mind-numbing amendments.

Among the eight other propositions on this fall's ballot is one that would allow the Legislature to define interest rates for commercial loans and another that would authorize the denial of bail for a suspect who violates a condition of his or her release pending trial.

How Low Can You Go

By Damon McCullar

Well, the August numbers are in and in spite of getting a lot of Republican sponsored legislation through Congress the American Research Group has new poll numbers that show 36% of Americans approve of the job he's doing as President, down from 42% a month ago. Only 33% think that the President is doing a good job with the economy, that's down from 38%. Now that it looks like Iraq will become and Islamic Republic I imagine that things won't get much better. Our current President has the worst approval ratings of any President since WWII. It's sad because it's true.

No Nonsense Austin Kick-Off

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

No Nonsense In November
&
Austin Alliance for Social Justice

KICK-OFF FUNDRAISER
THURSDAY, AUGUST 25TH, 2005
5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
MOTHER EGAN’S PUB; 715 W 6th St.

The Texas Legislature has voted for the first time to amend the Texas Constitution and write discrimination into the Texas Bill of Rights. The Alliance for Social Justice and the No Nonsense in November campaign have mobilized in Travis County to educate the public about this proposed Constitutional Amendment.

Accepting any contribution, large or small
$15, $25, $50 or $100

Come and be a part of Texas History!

ALL FRIENDS WELCOME
FREE APPETIZERS – CASH BAR

A&M, UT ranked among top thirty schools by Washington Monthly

By Jim Dallas

Yes, the US News and World Report once again overlooks Texas's public universities, but Washington Monthly says Texas A&M (No. 7) and UT-Austin (No. 23) are good for America.

(Psst... and if the Legislature doesn't cough up more money, the terrorists have already won.)

UDems Going to Crawford

By Marcus Ceniceros

Fresh off summer vacation, UT's most outstanding young politicos are planning a trip to the Texas Whitehouse to support Cindy Sheehan and other military families. The trip is scheduled for Monday August 28. UDems will meet at 9:30am in front of the Littlefield Fountain and carpool to Crawford. They carpool should be back in Austin around 7:00pm.

Anyone interested in making the trip is invited to come along. Email Alex Hunt at president@udems.org to set up carpool details. For those who haven't been to Crawford, as little as there is to see, it's an experience. I highly reccomend you try to make the trip.

Although the visit is billed as a road trip, it should be pretty serious. The Iraq war is bringing men and women our age home with flags draped over them. Critics have said that Cindy Sheehan is trying to exploit her son's death and trying to become popular or use it for political reasons. I don't care what the background is- her son is DEAD. Other mothers' children are dead- 1,700 to be exact with another 13,000 wounded. Is it not her privilege as a mother and right as an American to look the man, our president, who sent her son war in the eyes and ask why? Shouldn't we all have this right?

Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, has compared Iraq to Vietnam. Hagel was quoted saying, "Things aren't getting better; they're getting worse. The White House is completely disconnected from reality. It's like they're just making it up as they go along. The reality is that we're losing in Iraq."

With talk like this coming from the president's own party, it shows that what's happening in Crawford is not just a liberal stunt. The discontent, disbelief, and disgust is real. Try your best to get to Crawford with us next Monday.

(Getting) More Kinky

By Vince Leibowitz

I'm not a big Kinky Freidman fan, but he was in Tyler (Smith County, in East Texas) this weekend. After seeing Damon's post, I thought I'd post these links to stories about the Kinkster in ETexas:

KLTV-7 (ABC)

Tyler Morning Telegraph

Kinky Friedman Does His Best Judge Roy Moore Impression

By Damon McCullar

Kinky Friedman did a interview with ABC's This Week recently (if the ABC link doesn't work, try here). It was an interesting interview. He starts out by saying that we need to get the Ten Commandments, "I might have to call them the Ten Suggestions", in the schools. I seem to remember the Supremes saying that you can't do that. Granted that the venue for the Ten Commandments in that case was a county courthouse, but I think the ruling would be extended to the classroom. Another question I have about that is, what does the teacher tell his or her first-grader when he or she asks "What does 'You shall not commit adultery' mean" or more to the point "What does adultery mean?"

The other item that Mr. Friedman suggested was that we have non-denominational prayer in schools. This subject has again and again been struck down by the Supremes except in very, very limited cases. The biggest problem with that is that there are people in this country that don't believe in God what-so-ever. What are those folks supposed to do? Get sent out of the classroom? There's an old saying that says "As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in school" and that's fine by me Offering up a silent, personal prayer at anytime during the day doesn't offend anyone else's religious beliefs.

Finally, Mr. Friedman says "To paraphrase Ronald Reagan ... 'the other guys got the experience, that's why I'm running.' That's exactly why I am running". So Mr. Friedman does admit that he has no expericence in government. Maybe that explains why he's not voted in so many years. Or maybe it explains why when asked about tutition deregulation as he walked through campus this spring he had no idea what it was. I just paid my tutition bill. I know very well what tutition deregulation means.

So at the end of the day, how is a candidate that supports prayer in school, posting the 10 commandments in public and who quotes Ronald Reagan the progressive. I don't get it.

Rick Perry is having a press conference...

By Marcus Ceniceros

...and you are all invited. Sorta.

Tomorrow could be a big day for education in Texas... or it could just be Rick Perry trying to talk in front of people he knows will clap when he's done.

In an email posted on the conservative blog from Sugarland, Safety for Dummies, we learned the following:

The Governor will be in Houston on Monday at 2:30 for a Press Conference on Education Issues. We need to build a good crowd for the event. Please join us and invite 5-10 people to come along.

Let’s try not to blast this around but attempt to build a friendly crowd. We want to avoid Strayhorn people.

Thanks for your help. Hope to see you there. Please call me if you need anymore information.

2:30 p.m.
Press Conference
Teacher Heaven
11625 SW Freeway
Houston, TX 77031

On an issue as big as education, I would have hoped the governor would have asked his friends to bring more than 5 to 10 people to hear what he has to say. Safety for Dummies stresses the point that the email says they "need" a friendly crowd. It is a good thing then that they are avoiding the "Strayhorn people". I hear them people hate education... or, wait, is it the fact that they hate the way Perry has failed the state's education system?

Either way, it should be a special event. Especially if you Strayhorn people, Kinky peeps, and Bell Heads show up for the press conference on Monday. Be sure to bring 15-20 friends.

Pete Gallego Endorses Chris Bell for Governor

By Damon McCullar

Pete Gallego, Chair of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus and former Chair of the House Democratic Caucus has endorsed the Chris Bell Campaign for Governor and he will be serving and as the campaign chairman.

In his own words:

My name is Pete Gallego. For those of you out there who don’t know me, I’m the Democratic state representative from the most beautiful part of Texas, Big Bend, but today I have the honor of telling the readers of the New Mainstream Blog that I have agreed to serve as the chairman for the gubernatorial campaign for my friend, Chris Bell. His campaign is putting out a press release tomorrow, but Chris wanted me to tell you about it today.

Chris and I have been friends for a long time, but I’m not backing his campaign just because we’re friends. I’m endorsing Chris for governor and plan to campaign hard for him because he "gets it." He understands what the world is like and where he wants to lead the state, and he’s fearless when it comes to talking about the world the way it is and not the way it polls.

His fearlessness goes further than his ethics fight with Tom DeLay. When he was on the Houston City Council, he helped pass the city's first property tax rate cut and wrote one of the farthest-reaching ethics reform laws for any American city.

Chris Bell also understands that the liberal and conservative labels don’t apply as well to someone who concentrates on solving problems. Like he says, he has no desire to spend the rest of his adult life stuck in a partisan ditch, never risking a move toward common ground.

I’m excited for everyone to hear what he has to say about solving the problems that Texas faces. Chris has always been the kind of leader who could appeal to both sides without abandoning his core ideals. He’s been telling me about the big ideas he wants to talk about during the campaign, I can tell you that not only are rank & file Democrats going to stand up and cheer, but Republicans are going to have an impossible time trying to marginalize him.

I think that’s the real point behind his New Mainstream ethos. We all have Republican and independent friends who tell us how worried they are that the cynical partisans who run the Republican Party are ignoring reality and putting politics before policy. There are more and more people pushed out of the Republican tent, and whether we are Republicans or Democrats, we are wondering when politicians are going to see the world like we do. We are the New Mainstream, and Chris gets it.

These are a few of the reasons I am proud to endorse Chris Bell for Governor, and what I’m asking you to do right now is free. Forward this message to a couple friends and invite them to join the New Mainstream by signing up for email updates. Trust me, you’re going to want to hear what he has to say without the media filter.

Four More Years....

By Damon McCullar

...and that's not of the Bush administration. No, unfortunatly it's much worse. That's how long the Army plans to stay in Iraq at it's current manning of more than 100,000 troops. That was reported yesterday in an interview that Gen. Peter Schoomaker had with the AP.
The story is also being carried by CNN (that's where I heard about it). That's seven years in Iraq if they get out in four more years. That information is a little depressing to me, so tell me how you guys feel about it.

Mixin' It Up in CD 31

By Damon McCullar

As Kuff announced today, there is a candidate in CD 31 running for Congress on the Democratic ticket. Mary-Beth Harrel is her name. I got to hear her speak at a meetting of the Willimson County Democrats earlier this summer. She's a great candidate for that part of Texas.

From Off The Kuff:

I think she's staked out some strong positions on a number of issues, and I hope the questions she's asking get repeated frequently, both in her district and elsewhere. As with all of the DeLay-drawn districts, she's got a tough climb - incumbent John Carter was the best-performing Republican in CD31, with over 66% of the vote (Victor Carillo at 62% brought up the rear) - but I think there's a lot of room for improvement there. Williamson County is slowing turning more purple, and the Democrats have already got state rep candidates in place there. Get some more good things going in the Coryell and Bell County areas, and we can see some good things happen.

One other item to note is that Harrell is married to a retired military officer and the mother of two active-duty sons. She's from Killeen, site of Fort Hood, the departure point for Iraq of many Texas soldiers, reservists, and other personnel. She can speak authoritatively about service and sacrifice, and I think people will listen. For now, I encourage you to check out her website and consider donating or volunteering to help her win.

David Harris Throws His Hat in Ring in CD 6

By Damon McCullar

That's right folks, you heard it hear first. David Harris is exploring a race to take on Smoky Joe Barton up in Tarrant County. David is a father of three and husband of 7 years. He has served his county in Iraq where he received a Bronze star for actions in Iraq. His current gig is Assistant Professor of Military Science/Training Officer, University of Texas at Arlington. Previous to that he severed in the United States Army on active duty until the end of 2002, where he transferred to the reserves. He was called back to active duty in January 2003 to serve in Iraq. He came back March of 2004 David and his wife have served as interns for the State and Local Democratic Party and were delegates from Texas to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Mass.

His website will tentatively launch on October 15th, 2005. The web address will be www.followmetodc.com.

The key issues to David's campaign will be threefold. They are a strong defense, strong families and protecting the rights of all Americans.

David needs 500 signatures to get on the ballot. He is well on his way to that. If any of you folks up in Tarrant County are interested in helping David out, feel free to drop him a line at fm2dc@aol.com or Follow Me To DC, PO Box 1408 Fort Worth, TX 76102.

Mixing it Up in West Texas

By Katie Naranjo

Yesterday I visited Senator Shapleigh’s district office in El Paso to meet with his staff and the Senator. Senator Shapleigh provided updates on the legislature, which has been in its second session with still no resolutions for education finance. Sen. Shapleigh believes that there will be a third session once the courts rule that there is money to be appropriated and the legislature must come to a solution.

Personally, I think this goes to show that Gov. Rick Perry’s hope of the special sessions being a success to help boost public popularity numbers has been a complete failure.

Sen. Shapleigh also expressed his hopes for more women democratic candidates in the 2006 elections. “If there were more women in the state house we would get more achieved on the floor.” In the Texas house there are only 25 women representatives and only 12 are members of the Democratic Party.

El Paso, which is overwhelmingly democratic, has been shunned by the Texas legislature due to its distance and political affiliation. Sen. Shapleigh is working to get tax dollars in El Paso, because historically El Paso has received a disproportionate amount of state funding, which has been disadvantageous to the community. Also, I just wanted to thank Elizabeth for introducing me to the Senator.

Ten out of Twelve Jurors Agree: Vioxx'll kill ya

By Jim Dallas

Yesterday, the jury in Angleton handed down a $253.4 million award for the plaintiff.

.
.
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Now that you've had a chance to get all excited about $253.4 million, let me remind you that most of these big awards get cut down, or even reversed, by the trial judge or on appeal. The award almost certainly will be cut down on appeal, because the punitive damages greatly exceed compensatory damages.

And of course Merck has vowed to appeal. Canadian television gives some insight into what those grounds might be:

Pharmaceutical giant Merck and Co. has announced it will be appealing the $253.4-million US damage award given to the widow of a man who took the painkiller Vioxx.

"We believe that we have strong points to raise on appeal and are hopeful that the appeals process will correct the verdict," Kenneth C. Frazier, senior vice president and general counsel of Merck, said in a statement.

"Our appeal is about fundamental rights to a fair trial."

Merck lawyer Jonathan Skidmore said the appeal would focus on what he called "unreliable scientific evidence."

"It'll be based on the fact that we believe unqualified expert testimony was allowed in the case; there were expert opinions that weren't grounded in science, the type that are required in the state of Texas," he said.

"We don't believe they (plaintiffs) met their burden of proof."

At first glance, this suggests to me that the ruling may be affirmed on appeal; if these are the only grounds, then Merck will be in a very bad position because the factual conclusions of the jury are reviewed on the appellate level under a very deferential standard - they'd have to be "clearly erroneous" in order for the court of appeals to overturn on those grounds. Moreover, this suggests that Merck is going to try to argue that scientific testimony shouldn't have been admitted; that will also be a hard ground (although not as hard) to argue, I think, because my impression is that appellate judges do not like overturning trial judges on admissions of evidence. Moreover, there is quite a bit of contradictory authority with regard to the rules that govern this (e.g. TRE 702, etc), and I would guess that the court of appeals would probably read the case law in a way that would allow them to defer.

Moreover, Merck may try to argue that the company should have been granted a summary judgment; that might actually be a pretty strong ground for appeal (because the court of appeals might take a fresh look at some of the issues). But the news reports, at least, aren't indicating that this is what Merck is thinking. We'll just have to see what happens when they file their appeal, probably some time in the next few weeks. It could be years before we know what exactly Carol Ernst is entitled to, if anything.

Of course, lurking behind all this are some institutional issues. Will the FDA get the blame it deserves? Rather than watch one of the largest pharmaceutical companies (and a major source of campaign funds for the Republican Party) fail under the burden of over 4,000 lawsuits, will Congress try to legislate the problem away, the same way they did with asbestos? Will the "tort reformers" sharpern their knives and go on the attack (again)?

Stay tuned, BOR readers.

UPDATE: In other legal news, Kuff reports that Star Bock has defeated Starbucks in Sam Kent's courtroom. w00t!

UPDATE 2: And Greg has his opinion here.

Tale Told By a Idiot, Full of Rage and Fury, Signifying Nothing

By Damon McCullar

That sums up the our latest special session. The triumphs of this special session were bill that were not passed. Namely HB 2 and 3. The session who's primary focus was education reform and finance ended with neither, but we did get raises for judges (i.e. pension increases for the Reps), eminent domain legislation and a telecom bill. The last session was a million dollar joke. It was over in the first week if memory serves but they just kept plugging along, neither chamber willing to concede defeat. Texas Monthly put it best:

Three Blind Elephants

See how they run from responsibility? The Republican leadership has blown it—again—on school finance. If only there were consequences.

IF NOTHING ELSE, the second special session was a spectacle. Its only product was embarrassment, unless you count disaster metaphors: train wreck, meltdown, implosion. After two regular sessions and three special sessions, stretching over 32 months, Capitol wags were left to debate which film the school finance saga more nearly resembled: Groundhog Day (lawmakers are condemned to relive the same experiences over and over) or Weekend at Bernie’s (they drag around a corpse—in this case, another dead school finance bill—and act as if it’s alive).

God Save Texas and This Honorable Court. Maybe the Supreme Court can succeed where the Lege has failed. Unfortunately, there are whispers that the Supremes in Texas won't rule until after the March primary to give Gov. Perry political cover. The real losers are the kids, as it always is. The GOP leadership is more worried about next November than they are about this August when kids go back to school.

Report from Camp Casey

By John Pruett

Cindy Sheehan's departure from Camp Casey to visit her ailing mother in Los Angeles highlights a major dilemma facing the revitalized anti-war movement. Is Sheehan's leadership necessary for the progression and growth of the movement? Or, instead, will focus on Sheehan's personal demands give way to larger issues and questions surrounding the Iraq War? This partly depends on the media. It also depends on those opposed to the war taking a metaphorical step forward.

Forrest Wilder, a friend of mine and journalist for the Texas Observer, offers his views. I posted them in their entirety:

I journeyed to Crawford this past weekend to take in the "Cindy Sheehan spectacle..." at least that's how, I imagine, it's seen by viewers through their TV screens - a drama made-for-TV by PR consultants, media savvy activists, and duly reported on by a bored press corps decamped in podunk Texas amidst the doldrums of Bush's extended vacation. If only everyone could pay homage in person.

There's nothing extraordinary, of course, about Cindy Sheehan despite the celebritization of her and her cause by both proponents and detractors. The moment - and the movement - however are unusually piquant. Cindy Sheehan, insofar as she is a symbol, represents a deep well of anxiety over the War on Iraq and the direction of the country in general. Forget, for the moment, the proxy war being fought - will He or will He not meet with Her?. That is sidedressing. The significance of Camp Casey is that the argument over the war has a plotline, a battlefield, and things from here on out will probably not be the same. The antiwar movement in the U.S. has been pitifully quiescent for over a year even as polls showed that more and more Americans were becoming disaffected with the Iraq War. Now, the movement has found its lever; the question is, will it have the wherewithal to use it as Atlas would?

One frustration that I have with the mainstream media's reporting and the organizers' strategy is that "they" tend to make it Cindy, Cindy, Cindy 24/7. When I was there on Saturday there were reportedly 25 other members of military families and at least a dozen veterans. I heard about 10 of them speak and each was probably capable of speaking just as forcefully and eloquently as Cindy Sheehan. Ms. Sheehan certainly deserves credit for getting this thing going in Crawford, but it's foolish to make one person the figurehead of a movement that is composed of millions of people. Just taking the encampment in Crawford, there are any number of people who have loved ones in Iraq or have served in Iraq that are equal to the task of acting as a leader and spokesperson.

We are already seeing the first signs of Cindy burnout in the media. Part of this is fueled by the Right's attempt to discredit Cindy through guilt-by-association (she's consorting with communists) and ad hominem attacks (she's a flip-flopper, she's grandstanding, etc), and partly by the media's tendency to reduce all struggles to a neat narrative line that quickly exhausts itself (Cindy wants to see President. President won't meet with her. Stay tuned to see what happens next...[Yawn]).

So much of this debate about the war centers around patriotism: Who's more American? The antiwar folks calling for the troops to come home soon and safely? Or, the pro-war folks calling for the troops to come home safely AND as soon as possible? The terms of this debate are ridiculous and are hardly worth the effort. The pro-Bush people out protesting Cindy brought about twice as many flags as people. The antiwar people respond in kind with flags and home truths about the true meaning of patriotism being the willingness to question the government when it does wrong. I support the latter naturally, but it's all so tiresome. I don't advocate burning the flag in protest of Amerikkka or something, but doesn't it seem like a zero-sum game? I'm sure in consultation with my American history books I could find the answer to be clearly 'no'. In any case, I don't find it necessary to one-up the "patriots" who sing "God Bless America" with a more lively rendition of the same song, as happened on Saturday.

War issues aside, it is important that Cindy Sheehan be with her mother during her time of illness. I wish her mother a quick and full recovery.

BORed: Get Rich or Sine Die Tryin'

By Matt Hardigree

(Introducing a new feature for BOR where you get a chance to be as funny as we are. This new event involves you completing a phrase in a comical way).

Today's phrase is: Sine Die

Our Examples:

1. Get Rich or Sine Die Tryin'.

2. Sine Dye.

3. Sine Diebold Conspiracy.

Leave your entries in the comment section. The best answer gets the "David Greogry Workout Tape."

Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls This Week

By Damon McCullar

TGIF folks! It's time for this week's installment of Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls! This post has gotten long due to the number of candidates in the field. Use the extended entry to see what's going on this week and who is running for what! If anyone has any leads on candidates or knows of someone I'm leaving out, please email me or leave a comment.

Chris Bell
Chris Bell is a former US Congressman who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.

8/23/2005 6:30pm
Chris Bell is coming back out to West Texas on August 23rd to speak to Midland and Odessa Democrats at a dinner hosted by the Texas Democratic Women of Midland! The dinner event starts at 6:30 PM at the Hilton Midland Plaza at 117 West Wall Street downtown.
Don't miss your chance to come hear Chris talk about his vision for Texas! For more details or to RSVP, contact Gloria Greer.

8/27/2005: Chris will be traveling to East Texas in late August to address the Rural Texas Democratic Summit. The Rural Summit starts on Friday evening with a Blue Ribbon Ball, and then on Saturday there's a full day of meetings, workshops, and exciting guest speakers. Chris will be addressing the gathering on Saturday morning. The Rural Summit is being held at the Ramada Inn, 3310 Troup Highway,
in Tyler. Regristration for the conference is $25 per person, and space is limited so register today! Register by phone at 903-530-5157 or by email at etdemsummit@hotmail.com. Ramada Inn,

8/28/2005: Chris is proud to be joining Hays County Democrats on Sunday, August 28th as they hold their annual LBJ Birthday Party celebration at the world-famous Salt Lick BBQ restaurant, 18001 FM 1826, in Driftwood. Check out the HCDP website for all the details. See you there!

Felix Alvarado is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.

Felix Alvarado will be at the the August 26, 2005 meeting of Texas
Democratic Women-South Plains. It will take place at Furr's Family Dining, 6001 Slide Road, Lubbock around Noon

Maria Alvarado is running for Lt. Governor.

David Van Os
David Van Os is running for Attorney General. Check out his new website.

8/19: IBEW 7th District Conference, Austin
8/20: No-nonsense rally in Austin, Texas 10:00 a.m.
8/20: NWPC--National Womens Political Caucus Noon Luncheon
8/20: Camp Casey, Van Os family and friends will be at Camp Casey in support of peace.
8/25: Franklin County League of Democrats, Mount Vernon
Rachel will be the guest of the Texas Democratic Women chapter in Palestine at the same time.
8/26-27: Rural Democratic Summit, Tyler

Barbara Radnofsky
Barbara is running for Senate against Kay Bailey Hutchinson.

Barbara was in El Paso Wednesday through Friday where she has toured the El Paso Rail Yard ( a major source of jobs in El Paso which Senator Hutchison seems willing to relocate to New Mexico), visited Cinco Puntos Press and the El Paso County Democratic Headquarters, attended two receptions in her honor, and addressed the Mayor’s El Paso Regional Economic Summit and the West El Paso Tejano Democrats.

After leaving El Paso Friday morning, Barbara flew to Lubbock, where she is attending a fundraiser Friday evening, August 19th, hosted by Sue Weninger at the Caprock Winery, 408 Woodrow Road, Lubbock.

Saturday August 20th Barbara will have breakfast with the National Grain Sorghum Growers Board in Lubbock, have a private fundraiser in the afternoon, and attend the Cattle Barron’s Ball Saturday evening. She returns to Houston Sunday to spend her last day with her son Max before he leaves to begin study as a freshman at Texas A & M.

Next week Barbara will join Burnt Orange’s own Karl-Thomas Musselman for the Gillespie County Fair and Parade in Fredericksburg. She will be in Fredericksburg and Kerrville from Thursday through Saturday. Look for her in the Yellow Dog Convertible in the parade Friday morning!

Charlie Thompson
Charlie is a retired Naval Flight Officer exploring a run for Congress in CD-5

Daivd Harris
David Harris is running for Congress in CD 6

Shane Sklar
Shane Sklar is running for Congress in CD-14.

John Courage
John Courage is running for Congress in the CD-21.

John will be attending the Northwest Bexar County Democrats meeting in San Antonio at 8:30 AM Saturday Aug.20th at the Luby's Cafeteria in Bandera Rd.

On Saturday the 20th in Austin, I will also be meeting with a representative of the Project 90 group out of Washington DC to garner their national support for my campaign.

On Sunday the 21st I will be attending a fundraising event for the San Antonio Area Progressive Action Coalition at the Bethany Congregational Church, 500 Pilgrim (at Panda), inside Loop 410 in San Antonio.

Nick Lampson
Nick Lampson is running against Tom DeLay for Congress in CD-22.

Nick will be at a morning coffee at the home of Rick and Kelly King, 3622 Shady Grove Drive in Manvel, TX (Brazoria Co.) on Saturday.

Nick will attend Indiafest in Houston later in the day at the George R. Brown Center.

Mary-Beth Harrel
Mary-Beth Harrel is running for Congress in CD 31

Andy Brown
Andy Brown is running for State Representative in District 48.

Andy Brown will be blockwalking this weekend. Come meet Andy, talk to West Austin voters, and work on your tan! Contact Marc at 636-4345 or at marc@voteandy.com for more information.

Dan Barrett
Dan is runing for State Representative in District 97.

Diane Henson
Diane is running for the 3rd Court of Appeals

Charles Baird
Charles is running for the 299th district court here in Austin. Let's get behind him and Keep Austin Blue.

A Brief Account of Debate Night for CD 28

By Drew Clinton

Wednesday night found former Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (San Antonio) and State Representative Richard Raymond (Laredo) packed into a tiny courthouse in Floresville, Texas. This would be the site of the first debate for the 2006 Congressional election in the newly formed CD 28.

Both were eager to discuss the finer points of Texas educational performance, immigration, energy reform, and the ongoing violence in Iraq. Cuellar's absence, due to his previously scheduled trip as part of the Congressional delegation to Iraq, did little to remove him from the evening's exchanges. Both candidates sought to distance themselves from Cuellar's recent votes on CAFTA, the REAL ID, and the Bankruptcy Reform Bill.

Ciro emphasized his humble beginnings and his continued investment in higher education, mental health, and veteran's rights. Raymond mentioned his small-town roots and his high-profile role in fighting the Republican redistricting. The audience was split largely down the middle between mostly unionized Ciro reporters and vocal Raymond enthusiasts.

The evening was largely dominated by talk about change and the need for a Congressional Representative that "looked like the solid Democrat district that CD 28 is." However, sparks flew when Ciro suggested that it was "unethical" for Raymond or Cuellar to run due to the fact that both are not living within the boundaries of CD 28. Both Cuellar and Raymond were redistricted out of the district in 2003. Raymond responded that such charges amounted to "a complicit acceptance of what the Republicans did through redistricting."

When questioned about immigration, Ciro stated that he would be "unwilling to accept another bracero program" that didn't provide for the ordinary and most basic human rights of immigrants. Raymond added that "employers must be held responsible for illegal employment" and that the United States must "reach out to Fox for added border security and accountability."

The rest of the dialogue saw a very animated Ciro decrying the "theft" of the last election and Raymond denouncing voter fraud and failed economic policies. Both candidates were clear to separate their dislike of CAFTA from a general anti-trade sentiment. Raymond likened the deplorable treatment of workers to "a virtual race to the bottom." Ciro referenced the "need for investment in ourselves and our livelihood as Americans."

Most of the impacting and hard-hitting rhetoric was saved for the absent and current Representative Cuellar. Look for an intensive campaign season in which Cuellar absorbs nearly all of both candidates' criticism. Both were careful to reaffirm their dislike of Cuellar's policies and their respect for each other.

This district provides an interesting race for Democrats statewide in an election cycle dominated by Republican gubernatorial prospects. The reality remains, a large portion of the votes in this district will come from rural areas like Floresville. In a race with two legislators from Laredo and one from San Antonio, none can afford to ignore this demographically fertile area.

Veteran denied in-state tuition by ACC

By Jim Dallas

This distresses me (via the Houston Chronicle):

A decorated Marine enrolling in college was surprised to learn his Texas driver's license, car registration and bank records weren't enough to qualify him for the lower-priced state resident tuition.

Carl Basham said officials at Austin Community College told him that his two tours of duty in Iraq kept him out of the state too long to qualify for Texas resident tuition.

Privacy laws prevent college officials from specifically discussing Basham's case, but Austin Community College spokesman Dwayne Cox said it's not Basham's military tours that keep him from meeting in-state residence requirements.

Under Texas law, members of the military are presumed to maintain the same residence as when they enlisted in the service. Although he grew up throughout Texas, mostly in Waco, Basham graduated from high school and enlisted in the Marine Corps in Monroe, La.

The school's response surprised Basham, 27, who was born in Beeville, is registered to vote in Travis County and does his banking in Austin.

Not having the in-state designation would mean paying about $2,600 instead of about $500 a semester in tuition.

It's unclear how many returning service members face the same problem as Basham, said Ray Grasshoff, a spokesman for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. But officials at the agency are looking into Basham's case.

This isn't a purely black-and-white situation; ACC may have just made a mistake, or maybe Basham really isn't qualified for in-state tuition. Nonetheless, I would hope that ACC aspires to offer in-state tuition as liberally as reasonably possible; and moreover, if indeed our state law is keeping veterans from qualifying for in-state tuition, that would be unacceptable.

I'm glad the state is looking into this; but I'm still planning on writing an e-mail to my state representative "to keep the heat on."

Passing Notes

By Marcus Ceniceros

The Girl's School of Austin is hosting a fundraising gala that should be a lot of fun.

"Passing Notes" will feature Ann Richards and Liz Carpenter answering notes passed to them by the students of the Girl's School. It will be an enjoyable night and a great fundraiser for the Girl's School, which needs to add an additional classroom and get new computers and school supplies.

The event is at Spazio on September 8 at 7:00 pm. Reserve your tickets early, they are $40 now and $50 at the door.

The full invitation can be found in the extended entry.

The Girls' School of Austin Invites You To A Gala Benefit

Passing Notes

Enjoy an evening of leadership, learning and levity with Ann Richards and Liz Carpenter

Thursday, September 8 at 7:00 p.m.
at Spazio by Lytle Pressley ~ 1214 West 6th Street

Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the door. Cocktails, music by Barton Strings and a silent auction. All proceeds benefit The Girls' School of Austin. Reserve your tickets by calling 478-7827.

The program will feature Governor Ann Richards and Liz Carpenter responding impromptu to written questions from students at The Girls' School...passing notes from girls to women and back again. It guarantees to be an entertaining evening as no one knows what twists and turns the party will take!

The benefit will introduce The Girls' School of Austin to the community and proceeds will help fund an additional classroom, computers, supplies and scholarships for needy students at this growing school.

Sponsored by KUT-FM, KEYE-TV, The Austin Chronicle and Lithoprint. Valet parking provided.

Glen Maxey Release

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

God save us from the homosexuals.

We should be honored that we rank up there with Chuck Wagons, Sexy Cheering, and Ineffective Government. Because real problems are solved in the Regular Session. Stop the Nonsense.

(Austin)—As the Texas Legislature prepares to end its second special session to address education reform, Glen Maxey, Director of the No Nonsense In November campaign against the Constitutional Amendment banning civil marriage and civil unions for same-sex couples, responded today to the Legislature’s inability to get the job done for Texans.

“As a former legislator, I am appalled that, in three tries, legislators couldn’t come together on something as important as Texas schoolchildren, but found a way to come together on the Marriage Constitutional Amendment that would write discrimination against some Texas families into the Texas Bill of Rights,” said Maxey.

No Nonsense in November is a coalition of individuals, organizations and businesses that are working together to mobilize fair-minded Texans to vote against the Constitutional Amendment that would ban civil marriages, civil unions and domestic partnerships between same-sex couples in Texas.

Nine out of ten plaintiff's attorneys agree: Vioxx'll kill ya.

By Jim Dallas

I took off from work today to get ready for school, which starts Monday. Coincidentally, this mini-vacation gave me a chance to drive down to the Brazoria County Courthouse this morning (about an hour down the road from here) to watch plaintiff's closing arguments in Ernst v. Merck & Co., the first trial involving the pulled-drug Vioxx.

I called the 23rd district court clerk yesterday to get the time; she told me it was to start at 8:30 but to show up early. The trial didn't resume until after 10, but it's a good thing that I followed the clerk's advice; by 8:20 (when I got there), the courtroom was already jam-packed with on-lookers, mostly journalists and Houston-based attorneys (some of whom may have considerable amounts of money riding on Vioxx-related cases in the future).

Mark Lanier, for the plaintiff, gave a pretty good opening presentation, although some of the things he did seemed to go against the more conservative techniques described in my old civil procedure textbook. Rather than reserving more emotional appeals for the end, he scattered them throughout. Given the jury (which is, as a friend of mine who observed last week noted, is actually skewed towards young adults), this was probably appropriate, since a lot of the medical jargon thrown around wouldn't much of an impact if it weren't wound up in a dramatic narrative.

Basically, the plaintiff's case is this - that Merck & Co., who manufactured Vioxx, knew that Vioxx could cause blood-clotting and heart attacks; and that Merck, afraid to lose the millions of dollars it had riding on Vioxx, ignored these concerns and tried to dissuade doctors and patients from them through a decade-long campaign of "denial, deception, and damage". The result, say the plaintiffs, was that Vioxx caused the death of Carol Ernst's husband.

This certainly is a plausible narrative, although I imagine Merck's attorneys probably ripped into them. Unfortunately, I had to leave Angleton after Lanier's first speech to the jury, since I have commitments later this afternoon here in Houston and didn't want to have to leave the trial in the middle of the defense closing (that would be rude).

P.S. Here's the Associated Press write-up of what I saw.

BORed: My Jog With Tom Craddick

By Matt Hardigree

(Karl-T putting in some kind of disclaimer so that he doesn't get in trouble, explaining BORed) Eh, I don't know if I could begin to explain it. This column will be called BORed, a play off of the word it creates, as well as being exactly what it says it is, BOR editorial commentary. So please, don't sue us, that wouldn't be funny, which of course isn't all that different from this column. Happy Hump Day. -KT

I was asked to join Tom Craddick this morning to discuss his perceived image problem, which apparently extend beyond his significant breasts. Little did I know that it would be running away from the Capitol at full speed. I tried to explain to him that bloggers are lucky to exercise their fingers (though our wrists get a significant workout), and that's only if they umm... post everyday (which I don't). Also, he wanted me up at 7 a.m. To that I replied, "Up at 7 a.m.? I'm a blogger. I'm up until 7 a.m. saving the world by posting on Kos files" So with my trusty iPod microphone attachment I hit the road with Tom Craddick and I asked him a few questions along the way. The sacrifices I make for the twelve people who'll actually read all of this.

MLH: Good morning Tom!
TC: Keep your voice down, they'll find me!
MLH: Who'll find you?
TC: Them, the media.
MLH: Tom, why are you running from the Capitol?
TC: I'm from Midland, I know the stench of failure, and this place reeks of it.
MLH: The Governor has called special session after special session, we still have no answer for school finance, for property tax relief and yet we've passed pay raises for state legislators and the cheerleading bill.
TC: Yeah, obviously the hostile environment in the house has taken its toll. The Democrats won't budge and we've stripped them of as much of their voice as possible.

MLH: Dog shit.
TC: No, it's true.
MLH: No, on the ground
TC: That's not Dog doody, that's the Hochberg Amendment... hahahahaha.
MLH: The Hochberg Amendment is on your shoe.
TC: Crap.
MLH: As a leader, what do you think you do worst?
TC: Dewhurst? Where? That SOB only wants the governor to keep calling special sessions so he can keep the various staffers close by, if you know what I mean.
MLH: I think I do.
TC: Female staffers.
MLH: I get it.
TC:The younger the better.
MLH: I really get it. So why are you reaching out to bloggers?
TC: The new technology allows us to reach out to our most active and interested constituency.
MLH: Really?
TC: Is gullible in the dictionary?
MLH: So why are you really talking to bloggers?
TC: What do Cat Osterman and Greg Wythe have in common?
MLH: What?
TC: Softballs... he he he he.
MLH: Are you saying I wont ask you tough questions?
TC: Tough questions? You can barely breathe. I wish I could take Ratcliffe, Hoppe, Brooks and the whole bunch with me during these jogs.
MLH: You run from the Capitol often?
TC: As often as I can.
MLH: What do you think about the 2006 Gubernatorial Race?
TC: Perry all the way.
MLH: How do you know?
TC: Our wise forefathers created a weak executive in this state, and Rick Perry fulfills his constitutional obligation every day he doesn't accomplish something.
MLH: You think the Republicans will line up behind him?
TC: Sure, he makes us all look better. He makes Joe Nixon look like Martha Wong and Martha Wong look like Florence Shapiro.
MLH: I don't know what that means.
TC: Shoot, me neither.
MLH: Anything you want to add?
TC: Adios, MoMo.
MLH: MoFo.
TC: Whatever.

And that's where our interview ended. Speaker Craddick jumped into a hedge behind the Capital Metro building on Congress and made me continue jogging along to the bridge, to throw off any aides that might be trailing us. I couldn't help but feel closer to the man. Being Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is a tough job, like being a high school teacher, except with better pay, a huge staff and newer books.

Introducing Matt Hardigree, as if he needs it

By Matt Hardigree

Matt Hardigree (who has inspired me to add Urban Studies as a double major to my Government degree plan) is our newest addition to the Burnt Orange crew. He'll be running a, well, "humor" column each Wednesday on this site, with the permission to make you laugh and cry at our expense. And to totally help us regain market share from PinkDome among 14-28 year old gay men who have been distracted by that pretty new site design. But don't worry ladies, and sorry guys, I hear that Matt is indeed one of those het-er-o-sex-uals. Welcome him nonetheless. -KT

My name is Matt Hardigree and if you don't know who I am, where have you been?

Karl-T, on numerous occasions, has asked me to grace this site with my unique wit, which knows no bounds, and my unique-for-BOR perspective, which extends beyond liking girls. The constant begging, the late-night calls, the threats of self-immolation convinced me that it was perhaps time to give-in.

For those few who may not have heard my name on the lips of important people, or read of my glory in the pages of important periodicals, allow me to briefly indulge myself in recounting my conquests.

At the age of 18, I ran a ficus plant against my congressman, Kevin Brady (R- The Woodlands), and have never been the same since. The ficus lost, but not without garnering some great media attention. It is where I learned to appreciate the grassroots.

I've done campaign work and legislative work for two State Reps and, most recently, co-created the Max Sandlin for Congress website. Like the Ficus, he also lost (though the Ficus, it could be argued, had a more reasonable district).

At the University of Texas I was the president of the Texas Union Student Events Center (what was the Texas Union Council, for older alum) which was much larger and more important than Marcus' organization… but he's okay with that.

The accomplishment that most qualifies me for posting on the Burnt Orange Report was my stint as a weekly columnist for The Daily Texan. What made me the most beloved columnist for the paper was not my command of the English language, which soon-to-be legendary editor Ben Heath once described as "Piss poor at best," nor was it my political insight, which, though better than Byron's at a municipal level, lacks a certain sophistication. My one great asset was my humor, infectious and modest.

That isn't to say BOR writers can't be funny, Dobbs is hilarious. It's just that Dobbs is unintentionally funny, the way children are.

On this site, I will act as an ombudsman of sorts, offering critiques
of the net-roots community, of those who make comments, of the BORers
and, you can be assured, never of myself.

A Note from Juan

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Yes, I know I said I'd not be posting much. And I'm not, but when I get interesting communication and stories, I just can't sit on them for two weeks.

I was quite excited today when I saw a message from Juan Garcia in my inbox today after my recent (and totally late) post about his being at our Fredericksburg July 4th parade. (We are gearing up for the Gillespie County Democratic float for the County Fair parade this next week, so if I'm here I'll be riding in that.)

I don't make it a policy to print e-mail exchanges at all, but there were a couple of lines that inspired me and gave me hope that even though we don't hear as much out there about Juan Garcia, there is still a very real chance that we may soon enough.

I am interested in continuing public service since leaving the active duty Navy; The past weekend spent visiting two buddies at ****'s Burn Unit in San Antonio only intensified that desire. But as you know, you only get one chance to be a first-time candidate: indebted to no one, aligned with no faction, free to follow your own conscience. I want to be smart about it. I appreciate your work, and look forward to meeting.

I haven’t even had a chance to meet him yet and I'm already a fan. Juan if you're reading, know that this blogger is behind you, and that wherever and whenever you feel prepared to serve again, we'll be ready.

Duffy Crane's Hat Not in the Ring

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The following is an e-mail forwarded to me by two sources within minutes of each other. Major hat tip to both of you guys.

Subject: District 48

As you know, I have been seriously considering running for State Representative in District 48. After careful and deliberate evaluation, I have come to the conclusion that now is not the right time for me to run. This has been a difficult decision for me, but I am confident that this is the right choice at this time. I have the luxury of knowing there are other qualified candidates in this race who have the ability to challenge and beat the incumbent.

I cannot tell you how important your support and encouragement have been to me during this process. Having a community that is willing to recruit and support good candidates is an essential element of our representative democracy. I am very proud that each of you believed that I should serve as your State Representative. I am honored by your faith in me and your commitment to expend time, energy and money to elect me as a representative for District 48 who would reflect your values.

Despite that I will not be a candidate, I intend to continue my work in the community and remain committed to empowering people to effect positive social change. This election cycle is extraordinarily important for Texas and I hope that each of you will be actively involved in it. There are several House races that provide a unique opportunity to elect a new slate of representatives who will address issues like education and health care on the merits, rather than playing politics with them.

One of reasons I considered running for this office is my increasing concern that some of our elected officials are willing to sacrifice the basic institutions of our democracy for short-term political gain. I saw this in the redistricting that took place here in Texas and see it on the national level with the intervention by Congress in the Terry Schiavo matter and the threat of the nuclear option. At this time, I believe I can have the greatest impact by dedicating my energies to recruiting and supporting candidates who will respect the institutions and processes that make our democracy work for all of us.

Thank you again for your support and encouragement.

- Duffy Doyle Crane

Down at City Hall

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Council Member McCracken's office is looking for an unpaid intern who has an interest in learning more about issues affecting the City of Austin. The intern will assist the Council Member's two aides. Some responsibilities include, but are not limited to, data entry, reviewing neighborhood newsletters and updating staff on key issues, administrative duties, and constituent work.

We strive to create an educational environment for interns by encouraging them to attend events with Council Member McCracken, inviting them to participate in meetings and discussions and teaching them about current events. If you or someone you know are interested in working in a fast-paced political office at the new City Hall, email your resume to

Karen.Gross@ci.austin.tx.us.

Karen Gross
Policy Director
Office of Council Member Brewster McCracken
974-2256

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

By Phillip Martin

The good thing about this special session is that the House and Senate discovered that there is a bipartisan group of legislators that are committed to listening to teachers, parents, and taxpayers about the best ideas and plans for education. Legislators aren't willing to pass any old education bill, and they are willing to make sure they get the job done right.

The bad thing about this special session is that nothing got done. Even after Democrats and Republicans joined together to pass an education bill that teachers, parents, and taxpayers supported, the leadership buried it. The Senate spent a couple weeks giving each other cover, but after Craddick and Grusendorf shut down the bipartisan version of the education bill (that a majority of members wanted), everything has been posing for the camera. A lot of frosting without the cake, if you will.

The ugly thing about this special session is that Perry, Dewhurst, and Craddick simply refuse to compromise. Can not, will not, do not want to compromise. The House and Senate won't work together, and Perry is too busy running a campaign to put forth an education plan that has any support. I can see the three of them, standing in a dark room next to a broken lamp that fell on the floor, looking out to the voters of Texas as each one of them points at the other and says, "he did it."

The thing is, the state of Texas needs that lamp and that light. The people of Texas want that ever-loving light to shine on their children, and give them hope that, with education, anything is possible. With education, race and wealth fall by the wayside. With education, it doesn't matter where or to whom we are born -- so long as we have the opportunity to succeed. With education, we can pull ourselves up by the bootstraps and go out and succeed in the world.

The good thing is that a majority of legislators believe that. The bad thing is that they aren't allowed to have their voices heard, because of that very, very ugly thing we call the Republican Leadership.

Chris Bell for Governor Lauch Round Up

By Damon McCullar

It was great on Sunday to finally meet some of my fellow Bloggers: Greg, The Red State, Eye on Williamson County, and Rawhide from Pinkdome (I was really starting to the the Pinkdome folks were constructs of the Matrix, the seem to only exist on AIM and their site).

Something that was even more impressive was the crowd on Sunday. They were very enthusiastic for a 95 degree day with high humidity. I met folks from every major metropolitan area in the State. Everywhere I go with the campaign, I see a new suburban populism evolving. The turn out for the events in the suburbs tends to bring out more of a crowd, or at the very least a more enthusiastic crowds. This was evidenced by the high turn out of subanites at the launch on Sunday. Specfically, I met folks from Round Rock, Mckinney, and Katy.

Here's what the print media had to say about the event:

Austin American Statesman, The Dallas Morning News, The El Paso Times San Antonio Express News and The Houston Chronicle

The event was sponsored by University Democrats. Alex Hunt, president of UDems started the program by introducing Marlen Whiley. Marlan is a former UT Student Government President and led the student opposition to former Attorney General Dan Morales' affirmative action ruling. Marlan in turn fired the crowd up with a rousing speech and had them chanting "Chris Bell" as Chris and his family came to the stage.

The emphasis of Chris' campaign is going to be on families. You can check out his Pact with Parents on the Chris Bell Website. The full text of the speech is available Here

In my live blog post there was some debate on Chris' support for equal rights for gays and lesbian. Chris' position is

I have always supported equal rights for all Texans, and for that reason I support civil unions for gays and lesbians who want to spend their lives together. But a vast majority of Texans are not ready to call that ‘marriage,’ and I agree that we as a society are not to that point.”

That being said, putting a ban on same-sex marriage into the state constitution is a solution in search of a problem. The state law defining marriage is already on the books and is facing no legal challenge and no real threat of being overturned by the Texas Supreme Court. The proposed amendment will have no practical effect one way or another on the institution of marriage in Texas. This constitutional amendment is completely unnecessary and designed not to improve our state in any way but rather to tear people apart.

This position is echoed by the Dallas Voice August 5th and his voting record in Congress (scroll down and look at his votes on civil rights issues).

I'd be curious to hear some comments from other folks that were there about their impressions of Chris' speech.

Buzbee for Lt. Gov?

By Andrew Dobbs

I'm baaack... sorry I haven't blogged in a while--things have been rather busy with me between work, family stuff, moving and getting ready for classes. I'll try and let my words fill all of your lives more often, as I know most of you don't know what to do without me... ;)

Anyways, I'm back because the first major Democratic candidate for Lt. Gov. has seen his name in the papers today. Friendswood attorney Tony Buzbee--2002 candidate for State House, former Galveston County Chair--was reported in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to be considering a run for the most powerful position in Texas politics.

A little-known outsider with a sizable personal fortune and a central-casting resume says he's giving serious consideration to mounting a challenge against Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst next year.

Tony Buzbee, a 37-year-old lawyer and former chairman of the Galveston County Democratic Party, said the state's GOP leaders are spending too much time fighting among themselves and too little time solving problems like school finance. So he was receptive when some Democratic elders approached him a few weeks ago encouraging him to run for statewide office.

"I'm looking seriously at it, but I haven't said yes or no," said Buzbee, a former Marine Corps captain who led troops in combat during the Persian Gulf War. "I really don't like the way our state is being run right now, and I believe that those of us who have made something in our lives need to be willing to give something back."

The son of a butcher and a school cafeteria worker, Buzbee has made millions of dollars representing injured workers suing big companies and was named one of the top five commercial litigation attorneys in the state in 2003 and a "rising star" in 2004 by Texas Monthly.

Buzbee is one of the most exciting trial lawyers in the state--having risen to the level of superstar in just a few years. Smart as a whip, an A&M grad, Marine officer, with money to spare; he could be a very good candidate. He lost his only other run for public office in 2002 when Larry Taylor poured more than $50,000 of TRMPAC money into the race.

It is good to see more Democrats lining up to run statewide, especially in the less-than-glamorous offices. I don't support Mr. Buzbee or any other candidate at this point, but here's hoping he runs and many more after him.

Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls This Week ***UPDATE***

By Damon McCullar

TGIF folks! It's time for this week's installment of Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls! This post has gotten long due to the number of candidates in the field. Use the extended entry to see what's going on this week and who is running for what! If anyone has any leads on candidates or knows of someone I'm leaving out, please email me or leave a comment.

***UPDATE**
I received some event information from the Maria Alvarado campaign and have updated the Extended Entry. Check it out!

Chris Bell
Chris Bell is a former US Congressman who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.

8/14/2005: Join us at a rally in Austin on the afternoon of Sunday, August 14 as Chris formally launches his campaign for governor! Chris is inviting his friends and supporters from all across Texas to come take part in the festivities and hear him lay out his vision for the campaign ahead! RSVP on the Chris Bell website so that they can keep in touch with you as the launch party approaches! The launch rally will begin at 2 PM on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, near the the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue in the East Mall. Our thanks to the University Democrats for sponsoring the event! We're going to have buses to bring people up from Houston, so be sure to tell us if you want a ride. And if you're in another city and want to help us organize carpools, let us know!
8/18/2005: Chris Bell will be the keynote speaker at a meeting of the Texas Democratic Women of Central Texas in Waco on August 18. The meeting starts at 6 PM at the CenTex Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Waco. For further information or to RSVP, contact Tammy Hartgrove at 254-715-3157.

Felix Alvarado is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.

Maria Alvarado is running for Lt. Governor.

Maria Luisa will be in Houston on Tuesday and in the evening meet with the members of the Katy Democrats Club (August 16, 6:30 PM - Chesterfield Club House - 1707 Briarchester Drive).

David Van Os
David Van Os is running for Attorney General. Check out his new website.

8/11-8/13/2005: Texas AFL-CIO Convention Houston
8/13/2005: Meet and Greet at Private Residence Galveston
8/16/2005: Dallas Stonewall Democrats
8/17/2005: Dallas DFA Special Meeting
8/19/2005: IBEW 7th District Conference, Austin

Barbara Radnofsky
Barbara is running for Senate against Kay Bailey Hutchinson.

Barbara Radnofsky will be represented by Field Director Robert Andrews and Ralph Bordie at a meeting of the Burnet County Democrats in Burnet at the Burnet County Democratic Party
Headquarters. 104 Washington Street, in Burnet at 7:00 on Thursday August 11th.

Barbara will be attending a reception at the 45th Annual Texas AFL-CIO Convention in Houston Friday at 6:30 at the Hilton de las Americas. The Reception is in the Ballroom of the Americas D.

Barbara will be in Austin August 13th and 14th to attend Austin Music events sponsored by Austin attorney Mark Muellar.

Barbara will be flying to El Paso Wednesday to begin a six day tour of El Paso and Lubbock. El Paso attorneys Jim Scherr, Steve James and Hector Zavaleta are hosting a reception for her at the El Paso Club, Chase Bank, 18th Floor, Wednesday August 17th from 5:30 to 7. For more information please contact Alma in Jim Scherr's office, 915.544.0100

Charlie Thompson
Charlie is a retired Naval Flight Officer exploring a run for Congress in CD-5

Shane Sklar
Shane Sklar is running for Congress in CD-14.

John Courage
John Courage is running for Congress in the CD-21.

Nick Lampson
Nick Lampson is running against Tom DeLay for Congress in CD-22.

Andy Brown
Andy Brown is running for State Representative in District 48.

Andy Brown will be blockwalking this weekend. Come meet Andy, talk to West Austin voters, and work on your tan! Contact Marc at 636-4345 or at marc@voteandy.com for more information.

Dan Barrett
Dan is runing for State Representative in District 97.

Diane Henson
Diane is running for the 3rd Court of Appeals

Charles Baird
Charles is running for the 299th district court here in Austin. Let's get behind him and Keep Austin Blue.

Back Home and RSS Update

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I attended the Chris Bell rally today along with Damon (nice cigar, you steal that from Kinky?) as a spectator and I have some pictures which I'll try to upload tomorrow along with some thoughts on it.

Right now I'm back home in the Hill Country in Fredericksburg where the air is cool and crisp. The only time I may be online when I choose to be will be 10 pm to 7 am, so as to not tie up the phone line here. I'll pop on to make a couple of posts now and then about events I've promised people I'd promote but other than that I'll be slow to respond to most e-mail unless it's uber important. So feel free to get in touch with some of our other reporters if you have some breaking news or issues.

Also, the site should be fully back to our original domain. But if you are using an RSS feed, you will need to update/refresh it to https://burntorangereport.com/mt/index.rdf because of a slight folder change. Comments are working fully and all links are in synch so links to old articles will get to the right place, you don't have to change them.

Chris Bell Liveblog

By Damon McCullar

Howdy Folks!

I'm here with The Red State, Greg's Opinion, Eye On Williamson County and Pink Dome to live blog the Chris Bell Launch. If you have any questions for Chris, there will be a press availability after the speech. Email Me with you questions and I will try to get them answered.

2:15pm: Alex Hunt welcomes Marlan Whitley to introduce Chris. He is a UT Alum along with Chris.

Marlan tells of a young reformer who got his start on the Houston City Counsel. He fought to get election finance reform in Houston politics. He tells us that Houston liked him so much that they sent him on to Congress. When Tom Delay and his boys tried to install beltway politics in Austin, Chris broke ethics truce and brought ethic complaints against Mr. Delay. The Boys in Washington employed their classic strategy: If you can't beat them, redraw them.

There's loud cheering welcoming Chris to the podium.

The full text of Chris's speech will be available here soon.

He's tellings what the core of his campaign will be.

-Education
-State Government Reform
-Pact with Parents

Exerpts from the Speech:

Government can't raise your kids and it shouldn't even try. Good parents matter more than anything I could do as governor. So I'm going to make a pact with the parents of Texas, and we're going to do it by applying something as radical as common sense to the way the world really works.

This is the big payoff of my Pact with the Parents of Texas. If you do your part, then I'll do everything I can to make Texas Public schools the best in the country. I'm calling for nothing less than a moon shot for public schools in Texas with a specific goal of having the best public schools in the country in 10 years.

Rick Perry wants you to believe that we are on the right track on education. Don't you be fooled . The so-called 'Texas Miracle' is nothing more than a politically expedient mirage. It's nothing more than Enron-style accountability and it has corrupted the curriculum and increased the dropout rate to around 40 percent -the highest in the country. The folks running schools from Austin think they can use tests to make our kids smarter. A test won't make you smarter just like a ruler won't make you any taller. Testing isn't the answer; it's just another way to ask the question, but Rick Perry and the lobbyists for the testing companies either don't get it or hope you haven't yet figured it out.

Down South

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Please join the Coastal Bend Chapter of the Texas Democratic Women as
they host a social mixer.

When: 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm, August 16th 2005
Where: Holiday Inn Emerald Beach (1102 S. Shoreline Blvd) Corpus Christi, Tx

Special Guests include: Chris Bell - Democratic Candidate for Governor of Texas, Dori Garza – 13th Court of Appeals Judge and State Representative Veronica Gonzales.

Enjoy FREE food and great company as we rev up the south Texas political season! Please make sure to bring your friends and family!!!

Should you have any questions please feel free to contact me at 361-442-4844 or solomonortizjr@gmail.com

Sincerely,
Solomon Ortiz Jr.
Chairman - NCDP

Breaking the ethics truce

By Jim Dallas

Let me chime in agreeing completely with Greg and the editors of the New Republic: it's time to go on the attack on ethics, even if it exposes a few of our naughty incumbents, too:

The same status quo that guarantees Pelosi and Menendez their leadership positions effectively consigns House Democrats to minority status. In their defense, some Democrats have rejected this dubious bargain. Much of the credit for DeLay's current political trouble goes to a former Democratic representative named Chris Bell, who last year filed the complaint that led to DeLay's official admonishment. House Democratic campaign Chairman Rahm Emanuel has reportedly told colleagues he plans "to go after every ethically challenged Republican out there." But, far more often, rank-and-file Democrats have confused the party's interests with the interests of its leaders, a confusion that Republicans have mercilessly exploited.

At the height of the furor over DeLay this spring, an anonymous Republican aide told Roll Call that, "in the end, we're the most affected by [the ethical cloud over Congress]. ... We are in the majority, and we have a hell of a lot more to lose than they do." How many more years in the minority will it take before Democrats reach the same conclusion?

Don't ever believe politicians are perfect (though I agree with the gist of Greg's post - Chris Bell is clearly worthy of your vote!). We elect politicians to make decisions for us, and sometimes they make the wrong ones. I hate to break it to you, but please don't believe that a few elections are going to end poverty, keep girls from getting the cooties, stop the military from accidentally blowing up a few thousand foreigners (along with some of our own troops) every so often, or bring peace and social harmony to the earth. Because they're just as dumb as the rest of us.

But do, for goodness sakes, expect that your elected officials are spending their time in office looking out for you (regardless of whether they are right or wrong), rather than for themselves and their associates. This is a principle worth fighting for, even if it means losing a few Democratic reps to friendly fire.

Donate to UDems

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Did you know you can now donate to the University Democrats at Austin chapter online? As one of my last acts before heading off for vacation (meaning home) I added a quick donate page to the UDems site (which is one of the sites whose design I'll be redoing while away).

Drop the Most Outstanding Organization at UT some jingle if you so please.

Be sure to join the University Democrats on the East Mall of UT Campus tomorrow at 2 PM for the Chris Bell for Governor launch. I'll be milling around with my parents (including Councilman Tom Musselman who hung out with Austin Councilwoman Jennifer Kim at a state training out in Sugarland the other day). Damon, Greg, and others plan to be liveblogging.

No Nonsense Newsletter #2

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The next newsletter sent today. Remember, please sign up for the campaign to defeat the Marriage Amendment. There are some juicy comments about Rick Perry and some other inside details. But I wanted to highlight first a comment made by Rick Perry political consultant Dave Carney who compared "opposition to gay marriage to aversion to communism" in response to a statement by Glen Maxey that Perry would use this election to ID conservatives to turnout against Comptroller Carol in the Primary next year.

Maxey expects legislators and Republican leaders to be penalized by voters for lofting the amendment but failing to lower local school property taxes or bolster school funding.

He speculated that Perry will use the amendment to identify social conservatives he can energize against Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn in the Republican gubernatorial primary in March.

"Silly," Carney said, comparing opposition to gay marriage to aversion to communism, galvanizing voters of all stripes.

The No Nonsense group intends to remain active in the 2006 elections by tapping voters whom Maxey expects to rouse against the marriage amendment.

Maxey likened the public to a snake that's been provoked by legislators who have advanced marriage to the polls while stalling on school finance.

"This snake can bite. It's going to bite them all over this state."

Maxey, who earlier in his career coordinated Get Out the Vote efforts for former Gov. Ann Richards, said, "There are campaigns and there are campaigns, and I know how to run a campaign."

Since I last wrote you … No Nonsense in November has picked up solid financial support, generated a lot of buzz in the media and even picked up a few clues on what the opposition’s planning.

* Members of the Human Rights Campaign have committed to raise $120,000 to support the infrastructure of the campaign. This is a fantastic boost to our efforts!! Clear your calendars for the middle of September and watch our web site as we’ll soon be posting dates for major fundraising events inAustin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. Next week, you’ll be able to donate towards one of those events on our web site, www.NoNonsenseInNovember.com!

* We had several great stories in the media – all in cities critical to the campaign.

Political reporter Kristen Mack wrote about the campaign in her column in today’s Houston Chronicle entitled, Marriage amendment foes have 'No Nonsense' plan, and noted the city school district elections could increase turnout.

Austin American-Statesman political columnist Gardner Selby wrote about our campaign on August 11, in a story headlined, Marriage amendment foes at work. Selby’s story has the opposition praising our quick start-up efforts with “a prominent conservative” quoted as saying, “The other side seems way ahead. The question is whether those in favor of the amendment are going to wake up before it’s too late.”

The president of the Dallas-based Texas Eagle Forum echoed that sentiment in David Webb’s article in the Dallas Voice, “No Nonsense Campaign Off to Fast Start.”

We’re glad our efforts are being noticed because we have been working hard to build a strong coalition to do what no other state has done – defeat a marriage constitutional amendment. It’s going to take all the strength we can muster and then some.

* Opposition Rears Its Ugly Head. If there was ever any doubt about where the right is going with this issue, consider what Rick Perry’s political consultant, Dave Carney, says in Selby’s article.

Carney, who is confident the amendment will pass, compares opposition to gay marriage to an aversion to communism, describing it as “something that would galvanize voters of all stripes.”

Is he suggesting that the right’s game plan will use the same hate-mongering tactics we saw during the McCarthy era?

Word on the street is that the “grand old party” will be deploying “strike teams” to churches to do Voter I.D. As usual, they’ll rally support for the amendment by portraying themselves as the party that’s “for family values.”

With your help, we’ll be ready for them.

* Volunteer to fight … we need people to host House parties, volunteer in our field offices and be part of our Speakers Bureau, which is in formation. Within days, you’ll be able to download speeches and talking points from the web.

The Speakers Bureau will keep the focus where it belongs – on the Texas Legislature’s failure to address real issues and on our zeal to Defend, not Amend, the Texas Bill of Rights.

While they may be able to afford television ads, showing people around a dinner table talking abut family values, we’ll be organizing around our own dinner tables, and talking to Texans in churches and temples, in offices and at civic group meetings, letting them know that our families have value, too.

We’ll counter their claim to be a party that supports limited government by pointing out that there is nothing more intrusive than government telling Texans who they can marry.

And we’ll show them that the real power of the people is to defend a Constitution and a Bill of Rights that protects all people.

We’ll stand up to them in the same way people stood up to McCarthy-ism.

* We’ll show them that Texas voters are like a snake that’s been provoked by legislators who have advanced marriage at the polls while stalling on school finance. We’ll show them this snake will bite and it will bite them all over the state.

We will galvanize our people to vote against this amendment. We will vote against the purveyors of this hate in 2006. And we will support those good legislators in 2006, who took the right stand and stood with us.

* Where’s Rick?

One thing “the buzz” isn’t clear on is whether Gov. Perry will actually campaign for the amendment. His smiling face and good hair are all over the opposition’s web site, www.txmarriage.com, but inquiring minds want to know whether he’ll get out in front of this, and use this wedge-issue to identify social conservatives to vote for him and not One Tough Grandma in the Republican primary?

Word has it that some GOP movers and shakers are afraid that all their GOTV efforts for the constitutional amendment election will be used to fuel – and finance - a “Re-Elect Rick Perry” campaign, and they’re not happy campers.

The election will definitely come down to who can turn out the most voters. Help us increase our numbers by sending the Pledge to Vote page to five of your friends and get them pledge to vote against the Nonsense Constitutional Amendment.

And help keep up us on “the buzz” by letting us know when your local paper or broadcast station covers the campaign. We want to post those stories on the web site, and keep all of you updated.

Thanks again for all you are doing … now go back and click on these links!

Glen Maxey
Campaign Director

No Nonsense Newsletter #1

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Glen Maxey who is heading up the No Nonsense in November campaign has been very active in putting together an awesome team in major urban areas of Texas to help defeat the Anti-Gay Texas Marriage Amendment. The campaign is going to get some funding from Texas and to a degree, some national support so when all is said and done, it should run into 7 figures by Election Day. His newsletters to No Nonsense subscribers are actually really interesting reads (so one, sign up) and I'll post them from time to time here on BOR. Things are moving impressively fast with no reaction from the Right...yet. But as we are 12 weeks away from Election Day, there becomes less and less time for them to effectively do so.

Following is the first newsletter from Monday.

Most political pundits say this is an impossible task. However, I’ve done the analysis, and I assure you we CAN shock the political world on November 8th. To accomplish this task, we need the support of fair-minded Texans like you – and so we are glad that you have signed on, pledged your support and committed to work with us against this amendment.

One way we’ll involve you is to keep you informed. This is the first of the weekly newsletters I’ll be sending to you and all our supporters - updating you on what’s going on with the campaign and what you can do as a critical part of this dynamic, grassroots effort.

Things are moving fast and furious since we opened the state headquarters in Austin.

Here are just a few highlights!

· Nearly 2,000 individuals have visited our web site and pledged to vote against the Constitutional Amendment. You can help us build on that success by getting five of your friends to visit our web site www.NoNonsenseInNovember.com to pledge to vote AGAINST the Constitutional Amendment and get involved!

· More than 115 organizations from all over state have endorsed us, including the Green Party of Texas, American Veterans for Equal Rights, Potter/Randall Democratic Club, and Soulforce San Antonio. One of the most recent additions to our list of coalition members is Democracy for Texas bringing with them 25,000 activists! Check out the web site for a complete list and watch as our numbers continue to grow!!!

· We have staffers on board in Austin, Dallas and Houston, with San Antonio and Fort Worth staff soon to follow.

· The Austin/Travis County effort is being headed up by Ken Stewart and Celia Israel. Ken is an active member of the Austin community and has worked on numerous local campaigns. He currently serves as president of the Stonewall Democrats, as a Council Member on the Austin HIV Planning Council and as a precinct chair in Travis County. Celia is the owner of a local public affairs consulting firm and has represented a variety of businesses and Hispanic entities at the Texas Legislature. She’s an active volunteer in various nonprofits and political campaigns, and ran for public office herself. In addition to working with Ken in Travis County , she will coordinate our statewide outreach to the Hispanic Community. Ken and Celia are setting up offices even as you read this. You’ll be able to find them soon week at 1210 Rosewood; their phone number is: 512-236-0843.

· Reed Bogle is already hard at work as our Dallas Area Regional Coordinator. Reed has been a full-time volunteer with GLBT organizations ever since she moved to Dallas almost four years ago. Her focus has been shifting more and more to political volunteerism, so she’s in a great position to get others involved in grassroots activism. Reed serves on the Board of LGRL and Stonewall Democrats of Dallas. Folks can find out more about what’s going on with Dallas area campaign by e-mailing Reed at Reed@NoNonsenseInNovember.com

· Two local activists are heading up our field operations in the Houston area. Kathryn Chace McNiel and Emily Langdon will serve as Houston Area Regional Campaign Coordinators, organizing voters in one of the state’s largest metropolitan areas. Kathryn has more than twenty years experience managing political advocacy, fundraising and communication campaigns. A Houston native, she is an active member of the Houston community, serving on the board of directors of the Montrose Clinic and the Citizens Environmental Coalition. Emily, a graduate of the University of Houston, is a founding member of the Houston Equal Rights Alliance and most recently worked on the Howard Dean campaign. Houston should have its office open by mid-August.

· The BIG news is that we’ll soon have our statewide database ready. This robust tool will give us critical information we can use for block walking and phone banking. The database project has been really fun – and challenging - to work on. It is really important to our “get-out-the-vote” efforts and will make us extremely effective.

· Another element critical to our effectiveness is that we deliver a consistent message. We’re getting results from our early polling and starting to incorporate what we’ve learned into collateral items, such as speeches, talking points, flyers and other tools you will be able to download to help you speak up against the Constitutional Amendment. Once those items are ready, we’ll let you all know, and we’ll activate our Speakers Bureau, with a very pro-active outreach effort.

· I am already out there talking to folks every chance I can. It was great to go live last week on "Lambda Weekly" with a whole hour devoted to talking about the campaign on the KNON-Dallas talk-radio show. Next week, I am speaking to the North Texas GLBT Chamber of Commerce. Thanks to everyone who’s already helping to get the word out! The buzz is starting, and we are fueling it!

It’s great to have you with us as we work together to stand up for all Texas families and defeat the Constitutional Amendment in November!!

And, as always, please feel free to respond by email or using the links provided at www.NoNonsenseInNovember.com to send us your concerns, ideas, actions and your money … we need all of those resources to mount a successful campaign!

Glen Maxey
Campaign Director

Posted by Karl-Thomas Musselman at 01:11 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Freeping as performance art

By Jim Dallas

The Internets are saying that counter-protestors went down to the Cindy Sheehan shendig and chanted "we don't care." And then went away.

Ahh, the triumph of the human spirit...

2005 Texas Rankings

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

But remember, in Texas, Sexy Cheerleaders, Chuck Wagons, and Duplicative Marriage Amendments are what we actually spend time debating.

Prepared be the Office of the Texas Comptroller

State Government Taxes and Spending
49th Tax Revenue Raised
49th Total Expenditures

Women’s Issues
2nd   Birth Rate
2nd   Teen Birth Rate
37th  Prenatal Care

Per Capita Spending on
45th  Public Health
46th  Mental Health
49th  Water Quality

Environment
1st  Toxic and Cancerous Manufacturing Emissions
1st  Number of Clean Water Permit Violations

Education
50th  High School Graduation Rates
48th  SAT Scores

Workforce
9th   Unemployment
46th  Average Hourly rate
43rd  Income distribution inequality
50th  Government Employee wages

State of the Child
1st    Child Population Growth
1st    Percentage of Uninsured Children
48th   Spending on Child Protection

Public Safety
1st    Number of Executions
1st    Number of Gun Shows
1st    Number of Registered Machine Guns
2nd   Rate of Incarceration
5th    Total Crime rate
11th  Violent Crime Rate

Health Care
50th  Percentage of Population with Health Insurance
50th  Percentage of Insured Low-Income Children
48th  Percentage of Poor Covered by Medicaid
45th  Rate for Substance Abuse Treatment is Received

Health and Welfare
7th   Poverty Rate
2nd   Percentage of Population that goes hungry
3rd   Percentage of Population that is malnourished
47th  Amount of Welfare and Food Stamp Benefits
49th  Number of WIC recipients

Democracy
44th  Percentage of Eligible Voters that are Registered
47th  Percentage of Eligible Voters that go to the Polls

Kelly White to Back Donna Howard in HD 48

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

A source close to the goings ons in HD 47 tipped me off and confirmed some big news in Western Travis County.

Andy Brown, quick to announce his bid for the Democratic nomination after Kelly White (who narrowly lost to Todd Baxter last fall) stated she would not seek a rematch, will be challenged in the primary by former State Board of Education nominee and former Eanes School Board member Donna Howard. Kelly White will be signing on as Donna's treasurer and Ann Kitchen who held the seat prior to being bumped out by Todd Baxter, will also be joining the girls club in support of Howard's candidacy.

Two big issues and reasons for this move.

Public School finance- as a former school board member of one of the "rich districts" in Texas (which used to send money to my district in Fredericksburg until we ourselves became a rich district two years ago) Donna would be able to hammer Baxter on this one relentlessly. When Donna ran for SBOE in 2002, she ran in a district that included this part of Travis County and stretched out into the Hill Country to my hometown of Fredericksburg, which was the home of the incumbent Dan Montgomery who is actually one of the few more moderate minded members of the otherwise crazy SBOE. From what I remember from her then, I was very impressed with his knowledge and skills as a candidate.

Choice- In a district where polling has shown about 60% of the voting populace to be pro-choice, the pro-choice powers that be would like to see a woman run for the seat and represent it. Now I honestly doubt that Andy Brown would be any less pro-choice than Donna Howard, but something tells me there's a feeling that it's more genuine coming from a female candidate to those that intimately care about this.

I was actually looking forward to not having a large primary battle in this district (or HD 47 assuming we even get some official candidates down there) but unless Brown decides to back out for some reason, I expect one to ensue. My only hope is that it is clean, fought on the issues, and remains positive because the enemy here is Todd Baxter and we have to remember this is a seat that in light of the failure of the lege to do much of anything, we should win in 2006.

Live Blogging The Chris Bell for Governor Launch

By Damon McCullar

The Chris Bell campaign trail is starting on Sunday from the 40 Acres. Greg, the Eye On Williamson County Eddie from The Red State and I will all be live blogging the event. If there are any other bloggers out there that want to live blog the event please email me so that we can make arrangments for you.

Coverage will begin at sometime Sunday afternoon, no later than 2pm. If you are interested in attending the event, visit the launch page of Chris' website.

***UPDATE***
Rawhide from PinkDome will be in attendence as well.

Cindy Sheehan Waits For An Answer

By Damon McCullar

If anyone hasn't heard the story yet, This is the story of Cindy Sheehan as told by CNN.

I've been in contact with Susan Morris about Cindy Sheehan's sit-in in Crawford. She wanted to make this appeal to Austinites and Texans.

Cindy Sheehan, a Gold Star Family for Peace member who is currently holding camp down the road from the Bush compound in Crawford, Texas, needs our support. When Margie Becker and I arrived Camp Casey on Sunday we joined members of Veterans for Peace and the LA chapter of Code Pink to sit vigil with Cindy while she waits for a meeting with Jr. On Monday, the Austin chapter of Code Pink sent in reinforcements for the day only. As evening neared, the only Texan overnighting with Cindy was Jim, the Terlingua Veteran for Peace. It is a two-hour drive to Crawford to support Cindy and her mission of finding answers to her son's death. As of today, she is tired, frustrated, emotional and running a fever. BUT EVERY NEW ARRIVAL RENEWS HER. Please think about making the drive in the next day or so. Thursday is the rumored day that Cindy might get arrested for being a "national security threat" and Saturday, a local Clear Channel radio station is hosting an anti-Cindy BBQ at a parking lot next to a bank in Crawford. Don't worry about bringing provisions. Money is pouring into the Crawford Peace House from those people who live too far to make the trip or simply can't. I've included directions and other links below. Call me on my cell phone if more information is needed. Or call me to tell me you are on your way to Crawford. Margie is there now, and I'm going back, I hope, tomorrow. Thanks! I can guarantee you will meet some of the finest people in the world!

The Iconoclast, the Crawford newspaper that endorsed John Kerry is reporting from the Camp Casey: http://198.65.14.85/

Code Pink has a Camp Casey blog on their website:
http://www.codepink4peace.org/

Veterans for Peace are organizing more chapters to make the trip:
http://www.veteransforpeace.org/

Margie made a video, which is AWESOME: homepage.mac.com/bargie

Camp Casey HQ, AKA, The Crawford Peace House:
http://www.crawfordpeacehouse.org/

That report was as of this morning. Currently, the weather has improved in Crawford and the crowd has grown to about 100 people.

Support Cindy Sheehan in Crawford

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

MoveOn is taking out an ad in President Bush's local newspaper in support of Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq who is camped outside Bush's ranch in Texas asking for a meeting with the president. They'll publish the number of signers and the best comments in a full two-page spread in the newspaper nearest to Crawford (The Waco Tribune Herald) while Cindy holds her vigil. 3:00 PM Friday is the print deadline

http://political.moveon.org/meetwithcindy/

Nate, a guest writer here at BOR this past spring, was out in Crawford and has a report here. If you are in the area or can make it up there, drop by to see here and bring something cool to drink as the temperatures will be creeping back up this weekend. Damon may be headed out there depending on timing issues with the Bell launch and other projects.

Andy Brown Lauches New Website

By Damon McCullar

There was were a lot of questions about who is Andy Brown after my post on interns for his campaign. You can now find out everything you want to know about Andy Brown from his new website. Give it a gander!

Something Stirring in the House

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The House is about to awake from it's slumber.

HB 8 has been filed by Rep. Swinford. No text yet, but the caption...

Relating to property tax relief and protection of taxpayers, certain taxes, fees, and property, and other matters relating to the financing of public schools; providing civil and criminal penalties; making an appropriation.

HB 71 filed by Grusendorf...

Relating to public education and public school finance matters.

Here we do again...

BOR Rates Top Traffic in Texas By The New Politics Institue

By Damon McCullar

In a report (brought to my attention through Common Sense Blog)released yesterday by The New Politics Institute Burnt Orange Report ranked #1 in web traffic (15,772 views per week) followed closely by Off The Kuff (15,436) and Pink Dome coming in a distant third (13,572).

I've not got a chance to read the report yet, but it examines the effect of Blogging on politics. BOR rated 76th out of 104 nationally. That's pretty good considering we aren't a national blog.

Texas @ YDA: Another Perspective

By Kirk McPike

Last week, like Byron and Katie, I was a delegate to the 2005 Young Democrats of America National Convention. And yes, like all the Texas delegates, I was part of the big brawl on the convention floor. While it was exhilarating to be in such a hotly-contested situation, the fight itself was truly awful.

However, just as awful has been much of the subsequent discussion of the Texas vote and the implicit charge that there was a concerted effort within the Texas delegation to disenfranchise certain delegates. This is simply not the case. While one might argue that disenfranchisement occurred, it cannot be argued that disenfranchisement was anyone's goal.

Idealism vs. Realism

As has been discussed, this convention offered Texas a unique opportunity to win a victory that would benefit our state for years to come. We had a great candidate who was running for the male spot on the Democratic National Committee: Giovanni Garibay. And not only was he running, he was a part of the Chris Gallaway ticket and had a very good chance of winning. It was his presence on Gallaway's ticket that led to the blow up on the floor, as it incurred a reciprocal relationship that some delegates did not want to support.

The home states of the other candidates on the Gallaway ticket provided roughly 50% of the votes Giovanni received in his race. Without their support, Gio would have lost. Because of this support of Gio and Texas, it was incumbent upon us to respond in kind. In this case, reciprocation meant delivering around 90% of our vote to Chris Gallaway in the presidential race (and the EVP race, but the controversy was with the first race and our votes veered wildly after that... more later). Giovanni held to the honorable position that not delivering such support would violate his alliance with the ticket, requiring him to step down from his campaign.

This left the leadership of the Texas delegation with an unpleasant political reality. This reality cannot simply be ignored, but I think it has been in much of the subsequent discussion.

To have allowed more than 10 votes from Texas to be cast for Alex de Ocampo for YDA president would have done great harm to Texas's position on the national scene. We would have lost our chance to have a voice on the Democratic National Committee. We would have failed to support those who had supported us, which would have raised real barriers to any future national office candidates from Texas. This option was practically untenable.

However, to limit the votes of those who were voting for Alex de Ocampo would seem "wrong" in an idealistic sort of way. Even though conventions are not "one person, one vote" situations, and instead are based around delegation vote apportionment, there is a powerful emotional argument here. This option is philosophically unpleasant.

Veronica De LaFuente, the head of the Texas delegation, chose practicality over idealism. She did the best she could to allow the minority in our caucus — and it was a small minority — as much voice as was possible without endangering the position of the entire state. You may not like the decision she made, but there was at that point no other realistic option. Veronica clearly didn't enjoy her task, but she had the courage to do what was right for the entire state, no matter how much it upset some delegates.

She did the best she could to balance Texas's interests and voter independence; many state delegations made no such effort, and truly disenfranchised those who wouldn't vote along slate lines.

The subsequent character assassination being leveled against Veronica is unfair. Her decision was not malicious. At worst, it could be accused of being a bit cynical, but that's how politics works. Regardless, she did the practical thing. And, for the good of our state, the right thing. Texas is stronger, and better represented, within YDA than it has been in decades because of the hard choice Veronica made.

Make no mistake: Texas had a lot to lose. By the time our floor fight ended, Gallaway had already won, but Texas had not. With the Gallaway ticket-supported victory of Giovanni, Texas eventually came out on top. We've got a great guy representing our young people on the Democratic National Committee. That's something to be proud of — but let's not forget that we only won because of the decisions made by our delegation leadership.

Blind Spots Galore

And, please, let's not canonize all the Unity supporters just yet. There was plenty of poor behavior on all sides, in all delegations. On the second night of the convention, a Unity-backer from Texas accused me of having "no business being at the convention," and during the floor fight spat the same insult at another Dallas delegate. The broader Unity campaig was, at times, downright spiteful (and quite off-putting, perhaps explaining their average take of 40% of the vote).

Also, it should be noted that Texas's voting was much freer than that of many states. No effort was made in Texas to truly disenfranchise those in the political minority by refusing them delegate status. This happened elsewhere. Over the course of the election, Texas's vote veered wildly, giving a majority to one Unity candidate (Dwayne Bensing) and splitting our votes basically evenly in the hotly-contested race for Secretary. None of the other candidate home states supported nearly as broad a spectrum of candidates from both tickets. Had there been true "disenfranchisement," such varying support would never have taken place.

Full Disclosure

Just to be transparent: I was a Chris Gallaway supporter. Chris spoke to the July meeting of the Dallas County Young Democrats, and gave an impressive presentation on his goals for the future of YDA. I think he has done a great job as president, and that he will do a lot to help Texas. I was also unimpressed with his opponent, who would merely stammer vaguely and shift nervously from one foot to the other when asked how his administration would benefit Texas.

Naturally, I was strongly supportive of Giovanni. I also backed Rob Dolin from the Unity ticket, who was eventually elected YDA Secretary. Rob's a great guy, is full of ideas, is very positive and I'm glad to consider him a friend.

Beyond those three races, I voted the Gallaway ticket down the line.

In the end, the convention was both great for Texas and brutally scarring. We're in a much better position nationally now, but I fear that many of the cleavages opened up at our April convention have grown into chasms. The leadership and membership of the Texas Young Democrats have a hard task ahead in repairing these fissures. Let's hope they, and we, are up to it.

More on Draft Sharp

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Sometimes I have to be really impressed by Texas Democrats. This week's stories about the Draft John Sharp website have generated more than their fair share of comments around these parts. I also have to find it slightly amusing that the post got forwarded from one of the consultants I commented on over to Kelly Fero and then ended up in Charles Whitaker's inbox (Yes, he exists, I've e-mailed him, and that's the last time I'm saying sorry) which then got forwarded to some friends of his in North Texas, one of which happened to be another Burnt Orange Report writer who forwarded the whole thing back to me. All within 36 hours.

So, Charles Whitaker, the man with a desire to draft John Sharp, who contacted consultants down here in Austin to whip up a site, used to work for Sen. David Cain (no, not David Cain, Juggler for Jesus), celebrated his 50th Birthday last fall, and works for United Way as a union liaison at present. He, Leta Kay from Max Sandlin's campaign, and Alan Haynes all worked for Sharp I am told.

He posted an update to the site this morning...

When a group of us decided recently to launch DraftJohnSharp.com, we really didn't expect that the response would be so swift or so enthusiastic. In the last three days alone, more than 6,000 unique visitors have been to the site.

Since last Thursday, more than 3,200 of you have forwarded supportive comments to John Sharp, urging him to run. Most of you have opted simply to send the ‘boilerplate’ message, but several hundred of you have also written your own comments, which have been posted here on the site.

Of course, we have also received a handful of very negative comments from people supporting another candidate, but we have declined to post these.

The majority of the comments received so far have come from Texas' biggest cities: Houston, Austin, Dallas, McAllen and San Antonio, in that order. At least 38 other Texas cities are also represented, from Amarillo to Brownsville. About one dozen comments have been left from people who are out of state.

We have been forwarding all of these comments to Mr. Sharp via email, but have not yet had any indication of his intent. Thank you for your responses, and please spread the word about this site so we can continue to show John Sharp that he has the broad support he needs to run a successful campaign for Texas governor in 2006. We will keep you updated on developments.

I'm sure plenty of those hits are due to Greg and I's research and posts so I will say that Charles, Archer Nathan, and Company stirred up some blog buzz on it, though the shadow of shadiness certainly is hanging over it. I don't doubt for a minute that it's a good way to ease the public and political chatter class into dealing with a Sharp candidacy, especially when it could distract us from concentrating on the Chris Bell launch. I've held the opinion for quite some time now that it is more of a matter of when, than if, when it comes to the question of John Sharp and a race for Governor of the Great State of Texas.

Hello, Burnt Orange Report

By Kirk McPike

Ed. Note- In my posting madness this morning, I ending up forcing Kirk's announcement way down the page. I wanted to give him fair play as he will be a great new addition to BOR, filling in on some North Texas insight that has gone unreported since Byron began his consulting job. I'll be introducing one more writer next week who will be giving us a dose of humor each Wednesday in his column entitled "BORed". -KT

Karl-Thomas asked me to introduce myself, so here we go. I'm Kirk McPike. Some of you may know me from political events here in Texas, others through the comments section here. Most of you probably have no idea who I am. Don't worry, I'm sure that will change.

I'm a recent graduate of... well, a university in Dallas that likes horses and the colors red and blue... with a degree in political science. I presently work for the Dallas County Democratic Party, but nothing I say here (or anywhere else, for that matter) should ever be taken as the official opinion of the party office. I'm also the Vice President of Communications for the Dallas County Young Democrats.

While I'll try not to get too underfoot around here, I will be posting from time to time about things going on in the Dallas area. We've got some great Democratic candidates coming together for the 2006 election cycle. Next year is going to be an exciting time to be a progressive in North Texas!

I'd like to thank Karl-Thomas, Byron and the others here at BOR for giving me the opportunity to post here.

Houston Latinos

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Though High Powered Consultant Marc Campos seems to have gone quiet on his "run aware from everywhere" approach to winning back Texas, he does highlight an important point about two targets for the TDP. Latinos and Houston. Actually, Latinos in Houston.

You've heard it from Commentary before. There are more Latinos in Harris County (Houston) than there are in the Rio Grande Valley. There are more Latinos in Harris County than there are in Bexar County (San Antonio). Houston has 17 (at last count) radio stations that target the Latino community. We have two Spanish language daily newspapers and over a dozen Spanish language weekly newspapers. We have four local Spanish language TV stations - two of them are full service with local news staffs. Over half of the student population at the Houston Independent School District (the state's largest) is Latino.

Heck, I don't even think that the State Dem Chair has visited the Houston Latino community. Commentary has said it before, in order for Dems to start making a statewide comeback, Harris County has to be a priority. Why? Cause we're the largest county in the state, with the largest Latino population. Now that's a whole lot of Dem vote potential. Makes sense to Commentary. Unfortunately, the Houston area Latino community won't get any attention from folks like the DNC unless folks know we exist - so far, folks don't know we exist

Harris County has always lagged behind the other urban counties of Texas in overall turnout which is a shame as it could be a base of 100,000s of new Democratic votes that would be easier to find than say the Panhandle. Not that we shouldn't be turning them out in the Panhandle as well, but if we could put Harris County into the D column as Dallas is about to, our efforts statewide would be greatly aided.

Frost Effect?

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Much debated here at BOR in the past has been the efforts of Martin Frost on other candidates in his losing race against Pete Sessions last fall up in Dallas. Charles Kuffner has done some more analysis on the race which he has detailed here which you should check out if interested. Here's his wrap up though- emphasis mine.

From this, it would seem fair to conclude that on a performance basis, it didn't matter to Garcia and Valdez if they were in Page's precincts or Frost's - they each did about as well relative to the national ticket in each. Therefore, if there was any Frost effect at all, it would have to come from turnout alone.

I didn't know what I was going to find going in to this. I do not consider this to be fully conclusive. For one thing, I've not looked at all of Dallas County; in particular, I've not looked at any of the other Congressional races there, including the precincts in which Eddie Bernice Johnson ran unopposed. More importantly, we only looked at some turf that was pretty hostile overall to Democrats; we'll need to see how things shake out in the more Democratic areas in these districts. I also don't have the relative turnout numbers at hand, so I can't say if there was a real benefit from an absolute vote total perspective in Frost's district. At the very least, however, this should cast doubt on the notion that Frost's tide lifted all boats. There's still more work to be done, but it doesn't look good at this point.

I don't know Dallas politics, but have a feeling that Byron may have some thoughts on this if anyone does.

Looking Fresh

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I'd like to congratulate Pink Dome on their new look. Of course, I'm glad I will never have to worry about putting any pink on this site when I start looking at redesign here over the break. (Though if anyone is hankering to do that for me, feel free to drop me a line; that's one e-mail I will respond to when I go on vacation.)

This of course was the result of a failed attempt with a new blogging package that just didn't work last month (though their new release may be better, I'll see). I'm not sure if I will follow that concept again or not. Content comes before style for me for blogs, but I'm open to suggestions...

Run. Everywhere. In Nebraska

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

At the same time that we should be building our candidate bench, we need to build our infrastructure. That can't happen if a state party cedes entire counties to the opposition. Just as it would be stupid of the Texas GOP to give up on Travis County, we shouldn't give up on Bandara County or dozens of others.

But it looks like someone gets it over in Nebraska...

Today, Democrats are organized with party chairpersons in only about half of Nebraska's counties. The majority of missing county organizations are in western and central Nebraska's vast 3rd Congressional District.

But in many unorganized counties, Democrat regularly meet in coffee shops or restaurants in small towns and county seats.

The state party plans to tap into those local resources, build Democratic communities in every county and help with candidate recruitment, voter registration, campaign services and grassroots training.

"Give them the tools," Russell said.

...

The Democratic rebuilding strategy in Nebraska has been bolstered by a $100,000 commitment from the party's national committee. But the key ingredient for success lies at the local level, party leaders said.

"It's your plan," Mello said. "We got it from you" by seeking community ideas and feedback before building a strategy.

"They know better than we do" about what will work, Russell said, and who the local candidates should be.

In devising its plan, the party decided its first obligation was just to "show up" in counties it had previously abandoned or simply forfeited to Republicans.

No longer, it decided, would Democrats in some communities be left alone on an island.

Shane Sklar for Congress

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

As I dig through the archives of my e-mail I wanted to make a quick post on a couple of candidates who I've forgotten to give some Blog links to that have stepped to run for office.

Shane Sklar for CD-14, a fourth generation rancher who grew up in the 14th District. From his bio...

For the last four years, Sklar has served as the Executive Director of the Independent Cattlemen's Association of Texas (ICA) and has earned a reputation for innovation and hard work.

Under his leadership, ICA's membership doubled at a time when most agricultural groups saw their numbers shrink. Sklar also played a key role in making sure the 2002 federal Farm Bill required country-of-origin labeling for retail beef.

Recently, news reporters from across the country turned to Sklar for accurate information and knowledgeable opinions regarding the outbreak of mad cow disease in Texas.

Prior to joining ICA, Sklar was a key member of the staff of Congressman Chet Edwards, who represents a Central Texas district. As Edwards' Field Representative, Sklar traveled throughout the district updating constituents about important issues and representing the Congressman at district events.

Sklar also served as the Field Director for Edwards' 2000 successful re-election campaign.

Also, though mentioned already here, a BOR reader Ivan Espinosa (who has been very active over on the Step Up Texas boards) sent a short letter from Democratic Lt. Governor candidate Maria Alvarado which I have included in the extended entry.

I am Maria Alvarado. As a native Texan, and military veteran, I have a right to expect that our state government act and enact positively in the interests of all Texans. Like you and many other Texans, I see that all the current state leadership has delivered are broken promises and false assurances. As a witness of the latest debacle of the 79th legislative session, I declare to have sufficient cause to seek the elected office for Texas Lieutenant Governor as a Democrat. I look forward to an honest discourse with other candidates and all Texans that are like-minded to establish a more fair and effective state government.

I am a retired Texas Air National Guard master sergeant with 21 years of experience in the military. More recently, I have spent my time as a research project coordinator at the University of Texas in Austin. I look forward to meeting you to earn your trust and confidence as we move forward to helping restore Democratic leadership in Texas. Whereas I personally can identify myself with several groups: Woman, Hispanic, Native Texan, Veteran, & Catholic. I could not choose to represent any one of them more than the others. The lowest common denominator between us all then must be our humanity. This common thread can not fail us and such the 2006 election will not pass us by without significant gains of Democratic leadership in Texas.

I invite you to visit my campaign website to follow my campaign over the next few months. Or, you may email my campaign of events in your area that I can attend in order to meet & talk to you & your group personally.

Thanks,

Maria Alvarado
Democratic Candidate for Texas Lieutenant Governor
227 South Congress Avenue, Box 123
Austin, Texas 78701

Juan Garcia and Fredericksburg

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

One of the things that I have been meaning to post on but have not heard of any other news that had otherwise reminded me to do so, was a short report on Juan Garcia's visit to Fredericksburg during the Gillespie County July 4th Parade last month, where he appeared on the County Democratic Party's float. A short note from my County Chair George Keller...

Juan is outstanding as well as his wife and family. They both have just joined law firms in Corpus Christi and he remains a Naval Reserve pilot. He is planning to run when the right situation presents it self.

I have a picture in the extended entry but other comments have followed in the same vein as I have heard on other state blogs. He's charismatic, a great speaker, and should take a stab at running for office. I would hope that it is something higher than a county level office down there on the Coast, as it would be awesome to see him run for maybe Lt. Governor. But even a state house seat would be great.

Lieutenant Commander for Lieutenant Governor has a nice ring to it though...

Bell Bus

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The Chris Bell Campaign launch is almost upon is. Sunday on the UT campus you can join over 400 other people coming from around the state. If you are coming from Houston on the Bus, here is some additional info that you might wish to read up on and pass along. Damon and I will be at the event and hopefully liveblogging it.

I'm headed home to Fredericksburg after the event that day for a 2 Week "vacation" during which I will be working on various website designs for sites I maintain and will only have a dial-up modem which is also our regular phone line. Needless to say, I won't be writing much if at all or checking in to a great degree. I'll be depending on our other writers here to carry on, though I know some of them are also in and out with various trips. Any request to me by e-mail that time will probably be ignored so just save yourself the headache and realize that they will probably be ignored unless unearthly important.

The staging point for the bus trip will be the parking lot of the Memorial City Mall, off of I-10 at the Gessner Drive exit. The buses will be in the SE corner of the parking lot, near the intersection of Memorial City Way and Barryknoll Lane behind Dillard's. The lot owners have been gracious enough to give us use of the space for the day, but please respect their wishes by parking as far from the mall as possible.

Please plan to arrive at the mall at 9:30 AM on Sunday morning. The buses will roll out promptly at 10, and we'd hate for anyone to get left behind! We'll even throw in box lunches for the ride up. You should arrive back at your cars around 7 in the evening.

And one final note: If you're planning to ride up on the buses on Sunday, please be sure to let us know so we can get an accurate headcount. Many of you checked that box when you signed up, but if you forgot to do so or if you've since decided to join us on the bus, let me know directly at tmccann@chrisbell.com. We still have a few spots left, but if there's an overflow crowd then some folks will have to caravan up with us in carpools.

Town Hall Meeting with Rep. Casteel

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Representative Carter Casteel cordially invites you to the Gillespie County Town Hall Meeting this Saturday, August 13 at 11:30 a.m.

Central Texas Electric Cooperative
386 Friendship Lane
Fredericksburg, Texas

At the meeting, Representative Casteel will provide an overview on the 79th Regular Legislative Session and the Called Special Sessions. Afterward, she will field constituent questions and comments.

If you need further information, please contact Representative Casteel's office at 866.687.4961.

Carter Casteel represents the counties of Gillespie, Kendall, Comal, and Bandera.

A Victory for Player's

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The University of Texas backs down and will alter plans for their new hotel, as well as give up on eminent domain use sparing the popular Player's Restaurant near campus. The Texan has a full report of where things are headed.

They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
With a pink hotel, a boutique
And a swinging hot spot
Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you've got
Till it's gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot.

Howard Dean & I Are Too Liberal

By Vince Leibowitz

As most of you know, I'm the County Chairman of the Democratic Party in Van Zandt County--half way between Dallas and Tyler in East Texas.

Well, today one of our local Justices of the Peace defected and went to the other side. I knew it was coming, as the Republicans here have been hounding local elected officials and telling them that our party has grown "too liberal" at the local level for them to be affiliated with it. Since this guy wasn't even a nominal Democrat at best, I was unsurprised. (You can read my press release on it here).

But, I found it amusing that in the news release announcing his switch (sorry, the newspaper doesn't have it online) that he noted, he could "no longer in good coneience follow the leadership of the national Democratic party or the local Democratic Party."

Though I guess Chairman Soechting got exempted from this triad (ha, ha) by an ex Baptist minister now delivering the Wrath of God from the bench, I found it quite amusing to be listed in the company of none other than Howard Dean. I guess we're both just too liberal.

Join The Brown Team

By Damon McCullar

That's right, the Andy Brown Campaign is looking for a few good guys and gals to intern for the campaign. If you are interested cotact Marc Duchen at marc@voteandy.com

Andy Brown is running for Texas House District 48 against the Republican incumbent Todd Baxter.

John Courage Site Launch

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I wanted to make a post to highlight the really top notch job down by some tech friends of mine who redesigned and launched the new John Courage for Congress website. (Refresh the page or delete the cache if you still see the old one). Included on the front page is a fundraising idea that I had my hand in, with a concept of challenging the two population anchors of the district to outraise each other.

Take a look around, and donate some money, as John has already started hitting the phone and hired fundraiser Jeff Hewitt of Austin's Hewitt Consulting (which has done work for John Sharp and Richard Morrison more recently). The first e-mails have gone out and there is also a blog which bears some checking out as regular BOR commentor David Mauro seems to be writing alongside Mr. Courage himself!

I'm encouraged by what I've seen and how fast to organize this campaign has been. It's going to be professional and serious while having a huge grassroots component to it. I've already donated $25 and I know it won't be the last. DeLay and Chet Edwards aren't going to be the only shows left in Texas...

A few mindless thoughts

By Jim Dallas

First, it occurred to me that I've had the chance to exchange words with both Kinky Friedman (after his commencement speech to the liberal arts grads of December 2003) and Chris Bell (in one of the blogger conference calls). You can't really squeeze too much psycho-analysis out of a couple of minutes, but I think both of them are good guys based on quick impressions. So it somewhat irks me to see the elbow-throwing coming out "on the Internets", but I guess that's politics.

Second, with all the talk about who's running for governor (which, let's face it, is not the most important office in the state of Texas), why has there been so little talk about the Lieutenant Governor's race? Granted, David Dewhurst has fewer black marks against them than Perry, and aside from the fining of the ABQ Senators, etc., has not been the most excessively partisan person in Austin (at least publicly).

Nonetheless, I sincerely doubt that most Texas Democrats would like to see Dewhurst get a free ride next year. So there's a real mystery (and if you're of the persuasion that Democrats are institutionalist wimps, I suppose a real scandal) for you.

Sure, we've all heard a name or two dropped in rumor. But the Democratic Primary is now about seven months away. One would hope to hear something a little, you know, substantive by now. If you're hearing things I'm not, I want to know about it!

Thirdly, it warmed my heart to see Bill Kelly get some kudos for his work on Peter Brown's campaign on Carl Whitmarsh's mailing list this morning, as well as a note about Giovanni Garibay getting elected to a spot on the DNC. A round of applause for Bill and Gio!

Draft Sharp Update

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Though certainly never meant to be a scandal, it's good to hear from the Archer Nathan group what has been up with the Draft John Sharp site. Below are some of the comments left in the other thread as well as an e-mail from Mark Nathan.

Karl-T: While all this attention is flattering, your post might have been a bit shorter if you had just asked me about the site in question directly. As I told Greg Wythe in an email after his post about www.draftjohnsharp.com on Sunday night, Archer Nathan was hired by a client in Dallas to create the site. Yesterday, the Statesman reported that our client is Charles Whitaker, a John Sharp supporter, a former Sharp aide, and, yes, a real person (sorry to disappoint). To be clear, Archer Nathan is not working for John Sharp, but we like his chances in 2006, and we also hope he runs. By the way, www.draftjohnsharp.com has had quite a spike in traffic over the last several days (thanks blogosphere!), and more than 3,200 folks have sent support messages to Sharp via the site since it launched last Thursday...

Posted by: Mark Nathan at August 9, 2005 11:46 AM

And an e-mail to Greg I was copied on...

Mr. Wythe:

We were hired to create draftjohnsharp.com by a client in Dallas who is a John Sharp supporter, and we in turn hired TradeMark Media to help us. Archer Nathan is not working for John Sharp (you can send your $5 to the address below), but we like his record and we hope he runs.

Thanks,
Mark.

Well it's good to hear there is no under the table shadiness in this part, but it's still true that a little cyber-sleuthing did help uncover part of what was going on. Now as to Greg's investigation into some of the comments supporting Sharp... I'll leave that one to continue unfolding over at his site.

And I would like to clarify, thanks to some kind souls including SDEC Committeman and all around awesome guy Ken Molberg, that I didn't intend to claim that Charles Whitaker was just a non-existant person (there are two listed in the Dallas area as it is), just that he didn't appear to have ever been active online in any sense (and certainly not politically) because at least something would have shown up in any number of google searches. And lacking that, it made it seem very unlikely that he'd be the originator of the site. Ken, if I'm ever up in Dallas this fall, we should all grab a drink with the now semi-infamous Charles Whitaker.

The Story on Draft John Sharp

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I haven’t been ignoring the launch of www.draftjohnsharp.com, I've been poking around the web gathering information in order to write this overly comprehensive post. Bear with me, it's long, but it's probably the biggest indication of what is about to come in the Texas Governor's Race.

I'm going to start out with a bit of an off the wall claim but I'll try to provide evidence to back it up. Gardner Selby ran 'from the lege' blog post today that is listed on the DraftJohnSharp site claiming that John Sharp "hasn't had the guts to look at it yet" and that the site was created by a Charles Whitaker of Dallas.

One, Sharp's statement makes it seem like he's very aware of this project that some random person who worked for the Comptroller of Publican Accounts for 5 years in the mid-90s happened to come up with. Two, I don't believe there is a Charles Whitaker of Dallas or at least, he didn't make the site at all. I believe it is the very same Austin consulting group that Greg thinks it is when he first scratched the surface of this story. So that is where I will begin...

First, some primers. Thanks to Greg, we already know that the domain is privately registered through GKG.net which does that as part of its business. But this isn’t' the dead end that Greg originally thought. Remember GKG.net...

Then Greg ganders at the source code (and though I did this I must have overlooked it) and finds that there is some old forgotten lines in there that prove that some of the template once was from the Lee Leffingwell campaign site in his run for Austin City Council this spring. Who consulted for the Leffinwell campaign this spring (as well as Dunkerly)?

Mark Nathan, who is part of the consulting firm of Archer Nathan, which is the brain trust from Will Wynn's successful campaign to become Mayor of Austin. (Christian Archer was State House Candidate Kelly White's deputy campaign manager and the group did her field program.)

Now, back in January, Vince Leibowitz reported on an SD 2 Summit that Christian Archer presented at, and mentioned that Archer Nathan Consulting was one of the key groups behind the TakeBackTexas.org website which sent out third party mailers in the 2004 House races.

Now, that website is under construction again, but if you look at the Whois data for the domain, it's of course publicly owned by Mark Nathan but more interestingly, the sponsoring registrar and some e-mail addresses point to none other than GKG.net! The exact same GKG.net e-mails can be found on the keepbetty.com whois info. And as someone who owns multiple domains, I can say that one usually keep with the same registrar over time.

But Charles Whitaker of Dallas made the Draft site right? Well, why would he have Lee Leffingwell meta tags in the source code? Want more proof? Compare the CSS style sheets of the current Draft site to those that I pulled from the way back machine which logged the stylesheet for the original Take Back Texas site that we know was owned by Mark Nathan. Oddly identical, minus a couple of colors and fonts. The same order, the same classes, the same blocks. Not only this, but the source code for the archived Take Back Texas site makes the same reference as the Draft site to needing to refer to the style sheet twice, which isn't the most common, and has many of the exact same inline markings as the Draft Site.

So unless this otherwise non Google Searchable noteworthy Charles Whitaker of Dallas happened to have worked with Mark Nathan on that site in 2004 and had all the code and design, I'm calling BS to that source and saying it was Archer Nathan Consulting who did the Draft site.

If someone was trying to conceal the owner of the Draft Sharp site because it would create some business or consulting conflict that you want the media to avoid picking up on, then I'd expect that from tech savvy people who know this business. Some random grassroots supporter with only good intentions wouldn't go through this much trouble. Which leads me to believe this is a trial balloon by the Sharp campaign and friends to gauge support and start moving towards an announcement.

Ok, that gets us to the likely fact that Archer Nathan is the consulting group behind the DraftJohnSharp site. But we aren't finished. A comment exchange left on one of Greg's posts says...

Greg, I received an e-mail from Save Texas Reps to "Draft John Sharp." I thought Save Texas Reps was a site that stands up for real Democrats and not those who sell out to Republicans. As someone who refused to participate in the so-called Dream Ticket in 2002, of which John Sharp was chief architect, I am disturbed and offended that Save Texas Reps is siding against Chris Bell, someone who has never pandered to Republicans or George Bush. Republican LITE will never win us elections. I don't understand why the likes of John Sharp and his loyalists continue to believe that it will. John Sharp is Republican Lite. It's that simple.

Posted by: Marie on August 8, 2005 03:12 PM

SaveTexasReps isn't endorsing Sharp or Bell for Governor. Alfred Stanley is a long-time supporter of SaveTexasReps (a co-founder in fact) and he asked us to send that email. Kelly Fero, Sharp's longtime advisor, has also been a huge contributor to SaveTexasReps over the years (giving labor, not $$) so sending an email to the list supporting Sharp was just paying some dues to old friends and good Democrats.

Posted by: Texas Nate on August 8, 2005 03:34 PM

Now I got the same e-mail, which was quite curious to me at first, because it didn't come in the usual formatted e-mail I get from Save Texas Reps. The text as follows...

From: Alfred@yahoo.com
Subject: Draft John Sharp
Date: August 8, 2005

John Sharp has proven he can make Texas government work better for all of us...

Rick Perry has proven he can't make government work at all...

Please forward to all your friends urging them to visit this web site and urge John Sharp to run for Governor!

Alfred Stanley

http://www.draftjohnsharp.com/

Now who is Alfred Stanley would be the next question right? A political fundraiser, of Alfred Stanley & Associates, he was the landlord for the Texas Democratic Party Headquarters both in its former and current location (and if I remember correctly, Stanley is now in the old HQ location). Andrew told us that in this older BOR post about Soechting spending a large grant of money to the TDP on elections instead of a permanent HQ, a logical choice at the time in his opinion.

(Stanley consulted and fundraised for former City Councilwoman Jackie Goodman and more recently Greg Hamilton for Sheriff and Ron Davis for County Commissioner.)

Stanley was a co-founder of SaveTexasReps. The owner of that site, who left the comment on Greg's site, also owns Mercury Campaigns, which did the TDP's website and was involved in the Dean for Texas effort. Stanley was also a donor to the Dean campaign to the tune of $500-$1000 dollars. But more importantly is that most of Mercury Campaign's work started with the Tony Sanchez campaign where they did the state Internet and E-mail operations. The same Tony Sanchez campaign which Mark Nathan ran statewide field for after leaving his job as an aide to Mayor Will Wynn whom he had helped get elected, which brings us full circle.

IN SHORT...

It seems to be very convenient that at the same time a random Draft John Sharp site with 'private' registration pops up, an e-mail gets sent out to the Save Texas Reps list in a non standard format promoting the Draft site, by one of Austin's premier fundraisers. This comes just days after a big story in which the TDP Chairman makes noise supporting a contested primary, which was confirmed to me in half hour telephone conversation I had with Mr. Soechting last Friday.

In this conversation I understood in so many words that John Sharp was planning to enter the race and that the chair wasn't particularly worried how the Bell or Alvarado campaigns would react. There was a belief the party would benefit from a contest, drawing out voters, battle testing the eventual nominee, and making the nominee earn the nomination in light of a $15 million dollar media affair for Republicans which would kill the party if we had another quiet nomination as in 2002.

So what could we have soon? A party blessed primary contest, with Archer Nathan and Kerry Fero doing consulting, Alfred Stanley as fundraiser, and maybe Mercury Campaigns pitching in some tech work?

Maybe, maybe not. But if so, that's your Burnt Orange Report for the day. I'll continue to delve into it and make some phone calls to tie up ends. Greg has already started looking into it more with some slight of hand noticed in the Draft Comments sections.

YDA Convention Results

By Katie Naranjo

I've moved this up, and added most of the content to the extended entry. I don't agree with many of Katie's comments, but I'm pleased to see the lively debate on this thread. I've added my $0.02 in comments, and you can also view an excel spreadsheet of the vote totals compiled by Texas delegate Kirk McPike, here. Also, for several comprehensive overviews by others at the meeting, check out this MyDD thread and this one at PUBLIUS - Byron

First, I would like to inform everyone that I do have a biased opinion about the events that took place during the election of YDA officers, however I will remain as factual as possible. I preface this post because most of the delegates who attend the caucus will read this and I want to be honest for their sake.

On Saturday YDA elected as its president Chris Galloway from Georgia, V.P. Alexis Tameron from Arizona, DNC Committeeman Gio Garibay from Texas, DNC Committeewoman Lauren Goode, V.P. of Programs Chris Anderson from Tennessee, V.P. of Development Francisco Domenech of Puerto Rico, Secretary Rob Dolin of Washington, Treasurer Kris Anderson of Illinois.

With that being announced I will report to you the politics behind the scenes at the convention. If you happened to watch Texas Young Democrats casting their vote on C-Span and wondered about the delay of our vote here is the story from the caucus. Thirty minutes before Texas was to walk into the convention to cast their votes we had our delegation meeting. Veronica, our Chair made a decision to only allow ten votes to go to the Unity ticket and ninety-eight to the Galloway ticket. Her reasoning for this as she explained to the delegation was that Gio was running on the Galloway slate, and as in this situation out votes must go to the slate to show unity in Texas and support for Gio. With this understanding members of the delegation respectfully negated this move.

In the Texas delegation there were a number of people who had friends on both sides and were planning to split tickets with the exception of Gio’s race. Once this unilateral move, made by Veronica, happened no one could motion a change. This is because the total power of the votes and the seating of delegates resides with the delegation chair. Mike appointed Veronica to this position previously in a July 9th exec. meeting of TYD because she is our committeewoman to YDA.

Many may not agree with the individuals who wanted to split tickets, but in their defense I would like to say that both tickets had wonderful candidates and in the meeting they were able to justify themselves. In Veronica’s defense she felt that she was making a necessary decision not to allow more then ten votes to any member of the Unity ticket because it was important to Gio. However in the Democratic Party we fight for minorities, we fight for the right to vote and in most cases a minority vote can be justified. That having been said, in the caucus meeting that Veronica conducted many members of the delegation disagreed with barring people from voting. In this time span however, we were not allowed to discuss the issue thoroughly because at this moment we had to participate in the election.

On the floor of the election many Texans, who paid to be in San Francisco were upset because their vote and voice was not being heard. As a result when Texas presented itself to vote there was dissention among the delegates and so we were unable to make a decision. Erica, a member of the Texas delegation and Unity supporter asked for a roll call vote because members of the Texas delegation were not allowed to vote. Once that occurred, Texas passed and went to caucus again, this time behind the stage with only 5 minutes to make a vote. Fortunately one of the female delegates who also wanted to vote for members of unity made a motion to allow only 10 to unity and 98 to Galloway to save time, and the face of Texas. So the votes were cast and the election continued, however there was a minority report so that those who wanted to stand before convention and make a statement could.

I would like to congratulate Gio on his victory I know he will work hard and even harder now given the events of the convention and the support he had from his fellow Texans. I am also very proud of Erica, Shondra, Emily, and others who stood up for themselves at the convention and made their voice heard. Although in the end their votes were still not counted, their voices unheard, they made it known that Texas women are strong and will fight for the right to vote their conscious.

To those who were present who moved to prevent delegates from voting, I hope that your democratic rights never come under restriction. I know that at the next YDA convention you will work to make sure every vote is counted because that is why we are Texas democrats. We aren’t from Florida.

Hispanic Leadership Summit

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The DNC's 3rd Hispanic Leadership Summit has wrapped up in San Antonio, part of the DNC's listening tour as it prepared to launch the results into it's message rollout in October. The Tejano Insider has some reporting here, as well as a call for the DNC to keep its eye on the TDP. Latinos for Texas has a great write-up as does the Red State.

TDP Chairman also announced (or maybe re-announced as I've heard this before months ago) some news on new field officers.

The summit -- the third overall and first in Texas -- was designed to collect feedback from the party's Hispanic faithful nationwide and to help shape a new marketing campaign in October, Dean said.

In a show of support for Hispanic voters, Texas Democratic Party Chairman Charles Soechting announced Saturday that four new field officers for the Lone Star State -- three of them Hispanic -- will be funded by the national committee.

Jackie Soliz Chapa was the last Hispanic staffer at the state party and left a few months ago.

Rick Perry Inaction Figure

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I've always been a fan of John Kelso's columns in the Statesman and his latest one, inspired by the Kinky Action Figure Fun Drive ($45k out of $75k raised so far) is by far one of the best in a long time. Here are some of the good bits...

Gov. Perry ought to come up with his own Rick Perry doll. How about a clueless doll that doesn't know what to do about school funding, so it calls another special session. And it has really nice hair.

...

To make it interesting, other people should follow Friedman's lead and come out with their own action figures. But just what tricks would each doll perform?

The Carole Keeton Strayhorn doll: Put it in water and it balloons up, then it gets skinny, then it swells up again. It also talks too fast and intermittently accuses the Rick Perry doll of being a drugstore cowboy.

The Tom Craddick doll: It throws its hands in the air, gives up and tells everybody to go home.

The Karl Rove doll: The toy stores are recalling it because it's leaking.

The George W. Bush doll: It's a fit doll; it has a low resting heart rate and job approval numbers to match.

The Scott McClellan doll: Its lips move, but it doesn't say anything.

The Mayor Will Wynn doll: When voters tell it to go jump in the lake because of toll roads, it takes it to heart and leaps off a bridge.

The Chris Bell doll: Who the hell is Chris Bell?

The Mack Brown doll: Usually a smiling doll, on OU weekend it throws itself on the ground and sobs uncontrollably.

The Ricky Williams doll: It lives in a tent and smokes a fatty.

The Willie Nelson doll: It lives on a tour bus and smokes two fatties.

Whole Foods Market shopper doll: It pays $20 a pound for whale-safe frankfurters and takes seaweed pills.

The Williamson County suburbanite doll: It calls for the death penalty for minors, watches Fox News, then goes to bed at 9 p.m.

The Bouldin Creek Neighborhood Association doll: It walks up and down South Congress Avenue looking for something to bitch about.

I'd love to add to this list, so leave some ideas in the comments.

Who is Dick DeGuerin?

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The Kinky campaign made a press release today noting that Dick DeGuerin, one of Texas’ top defense attorneys, will join the campaign as a staff advisor. A Democrat who once represented Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, DeGuerin was most recently quoted in the article with TDP Chair Soechting (they are good friends) about the suggestion that Kinky should run in the Democratic Primary.

“The polarization of politics today has left our state lacking any real leadership,” said DeGuerin, who is perhaps best known for representing Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the early 1990s.

“The deep divisions between the left and right in our state are destroying the ability of our officeholders to get anything done.”

About two weeks ago, there was some big news about one of DeGuerin's clients, real estate heir Robert who was released from federal prison after serving time related to his efforts to escape prosecution in the 2001 dismemberment slaying of his Texas neighbor.

Durst, 62, was acquitted in 2003 of killing 71-year-old Morris Black. He testified that he accidentally shot Black as they struggled over a gun. He admitted cutting up Black's body and dumping it in Galveston Bay, saying he had panicked after the shooting.

He jumped $300,000 bail and fled Texas in October 2001. Weeks later he was caught near Bethlehem, Pa., with two .38-caliber pistols after he was accused of trying to steal a chicken sandwich and other small items.

Last December, he pleaded guilty to illegally carrying a weapon across a state line. Though sentenced to nine months, he got out early because of credit for his time in jail awaiting extradition to Texas four years ago.

...

Durst is the son of the late Seymour Durst, patriarch of the Durst Organization, a privately held, billion-dollar real estate company that owns several New York skyscrapers. Durst has been estranged from his family since the early 1990s.

Just wanted to build some background.

Is the Senate Serious?

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Yes, we read that Senator Rep. Gallego hand delivered his letter to Speaker Craddick saying that the Senate plans on getting their business done on SB 8 to try to save face do something about education House shouldn't Sine Die because there is support out there for the Democratic alternative. (Boy did I fumble the names there getting it mixed up with Senator Mario Gallegos. But the fact that the Senate is trying to work on SB 8, and now Telecom instead, does relate to my point that even if the House were to stay, it really seems like their heart isn't in it because neither is the Senate's.)

So even though the House has had problems trying to sine die because they don't haven't had a quorum at times, the Senate doesn't seem to be taking things all that seriously either. The Quorum Report reminds us that Sen. Leticia VanDePutte is vacationing in Bermuda, Sen. Jon Lindsay is on vacation in New Mexico, and Sen. John Carona is attending to business in Colorado. And Sen. Frank Madla has been in the hospital.

So Dewhurt may be able to get something on the floor tomorrow, and the House may crawl back together to debate a stripped-down education bill to fund textbooks and public school technology but above all, there is a specter of death hanging about both chambers.

Craddick and Dewhurst can have a pissing match about who's attempting to make any good faith progress, but in the end it's just the people of Texas getting hosed with another pointless 'no leadership' session.

Pack it up folks.

Who's Dirty Now?

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

If you are a Republican in the state of Texas, you are well aware of the personal enjoyment you receive flogging Democrats for being friends of those slick trial lawyers. So after launching a Constitutional Amendment against them (the infamous Prop 12) to limit awards, you'd think that all the fun was gone.

Most certainly not.

If you're Rick Perry you attack your primary opponent CKMRS for taking money from what was the Democrat's last lifeline of money in this state. Of course, this would be a great line of attack, if it wasn't for the fact that the Good Hair Campaign took $35,000 of those dirty dollars as well. This fits perfectly with the tradition of being a Texas Republican officeholder and being hypocritical.

A Perry spokesman accused Strayhorn last month of "selling her soul" by accepting donations from trial lawyers.

In December, Perry was the biggest recipient of contributions from the HillCo political action committee, which had gotten $100,000 from a Corpus Christi-based trial lawyers' political committee, the Dallas Morning News reported Thursday.

Strayhorn's campaign accused Perry of hypocrisy.

A Perry spokesman said it was impossible to say the money came from trial lawyers because it had gone through two committees.

What, just two committees fooled you? I thought Republicans were the masters of routing money through committees. Tsk Tsk. The Perry campaign fired back saying at least the MoFo could only buy a bed with the money, unlike Carol who was rolling around in one with actual trial lawyers.

"Governor Perry took money from the HillCo PAC while the comptroller is personally soliciting private plane rides and hundreds of thousands of dollars from personal-injury attorneys."

Of course, one must wonder if there is enough of that glorious dirty money left for us Democrats to play with in 2006.

Chris Bell Named To The Board of StemPAC

By Damon McCullar

From the press release:

Washington, DC – StemPAC, the highest trafficked web site in support of stem cell research and a newly launched organization uniting pro-stem cell activists, today welcomed former Congressman Chris Bell of Texas as the latest member of the StemPAC advisory team.

“Congressman Bell has long been a fighter for stem cell research, and StemPAC is extremely happy to have him on board,” said John Hlinko, the founder of StemPAC. “He has been particularly effective in articulating the reasons why Christians and indeed all people of faith should be supportive of stem cell research.”

WaPo Touches On '06 Texas Races

By Vince Leibowitz

A story in this Sunday's Washington Post about some high-dollar fund-raising efforts by President Bush and Vice-President Cheney touched on a couple of marquee Texas races for 2006.

Specifically, the article mentions the pending Lampson/DeLay match up in CD 22 and the '06 race for governor.

In particular, the Post notes that "Democrats are pushing donors big and small" to help former Congressman Nick Lampson raise $1 million before the end of the year to help fund what the paper terms his "long shot" bid to unseat the House Majority Leader in his home district.

Of course, the Post also touches on one of the things that may help DeLay in 2006:

But there DeLay has access to some kinds of money that his opponents can't match. He stuffed hundreds of millions of dollars into the energy and transportation bills passed last month to benefit projects in his suburban Houston district. He'll spend much of this month making sure the largess -- including $50 million to improve an interstate that cuts through his district and $324 million for Houston Metro -- does not go unappreciated. On Monday, DeLay will show a softer side, speaking at the opening of the foster care foundation he and his wife started.

The Post had relatively little to say about the race for governor, but mentioned Democrat Chris Bell and his ethics complaint against DeLay:

Speaking of DeLay, his former colleague ex-representative Chris Bell (D-Tex.) is planning to run next year for governor of Texas. Bell broke an unwritten truce last year between the two parties when he filed an ethics complaint against DeLay. Bell, a freshman who earlier that year had been redistricted out of his seat -- thanks to partisan maneuvering directed by DeLay -- is the first major Democrat to indicate he will challenge Gov. Rick Perry (R).

Chris Bell Takes His Message National

By Damon McCullar

Chris Bell gave the keynote address today at the YDA Convention in San Francisco. The speech was covered by Pragmaddict over at Corked Bats. This is what he had to say about Chris's speech.

First, Chris Bell's message was clear from the beginning of his speech. He will be an "Education Governor," one who offered a strong vision for what his ideal Texas would look like. He made a committment to making Texas schools the best in the nation. And I'm particularly persuaded by the strategy of using this sort of message. Specific goal-setting was one way of speaking drastically missing from the Kerry/Edwards campaign, and I think it hurt them. Talking about poverty or health care or education in abstract "I want to reduce/increase it" terms is a significnatly less effective way of speaking than "I will cut poverty in half/I will create 50,000 new jobs/I will make Texas schools the best in the nation."

And he has a bright, fresh approach to education, framing it as an economic issue as well. A solid move for an economy debate that is dominated by tax policy. And in the tradition of Lakoff, after offering a new frame and metaphor, he also got into the nitty-gritty about education policy and advocated a strongly localized approach. A few choice quotes from his speech below.

"Let's raise teacher pay, get out of the way, and let them teach."

"Tests don't make you smarter, just like rulers don't make you taller."

"Jesus didn't need a poll-tested focus group to kick the money-changers out of the temple, and David didn't need third-party surrogates to take down Goliath."

"How can we call ourselves progressive if we fail to offer progress?"

A very good speech filled with excellent framing techniques--I am officially sold!

Chris Bell and Felix Alvarado are currently the only candidates for governor on the Democratic Ticket. Chris announced his candidacy on July 28th via an email to his supporters and will launch his campaign from the University of Texas on Sunday, August 14 at 2pm.

I would love to hear what Katie and Byron thought of his speech.

Welcome

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

If you are coming here from the Kinky Friedman site which just posted a blog entry and listed us on their front page, welcome to the Burnt Orange Report.

Though this blog is owned and written by Democrats, our primary interest (all puns and hints intended) is covering the political scene here in the Great State of Texas, with the governor's race being one heck of a show for us as Burnt Orange Reporters.

So I welcome y'all in poking around these parts, becoming regular readers if you please, and joining the conversation here. For a quick primer on all of our Kinky Coverage on BOR, check out this listing of entries.

Consider this an Open Thread.

On The Campaign Trail with Barbara Ann Radnofsky

By Damon McCullar

I was asked to join Barbara Ann Radnofsky this morning on the campaign trail. Little did I know that it would be the running trail at Town Lake. I tried to explain to her staff that bloggers are lucky to exercise their fingers, and that's only if they post everyday (which I don't). Also, they wanted me up at 7 a.m. To that I replied, "Up at 7 a.m.? I'm lucky if I've gone to bed by 7 a.m." So with my trusty Radio Shack tape recorder I hit the trail with Barbara Ann Radnofsky and I asked her a few questions along the way. The sacrifices I make for my art!

DCM: Good morning Barbara!
BAR: Hi!

DCM: Barbara, why are you running for the US Senate and why do you think you are qualified?
BAR: On the why reason, it's really a straightforward matter. I just want to make a difference. It's as simple as that. And on my qualifications, it's hard to put them in order...I think in terms of wanting to have citizen politicians, someone who's not been a politician all their life. I'm a mother of three kids, I've been very active in consumer protection activities, both as a mother and a lawyer. Just to give you an example, I filed a petition with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to ban lighters that aren't adequately child resistant. Although that's not a matter of being elected to public office, I think it shows civic service. I'm a lawyer. I've been a lawyer for 26 years and I think maybe the quality of my practice that makes me best suited for the Senate is that I'm a mediator, which I call being a professional problem solver.

DCM: Congress recently enacted a "sweeping" energy bill. According some reports, it gives massive tax cut and subsides to oil companies, yet they are raking in record profits in the billions of dollars. How would you address that?

BAR: First of all, I've seen the reports that it's sweeping. I think it's pretty significant, the stuff that was eliminated from it or didn't make it into the bill. And I think, for example, to abandon the standards for fuel efficiency, which Kay Bailey Hutchinson (KBH) voted against, and to not mandate basic miles-per-gallon fuel efficiency means it's not a sweeping bill. And you're right, it includes tax incentives for that which will already be done because it's highly profitable--is just causing us to lose revenue. So I think there are a lot of problems in it. The transportation aspect is loaded with pork. I think there needs to be more done on renewable energy, and there's no question we need to encourage renewable energy.

DCM: The President has had several controversial appointments in his second term. What do you see as the role of the Senate in "advise and consent" and how do you feel about the Republican "Straight up or down" rhetoric?

BAR: Well, I think we can talk about both Judge Roberts and John Bolton. The nomination of Judge Roberts caused people to immediately, and I mean immediately, call on the Senate to confirm him. For example, KBH, within minutes of the announcement, called on her colleagues in the Senate to ".ensure that Roberts would be in place by October." Now that's without regard to their investigation and their doing their constitutional duty of advising. And part of advising means that you have to be informed. I take that seriously. I think a Senator under the Constitution has a duty to advise the President, and he or she shouldn't take it lightly. And I think it is an abandonment of your Constitutional duty when you call on your colleagues to immediately confirm somebody. He may be supremely qualified, but you have to go through the process. Now on Mr. Bolton, I think a recess appointment, which I think is kind of connected to what you are talking about, circumvents the role of the Senate, period. And while there is some precedent in emergent times for a recess appointment, this isn't that time, particularly when you have such a controversial figure whose credibility is in doubt. So, we need to consider what is the effect on our international standing, how we are viewed when a person whose credibility is in question--and that's why the Senate has hearings on advise and consent. As you can tell, I'm kind of a process kind of person because through due process that's where you get fairness, and the result is better and you get better buy-in when you have due process. It may end up with the same result, it may not.

DCM: Another law that was recently passed was the Central America Free Trade Agreement. How do you see that impacting Texas and would you do anything differently?

BAR: Well, I'll give you an example of what I would do differently. The provisions in CAFTA and many of these trade agreements give an unfair leg up to foreign corporations who are allowed to escape the laws of the host state in which they function, and the only criteria by which they are judged is economic parity. In other words, you get a foreign company who wants to do business in a state that has regulations that protect their citizens, environmental regulations for example, and because they are environmental regulations the foreign company is allowed to contest the effect of those regulations if it has an economic impact. In other words, does it cause them to be at an economic disadvantage because it cost them, so they don't have to comply, or if they do have to comply they are allowed to sue and get money damages and/or relief from the trade organization. And that puts Americans and American companies at a disadvantage because that company can, in effect, escape those environmental regulations. And don't you find it ironic that those who think we ought to control litigation and not let people sue for money damages are going to allow foreign companies to sue for money damages in that context and who are going to get big dollar damages because an environmental regulation cost them money? Those kinds of provisions. Sure, it makes it easier for outsiders, but what it does is suck away our jobs, pollutes our environment, and doesn't promote fair trade.

DCM: I grew up in Mt. Pleasant, Texas, and I understand you've been there several times during your campaign. I'd like for you to comment on what role you see rural Texas having in your campaign and what have been your experiences as you have traveled around the state?

BAR: You're right, I've been to Mt. Pleasant twice just in the campaign, probably...in the last nine months I've been in Mt. Pleasant twice and I've made...I've made about 215 trips across the state. And you're also right, I've tried to concentrate on places Democrats, Republicans, and Independents are ignored. I've learned the most by going to places like Mt. Pleasant and having these question and answer sessions, but really the questions are the most instructive of all and in terms of what I've learned is that healthcare is incredibly important to everyone and is being ignored, and that so-called wedge issues aren't. There is a whole lot of common ground on these so call controversial issues, and the rural folks have a whole lot of common sense and they hate being written off. It's not fair. So, that's what I've learned, and strategy-wise, I'm not writing off anyone. I think it's a big mistake. That's how I ended up in Mt. Pleasant twice.

DCM: I've heard you advocate building a VA hospital in the Valley. Why do you think that's important?

BAR: Well, you're right, there is no VA hospital south of San Antonio. Veterans can get certain episodic care, but many of them take a heck of a long bus ride and some of them are pretty old and as you know, the ones that qualify for VA care, with few exceptions, have a service-related disability. They fell into that category during the Clinton Administration where you could get VA coverage at a hospital even if you didn't have a service-related disability. Those days are gone, so the ability to get VA care for our most injured of veterans--and South Texas is disproportionately represented with servicemen who are active and who are injured. It's a matter of duty to the men and women who served. It's as simple as that. There's a large area of this state, larger than some other states, that has no VA hospital. The VA and the administration were wrong to ask for no new money in the face of strong evidence that these facilities needed to be properly funded. The VA wrongly stated that we have about 15,000 servicemen that they needed to service when we really had excess of 100,000. And that doesn't take into account an aging serviceman and servicewomen population and the increased need for mental healthcare for veterans. It is obvious that we need a place.

If I could give you an overview of what KBH has done in this area-- in the spring of this year, she, as subcommittee chairwoman on appropriations for veterans' affairs, twice voted down amendments that would have at least partially funded the VA problems, including a very well thought out amendment by Patty Murray. She then rubberstamped the Republican administration's line by saying we don't need more money. She didn't call for hearings, she didn't do an investigation and then she claimed she didn't know about the problem until it surfaced recently. We issued our first two press releases. The first two press releases we did in our campaign spoke to the issue of veterans' affairs, frankly so did the third, and in response she visited the Waco VA hospital and changed her vote, and she voted for the $1.5 billion appropriation that was so needed. But the point is in April of this year she knew it, or should have known it. The American Legion and every major veteran's group, in written form and verbal form, called for full funding of VA needs. She ignored it. No hearings, no investigations, just a rubberstamp--and that's not in the people of Texas' interest.

DCM: I understand that you bill yourself as a moderate. What have you done to engage the religious middle as well as moderate Republicans and Independents?

BAR: Well, I have directly spoken to Republicans. As a matter of fact, the first speech after KBH's announcement that I gave was to a young Republican group. They were courteous, they listened to what I had to say, and I think they found we had a lot of common ground. I've also reached out to non-partisan groups and spoken to them about me in a non-partisan way. For example, in my teaching work I never impose political views and, of course, in my law work and mediation work I'm seeking to get a good solution. In terms of church groups, I've been meeting with church groups around the state and that includes Baptist, Methodist, Protestant, Jewish, and to the many Asian community members. What I've found is there is a whole bunch of spiritual people out there that do not agree with extremist philosophies that say the state should be telling us how we should teach our children in terms of religion.

DCM: There's an event in the next week or two called Justice Sunday II. What do you think of political figures attending such events in an official capacity?

BAR: I think the theme of Justice Sunday II this time around is "Save This Honorable Court and These United States." I think there is a role for people at church functions; I mean we have freedom to worship here. But as I understand it, this is a political event and I don't think there should be attempts to confuse people about the nature of it. I'm not afraid of people advocating, but I think they should be honest about what they are advocating. It all goes back to the promotion of religion and the Bible outside of the family and our places of worship, and trying to equate the Bible as merely a great piece of literature akin to, say, Huckleberry Finn in school. I think that demeans religion, I really do. So somebody showing up at this event, if they want to talk they should reveal what their agenda is. When you go to the Supreme Court and they say "God save this honorable court and these United States" it's an understanding by our Founding Fathers and by the court that the judiciary protects us. By the way, I'm opposed to terrorist threats against our judiciary. I think it's sad that a political candidate has to state where they are on that particular issue.

DCM: Here in Texas there's been a lot of press coverage about a "militia" calling themselves "Minute Men" that says that since the government isn't protecting our borders that they should. How would you address the immigration problems that we face here in Texas?

BAR: I think that immigration is tied to security, and a discussion of immigration should be tied to a security discussion. I think it is interesting the way you phrase the question, because these militia are claiming that the country and its leadership have failed us on immigration and border security. Now that indictment, that challenge to the present system, may have some value, but the solution is certainly not marauding bands of extremists. It's only a matter of time before they kill someone. I read the Constitution when I heard about the "Minute Men" movement, and it's real clear in the section on militia that it's talking about a congressionally authorized or state authorized militia. It does absolutely not contemplate these kinds of independents. I'm opposed to it. I'm opposed to them trying to take the law into their own hands. And long term, nobody says it's a solution. They're quoted as saying they're doing this, not to be the permanent solution or even a stop-gap measure because they cannot possibly have the effect that's needed. All they are trying to do is draw attention, drawing attention in a dangerous way.

DCM: In the states that these so-called "Minute Men" have been active, I think that they have had the permission of the state government. Does that make them a state authorized militia?

BAR: No, no. And again, it doesn't solve the problem. We have no statewide leadership in Texas advocating for a solution to help Texas meet its cost, tremendous administrative costs of dealing with the immigration issues or our incredible burdens on security. As you know, many of the cities in Texas have some of the highest risk factors, or combination of risk factors, including ports. Those aren't being properly funded and haven't been since the establishment of the Homeland Security Department.

DCM: So you are saying that we shouldn't focus just on the border with Mexico, we should focus on all the ports of entry from foreign lands?

BAR: And we need to focus on efforts beyond the border. The border isn't the first stop for terror. When we try to target illegal immigration, we have been targeting free trade between Mexico and the United States, and I mean a fair system of trade, where investments by our neighbors down below and above the border, which isn't some black line but a zone, where neighbors get along. And so to stop trade in southern Texas and to claim that solves the security problem is incorrect. There requires a comprehensive solution, not a stop-gap measure that everyone agrees isn't workable, and I'm talking about our junior Senator's proposal, which I think has been concededly attacked and correctly attacked as something not practical.

DCM: There are a lot of folks in the state, both Republicans and Democrats, that have written your candidacy off and said you don't have a chance. How would you address folks of that opinion?

BAR: I'm glad to say a lot of people have changed their mind. When I first started the 215 trips there were certainly a lot of people that questioned legitimately would I stick with it. What I did was in terms of showing that I've been paying my dues for the last 26 years in serving my family, my clients and the public through my consumer protection activities. I also showed them I could raise money for good causes, as I did last year and raise money for me, which I did this year, since my business plan contemplated raising half a million dollars. What I also showed them was that Texans ache for a problem solver, they really do. So people said a year and a half ago that there's no way you'll be the Democratic nominee from the State of Texas for the Senate. And I'd ask you to ask folks now that were saying that, whether they have completely changed their mind and will concede that I'm more than the front-runner, I'm the presumptive nominee. And as far as how we fight the uphill battle in November, it's got to be done with a series of strategies that have already been implemented. Tell what campaign you know of that already has a national finance director, a communications director, field operations, and all three of those humming along in a significant way. I have event planners, I have a fine manager, I've made contacts with folks in and out of the state, and I'm still traveling non-stop. I show people what I've done so far just since my opponent has announced, and keep in mind that for the six months since I filed in January, I didn't have an opponent. I didn't get an opponent until the end of June, and that allowed me to focus.

DCM: There's been a lot of coverage about the state of military readiness of our military. The Army in particular has had problems meeting their recruitment goals. There was some controversy about the material readiness of our military with regard to armor on military vehicles. How would you ensure our military preparedness in the future?

BAR: Congress needs to insist on its right to be informed fully about what's going on. Congress needs not to abdicate its responsibility for intelligence receipt, and demanding accountability of the decision makers of our military and defense leaders, which includes civilian leaders as well as military. I will say that our military officers are more than willing to provide information to Congress. I think that's the solution. I think we do not need a Congress that is a rubberstamp to the administration, and that's what we've got. We've got a rubberstamp.

DCM: I'm at the end of my interview--is there anything else you would like to add?

BAR: I can say this has been a great journey, and I am having an effect. I think, just like this country has a great tradition of citizen soldiers, we ought to have a tradition of citizen leaders, and that includes politicians. There is no reason that a mother like me, wife of a physician, a ten-year teacher of mediation, a lawyer, a consumer protection advocate, and someone deeply concerned about her country, and a spiritual person to boot, there's no reason a person like that can't competently serve in the Senate. Frankly, the Senate right now is like this dysfunctional classroom in which the students who are bullies have taken over, and they are preventing the rest of everyone from functioning properly. This extremism has to stop. We have to go about the right process in solving problems, not just being hamstrung by this extremist debate. I really believe that. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't believe it.

DCM: In the states that these so called "Minute Men" have been active, I think that they have had the permission of the state government. Does that make them a state authorized militia?

BAR: No, no. And again, it doesn't solve the problem. We have no state-wide leadership in Texas advocating for a solution to help Texas meet its cost...tremendous administrative costs of dealing with the immigration issues or our incredible burdens on security. As you know, many of the cities in Texas have some of the highest risk factors, or combination of risk factors, including ports. Those aren't being properly funded and haven't been since the establishment of the Homeland Security Department.

DCM: So you are saying that we shouldn't focus just on the border with Mexico, we should focus on all the port of entry from foreign lands?

BAR: We need to focus on efforts beyond the border. The border isn't the first stop for terror. When we try to target illegal immigration, we have been targeting free trade between Mexico and the United States and I mean a fair system of trade. So to stop trade in southern Texas and to claim that solves the security problem is incorrect. There requires a comprehensive solution, not a stop-gap measure that everyone agrees isn't workable and I'm talking about our junior Senator's proposal, which I think has been concededly attacked and correctly attacked as something not practical.

DCM: There are a lot of folks in the state, both Republicans and Democrats that have written your candidacy off and said you don't have a chance. How would you address folks of that opinion?

BAR: I'm glad to say a lot of people have changed their mind. When I first started the 215 trips there were certainly a lot of people that questioned legitimately would I stick with it. What I did in terms of showing that I've been paying my dues for the last 26 years in serving my family, my clients and the public through my consumer protection activities. I also showed them I could raise money for good causes, as I did last year and raise money for me, which I did this year since my business plan contemplated raising half of a million dollars. What I also showed them was that Texans ache for a problem solver, they really do. So people said a year and a half ago that there's no way you'll be the Democratic nominee from the State of Texas for the Senate. And I'd ask you to ask folks now that were saying that whether they have completely changed their mind and will concede that I'm more than the front-runner, I'm presumptive nominee. And as far as how we fight the uphill battle in November, it's got to be done with a series of strategies that have already been implemented. Tell what campaign you know that already has a national finance director, a communications director, field operations and all three of those humming along in a significant way. I have event planners, I have a fine manager, I've made contacts with folks in and out of the state and I'm still traveling non-stop. I show people what I've done s far just since my opponent has announced and keep in mind for six months since I filed in January, I didn't have an opponent. I didn't get an opponent until the end of June and that allowed me to focus.

DCM: There's been a lot of coverage about the state of military readiness of our military. The Army in particular has had problems meeting their recruitment goals. There was some controversy about the material readiness of our military with regard to armor on military vehicles. How would you ensure out military preparedness in the future?

BAR: Congress needs to insist on its right to be informed fully about what's going on. Congress needs not to advocate its responsibility for intelligence receipt and demanding accountability of the decision makers of our military and defense leaders, which includes civilian leaders as well as military. I will say that our military officers are more than willing to provide information to Congress. I think that's the solution. I think we do not need a Congress that is a rubberstamp to the administration and that's what we've got. We've got a rubberstamp.

DCM: I'm at the end of my interview, is there anything else you would like to add?

BAR: I can say this has been a great journey and I am having an affect. I think, just like this country has a great tradition of citizen soldiers, we ought to have a tradition of citizen leaders and that includes politicians. There is no reason that a mother like me, wife of a physician, a ten year teacher of mediation, a lawyer, a consumer protection advocate, and someone deeply concerned about her country and a spiritual person to boot. There's no reason a person like that can't competently serve in the Senate. Frankly, the Senate right now is like this dysfunctional classroom in which the students who are bullies have taken over and they are preventing the rest of everyone from functioning properly. This extremism has to stop. We have to go about the right process in solving problems, not just being hamstrung by this extremist debate. I really believe that. I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't believe it.

Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls Next Week ***UPDATE***

By Damon McCullar

TGIF folks! It's time for this week's installment of Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls!

I had some late breaking events to post for both David Van Os and Barbara Radnofsky. Their events are below.

Chris Bell
Chris Bell is a former US Congressman who is running for Governor.

8/6/2005: Chris will be the featured speaker at the general session of the Young Democrats of America National Convention! The YDA National Convention is being held in San Francisco this year, and Chris is proud to be joining a large delegation of Texas Young Democrats making the trip west for the event. Chris will be speaking to the convention at approximately 11:30 AM PDT, during the mid-day general session.
8/9/2006: Chris will be speaking to the Katy Area New Democrats Organization (KANDO) on the evening of Tuesday, August 9. The meeting starts at 7 PM at the Fort Bend County Library at 2620 Commercial Center Blvd in Katy.
8/14/2005: Join us at a rally in Austin on the afternoon of Sunday, August 14 as Chris formally launches his campaign for governor! Chris is inviting his friends and supporters from all across Texas to come take part in the festivities and hear him lay out his vision for the campaign ahead! RSVP on the Chris Bell website so that they can keep in touch with you as the launch party approaches! The launch rally will begin at 2 PM on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin, near the the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue in the East Mall. Our thanks to the University Democrats for sponsoring the event! We're going to have buses to bring people up from Houston, so be sure to tell us if you want a ride. And if you're in another city and want to help us organize carpools, let us know!

David Van Os
David Van Os is running for Attorney General. Check out his new website.

8/5/2005: Hidalgo County Democratic Party Luncheon
McAllen with Howard Dean
8/5 and 8/6/2005: DNC Hispanic Summit San Antonio
8/5 8/7/2005: Democracy School Austin
8/9/2005: Statewide Campaign Steering Committee Meeting Austin
8/10/2005: West University Democrats Houston, Guest Speaker
8/11-8/13/2005: Texas AFL-CIO Convention Houston
8/13/2005: Meet and Greet at Private Residence Galveston

Barbara Radnofsky
Barbara is running for Senate against Kay Bailey Hutchinson.

Barbara will be represented August 5th by Edinburgh Attorney Victor Carrera at a Democratic Party Rally in McAllen featuring Howard Dean, from 10 to 2.

Barbara will be represented by Norma Fisher Flores of El Paso, a member of the DNC, Larry Romo, of Texas Democratic Veterans, and State Field Director Robert Andrews of Austin at the DNC 2005 Hispanic Summit this weekend in San Antonio at the Hyatt Riverwalk.
There will be a fundraising reception for Barbara in Houston Sunday at the home of Esther & Woody Fox, 5607 Jackwood, Houston 77096. RSVP to Linda Rabinowitz at 713.729-5631.

Barbara will be speaking to the Texas Young Democrats and Jefferson County Democrats in Beaumont Monday August 8th from 7 to 8, Pipe Fitters Local #195 (3184 HWY 69N Nederland 77627). Contact Joe Deshotel 409.781.4651 for more information.

Field Director Robert Andrews will be representing Barbara at a meeting of the Burnet County Democrats in Burnet at the Burnet County Democratic Party Headquarters. 104 Washington Street, in Burnet at 7:00 on Thursday August 11th.

John Courage
John Courage is running for Congress in the CD-21.

8/5/2005: John will be at the DNC/Hispanic Leadership Summit Reception with Howard Dean at Plaza Juarez located by the San Antonio Riverwalk. The reception is hosted by Congressman Charlie Gonzalez.
8/6/2005: John will spend the day at the DNC/Hispanic
Leadership Summit at the Hyatt Regency hotel in San Antonio.
8/7/2005 John will attend the DNC/HLS grassroots training
program also at the Hyatt Regency hotel.
8/9/2005 John will be in Austin at a meeting of the South Austin Democrats at the Little Mexico Restaurant, 2304 South 1st Street. He
will do a meet and greet 5:30 to 6:00 PM

Alsoo on Tuesday the 9th John will attend in Austin, a meeting of the Vote Rescue group (a voting rights coalition). The meeting will be at Vinny's Italian Cafe from 6:00 - 8:00PM.

Nick Lampson
Nick Lampson is running against Tom DeLay for Congress in CD-22. He has no events planned for this week.

Charlie Thompson
Charlie is a retired Naval Flight Officer exploring a run for Congress in CD-5

Andy Brown
Andy Brown is an Austin lawyer running for State Representative in District 48.

Andy Brown will be blockwalking this weekend. Come meet Andy, talk to West Austin voters, and work on your tan! Contact Marc at 636-4345 or at marc@voteandy.com for more information.

Dan Barrett
Dan is runing for State Representative in District 97.

Diane Henson
Diane is running for the 3rd Court of Appeals

Charles Baird
Charles is running for the 299th district court here in Austin. Let get behind him and Keep Austin Blue.

That's it for this week folks. If any other 2006 Democratic Hopefuls would like to have your events featured in this weekly post or on Burnt Orange Report, please contact me via email with your schedules or any campaign announcements. None of the candidates listed have been endorsed by Burnt Orange Report and if there is anyone running in the same race and would like equal billing, by all means contact me and I will list your name and events.

TFN Ranks Educators On Education Issues

By Vince Leibowitz

The Texas Freedom Network has released a report card, ranking members of the Texas House on education issues.

Interestingly, the report card ranks Legislators using the same standards the state uses: Exemplary, Recognized, and Academically Unacceptable.

Of the 63 legislators ranked Exemplary, all but three are Democrats. Of the 23 listed as Recognized, all except two are Republicans. Democrats Al Edwards and Velma Luna made this list.

All 63 legislators ranked Academically Unacceptable are Republicans.

You can view the list here. The complete 'Report Card' is here.

Nevertheless, there are a couple of things you may want to know about the report card, though.

First, except for HB2, almost of all of the votes used to generate the rankings have to do with school vouchers, code named by the Republicans as "school choice." Second, it appears as though absences and 'present, not voting' instances aren't used in calculation of the percentage used to determine a legislator's ranking.

The reason for the selection of the legislation by TFN is, I'm sure, because they are one of the most outspoken opponents of vouchers in Texas. Regardless, the votes of a legislator for vouchers do, in my opinion, certainly define his "acceptablilty" in my eyes.

**Special Thanks to Carl Whitmarsh who forwarded this information to a couple of Democratic lists I'm on.**

Vince Leibowitz is County Chairman of the Democratic Party of Van Zandt County. He may be reached at Vince_Leibowitz@verizon.net or at Vince_Leibowitz@bluebottle.com.

Dean in South Texas

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Thanks to PinkDome and the Tejano Insider for the reminder.

Democratic National Committee
For Immediate Release
August 4, 2005

***Press Advisory***
CHAIRMAN DEAN TRAVELS TO TEXAS, MEETS WITH HISPANIC COMMUNITY

Friday, August 5th

Who: DNC Chairman Howard Dean
When: 7:30pm - 9:30pm
What: Welcome Reception for Hosted By Congressman Charlie Gonzalez
Where: Plaza Juarez, located behind La Villita Assembly Hall (South Presa Street at La Villita Walkway), San Antonio, Texas

Saturday, August 6th
(below the fold)

Who: DNC Chairman Howard Dean When: 9:15am - 9:35am What: Opening Remarks, 3rd Annual DNC Hispanic Summit Where: Regency Ballroom West, Hyatt Riverwalk Hotel, 123 Loyosa Street, San Antonio, TX

Who: DNC Chairman Howard Dean
When: 1:15pm - 2:00pm
What: Keynote Address, 3rd Annual DNC Hispanic Summit
Where: Regency Ballroom Center, Hyatt Riverwalk Hotel, 123 Loyosa Street, San Antonio, TX

Following Chairman Dean's speach there will be press availability.

Felix Alvarado for Governor? And His Sister For Lt. Governor?? Have I missed something?

By Vince Leibowitz

Felix Alvarado, A Fort Worth middle school assistant principal and candidate for U.S. Congress in Texas' CD 12 last year, has evidently announced his intention to enter the 2006 Democratic Primary for Governor.

And, his sister, Maria Luisa Alvarado, a career military office, is evidently running for Lt. Governor.

I'm not sure how I missed this, but it appears I'm not the only one. I can't find any mention of it here at BOR using the site search. At any rate, if I'm late on this one and somehow missed it, please forgive me.

I found out about Felix Alvarado's candidacy in the very last paragraph of a story on Kay Bailey Hutchison in the San Antonio Express News, the very same story Karl Thomas referenced in his earlier post "Kay Sheds A Tear":

Former U.S. Rep. Chris Bell of Houston is seeking the Democratic nomination for governor. Felix Alvarado, Fort Worth Middle School assistant principal, also said he plans to run in the Democratic primary.

And, I found out about Maria Luisa's candidacy via a link on her brother's website, which takes you to the front page of a website they both share, OneTexasForAll.com.

All I have to say is, "wow."

I'm not familiar with Alvarado's campaign in CD 12 last session and, based on her biography, it appears that Maria Alvarado is a newcomer to the political scene. So, given that only two candidates have thus far formally announced for Governor (even though the SAEN says Alvarado is considering a run, his website seems to indicate he's already decided), I obviously have no prediction on this worth sharing. It's still far, far too early. Tony Sanchez, John Sharp, Ted Lyon, and whoever else is considering running remain undecided. But, given the way these things work, I doubt the Democratic Primary will simply be a two-way race.

At any rate, I'm going to email both prospective candidates and see if I can get an e-mail interview of some sort.

Vince Leibowitz is County Chairman of the Democratic Party of Van Zandt County and a regular contributor to Burnt Orange Report. He may be reached at Vince_Leibowitz@verizon.net or Vince_Leibowitz@bluebottle.com

Primary Ambitions?

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

This was referenced in yesterday's post about Kinky's campaign event and action figure, but today's AAS story sheds the light.

(By the way, we here at BOR link to what now seems to be often log-in required content for online news publications. If you don't want to register, I suggest you check out BugMeNot.com and if you have Firefox, use the extension.)

Apparently an off-handed comment by Texas Democratic Party Chair Charles Soechting that Kinky should considering running in the Democratic Primary wasn't as idle as once believed.

A Houston lawyer said he recently told Soechting that he was supporting Friedman and that Soechting replied: "He ought to run as a Democrat."

The lawyer, Dick DeGuerin, who backed Democratic gubernatorial choice Tony Sanchez in 2002, said Soechting seemed serious about considering Friedman.

"Politics has gotten to be such a mess," DeGuerin said. "It's gotten so polarized that someone needs to shake up the status quo. The Democrats have been in disarray. They've let the Republicans run all over them."

Soechting confirmed DeGuerin's recollection, saying he'd like to visit Friedman to gauge his Democratic Party values.

"No question he's a real smart guy; people like him," Soechting said. "A lot of people would like to see a candidate for governor appear to have a little wild man like Kinky in him. There's something to be said about being a little wild, a little unpredictable. I've been accused of that myself."

Friedman, who has previously indicated no yen for running as a Democrat, said: "I'm flattered at the possibility of being the Democratic pallbearer, I mean standard-bearer. . . . I'm open to talking to them. I don't think it's going to happen."

This is one of the reasons I have such a hard time pegging Mr. Soechting. One week I'll feel like calling for a new Chairman, other weeks I have to scratch my head and say Hell, Yeah! This week I'm just confused, as the Chris Bell campaign probably is, considering they have yet to get the papers to shake off using the Sanchez and former Comptroller John Sharp have yet to clarify plans line.

Bell spokesman Jason Stanford said that if Friedman, who once ran for justice of the peace in Kerr County as a Republican, had Democratic Party values, he'd be running as a Democrat already.

"It's going to come down to who has the best ideas," Stanford said. "The real problems get solved at the grown-ups' table."

A great sound byte, but one that makes little sense. Plus we all know in Texas that the real problems don't get solved at the grown-ups' table. They simply don't get solved at all.

Case in point? School Finance- no. Property Texas- no. Sexy Cheerleaders- no. Chuck Wagons and Dutch Ovens- yes.

Kinky verses Bell? I'd like to watch the battle of the campaign blogs on that one.

YDA Update

By Katie Naranjo

Both tickets are working very hard to get votes from delegates with shirts, volunteers and buttons. After meeting with Chris Galloway I was very impressed with his knowledge and plans for YDA to help local chapters.

However, training still continues with Rep. Mark Strama leading a training session to bring experience and knowledge to young democrats who plan to work in campaigning. The Democratic GAIN training has been focusing on campaign skills, young candidate training, and chapter building. For more information on GAIN training see http://www.democraticgain.org/

I would like to personally congratulate Erica Contreras for winning her election for Secretary of the Minority Caucus. I also want to wish Shondra Wygal good luck in her election for Vice-Chair of the Women’s caucus, which the vote will convene at 4pm. That is all for now, more updates will be coming.

Voting Rights Act Turns 40

By Vince Leibowitz

I did not realize it, but according to CivilRights.org, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 turns 40 on Saturday.

Though I'm not going to make this one of my long posts, I do want to say that the Civil Rights Act of 1965 is something that makes me very proud of Democrats and Texas' own Lyndon Johnson.

If you've never read "Taking Charge," the book that transcribes many tape recorded conversations from the Lyndon Johnson White House, now would be a great time to do so. Some editions, as I recall, come with an actual tape of many of the conversations. As I recall there are several calls transcribed having to do with the Civil Rights Act, and all are very revealing and interesting.

Bob Novak

By Byron LaMasters

I just watched the Novak video of his Crossfire performance earlier today. In honor of his lovely exit from CNN, I thought that I would repost my flattering picture of Mr. Novak taken at the Democratic convention last year. Enjoy. Good riddance for CNN... it's about time.

New Blog

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The official blog of the State Tejano Democrats is up and running. Check out the Tejano Insider here, which reminds us that Howard Dean will be coming back to Texas for a couple of events, including the Third Annual 2005 Hispanic Leadership Summit which will be held in San Antonio from August 5th-7th at the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk.

There will be a reception for the 2005 DNC Hispanic Leadership Summit & DNC Chairman, Gov. Howard Dean at Plaza Juarez located behind La Villita Assembly Hall (S. Presa Street at La Villita Walkway) on Friday, August 5th, 2005 from 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm.

Kinky Pulls a Crowd

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

First off, two days ago Kinky was down in San Antonio having a campaign event. Keep in mind...

He's not on the ballot yet.
He's an Independent candidate.
It's 15 months from Election Day if he gets on the ballot.

The event pulls 2,000 people.

OK, unless someone is massaging the numbers, I can't help to be but a little blown away. The closest thing to compare this to was Howard Dean's 'summer before the primary' visit to Austin at Plaza Saltillo (I was in Germany at the time) where he drew around 3000 people, which at the time was the largest event held in his campaign.

The two hour event went on for five hours. The line to meet kinky went on forever. We sold out of Kinky beer mugs after two hours. We sold more merchandise at the event than any event held to date. These were everyday folks who believe that Kinky can restore some decency and pride back into Texas politics. They were pumped up and so was Kinky. Kinky is still talking about the event this week.

Conservatively, over 2,000 Kinky fans attended the fundraiser. San Antonio volunteers showed up and helped us collect over 500 new volunteers and everyone had a great time. This thing is building and is going to sweep over the entire state before we are finished. Well done Kinky faithful.

Then, I get an e-mail in my inbox yesterday with yet another Kinky campaign invention which I'm sure the MSM will just love as usual. He's raising money (now $30,003 out of $75,000 this week) to create a Kinky Friedman Action Figure.

I have to wonder who cooks this stuff up. The best I can come up with (when I was having too much fun at a friend's apartment) was that someone should call their Campaign HQ the "Gubenatorium" (inspired by the Bell campaign's now defunct "Exploratorium" since he's no longer exploring *sob*). That's a freebie, up for grabs to whoever takes it first.

Update at YDA by the Bay

By Katie Naranjo

Aug. 3rd
The YDA convention has started with a battle in the credentials committee over allotting full votes to various states. The battle is due to the tense campaigning by the Unity and Galloway tickets. Check out both groups to get updates. Personally, I am excited to see the contested election in YDA, especially since a fellow Texan is running Giovanni Garibay.

Aug. 4th
Currently, I am in the women’s caucus where we are discussing reaching out to young women voters in America. With the Republicans ahead in framing their argument with low taxes, small government and jobs; Democrats, especially young women, have to frame their arguments to reach a broad range of women. The main message is to spread the word about how and when to vote. College students rarely know that they can vote at their college library. Young women who are in the professional realm also are not being targeted by campaigns because they are vastly overlooked.

The statistics show that if women will actually get out to vote, they will on average more likely vote Democrat. Before approaching someone to vote Democrat, make sure they are equipped to vote (ie) registered voter.

Statistics show that female voters are reaching out to more issues then choice, job equity. The War in Iraq, the economy, and health care run the gamete of issues that women voters are concerned about. Women need to use peer-to-peer contact to create a base in which they can approach female voters on issues.

I am with Alex De Ocampo at the moment, presidential candidate for Team Unity, is there anything you would like to say to Texas? Alex: "I am running for YDA president and I am fighting for change. This organization can do better and we will do better. I ask for your support and thank you for your kindness. "

After meeting with Unity I am very impressed with the ideas, professionalism, and spirit they embody. More will come after the general meeting once I see Nancy Pelosi!!!!!!

Lost that Lege-ing Feeling

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Craddick wants to go home.

"We have worked diligently to find a final compromise to HB 2 and HB 3. At this point in the special session, neither chamber has been able to pass any legislation, nor does it not appear that they will. We are wasting time and money, and it is unproductive to prolong this process.

In less than two weeks schools are set to start, and it is vital for them to have the updated textbooks necessary to do so. The funds for those books can only be granted through budget execution, which cannot be done while we are in session.

I suggest we sine die, continue working together to reach an agreement, request the Texas Education Agency send us a list of reforms they can carry out without the Legislature changing the statutes, and wait to review the Supreme Court's ruling before formally meeting again."

...

Neither chamber can sine die without the permission of the other up to three days before the scheduled conclusion of the session.

Yep, leave it to those activist Supreme Court Justices in Texas, especially since I believe Perry has appointed a near if not outright majority of them in his 4 years of Governating. Are you sure you want to put it in their hands Craddick? That's worse than letting the Senate win to moral high ground for the session.

Then again, Craddick anagrammed spells "Did Crack". Must have to think anyone cares about the House's relevance these days.

Houston Area Races

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Greg has the skinny on what's happening over in the Houston area as State Reps start moving up to fill the soon to be vacant SD 7 seat of Jon Lindsay's. Rep. Nixon and now Rep. Hamric want in on the GOP primary action which means those House seats become slightly more interesting. Head on over for a good read which I'm not going to repeat here.

Also check out Greg's wrap-up and reflections on what we can learn here in Texas from Paul Hackett. I agree. I will challenge any Democrat in Travis county that whines about how corrupt the GOP and Tom DeLay are and why can't we ever win anything as a party and keep losing Presidential elections to sit their butts down on a campaign here in the County, be it Andy Brown, John Courage, or Diane Henson (all three of whom attended last night's DFA-Austin MeetUp where I chatted with them about their campaigns). That's where it starts folks.

Kay Sheads a Tear

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

It must be bad when the Texas lege, busy doing nothing, get's called out by the state GOP Mamma, Kay Bailey Hutchison.

The failure of Texas lawmakers to agree on school and tax reform disappoints U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, who backed out of the governor’s race earlier this summer to remove politics from the public education debate, she said today.

“Of course I’m disappointed, as every Texan is, that we are not fully funding our schools and that we are not (lowering) these onerous property taxes on many of our citizens,” she said after speaking to the Texas Association of Broadcasters.

Onerous. That's certainly our word of the day. But remember, she backed out of running for Guv because she cares, really cares about Texas.

“I thought when I bowed out of the governor’s race that it would take the politics out of the Legislature. That’s one of the reasons why I announced early,” she said. “I really thought that would help. I see no change, and I’m disappointed."

So are we KBH. So are we.

Real Cost of the Legislature's Failures

By Vince Leibowitz

The average person--or at least, the average person not involved in public school education in Texas--may read the stories about the Texas Legislature's failure to come to grips with school finance and simply think, "well, that's politics (or government) as usual."

It usually takes a story like this one in the Dallas Morning News to make people realize that such legislative failures have a real cost--and real impact--on the people of Texas:

Millions of new textbooks for foreign language, health, art and music classes cannot be delivered to school districts because the Legislature, caught in a stalemate over school finance for months, hasn't authorized their purchase.

Kids without school books. It may not be as terrible as kids without access to healthcare, kids in a broken protective services system, or kids in under-funded mental health facilities.

But, it's still bad. And, it's yet another failure for which the blame falls directly on the doorstep of the Republican Party of Texas.

I know, I know: I'm just another partisan Democrat complaining about a legislative failure and looking for something--anything--to blame it on.

You can say that, or you can look at the real record.

For decades in Texas, Democrats worked toward positive improvements for the people of this state. Even as the legislature became home to more tax-phobic, religious zealot, corporate whore, help-the-rich-and-screw-the-poor Republicans, the Democratic leadership managed to find common ground and do it without walk-outs, shutting off mics, and a myriad of tactics the present majority has used to forward their partisan agenda.

Texas government today is stuck in a quagmire of partisanship. Sure, there may be a few--and I emphasize few--Republicans who are willing to work toward some type of middle-ground, but the fact remains that the majority appear to be far less than willing to sacrafice the goals and agendas of their far-to-the-Right party and their moneyed contributors like James Leinninger and Bob Perry for the citizens of Texas.

These people get elected by smearing their Democratic opponents as "liberal," and campaign as though they were God's personal heirs to Sam Houston, Mirabeau B. Lamar and the other Fathers (and Mothers) of Texas. They claim that Democrats will tax the people to death, and that they will bring about a serious departure from "politics as usual" inside the "Austin beltway."

They sure as hell have. State government is far, far from "politics as usual," today.

And, it's taken us nowhere.

In a couple of short sessions, what small amount of goodwill the Legislature built between the people of Texas has been slaughtered on the alter of Republican partisanship.

If you don't believe me, look at the latest approval ratings for the Texas Legislature. I don't have a link to one of the recent polls, but I'm sure you can search this site for them; the polls have been posted here several times.

And, people wonder why these folks get elected. Of course, the wedge issues must be considered: religion, so-called morals issues, and, of course, abortion.

My only hope is that, perhaps, when someone's child comes home with a 15-year-old Spanish book held together with duct tape or someone's child's grades are suffering because they don't have access to appropriate text books when school starts, that Texans will realize who is to blame.

But, that's not enough, is it? Knowing who is to blame is one thing, but the leap to realizing who can fix the problem is quite another thing. Democrats have been so deamonized by the Republican Party and have suffered from the "Bush" coat tails for enough election cycles that it will take the Democrats out in the trenches to make the difference and help people realize that we are the party that built Texas--that we are the party that looks out for "you," whether you're black, white, brown, old, young, an unwed mother, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, and regardless of religion, sexual orientation, race or what side of the proverbial "tracks" you grew up on.

That's what we as Democrats have to offer. Hopefully, the time has finally come that the people of Texas will realize that.

Blogging YDA by the Bay

By Byron LaMasters

BORers Katie Naranjo and I are currently in San Francisco as Texas delegates to the Young Democrats of America National Convention. I had hoped that more BORers (Karl-Thomas?) would have been able to join us, but it's just the two of us. Fortunately, however, the Texas Young Democrats have a strong forty member delegation representing chapters from Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston and San Antonio. This afternoon, I attended a technology workshop with a panel including blogger Davey D and the founder of Craig's List among others.

I'd urge all of you to read the San Francisco Chronicle article from Monday on the convention. This is my first YDA convention (and third YDA National meeting) to attend, so I'm quite excited about being at the convention (not to mention in San Francisco).

I would be interested to know if anyone is blogging the YDA convention. To my knowledge, this convention is the largest Democratic convention since the DNC convention in Boston last July. We also happen to have contested elections, which is a sign of strength for the organization. The incumbent YDA President, Chris Gallaway is running for reelection on the Gallaway slate that includes Texas YD Giovanni Garibay as a candidate for the YDA male representative to the Democratic National Committee. The opposing slate is UNITY led by presidential candidate Alex De Ocampo.

I have friends involved in both campaigns, and since I'm serving on the campaigns committee as the south-central region representative, I've had the opportunity to work with a number of people in the region. To that end, I've endorsed the three candidates from the south-central region - Giovanni Garibay of Texas for DNC (Gallaway slate), Dwayne Bensing of Arkansas for VP of Programs (UNITY) and Kathy North of Oklahoma for VP of Development (UNITY).

Best of luck to all of the candidates, and if any BOR readers are here at the convention, let me know!

DeLay's Misdeeds Continue

By John Pruett

With Congress's passage of the long-awaited energy bill this past week, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Sugarland, TX) proved yet again his complete inability to function in an ethical manner (See posts on The Daily DeLay and Think Progress blogs for more).

Besides the fact that the bill was a huge disappointment for those pushing a more responsible energy policy, DeLay felt it necessary to insert some last minute pork for his district to the tune of $1.5 billion.

Reuters reports:

[Rep.] Waxman [D-California] said the $1.5 billion fund for ultra-deepwater drilling was added to the final energy bill this week after House and Senate negotiators called a halt to any more amendments. The 30-page measure appeared in the text of the energy bill after Texas Rep. Joe Barton had officially ended the House and Senate conference committee to combine legislation passed by each chamber, he said.

"Obviously, it would be a serious abuse to secretly slip such a costly and controversial provision into the energy legislation," Waxman said in a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

Most of the $1.5 billion will end up in the hands of the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America, a consortium based in Sugarland, TX. Interestingly, members of the consortium include Halliburton, Marathon Oil, the University of Texas, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Texas A&M among others. According to Waxman,
the consortium has been pushing for the research funding and is in the best position to receive it.

Furthermore, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), who chaired the conference committee on the energy bill, supported DeLay's questionable amendment as necessary for oil companies. To put it another way, when Texas Republicans hold immense power over national legislation, Texas companies will benefit the most (oil interests in particular).

Despite DeLay's complete lack of honesty and ethics in government, the Family Research Council still figure he's pious enough to appear at their upcoming "Justice Sunday II". The rally aims to address the perceived "threat" of "judicial activism" and the upcoming SCOTUS appointment.

Although the Christian Right seems to recognize a faithful ally when it sees one, in my opinion DeLay is nothing more than a modern-day Judas stealing from the American taxpayer.

Ex-Austin Mayor Eyes State Senate Race

By Damon McCullar

Ex-Mayor of Austin, Kirk Watson told the Austin American-Statesman this morning that he will run for the state senate seat of Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos if he decides to retire after the 79th Legeislature is finally out of session. This confirms long standing rumors that Watson is eyeing the office. He left open the possibility of openly challenging Sen. Barrientos in a primary election. Rep. Elliott Naishtat has also floated the possibility of seeking the senate seat only if it becomes open.

Dan Barrett Tosses His Hat In The Ring For 2006

By Damon McCullar

Dan Barret has announced that he will run for the Texas House of Representatives in 2006. He is running in the 97th district which is in Forth Worth and is made up by the southwestern corner of Tarrant County.

I saw a lot of you Tarrant County Dems at DemFest this summer. Lets get out there and get Dan Barret elected.

Chumscrubber Comes To Austin

By Damon McCullar

Chum: 1.Bait usually consisting of oily fish ground up and scattered on the water. 2.An intimate friend or companion. This remarkable film by Arie Posin focuses a microscope on the skeletons that live in the closets of suburbia's Type A personalities: Their kids. This is an amazing film that explores the toll that over-medication, violence and neglect is taking on the youngest generation of Americans that are coming of age.

In the movie, Dean Stiffle discovers the body of his best friend, Troy, hanging in his bedroom as his mother throws a party. Turns out that Troy has been the main supplier of "happy pills" to the communities kids. When the drugs dry up, Billy, a local thug, and his gang try to blackmail Dean into getting Troy's stash by kidnapping his brother. Only they foul up and kidnap the son of the local sheriff.

Chumscrubber opened to mixed reviews at The Sundance Film Festival and was featured this spring during South By Southwest here in Austin. The limited opening takes place on Friday here in Austin and in Dallas. The unlimited opening is on August 26th.

I recommend all of our readers see the film and talk about what they got from the it in the comments. And please, if you like it, recommend it to a friend, the producer is counting on word-of-mouth to make this movie a success.

Thanks to KT for suppling me with the locations both here and in Dallas:

8/5/2005
DOBIE TWIN THEATRE, AUSTIN, TX
ARBOR CINEMAS @ GREAT HILLS 8, AUSTIN, TX

AMC GRAPEVINE MILLS 30, GRAPEVINE, TX

CINEMARK 24 (THE LEGACY), PLANO, TX

MAGNOLIA 5, DALLAS, TX

Hackett Election - FINAL (for now)

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

This is a new thread; I was tired of writing on the old one. Not that there will be many updates from here because I feel this will drag into the morning but here is the latest and a quick recap.

FINAL RESULTS

DEM - PAUL HACKETT 55151 48.25%
REP - JEAN SCHMIDT 59132 51.74%

(That's just under a 4000 vote gap from the rest of Clermont's 91 now reported precincts. But only a 3.5% win for Schmidt if it holds. I think this falls into being a major Big Deal, according to even the Cook Political Report.)

note: And just to cover our bases WCPO reports their final numbers slightly lower overall, but about the same margin. It will be resolved by morning though I'm tempted to believe the first set as it's from the Hamilton County Board of Elections, not the media.

And from Mydd.com

It's tied 50-50 percent, with 870 votes separating Hackett from the lead. And all that's left is the 91 Precincts in Clermont County.

* The reason the 91 precincts have not reported in Clermont County has to do with problems with the voting machines there. They are being counted by hand. Stay tuned. Gather everything you can about voting "irregularities" in the district. Be ready to use the f-word, and I'm not talking about "fuck."

from a mydd.com commentor

It was reported on the news at 10 that Clermont was slow becuase of the extreme humidity causing the ballots to stick. That report was from a Republican at the Schmidt camp.

Now I'm not one to call fraud all that soon or easily and I'm not about to now. But I'm also not on the ground up there. I'd keep an eye on MyDD or the Swing State Project for updates henceforth.

Stories in America

By John Pruett

Rose Aguilar is an independent journalist from San Francisco who embarked on a fascinating project several months ago. Following the 2004 General Elections, she decided to take a road trip across the Red States of Texas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Alabama, Montana and Utah in order to better understand the culture and views of conservative America.

Stories in America is the product of Aguilar's efforts. The site includes a chronicle of her travels complete with anecdotes, pictures, and interviews. In the same vein as George Lakoff and Thomas Frank, her blog represents one of the latest attempts by liberal scholars and journalists to delve into the bizarre world of conservatism that we in Texas call home. It's definitely worth a look.

However, Aguilar's project causes me to pause. I remain baffled by the explosion of research on conservatism over the past several years. It's as if liberals had fallen asleep only to be re-awakened by a slap in the face (i.e. Bush & Co.).

Maybe those on the left continued dreaming of the '60s, denying that times had changed, and now they're suddenly faced with an enemy they didn't anticipate and do not understand. Come on people! The South is still basically the South, modern-day conservatives have been growing in strength since the 1950s, jingoism didn't end with the Cold War, and robber barons still hate social programs and steal from the poor. So perhaps our recent history is not so much a story of conservatism's success, but of liberalism's failure.

Nevertheless, it was not until conservative Republicans assumed overwhelming power over this nation's government that Democrats and progressives began questioning their overall strategy and searching for new methods. This searching and re-education is a good sign and I hope to see it continue.

Results Tonight- Updating

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

In an hour the polls will be closed. Results should start flowing in here, here, or here. A number of counties are using punch cards so that may slow things down some, others are using optical scan. There are no Diebold machines in this district for this election.

Texans, it's about inspiration tonight. We've already won but let's see if we pick up a Congressional Seat while we are at it. You also have 2285 reasons to be proud.

I'll be sitting on the Swing State Project tonight as well for updates. Bless the Ohio-2 blog, it's bandwidth went overboard earlier today and is now dead.

UPDATE:

Here is an interactive visual. Then go compare these and ANY numbers to what the final numbers were in the last Republican blowout election in this district last fall at CNN.

Absentee Ballots in from Hamilton.
Absentee Ballots in from Brown. Hackett wins Brown absentee 53-47!

UPDATE

Brown has now counted more ballots, Hackett extends lead to 56%-43%!

New better soure for total results is now Channel Cincinnati.

Paul Hackett (D) 6,562 51%
Jean Schmidt (R) 6,276 49%

This isn't supposed to happen folks. 7% Reporting. A lot of this absentee.

UPDATE

WCPO now ahead of the other sources in reporting.

US HOUSE Ohio 2nd Dist
175 precincts of 753 reporting (23% Reporting)
PAUL HACKETT 13,512 51%
JEAN SCHMIDT 12,802 49%

UPDATE:

Looks like Brown is done counting though their numbers don't seem to be reflected correctly on some other aggregate pages. Final Brown County (was 72% Republican in Portman's 04 race) with 24% county turnout...

PAUL HACKETT (DEM) . . . . . . . 3,950 55.92
JEAN SCHMIDT (REP) . . . . . . . 3,100 43.88

UPDATE

Moving to Extended Entry. MyDD posts the counties weight vote wise for the overall district.

I almost can't believe it right now. Though Brown updated their vote totals some above, Other counties are now coming out with initial numbers here (I know it's slow loading). Moving to extended entry.

Clermont County:

Schmidt: 1,158 votes (61%)
Hackett: 750 votes (39%)

0% of precincts reporting
absentee ballots reporting

Hamilton County:

Schmidt: 8,859 votes (48%)
Hackett: 9,475 votes (52%)
123 out of 342 precincts reporting

Warren County:

Schmidt: 4,608 votes (57%)
Hackett: 3,523 votes (43%)
61 of 89 precincts reporting

Brown County:

Schmidt: 1,692 votes (43%)
Hackett: 2,279 votes (57%)

100% of precincts reporting

Pike County:

Schmidt: 611 votes (39%)
Hackett: 965 votes (61%)

12 of 24 precincts reporting

Adams County:

Schmidt: 944 votes (42%)
Hackett: 1,298 votes (58%)

12 of 35 precincts reporting

Scioto County:

Schmidt: 1,213 votes (34%)
Hackett: 2,379 votes (66%)

50 out of 70 precincts reporting

UPDATE

Turnout higher than expected reports Mydd. Clermont results coming in, found here. Need to limit damage in this county. 100 of 191 Precincts Reporting.

JEAN SCHMIDT 7869 56.24%
PAUL HACKETT 6099 43.59%

Overall viw WCPO...

580 precincts of 753 reporting
JEAN SCHMIDT 45,134 52%
PAUL HACKETT 42,342 48%

UPDATE

Looks like we are going to close out the night by less than 1000 votes down, meaning automatic recount. Though by any any all pre-forcasted standards, this was an absolute blow to the GOP, Jerome suggests to gather any info about possibly irregularities for the automatic recount. Hell, we don't need to win it to have won, but it sure would be nice to.

91 precints remaining in Clermont (which broke for Schmidt but is down 21 points from the last Congressional election there)

DEM - PAUL HACKETT 48811 49.56%
REP - JEAN SCHMIDT 49681 50.44%

UPDATE:

Doesn't look like there will be a recount for sure, and heck, I don't think I could stand to go through with one. Let's use the narrative we have, not get embroiled in a recount. There is no way the Republicans can say they won tonight on every level except one. Because they didn't gain a seat. They lost tens of percentage point, credibility, and soon the spin war.

Are we ready for 2006 Texas?

I see you failed to meet your Hillary-bashing quota this week

By Jim Dallas

From the US News and World Report e-mail:

Meanwhile, friends of the Bush family remain unsettled by George Herbert Walker Bush's growing friendship with Bill Clinton. The two former presidents have conducted joint projects in recent months, especially to promote tsunami relief, and have traveled the world together. Confidants of both men say they have become quite close, which has raised particular concern in Bushworld. The fear is that the 41st president might be co-opted by Clinton (who defeated him in 1992) and won't be critical enough of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the former president's wife, if Hillary runs for president in 2008 as expected. Some pals who have privately quizzed "41" recently say he cuts them short and says he has come to like Bill Clinton, that Clinton is deferential to him, and he'll decide how to handle criticism of Hillary if she does indeed run for president, but not before.

I believe it was Brian Mulroney that said it's nice to have friends in politics, but you have to have enemies. That might be true. But both Poppy Bush and Bill Clinton aren't in politics any more, so why care?

In other USN&WR news, they're running a story about the current Bush administration's cultivation of a supportive blogosphere:

Senate Democrats and Judiciary Committee minority staffers are miffed that conservative bloggers appear to have more information about Bush Supreme Court nominee John Roberts than they do.

"They've got material out there that we don't know about," complained Sen. Edward Kennedy, who's leading an effort to force the White House to turn over any documents it has on Roberts.

We love the smell of partisanship in the morning... but not if it means having to read Powerline or Little Green Footballs in order to be a fully-informed citizen.

24 Hours from Now

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

This time tomorrow night the special election in OH-2 should be over. But what happens between now and then will make all the difference for Paul Hackett (and if one more BOR reader donates $25 to put our Texas efforts over $2,200 and BOR's over $200 as a result, I'll be content and not mention it again).

But what has happened up to this point is short of amazing. Though we may not win (and though we may!) we have done more than fight the good fight. We have been inspired and are testing a concept that should be the standard for our Party in 2006. Call it a "50 State Strategy". Call it the "Run. Everywhere" Strategy. It's about us realizing that in a political world where the focus is on each individual election we lose sight of the bigger picture and that hurts the person who runs for office the next go round.

It's about Party Building. It's about Spreading the Message. And it's also about Hope.

We will never "Change the Equation" as Austin elections guru Glen Maxey would say if we keep fighting over a shrinking pool of voters in fewer and fewer districts per cycle. Is Glen leading the No Nonsense in November campaign just because he has November 8 in mind? Hardly.

It's about using the campaign to spread a message that gay people aren't straight people's worst enemy in this state. It's about changing minds and building support so that even if we lose, we shift 10% of people's minds about equal rights. We shift national polls by a few points permanently because Texas moved. We prepare ourselves for decades down the road when equal marriage rights become a reality. And we shift the end date of that realization sooner.

And it's more than that. It's about the Texas House in 2006. You think the results and data garnered off of NNiN won't be used to help unseat Todd Baxter, Martha Wong, and grab Keel's open seat? Just because every other office other than Governor seems to be generating little interest from Democrats in 2006 doesn't mean we shouldn't be running in them. The candidate in 2010 will be thankful for the groundwork laid now. And what the hell, in the worst case we might actually win a couple.

So here's the deal. If you are reading this and can physically make it to Ohio, go. If you can spare a brother a dime, do so. But above anything else, take this concept to heart as we prepare to Step Up and fight the good fight for our future, as a state and a Party.

It's a bird...! it's a plane....! it's... Bill Scranton!

By Jim Dallas

A friend tips me off to the re-emergence of William Scranton III as a contender in Pennsylvania politics -- and the inevitable discussion of transcendantal meditation and yogic flying sure to follow.

Look America, the Maharishi's only two contributions to Western civilization are getting the Beatles weird enough for them to cut the White Album; and getting Scranton weird enough to let Bob Casey beat him. Either way, it's weird, and getting weirder.

At any rate, a Pennsylvania GOP gubernatorial primary matchup pairing Scranton versus former Steeler Lynn Swann could be the most entertaining race of 2006. That isn't to say that Gov. Ed Rendell will cruise to re-election - far from it, either Scranton or Swann (or any other of the possibilities) could be credible. Nonetheless, there's always a race or two each cycle which generates funny stories, and a celebrity-driven race like this one (if it emerges) could be quite a hoot.

School Finance: More On Educator Feedback

By Vince Leibowitz

This morning's Dallas Morning News had an interesting article on school superintendents and the Legislature's special session on school finance.

It included yet another wonderful quote, this time from no less than Speaker Tom Craddick, who noted:

"The superintendents have really beat our members up the last few days...The school people are against it. It makes it tough to vote."

How cute. The speaker is now likening Texas public school superintendents to school yard bullies.

On a more interesting note, former Texas Education Commissioner Jim Nelson, now superintendent in Richardson ISD in the DWF Metroplex, says it might be a better idea to wait for the Texas Supreme Court to render a decision on the whole mess before the legislature does anything:

Some superintendents suggested that the state would be better off waiting for a school finance ruling from the Texas Supreme Court, expected in the next few weeks.

"I guess I've come to the conclusion that's how it's going to have to happen again," said Richardson Superintendent Jim Nelson, the former state education commissioner.

Of course, that may or may not be a good idea. Remember when Rick Perry said his appointees on the Supreme Court wouldn't force changes on the Legislature?

UPDATE: Just noticed, Pink Dome has something on this, too.

Vince Leibowitz is County Chairman of the Democratic Party of Van Zandt County.

John Bolton Appointed to the UN

By Damon McCullar

The White House announced this morning that John Bolton will receive a recess appointment to the UN. This move bypasses the Senate and directly appoints him. He will serve for one year and a few months. When the new Congress convenes in early 2007, his appointment will expire and he will have to go through the confirmation process once again.

Hurricane/Global Warming Soap Opera Continues

By Jim Dallas

CNN reports on an analysis which may or may not indicate that hurricanes are more intense now because of global warming. While there has been an unusually-high number of major hurricanes in recent seasons (and you don't need to do statistics in order to figure that out), the study only runs back to 1970, and thus does not include data from storms like Hurricane Camille and Hurricane Carla. As such, I pretty much have to agree with the scientists that think this really proves nothing.