Burnt Orange Report

August 26, 2005

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.

Posted by Damon McCullar at August 26, 2005 08:50 AM | TrackBack

Comments

The feedback from some “Democrats” and others is that we Democrats spend our democratic time bickering and infighting and can’t get the work of the Democratic Party done. Not so!

We Democrats do not come together in proper meetings to do our business. Party Rules specify that all party business be initiated in our two major committees—The State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) and the county executive committees (CECs). The SDEC will not function properly until we get our CECs going. It will function properly when the CECs are doing their work. Grassroots Democrats will demand that it does.

How often should the CECs meet? Party rules specify that there be three statutory meetings related to the Primary in even-numbered years. The magnitude of the responsibilities placed on the CECs requires that they meet much more often than that. Practically speaking, the CECs should meet often enough to do the work that the rules and Democrats in the precincts require of them. The CECs must do all of the work of the county parties.

The meeting is critical. It must be properly called and properly conducted. The Texas Democratic Party has chosen Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised as its parliamentary authority. Parliamentary procedures as expressed in that authority are designed to insure that business is done in a democratic manner, that each member (precinct chair) has an equal opportunity to hear and be heard, and to debate and vote on every issue. The meeting belongs to the members, and it is their responsibility to see that it is properly conducted.

To work effectively in a CEC meeting, the precinct chair must be committed to democracy, know what his/her constituents want, and have a working knowledge of parliamentary procedure. Given all this and a presiding officer who knows parliamentary procedures well, we Democrats can come together with all our honest differences and conduct the business of the County Democratic Parties in an orderly and a democratic manner. It won’t happen over night. Standing up before other precinct chairs and speaking out is not easy. It does get easier with practice. Timing is all-important. If a member does not speak out at the right moment, the opportunity may be lost.

The work of the county democratic parties can only be initiated in meetings of the CEC. The Election Code and Party Rules provide no other way. There is no authority for any group or individual to act in the name of the Democratic Party if the CEC fails to act. When the CEC fails to act, democracy fails. Those who don’t believe in democracy, in equal rights for all, can continue to take away those rights we still have without organized opposition.

It doesn’t have to be that way. There are still more of us than there are of them—but they are organized. Let’s meet, organize, and work to defend the rights guaranteed to us by our Constitution. By meeting together, we can learn to work together, respect one another, and, if my experience is a guide, like one another.

John McConnell, Democratic Precinct Chair
Precinct 3047
Bexar County, Texas

Posted by: John McConnell at August 26, 2005 07:42 PM

News, Politics, and Fun From Deep in the Heart of Texas

August 26, 2005

Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls This Week

By Damon McCullar