The election is less than a 100 days from now. Netroots Nation is over. The time for talk is over. Now, it's time to win.
Texas is in a tough spot. Rick Perry's 10 years in the Governor's mansion has given us two different budget shortfalls. The first time, budget cuts came on the backs of children and the working poor. They're not doing better under Perry's reign.
Now, we have another $18 billion shortfall. Even if we got rid of Rick Perry's two slush funds, we would be $17,899,000 away from a balanced budget. So who do you think is at risk under 4 more years of Perry and Dewhurst? Do you think it will hurt BP or the family that runs the corner market? Do you think Perry is going to stop dolling out political favors to Merck and Mike Toomey or do you think he is going to put a tighter grip around the throats of small businesses?
Needless to say, I am both mad as hell and fired up.
Texas is a competitive state this year. Thanks to Bill White, Loretta Haldenwang, Pati Jacobs, Kendra Yarbrough Camarena, two great candidates for State Board of Education (Judy Jennings and Rebecca Bell-Metereau) and the hundreds of local candidates across our state.
Two nights ago, Al Franken reminded a massive crowd at Netroots Nation, we can either roll over and die to make way for Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell or, we can fight and win and November.
I am tired of pundits and politicos saying that it'll be too hard to be worth it. I am tired of reading that Texans can't win so we should give up.
When Tom DeLay, Tom Craddick, Rick Perry, and David Dewhurst disenfranchised tens of thousands of minority voters for partisan gains, Democrats fought. The Killer D's went to New Mexico and Oklahoma to say enough is enough and no Democrat that fought for the rights of Texans lost.
Not a single one.
Now, in 2010, times are tough and Democrats are sitting on the side line. Yes, George Bush is gone. Health Care has passed. We have won a few policy battles over the last 18 months. But Texas isn't blue. With 3 or 4 new congressional seats on the horizon, we have no voice in the redistricting process and rather than fighting and winning the November, we see people giving up.
Simply and bluntly... that's bullshit. Seriously. Get off your ass and let's get to work.
The Democratic Governor's Association has a new site, Fight the Right in 2010 and a new video to go along with it.
It's time to get motivated. It's time to win. What we saw in 20008 was when we asked friends and family to give up a little time or money, they would. We also found, when we ask friends and total strangers to get out and vote... they would.
We know how to win. We know what to do. Now, we need to do it.
The Republican Party wants you to believe this election year is lost. That Democrats will lose every race. They want you to think a new era of Tea Party politics is here and John Cornyn, Pete Sessions, Rick Perry and Sarah Palin are the new faces of national politics. There is only one state that can stop them. Imagine how different our world would be if George Bush had lost to Ann Richards. Imaging the Lone Star state stopping the rise of the neoconservative wing of the Republican Party.
We have the next era of radical, far-right Republicans being born and bread in the halls of our government. It is time for us to say we will not surrender. It is time for us to stop ceding the high ground on the eve of redistricting.
This election is not over until 7:00 p.m. November 2nd and with 99 days until the election, it is time to campaign and win in 2010. Don't listen to the Republican echo chamber. Ignore them and we will win.
