Past TDP Chairs Align with Richie

link (0.00 / 0)

The Glen Maxey link isn't working.

Read Just Another Blog

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by: Matt @ Mon Mar 27, 2006 at 21:10:17 PM UTC

fixed (0.00 / 0)

Guess it would help if I could copy and paste correctly.

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by: Karl-Thomas Musselman @ Mon Mar 27, 2006 at 21:15:17 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Some fixes, plus Richie is with Congressman Mike Honda (0.00 / 0)

I went ahead and fixed the name to Molly Beth Malcom, as that's her actual name and Bob Slagle not Slagel. Also, the person in this photo is Congressman Mike Honda, not Peck Young. Finally, I added a link to Boyd Richie's website, as KT seemed to have forgotten to put the link anywhere in this thread.

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Mon Mar 27, 2006 at 21:31:54 PM UTC

Thanks Phillip (0.00 / 0)

How did I have Mrs. Malcom's name spelled? I could have sworn that I got it right. I know I also fixed at least one Slagle spelling when I went through the first time, must have missed another. And thanks for putting that link in too. I just found it today via a google blog search. I'm a bit suprised no one else has mentioned it until now.

Just goes to show I shouldn't post entries just after I wake up (yes, I know it's afternoon...)

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by: Karl-Thomas Musselman @ Mon Mar 27, 2006 at 21:59:07 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Not that it matters in this discussion (0.00 / 0)

but Congressman Honda (my brother's congressman in San Jose) is the kind of leader we need here in Texas.

Right now, Glen Maxey is my guy for Chair, though I still need to learn more about Urbina-Jones.

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by: v2aggie2 @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 06:04:37 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Let's look ahead positively . . . (0.00 / 0)

I can't speak for MBM, as I never knew her, but Bob Slagle was an excellent chair. Having known him since I was a little kid, running around the TDP office when my Dad was the Executive Director of the party, I am confident to say that while Slagle may not be part of some people's definition of a "reformist camp," he was an excellent worker that did a lot for our party. I think we should focus more on the qualifications of current candidates and less on tearing down folks that have worked on behalf of Democrats since before many of us who write here on BOR were born.

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Mon Mar 27, 2006 at 21:36:45 PM UTC

Slagle (0.00 / 0)

I don't believe I mentioned anything that was tearing down Chairman Slagle. I remember him quite well from 2004, talked with him on the floor a bit, as he ran much of the convention in Soechting's stead.

Bob Slagle is could be said, quite frankly is the embodiement of the Texas Democratic Party. He's still a giant in my eyes.

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by: Karl-Thomas Musselman @ Mon Mar 27, 2006 at 21:54:23 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Weird (0.00 / 0)

So, I was doing some more searching, and ran across this really old note from George Strong (forerunner in political gossip in the the pre-blog era) entitled "Texas Democratic Party in a Fight over its Chair"

Year: 1995
Involved: Bob Slagle & Bill White (now Houston Mayor)

Does anyone remember that far back to what was going on? That was certainly before my political time. Whatever it was, it never made it to the floor (as there hasn't been a major contested floor vote for chair in 20 years- in fact, the last time might have been when Slagle first got elected).

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by: Karl-Thomas Musselman @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 00:34:04 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Is this the part (0.00 / 0)

...where we look to the future instead of the past?

This race for Governor is about the future, not about the past. It's a democracy and everyone has a right to run, and I certainly don't begrudge him from getting in the race. But most of the time what I'm hearing is that he's asking people to hearken back to a bygone era. I think this race should be about the future, not about looking back.
  --Chris Bell

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by: aerialist @ Mon Mar 27, 2006 at 21:54:20 PM UTC

We should look to the future... (3.00 / 1)

...and I think each of our TDP candidates will do that quite well.

Look for 40/40 interviews with Maxey, Jones, and Richie in (hopefully) just a few weeks.

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 09:44:07 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

s.o.s (3.00 / 2)

...Stands for "save our ships", and in this case "same ol' sh*t"! Both apply to the TX Dem Party. We need to save the ship. And we need saved from the same ol' sh*t. The people that ran the party when the Dems were in power are the same reason that they are not in power now. You can talk about the glory days and what they meant to Texas, but those days are over. The party needs change internally to change the mind of Texas voters. The change has started at the grassroots and now needs to carry into the executive party system.

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by: John McClelland @ Mon Mar 27, 2006 at 22:16:13 PM UTC

Give me a break... (3.33 / 3)

"The people that ran the party when the Dems were in power are the same reason that they are not in power now."

That, and -- you know -- when you work for an incredibly small amount of money in a thankless job where you get bitched at for the problems of inept campaigns and are never appreciated for the volume of work you actually accomplish, it's tough to stay at that job.

But no, you're right, johntarheel76 -- the TDP is entirely to blame for the downfall of Democratic candidates in recent elections. The fact that the DNC always screwed over Texas, and that it was our current Chair that finally stood up to them and said, "no more!" Irrelevant.

We lost 4 Democratic Congressmen b/c the TDP didn't have enough money -- not because Delay shoved a redistricting map through the Legislature. Don't know how I forgot about that.

We lost our last Governor's race b/c the TDP basically sat around smoking in rooms, not b/c Sanchez refused to work with anyone who knew anything, refused to become a better candidate, refused to listen to message, refused to stand up and take on Perry...that wasn't Sanchez's fault, that was the TDP's! Thanks for reminding me.

We lost our majority in the Legislature b/c we didn't think to illegally use corporate funds like TAB and TRMPAC did -- what were the TDP folks thinking? Also, we should have ran a candidate whose father used to be President and whose celebrity would draw people away from the other guys. Why, oh why, didn't the TDP find that candidate?

(Give me a break.)

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 10:07:23 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Another Great Comment On Why We Need To Keep Our Democratic $$ Here (3.00 / 1)

It all starts with the dinero. The more we send out of state, the further away we are from being competitive. I would agree with Ann Richards' critique up to a certain point (her critique that we need to clean up our own house and win the state back ourselves), but I disagree strongly that we can clean up our own house, take out our own garbage...do whatever the hoary old saying you want to use says to do...without stopping the financial bleeding.

Let's give our new chair something tangible to work with from the very beginning!

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by: misternaxal @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 14:51:49 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

A Note on Fundraising and Organization (3.00 / 1)

Phillip--

Check it out, man.

>>
But no, you're right, johntarheel76 -- the TDP is entirely to blame for the downfall of Democratic candidates in recent elections. The fact that the DNC always screwed over Texas, and that it was our current Chair that finally stood up to them and said, "no more!" Irrelevant.

We lost 4 Democratic Congressmen b/c the TDP didn't have enough money -- not because Delay shoved a redistricting map through the Legislature. Don't know how I forgot about that.
>>

Let's address a couple notes on fundraising and organizing and how they tie together.

First, I agree with you on the first section--but I also identify a secondary problem, as well. I hated being treated like an ATM--but it's a two pronged effort for change. It's not only stopping the usage of Texas as an ATM, but also creating ties and relationships in order to strengthen, not slash and burn, our relationship with the national party. Thanks to Howard Dean, the states actually get some money now. (It's a similar idea for Texas..just a sec.)

At the February DNC meetings, it was the same current Chairman you referenced who got on stage to give a nominating speech for someone else's candidacy and used the podium as a forum to attack McAuliffe publicly. It was tactless, and believe me, I have no love lost for McAuliffe. But then when you watch chairs from other red states like Jay Parmley express eloquent and articulate opinions and the contrast is stark. I actually emailed Mr. Parmley afterwards to thank him and he wrote back right away. On an aside, did you realize Charles Soechting's email is the only staff email NOT listed on the TDP site?

But more importantly, isn't fundraising a mark of support? I remember a while back that Andrew Dobbs had a cool idea for fundraising through the TDP web site, along the lines of a turn the capital dome blue kinda thing. When it had been up a few weeks, it had raised $615. Not to knock $615. But this is the TEXAS DEMOCRATIC PARTY! Shouldn't we be able to raise more than that? Let's dig..

When the email list of the TDP is smaller than that of the Travis County Democratic Party, that might be a start. That makes it tough to run an email and web based fundraising campaign.

Candidates across the country are expected to make fundraising their number one priority. Can't our state party fundraise? The only thing that I recall hearing was the hiring of some fundraiser for a large amount of money, I believe it was around $10,000 a month.  Who didn't raise any money. There's no infrastructure.

This is the Texas Democratic Party. We should be loaded. We should have tons of small, recurring contributions. But, I wonder what you would find if you looked at the TEC reports and referenced how many donations came in under $250 as opposed to the percentage of large money? We need both.

Back to the 50-state idea being translated to Texas..can you tell me why a local Democratic group in Victoria should raise any money for the TDP? It's the same as the ATM argument, because the TDP does not provide them with anything. Do a poll of the county chairs, see how many of them are pleased with the support they havegotten from the state party. Open your eyes.

If the TDP were to encourage stronger county parties and built up a foundation with tools that could be used, and an ORGANIZATION...we would be much stronger.

It alllllll ties in together. But each of your comments remind me of a kid trying to come up with excuses as to why his homework wasn't done--but this happened, teacher! We didn't have any money!

There's a reason for that. Make a list of every political person you know and then call through that list and ask how many of them would be willing to give $ to the TDP.

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by: nickDFT @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 16:14:49 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Tons of great points... (0.00 / 0)

...and you articulate them very well. I completely agree that the TDP hasn't done enough on the local levels -- and in one of Maxey's threads, I told him that I completely agreed with his assessment of how we need to get involved across the entire state at every level. I just don't think it's fair to lay every problem at the feet of the TDP, which is all my original comment was about.

All that being said, this is the kind of constructive criticism and discussion I love to see, and whether anyone believes me or not, these kind of posts turn me around on some things and make me, in turn, question other people. Part of the learning curve us "kids" are still trying to work with. What's more, I'll borrow heavily from a post like this when I prepare for my interviews with Richie, Jones, and Maxey.

Thanks for that part of the post, Nick.

However - as for the calling people for money or being some excuse-making kid. If I say something idioitic, or am blatantly offensive, call me out - I'll deserve it. But I see no reason to take any kind of shit for trying to share a different type of opinion, and neither should KT, Damon, Matt, or anyone else. We all work too hard and invest too much in BOR to have to deal with cheap shots from our regular readers who know us better than that.

You have to remember something about us:

We'd all probably consider ourselves progressives, but we don't agree on everything. We're no dittoheads, and we all have different writting styles and we even have our disagreements, since we all think for ourselves and all that, but we believe in most of the same general Democratic principals. Thanks for stopping by, and we always appreciate respectful comments and debate.

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 23:13:44 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

noted (0.00 / 0)

Sarcasm noted and well received, "Phillip Martin". But Texas Dems lost before Tom DeLay even stuck the fork in. Ann Richards lost in 1995. Bob Bullock lost in 1999. And so on and so forth falling like dominos.

I didnt even live in this state back then and saw the red cloud hovering over Texas from the other side of the country. And Ive been here going on 5 years and I have not seen anything that would indicate to me that the Dem establishment has done anything other than roll over and play dead.

Blaming the DNC is also a fair jab. But at the time, they too were part of the "s.o.s." establishment. People got fed up of that too and put Howard Dean in as chair to help fix things. If you will note, there are still some national folks who still do not like that choice and go out of their way to make it known publically, but they have to live with it. I think Texas is ready for the same type of change.

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by: John McClelland @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 16:15:53 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Wrong! Wrong again! (2.00 / 2)

Ann lost in 1994.  Bullock DID NOT LOSE.  He retired, but his re-election would have been in 1998, not 1999.

If you can't even get the simple stuff right, why should we think you get anything else right?

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by: Wanderer @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 22:20:09 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

sorry (0.00 / 0)

Maybe you should let the state government know they have the wrong dates online then. Thats where I got them. Maybe you could offer up some intellectual discussion at some point on this site too.

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by: John McClelland @ Wed Mar 29, 2006 at 16:33:54 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I'm with you, Phillip (3.00 / 1)

I wonder if nickdft is a sustaining member of the party? 

People bitch and moan about the party, then use the excuse they just created (that the party is broken) to justify not contributing, etc.  THEN, they use their own (and others') lack of involvement in the party as a reason to "throw the bums out" and start anew.

It's ridiculous.

Look, there are a number of things over the past years TDP has done wrong, but there are also a number of things TDP has done right.  Anybody here a fan of Hubert Vo?  Mark Strama?  Marc Veasey?  Alma Allen?  TDP had a role in getting all those new leaders elected.  And sure, the current chair could have managed his relationship with the DNC better, but  we've got top-notch DNC funded field staff in Texas now. 

Some people want to blame TDP for all our past ills, yet they're not willing to give them credit for the good things, too.  Our fight is much more of a team effort than the "reformers" would have people believe.  They feel like they need an us-vs-them atmosphere to get their candidate elected chair.  And that's what it all boils down to.

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by: CMistress @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 16:54:06 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Um... (0.00 / 0)

No, you're right. I am not a sustaining member of the party. Nor are many people I know. This is the problem.

But the reality--Phillip, do you agree on this?--is that people do not want to feel like they are lighting their money on fire.

I'm not (nor are others) placing blame entirely on the party. There is a lot of good stuff about the party. But there are also a lot of problems that if we ever want to succeed we will need to take care of. It isn't a "created problem"--it's a problem. The Travis County Democratic Party probably has more sustaining members than the TDP.

So no, I am not a sustaining member. Because I like knowing that my money (hard earned) is going somewhere where it isn't being put in a shredder or being ineffective. That's why I and most of my friends donate to CANDIDATES or ISSUE-BASED campaigns. At least you have some sort of idea of what it is going towards.

It is that lack of transparency and lack of a small donor PROGRAM that "creates" that problem.

Or, another possible cause of the problem of a lack of fundraising due to people not having any evidence whatsoever of anything HAPPENING. We have no money. We have no infrastructure.

SERIOUSLY, PEOPLE!

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by: nickDFT @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 23:21:08 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

You're Right (0.00 / 0)

I've agreed with you in this comment, Nick. We need someone who can raise money for candidates all over the state -- someone Democrats in any part of Texas can trust to do what's best, and to help run issue-based campaigns.

I'm a strong proponent of issue-based campaigns. Look at what this article, which KT linked in this original post, has to say:

Rather than [talk about how the "Dream Ticket" was historic], [James] Aldrete filled his mailings with policy positions and efforts to make the candidates more approachable by stressing working-class roots. "They say we don’t vote. This year we have more reasons to vote than excuses to stay home," proclaimed a mailer that Aldrete jokingly refers to as "the Catholic guilt piece," destined for registered Latino family households. It’s not in Spanish, nor does it mention ethnicity, but the faces on the front are clearly Latinos...

But grassroots activities like Aldrete’s direct mail, a good candidate stump speech, and literature drops were overshadowed by the barrage of negative television commercials.

I worked for James for two + years. I've grown up on policy-based campaigns, and I absolutely believe that's the direction Democrats need to take in Texas.

Nick -- we should meet up at some point. I feel like, once we start talking, we'd find we agree on most things...

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Wed Mar 29, 2006 at 00:59:10 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

The DNC? (2.00 / 1)

Funny, our neighbors in Arkansas (where I worked the Arkansas Victory 2004 campaign in 2004 in Texarkana -- 100 miles from my home, we also helped Texas with regards to Stephen Frost and Jim Nickerson even though we were an Arkansas candidate) are doing well, and I'm sure they haven't received largesse from the DNC, either.

The DNC complaints are tiresome.
If the state party doesn't have its act together -- and it hasn't by a long shot since I moved to Texas in 1995, then we get what we deserve. 

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by: v2aggie2 @ Wed Mar 29, 2006 at 05:14:47 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Amen (0.00 / 0)

Don't worry about the 'gimmie a break' crowd.  They just don't get it.  We have to realize that many of the people in power are actively working against us.  They are terrified of the bottom up approach advocated by the new generation of activists.  Look how they rise up and crush any grassroots candidate from Howard Dean to Christine Cegelis to Glen Maxey.  The definittion of insanity is to do the same thing over and over and expect a different result.

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by: bb1 @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 15:01:09 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

From an earlier Diary I wrote... (3.00 / 1)

My answer:

In Austin, there’s often a disdainful divide between the “grassroots” and the “establishment” Democratic operatives. Turf wars make no sense to me, especially because our candidates only succeed when everyone on all levels work together. What’s more, without a strong candidate – like we had with Donna Howard – it can all be a wasted effort.

I'm not out to keep everything the same. I want to bring people together. Your comments about me -- or at least my "crowd" -- being terrified of folks like Maxey or Dean is absurd.

This is why I didn't want to comment about any TDP race...having a sane conversation about bringing folks together just can't happen.

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 15:19:56 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I do enjoy the responses though (0.00 / 0)

Your passive aggressive style is pretty amusing.  Every response to someone you disagree with begins with a framing adjective.  ‘c’mon’, "absurd',
'intellectually dishonest’, ‘give me a break’.  I like reading dissenting opinions but you present your opinion as ‘of course’ the only logical conclusion. 

Coming together is pretty meaningless if we are all walking off a cliff.  It is much better to be going in the right direction amid fierce dissent.

I’ll quit now as you usually have the last word anyway.

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by: bb1 @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 16:18:49 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

MBM (0.00 / 0)

resigned in late 2003 not early 2004

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by: David Mauro @ Mon Mar 27, 2006 at 22:38:19 PM UTC

Re: MBM (0.00 / 0)

What's a few months between friends. But that is correct. I forgot that all the old entries are not yet loaded into the SoapBlox system so obviously my search didn't pick it up. I think we are getting them reintegrated in the next 2 weeks though (fingers crossed).

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by: Karl-Thomas Musselman @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 00:21:41 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

The TDP ain't what it used to be (1.00 / 2)

It is interesting to note that in the days when Democrats "ruled" the state, the actual rulers were of the same ilk, same mindset, same actions, as the Republicans running the state now.  They are the ones who switched parties.  Indeed, the only people who did not switch parties belonged to the teeny-weeny old liberal caucus that was maybe 1/4 of the old TDP.  Now the liberal caucus is the whole shebang.  No wonder it keeps losing!

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by: Wanderer @ Mon Mar 27, 2006 at 23:35:40 PM UTC

Nope... (3.00 / 1)

I can't account for everyone, but I ran into lots of folks who used to work at the TDP at the Travis County Convention this past weekend. They were all voting and working for Democrats still, even though most could have gone and played for the boys with more money.

I asked them how they managed to stay involved for so long. Something about "working for what they believe..."

Now, a very great man once said that some people rob you with a fountain pen.

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by: Phillip Martin, Progress Texas @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 10:09:27 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Not A Zero Sum Game (3.00 / 1)

This debate between the "grassroots" and the "establishment" is old -- way older than the "internets" -- and debilitating.

Whenever party debates devolve into zero sum games -- where one side must be vanquished and the other side must be dominant -- little good comes from it.  It stagnates us.  And when you're not moving forward in this business, you're losing.

Pointing fingers to past defeats is the bread and butter of these debates.  Everyone picks on the defeats -- those orphans in the old but true adage -- as if things would have turned out differently if they had been in charge.

Finger-pointing to the past is not a road to the future.

Whether everyone likes it or not, we are all in this together, regardless of whether you're an East Texas dinasaur, a Hispanic from the Rio Grande Valley, an African-American from Houston's 5th Ward, a Netroots hipster in Austin, or some guy riding around in a truck.  We can't win without each other.

Which is what I think Phillip is trying to get at.

However, here's a thought that I doubt Phillip would write: Ignorance can beget arrogance, the feeling that you and those like you know the way and everyone else is a fool.  Both sides of this debate could use some education.  No one has a lock on the right strategy or message, and would be arrogant and stupid to think so. Folks need to spend some time, as Harper Lee put it, "walking around in another man's shoes."

It's time for people to come down from their high perches and engage in a thoughtful, productive discussion about how we win -- together.

Which points to the TDP Chair race.  The most important and most difficult job of any Texas Democratic Party Chair is to unite the party and move it forward.  Herding cats would be a holiday.

It takes someone with tact, charm, sensitivity, vision, patience and humility.  And that's just the start.

We would be wise to judge the candidates for Chair by these virtues.

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by: El Jefe @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 20:15:03 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

I don't know about the others (1.00 / 1)

But the requirements for tact, charm, sensitivity, patience, and humility certain rule out Maxey.

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by: Wanderer @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 22:25:40 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

And the current Chair.. (0.00 / 0)

...*certainly* has all of those attributes, right, "Wanderer"?

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by: nickDFT @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 23:22:55 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Speaking of Charlie Urbina Jones (0.00 / 0)

I am mystified by the last line in his resume on his law office website:

Charlie is married to Linda Noltemeier-Jones; they have two daughters (Stephanie Urbina-Jones & Melanie D. Cervantes) and a Wu.

A Wu?

Did my admittedly spotty education miss an entire gender?  Or a species?  Is this like an inside joke that I'm not getting?

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by: aerialist @ Tue Mar 28, 2006 at 04:13:30 AM UTC