Burnt Orange Report

Video Lottery has Bipartisan Opposition in House

By Byron LaMasters

Democrats don't like it because it's a regressive tax. Republicans don't like it because its immoral. Whatever the reason, video lottery will have trouble getting out of the Texas House. The Austin American Statesman reports:

Republicans and Democrats alike are threatening to kill a proposal to expand gambling in Texas by legalizing video lottery terminals, a move that could deal another big blow to the current House school finance plan.

The bipartisan opposition to video lottery comes from Republicans who object on moral grounds and Democrats who hope an attack on legalizing the terminals will force House leaders to drop a plan for higher sales taxes. Together, they could have the 51 votes needed to kill what has become a major part of a House committee's revenue-raising plans.

[...]

House factions have risen up to oppose major parts of the proposal since it was unveiled earlier this week. Wednesday, committee members balked at plans to let the state collect property taxes — rather than local governments — and to expand the sales tax to include services such as accounting and haircuts. Both were removed from the proposal.

Republicans opposed to the video lottery terminals — slot machines — don't want to bring casino-style gambling to Texas, even if that means forfeiting the $1.5 billion a year House leaders say it will raise for schools.

"We think we have the 51 votes that are hard no's that will not vote for it," Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, told The Associated Press. "We're very passionate about stopping this."

Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Lewisville, has threatened to filibuster against video lottery, something she says no woman has done in the Texas Senate.

Democrats also will oppose video lottery, said a Democratic member of the House committee.

Rep. Rene Oliveira, D-Brownsville, said some of his party members are willing to vote against constitutional amendments that include video lottery terminals and other revenue-raising measures if Republicans don't budge on a sales tax increase.

"The Democrats' position is that the sales tax unfairly shifts the burden to the middle class, poor and fixed-income individuals," Oliveira said.

The ever-changing revenue plan would increase the general sales tax rate from 6.25 percent to 6.75 percent and add auto maintenance and car washes as taxable items.

Right now, I'm thinking that the best thing that Democrats in the legislature can do is play the Republicans against each other and prevent anything from passing. While Robin Hood is certainly a flawed system, every proposal by the governor and the Republican leadership has had one thing in common - it has shifted a greater share of the tax burden on to the backs of low income and middle-class voters. We need a state income tax to fix the school finance mess that we're in, but since that will never happen in this decade, the next best thing is to prevent the Republican majority from screwing things up further.

About Miles Nelson

By Byron LaMasters

I don't tend to focus too much on Democratic primary races, as the real fight is to beat Republicans. For that reason, I haven't said much about Miles Nelson - one of the BlogAds you see on the left side when you've logged on to BOR the past two weeks. Nelson's campaign is trying to raise $25,000 by May 5th (they've raised over $16,000 so far since April 17thth) to get their television ads on the air. He's running for the Democratic nomination to take on Heather Wilson in an Albuquerque based congressional district. It's a district that voted for Al Gore and Bill Richardson, but due to luck, a strong Green Party presence and poor Democratic challengers, Wilson has managed to hang on to her seat. Miles Nelson is trying to change that, and I wanted to give his campaign staff an opportunity to discuss his campaign:

We are currently engaged in a three way Democratic Primary set for June 1st. Our opponents are Eli Chavez (www.eliforcongress.com) and Richard Romero (www.richardromeroforcongress.com). We believe that Miles is the best candidate to take on Heather Wilson. Why?

Republicans have controlled our district since its creation in 1969. Yet,
Al Gore won the district in 2000, with Nader receiving a significant chunk
of the remainder. Bill Clinton won it handily in 1992 & 1996. Bill
Richardson won it in 2002. Richard Romero was the 2002 Dem nominee and
couldn't close the deal - even with Richardson's coattails. Romero lost by
the largest margin of any Democrat to run against Heather Wilson, even
without Green opposition. The Green Party took between 6-13% when Wilson
won in 1998 & 2000.

Richard Romero is an uninspired career politician running without a
platform. Many in Albuquerque's heavily Democratic South Valley are very
suspicious of Romero and didn't vote for him in 2002. Why? He deposed the
South Valley's Manny Aragon as President Pro-Tem of the state Senate. This
infuriated many of Manny's constituents. Eli Chavez's candidacy comes out
of the division and anger that Romero cultivated after his political coup -
that included a number of Republican state Senators - succeeded in unseating
Aragon. Richard Romero doesn't have a platform. Check out his website, he
doesn't outline a single position! Richard Romero is a divisive figure who
didn't come close to closing the deal in 2002.

Romero says he can win because the establishment supports him, he can raise
lots of money and "the second times the charm." Problem is, in 1998, the
Democrats ran the extremely well financed Phil Maloof twice - in a special
election and the general. Despite outspending Wilson, he lost both times -
because he was uninspired and didn't have the depth of knowledge on the
issues. Romero will be outspent 3:1 by Wilson and is equally uninspired and
platformless.

Defeating Heather Wilson will require a new strategy. We need a candidate
who can unite the Democratic Party and who is willing to work hard. We were
the first candidate with literature, the first with a website, the first
with paid media. We're spending the money we have VERY wisely. We're
building an impressive grassroots campaign that relies on innovative
strategies to raise money and contact voters. Miles is constantly meeting
voters or on the phone. Once they meet him, they respond to his positive
vision for New Mexico.

Miles Nelson is the most articulate candidate with an incredible story.
Like John Edwards, he came from a very modest background. He's the son of a
sharecropper and a waitress. He's a former Teamster who worked his way
through the University of Alaska, Stanford Medical School and residency at
the University of New Mexico. He's a passionate orator who speaks credibly
on three very important issues:

Healthcare. As a physician, he speaks with total validity on this very
important issue. He believes that healthcare is a fundamental right. His
message resonates amongst the voters of our district.

Environment/Energy. Miles Nelson lives in an energy efficient home that he
and his wife designed. He talks the environmental talk - and walks the
walk.

Jobs/Labor. A former Teamster, Miles Nelson understands the issues that
face New Mexico's working families. He will fight for fair trade, quality
education and job creation right here in New Mexico.

We have 5 television and radio commercials in production. They'll be on our
website by next Sunday. We need to raise $25K by May 1 to get them on the
air.

Anyway, check out his website to learn more.

Update: Nelson has recently been endorsed by one of his primary challengers.

Kelly White Campaign Kickoff

By Byron LaMasters

I was going to post on the Kelly White Campaign kickoff, since I attended it last night, but a reader made my job easy by sending me his report:

Last night, the Kelly White Campaign (for State Representative in District 48), held its Official Kick Off Party at the Boathouse, right next door to the Hulu Hut. I was there as a volunteer, and thought I'd give you a brief rundown in case you wanted to post any information about it. Turnout was MUCH higher than expected- indeed, we ran out of name tags, having originally thought we had purchased too many. Many local Democratic notables were on hand, including Liz Carpenter, Greg Hamilton, Rhett Smith and others. Donations flowed into out collection baskets. The atmosphere was extremely positive and optimistic. After being introduced by her husband, Bill McLellan, Kelly made a wonderful speech, interrupted by applause several times. She describes her reasons for running as "One-third naivete, one-third idealism, and one-third being ticked off." She described her own astonishment that she once huddled in a phone booth with two babies, desperately calling a woman's shelter for help after fleeing an abusive marriage, and today she has a woman's shelter named after her. She also lambasted the current political climate in Texas, attacking special interest politicians in general and her opponent, Representative Todd Baxter, in particular. She attacked the lack of transparency in state government, and asked why Texas is one of only ten states in which politicians are not required to publicly declare how they voted. She also said that she expects her opponent to attack her in every possible way, including the making up of false charges, but that her experience in an abusive marriage had toughened her, and that she was not a person who takes kindly to bullying in any event. Overall, it was a great event, and a wonderful start to this campaign. Jeff

Kelly White is running against Todd Baxter in a northwest Austin based State House seat. Both Kirk Watson and John Sharp won the district for Democrats in 2002. White has an impressive background, so check out her webpage and learn more about her.

Special Session Blog

By Jim Dallas

Here.

Vouchers Ready to be Rolled Out

By Andrew Dobbs

Quorum Report has the skinny. Apparantly some GOPers have drawn up a voucher plan and are circulating it around the Capitol and are taking one of three courses with it. Either the proposals will be actually included in the original lay out of HB 1 on Saturday (with the bill reaching the floor on Wednesday), it might be added as a floor amendment after Wednesday or it might just be introduced as a stand alone bill.

With Grusendorf's complete contempt for public education, my gut tells me that it will be a part of the lay out and that will be much tougher to beat. Either of the other two comes up for an up or down vote by itself, which ensures defeat I think. Still, I would hope that a GOP voucher opponent would propose an amendment striking all the voucher sections of the bill, thereby defeating it. Also, such a bill is unlikely to pass the 2/3rd muster of the Senate. I don't imagine vouchers will come out of this, but of course I didn't think anyone had the heart to kick 100,000 poor kids off CHIP and I was wrong about that.

So what does the bill look like? From Quorum Report (sorry, subscription needed):

School districts that would be required to participate in the voucher program under the proposal being circulated are:

BEXAR COUNTY East Central ISD Edgewood ISD Harlandale ISD San Antonio ISD Somerset ISD South San Antonio ISD Southside ISD Southwest ISD

DALLAS COUNTY Dallas ISD Grand Prairie ISD Irving ISD Lancaster ISD Wilmer-Hutchins ISD

HARRIS COUNTY Aldine ISD Alief ISD Channelview ISD Galena Park ISD Goose Creek ISD Houston ISD North Forest ISD Pasadena ISD Sheldon ISD Spring Branch ISD

TARRANT COUNTY Castleberry ISD Everman ISD Fort Worth ISD Lake Worth ISD Masonic Home ISD

TRAVIS COUNTY Austin ISD Del Valle ISD Manor ISD

The school districts listed above are located in the five largest Texas counties and have a majority of students who are economically disadvantaged.

Under the proposal, the students who would be eligible to receive a voucher are: -- Economically disadvantaged students (presumably meaning they qualify for the free and reduced price lunch program) -- All students with disabilities -- Students "at risk" of dropping out of school. [See Sec. 29.081 of the Texas Education Code for a definition of students at risk of dropping out of school. Some of the types of at risk students are: students who fail to pass any one section of the TAKS test, students of limited English proficiency, students who were not promoted to the next grade, students in prekindergarten-3rd grade who do not perform satisfactorily on a readiness or assessment test, students who are pregnant, homeless students, students on parole or probation, students placed in an alternative education program.] -- Students who have dropped out of school -- Victims of violence from a fellow student.

Other aspects of the two-page "Education Freedom Pilot Program" proposal to use public money to fund private school tuition vouchers are:

Effective Date: Program begins in the 2004-2005 school year.

Amount of Voucher: The public school district where the student resides would count the student in its average daily attendance (ADA). Participating private schools would have an initial tuition cap of $6000 per student, with the actual amount paid by the state being the lesser of either the cap amount or the school's actual annual cost per student.

Program Enrollment: The annual enrollment is limited to 5% of each school district's total enrollment from the preceding year.

Admission Policy: Private schools must abide by all federal and state nondiscrimination laws. If there are more student applicants than available seats, the school must use a lottery method for selecting students to be enrolled.

Accountability: Participating private schools must administer either the TAKS test or a nationally normed test.

Program Rules and Administration: Rules will be developed by the Governor's Office and administered and enforced by the Texas Education Agency.

So yeah, pretty scary stuff. First off, if kids in the private schools really do get a better education, then thousands of needy kids will get screwed over because they lost a lottery. Also, this plan costs taxpayers extra money to pay for private schools that have little to no impetus to accept these kids. Really, it will only promote mediocre private schools. The best private schools (*cough* St. Marks *cough*) don't want to take a kid on for only $6,000- they charge more than twice that now. The worst probably wouldn't qualify under the accountability standards so we really only get middle of the road private schools accepting kids, which begs the question, why not just spend this extra money in the schools we already have? The answer is that these people have a long range vision of essentially eliminating government and having private education, private services for everything and a country that is completely run by the wealthy elite. It has nothing to do with education, it has everything to do with ideology.

We ought to be concerned, we ought to be outraged. Be sure to get on the phone with your state reps and state senators and let them know what you think about this plan.

The Return of Howard Dean

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

It took some time, and lot of us Dean supporters have been waiting for some action out of Burlington, but it seems that the wait is going to be worth it as the elements are being put in place for Democracy for America.

The website was relaunched today. The Blog is back. And the Bat is back to support grassroots candidates.

Dude! Sweet? Dude? Sweet!

By Jim Dallas

Even if it weren't for Brad DeLong's strained attempt at being cute, this would still be a pretty interesting (and devastatingly obvious) post about why the dollar is heading down, down, down...

(And while I would not be qualified as an economist to say with certainty, but I would imagine that any further drop in the dollar presages increases in the price of crude oil (which is dollar denominated) and, consequently, a likely increase in the price of gasoline.)

In short, there's only so long you can get the rest of the world to fund your wild shopping sprees, and payback could be a b*tch (although your mileage may vary).

Bush/Cheney = Chickenhawks

By Byron LaMasters

Beautiful. Via From the Roots.

For the full statement on the floor of the U.S. Senate today from Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), who displayed the above picture, read here:

Chicken hawks shriek like a hawk, but they have the backbone of a chicken. We know who the chicken hawks are. They talk tough on national defense and military issues and cast aspersion on others. When it was their turn to serve, where were they? A-W-O-L, that's where they were.

Now the chicken hawks are cackling about Senator JOHN KERRY. The lead chicken hawk against Senator Kerry is the Vice President of the United States, Vice President Cheney. He was in Missouri this week claiming Senator Kerry is not up to the job of protecting this Nation. What nerve. Where was DICK CHENEY when that war was going on where 58,235 young men died and many more wounded and many with wounds that were never visible, but you could see it in their emotional structure and in their psychology? It was a war everyone thinks in retrospect was misguided. But JOHN KERRY volunteered for hazardous duty on a swift boat going up a river with people shooting at him all over the place. Cowardly? What an insult. I plead with veterans across this country. Look at what they are saying about your service. Exemplified: Max Cleland lost three limbs. What a sacrifice he made, and they beat him in the election, beat him in the polls because they characterized him as soft on defense. Now they want to take JOHN KERRY who served nobly and establish that he, too, is soft on defense. I don't know where they get it.

He fought for our country. He still has shrapnel from the battlefield. Vice President Cheney said: At the time he had other priorities in the sixties than military service. He ought to tell that to the parents of those who lost their lives in Vietnam, and ask them what they think.

Pete Sessions Doesn't Represent the Blacks Either

By Byron LaMasters

I've said in the past that one of the reasons I first got involved in politics was when I heard in 2000 that Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Dallas) said at a town hall meeting that he "didn't represent the gays". I had just turned 18, it was the summer before my senior year in high school, and I decided to call the campaign office of Pete Sessions' Democratic opponent Regina Montoya Coggins. I started to volunteer with the campaign, and I really haven't looked back since then.

Well, Pete Sessions has demonstated clearly that he doesn't intend to represent gays and lesbians, but in the past week, he's also clearly demonstated that he doesn't represent African-Americans. It's one thing to vote against the interests of the NAACP, but it's another to screw over a majority African-American neighborhood, and propose to name their post office after one of your campaign donors. That's just what Pete Sessions did. The Dallas Morning News reports:

Few items on the congressional agenda slip through the legislative process as routinely as naming a new post office. But in the case of the Hamilton Park post office, the big slip may have been Rep. Pete Sessions'.

A month ago, the U.S. House approved Mr. Sessions' suggestion that the new mail facility in the historic black neighborhood near Central Expressway and Forest Lane be named for Vaughn Gross, a longtime educator in the Richardson Independent School District. Mrs. Gross served as principal of Hamilton Park Pacesetter Magnet School for five years.

But that five years is the extent of Mrs. Gross' connection with Hamilton Park, some residents complain. They say Mr. Sessions selected her despite the community's suggestion that the new post office be named for the Rev. Robert Price, pastor of the New Mount Zion Baptist Church for 38 years.

Mr. Sessions, who has a child with Down syndrome, wanted to honor Mrs. Gross for her work in special education. He has known her for several years, through her husband Tex, an active Republican Party member and a donor to Mr. Sessions' past campaigns.

[...]

"We have nothing against Mrs. Gross as a person," said Shirley Pleasant, who is leading a petition drive to block Mr. Sessions' bill when it goes to the Senate for approval. "Our major concern is that she isn't currently a resident of Hamilton Park and never has been a resident here."

And Mrs. Gross is white. While residents said they didn't want to make race the focal point of the objections, Hamilton Park occupies a unique place in Dallas County history.

"Mrs. Gross did a wonderful job at the school," said Sadye Gee, long involved in Hamilton Park civic affairs. "But this is a unique black community. We're celebrating its 50th anniversary at this very moment. It's named for a black physician, and we should like to see everything named for a black leader so the children in the future will look at it with pride."

U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Dallas Democrat, echoed that concern.

"It's historically a black neighborhood, and our sentiment is that [the post office] should have been named after someone from the neighborhood," she said.

Finally, Pete Sessions is listening the objections of the Black community, but only after it's become a political issue. Sessions response to this issue is typical of many Republicans who represent Black communities. They only respond when the community protests. Sessions finally is willing to compromise, but it took the community having to make their voice heard about the issue:

Now Mr. Sessions' office wants to make sure that Hamilton Park residents get a say in naming the post office at Schroeder Road and Forest Lane, something that didn't happen before.

"We talked to a variety of people within the Richardson school district who thought it was a good opportunity," Mr. Harrison said. "We are trying to ascertain the views of the community as we speak."

Mr. Sessions learned that residents favored naming the post office for Dr. Price only within the last two weeks, after the House vote, his staff said.

Perhaps the most instructive insight into the mind of Pete Sessions is this:

Dr. Price's supporters sent packets with letters and petitions to both Johnsons early in the post office project. But Sessions aides said they never received that material when he began to represent the 32nd District.

"I don't know whether Sam turned that information over," Mrs. Pleasant said, "but Mr. Sessions, I guess, never consulted with the community, either.

With all the redistricting over the past decade in the area, the residents were confused and didn't know who to turn to. First they were represented by Eddie Bernice Johnson, then Sam Johnson and now Pete Sessions. In the latest redistricting, Hamilton Park has been taken out of the 32nd, so the residents there will have a new congressman next year regardless of who wins the Frost / Sessions race. Instead of going to the community in Hamilton Park and asking who the community would like to name the post office after, Sessions went to his donor base.

In other CD 32 news, Martin Frost and Pete Sessions signed an agreement to disavow outside ads that Frost proposed several weeks ago when a group with racist ties ran attack ads against Frost. The Dallas Morning News has the story:

It's an agreement that's signed, sealed, ready for delivery and, compared with politics as usual, pretty extraordinary.

After nearly two weeks of dickering and bickering, rival congressmen Pete Sessions and Martin Frost pledged Tuesday night to disavow any media advertisement or advocacy action not authorized by their campaigns.

Television, radio or newspaper advertisements? Stay away, they say to all third parties.

Direct mail pieces? Interest groups should save their stamps, the congressmen suggest.

"We believe that this type of communication from 'outside' groups, political parties and individuals does far more to divide and alienate voters than enlighten or inform them," the congressmen jointly wrote in a letter the campaigns say they will distribute to 1,500 interest groups beginning today.

"Voters in the 32nd District of Texas deserve the opportunity to make an informed choice for Congress based on the views expressed by the candidates themselves," wrote Mr. Sessions, a four-term Republican, and Mr. Frost, a 13-term Democrat. "We ask that you show these voters the respect they deserve and honor our request to refrain from unauthorized voter communication."

The Frost campaign has the full text of the pledge here.

And to donate to Martin Frost, Click Here.

Congrats to the New UD's Officers

By Byron LaMasters

I just wanted to briefly congratulate the new University Democrats officers. We had our officer elections last night with contested races in all but one race (including five candidates for President).

The new president is Marcus Ceniceros who has not served as a University Democrats officer before, but he's been to about every event this semester, and he's committed to the organization, and I'm looking forward to working with him.

Beth Olson was elected Vice President in a three way race (Andrew D. was one of the candidates, and lost to Beth in the runoff). I've been friends with Beth for two years and I'm looking forward to working with her as well.

I won't mention all of the officers, but I'd like to congratulate Karl-Thomas, who was elected Membership Chair. I hope he knows what he's getting into. Usually we have to beg someone to be membership chair, but this year it was a close contest between Karl-Thomas and the current membership chair. It's a rather thankless job, as the membership chair must set up and take down (or find someone to do it for them) our table on the west mall every day.

Anyway, congrats to all of the new UD officers and here's to a successful fall semester!

BOR in the News Again

By Byron LaMasters

I met with the author of today's Daily Texan story with the University Democrats P.R. Director yesterday to give him a John Kerry bumper sticker to use for his story. He didn't interview me, but he talked about BOR as one of a number of political propaganda sites that are used by both Democrats and Republicans to convey their point of view. I don't think that the story is unfair by any means, but I'm a bit amused with the sense of shock and amazement that the author has that the websites of John Kerry and George W. Bush (and the sites of supporters of each) present a biased point of view. Well, duh! I've never claimed to be unbiased. I support John Kerry for President and I'll do whatever I can to get him, and other Democrats elected this November. Anyway, if you're interested, read the story or just check out some clips here:

Notbush.com presents what the site refers to as "informed talking points from the mainstream media." Visitors are asked to submit articles from third-party media sources, such as the New York Times or Washington Post, that are posted on the site to guide online discussion. Because the site is dedicated to replacing Bush, any article in favor of his campaign will not be posted, said Archuleta. He hopes using third-party articles instead of documents written by members of Notbush.com will lend credibility to the material and influence voters. However, because a majority of the articles are editorials, readers are more often than not subjected to opinion pieces, instead of facts.

The site draws 3,000 new visitors a day according to Archuleta, who adds that he foresees up to 100,000 hits a day if the current growth rates continue. He cautions new visitors that, despite the site's dedication to replacing Bush, Notbush.com is not a slander outlet.

"We need the people who are undecided and thinking people to make rational decisions," Archuleta said. "There are enough sites with Bush with devil horns doing a little dance in a monkey suit."

But campus Republican groups don't see much of a difference. Members of Students for Bush, a conservative student organization, say Notbush.com epitomizes political slander sites.

"Negative propaganda has been used for years to try to discourage voters," said Students for Bush co-director Matt Stolhanski.

Ok, Matt, so the left is using "political slander" because we're attacking Bush. If attacking Bush is political slander, then what do you call the vicious attacks by the Bush campaign against John Kerry? Isn't that "slander", too? Anyway, the site goes on to mention the University Democrats and the Burnt Orange Report:

As far as the Bush campaign site is concerned, Katherine Ford, public relations director for the University Democrats, said the chief problem is that the Web site is essentially an attack against Kerry, a campaign strategy the Bush-Cheney campaign claimed it was not going to use.

"I think [the Bush-Cheney campaign] knows that their asses are on the line in this election and that they're going to have to insult the other candidates," Ford said.

Ford added that she isn't impressed with Kerry's site either because it essentially contains rebuttals to the Bush-Cheney attacks. As a result, Ford believes, the Kerry site is not focusing enough on the issues of the election.

According to Ford, University Democrats would like to work with Notbush.com and other similar sites by spreading awareness and providing material. University Democrats are already participating with the Burnt Orange Report, an online discussion run by University Democrat Byron Lamasters, by assisting in those discussions.

Despite the quantity of third-party political activist sites available, Ford remains reluctant to believe any Web site is going to convince people to vote one way or the other.

"I think people already have it in their mind who they're going to vote for," Ford said. "I can't just look at a Web site and decide 'Oh, I'll vote for that guy."

Make of it what you want.

Right Side Bar Changes

By Byron LaMasters

I made some changes yesterday with the right sidebar. I hope that yall will find them useful. I added links to the websites of the candidates we're supporting in the May 15th Austin Community College Board (ACC) election, and links with more information about collective bargaining for Austin firefighters and information supporting the proposed Travis County Hospital District.

Further down, I borrowed the links to the Texas Congressional candidates which I had not yet linked to from Off the Kuff, and I also added links to selected races for the Texas State House and U.S. Senate. I also added some more news links down at the bottom of the page. Finally, I rebuilt all of my categories, date-based and individual archives which hadn't been rebuilt in awhile.

Anyway, let me know if you have any thoughts on the changes.

Learn More About Morris Meyer

By Byron LaMasters

One of our BOR advertisers, Morris Meyer had a great guest post over on Atrios yesterday. Check it out, or check out his webpage to learn more about his campaign.

Bad Zell

By Jim Dallas

Atrios expresses bewilderment over Zell Miller's support for repealing the 17th (Direct Election of Senators) Amendment.

(Off the Kuff talked about this recently, also).

It's really pretty simple:

Miller, who is retiring in January, was first appointed to his post in 2000 after the death of Paul Coverdell. He said Wednesday that rescinding the 17th Amendment, which declared that senators should be elected, would increase the power of state governments and reduce the influence of Washington special interests.

Miller, who knows a lot about Washington special interests, is essentially saying that the Senate should be the toy of special interests in Austin, Atlanta, and Sacramento. It's saying that Tom Craddick ought to call the shots, not "Washington special interests" like the AARP and the Sierra Club. That's why Tom DeLay likes this idea.

Miller, who knows a lot about being a partisan hack (for the other party), is saying that state politics should revolve entirely around who is gonna support which party's special interest Senator. Suppose you live in Jack Stick's district, and you like Jack Stick and want to vote for him - but you can't, because he'd vote to send John Cornyn (you'd prefer to be represented by Jim Turner) back to Washington. If you're a national-level Democrat, or Republican, that means you got to toe the same line when you vote for state representative and state senator (rather than having this degenerate luxury of being able to vote "the man" instead of the party at all levels of government).

Say buh-bye to swing voters.

Repealing the 17th Amendment has become the latest conservanaut fad because it furthers the cause of oligarchy, graft, and greed. Duh!

Now here's a challenge for the conservanauts - name one concrete example of how having direct election of senators has "corrupted" the country.

More Polls, and a cool site

By Jim Dallas

DailyKOS and MyDD are reporting on some internal polling done for Stenholm in CD19, which shows him with a statistically-significant 4 point lead over Neugebauer. (In the same poll, Bush leads Kerry 67-28 in that district).

Also, I thought I'd pass on a link to NewsMap, marumushi's visualization of the Google news aggregator; I'm still not sure what this represents, but it's kind of interesting to look at.

NewInteresting Intellectual Property Paradigm

By Jim Dallas

I'm sure you've heard of freeware, shareware, and adware.

But have you ever heard of cardware?

Orbitron is a Cardware! It means you can use it free of charge but if you have found it useful, or/and you think I have done a good job creating it, please send me a postcard with your city/region view

It may not put the food on the table, but since I was once a pretty avid postcard collector myself, I guess I can relate.

NEW TDP Website

By Byron LaMasters

The Texas Democratic Party has revamped their website. Let them know what you think!

Early Voting Starts Today

By Byron LaMasters

I voted earlier today in the local municipal elections (ACC, AISD, Travis County Prop., and City of Austin Prop.). Early voting started today and will continue through May 11. The election date is May 15. The full list of early vote locations is here. If you're a UT student, there's no excuse not to vote. As usual, we can vote on campus in the UGL Lobby by the West Mall.

If you haven't heard of any of the candidate, or don't know who or what to vote for, I offer my recommendations (these candidates / props. have all been endorsed by the University Democrats, Central Austin Democrats, Austin Progressive Coalition and Capitol City Young Democrats):

(Partial repost from my endorsements on April 7)

ACC Place 4: - Jeffrey Richard: Jeffrey is by far the best qualified and most experienced candidate in this race. He's also a Democrat with credentials that appeal to both the business and progressive communities. He served as the vice president of education on the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, and has a tremendous amount of experience in education working for 17 years with educational institutions in Washington D.C. and Austin. He also serves as an adjunct professor at Texas State University.

ACC Place 5: - Rafael Quintanilla: He's the chair of the board and is unopposed. I don't have a particularly good reason to support him, but people that have been around Austin a lot longer than I have said that he's worthy of our support, so that worked for me.

ACC Place 6: - Rodney Ahart: Rodney Ahart has worked in the legislature for State Sen. Rodney Ellis (D-Houston) and State Reps. Helen Giddings (D-Dallas) and Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin). During his time in the legislature, he worked on higher education issues and is well prepared to work with the legislature as a member of the ACC board.

FOR Collective Bargaining for Austin Firefighters: One of the referenda we will be voting on is whether to allow collective bargaining for the Austin Firefighters. Collective bargaining would require the city of Austin to meet in good faith with Austin Firefighters to negotiate their contracts. The process would be open and subject to public disclosure. Our firefighters work hard day and night to keep us safe. This is the least that we can do for them.

FOR Travis County Hospital District: This is a simple issue of efficiency and fairness. The current Travis County Health Care Revenue System is convoluted and confusing. Creating a hospital district would make funding our county health care more efficient by simplifying the revenue process. More importantly, this is an issue of fairness. Currently, Austin taxpayers pay five times more than (non-Austin) county residents in taxes to support Travis County health care facilities, even though all Travis County residents have equal access to the facilities. The Hospital District would equalize taxes for all Travis County residents. It would bring in needed money into the system to prevent emergency room overcrowding and to extend the hours of local clinics. That's a good thing for Travis County.

Speaker Pelosi?

By Byron LaMasters

Sounds awesome to me.

DeLay in Trouble?

By Byron LaMasters

It's common knowledge that Tom DeLay might be indicted by the Travis County District Attorney in the coming months because of his questionable activities during the 2002 campaign cycle. A lot of us have wondered, though, if all the bad media is hurting Tom DeLay in his home district. Kos has gotten ahold of some polling data that suggests that DeLay may have some reelection worries:

I've gotten my hands on some polling data from the district, and it's surprisingly poor for DeLay. His Approval/Disapprovals are 44/48. On the reelect question, 36 percent would definitely vote for him, 27 percent would consider someone else, and 27 percent would definitely vote for someone else.

53 percent of respondents were pro-choice, with only 34 percent following DeLay's strict anti-choice line.

Woah. This is a partisan poll (though not from Democratic candidate Morris), so I was a bit suspicious. So I did a bit of digging around, and there does appear to be a bit of DeLay fatigue in the district. The redistricting battle, while a massive victory for DeLay and the GOP, took a toll on his popularity. And the Earle investigation in Austin -- the one that threatens to indict DeLay -- has also garnered him repeated bad press. And let's not forget the aides who got caught billing Indian tribes $45 million for lobbying.

Now, I'm not going to get my hopes up. The district, as it is drawn, is a long shot for any Democrat, especially a challenger who has never represented any part of the district in government at any level. Still, Richard Morrison is a smart and competent challenger, and if the shit hits the fan for DeLay (which is entirely possible), then sending a few bucks his way might be a good investment. Even so, making Tom DeLay squirm a little bit is always fun.

Martin Frost Interview

By Byron LaMasters

A lot of candidates and elected officials have reached out to the blogs over the past year, but few have been in government as long as Martin Frost. It's refreshing to see someone who has been inside the beltway for so long to reach out to the blog community, not only with BlogAds, but also by interacting with individual bloggers. As two of the more widely read Texas Democratic bloggers, their campaign asked Charles Kuffner and I if we would be interested in submitting questions to Congressman Frost about his race that might be of interest to our readers. Both of us took up the opportunity.

Martin Frost was elected to Congress in 1978 after defeating a conservative Democratic with a diverse multiracial coalition. He has represented various parts of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex over the past 25 years, but he was targeted in redistricting, and is now running for reelection in a seat centered in North Dallas against Republican Pete Sessions. It's a tough race for Frost, but many national analysts consider this contest one of the top congressional races nationwide. I would encourage you to check out Charles's questions as well. While I tended to focus on questions regarding his specific race and Texas politics, Charles had some interesting questions on National issues. Finally, I would be remiss not to encourage everyone to learn more about Martin Frost and / or donate to his campaign through his webpage. Anyway, without any further ado, here's the interview (BL = Byron L., MF = Congressman Frost):

BL: Congressman Frost, you've served the Dallas / Fort Worth Metroplex in Congress for 13 terms. Could you tell us about your priorities during your time in Congress, and how you've benefited your constituents?

MF: My fundamental goal during my time in Congress has been to improve the quality of life for my constituents. We've created jobs by keeping Vought in the area, resolving the American Airlines labor/management dispute and developing the Pinnacle Park area off of I-30. Our neighborhoods are safer because of important legislation like the Amber Alert, and because we've invested in putting more police on the street. I've also worked to save healthcare benefits for defense retirees and am committed to making healthcare more affordable.

BL: A lot of Texas Democrats are having trouble staying motivated. We haven't won a statewide race since 1994, Republicans control all branches of government, and now our communities are chopped up through redistricting. What will it take for Democrats to start winning in Texas again?

MF: A. I'm a baseball fan, so I will answer this with a baseball analogy. We cannot afford to swing wildly at every pitch hoping for a homerun. We need to pick our pitches carefully, hit singles and doubles and run bases aggressively. It is not realistic to think that George Bush won't carry his home state of Texas, and an enormous amount of time and resources could be wasted in that effort. But, there are five highly competitive congressional races in play and over a dozen state house races. Winning these key congressional and state house races will strike a major blow to Tom DeLay and the most extreme elements of the Republican Party and will set the stage for Texas fielding and electing statewide office holders in 2006 or 2010. Mainstream Democrats more accurately reflect the view of average Texans. We must win these highly competitive congressional and state house races to give voice to mainstream Democratic points of view.

BL: Both Wes Clark and Howard Dean energized a lot of new people into the party through Meetups and other community events. How can we keep those new people in the Democratic Party and ensure that they'll be just as motivated to work for your campaign and other Democrats this fall?

MF: I intend to reach out to as many of these new activists as I can and bring them into my campaign. These are capable and articulate people who can bring enormous energy to precinct organization and can make the difference in a close race.

BL: Do you read blogs? How can Democratic bloggers and blog readers help the Democratic Party, and what do you think the party leadership can learn (or has learned) from bloggers?

MF: I have to admit that blogs and the exchange of political information Online is new to me, and I'm learning. But, it is clear that a whole new dimension of political communication has evolved, and keeping up with and participating in it is absolutely necessary to stay in touch with public concerns.

BL: Bloggers and Blog readers have been hit up recently by dozens of candidates using BlogAds and other Ad services targeting us. Why should bloggers and blog readers donate to your campaign as opposed to any other?

MF: There are many worthwhile campaign and political efforts that deserve financial support, but I can honestly say that no congressional race in the country better reflects the efforts of Tom DeLay and the most extreme elements in national politics challenging the will of local voters to determine who represents them in Congress. National publications are already calling this the "most competitive race in the country", and they are right. I have served in Congress for 26 years and have been a proud advocate of local concerns and local interests in North Texas. I've been willing to stand up to the leadership of both parties to protect the interests of my constituents. My opponent has distinguished himself only to the degree in which he has been willing to ignore local concerns to follow the direction of Tom DeLay and those like him.

BL: How do you intend to involve the grassroots in your campaign? What can people in your district, or people in Dallas that may not be able to contribute money to your campaign do to help?

MF: We will have a ground organization in every neighborhood and every precinct. This campaign will be built on grassroots activity. Whether is volunteering in the office, phoning your neighbors or hitting the streets to knock on doors and register voters everyone has a role to play in helping us win this race.

BL: Tom DeLay and the Republican leaders in Austin targeted you from day one of the redistricting fight, and cut up the compact, majority-minority district 24 into about five or six districts. Why do you think that you were targeted, and what does it say about the Republican leadership when they split up the minority communities in Oak Cliff, south Dallas, Arlington and southeast Fort Worth?

MF: I have been an effective advocate for voters and have been willing to stand up to Tom DeLay when others ignored his extremism or actively avoided it. Tom DeLay fears independent thinkers and fighters. I am both.

BL: You had several choices when deciding where to file to run for reelection. Why did you ultimately choose to run in District 32?

MF: The 32nd District includes North Oak Cliff which has been my home for almost all of the last 30 years. It includes South Irving, which I represented in Congress for 14 years. And, it includes areas in N. Dallas where I have friends, family members and long-time supporters. The District is diverse, including a true cross section of Dallas, with Hispanic, African American, upper income, middle income and some lower income areas. Clearly this is a district in which I can build a winning coalition of civic-minded people with mainstream sensibilities who want an effective advocate in Washington and not a partisan ideologue.

BL: On paper, the 32nd district has a distinct Republican lean, but Congressional Quarterly recently upgraded your chances, and National Journal has called the TX-32 race one of the "most competitive in the nation." While District 32 was drawn to elect a Republican, respected analysts in Washington, and here in Texas seem to give you a pretty good chance. Why do you think that is?

MF: I have a proven record of coalition building. I run strong grassroots campaign that will include neighborhoods and voting blocks that have not been included in other campaigns. And, with the help of your readers and many others, I will raise the funds necessary to compete with the money DeLay and others will funnel to my opponent.

BL: One of the statistics you've noted is that district 32 is 50% minority, but many of the minority voters in the district have not voted in recent elections. What effort are you making to turn out minorities, especially Hispanics in district 32 in November?

MF: First, I have a strong Hispanic voting record, having supported issues that are of importance to the Hispanic community. It is also important to organize every neighborhood, and develop an organization that will help increase voter turnout. I will also speak to the hopes and aspirations of all voters. All families, and especially Hispanic families, realize the importance of educating their children and realizing the American dream.

BL: Moving over to issues, one of the issues that separate you from your opponent is transportation. You've consistently voted for funding for DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit), while your opponent has opposed it. What are the major transportation needs for district 32 and what are the differences between your record and your opponent?

MF: DART is much more than just a mass-transit system. It's also a tool for economic success. I was the only Dallas County Member of Congress to actively support creating it, and my opponent has voted against it. Tea21 is another. I also support the Transportation bill, which will provide crucial funding for the Dallas area.

BL: What legislative achievement of yours are you most proud? Why?

MF: First and foremost, I am most proud of my three beautiful and successful daughters. I am proud of the AMBER LAW, because it will help keep children safe. I'm also proud of the work I did to remodel Vought, which let to job creation in the area. As a lifelong supporter of our military and veterans, I took great pleasure in bringing the Veterans Cemetery to Dallas. I'm also happy with the work I did to protect people's healthcare benefits by changing the bankruptcy law.

BL: While many progressives and liberals may disagree with your vote for the war in Iraq, your record defends you from the "liberal" label that the other side will try to tag you with. How will you convince Republican and Independent voters in north Dallas that you can better represent them?

MF: They are not ideological or extreme. They are civic minded and understand that to have a strong economy, we must create good jobs, provide good education to all children, and have clean air to breathe. They will not be fooled by Party spin or empty rhetoric.

Thanks for this opportunity to speak with your readers.

To donate or learn more, click here.

PA Primary Results

By Byron LaMasters

Here they are:

Democratic Presidential Nomination:
Precincts Reporting: 9147 Of 9416 (97%)
John KERRY - 566,394 - 74%
Howard DEAN - 78,075 - 10%
John EDWARDS - 74,663 - 10%
Dennis KUCINICH - 29,667 - 4%
Lyndon LAROUCHE - 17,622 - 2%

Republican Senate Nomination:
Precincts Reporting: 9212 Of 9416 98%
Arlen SPECTER - 517,409 - 51%
Pat TOOMEY - 501,192 - 49%

U.S. House District 13 Democratic Nomination (Incumbent Joe Hoeffel is the Democratic Nominee for U.S. Senate):
Precincts Reporting: 501 Of 509 98%
Allyson SCHWARTZ - 23,993 - 52%
Joe TORSELLA - 21,920 - 48%

U.S. House District 13 GOP Nomination:
Precincts Reporting: 501 Of 509 98%
Melissa BROWN - 22,463 - 39%
Ellen BARD - 20,240 - 35%
Al TAUBENBERGER - 15,304 - 26%

U.S. House District 15 Democratic Nomination (Toomey's seat):
Precincts Reporting: 306 Of 310 99%
Joe DRISCOLL - 17,946 - 56%
Rick ORLOSKI - 14,032 - 44%

U.S. House District 15 GOP Nomination:
Precincts Reporting: 306 Of 310 99%
Charlie DENT 24,739 52%
Joseph PASCUZZO 15,701 33%
Brian O'NEILL 7,311 15%

Specter limps on to the GOP nomination. He's clearly the favorite against Hoeffel in November, but he may have to worry about the conservative turnout in November. The Club for Growth succeeded in making many Republicans believe that there's no difference between Arlen Specter and John Kerry.

Education Editorial Letters

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I just saw that my father had his letter to the editor printed in the Austin American Statesman today, directly under House Speaker Tom Craddick's.

Most Texans believe that education is critical to the future of our state and our children. Education funding should be the first priority of our elected officials. As a teacher at a public high school, I would like to offer my common-sense solution to the controversy over how to finance public schools.

The first item of business in a legislative session should always be education. The Legislature should construct an equitable, fully funded public education plan. This bipartisan plan would be funded from the state's general revenue fund. This plan should include a raise in the teacher minimum salary schedule and increased contributions to teacher health insurance.

Only after education has been dealt with should the Legislature address issues such as social services, transportation, prisons, redistricting and appropriations to operate state government. If more money is needed to fund these other worthy programs, the Legislature could then consider toll roads, a state income tax or sin taxes.

Low Turnout in PA

By Byron LaMasters

Which is good news for Pat Toomey. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The polls close at 8 PM Eastern Time in Pennsylvania (7 PM CST).

I won't be here to post this evening, but the best place to check for results is probably the Philadelphia newspaper.

The Self-Segregation of America into Red and Blue

By Byron LaMasters

Yesterday, the Washington Post ran a great front page story on "Red America" (the second in a series of three) highlighting Sugarland, Texas (the home of Republican majority leader Tom DeLay). I've recently been fascinated by the divide in America between Red States and Blue States. In reality, the divide is more than Red vs. Blue. The divide is between Red counties and Blue counties. Look at a map of Red Counties versus Blue counties for the 2000 election. It would be hard to imagine that Al Gore actually won more votes than George W. Bush by viewing the sea of red across much of the country. Even California, which is considered safe for Kerry after Al Gore carried the state by 1.3 Million votes saw more counties won by Bush. Gore's margin of victory came from his 800,000 vote margin from Los Angeles County, and his similar margin from Metro San Francisco (margins of 220,000 in Alameda Co. 190,000 in San Francisco Co., 140,000 in Santa Clara Co., 85,000 in San Mateo Co., and 80,000 in Contra Costa Co.).

California is just one example, though. Most of the Blue states rely on a few major population centers delivering overwhelming margins for Democrats to make them "Blue states". Just as many urban counties are delivering increasingly overwhelming margins for Democrats (Al Gore carried New York City 78%-18% in an election that ended in a virtual tie. Gore's margin was larger than the margin that Lyndon B. Johnson carried the city in his 1964 landslide victory over the far scarier, trigger-happy, anti-Civil Rights GOP nominee Barry Goldwater), rural and suburban counties have become GOP strongholds in many places.

For the first time since the late nineteenth century, there have been three consecutive presidential elections where the winner received less than 50% of the vote. I attribute this to the increasing divide in America. Why?

I'd like to write a paper on this subject, and here's what I would like to argue as my thesis:

The social movements of the second half of the twentieth century have led to the self-segregation of many subgroups of American people. This self-segregation has led to a greater divide between Red and Blue America as individuals put themselves in social surroundings that reinforce and strengthen, rather than challenge their political viewpoints.

There are several glaring examples of this. The first and most significant is the "white flight" to the suburbs over busing that began in earnest in the 1970s and emerged in the 1990s with the rise of Republicans in the southern congressional elections (especially in the 1992 and 1994 elections). The Washington Post article mentioned earlier gives a great example of how this self-segregation and largely homogeneous community has led to political groupthink among residents in Sugarland, Texas.

It's Wednesday afternoon now and Stein is there with two friends, Craig Lannom and Lance May. They are three husbands, three fathers, three Bush votes, three guys watching ESPN and drinking some beers.

Round Number One:

"They make me feel like I have no hope. They make you feel like, why wake up in the morning?" Lannom says of Blue Americans he sees on TV or hears on the radio. "It's like every time I hear Al Franken speak, the world we live in is sooo bad, everything is going sooo wrong. Is it really that bad?"

"We see life as it is," May says.

"They seem bitter," Lannom says. "They just never seem happy. Every time you hear them talking, they're bitching about something."

"They're whiners," Stein agrees.

Round Two:

I have a cappuccino maker," May confesses.

"You have a what?" Stein asks.

Round Three:

"It's early in the morning, when the sun comes up behind that bank of fog," Stein says, describing his favorite thing about hunting.

"It's when you're fishing, and you look around, and you're the only guy around," May says.

"Fly fishing in Colorado. It was a religious experience," Lannom says.

Round Four:

"I feel it's safer out here. I feel it's more stable. More my kind of people," Lannom says of the appeal of Sugar Land.

"Where the grass is green and the trees are trimmed," Stein says.

"You live in planned neighborhoods where your investment is fairly safe," May says.

"The first time I put my trash out, I put it by the curb, and my neighbor came out and said, 'We don't curb our trash here in Sugar Land.' " Lannom says, laughing. "I had some cinch bugs in my front yard or something, my neighbor says, 'Craig, I want to talk to you about your brown patch.' "

"It's so predictable here," Stein says.

"But that's not bad, though," Lannom says.

"No, that's not bad," Stein says.

Time to go.

Red America. People in Red America like to feel safe, and away from the problems that exist in many cities. Jokingly, one political analyist in 2000 said that one of the best indicators of voting behavior was the proximity of a person to a Starbucks and a Wal-Mart. The greater proportion of Starbucks to people in a community, the higher the Democratic performance. The greater proportion of Wal-Marts to people of a community, the higher the Republican performance. The article also addresses family and religious issues. It's a great read, so check it out.

Of course, I like to pick on Republicans, but liberals are also guilty of self-segregation. Gays and lesbians (in particular) are likely to self-segregate themselves into cities where they are more accepted and can be more open about their sexual orientation. I'm guilty of this. I don't care if I was offered a starting salary of $100,000, I wouldn't move to somewhere like Midland, Texas, because I'd spend most of my salary getting out of there every weekend. Austin is about the smallest sized city where I can see myself living. Gays and lesbians aren't the only ones, though. We self-segregate ourselves by the universities we attend either on the right (Bob Jones, Washington and Lee) and on the left (Wesleyan, Oberlin) - just to name a few of the more extreme examples. We self-segregate ourselves by the books we read, the television we watch and the radio we listen to. The increasingly partisan political books, FOX News and right-wing talk radio (along with the emergence of the leftist Air America Radio) have seen both liberals and conservatives encourage and reinforce their ideology rather than challenge it.

The reallignment of the parties have followed these changes. Throughout much of the century, both parties had two wings. The Democratic Party had a northern liberal wing, and a southern conservative wing united by the New Deal. The Republican Party had a liberal Eastern (Rockafeller) wing and a more conservative, isolationist western wing. Evenually, these intraparty fights were decided. The western wing won control of the Republican Party with the nomination of Barry Goldwater in 1964 and of Ronald Reagan in 1980. The northern wing of the national Democratic Party won with the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act. Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were only able to win their Democratic Presidential nominations by their abandonment and denouncement of the conservative segregationalist policies of their predecessors. The party reallignment has continued to merge as conservative southern interests have alligned themselves with the Republicans, and liberal northeasterners have alligned themselves with the Democratic Party. The rise of DeLay and Gingrich from suburban "white flight" districts have come to define Republican Congressional leadership. Likewise, the election of Nancy Pelosi as Democratic House Minority leader is reflective of the evolition of the national Democratic Party.

Anyway, I'd like to research this further. Does anyone have any thoughts on my thesis?

Westminster President Apologizes for Cheney Speech

By Byron LaMasters

Yesterday Dick Cheney delivered a speech at Westminster College in Missouri. Westminster College President Fletcher Lamkin was asked by Dick Cheney if he would deliver a "major foreign policy address" to the College. Lamkin did what most any college president would do when asked by the Vice President of the United States. He said, sure. Little did Lamkin know that Kerry-basing would be part of the "major foreign policy address". Anyway, Lamkin did the right thing. He's invited John Kerry to the college out of fairness, and Kerry has accepted:

Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry will speak Friday at Westminster College, whose president complained after Vice President Dick Cheney sharply criticized Kerry during a campus appearance Monday, campaign officials said.

Kerry accepted an invitation to speak from Westminster President Fletcher Lamkin, Kerry spokesman Bill Burton said. Lamkin said Monday he was inviting Kerry out of fairness following Cheney's visit.

Lamkin expressed disappointment after the Cheney speech, telling students and faculty in an e-mail Monday that he had been told Cheney would deliver a "major foreign policy address" and was unhappy with what he called "Kerry-bashing." However, Cheney's spokeswoman said the speech was always intended as a campaign event.

Cheney questioned whether Kerry was fit to serve as president during wartime, repeating what he had said during a campaign event in March. "The senator from Massachusetts has given us ample grounds to doubt the judgment and the attitude he brings to bear on vital issues of national security," the vice president said Monday.

British statesman Winston Churchill gave his famous "Iron Curtain" speech at Westminster College at the dawn of the Cold War in 1946.

Details on the Rodriguez Recount Lawsuit

By Byron LaMasters

The San Antonio Express-News has the story:

U.S. Rep. Ciro Rodriguez is expected to try to beef up his legal case against Democratic nominee Henry Cuellar today, introducing an amended lawsuit that alleges more than 500 people who voted in the primary here are registered at vacant addresses or at homes where they do not live.

Rodriguez, a seven-year incumbent in Congress, sued Cuellar two weeks ago after losing his re-election bid in a recount following the March 9 primary.

The San Antonio Express-News visited some of the residences in question Monday based on information provided by Rodriguez's attorney, Buck Wood.

In one case, a primary voter with the same name as Cuellar's campaign manager, Colin Strother, is registered as living with Cuellar's parents in central Laredo.

The Cuellars, in an interview with a reporter Monday, said no one named Strother lives there.

Told of the allegation, Cuellar spokesman T.J. Connolly said that when Strother agreed to work on Cuellar's campaign, he was given a salary and the option to live in a rental property at Cuellar's parents' home.

Strother reportedly registered and voted at that address, although he has been living with his wife in another location outside of District 28 as part of her employment compensation. The two have been planning to relocate to the Cuellar residence, but furor over the campaign has kept them from doing so, Connolly said.

"He knew that's where he'd be residing long term," he said.

Strother did not return a phone call Monday.

Two other homes listed in the lawsuit — one littered with trash and with the front door standing off its hinges and another with a posted city application for remodeling — appeared vacant when visited by a reporter. Records show 11 people living and voting at those addresses.

At a fourth address, a resident said he did not know six people who were registered there and voted in the primary.

Texas voter eligibility requirements mandate that a person be a resident of their county at least 30 days before the election.

Rodriguez is pulling out all the stops, but it's probably too little, too late. Rodriguez didn't take Cuellar's campaign seriously until the end, and he made it close enough for the result to be in doubt. Still, there's some important questions that need to be answered and hopefully Rodriguez's lawsuit will help settle that.

Ten Years of Democracy in South Africa

By Byron LaMasters

Today is a day to celebrate in South Africa. The BBC reports:

President Thabo Mbeki has been sworn in for a second term in office on a day of celebration in South Africa - marking 10 years of multi-racial democracy. Guests at the ceremony in Pretoria included key figures in the transition from apartheid, ex-presidents Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk.

Wild cheers and singing broke out as Mr Mandela arrived with his wife, Graca Machel, and made his way to his seat.

Choirs greeted some 40, mainly African, leaders and other dignitaries.

The 27 April is known as "Freedom Day", symbolising the end of white minority rule and the start of multi-racial democracy.

South Africa has a long way to go, but the nation has certainly taken many steps toward progress over the past decade.

Specter vs. Toomey

By Byron LaMasters

The primary is today, and it's a dead heat. I've personally beem torn about this race. For those of you that haven't been following. Right-wing Congressman (with a populist touch) Pat Toomey is challenging relative moderate Senator Arlen Specter for the GOP Senate nomination in Pennsylvania. The Democratic nominee is Joe Hoeffel.

Many Democrats are all but openly cheering for a Toomey victory. The conventional wisdom is that Democrats would have a much better shot at picking up the seat against a relatively unknown right-winger (with heavy Club for Growth support), than against the popular moderate Specter. Others think that Toomey will energize the Republican base and cut into some Democratic union support helping Bush in the state as well as sending a more conservative Republican to Congress. Toomey argues that his Allentown based congressional district was carried by Al Gore in 2000, yet he's won it without too much trouble. He credits his success to "Reagan Democrats" that responded to his populist conservative message. Specter on the other hand, has the full support of President Bush and our good friend Senator Rick Santorum. Many pro-choice suburban Philadelphia voters that would vote for Specter are unlikely to vote for Toomey. Also, the money that flows to incumbents and presumptive winners that Specter would have in the fall would be much less likely to go to Toomey. Some Republicans have openly speculated that Pennsylvania would be out of play in the presidential election if Toomey wins tonight. Several million dollars that would be spent getting out GOP voters probably won't be there for Toomey (although the Club for Growth would make up for some of it, much of the money would go to Hoeffel). Finally, today is a test for the Bush campaign team. The Bush campaign has prepared for this election as a test run for its election day campaign team. They're testing the effectiveness of their blockwalking, phonebanking, television, radio, direct mail, etc. strategies. A victory for Specter is a victory for the Bush campaign team. A victory for Toomey is a defeat for the Bush campaign team. For that reason, if for no other, I'll be pulling for Toomey tonight. I'll post the link for returns when I find it.

Weddings for Marriage Equality Reports

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I just wanted to share with you, since I forgot over the weekend, the reports from our Weddings for Marriage Equality Event and Debate last Thursday.

The Daily Texan reported on it here. (2 pages) As well as the Debate here. I'm quoted in each article. In addition we (and I) made it on the local FOX affiliate at 5 and 9 that day.

Also, the cable channel has their show on archive now (4/22) and the story is near the beginning.

Funny/Scary Mondays

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

From the New York Times...

It's their reality. We just live and die in it.

In Bushworld, our troops go to war and get killed, but you never see the bodies coming home.

In Bushworld, flag-draped remains of the fallen are important to revere and show the nation, but only in political ads hawking the president's leadership against terror.

In Bushworld, we can create an exciting Iraqi democracy as long as it doesn't control its own military, pass any laws or have any power.

In Bushworld, we can win over Falluja by bulldozing it.

In Bushworld, it was worth going to war so Iraqis can express their feelings ("Down With America!") without having their tongues cut out, although we cannot yet allow them to express intemperate feelings in newspapers ("Down With America!") without shutting them down.

In Bushworld, it's fine to take $700 million that Congress provided for the war in Afghanistan and 9/11 recovery and divert it to the war in Iraq that you're insisting you're not planning.

In Bushworld, you don't consult your father, the expert in being president during a war with Iraq, but you do talk to your Higher Father, who can't talk back to warn you to get an exit strategy or chide you for using Him for political purposes.

In Bushworld, it's O.K. to run for re-election as the avenger of 9/11, even as you make secret deals with the Arab kingdom where most of the 9/11 hijackers came from.

In Bushworld, you get to strut around like a tough military guy and paint your rival as a chicken hawk, even though he's the one who won medals in combat and was praised by his superior officers for fulfilling all his obligations.

In Bushworld, it makes sense to press for transparency in Mr. and Mrs. Rival while cultivating your own opacity.

In Bushworld, you can reign as the antiterror president even after hearing an intelligence report about Al Qaeda's plans to attack America and then stepping outside to clear brush.

In Bushworld, those who dissemble about the troops and money it will take to get Iraq on its feet are patriots, while those who are honest are patronizingly marginalized.

In Bushworld, they struggle to keep church and state separate in Iraq, even as they increasingly merge the two in America.

In Bushworld, you can claim to be the environmental president on Earth Day while being the industry president every other day.

In Bushworld, you brag about how well Afghanistan is going, even though soldiers like Pat Tillman are still dying and the Taliban are running freely around the border areas, hiding Osama and delaying elections.

In Bushworld, imperfect intelligence is good enough to knock over Iraq. But even better evidence that North Korea is building the weapons that Saddam could only dream about is hidden away.

In Bushworld, the C.I.A. says it can't find out whether there are W.M.D. in Iraq unless we invade on the grounds that there are W.M.D.

In Bushworl