Burnt Orange Report
News, Politics, and Fun From Deep in the Heart of Texas
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Burnt Orange ReportNews, Politics, and Fun From Deep in the Heart of Texas |
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August 18, 2005A Brief Account of Debate Night for CD 28By Drew ClintonWednesday night found former Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (San Antonio) and State Representative Richard Raymond (Laredo) packed into a tiny courthouse in Floresville, Texas. This would be the site of the first debate for the 2006 Congressional election in the newly formed CD 28. Both were eager to discuss the finer points of Texas educational performance, immigration, energy reform, and the ongoing violence in Iraq. Cuellar's absence, due to his previously scheduled trip as part of the Congressional delegation to Iraq, did little to remove him from the evening's exchanges. Both candidates sought to distance themselves from Cuellar's recent votes on CAFTA, the REAL ID, and the Bankruptcy Reform Bill. Ciro emphasized his humble beginnings and his continued investment in higher education, mental health, and veteran's rights. Raymond mentioned his small-town roots and his high-profile role in fighting the Republican redistricting. The audience was split largely down the middle between mostly unionized Ciro reporters and vocal Raymond enthusiasts. The evening was largely dominated by talk about change and the need for a Congressional Representative that "looked like the solid Democrat district that CD 28 is." However, sparks flew when Ciro suggested that it was "unethical" for Raymond or Cuellar to run due to the fact that both are not living within the boundaries of CD 28. Both Cuellar and Raymond were redistricted out of the district in 2003. Raymond responded that such charges amounted to "a complicit acceptance of what the Republicans did through redistricting."
When questioned about immigration, Ciro stated that he would be "unwilling to accept another bracero program" that didn't provide for the ordinary and most basic human rights of immigrants. Raymond added that "employers must be held responsible for illegal employment" and that the United States must "reach out to Fox for added border security and accountability."
Most of the impacting and hard-hitting rhetoric was saved for the absent and current Representative Cuellar. Look for an intensive campaign season in which Cuellar absorbs nearly all of both candidates' criticism. Both were careful to reaffirm their dislike of Cuellar's policies and their respect for each other. This district provides an interesting race for Democrats statewide in an election cycle dominated by Republican gubernatorial prospects. The reality remains, a large portion of the votes in this district will come from rural areas like Floresville. In a race with two legislators from Laredo and one from San Antonio, none can afford to ignore this demographically fertile area. Posted by Drew Clinton at August 18, 2005 08:53 PM | TrackBackComments
Good post, Drew. I look forward to reading your posts on this issue Posted by: David at August 18, 2005 10:34 PMThanks for the coverage. This will be one of the most interesting 2006 Dem congressional primaries in the country, so I'm looking forward to hearing more. Posted by: Byron L at August 19, 2005 08:38 AMI really wish that one of them would get out of this race so we could train all of our guns on Cuellar. I like both of them and it is hard to choose. I suppose Ciro has had his day and Raymond could be a real leader for the future... But Ciro was robbed in 2004 and deserves another chance. So hard! Posted by: NEAC at August 19, 2005 10:27 AMPeople say Ciro was robbed, but I disagree. He got beat and it's his own fault for letting the race get that close in the first place. Why anyone thinks he can compete this time is beyond me. Raymond, on the other hand, is the real deal. He's quickly wrapping Laredo up, will suprise folks with his strong support in San Antonio, and will be very attractive in the rural counties. He's a great candidate and solid elected official. Ciro should do what's right and back down. This race is too important to risk letting Cuellar slip by. Posted by: rwj at August 19, 2005 10:37 AMSez you, rwj. Whatever happened to backing the best candidate because it's the right thing to do? Richard Raymond voted for Talton's amendment banning gay foster parents and he also voted for HJR6. Let's get into the 21st century where our Democratic Representatives and Members of Congress do not endorse hate and bigotry of any community. Posted by: Marie at August 19, 2005 11:21 AMDid anyone ask Raymond why he voted to prohibit gay and lesbian foster parents from adopting? Why he supported the anti-gay marriage amendment? Posted by: trza at August 19, 2005 11:22 AMI wouldn't be so quick to say Ciro had his day already...and he was robbed of that election...saying that he should have turned out his supporters in high enough numbers to overcome voting irregularities (I would say fraud) is absurd. He won. He had more votes. I think Richard Raymond would be better than Cuellar anyday though. congressman cuellar is a moderate democract.He is better candidate to vote for. the last election was not stolen . the boxes were not counted the first time so quit whining.Raymond real last name was ramon his grandparents change it raymond.ashame of his spanish name. Posted by: carlo cuellar at August 19, 2005 11:44 PMCarlos Cuellar continues to tell blatant lies about Richard Raymond on this site. Is there anyway to ban someone who consistently makes false statements? Posted by: David at August 21, 2005 12:28 AMSorry, david the truth hurts. But henry is the better candidate.He is a moderate that works with both partys to bring results.You demon cracts can bash H.C. all day long and make false statements like raymond inputed in his web site. H.C. work with sanchez in the 2002 election.This first hand info. thanks Posted by: carlos cuellar at August 21, 2005 08:48 PMTo say that Raymond and Cuellar were redistricted out is a blatant mistatement or comes from false information (sorry Drew). The 28th used to run further south to Hidalgo County, and Webb County (Laredo) was entirely in the 23rd CD. Why neither Cuellar (who lost to Bonilla before) or Raymond, who both live in the country club area of Laredo, run against Bonilla to represent themselves and their neighbors is a GOOD question. Cuellar won in a republican courtroom, where the facts of REAL voter fraud in Webb and Zapata were not allowed to be shown AND proven, and Ciro's seat was stolen. Richard Raymond is a good person, but please run to represent yourself in the 23rd, not the 600,000 true residents of the 28th CD. Posted by: Robert C at September 8, 2005 11:35 AMBTW, my guess is that carlos cuellar is, in fact, Colin Strother or TJConnoly, just shilling for HC as always. Posted by: Robert C at September 8, 2005 11:38 AMOn August 19, 2005 10:37 AM, rwj wrote "Raymond, on the other hand, is the real deal. He's quickly wrapping Laredo up, will suprise folks with his strong support in San Antonio, and will be very attractive in the rural counties. He's a great candidate and solid elected official." I just did a poll and Raymond's at 11 percent. (Cuellar's pollster has him at 9 percent.) Not only is Raymond not wrapping Laredo up, he's 39 points behind Cuellar in Webb County. But at least he's in double digits there (25 percent). He's at 6 percent in Bexar, a whopping 52 points behind Ciro. If you want Cuellar out, Raymond's not the guy to make it happen. Ciro is. Posted by: Andre Pineda at November 7, 2005 10:50 AMPost a comment
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