Burnt Orange Report

John Courage Austin Fundraiser

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Reception / Fundraiser

Thursday * December 1
5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Resistencia Bookstore
1801 South First St. at W. Annie
( 4 blocks west of 1800 South Congress)(map)

Meet John Courage
Democratic Candidate for
U.S. House of Representatives District 21

Light snacks & drinks * $25 suggested donation

http://www.courageforcongress.org/events/?action=dec01

Money? No, but I'll give you a piece of my mind.

By Jim Dallas

Can I vent - just for a second? I'm tired of getting three-page-long fundraising pleas from national Democrats which devote two pages to whining about how awful the Republicans are and one page to meaningless platitudes. Lots of bloggers have made similar posts before, I'm sure (no, really, I'm sure, I'd link to them if I had the time to dig them up). But the message just doesn't seem to be getting through: yes, we know the Republicans are bastards. Fundraising letters are supposed to, you know, inspire people. Preferably in the 15 seconds or so between the time I open the letter and the time I toss it in the trash. I got a fundraising letter today, for example, from the United Farm Workers (they are asking for gifts). It was clear, concise (one page, front and back) and motivational. It explained in a few words what the UFW has done for farm workers this last year and what it wants to do.

As for the UFW - I don't have any money to gift out, but here's a "high-five" for giving me a warm fuzzy feeling about the labor movement.

WMDs Found

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Really, you think it would have been sooner. Bush obviously wasn't looking too hard.

Corte on Vouchers

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I havn't has as much fun reading new blogs in some time as I have the Larry for the Lege blog, which is the main arm of the Larry Stallings campaign for HD-122 until the campaign website gets up at larrystallings.com. An interesting piece in a post yesterday was why Rep. Frank Corte introduced a bill for vouchers at $6,000 a year.

Speaking of whom, our daughter asked me why he introduced a bill to give, specifically, $6,000.00 a year in school vouchers. She wondered where that specific amount came from, since it is generally more than our local districts spend per child anyway. I didn't know why, so she set out to find out where that specific amount came from. Why $6,000.00? Why not $7.000.00? Why not $4,368.00? Well, she called last night at about 10 PM with an answer. Evidently, Mr. Corte used an amount fairly familiar to him - the tuition, plus $100.00 (for uniforms?) at his own kids' school matches that proposed amount.

I, myself, was privately educated in parochial schools back in the '50's and '60's. Believe it or not, even back then, special tax breaks were beeing proposed in California where I was raised, to help parents whose kids went to private schools. My dad, although a staunch Irish Catholic, was against that. He said to me when I asked him why, "It is our choice, we pay for that choice. If we took money from the state, it would be taking money away from kids whose parents don't have a choice." My mother disagreed with him, but he was firm in his view. He was a product of public schools himself, and supported them, even though his own kids went to parochial schools. Why don't we think about the common good anymore, like my dad did?

I went to a private catholic school for 10 years and a public high school for 4. I appreciate my private education and the religious component to it. But is my experience in both of those areas that makes me strongly opposed to vouchers. I'll explore that more in depth as that debate comes back into discussion.

Pittsburg Says 'No' To MLK Street

By Vince Leibowitz

I ran across this last night. And it doesn't seem that any other media outlets have picked it up, but I do think it's worth mentioning.

Monday night in Pittsburg (Camp County), the city council declined a request from the Camp County NAACP to rename a city street after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The NAACP sought to have renamed one of several streets, but, on a tied vote with the mayor casting the tie, the city decided against the proposal.

KLTV.com offered this quote from Pittsburg's mayor:

"I told them I didn't want to change any street in the city," says Pittsburg Mayor D.H. Abernathy. "Because I have the history of all of them when they first started and people giving 20 feet on each side to widen the streets and all that. You change it and call it Martin Luther King, Jr. you lose all the history behind that."

KLTV also noted:

Mayor Abernathy says some local businesses that operate on the proposed streets also expressed opposition to a name change, saying there would be significant costs such as changing company letterheads, business cards and licenses. "There are costs in every change. Something that is worthwhile costs," says Camp County NAACP member Thomas Hall.

However, as a consolation, the mayor has said the town would be willing to erect a King memorial, "in a location that is prominent and a lot of people pass."

The NAACP President in Camp County had this to say about the memorial proposal, which I found quite interesting:

"It's not that we're not interested in [a memorial]. It just seems like every time we get together and come up with something it seems like the powers that be are against it," says Camp County NAACP President Patrick Lloyd. "We have a lot of local people here that happen to be descendents of Anglo-Saxons that have streets named for them and even the mayor has a street named for him and we don't think he's important to the history of the world a fraction of what Martin Luther King did," says [local NAACP member Darnell] Thomas.

Stacey Tallitsch for LA-1

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

What happens when you get displaced because of a hurricane? What happens if you were running for Congress?

Listen in to the tale of Stacey Tallitsch running in LA-1.

Texas Tuesday: David Harris TX-06

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

It's a Texas Tuesday!

So we've looked at some of our statewide candidates in previous weeks ... how about we take a look at some of the challenging candidates for Congress in 2006, this time?

David Harris is an Army veteran who served 12 years of active duty for his nation. His latest battle is taking on Joe Barton in Texas' 6th Congressional District.

As Texas bloggers (or anyone with a fair memory) will recall, Joe Barton is the Texas Congressman who voted against Emergency Relief for Hurricane Katrina and whose staff was outted for their partisan motives in the (eventually) illegal re-redistricting of 2003 and who's been designated as "Smokey Joe" due to his anti-environmental record.

If you want to learn more about David Harris, however, today is a rather fortuitous day. For starters, check his campaign blog and the District Six campaign blog. Tonight, you can also check out David on Air America's Majority Report at 8:34 Texas time (CST), as he'll be the featured guest with hosts Sam Seder and Markos Moulitsas of DailyKos.com. (online streaming audio also available)

2006 presents Texas Democrats with an opportunity for gains across the board. But without candidates, that opportunity goes wanting. David joins a growing number of military veterans coming home to run for Democratic nominations in tough races here at home. A small donation would go a long way to helping this "Fighting Dem" launch his campaign in North Texas. If you're a fellow blogger, by all means give David Harris a plug on your site. If you're not, then you've still got the power of email to help send this message to a few of your closest friends. Many of Texas finest bloggers have taken an active interest in David's campaign this season and we hope that with some help from around the state, that a Democratic tide can lift as many boats as possible ... even boats with Army men.

So Donate to Harris if you can.

The Craziest HD-48 Scenario

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

There will be a lot going on behind the scenes in the next few days. There is some talk about consolidating the field and having one person run. This is the process that will happen this spring that you all should be aware of, as I understand it.

The January Election is an open free for all election. All Republicans and Democrats run against each other. The top 2 go to run off in February. The winner of all that then is the State Rep for the Spring Special session that will likely be called for March-June because of the school finance ruling that set the June 1 deadline or else schools shut down.

BUT

There is still the regular primary in March which will decide the nominees for the November general election.

SO

Say it is Bentzin (R) Howard (D) Brown (D) & Rider (D)

They duke it out in the open special, winner wins. They all could potentially run again (and have new challengers) in their party primaries in March. So given that, the following is actually a possible scenario.

January Open Special Election: Bentzin & Brown go to run-off
February Run-off: Brown wins, serves as elected Rep for any Spring Special Session
March Primary: Bentzin wins the Republican nomination, Brown goes to run-off with Howard for an April Run-off, forcing him to campaign during the middle of the special session
April Run-off: Howard wins Democratic nomination and campaigns against Bentzin for November election, while Brown serves out the rest of the term as the elected lame-duck rep, while the session is still going on!

I'm not saying this is in the cards, but Rick Perry's election date enables this to be a possibility. And remember, Travis County officials estimate the election will cost as much as $250,000, plus another $125,000 or more if there is a runoff.

Rip Avery has some thoughts as well.

As I have mentioned before, Bentzin not only lacks Baxter's baggage (voting record and TRMPAC connections) but is in a position to finance a campaign before any single Democrat is ripe for candidacy in the general election. Also, as noted, there are at least three players on the Dem side, and in a special election all candidates run at once, with the winner being he/she who obtains the majority of votes. If there is no majority, then there is a runoff between the top two candidates. The three way split may not be as bad as one thinks, since the goal of the Democratic Party should be to make sure that Bentzin stays below 50%. Votewise, even if Howard and Rider took some votes from the left, Brown should be ok if he can suck enough votes from the center to prevent a Bentzin victory in the first round. The problem, of course, will be the expense (consolidating elections analogous to a primary and possibly general in such a short time frame).

While Bentzin lacks Baxter's "baggage," he did take money from Texans for Lawsuit Reform (and Bob "Swift Boat" Perry) in 2002. TFLR is bankrolled by Dr. James Leininger, and it contributed heavily to Baxter as well as Craddick and others in the Texas GOP leadership. Leininger was he mojor influence behind issues like school vouchers, and reportedly pulled GOP reps off the floor to lecture the Legislators on the importance of voting for them and his other pet issues. Oh yeah, Leininger contributed heavily to TRMPAC and Stars Over Texas PAC (TRMPAC's successor and a Baxter contributor). So, Bentzin (despite his reputed $37m "fortune") is still connected to the same policy "puppet masters" as Baxter. If you like Tom DeLay and Tom Craddick (and their buddy, Rick Perry, another beneficiary of Leininger largesse), then you should vote for Bentzin. If you, like me, don't care for the Right Wing's influence in Texas, then you should support Andy Brown.

HD 48 Special Election Date Set

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Election Day: January 17th (Tuesday)
Early Voting: January 2-13
Filing Deadline: December 19th

via QR

Developing...

It's hard to expect Rick Perry to get on the stick with much of anything these days, and certainly not elections, considering the residents of District 143 in Houston had to go for entire special sessions with no representation.

But faced with having to deal with his failure last year to fix school finance, and now having to do it by June 1st lest the Republicans would rather see the schools shut down (probably an absolute dream for a couple of them), we get an early election called, with all candidates running in a free for all.

As a student friend of mine said when I told them this, Perry is a bastard, because the entire election takes place over the holidays, and election day is the first day of classes. That means all those Democratic student voters out in Far West, which are hard enough to turn out anyways, will be next to impossible to get. University Democrats, which has been active in block walking for Andy Brown's campaign, might have enough time to get an endorsement out next week (while still open, would likely go to Brown at this point) and if that couples with Central Austin Democrats could provide for some of those infamous yellow doorhangers to go up out in the district. But as far as volunteers go, the student impact has been minimized.

Such an early election means money and existing on the ground infrastructure means a lot. Brown has been blockwalking since the summer, hitting thousands of houses out there. Donna Howard will have to depend upon the Kelly White network of donors and volunteers. Kathy Rider (if she's still planning on running) will have to rely on name ID because there hasn't been sign of any organized activity I can pin down. Of course, that reveals our other problem, that there will be more Democrats than Republicans running, either 2-1 or 3-1, since Ben Bentzin will be the Republican nominee.

If the Dems all run, they have to keep Bentzin below 50% on the first round and then join together in the run-off to have a chance. It would be better if we could consolidate behind one candidate, and then focus our collective efforts on turnout, instead of worrying about turnout and fighting over voters at the same time. But with from what the candidates on our side have signaled, that doesn't seem likely to happen. But this early election could change that.

Until then, we wait. You can look at the HD-48 map (pdf) in the meantime.

Austin City Charter Propositions

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Save Our Springs Alliance is collecting signatures on petitions for calling an election on two propositions. Pay is 75 cents per valid signature of a City of Austin registered voter. (Voter signs both petitions and you make $1.50). Work any hours, any place. Door to door or tabling.

For information call Glen Maxey 443-2004 (o) 656-6337 (cell) OR Nate Walker (680-8438). Petitions can be picked up and information at: Glen Maxey Consulting, 512 E Riverside Ste 203, Austin TX 78704 Call 443-2004 to make sure someone is at the office. Usually here 1 pm to 6 pm / Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

Information email: Glen at RepGMaxey-AT-aol.com

The ballot propositions are listed in the extended entry. One is a Save Our Spring Charter Amendment to close loopholes being used to get around the landmark SOS ordinance when it was first passed. The other is an Open Government Online measure.

Grits has some thoughts on the Online measure, which would force open some APD police records.

UPDATE: The official charter campaign website is here.

Summary of “Save Our Springs” Charter Amendment

General Purpose: Upon approval by the voters of the City of Austin, the Amendment would make it the official policy of the City of Austin to protect the quality and quantity of water flows in the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer and to take actions in support of this policy, as summarized below:

Key Elements:

Recognizes Scientific Consensus -- In 1997 more than 35 Central Texas scientists, environmental engineers, and urban planners wrote and endorsed a policy paper entitled “Protecting the Edwards Aquifer: A Scientific Consensus.” The Charter Amendment would require the City to follow the key recommendations of this scientific consensus.

Directs Development Downstream – Requires the city to direct development to the east and downstream of the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer in its development of roads, water and sewer investments, economic development efforts, etc.

Limits Development Subsidies – Prohibits the City from offering tax abatements or other economic development subsidies to companies or their close affiliates that seek to build in the Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer, and requires those companies receiving economic development subsidies to refrain from future development in the watershed.

Minimizes Grandfathering -- The City’s overly lax reading of state law has allowed massive amounts of development in the Barton Springs watershed as “grandfathered” from the 1992, Austin voter-approved Save Our Springs ordinance. The charter amendment would require the City to narrowly define “grandfathered development” under state and federal law.

Summary of “Open Government Online” Charter Amendment

General Purpose: The Amendment would open Austin City Government to public scrutiny by requiring most of City business to be carried out online, in real time, and with full right of public access and public input. Current internet technology makes it possible for local governments to carry out most of their business online, including permitting, contracting, project and policy development and management, broadcast of council and board and commission meetings, disclosure of meetings and correspondence with lobbyists, etc. And just like with businesses, doing so reduces costs and increases competition in the market place of ideas, so that better decisions are made. By opening city government to public scrutiny and to the ideas, information and participation of everyone who cares about Austin, we can make a better future for Austin and establish Austin as a leader in open, online and participatory democracy.

Key Elements:

Require Open, Online Government for Efficiency –Using internet technology to manage permitting, contracting, and public information disclosure, the City can save time and money. Rather than spend staff time responding to public information requests, most City information would be automatically disclosed requiring no time at all. Most of this information is in electronic format already – its just not accessible to the public.

Require Open, Online Government for Accountability—It’s long been recognized that shining light on government is the best disinfectant against waste, abuse, and malfeasance. By forcing City Government to be accessible online and in real time, we can assure far greater accountability of both elected officials and city management.

Require Open, Online Government for Participatory Democracy – Austin is best when it invites, considers, and responds to the questions, information and opinions of everyone who cares about our city. The Open Government Online Amendment would allow interested citizens into the city decision making process by requiring that development permitting and project and policy development be done through webpages that automatically post comments of interested citizens within the same process of considering proposals and applications by developers, contract bidders, and other commercial interests. Also, by requiring full public disclosure of how and with whom elected officials and top management spend their time, the Amendment would create a powerful incentive for balancing lobbyist access with citizen access.

Require Open, Online Government for Equal Access and Fairness – Too much of city decision making is cloaked in shadows and springs forth whole, the decision already made well before interested citizens even know there’s an issue. The recent $30 million tax abatement giveaway for Samsung (a company that admitted to felony price-fixing charges and a $300 million fine) is a perfect example. By forcing disclosure of virtually all correspondence with commercial interests – and specifically requiring all corporate welfare packages be negotiated in public – the Open Government Online Amendment will make Austin city government much more fair to the average interested citizen.

Personal Space

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

When I became politically aware, I didn't realize for some time that my views as a Democrat about space exploration were out of sync with what many Democrats feel is a big waste of time and, well, space. That may be in part to the fact that my prior interests before politics were to work for NASA. (My thoughts- if Armstrong is the first man on the moon, then obviously a Musselman should be the first man on Mars)

I was glad to read and now pass on an article written by Jeff Brooks, who was policy director for the Kelly White campaign last year, about why Democrats should support space explorations. So explore it if you will.

Jim Stauber Announces Run Against Rep. Gattis

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Check out Eye on Williamson County's post on Democrat Jim Stauber's bid to unseat Republican Dan Gattis.

I will immediately work to:

+Prohibit local and state government from taking your homes and land for private development by others for their commercial profit.

Dan Gattis refused to support this prohibition.

+Restore 2900 Texas State jobs to Texas residents, which the legislature eliminated by outsourcing to a low paying private company and, possibly, non-Texas residents.

Dan Gattis voted to allow outsourcing Texas State jobs to non-residents.

+Restore funding to the CHIPS Program (Children’s Health Insurance Program) to provide adequate health care to Texas children and return Federal funds to Texas.

Dan Gattis voted for a lesser and lower level of care for our children and to turn back, to the Federal government, millions of our tax dollars.

+Move immediately to make the Toll Road Authority answerable to the public by making the members elected officials instead of appointed officials.

Dan Gattis opposed making the members directly answerable to the voters.

New Bloggers

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Larry Stallings, candidate for HD-122, has a blog! And if you've noticed dksbook around here in the BOR comments, you can now make the connection.

Although not a Deaniac, he respects Governor Dean tremendously for being a no-nonsense guy who can actually get stuff done, like governing a state, and now organizing Democrats nationally. When Howard said at the national Hispanic Summit a few months back that every race must be run, no seat should be left unchallenged, Larry heard, and took note.

Larry has a biblical mind-set. He knows that God is not a Republican or a Democrat, but he knows that right now, the Democratic Party is more representative of New Testament values than the Republican Party is. He told his family, when asked why he was willing to take this on, "Ecclesiastes 3:7. There's a time to be silent, and a time to speak. Now is the time to speak."

So this blog will be our living room, where anybody who wants can come sit down (our coffee table is big enough for a lot of feet) and be heard. Larry plans to do a lot of speaking the truth here, and invites y'all to do the same.

Matt in San Antonio has an update on how the campaign is filling out the campaign positions. I'm glad to see that his family is solidly behind him; I know from personal experience that it can be a rewarding experience. And I'm glad that we have another House seat covered in our Run.Everywhere strategy.

Also, Bell County Democrats have a new blog, the Bell County Watch. Thanks to Eye on Williamson County for that one. Now only if we had bloggers in Hays and Comal counties and we'd have a huge chunk of the I-35 corridor counties covered!

UDems Elections Wednesday

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

University Democrats elections are this Wednesday starting at 8pm in Garrison 1. Currently nominated for positions are the people listed in the extended entry.

I've made up my mind on a couple of races, and considering I'm not running for anything, I'll probably mention a few of those who I'm voting for tomorrow, but I'm curious as to anyone's thoughts on the elections right now.

I'm also in the process of writing up the final language for a UD Constitutional Amendment I'm planning on putting forward and seeing how it goes over. One thing that's always been frustrating in these officer elections is that there is never an official vote count released, no accountability to the person who comes back from vote counting and says "so and so" won. So the language of my amendment would have the intention of having the Secretary, not only count the votes but officially record them. I'm trying to think if it should be written so that the results are announced or just recorded and made publicly available upon request. Thoughts on that?

President:
Brandon Chicotsky
Nick Chu
Ali Puente

VP:
Katie Naranjo
David Black
Sheel Bedi

PR Director:
Sukanya Misra
Ramon Telles

Secretary:
Katie Cowhig
Emily Bivona
Ronald M

Treasurer:
Kurt Neumann
John Chen

Events:
Michael Fritz
Cindy Castillo
Ray Skidmore

Volunteer:
Sam Srour
Kelly Fine

Historian:
Jess Faerman
Ashley Boggs
Liz Romig

Webmaster:
Tim Allen
Elizabeth Anderson

Candidate Round-Up

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

• Republican Rep. Cunningham resigns over in California, opening up another special election in California. Francine Busby is our candidate, one who made the final round of the DFA All Star endorsement earlier this fall.

• Republican Rep. Mary Denny will seek retirement at the end of her term, rather than face re-election in her Denton House seat. She used the traditional "devote more time to the family" reason for leaving, though after this cycle, Texas Republican retirement is based more in wanting to spend more time with the family than with fellow Republican legislators which have got to be giving the body a collective headache. From her official press release.

  Denny’s tenure is marked with legislative accomplishments for work on election, campaign, and ethics reforms. The Judicial Campaign Fairness Act of 1995 and her work on the landmark state ethics reform in 2003 (HB 1606) won her praise from the group Common Cause and ethics reform groups statewide.

  This past session, Denny aided voters with "turnout burnout" by passing legislation that reduced the number of uniform election dates from four to two. She also worked to crack down on voter fraud by proposing that voters present a valid form of identification when attempting to vote.

  PinkDome has a nice roundup but I happen to like this photoshop of theirs best.

• David Harris was featured on Air America tonight in their series of Fighting Dems.

• U.S. Senate candidate Barbara Ann Radnofsky will file for the primary election and hold a press conference 2:00 p.m. on December 5, 2005 at the Texas Democratic Party HQ here in Austin in another attempt to get the statewide media to mention her name in a story about the Senate race. Listening to them, you'd think there weren't any elections in Texas next year.

  At the press conference she will deliver her proposals for solving the critical issues Texans care about, including health care, education, and veterans’ affairs. She will also discuss the top ten cynical, anti- Texas positions her opponent has taken in 2005.

  DATE: December 5, 2005
  TIME: 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.
  LOCATION: Democratic Party Offices, 707 Rio Grande, Austin

Student Prop 2 Results

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I realized that I never posted this information when I was running through Prop 2 results. Here are the results for the heavily student populated precints here in Austin. These add up to about 7,000 student voters when you account for a couple of variables, which is quite a boost from the maybe 1,000 student votes cast in the 2003 Constitutional Amendement election. You can see these (most all purple) on the precinct map of Travis County available to download in .pdf format here.

Student Precincts by region are as follows...

Precinct # // % Vote Against Prop 2 // % Turnout

On Campus
147 // 84% // 24%
148 // 80% // 23%

West Campus
261 // 89% // 18%
265 // 86% // 18%
266 // 91% // 21%
277 // 88% // 14%

North Campus / Hyde Park
145 // 91% // 30%
274 // 91% // 33%
275 // 90% // 36%
276 // 89% // 32%

Riverside
420 // 75% // 14%
429 // 83% // 14%
431 // 81% // 14%
435 // 87% // 13%

St. Edward's
433 // 80% // 22%

Far West
221 // 73% // 31%
247 // 59% // 34%

Editorials about Supreme Court Pub Ed Ruling

By Phillip Martin

Since the Texas Supreme Court ruled that the property tax structure we use to fund our public schools is unconstitutional, many papers have weigned in with editorials. Here are the highlights of eight editorials (four before the jump, four more below the jump) that have been sent to me. (I provided a link to the full editorial when possible, along with the article's title and where and when it was printed, for future referencing).

"Court has spoken: School system on verge of collapse," 11/26/05, Houston Chronicle.

"There is substantial evidence ... that the public education system has reached the point where continued improvement will not be possible absent significant change, whether that change take the form of increased funding, improved efficiencies or better methods of education," the court wrote.

Gov. Rick Perry chose not to emphasize that warning during his postmortem spin session.

He seized instead upon the opportunity to vow (once again) to deliver cuts in local school taxes, an elusive goal that the Supreme Court ruling should finally help him accomplish.

Texans, in return, can expect an assortment of increases in state taxes to pay for the cuts after the Legislature meets to address the court order, probably after the March 7 primaries.

But whether the governor is committed to actually improving the schools remains to be seen.

"Focusing on taxes, not schools," 11/27/05, Austin-American Statesman.

Court testimony in the original lawsuit brought by the school districts estimated it would take about $4.8 billion more per year in school spending to meet all state and federal standards for student education and testing.

But Perry said it "is possible for the Legislature to implement new reforms that will improve student success without necessarily spending additional dollars."

That's something else the court ruling couldn't change: political promises of something for nothing.

"Time's a-wastin'; cut the bickering," 11/26/05, Denton Record Chronicle.

Everybody had best get on this right away. If January is too soon, well, OK; if everyone lacks the courage to make a decision before the March primaries, that’s understandable — disgusting, but understandable.

But, please, governor; please legislators; please remember this: If fear of alienating big business interests paralyzes you into inaction one more time, hundreds of thousands of Texas schoolchildren will suffer. If petty turf battles between legislative houses results in flouting a court order, schools may not open on time next fall.

And that, ladies and gentlemen of the Legislature and the governor’s office, will be all your fault, and everyone in the state will know it.

"William McKenzie: School champions held ground in Austin," 11/23/05, Dallas Morning News.

The school groups also balanced out the many Republicans who were loath to raise taxes to help schools. Anti-tax crusader Grover Norquist was pressing from Washington to not raise one cent, and without the coalition pressing for more aid, lawmakers likely would have passed a puny package and gone home.

Maybe that's why some in Austin, mostly House Republicans, came to refer to the coalition members as the "Whiny Ass School People." (I started not to include that vulgarity in a family newspaper, but it reveals the contempt some elected leaders have for those who run our schools.)

Fortunately, the WASPs didn't budge. Our state is better off for their uncommon leadership and independence, which is what this editorial board seeks in bestowing The Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year award.

It would be best if legislators and the education groups could work out a common solution when Austin takes up school finance again. But if Republican leaders keep offering higher standards and little funding, someone has to force the Legislature to give students the means they need to achieve higher ends.

"Lawmakers need to get it together -- and soon," (Registration Required), 11/25/05, Dallas Morning News.

The preferred way of reaching consensus – and making good law – is not a repeat of the deadline-testing battle of wills between the speaker and lieutenant governor.

Texas has seen four such legislative sessions in the past two years and can do without another...

Austin leaders will have scant time to pass a good bill if they have to deal with hastily crafted legislation of this complexity.

The importance of properly funding schools demands true cooperation and early consensus. Only then can the court-imposed reforms have the scrutiny and input from stakeholders that the issue deserves.

"Schools Need More Than Tinkering," 11/23/05, Austin-American Statesman:

Even while upholding the legality of the overall structure and funding of public schools, the court's majority warned that the system is drifting toward "constitutional inadequacy." It also cautioned that the gap in wealth among districts might become so great that it is unconstitutional...

That majority seems to understand that public education in Texas is inadequate and inefficient, even if not unconstitutionally so. This state faces an enormous challenge in devising a system to educate a growing, poor and often unprepared student population.

"To the drawing board editorial," 11/23/05, Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

No one who sincerely cares about the future of this state and its children can be happy about any of this. More than a decade down the road, the Supreme Court is still saying that the state should be able to do better.

"Lawmakers get last chance on school finance," (Registration Required), 11/24/05, The Beaumont Enterprise.

Few lawmakers looked good in this process, but House Speaker Tom Craddick was believed to be particularly at fault for his stubborn refusal to compromise in any meaningful way. Maybe now Craddick and other roadblocks to reform will realize that they must act.

Order Falls Apart at Supreme Court

By Phillip Martin

Literally. A large chunck of marble fell off the front of the United States Supreme Court building this morning. According to TV reports, the chunk fell from the area where statues are carved at the top of the building. While "Liberty," the central statue, remained intact, it seems that some basic elements of "Order" broke down.

More puns are, of course, welcome.

Stallings Not Stalling Around

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I'm back in Austin after an enjoyable break off in Fredericksburg where I had Thanksgiving Day dinner at the DoubleJade, which served a Chinese, German, Mexican, American, (and seafood) buffet.

Didn't catch this last week, but according to Matt Glazer down in San Antonio, Larry Stallings isn't wasting time in getting organized in HD 122. Matt's got some more biographical info as well, part of which I've clipped here.

Larry is a 58 year old father and grandfather. He was born and raised in Amarillo and graduated from Tascosa High School in 1966. Larry joined the Marine Corps immediately after graduation and served a total of 30 years in various military components, 20 of them as an Army Medical Service Corps officer. Stallings completed a Bachelor of Arts (Summa Cum Laude) degree, and a Master of Public Administration (Summa Cum Laude) degree while on military duty.

He was awarded more than two dozen medals and citations, served on two combat deployments and was awarded a Bronze Star and Legion of Merit.

Also not to forget, Republican Representative Ray Allen up in Dallas (HD-106) is going into retirement, creating an open seat for which Katy Hubener will be running again. Huebner garnered 47.5% against Allen back in 2004 in her first bid for political office, and should make this one of the top House races in Texas. Kuff has some info on that race from back before the break.

Once you go black you don't go back...

By Jim Dallas

Kevin Drum on the increasingly-common references to the Friday after Thanksgiving as "Black Friday."

I was beginning to wonder about this myself; it seemed to me that more people were calling Friday "black" this year than before. Based on Kevin's research, it might be the case. And if the trend continues we might as well just all start calling it that.

Incidentally, "Black Friday" is not the busiest shopping day of the year; the Saturday before Christmas is. I guess that would tend to mean that the day gets its name from stores becoming (supposedly) profitable on that day. Such a momentous event, of course, requires a name. And we hear that "Good Friday" was already taken.

BORed - Bombs Over Blogspot

By Matt Hardigree

Remember all the stink about President Bush making a remark about bombing Al Jazeera? I'm sure it was just a joke, but the people at Al Jazeera probably aren't excited about it. I don't blame them. Of course, now we have proof that they aren't big on the idea in the form of an Al Jazeera employee blog with the clever title "Don't Bomb Us."

The blog isn't that interesting. Robert Fisk is their favorite Middle East correspondant? Big shock. The best part is their flickr pool as it includes this photo:

Believe it or not, that's their second draft. Their first was "We truly insist that we have a full investigation of that thing Bush said about bombing our offices, the building, the satellites and the parking garage that we currently are owning at this moment. If not now, sometime in the immediate future. Thank you for the consideration"

Bring the pain

By Jim Dallas

I swear, if A&M goes into the second half ahead (which they could do) -- I'll just choke.

Update: Well, the Aggies blew a perfectly good drive. Still, after all the gloom-and-doom predictions by (and for) the A&M faithful, you'd expect the Longhorns to be up by more than 21-15.

Update 2: I fell asleep in the middle of the second half after it started to look like the game might be in hand. The H-Chron and CNN-SI have write-ups.

Altogether it was, as one commenter notes, a good game. Moreover, it was a game where - despite the rivalry - you really could root for both sides. The Aggies continued a wonderful tradition (by which I mean "playing their hearts out as underdogs," not "losing to Texas") and that's commendable.

Home Again

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

In a couple hours I'll be back in Fredericksburg, recovering from a cold, and seeing the family. Posting will likely be light over the holiday week here, though I'm sure we'll pop in with some updates now and again.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

And for anyone that cares, here are the University Democrats officer nominations so far. Elections will be held next Wednesday, Nov 30th, starting at 8 pm in GAR 1.

President:
Brandon Chicotsky
Nick Chu
Ali Puente

VP:
Katie Naranjo (pending acceptance)
David Black
Sheel Bedi

PR Director:
Sukanya Misra
Ramon Telles

Secretary:
Katie Cowhig
Emily Bivona
Ronald M

Treasurer:
Kurt Neumann
John Chen

Events:
Michael Fritz
Cindy Castillo
Ray Skidmore

Volunteer:
Sam Srour
Kelly Fine

Historian:
Jess Faerman
Ashley Boggs
Liz Rumming

Webmaster:
Tim Allen
Elizabeth Anderson

Greg Abbott gets a gold star

By Jim Dallas

Ditto what Kuff said. The Sony DRM RootKit kerfluffle (especially given that the EULA apparently was drafted by somewhat who must have flunked contract law -- that's the only logical explanation for drafting something so obviously unconscionable) should concern every American about the dangers of corporate Big Brother.

At the moment, I am currently approving of the job performance of our state Attorney General.

Bush's Exit Strategy

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Watch the video of Bush's Exit Strategy. (Might resize your window for some reason).

Also, watch the video of Rep. Mean Jean Schmidt dropping the C-Bomb on the house floor last week.

Courts Rule on School Finance

By Phillip Martin

Quorum Report has the full ruling. I'll try to put together a summary together for this afternoon. Basically they said that the ad valorem taxes, because of how they were capped, constituted a state property tax that is unconstitutional. The Legislature will have to pass a new law by June 1, 2006, to fix it.

Here's what they said about funding:

"We recognize that the standard of arbitrariness we have applied is very deferential to the Legislature, but as we have explained, we believe that standard is what the Constitution requires. Nevertheless, the standard can be violated. There is substantial evidence, which again the district court credited, that the public education system has reached the point where continued improvement will not be possible absent significant change, whether that change take the form of increased funding, improved efficiencies, or better methods of education. ... But an impending constitutional violation is not an existing one, and it remains to be seen whether the system’s predicted drift toward constitutional inadequacy will be avoided by legislative reaction to widespread calls for changes."

SO, the funding is legally fine for now, but it could easily "drift toward constitutional inadequacy" if the Legislature doesn't make some changes -- whatever changes they feel should be made.

Anyone with any better reading/understanding, leave a comment...

UPDATE: Statesman article is up.

Bill and Bell: More Than Just an "I"

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

While reading last Friday's Statesman article on Justice Gammage's interest in the Governors race, I was interested to see a couple things. One was a reference to BOR for helping to bring that story to light.

Gammage, 67, a mediation attorney whose consideration surfaced this week on blogs, including the Democrat-oriented Burnt Orange Report, said he's weighing whether he can raise enough money to run and whether his candidacy would draw grass-roots support.

The second was some of the lines of difference that Gammage was drawing with Bell.

Gammage called Bell a likable leader who deserves credit for filing U.S. House ethics complaints against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, last summer.

But Gammage said Bell "hasn't been able to focus public attention on much of anything else. And he can't run on that. He's not running against Tom DeLay; he's running for governor of Texas, and it's a big state. Anybody who hasn't run statewide really can't appreciate how big.

"The campaign conducted so far puts you to sleep," Gammage said. "The message is not being delivered so that anyone is listening. One thing I can do is deliver a message. I know how to wage a late-starting, under-funded campaign. Been doing that all my life."

On taxation, Gammage differs from Bell in saying that creation of a state personal income tax should be considered with other government finance options. "Everything is on the table," he said.

Gammage, a Houston native, is a former college instructor whose career includes stints in the Texas House and Senate and the U.S. House. He also served on the Third Court of Appeals in Austin and on the Texas Supreme Court.

Now, I wouldn't mind some sleep, goodness knows I havn't gotten enough of it this semester while steering the Campus Alliance to victory locally on Prop 2. While I'm supportive of Democrats running at all levels and hold out hope in even the most unlikely elections, I can only work and volunteer for so many campaigns and have little time at this point get excited about campaigns which, well, aren't very exciting. Or worse, leave me scratching my head.

Bell spokesman Jason Stanford said it was "ludicrous" that Bell is fixed on DeLay. Bell "was not afraid of Tom DeLay. He isn't afraid of Rick Perry. And he's certainly not afraid of Bob Gammage," Stanford said.

Stanford made a comparison to jockeying among Democratic presidential possibilities before the 1992 election season.

"How many Mario Cuomos have to pass on this race before we realize we've got a Bill Clinton already running?" Stanford asked.

Whoa, hold up there. Was that just a comparison of Chris Bell to Bill Clinton? Um, ok. I thought this was supposed to be the campaign that put me to sleep, not put me in tears.

In Other Gubernatorial News...

By Damon McCullar

$250,000 Life Insurance Benefit for National Guard

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell said that paying the life insurance premiums of members of the Texas National Guard serving in active federal duty in combat zones would be a top priority of his administration.

“A parade is not enough thanks for the Texans who risked their lives overseas,” said Bell. “We can never thank them enough for their sacrifice for our national security, but we can do something about the financial security of their families. Nothing would ever be enough, but this is a start.”

Governors in Delaware, Georgia, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Rhode Island have either signed or called for legislation to have their states pay the life insurance premiums of National Guard members on active federal duty in combat zones. These soldiers are eligible for $250,000 in federal life insurance benefits. The premium is $16.25 a month. The other states that have done this typically reimburse the National Guardsmen and women.

The Austin-American Statesman also had this story on the same subject.

ALSO:

Bell: Tax Panel is "Cronyism Run Amok"

AUSTIN – Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell today criticized Rick Perry’s Texas Tax Reform Commission as “cronyism run amok” because the members of the tax panel have given Rick Perry’s campaigns almost $1.4 million during the past five years, according to a report in the Houston Chronicle.

“This is cronyism run amok,” said Chris Bell. “Rick Perry says ‘this talented group of individuals’ offers ‘a broad, fresh perspective.’ What they offer is political cover for a politician facing re-election. That, and hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for the campaign, of course.” (Press Release, Office of the Governor, Nov. 4, 2005)

Much of Texas business and the population is unrepresented by the Perry Tax Commission. According to Texas Weekly, “car dealers, at odds with Perry, are out. Manufacturing, commercial real estate, the Internet end of the technology business, and utilities” also lack representation on the roster.

Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls

By Damon McCullar

It's time for this week's installment of Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls! This post has gotten long due to the number of candidates in the field. Use the extended entry to see what's going on this week and who is running for what! If anyone has any leads on candidates or knows of someone I'm leaving out, please email me or leave a comment.

Barbara Radnofsky

Chris Bell
Nationally renowned political blogger Sean-Paul Kelley (of Agonist fame) will be special guest host on KTSA radio in San Antonio on November 23 and he has invited Chris to join him on the program to discuss the campaign.

The show runs from 7 PM to 10 PM on Wednesday the 23rd. Check back as the date approaches for an update on what time in the program Chris will be on

Chris will be visiting the Bryan campus of Blinn College on Monday, November 28 to take part in the Blinn Student Lecture Series. Chris's speech is sponsored by the Student Government Association.

The event is being held in the banquet room of the Student Center Building and begins at 7 PM.

Felix Alvarado
Felix Alvarado is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.

Maria Alvarado is running for Lt. Governor.

David Van Os
David Van Os is running for Attorney General.

Join us for the first official stop on the David Van Os for Attorney General Whistlestop Tour!

with

Jim Hightower
Presentation of the Spine Award
Music by Tres Lunas
Meet & Greet the Candidate
Dinner Buffet
& Good Ol'-Timey Fun!
Venue: Barr Mansion, 10463 Sprinkle Road, Austin Texas 78754
Date: December 03, 2005
Time: 5:00-9:00 PM
Email: rlmeade@yahoo.com
Celebrating David's filing for placement on the 2006 ballot and official candidancy.

Featured guest speaker Jim Hightower

Spine Award presented by the Progressive Populist Caucus and sponsored by The Backbone Campaign

Live music by Tres Lunas and progressive conversation into the evening.

$1000 sponsorship (includes preferred seating for eight; first two respondents seated with Jim and David)

$50 general seating

SEATING IS LIMITED. Please RSVP by November 26 to the email above.

More information available here, including online registration for the event.

Hank Gilbert
Hank Gilbert is running for Ag Commissioner

Dan Dodd
Dan Dodd is running for Congress in CD-03

Glen Melancon
Glen is running for Congress in CD-04

Glenn will address the Rockwall Democrats on Saturday November 19
at 9am. For more a map to the location visit their website:
www.RockwallDemocrats.com.

Charlie Thompson
Charlie is running for Congress in CD-05

November 22nd - Dallas Christian Democrats, 7:00 PM, La Madeleine, Preston at Forest

November 30th - Dallas County East Democrats 7:30 PM, location TBD

December 1st - Lake Highlands Area Dems Meet-up group, 7:30 PM, White Rock Coffee Shop, 10105 E. NW Hwy. Dallas

December 3rd - Athens Christmas Parade, 6:30 PM, Athens

December 6th - Stonewall Democrats Annual Holiday Party - 6:30 Havana Bar, 4006 Cedar Springs Dallas

December 7th - DFA National Meeting Day Meting 7:00 PM Turley Law Center, 6440 North Central Expwy., Dallas

December 8th - The Greater Cedar Creek Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Luncheon - 11:30 AM - Vetoni's Italian Rest., Gun Barrel City

December 8th - Lake Highlands Area Democratic Meet-up group - 8:00 PM, White Rock Coffee Shop, 10105 E. NW Hwy. Dallas

December 10th - Lake Highlands Area Democratic Meeting - 10:00 AM, NW corner of intersection of NW Hwy. & Plano Rd., Dallas

December 14th - Athens Chamber of Commerce Luncheon - Athens Country Club, 11:30 AM

December 15th - Anderson County Democratic Party Executive Committee Mtg., 5:30 PM, Jerry Hanson's Law Office, Palestine

December 21st - Garland Democratic Women 11:30 AM, 10538 Forest Lane, (Golden Corral, Dallas)

December 22nd - Lake Highlands Area Dems Meet-up Group, 8:00 PM, White Rock Coffee Shop,

December 22nd - Cherokee County Dem Women - time and location TBA

David Harris
David Harris is running for Congress in CD-06.

The Follow Me To DC campaing embarks on another road trip across the Gulf States to enjoy Thanksgiving in Georgia with Michelle's maternal grandmother. We will be stopping along the route to visit with Hurricane survivors and offer messages of hope. It is our wish that each of you this Thanksgiving, find the courage to rise up, thankful for the great leaders that have gone before, and push toward victory next November. It will be remarkable next year to look back on the friends we have made, the things we have changed and the demand list we will deliver to DC. I look forward to joining you all on the fight along the way. Have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving. - David Harris, Candidate, TX 06

Ted Ankrum
Ted is running for Congress in CD-10.

Shane Sklar
Shane Sklar is running for Congress in CD-14.

John Courage
John Courage is running for Congress in the CD-21.

Reception and Fundraiser
5:30-7:30 p.m.
at Resistencia Bookstore
1801-A South 1st St. Austin TX
More info

Nick Lampson
Nick Lampson is running against Tom DeLay for Congress in CD-22.

Nick will be at the Ft. Bend County candidates' forum:
Location: George Memorial Library, Richmond, TX
Time: 10 am

Henry Cuellar
Henry Cuellar is running for re-election to Congress in the CD-28.

Richard Raymond
Raymond Rodrigez is running for election to Congress in the CD-28.

Ciro Rodrigez
Ciro Rodrigez is running for Congress in the CD-28.

Friday, November 18th, 2005
Coffee with Ciro
Time: 9am-10am
Location: Brother Tacos on Pan Am (before) Theo & Malone

Contact:
Irma Castillo
210-928-2476
irma@cirodrodriguez.com
Saturday November 19, 2005
Breakfast Rally
Time: 8am - 10am
Location: /*Don Pedros Mexican Restaurant */
1526 S.W. Military Dr.
Get Directions

Irma Castillo
210-928-CIRO (2476)
irma@cirodrodriguez.com
December 11, 2005
Tardeada Con Ciro
BORN TO SERVE - CIRO D. RODRIGUEZ
59th Birthday Tardeada
Date: Sunday, December 11, 2005
Time: 3pm - 6pm - Special Celebration
Location: The Sunset Station Depot - The Saloon
1174 E Commerce St, San Antonio, TX 78205
Get Directions

SPONSORSHIPS AVAILABLE
Padrinos - $2,100
Compares - $1,000
Amigos - $500
Parientes - $350
Vecinos - $250
Amistades - $100

Call for Details Alice Guerra,President, GTO Advertising
3707 N. St. Mary's Street
San Antonio, TX 78212
at 210-732-8111 or 210-379-4283
alice@gtoadv.com

Ciro D. Rodriguez for Congress
210-928-CIRO (2476)
info@cirodrodriguez.com

Mary-Beth Harrell
Mary-Beth Harrell is running for Congress in the CD-31.

Kirk Watson
Kirk Watson is running for Texas Senate District 14.

Sharon Davis
Jim is runing for State Representative in District 08.

Jason Earle
Jason is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 47

Andy Brown
Andy Brown is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 48.

Andy Brown will be blockwalking this weekend. Come meet Andy, talk to West Austin voters, and work on your tan! Contact Marc at 636-4345 or at marc@voteandy.com for more information.

Donna Howard
Donna Howard is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 48.

Jim Stauber
Jim is runing for State Representative in District 50.

Karen Felthauser
Karen is runing for State Representative in District 52.

Paula Hightower-Pierson
Paula is running for State Representative in District 93..

Judge Jim Coronado (site under construction)
Judge Coronado is running for a spot on the Third Court of Appeals

Diane Henson
Diane is running for a spot on the Third Court of Appeals, Place 3

Diane Henson, Candidate for Justice, Third Court of Appeals, Place 3 is having a fund-raiser on Tuesday, November 29 from 5:30 to 7:00 at the Shoreline Grill in Austin. Tickets are $50.

Bree Buchanan
Bree is running for a spot on the Third Court of Appeals.

Mina Brees
Mina is running for a spot on the Third Court of Appeals.

Charles Baird
Charles is running for the 299th district court here in Austin. Let's get behind him and Keep Austin Blue.

Just plain wrong.

By Jim Dallas

Matt Stoller:

A party strategist tells me that a great fundraising idea would be to put press hound Sheila Jackson Lee in a room with Chuck Schumer and one TV camera and ask people to pay to watch them fight over it.

Person of the Year

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Over at TIME you can send in nominations for Person of the Year.

Or you can ignore that and nominate a Texan of the Year. That deadline is Wednesday.

Sen. Eltife Speaks Out on School Reform

By Phillip Martin

State Senator Kevin Eltife (R-Tyler) gave every elected official in Texas an "F" for failing to pass any sort of improvements for our public schools, and called on members of his own party to start using their clear majority to start leading.

From The Paris News:

“We should have cut property taxes, properly funded public education and should have given teachers a pay raise they desperately deserve,” Eltife said.

He noted the average beginning teacher earns $24,000 yearly.

“That’s an embarrassment,” he said.

Eltife said many leaders blame lobbyists for the legislature’s past failures but that the buck stops with elected officials.

“Some will go around blaming the business lobby and some the education lobby,” Eltife said. “If you want to blame somebody, blame every elected official in this state.”

Eltife targeted his own political party.

“I am a Repub-lican,” Eltife said. “Republicans control the House, Republicans control the Senate and Republicans control every statewide elected office. If we are going to control all these offices, we need to provide leadership and it is time we step up to the plate. We asked for these jobs and we need to deliver.”

No matter the political consequences, the District 1 senator says he will continue to vote his conscious and what he believes are the wishes of his district on matters facing the Texas Legislature.

“It doesn’t matter whether the governor is on the other side of the issue or the lieutenant governor, when I am on the Senate floor and I make a vote it is going to be for my district and what is right in my heart no matter who is on the other side of an issue,” Eltife said to a round of applause.

Put into context with the recent targeting the Republican Party of Texas has done to many "moderate" Republicans in the House, this article points to the prominent difference between the Republican leadership (Perry, Dewhurst, Craddick) and everyone else in the Texas Legislature (Republicans and Democrats, alike) on the issue of education.

Voting Rights Act Kabuki

By Jim Dallas

JURIST Paperchase has a blurb about the upcoming debate about renewing parts of the Voting Rights Act (or not):

A small minority of southern Republicans have announced their intention to challenge the renewal of Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act [text; DOJ introduction], currently being evaluated by Congress for a 25-year renewal on the grounds that it is unfair to southern states and no longer necessary. Though the White House, Congressional leaders of both parties, US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and the teh US Justice Department support the reauthorization of the Act [JURIST report] in its entirety, several southern lawmakers are critical of section 5, which requires southern states with dicriminatory voting records to seek federal approval before changing voting locations within districts, a requirement not imposed on northern states. The original purpose of the provision was to prevent the racist practice of moving voting locations to intentionally inconvenience black voters. Leading the opposition, first-term US House member Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) [official website] argues that the areas protected by the provision are now "controlled by minorities" and no longer need protection. Representative Sanford Bishop (D-GA) [official website], one of many House members who support the renewal of the provision, has nonetheless noted that "in an ideal world we would not need the Voting Rights Act, and in an ideal world we could apply Section 5 across the board without watering it down and making it ineffective. But if history, both past and present, teaches us anything, it's that we do not live in an ideal world." AP has more.

Continued below the fold...

The AP writes it up this way:

A school closes that once housed a polling place. For the next election, city officials send voters to a new site across the street. In Boston, no problem. In Atlanta, no problem provided the federal government grants permission.

Such has been the law for 40 years under the Voting Rights Act, which sought to end racist poll taxes and literacy tests by putting Southern states - then, without question, the worst offenders - on a shorter leash than most other places.

Now President Bush, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and congressional leaders from both political parties are pushing to renew this requirement for 25 more years. Although it doesn't expire until 2007, continuation of Section 5 - the provision involving federal preclearance of voting laws - seems a foregone conclusion.

Still, a handful of Southern Republicans - particularly those from Georgia - are determined to mount a spirited dissent, though they realize it will probably be in vain.

"It's just a matter of feeling dissed when you know you've paid for your sins or the sins of your forefathers, and it wasn't even our party that did it," said Rep. Phil Gingrey, R-Ga.

Congress is just a few weeks into its hearings on the act's renewal, but most have involved a parade of witnesses who support extending the requirement and a small handful who don't. So Rep. Lynn Westmoreland, a Georgia Republican in his first congressional term, decided it's time for the other side to mobilize.

Earlier this month, Westmoreland called a meeting of several Southern Republicans whose states are subject to Section 5 approval. He shared with them some facts involving his state.

First, blacks there now turn out to vote at a higher rate than whites, according to a study by two political scientists. Second, the state has little trouble electing minorities to office. Four of 13 members of the U.S. House are black, as is Thurbert Baker, who was easily re-elected as the state's attorney general.

"I'm not going to deny there weren't problems," Westmoreland said. "But right now, if you look at those same communities where there were problems, those communities are controlled by minorities."

Ironically, the loudest voices for continuing Section 5 use the same primary argument as those who want to scrap it. They just insist the progress happened mostly because the Voting Rights Act was there at all. Take that away, they fear, and discrimination returns in force.

At a news conference this past week largely in response to Westmoreland's efforts, Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat and civil rights leader, called Section 5 "the heart of the act." His Georgia Democratic colleagues agreed, with Rep. David Scott predicting a "full-frontal assault" by opponents.

This all seems kind of... ridiculous... to me. If, in fact, large areas of the South have changed (and they probably have), then the simple and reasonable solution to removing the heavy hand of Big Government is to change the coverage formula for Section Five, not repealing it entirely. The Justice Department has to vet thousands of election law changes a year under Section Five, and many of the jurisdictions covered were first added to the "naughty list" thirty or forty years ago. It's probably reasonable to suggest that this situation may not be entirely fair or efficient. But shouldn't the law have a provision holding serial offenders of voting rights accountable? Mend it, don't end it.

More to the point a debate over Section Five (unless Congress wants to extend its coverage to all fifty states, fat chance) does nothing to resolve voting rights issues in non-covered jurisdictions. Most of Florida and none of Ohio is covered by Section Five, despite widespread complaints in those states during the last two presidential elections.

And coverage means... what, exactly? It didn't seem to have any effect during Texas re-redistricting or Georgia's voter identification kerfluffle.

I fear that the debate over renewing the Voting Rights Act is going to be purely symbolic, instead of what we really need - a serious debate about improving the quality of our democracy.

Dallas Democrats Preparing for 2006

By Kirk McPike

With the recent sting of the passage of Proposition 2, it's important to note that there's good news for the progressive movement even in areas not called "Travis County."

On Election Day, Dallas County performed better than the statewide average, opposing Proposition 2 by nearly 10% more than Texas as a whole. In two legislative districts, 103 and 108, voters rejected Prop 2. Democrat Rafael Anchia represents district 103, while district 108 is held by Republican legislator Dan Branch. Based on the Proposition 2 vote, LD108 may be more fertile ground for Democratic efforts than previous election results had indicated (if a sufficient vote can be produced from the GLBT-heavy Cedar Springs area). Proposition 2 also did surprisingly poorly in district 107, where two Democratic candidates are vying to challenge Republican incumbent Bill Keffer, a strong supporter of the anti-equality amendment.

Preparing for the 2006 election cycle, the Dallas County Democratic Party held a very successful fundraising event this past Thursday. The party's annual Fish Fry raised over $60,000 and 400 area Democrats attended, far exceeding both the take and the participation at last year's event. The success of the Fish Fry is just another sign that the DCDP has moved past the unfortunate drama that gripped the party throughout much of 2004.

More than 80 Dallas Democrats are working towards putting their names on the 2006 primary ballot. The DCDP will be fielding challenges to Republican incumbents in over 60 races next year, including nearly every judicial seat in the county. Karl-Thomas is rightfully concerned with the "run almost nowhere" meme that is common in many Democratic circles. In Dallas County, we appear to agree with him -- we're running practically everywhere (within reason, of course).

Two candidates have recently entered the 32nd Congressional race against Republican Pete Sessions: Dallas lawyer Will Pryor and 2002 candidate Pauline Dixon. Two candidates are planning to run for the Texas House seat 106: 2004 candidate Katy Hubener and Chris Combest, a soldier who is presently in Iraq. Another Iraqi war veteran, Alan Vaught, has just entered the primary for Texas House district 107, where Andy Smith, a manager for Texas Instruments and graduate of SMU (go Mustangs!), has been running since earlier this year. These and other primary races promise to be interesting contests.

Some in Dallas are concerned that these primary fights are a waste of qualified candidates who might be able to run elsewhere. On one level that concern is correct. However, contested primaries are also a sign of party growth and vibrancy. Given the alternative, a party so flush with candidates that it has to deal with messy primary fights is a problem everyone in Dallas should be glad to have.

Of course, our candidate list isn't quite full yet. If you're a Dallas Democrat who's interested in making a run for office, now's the time to get moving. We still need a challenger for Dan Branch in Texas House District 108, and there are a handful of judicial seats still open.

2004 was a very good year for Democrats in Dallas -- even our poorest-performing countywide candidates took 48% of the vote. With the party picking up around 2% every cycle since the late 1990s, we're in a good position to cross the 50% threshold in 2006, carrying scores of Democrats into office. Texas itself may be a long way from turning blue, but Dallas County is about to join Travis in leading the way there.

Some Additions

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I've made a couple of changes over this past week as I gear up for another (possible) site structure do-over as the holidays come. I'm not going to promise anything, but if you have any ideas, platforms, suggestions, or things that really irritate you about the site structure, this is the comment thread to do it on. So now for the updates.

If you read BOR by RSS through some reader or another, and with the possibility that the feed address may change with site updates, please take this time to update your feed address. I'm now using Feedburner, which will allow the site to go through any changes with an interruption to the feed address. Click below for the address, and possible readers you might want to investigate using.

Also, if you want to use Google Ads on your site, the referral link will now be on the left side.

And if you aren't using Firefox as your web browser, I'd also suggest that you switch. I know that BOR can run slow at times and Firefox does help to speed things up. Check that out on the left sidebar as well.

Phoney Baloney

By Jim Dallas

Please, Mr. Hunter, for the good of the country, stop being a douchebag.

Update: After Jean Schmidt started calling Rep. Murtha a "coward", I realized I could never be a member of Congress. I'm sure that by now I'd have been dragged out of the House kicking and screaming obscenities.

Today's Iraq debate is about the closest I've seen to a barroom brawl on C-SPAN.

BORed: The Google Never Lies

By Matt Hardigree

I'm not one to get so excited about claiming that President Bush is the worst president ever, because he's the only president we've got right now (well, him and Dick Cheney).

Therefore, I was a bit surprised when I googled: the worst president and ended up with the official White House biography of George Bush.

Perhaps google can confirm what we all suspect...

The Key Parrothead Demographic

By Jim Dallas

Taegan Goddard passes along word that Jimmy Buffett has endorsed Kinky Friedman for mayor of Margaritaville governor of Texas.

Rep. Coleman Issues Letter to John Sharp

By Phillip Martin

Today, State Representative Garnet Coleman sent the following letter to fellow Democrat John Sharp, Chair of Governor Perry's Tax Reform Commission:

I have read with interest your comments regarding the Tax Reform Commission’s role in saving Texas schools. Without question, the commission’s work to propose a reliable state revenue source could play an essential role in developing a school finance solution, and I sincerely hope you are successful in your efforts.

However, the goal you have set for the Commission - "producing a tax system that is the envy of the other 49 states" - addresses only half of the school finance equation. Our commitment to our children and a prosperous economic future also require us to develop an education system that is the envy of the other 49 states.

The letter raises the important concern that tomorrow's long-expected Supreme Court ruling, and the work of the Tax Reform Commission, may only address part of the problem facing our public schools. How we get the money to our schools is, of course, important -- but how much money we send to our public schools, and what we do with that money once it's there, is as equally important.

We have a serious responsibility to solve the school finance issue for Texans, their children and the future of our state. Just as we have for the past three years, responsible legislators will continue working with educators, parents, and taxpayers to reach a bipartisan consensus on how to use available revenue to improve our children’s schools. We reached that goal on the House floor during the second special session last summer, and we can afford to do no less.

Some figures worth noting: In 1994, the state share of education funding was 45%. Today, the state pays approximately 36% of the bill for our children’s schools. Texas ranks 32nd in classroom expenditures per student, $873 below the national average. What's more, Texas ranks 34th nationally in average teacher salary, $6,232 below the national average and the lowest among the 15 most populous states.

As you can see, there's a lot to be done to improve public education in Texas. Let's see what tomorrow's ruling will bring.

New Name in the Mix for TDP Chairman

By Andrew Dobbs

As many of you know by now, I left the Texas Democratic Party last week in order to focus on some new business opportunities that I have right now. I was happy to leave on friendly terms and I am excited to be working in new ways to elect good Democrats across this state.

As all of you probably know by now, Charles Soechting is not running for reelection as State Chair. As I understand it, he is not stepping down before the convention in the interest of a smooth primary season and top-notch convention. Unlike 2002 the party won't be running from national Dems, in fact there will probably be half a dozen presidential contenders there. But if things go the way they are now, the excitement will be on the floor rather than the dais.

Early on the names of SDEC members Dennis Teal from Livingston and Boyd Richie from Graham were floated for the job. Boyd Richie is a good man and would make a great chairman in particular (and it'd also be a two-for-one deal with his wife Betty, former president of the Texas Democratic Women, being around also). Now a new name has entered the mix--San Antonio attorney and activist Charlie Urbina-Jones. Charlie is a great guy who I have had the opportunity to talk to at many events and his bio speaks for itself.

Charles "Charlie" Urbina-Jones was born September 13th, 1947 in San Antonio Texas to Virginia Urbina-Jones and Rudolph Oliver Jones, both of his parents were longtime activists in the community helping at-risk kids, immigrants and those in need. He is also the Great-great grandson of Griff Jones, one of first legendary Texas Rangers & one of the founders of Eagle Pass, TX and the grandson of Manuel Anaya Urbina who immigrated from Mexico to go to Baylor University and later became a Baptist minister.

Charlie graduated from Jefferson High School and went on to St. Mary’s University where he received a B.S. in geology. He was commissioned upon his graduation from St. Mary’s as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Ft. Sill, OK and Ft. Hood, TX (1st Cavalry) before being stationed with the 101st Airborne Division, as a forward observer, in Phu Bai Vietnam. He received the Bronze Star, Vietnamese Cross, Air Medal and Army Commendation Medal during his service. Upon his return Charlie served in the National Guard until 1978 and later enrolled in Texas Southern University’s Thurgood Marshall School of Law where he graduated with his Juris Doctorate in 1979.

He has worked as a geologist, a caseworker for AFDC helping low-income families and taught at Rhodes middle school, Lanier High School and Brackenridge High School in San Antonio, TX. Charlie has been practicing law in San Antonio and throughout Texas for 20 years; he specializes in family and criminal law. His law practice is based in the Westside home where he grew up.

Charlie has been an activist since he became involved with the late Willie Velasquez, founder of Southwest Voter Registration. He also helped Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient, the late Richard Louis Rocco organize Veterans Against Drugs and Violence (VIVAD). With VIVAD he along with other veterans and active duty military worked in local schools talking to children and teenagers about staying away from drugs and about leadership skills. For over two decades Charlie Urbina-Jones has championed Veterans issues, at-risk children, small business, immigrants, the environment and civil rights throughout Texas.

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

He is a Founder and Member of the Texas Democratic Veterans Association: Current Legal Counsel and Chairman of the Bexar County Tejano Democrats.

A real impressive guy and nice to boot. I'm sure that either he or Mr. Richie would make fine chairmen and I'll let our readers know if or when I make a decision about who I'm supporting.

RPT Gets Deferred Prosecution

By Phillip Martin

No, they weren't being investigated for an MIP. The Republican Party of Texas agreed to stop certain campaign practices, in order to temporarily suspend an investigation into whether or not their use of corporate money for certain expenditures was legal or not. From the Statesman:

The Republican Party of Texas avoided prosecution Thursday by agreeing to stop using corporate money in several ways being investigated by Travis County Attorney David Escamilla.

Escamilla's investigation, which is similar to allegations being pursued by Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle against U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay and the Texas Association of Business, is put on hold through March 31, 2007. In return, the Republican Party agrees to stop using corporate money the way it did during the 2002 election. The party's administrative expenses spiked five-fold to about $5.6 million that year.

...

Under the agreement, called deferred prosecution, the Republican Party of Texas agreed not to use corporate money for so-called issue ads that mention a state candidate; to follow federal campaign finance restrictions against using corporate money in the final 60 days of an election to aid a federal candidate; to file the party's campaign finance reports electronically; and to specifically describe every transaction on its reports.

The RPT noted that this action is not an admittal of wrongdoing, but merely a temporary agreement to suspend the investigation. I would like to note that he who has nothing to hide should have nothing to fear.

Conversations with Bob Gammage

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I've been conversing with Gubernatorial prospect Bob Gammage by e-mail and asked if I could share some of what he's been saying with the folks here in the Texas blogosphere. He was more than happy to oblige, considering his work with the Texas Wes Clark movement which endeared him to many grassroots Democrats in the state. Emphasis mine.

Thanks, Karl-Thomas. If I recall correctly you were the youngest delegate to the national convention last year. (From Texas, not nationwide, just to clarify for new readers. -kt) Quite a jump start to what I trust will be a long life of public service. Mine's already been longer than I ever hoped or expected and, if we can put the pieces together, it may be extended a little further yet. Thank you for your encouraging words.

Yes, I'm very serious about the possibility of running. I didn't plan it this way, but if we don't do something to electrify voters and increase our Democratic numbers, our party will continue to wither and, instead of taking advantage of this window of opportunity to make substantial headway in the capitol and the courthouses across this state, we will find our numbers dwindling even more quickly. The great thing about Republicans is that they can't seem to wield power without abusing it, they can't exercise control without corrupting it, and, this time at least, they can't even do it competently. Even with the growing public awareness, the odds of winning in November are pretty long, but, what the heck, it's worth the effort and nobody ever said it would be easy.

If I make the race it's going to require some major family re-arranging for my family and my law practice, but we'll find a way to work it out. But the only way I can make the commitment and the only way we can succeed is with the dedicated efforts of your generation. This reminds me quite a bit of my first election campaign; it run on lunch money and was orchestrated, executed and populated almost entirely by college students. We were supposed to come in fifth in a five way primary, but . . . the rest is history. Maybe we can make some more history. Thanks for contacting me. I look forward to visiting with you and will appreciate your guidance.

--Bob Gammage

Mr. Gammage is a former Texas State Representative, State Senator, U.S. Congressman, and Judge on the State Court of Appeals and Texas Supreme Court. And as to the whole "Bob / Representative / Senator / Judge" debate we had on this post...

Bob is fine and it sure beats the heck out of some of the things I've been called... I would appreciate any feedback you get. I sincerely want to know how folks feel and what they're thinking.

So leave him your thoughts in the comments. He'll be reading.

Attention Austinites

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Especially students... are you tired of those "every address" bulk junk mail pieces that you get? There are apparently ways to get off the lists. If interested, take a gander at this post by Kaan.

The "Run Almost Nowhere" Crowd

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Reading a comment on yesterday's post about Larry Stallings jumping into the HD-122 race against Republican Frank Corte (who hasn't been challenged since 1992) made me respond with a comment that I'd like to lay out as my thoughts on why the "Run Almost Nowhere" concept is failing us in Texas and needs to be qualified. While I'll be the first to agree we should target our resources, there are a couple of concepts that get used over and over (incorrectly) that are inhibiting our Party's growth over time (and may explain in part why it's such a shell of it's former self today). So here goes...

You can focus your resources wherever you want, but you can bet that the Republicans will too, and they'll have more money to throw at those same targeted races.

I think people are locked into two false ideas...

1) There is limited money.
2) Any money is transferable.

If Stallings runs against Corte, it's doubtful that the 100 kachigers that the Texas Democratic Party might have will ever go there, and they probably won't and shouldn't. So his candidacy won't affect the "targeting" of resources among those that might actually have some. But Stallings' campaign, one which would have quite a real candidate, would likely generate money, volunteers, party building within HD-122, something that district could really use. This can be applied across the state in other districts.

The next school of thought (which is wrong) is to assume that the people who volunteer their time and especially money in HD-122 because Stallings is running, would be just as ready to export that to a different district or race to a more "targeted" part of the state. An overwhelming percentage won't in a campaign such as his. Those donors of time and money probably aren't on the same level of those few "mastermind" politicos that frequent BOR comment threads.

Therefore Stallings running doesn't affect the "targeting" of other races. And if not, then who cares...his running in HD-122 is a net benefit. Plus, the new volunteers and donor inspired in that district this cycle will show up on fundraising reports, and then every statewide Dem has that many more 'potential' donors years out from now, because if people got activated locally, it's more likely they will start to share the wealth in the future.

It's really irritating when the "Run Almost Nowhere" crowd thinks that every new Democrat that announces a bid is doing it because they are out to drain away some "limited" pool of resources. Come on people. That pool is dwindling over time and is only there because the candidates and campaigns of the past made them a pool to begin with.

You work with what you've got, but if we care about what we'll have to work with the next time around, we need to start to Change the Equation now. Ergo, Run. Everywhere.

Editorial: The Year of Change

By Phillip Martin

"Our responsibility, as people who are active in politics, is to change the minds of the disinterested and show them that government can be good again."

Change is hard. People work hard to keep the jobs they have, and even harder to seek new and better employment. Family members get sicker, and many constantly struggle to get better. Parents worry about an increasingly dangerous world of sex, drugs, and crime, while children awkwardly yet inevitably grow into society’s newest generation.

We experience countless changes in a year, and the changes in our personal lives often dwarf our cares and concerns for changes in our social and political lives. For people like me – and for many of you who are reading this – the question of how to motivate those who aren’t habitually engaged in politics is daunting, even after a year like 2005.

Since the 2004 November elections, President Bush has proposed a failed social security plan, overseen a horrific search and rescue operation in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and threatened to veto a bill that would ban torture. Vice President Dick Cheney's former Chief of Staff has been indicted for leaking the name of a CIA agent to the press, and Tom Delay has been indicted for criminally conspiring to send illegal corporate contributions into the 2002 state elections here in Texas. Meanwhile, in our own backyard, Governor Perry and the legislative leadership failed three times this year to solve the public school finance crisis that continues to plague our state.

Despite the cronyism that has permeated state and national politics, there is no guarantee that people will vote for change next year. Our responsibility, as people who are active in politics, is to change the minds of the disinterested and show them that government can be good again. Government – when in the hands of responsible leaders – can make change easier for that person who is struggling to find a job, or for those parents that worry about their child’s education, or for that family in need of quality, affordable health care.

How do we inspire change? My idea is pretty simple, and I'm sure it's borrowed from others before me, but I felt it merited mention as we embark on this year of change. Here it is:

Educate. Energize. Elect.

First, we must educate the general public about our policies and our candidates. For the last three years, we have talked to Texans about the problems facing public education in Texas, and why our plan will bring real improvements to our schools. As a result, we convinced a bipartisan majority of state lawmakers to sign on to our education plan. We must educate the people of Texas about all of our policies and show them a viable alternative to the current slate of government leaders.

Secondly, we must energize grassroots efforts throughout each and every community in Texas. We are not the party with the most money, and we're not going to be for some time. We are, however, the party that appeals most to people my age, many of whom are eager to work on political campaigns for little-to-no money – if they believe in the cause. We must energize students and communities and remember that government doesn't belong to a small group of folks in the back room; it belongs to everybody.

Finally, we must elect leaders that will fight to change the way we do things here in Texas. Some changes should move us back to the way things were, like when the state funded fifty percent of public education. Other changes should move us forward, to a Texas that is willing to admit we aren't the greatest state in the union – in terms of education, in terms of health care for children, in terms of equal civil rights for every person – and improve ourselves accordingly. We must elect strong, viable leaders and build a majority willing to embrace the changes necessary to make Texas great again.

Educate. Energize. Elect. So long as we commit ourselves to those three goals, and put aside the one thing that can drown them all – our own, selfish ego – I believe we can bring more people to the polls and change Texas for the better. That's what I'm going to do, anyways.

How about you?

Barb Makes it Official

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Barbara Radnofsky made her official public announcement yesterday to become a candidate for the United States Senate. Yes, she's been running for a year, but why not make an announcement tour right?

As such, bloggers across the state are encouraging you to donate to her campaign through TexasTuesday's ActBlue page (or directly through the campaign site here)

Barbara Radnofsky for Senate	$

While many bigger "name" candidates backed out from challenging longtime incumbent, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Barbara Radnofsky never blinked from the challenge. Good reason as Hutchison only polls at 52% despite being in office since 1993. Barbara has already effectively challenged Hutchison on her veterans record, her commitment to spending funds in Alaska over Texas, a host of other issues important to Texas. We hope you'll take a look at some of the recent (and even some of the old) coverage of Radnofsky's announcement, as well as some of the work she's done to lay the groundwork for this campaign. Radnofsky has made effective use of grassroots campaign techniques and her campaign should go a long way towards training and empowering many new Democratic activists for years to come.

• 11/15/05 - Democrat from Houston formally announces bid to run against senator
• 11/11/05 - TOUGH NAME, SMART DAME By Carolyn Barta (dallasblog.com - see what the other side is saying about the race)
• 2/26/05 - An Evening With Barbara Ann Radnofsky - GregsOpinion.com
• 2/8/05 - A Morning With Barbara Radnofsky - Vince Leibowitz, BurntOrangeReport.com

Rep. Corte to be Challenged in SA

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

From Matt down in SA comes some more good news.

Larry Stallings announced tonight that he will be challenging Frank Corte in House District 122. The announcement came before Howard Dean and the Democratic National Committee outlined their 50 state strategy at house parties across the country.

Stallings says he was inspired by Howard Dean and the idea that no race should go unchallenged. Not even an out of touch legislator who stalls and blocks education reform.

Corte has basically gone unchallenged since 1992 and has not faced a Democratic challenger since being first elected. There are countless reasons why this guy should be defeated, and Stallings says he is up for the challenge.

Stallings was in the military for 30 years and is currently a director at University Medical Center in north San Antonio. His background in the health care industry and military alone will make this an interesting race to watch.

Matt was originally going to explore going after this seat himself but is now working on other worthwhile projects with the end of No Nonsense campaign. I look forward to hearing about what's going on down in SA from him. This news also bodes well for John Courage since HD-122 sits partially under CD-21.

And speaking of San Antonio, the Jeffersonian has some comments on how local issues fared there as well which you may want to check out.

David Harris Responds

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I'm raising this up from the comments on this entry. For one, David answers what I'm going to be real tired of hearing in Texas campaigns real quick, the complaint of "Mini-me Republicans" or "conservative centrist Dems". In the profiles of the four candidates in this entry, it's not about those things, it's about Democrats who stand up as Democrats, however that may be defined in their districts, who have backgrounds that standout from the traditional trial lawyer/politician candidate route.

Plus, his comments struck a Paul Hackett-esque Fighting-Dem chord with me. -kt

I find it almost comical when I read some of these comments. It is quite obvious that most didn't even go to my website and view my issues page but rather did a hip shoot blog without any substance. I have served my country for the last 14 years of my life in the military. I have done a combat tour in Iraq and several other "operational" deployments in my time there. I was a county, state, and national delegate. I have a Democratic voting record in 3 states: GA, HI, and TX. I have been an election judge. I am a founding member of the Texas Democratic Veterans and serve as a Finance Council Member for the Texas Democratic Women.

Yet somehow I get called a "political centrist" even after all the things I have done for, and with, the party? To the naysayers and the BS of the world, any time you want to debate me on the issues, just name the time and place. My question in return is: What have YOU done for your country lately? I think my qualifications MORE THAN speak for themselves. I think I have the ability to reach out and get independent or undecided voters to see that I am right on the issues. I am not a Republican that has now decided to jump ship because the iceberg is slowly approaching. I am a Democrat.

If you had taken the time to read what Strong Defense, Strong Families, and Equal Rights for ALL Citizens you would see that for every ideological debate: abortion, healthcare, environment, and education, can fall back to our over-arching themes for the campaign.

A lot of people sit out there and just play armchair quarterback and just bitch about candidates or the issues, or both. Half the time they haven't even been to a rally to see the candidate speak or get to know them personally. I call it the "FOX NEWS" syndrome - people just getting their 30 second sound bite and then make up their minds. So what have you done for your Precinct? Your County party? The State party? I volunteer when I can at the County party, even as a U.S. Congressional Candidate.

I say put up or shut up.

This is why the party in general struggles; because people like you can't stand behind the candidates because they may have a slight variation on the way you might see the issue. This is where the Republican party makes their money - right or wrong, they stand behind their people, come hell or high water. We on the other hand, completely dissect our candidates down to the individual atoms they are composed of. It is ridiculous. This is not the year we can afford to be divided.

We must speak as one. We must run as one. We must win as one, that is the bottom line.

"Political centrist" my ass - my blue donkey ass, that is.

-David Harris, Candidate TX-06

Baxter's Revolving Door

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Funny guy that former Representative Todd Baxter.

AAS: Todd Baxter, who resigned as state representative from Austin two weeks ago today, has become the state cable industry's top lobbyist, the group said Monday.

Baxter, a Republican, left his state House seat Nov. 1, saying he wanted to spend more time with his family.

I guess we know who Baxter's real family is- the Texas Cable & Telecommunications Association.

Baxter's official title will be vice president for government affairs and general counsel. He replaces Kathy Grant, who resigned to go into private practice on Oct. 20. She lobbied for the industry this session as cable providers bitterly fought to stop legislation they say gave SBC Communications Inc. and other phone companies an upper hand as they begin selling television services.

And the best part? Kathy Grant retired on the same day as Baxter. Like that wasn't planned...

"I have enjoyed working in the Legislature in a variety of capacities, but I expect this endeavor to be the highlight of my professional career," Baxter said in the statement.

Anyone who thinks being a cable lobbyist makes for an exciting highlight to one's professional career, obviously wasn't having near enough fun as a legislator. Of course, for Baxter, it's not like this will be much of a change in job description, since he was serving the same function during the actual session (and special sessions).

During the regular session, Baxter was a member of the House Regulated Industries Committee, which oversees the telecommunications and electric industries. He played an active role in Senate Bill 5, the bitter legislation that pitted cable and telephone companies against each other.

Baxter voted for the legislation, which passed during a special summer session. He unsuccessfully pushed for a provision that would have let cable providers get out of their local franchise agreements and qualify for a single statewide franchise. SBC Communications Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc., have been granted such franchises as they roll out their new television services.

Nice knowing you. I look forward to a Rep. Andy Brown or Rep. Donna Howard next year (since the Kathy Rider campaign can't even bother themselves with a website or a candidate a step above "snooze").

Dark Clouds? Yes. The Perfect Storm? Probably Not.

By Jim Dallas

Kenneth Baer puts in words a concern I've been having recently, to wit, that while 2006 will be a bad year for our erstwhile friends-across-the-aisle, it is silly to predict that recent generic-ballot polls could translate into huge Democratic majorities in Congress:

But if Democrats want to win, they should stop fetishizing the 1994 Republican takeover. It resulted from a once-in-a-lifetime convergence of institutional changes, historical trends, and some blind luck. With the ground less fertile in 2006, a new Contract with America containing simple, poll-tested nostrums won't be enough (and, in fact, most studies show that the 1994 Contract contributed little to the GOP win). What's needed is a coherent agenda, built around deeply held principles, that speaks to the challenges Americans face today: Islamo-fascist terrorism, a global and interdependent economy, underperforming schools, an inefficient and increasingly ineffective health care system, and a looming fiscal crisis. Put answers to these problems in a contract, and voters will readily sign.

Aside from the hyperbolic use of "Islamo-fascist terrorism", which all the kewl kids at The New Republic are apparently required to use at least three times a day (moreover, shouldn't Democrats have a plan dealing with other, non-militant-Islamic terrorism?), I would have said exactly the same thing.

The biggest reason is that the Republican takeover in 1994 hinged largely on a whole lot of seats changing hands in the South. I can't think of any area of the country so obviously prone for re-alignment. Winning back Congress will, almost necessarily, involve beating Republicans in Republican districts.

Bob Gammage for Governor?

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Long-time Wesley Clark stalwart Bob Gammage, former Texas state representative, state senator, U.S. congressman, and judge on the State Court of Appeals and Texas Supreme Court, is contemplating a run for Governor of Texas. Gammage, a resident of Llano, made waves this weekend with postings and commentary that have spread first through the grassroots Clark community, then Democratic Underground, and finally the Texas blogosphere, first being reported by PDiddie.

Gammage served as a fellow SD 24 delegate to the State Democratic Convention last year, in the district which I was elected out of to the DNC as a Kerry delegate. I've sent him and e-mail and will call tomorrow, since I've still got all the old data from my race to be a delegate.

But talk about a resume, and if you read the comments from the other linked posts, you will start to get a sense of who Bob Gammage is- a guy who still has a network of old school Democrats but is committed to the concept of grassroots organizing. The fact that his trial balloon is going up through the netroots does not suprise me at all. He was also a member of the Dirty 30, which may ring a bell for some people.

Here is his original e-mail along with some commentary from an Austin supporter.

"I'm sending this to a few personal friends in order to get your candid opinions. About a year ago, I was approached by a group of people in the north Texas area and asked to consider running for governor. I was flattered that they would think of me and honored by the thought that anyone was even speculating about such a possibility, but I respectfully and firmly declined. A few days ago, I was contacted again, on the same day by individuals representing two other groups of people in different parts of the state who were unaware of one another, also asking that I consider running for governor.

Other than working on issues I think are important and supporting candidates I believe are or would be good public servants, I thought my political days were behind me. And maybe they are, but I have agreed to think about it and run it by people I care about, who care about my family and me, and whose opinions I respect.

I would like for you to give this some deliberate thought and then share your honest, unvarnished and critical opinions with me. We are all aware of the reasons why we need a strong candidate on the ballot next November, but at this point I'm sincerely more interested in the reasons I should not make this race.

The only announced Democratic candidate I am aware of so far is Chris Bell. I have met Chris and seen him on the campaign trail. He is a nice guy, I like him and I share most of his views on the issues of the day, but he doesn't seem to excite or inspire the crowds of actives before whom he appears who make up the Democratic base, and I question whether he could effectively appeal to those audiences beyond that base who are necessary to win a high profile statewide election. And, as bad a fund-raiser as you know me to be, Chris apparently hasn't been able to accumulate a campaign war chest or assemble a meaningful campaign organization.

The filing deadline is two months away, and the primary elections are in four months. Obviously, a decision needs to be made quickly, and I will truly appreciate your critical, well-thought-out reactions. Please consider this, and, if you wish, get the views of other people whose insight and judgment you trust. This is not idle speculation, nor is it any great secret. Whatever the decision is, I want it to be realistic, made in the light of day with eyes wide open, and with the benefit of your thinking.

The timing and circumstances are similar to those that existed when I made the decision to run for the Supreme Court 15 years ago -- time passed and despite recruiting efforts, no strong candidate had emerged, and some of you thought that with my record of running successful, late-starting, underfunded campaigns in several parts of the state I might have a chance of pulling it off statewide. Well, much to the surprise of ourselves and most other folks, we did. But this is a race for governor, and the popular perception is that a lot more is at stake and the intensity will be much greater. This is obviously true, but, who can we get to run? Or, more pointedly, who should or should not run, and why?

The personal down-side is I would once again have to postpone a number of things I've been working toward and hoped and dreamed I would be doing for the next few years. My wife's extended family and my own children think the prospect of such a race is, in a word, "awesome!" But we all know how ugly and mean-spirited such a race could be. I don't enjoy any more than anyone else hearing, or having my friends and family hear, the accusations and the aggressive, creatively invented negatives that can be conjured and thrown up by the opposition in an intense campaign. Been there and done that. But it was worth it then and we managed to do some good along the way, and if the fates ordain it, it would be worth it now in the effort to move our state, its policies and its resources in the right direction. But those are discussions for another day, IF and when the decision is made to run.

In complete honesty, I never thought I would ever be considering running for governor. I'm a little stunned that I am now, and I need you to tell me whether I should now be considering it.

Several friends have asked me why I'm not considering a run for Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General or some other statewide office. The answer is, I'm not considering running just to be elected to something. The primary reason I'm considering the Governor's race is because it is the top of the ticket, and we need an aggressive campaign message and messenger at the top in order to focus attention on the issues, refine the public message about what the Democratic Party stands for and to help our down-ballot candidates generate turn-out on election day. Lieutenant Governor and other statewide offices don't generate that kind of interest or command that kind of media attention.

Your thoughts, please.

Thanks, Bob

The following is from the grassroots supporter, not myself, which seems to have gotten people confused in the comments.

Bob Gammage was instrumental in the DraftClark movement adopting the "Crank It Up" slogan. He did, and we did, and we all worked hard to encourage and then support General Clark in his 2004 candidacy.

At the urging of a number of concerned Democrats across the state, Bob is considering running for Governor -- the filing deadline is January 2, 2006. Governor is at the top of the ticket. We need not only an inspiring, competent and compassionate candidate who understands the issues facing ALL Texans. We need a gubernatorial candidate who can deliver an aggressive 2006 campaign message. We need a messenger, with a compelling public message about what the Democratic Party believes in. We need a messenger whose presence at the top of the ticket will help generate turn-out for our down-ballot candidates.

Texas is at a crossroads and we face a crucial decision in November 2006. Do we continue the politics and policies built on the desires of the far-right, cronyism, and most importantly, corrupt and incompetent leadership...or do we seek a change. We have less than two months before filing ends for the 2006 elections. The primary is in four months.

One year from now, the 2006 campaign will be over.

Bob Gammage helped lead Texans For Clark in 2004 to bring about change at the national level. He donated, fund-raised, recruited, organized, and knocked doors for General Clark in New Hampshire and Oklahoma. When Wes endorsed Democratic Presidential candidate John Kerry, Bob immediately went to work helping the Kerry Campaign, and continued helping John Kerry and the Democratic Party with fundraising, organizing and volunteer recruitment right through election day when he worked a poll for Kerry/Edwards in New Mexico.

Today, Bob is considering stepping up and putting his name, family, and life on the line to take Rick Perry to task for his incompetence and lack of leadership. Personally, we believe there is no one better suited than Bob. He speaks from the heart. He means what he says.

Bob has a compelling message and he can deliver it directly to the current Governor. He can deliver our message, broaden our base, and has a proven ability to reach across the aisle to solve problems in the public interest.

Many of you may not be aware of what Bob has accomplished. A lawyer and a teacher, as well as a veteran of both Army and Navy service, including a tour of duty in Korea, Bob was elected from the Houston/Gulf Coast area to serve in the Texas House of Representatives, the Texas Senate, and the U. S. House of Representatives. He was later elected to the Texas Court of Appeals from a 24-county Austin/Central Texas district, and in November, 1990, Texas voters elected Bob to the Texas Supreme Court in a statewide election.

Bob entered politics to clean up corrupt and incompetent leadership. During his very first session, he was a member of the "Dirty 30", of whom Texas Monthly wrote:

"IDEALISTIC? YES. REFORM-MINDED? ABSOLUTELY. BIPARTISAN? THAT TOO. [During the 62nd Legislature], the state representatives who came to be known as the Dirty Thirty were everything you've learned not to expect in politics. The group —- which eventually numbered 35 members -- put aside party loyalty to force out Speaker Gus Mutscher, who ruled the chamber like a dictator and would soon become entangled in the infamous Sharpstown stock-fraud scandal. Even more unlikely, perhaps, is that they were successful. Though the Dirty Thirty was a clear minority in the 150-member House, it continued to apply pressure. The next year, Mutscher resigned, marking at least one instance in which the little guys actually won."

Against overwhelming odds, Bob challenged the corrupt and incompetent practices of the day and became a successful member of both houses of the Texas Legislature, U.S. Congress, and Texas Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Texas. In the very next legislative session, only his second, Texas Monthly named Bob as an Honorable Mention in the Ten Best Legislators. The magazine wrote Bob "carried one of the largest legislative programs in the Senate (including a number of controversial measures like portions of the Speaker's reform package, consumer protection, and the eighteen-year-old rights bill), fought for it in the rough-and-tumble tradition of Babe Schwartz, and got much of it passed."

Bob sees incompetent leadership saddling our children and grandchildren with decades of future problems. Just how many special and regular sessions does it take to get school finance right? And sadly, that's just the tip of the iceberg.

We encourage you to read Bob's note below. E-mail your thoughts to Kathy who will get them to Bob. You can reach her at tx_demkat@yahoo.com. Time is short. If you believe as we do that Bob should take on this challenge, join with us and let's see if we can elect a competent leader with a heart.

Thanks for your consideration.

O' Really

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Bill O'Reilly is a Terrorist sympathizer.

Bombs away.

Texan of the Year

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The Texan of the Year has been selected: Rep. Carter Casteel! See this entry to read up about it.

BOR's not usually one to be behind the bandwagon, but the election got us all tied up so here ya go. Nominate away!

What a long, strange trip it's been. The Texas Bloggers have banded together to ask our readers to nominate a Texan for our very own blogger version of the mainstream media's favorite attention grabber, the "Person of the Year" issue! Join us by nominating a Texan that has made the most impact this year, be it good or bad, evil or embarassing. We're all accepting nominations from you through November 23 and we'll post your Texan of the Year by December 1st. Email your nominations to: Texanoftheyear@gmail.com

Your favorite political blog is participating (Left and Right!). Each blog will write their own post about the person so on December 1st you'll have lots of different opinions but they'll all come from the same source, you..the smartest people in Texas.

Is Sen. Armbrister Set to Retire?

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Republican bloggers Chris and Evan say they think it's in the cards.

As Chris mentions, Sem. Armbristor, already facing 3 Republican candidates, still has $1.2 million in the bank. It's a Republican leaning district, but one that even in an open scenario would be competative as there are more swinging voters there than in other equally 'Republican' districts.

Update: After talking with some Austin folks, I'd put a bit more of a damper on considering this speculation. Armbrister has too much money and to many regional coordinators at the moment, giving no real reason to retire. And considering some of his votes in the lege last year, if he was planning on retiring, he could have gotten away with being a more, shall we say, Democratic if he wasn't planning to come back for another term.

BMW Ad Contract Goes to GSD&M

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Kudos to GSD&M, local Austin advertising firm that was responsible for the "We're Texas" ad campaign (which you can watch here) which just won BMW's $75 million dollar ad contract for North America.

AAS: GSD&M employees were celebrating Monday night at the company's headquarters on West Sixth Street, with a German band playing in the background while BMW and agency executives made the announcement.

"They don't call Austin the live music capital of the world for nothing, if we can get an oompah band on short notice," said Roy Spence, president and co-founder of GSD&M.

Though I'm not certain if getting an oompah band on any notice is something I'd want to be able to do...heh.

University Democrats Scholarship Reception

By Katie Naranjo

Important:

University Democrats will be hosting a fundraiser on Nov. 21st to raise money for their new scholarship and internship program. This is a great way to support the students who support Travis County constantly with volunteering for campaigns and voting. We are asking for $50.00 for attendance and $500.00 if you would like a scholarship in your name for the semester. Thank you for your support of University Democrats, and we look forward to continued involvement with the Austin political community!

Important Info:
Date: Monday Nov. 21st
Time: 6-8pm
Location: On UT campus in Student Union in Santa Rita Room
(Guadelupe and between 22nd and 24th)

RSVP by Nov. 20th - Katie Naranjo knaranjo_texan@mail.utexas.edu

Sheryl Cole for Austin City Council: Place 6

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Mayor Pro-Tem Danny Thomas, currently holding the "African-American" seat on the Austin City Council is retiring due to term limits. But fear not, a replacement has already stepped up in the form of Sheryle Cole, who if elected would be the first African-American woman to serve on the Austin City Council. She has just announced her candidacy and her website will launch later this month at www.sherylcole.com.

Local consultants David Butts and Mark Nathan will be heading up her campaign, a signal at least to me, that Cole may be less of "a" candidate for place 6 as "the" candidate, though I'm certain that others will jump into the race. I'd expect to see Austin continue to leave the "black seat black" as it is one of the ways the city keeps from being federally forced to have single member districts to ensure minority representation.

From the press release, full text of which is in the extended entry...

Cole currently serves on the Board of Leadership Austin and the Austin Area Urban League, and is a former Board member of Communities in Schools. Cole also served as Tri-Chair of the 2004 AISD Citizen Bond Committee, and was appointed by former mayor Kirk Watson to serve on the 1998 City of Austin Citizen Bond Committee.

Cole said that if elected she hoped to help the Council and Manager focus on “strategies for spreading economic success to all parts of Austin.” Cole – naming economic development, transportation, public safety, social services, and environmental protection as her top priorities – said she will be a champion for East Austin at City Hall.

Thanks to the campaign for giving BOR the scoop before the local media. You sure know how to butter my bread.

Austin, Texas – Austin attorney and accountant Sheryl Cole today filed papers with the City Clerk appointing a campaign treasurer, and announced her intent to run for the Place 6 seat on the Austin City Council. Place 6 is being vacated next year by Mayor Pro Tem Danny Thomas, who was elected in 2000 and served two three-year terms.

If elected, Cole would be the first ever African-American female to serve on the Austin City Council. The election is scheduled for Saturday, May 13, 2006.

Cole, 41, is a 23-year resident of Austin. She earned her B.A. in accounting from the University of Texas in 1986 and became a Certified Public Accountant in 1987. Cole subsequently returned to U.T. for law school, earning her J.D. in 1991. Cole’s legal career includes six years as staff counsel at the Texas Municipal League.

Married to Austin attorney Kevin Cole for 14 years, Sheryl Cole is the mother of three boys and currently serves as president of the Lee Elementary School PTA. The Cole family belongs to David Chapel, where Sheryl teaches 2nd grade Sunday School. David Chapel pastor Rev. Joseph Parker, Jr. is serving as Cole’s campaign treasurer.

Cole currently serves on the Board of Leadership Austin and the Austin Area Urban League, and is a former Board member of Communities in Schools. Cole also served as Tri-Chair of the 2004 AISD Citizen Bond Committee, and was appointed by former mayor Kirk Watson to serve on the 1998 City of Austin Citizen Bond Committee.

Cole said that if elected she hoped to help the Council and Manager focus on “strategies for spreading economic success to all parts of Austin.” Cole – naming economic development, transportation, public safety, social services, and environmental protection as her top priorities – said she will be a champion for East Austin at City Hall.

“Too often, East Austin is still missing out on the upside of economic growth happening in the larger community,” said Cole. “I believe that City Hall needs to stay focused on taking steps to help East Austin participate in our prosperity.”

Cole said she would also work to deliver honest, accountable public service to every Austinite across the spectrum of issues that come before the City Council. “Whether it’s a single zoning case or a far-reaching policy initiative, my goal will always be to get all the facts I can, and make the best judgment I know how,” she said.

Cole said her official campaign kick-off event would be held in January 2006, and that her campaign website, www.sherylcole.com, would launch later this month.

Prop 2 Galveston Map

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Thanks to a comment in a Daily Kos entry I just made, comes this wonderful map of how Prop 2 faired in Galveston County, which was below the state average, but actually defeated the amendment on the East end of the island, where support was generally lower than on the mainland.

Click for a larger pop-up image.

Can we get a do-over?

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The Galveston Daily News asks...

Question: What kind of constitution requires a constitutional amendment, rather than a vote of the Legislature, to decide maximum interest rates for commercial loans?

Answer: One that needs changing.

Time to redraft the Texas Constitution? Yes, let's start thinking about that in the next few sessions. After we throw a few more Republicans out of office of course.

Congressional Catch-Up

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I've been remiss in getting some Congressional coverage in amongst all the Proposition goings ons, so here is a round-up of some of our Texas races. One thing you may notice is that each of these three races are in districts that while challenged last year, were no where near the top tier races that sucked up all the money and attention, and save for Chet Edwards, went down as Republican victories.

As our attention turns away from districts that we can't win with even incumbent Democratic Congressmen, we look to those districts in the state where we need to fight the fight that has been forgotten with some impressive candidates for whom a military background has been part of their lives. Get involved, visit their site, and donate if you wish. These are three races I'll be keeping an eye on for sure.

TX-21: John Courage: Last month there was an interesting Congressional Quarterly with mention of the Courage campaign.

But Courage contends that he could be an unintended beneficiary of the mid-decade redistricting plan spearheaded by Rep. Tom DeLay and implemented by the Republican-controlled Texas legislature prior to the 2004 elections.

The remap shrunk the size of the formerly sprawling 21st District and gave it a much-larger portion of Democratic-leaning Austin than it had before. As a result, the district appears somewhat less overwhelmingly

Republican: Smith slipped to 61 percent in 2004 against a Democratic opponent, Rhett R. Smith, who was about as unheralded as Courage had been two years earlier.

"Circumstances have changed," Courage said. "When I ran before it was 14 counties, a lot of them rural. Now it’s down to five counties." He said he believes that half of the vote in the 2006 election will come from Travis County, which includes Austin.

Courage, who said he will run a more professional media campaign this time, plans to emphasize both the controversial redistricting plan and Smith’s ties to DeLay, who is under indictment in Austin on charges related to his campaign fundraising activities.

"People in Travis County are very upset [about redistricting] and Lamar Smith is a crony of Tom DeLay," said Courage, who noted that Smith had contributed to DeLay’s defense fund.

Courage, a veteran and teacher, has also hired a campaign director from here in Austin and now that the amendment election is over, a lot of time and talent is started to be redirected towards the local campaigns, his included.

TX-6: David Harris: David is taking on "Smoky" Joe Barton and has an impressive web operation. Designed by Moxie Design Studios, it's a departure from traditional congressional sites. (Courage's is quite different as well, made here in Austin.)

Seeking a professional site for a Congressional hopeful that doesn't scream "stuffy", David T. Harris and his team at Follow Me to D.C. wanted something that harkened to his days in the military, but also accurately represented his other facets as a family man and community leader. We used Expression Engine extensively for this project, creating photo galleries, event calendars and my favorite, the Virtual Campaign Office.

Other features of this site as e-commerce capabilities with Paypal and Verisign and a dynamic photo fading feature with random photo selection. It's built utilizing primarily CSS and PHP, in addition to EE's powerful features.

David was a fellow Democratic National Convention delegate to Boston with me last summer and has this to say on his bio page...

I currently serve as an Assistant Professor of Military Science and Training Officer for the Department of Military Science at the University of Texas at Arlington. I am currently a Major in the Army Reserves and serve as a Strategic Planner for a support unit in Houston, Texas for U.S. Forces, Korea. I also am a graduate of the U.S. Army’s Ranger and Airborne schools.

I was a county delegate from my precinct, state delegate for Tarrant County to the Houston Convention, and national delegate for the state of Texas to the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston. I am a founding member of the Texas Democratic Veterans and serve as a Finance Council Member for the state Texas Democratic Women organization.

Bottom line, why am I running? I want to restore representation to the citizens of Congressional District 6 by creating policies that foster Strong Defense, Strong Families, and Equal Rights for All Citizens and I hope to leave a respectable legacy to the children of the future.

Strong defense, strong families, and equal rights for all citizens...sounds pretty awesome to me.

TX-31: Mary Beth Harrell: Running against Rep. John Carter, Harrell just launched a Veterans for Harrell group. District 31 is just north of Austin and is centered on Bell County, with Ft. Hood and other military operations being a huge part of the life of the district. And how better to represent the area, than someone who...

...embodies the mainstream values and middle-class work ethic of central Texas. As the wife of a retired military officer and mother of two active-duty soldiers in the war on terrorism, she is running to restore the kind of accountability, integrity, and faith in the future the citizens of Central Texas demand – and deserve.

The grandchild of immigrants, Harrell was born in New York’s legendary Hell’s kitchen neighborhood and raised in the hopeful era of John F. Kennedy, where she learned the powerful difference one individual can make in the lives of many through public service.

Make us proud, Mary.

UPDATE: I forgot about Shane Sklar running in TX-14 against Ron Paul. He doesn't fall into our military candidates field, but he has an awesome background as having served for 4 years as Executive Director of the Independent Cattlemen's Association of Texas. He may be a self labeled conservative Democrat, but against Ron Paul, I'll take that and his background any day of the week.

Travis County Prop 2 Map

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Sent to me by two readers already, here is a downloadable precinct by precinct map of the Travis County vote on Proposition 2 done by city
demographer Ryan Robinson. The Austin Chronicle will have an expanded precinct map in this Thursday's issue which will have results broken down by state house district.

Download file (pdf)

Anyone know if they've seen other urban counties with maps produced like this? If so, send them my way.

Cornyn Linked

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

From the Statesman...

Former Christian Coalition director Ralph Reed claimed in a 2001 e-mail to a lobbyist that he choreographed John Cornyn's efforts as Texas attorney general to shut down an East Texas Indian tribe's casino.

The lobbyist was Jack Abramoff, who is under federal investigation, along with his partner Michael Scanlon, on allegations of defrauding six Indian tribes of about $80 million from 2001 to 2004. The e-mail, along with about a dozen others, was released last week as part of the investigation.

In 2001, Abramoff was working as a lobbyist for the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana to prevent rival gaming casinos from siphoning off its Texas customers. He paid Reed as a consultant, and Reed lobbied to get the Alabama-Coushatta and Tigua casinos closed in Texas.

In the Nov. 30, 2001, e-mail, Reed told Abramoff that 50 pastors led by Ed Young, of Second Baptist Church in Houston, would meet with Cornyn to urge him to shut down the Alabama-Coushatta tribe's casino near Livingston. He said Young would back up the request in writing.

"We have also choreographed Cornyn's response. The AG will state that the law is clear, talk about how much he wants to avoid repetition of El Paso (where the Tigua casino was) and pledge to take swift action to enforce the law," Reed wrote. "He will also personally hand Ed Young a letter that commits him to take action in Livingston."

Mapping the Results: Prop 2

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

In the first of a series that I'll be working on, because I haven’t seen any in state publications as of yet, here is a map of Prop 2 results by County. Be aware this one is colored differently than future ones will be. Because Travis County was the only county to vote against the Amendment, the blue v. red coloring is based off of the degree below or above the statewide "YES" vote of 76%.

As can be seen here, support for the amendment increases the farther away one gets from an urban area. (Lubbock, Abilene, Midland/Odessa, and Laredo all have an impact, even in heavily Pro-Prop 2 areas. A secondary effect at play would be density of Hispanic population (i.e. border) having a moderating effect on support for the Amendment. In fact, other blogs have reported on pockets of outright opposition to Prop 2 in certain Hispanic areas. Here in Austin, African-American and Hispanic precincts went against Prop 2, counter to what many thought would happen. I'm working on a Travis map as well, but until then...

Click the image for a larger version in a new window. Reprinting permission for this and future images granted only if BurntOrangeReport.com or myself is credited. Please comment or e-mail me if you'd like to make use of these images in a non-blog or offline format.

Look What You've Done

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

So many of the married couples that voted for Proposition 2 are feeling pretty pleased right now, considering they have constitutionally restricted marriage and all it's fun to themselves. Well, I'm sure that 76% will be equally pleased to know that they have now emboldened Rep. Warren Chisum to start tinkering around with heterosexual marriage.

Denton Chronicle: Rep. Warren Chisum, who wrote the amendment, Proposition 2, endorsed by Texas voters by a ratio of more than 3-1, said Wednesday that it's too easy for spouses to split up.

The state should consider repealing or modifying its no-fault divorce law, the Pampa Republican said.

"Gee whiz, our divorce rate's higher than New York," Mr. Chisum said.

He proposed that between now and their next regular session in 2007, lawmakers study ways "to make marriage thrive more in our state."

Apparently he's realized that hitting on homos doesn't help make marriage thrive. Amendment foes aren't even interested in challenging the ban in court, as we're going to have to expend resources defending Travis and Dallas County's domestic partner benefits from lawsuits. So this gives free reign for Chisum to go meddle with marriage once more.

She endorsed Mr. Chisum's call for a review of the no-fault divorce law, which took effect in 1974.

Supporters of Proposition 2 said that during debates, they regularly heard gay rights activists cite Texas' divorce rate. Texas had about 3.9 divorces for every 1,000 residents in 2002, a higher rate than New York (3.4) or Massachusetts (2.5), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (ed. note: That's right, gay old Massachusetts has a divorce rate nearly half that of gay-hating Texas)

Mr. Chisum said he planned to ask House Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, to convene a panel to examine no-fault divorce, longer waiting periods for marriage applicants and "covenant marriage," an idea tried in three other states.

A covenant marriage provides an alternative to the traditional marriage contract for couples who oppose no-fault divorce or who want to demonstrate a stronger commitment. Couples selecting a covenant marriage must get premarital counseling and may divorce only after a separation of two years or after proving adultery or domestic abuse.

See what you've done, you 76%? Waiting periods for marriage applications? I guess getting hitched isn't enough like getting an abortion in Texas. Maybe parental notification of your intent to marry someone's daughter will be next.

And now he's coming after your ability to divorce. At which point the new chorus of the gay and lesbian community will be, "Why should I care, I can't even marry?"

For your sake 76%, I don't know whether to cry or laugh.

Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls

By Damon McCullar

It's time for this week's installment of Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls! This post has gotten long due to the number of candidates in the field. Use the extended entry to see what's going on this week and who is running for what! If anyone has any leads on candidates or knows of someone I'm leaving out, please email me or leave a comment.

Barbara Radnofsky

Date: November 11
Time: 7-8 a.m.
Location: Lubbock Inn, 3901 19th Street, 806-792-5181
Description of Event: Breakfast with Veterans
RSVP: Not required

Date: November 11
Time: 12:00-1:00
Location: LaLa’s Restaurant
Description of Event: Announcement Tour luncheon
RSVP: Not required

Date: November 11
Time: 2:00-4:00
Location: Lubbock Veterans’ Memorial, 82nd and Nashville in the Henry Huneke Park.
Description of Event: Announcement Tour stop sponsored by the American Legion Lodge #575, but it is for all American Legion members.
RSVP: Not required, 806-794-9006 for more information

Date: November 11
Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Location: Silent Wings Museum, Lubbock (near airport)
Description of Event: Tour of museum
RSVP: Not required

Date: November 11
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Location: American Wind Power Center, Lubbock
Description of Event: Announcement Tour stop, music by Buddy and Tina Wright
RSVP: Not required

Date: November 12
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Location: Senior Citizens’ Center, 1217 Tyler Street, Amarillo
Description of Event: Announcement Tour stop:
RSVP: Not required

Date: November 14
Time: 6:00-7:30
Location: Texarkana
Description of Event: Announcement Tour stop
RSVP: Not required

Date: November 15
Time: 12:00-1:00
Location: SMU Campus, Hughes-Trigg Theater, Student Center, Dallas
Description of Event: Announcement Tour stop
RSVP: Not required

Date: November 15
Time: 6:00-8:00 p.m.
Location: Private home, Dallas
Description of Event: Announcement tour reception and fundraiser
RSVP: Kim Grout, 281-693-1801, kim.grout@radnofsky.com

Date: November 16
Time: 11:30-1:30
Location: Fort Worth Club
Description of Event: Announcement Tour stop
RSVP: Not required

Date: November 16
Time: 5:30-6:30
Location: 4129 Rowan, Fort Worth
Description of Event: Fireside Chat
RSVP: 817-737-2434

Date: November 17
Time: 12:00-1:00
Location: Monarch School, Houston
Description of Event: Announcement Tour stop
RSVP: Not required

Chris Bell
Chris will be speaking to the Waller County Democratic Club on the evening Monday, November 21. The club meets in the county courthouse on Austin Street in Hempstead. The meeting starts at 6:30 PM, and Chris will speak around 7 PM. Don't miss your chance to come meet Chris!

For more information about the Waller County Democrats, contact John Mull at 979-826-3841.

Nationally renowned political blogger Sean-Paul Kelley (of Agonist fame) will be special guest host on KTSA radio in San Antonio on November 23 and he has invited Chris to join him on the program to discuss the campaign.

The show runs from 7 PM to 10 PM on Wednesday the 23rd. Check back as the date approaches for an update on what time in the program Chris will be on

Felix Alvarado
Felix Alvarado is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.

Maria Alvarado is running for Lt. Governor.

David Van Os
David Van Os is running for Attorney General.

Hank Gilbert
Hank Gilbert is running for Ag Commissioner

Dan Dodd
Dan Dodd is running for Congress in CD-03

Glen Melancon
Glen is running for Congress in CD-04

Glenn will address the Rockwall Democrats on Saturday November 19
at 9am. For more a map to the location visit their website:
www.RockwallDemocrats.com.

Please join Glenn at the Grayson County Democratic Party Chili
Supper Social. He will deliver a speech calling you to join the Fight
for Texas Families.
When: Friday, November 18, 2005, 6:30 pm
Where: Bingo Hall, Corner of Hwy 691 and FM Rd 1417
Who: All Grayson County Democrats
Door charge: $10.00

Charlie Thompson
Charlie is running for Congress in CD-05

David Harris
David Harris is running for Congress in CD-06.

On Sunday, November 13th, the campaign heads to Dallas for the DSCC rally for motivation and inspiration. On November 15th, David heads to Waxahachie for the National Organizing Kickoff conference call at Ellis County Democratic Headquarters. David then takes a break from the campaign for a field training exercise the 18th-20th. Please visit our site at www.followmetodc.com for more information and ways to get involved.

Ted Ankrum
Ted is running for Congress in CD-10.

Shane Sklar
Shane Sklar is running for Congress in CD-14.

John Courage
John Courage is running for Congress in the CD-21.

Nick Lampson
Nick Lampson is running against Tom DeLay for Congress in CD-22.

Henry Cuellar
Henry Cuellar is running for re-election to Congress in the CD-28.

Richard Raymond
Raymond Rodrigez is running for election to Congress in the CD-28.

Ciro Rodrigez
Ciro Rodrigez is running for Congress in the CD-28.

Mary-Beth Harrell
Mary-Beth Harrell is running for Congress in the CD-31.

November 11, 2005.
Veterans Day Parade
Kick-off at Killeen City Hall, 11:00 a.m.

November 12, 2005
Neighborhood Openhouse, from 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
3707 Cheyenne
Round Rock

Kirk Watson
Kirk Watson is running for Texas Senate District 14.

A fiesta with Kirk Watson - Tuesday 11/15 @ Nuevo Leon Restaurant 1501 6th St, Austin. Tixs are $15.

Sharon Davis
Jim is runing for State Representative in District 08.

Jason Earle
Jason is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 47

Veteran's Parade 9am 11/11/05 Congress Avenue Bridge

Volunteer Social: Texas Tailgate Party 1pm 11/12/05 Parking lot on MLK/Congress, accross from Bob Bullock Museum

UDem sponsored block walk 9am 11/19/05 Galaxy Cafe (Brodie & Slaughter)

Andy Brown
Andy Brown is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 48.

Andy Brown will be blockwalking this weekend. Come meet Andy, talk to West Austin voters, and work on your tan! Contact Marc at 636-4345 or at marc@voteandy.com for more information.

Donna Howard
Donna Howard is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 48.

Jim Stauber
Jim is runing for State Representative in District 50.

Karen Felthauser
Karen is runing for State Representative in District 52.

Paula Hightower-Pierson
Paula is running for State Representative in District 93..

Judge Jim Coronado (site under construction)
Judge Coronado is running for a spot on the Third Court of Appeals

Diane Henson
Diane is running for a spot on the Third Court of Appeals, Place 3

Bree Buchanan
Bree is running for a spot on the Third Court of Appeals.

Mina Brees
Mina is running for a spot on the Third Court of Appeals.

Mina is having her campaign kickoff for the 3rd Court of Appeals, Place 6 on Wed., Nov. 16 from 5:30 to 7:00 at the law office of Deats, Durst, Owen and Levy, 1204 San Antonio, Suite 203.

Charles Baird
Charles is running for the 299th district court here in Austin. Let's get behind him and Keep Austin Blue.

Veteran's Day: Veteran Candidates

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The following is a list that Anna put together (now front paged at Kos and MyDD) which is even more extensive than the one sent out by the DCCC today. Kudos to her, and kudos to each of these candidates for their efforts to serve their country yet again. -kt

Before I begin this post, I'd like to take a moment to say THANK YOU to all the men and women who've worn the uniform.  I am in awe of your courage and fortitude.

Now I'd like to take a moment to introduce everyone to the entire contingent of Democratic veterans who are running for the US House of Representatives in 2006.  These men have answered the call to service in more ways than one, and each and every one of them deserves our support in their fight to take back Congress.

Kinky's Slurs on CNBC

By Andrew Dobbs

Hey, I need y'all's help in finding a transcript from last night's Danny Deutsch show in CNBC featuring Kinky Friedman. According to one report I heard that Kinky said "New York is like a Negro talking to himself." He went on to say, when talking about locking up sexual predators, "lock them up and throw away the key, and make 'em listen to a Negro talking to himself." That sounds like some seriously offensive talk from a candidate that a lot of progressives are kicking around voting for.

Let me know if you saw the show or if you can find a transcript anywhere.

From the comments, it appears this was a reference to one of Kinky's books from 1993, though a certainly a bad one. The quote, I mean, I have no idea about the book.

-kt

Maxey: There is Hope.

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I still have the post-it notes. And now that I have another version of Travis County Precint returns, I'll post more analysis in the coming days. But for now, one last post from the Statesman, and then to class I go. -kt

Maxey: On a bleak November night, I still found reason for hope

As the polls closed Tuesday night, reporters began clamoring for me to comment on the impending announcement of the vote totals.

Something in my grey head and aging, activist gut said that I needed to spend time somewhere else first.

So at what I expected to be a tough moment in my life, I headed to the election night party of the University of Texas Campus Alliance Against Inequality to be in the company of some amazing young people. I needed their energy and excitement. Most of all, I wanted to experience their clear vision of full civil rights for gay and lesbian people, uncluttered by my generation's nonsense.

As director of No Nonsense in November, the statewide campaign to defeat Proposition 2, the "gay marriage" amendment, I had watched these young leaders with awe. Through thousands of hours of grueling work — educating people one-by-one, registering the un-registered to vote, ignoring the barriers of my generation (political parties, gender, ethnicity, race and religion) — they opened the hearts and minds of one another.

And now, standing in Gregory Plaza on a warm, clear November night, I saw the future of the gay and lesbian fight for civil rights.

Karl-Thomas Musselman, a native of Fredericksburg, passed me a Post-It note scribbled with campus-area precinct results. Results from the dorms showed 80 percent and 84 percent voting against the ban on gay marriage. (That's with a turnout of more than 1,100 students compared to about 100 in 2003). West campus precincts voted against Proposition 2 in the high 80 percent range, with one busting 91 percent. Student areas on Riverside Drive and Far West Boulevard showed similar results.

I knew before I arrived that these young people were passionate about this issue and their futures. Marti Bier, head of the alliance, led an effort that resulted in 5,228 early votes being cast on campus, where only 200 had been in the 2003 election.

I was filled with hope as I headed across town to the lights of the TV cameras to comment on the extremely disappointing election returns from across Texas. The reporters had questions and wanted 30-second sound bites, but the answers are rarely easy.

Why the lopsided margin in favor of Proposition 2? Obviously, marriage is the toughest issue for the gay and lesbian political movement. We knew that when we started.

As an example, our polling of Houston African Americans showed that 65 percent supported non-discrimination against gays and lesbians in employment. But with gay marriage, 65 percent were against it.

On every topic, voters support gay rights overwhelmingly — until you say that religiously charged word, "marriage."

I'm certain that a majority of Texans believe that gay couples should be able to use civil documents to protect their relationships, property and medical decisions. It's a conservative idea, really — people taking charge of their affairs and being responsible for their actions and those of the ones they love.

Unfortunately, the Texas Legislature wasn't willing to just define marriage as between a man and a woman in this ballot proposition. Instead, lawmakers added a poorly worded, overreaching second sentence that voters really never understood or considered the consequences of. ("This state or a political subdivision of this state may not create or recognize any legal status identical or similar to marriage.")

So on Tuesday, most Texas voters went to bed believing they have "protected" marriage according to its religious and historical definition. I pray they slept well with their victory. I didn't. I and many gay and lesbian families were emotionally run over.

We woke up Wednesday and did what we usually do. We fed the children and sent them to school, sat in traffic going to work, wrote our checks to our favorite charities and churches, did our community and political volunteer work, and worried about taxes, the war and the quality of our loved one's lives.

And after all that, we now have to go to even more extraordinary lengths to do what everyone else still takes for granted — protect our families.

Texas voters left gay and lesbian Texans with an awful legal morass and lots of uncertainty. Gays and lesbians will have to spend thousands of dollars resolving legal issues, money that could have been used for caring for each other and our communities.

Lots of real people were hurt Tuesday. I mourn that fact. But my heart is uplifted because of leaders such as Karl-Thomas Musselman, Marti Bier, Jason Orne, Jake Holbrook, Trampes Crow and all members of this next generation — young men and women who are unfettered in their total belief in full equality for all families.

There is hope. It's only a matter of time.

Maxey, an Austin Democrat, is a former member of the Texas House.

Top 10s

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Byron sent me a great file tonight that has the Prop 2 vote broken down by county with turnout percentages. If you'd like to download it and play around with things to see where your county falls, click here. It's in excel format.

I've pulled out some Top 10 lists already. One note, 23 counties voted below the state average on Prop 2, so the first list is a Top 23 list.

TOP 23 BY % AGAINST VOTE

1 TRAVIS 59.95%
2 HAYS 41.87%
3 BREWSTER 35.55%
4 DALLAS 33.54%
5 PRESIDIO 32.76%
6 EL PASO 31.92%
7 BEXAR 30.77%
8 WILLIAMSON 30.11%
9 BASTROP 28.94%
10 LOVING 28.57%
11 CAMERON 27.55%
12 HARRIS 27.52%
13 BRAZOS 26.61%
14 COLLIN 25.55%
15 GALVESTON 25.40%
16 NUECES 25.31%
17 DENTON 24.93%
18 BLANCO 24.82%
19 KENEDY 24.59%
20 CALDWELL 24.36%
21 JEFF DAVIS 24.23%
22 WEBB 24.05%
23 ARANSAS 23.99%

TOP 10 COUNTIES BY % FOR VOTE

1 MARTIN 95.41%
2 FLOYD 95.37%
3 PARMER 95.09%
4 OCHILTREE 95.08%
5 HANSFORD 95.05%
6 GARZA 94.85%
7 CHILDRESS 94.65%
8 MOTLEY 94.51%
9 DALLAM 94.33%
10 HARTLEY 94.30%

TOP 10 COUNTIES BY TURNOUT

1 KING 54.16%
2 DICKENS 51.56%
3 WILBARGER 43.59%
4 BRISCOE 39.93%
5 THROCKMORTON 39.70%
6 BORDEN 39.51%
7 MOTLEY 38.06%
8 ROBERTS 36.63%
9 GLASSCOCK 34.95%
10 SHERMAN 34.28%

BOTTOM 10 COUNTIES BY TURNOUT

1 MAVERICK 2.75%
2 STARR 3.05%
3 PRESIDIO 5.30%
4 JIM HOGG 5.36%
5 WEBB 6.30%
6 ZAVALA 6.58%
7 DIMMIT 7.20%
8 BROOKS 7.21%
9 JIM WELLS 7.31%
10 WILLACY 7.38%

Looks like Travis County wins one of the Champions of the Republic plaques from the Secretary of State for having the highest turnout among counties over 250,000. King County wins the under 250,000 award. Travis County, Champion of the Republic... how much you want to bet the Secretary of State forgets to send us our plaque.

In Ohio

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

This inspires me right now. Well said, well done.

Capitol Extensions

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Ask yourself this, does your marriage feel safer now?

From a staffer for a Republican at the Capitol who e-mailed me some very nice words, I wanted to share some of them with you below (with their permission).

I would suggest that real change has to come less from the ballot box than from the churches themselves. We cannot keep competing with God and threatened eternal damnation on this. We need another Reformation that will restore humility above all us to persons of faith. How did common men and woman start believing they could talk for God? How did they become Pharisees who hold up the law over love and anything God is trying to teach us? Why have they all but eliminated the mystery and wonder of a God who never meant things to be simple? We are so far off track right now and nothing will change until everything changes. That's the hardest path but it is the only way I see.

And so we can remember, these are the 101 House Representatives who enabled Amending our Constitution.

Yeas — Allen, Ray(R); Anderson(R); Baxter(R); Berman(R); Blake(R); Bohac(R); Bonnen(R); Branch(R); Brown, Betty(R); Brown, Fred(R); Callegari(R); Campbell(R); Casteel(R); Chisum(R); Cook, Byron(R); Cook, Robby(R); Corte(R); Crabb(R); Craddick(R); Crownover(R); Davis, John(R); Dawson(R); Delisi(R); Denny(R); Driver(R); Edwards(D); Eissler(R); Elkins(R); Escobar(D); Farabee(D); Flynn(R); Frost(D); Gattis(R); Geren(R); Gonzalez Toureilles(D); Goodman(R); Goolsby(R); Griggs(R); Grusendorf(R); Guillen(D); Haggerty(R); Hamilton(R); Hamric(R); Hardcastle(R); Harper-Brown(R); Hartnett(R); Hegar(R); Hilderbran(R); Hill(R); Homer(D); Hope(R); Hopson(D); Howard(R); Hughes(R); Hunter(R); Hupp(R); Isett(R); Jackson, Jim(R); Jones, Delwin(R); Keel(R); Keffer, Bill(R); Keffer, Jim(R); King, Phil(R); King, Tracy(D); Kolkhorst(R); Krusee(R); Kuempel(R); Laney(D); Laubenberg(R); Madden(R); McCall(R); McReynolds(D); Merritt(R); Miller(R); Morrison(R); Mowery(R); Olivo(D); Orr(R); Otto(R); Paxton(R); Phillips(R); Pickett(D); Quintanilla(D); Raymond(D); Reyna(R); Riddle(R); Ritter(D); Rose(D); Seaman(R); Smith, Todd(R); Smith, Wayne(R); Solomons(R); Straus(R); Swinford(R); Talton(R); Taylor(R); Truitt(R); Van Arsdale(R); West, Buddy(R); Woolley(R); Zedler(R).

And the 17 Democrats in particular, recognizing that 2 votes of "present, not voting" or no vote at all, could have kept the "Rick Perry Re-Election Amendment" off the ballot.

Edwards(D-146)
Escobar(D-43)
Farabee(D-69)
Frost(D-1)
Gonzalez Toureilles(D-35)
Guillen(D-31)
Homer(D-3)
Hopson(D-11)
King, Tracy(D-80)
Laney(D-85)
McReynolds(D-12)
Olivo(D-27)
Pickett(D-79)
Quintanilla(D-75)
Raymond(D-42)
Ritter(D-21)
Rose(D-45)

Mr. Raymond, now running for Congress, you represent at 50-50 district, in a county that voted below the state average. Your vote seems to be one of opportunity, so let me take this opportunity to say I will not aid or support your campaign for Congress against Henry Cuellar and Ciro Rodriguez.

Mr. Rose, it is with you I am most disappointed. While I know you have worked with the No Nonsense campaign in the past few months in working to defeat the amendment (either because you saw the light, or at least a political one), there is no amount of money or time that can counterbalance the fact that you voted to enable Prop 2 in the first place.

In fact, the three counties you represent, all voted below the state average on Prop 2 and were in the Top 20 counties in terms of their % NO vote on the Amendment. In fact, your home county, Hays, of 254 counties in Texas, was number 2 in the state behind Travis County in its percentage vote against Prop 2, with almost 42% casting a NO vote. I have donated to your campaign in each of your past 2 elections. Never again will your coffers be graced by a contribution from me.

Some Democrats 'had' to vote for it. I understand this. But of those 101 votes, only 2 had to cast a vote other than yes, even it if meant not casting a vote at all. The same goes for Senators Armbristor, Lucio, and Madla.

Republican Moderates Targeted by RPT

By Phillip Martin

A story posted on Quorum Report confirms rumors I have heard that the Republican Party of Texas is targeting the moderate R's that voted their districts and voted with Democrats on school finance and property taxes.

The RPT polled likely Republican primary voters in the weeks leading up to the Nov. 8 election, asking about Prop 2, school finance and property taxes, the Tom Delay trial, and even vouchers. According to my sources, the polls then concluded "would you vote for [name of moderate Republican incumbent] in a primary."

During the Regular and Special Sessions, many moderate Republicans were called into the back hallways and threatened with primary challengers. Seems like Perry, Dewhurst, Craddick, and Leininger are making good on those threats.

Personally, I hate to see this kind of stuff happening. It's one thing if you target incumbents that don't represent the best interests of the communities in their districts (that's why a few Democrat incumbents lost their primaries last go 'round). It's another if you target incumbents because they aren't falling lock-step in line with a group of lawmakers that could give a shit about what the communities and people of Texas want.

If anyone who works for these moderate Republicans need some folks to vent about the out-of-touch Republican leadership, come by some of our offices. We'll share a drink.

TCUL Campaign School Wrap-Up

By Phillip Martin

Yesterday, the Texas Credit Union League hosted a Democratic Campaign School about how to run -- and win -- campaigns. Overall, it was very interesting, and while most of what was said wasn't any kind of secret, the panels put together and greatly enhanced pieces of strategy and planning that I've picked up along the way (from my job experience as well as from my countless hours of watching The West Wing). Here are three key things that I learned and/or were greatly emphasized:

1) The most important component of a campaign is organization.

Everyone talked about organization in some way, shape, or form. Campaigns must effectively organize around a central budget, fundraising effort, media plan, message strategy, field team, and administrative outlay that work together effectively and efficiently. From creating a fluid working calendar to compiling all the necessary lists of names and people who can help you win, every campaign -- no matter how popular or well-funded it may be -- is going to struggle without top-notch, cooperative organization.

2) You have to care, and you have to give voters a reason to care.

Why do voters care who you are? Why do voters care about your issues? Why should donors want to give you money? Why should the press write about you? Why should people want to work for you? If a candidate doesn't have answers to these questions, then it's going to be a long campaign. Campaigns must know how to cut through the clutter of most voters' everyday lives and not just talk to them, but affect them. There's countless tactics that surround this -- know your universe, be comfortable talking about yourself, don't just wave at people, reach out to them -- but at the heart of it all is making people care.

3) Without support from blogs, the campaign is doomed.

OK, so nobody actually said that. I just wanted to see if anyone was still reading. But blogs are definitely a part of the political equation now, if for no other reason than they can move information around in a more detailed, more substantive way than newspapers often can. And, they move it to an audience that is already absorbed in politics. That much -- and the fact that BOR is well-liked -- was said by many of the people attending.

Overall, it was definitely a worthwhile experience (and the lunch was way better than the PB sandwich I would have had, otherwise). Thanks to Buddy Gill and all the folks at the Texas Credit Union League for hosting the campaign school.

Four months until March!

Midnight at the Capitol

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Tonight, I stand on the first step of the Texas Capitol.

The doors are shut. The lights are off, save those brightening the dome atop of which Lady Liberty stands, star raised above her head. Looking south, the city before me, I feel as if I sit in an island, inside of an island, inside of a state which has just voted to amend its Bill of Rights, ironically to limit them against me.

My communities are with me. Students. My GLBT Family. My adopted city.

My state is not. Nor is the building which towers behind me.

And as I sit here, I sadly realize that we didn’t lose this fight by over one and half million votes. We lost it by two votes. Once in the Senate. Once in the House. And in each of those cases, we lost it by one vote and then by two…

But I can’t think about that right now. There’s nothing I can do. I thought I could expect more of my state, some degree of fairness, some degree of respect. But those ideas sputtered out tonight about twenty miles in any direction from where I now sit.

Lady Liberty, where are you?

I know you are in the people I have met along the way. You are in the stories scattered across this state, from gas stations in West Texas, to traveling moms, to the unification of the most passionate organizers I have had the pleasure of working with.

But maybe more importantly, Lady Liberty, you are in my parents. And most of all, you were in my father. I didn’t think that my greatest supporter in this would be the man from whom I hid this part of me the longest.

You gave him understanding. And you gave me acceptance of that understanding.

I fear this is not the last time I may be found standing in front of my Capitol. My only hope is that one day, I will stand here, look out across Texas, and know that Lady Liberty has not turned her back on us, but has waited for us to lift ourselves out of the darkness, and bask in the light of Liberty.

I'll be back and posting with results, data, and more in due time. Right now, I have plenty of classwork which needs attention. -kt

National Round-Up

By Phillip Martin

***Update*** Rawhide, over at Pinkdome, has written an excellent post titled "We're Still Here" that focuses on why Republicans shouldn't celebrate too long about yesterday's (sadly inevitable) results.

A look at a variety of stories about the results from other important items up for election yesterday:

Democrats won the governorships in both Virginia and New Jersey.

The Governator's slate of proposals were defeated in California. As CNN reported, the measures included "capping spending, removing legislators' redistricting powers; making teachers work five years instead of two to pass probation; and prohibiting public employee unions from using dues for political activities without the permission of their workers."

All eight members of the Pennsylvania school board that advocated intelligent design were easily defeated.

Feel free to leave any other results, comments, and discussions about all non-Prop 2 elections in the comments section below.

AP: Prop. 2 Approved

By Jim Dallas

via the H-Chron, Proposition 2 is projected to have carried by a margin of 74-26.

BORed - Live Blogging a Campaign Party

By Matt Hardigree

You're old pal Matt here, liveblogging from the two campaign parties at the old Rice Hotel in downtown Houston with Dan Laugharn (an old campaign pro). If you're in the area, it's on the corner of Texas and Main. The victory party for Bill White, Houston's incumbent Mayor, is taking place next to the victory party for Peter Brown, City Council Hopeful.

The mood is congenial, as both are asured a victory. This is a great departure from last year when I was doing defeat-shots of tequilla and downing Bud Light at the Max Sandlin "Campaign Wrap-up" party (what you have when you lose.) I ended up getting driven home by a campaign staffer who was nice enough to pull over before so that I could relieve myself in a ditch. Unfortunately, the ditch was full and I got wet.

So, in a night that could be full of dissapointment, it's nice to be somewhere warm and victorious.

Unfortunately, the beer is $4.50 a pop so I've got to make a run to the ATM. More as the night progresses.

**UPDATE ONE**

Just spoke with Mary Benton, who is also covering the election night parties. I know some people may be down on the MSM, but I must say she was quite helpful in describing how to cover a campaign party. According to her, the key is to capture the flavor. The other key is to stay at the side with the free bar.

The crowds are very similar at both parties because, well, they're right next to each other and everyone is making an appearance at both. The Brown side is more cramped or, if you will, more cozy. There's more of an atmosphere of togetherness. So, Advantage BROWN.

As alluded to earlier, the Brown party is sporting a fierce cash bar ($4.50 for a Shiner, C'mon). The White party has complimentary wine. Advantage WHITE.

Mary Benton is spending a little more time at the Brown side and, as we've mentioned, we love Mary Benton. Advantage BROWN.

Nothing says campaign party like a band and Brown has a nice little three piece jazz trio. However, Mayor White, now at 94%, is sporting a great six-piece band with a vocalist (who does a great cover of that Norah Jones song I like). Advantage WHITE.

The tie-breaker is the slogan. As Dan points out, the Mayor's campaign is "Get Moving Houston." Well, he's been the mayor for a term. What was he doing, sandbagging it? C'mon. Peter Brown, an architect, has "Building a Better Houston." Advantage BROWN.

We'll check in again after some complimentary drinks.

**Update Two**

As promised, people are dancing to the music of Klockwork (not to be confused with Kraftwork). They've promised to dance ALL, NIGHT, LONG. Brown is currently up to 53.5% with 12% reporting. White is down to 91%. The place to be is right between the Brown and White parties in what we're referring to as the beige party. If only Jeff Beige had run.

The Mayor should be coming down shortly. Update on District B - Khan is beating Khan by a strong margin. Captain Kirk is still pissed

** Update Three** Bill White has entered the building to the tune "Start Me Up," making us again wonder what was happening during the first term... other than the hurricanes and fixing the street lights.

We also snuck in a question before he talk to the MSM, our question:

"How do you respond to claims that you've been running up the score?"

His answer:

"We didn't campaign much. We just did good government."

Oh Mayor White, you're so modest.

Election Night Open Thread

By Byron LaMasters

The campaigns are over, and I'll be watching returns tonight. Here's where to look to find results for races of national and Texas interest:

Virginia
New Jersey
Ohio
California
Texas
Houston City Races
Dallas Strong Mayor

Texas Credit Union League Campaign School

By Phillip Martin

The Texas Credit Union League is hosting a Democratic Primary Campaign School tomorrow, Wednesday November 9. It is an all day event at the Driskill hotel here in Austin that runs from 8:30am until 5:30pm, featuring a series of speakers and presentations on general campaign topics. Registration for the event is free, and it's OK if you can only make it to a few of the presentations. You can register at this link to the TCUL website.

To see a schedule of the day's events, download this PDF. The speakers include opening remarks by Buddy Gill, Richard Gose on "Entering the Arena," Dave Beattie on "Texas Democrat Voter Polls," Ross Ramsey of Texas Weekly on "Lay of the Land in Texas Politics," Robert Jones on "Campaign Strategy Planning," James Aldrete (my former boss who gave me a heads up on the event) on "Developing and Communicating Your Message," Kelly Fero on "Working with the Media," a panel on fundraising, J.D. Angle on "Targeting and GOTV," and a panel on dealing with the players in politics.

BORed - Election Day Contest

By Matt Hardigree

Today is a serious day and, hopefully, a day for celebration. In order to make the time pass a little quicker (does election day seem like 300 hours to anyone else?), we're going to be having a little contest.

Try to guess how Prop 1 and 2 are going to do. As a tiebreaker, guess how well Mayor White is going to do in Houston (the smart money says better than 92%). The closest one wins a prize. In the case of a tie, we go to the tie breaker. In the case of another tie the first one gets it. As simple as that. Leave your guess in the comment like such:

Prop 1: +10 (if you think it is going to get 60% of the vote)
Prop 2: - 10 (if you think it is going to fail and get 40% of the vote)
Tie: 90% (if you think he's going to get 90% of the vote)

Here's my guess:

Prop 1: +12
Prop 2: + 2
Tie: 95%

-----------
Your Turn.

----------
Update 1 - Polls Close at 7:00 pm, but the contest ends at 6:00 pm. Everyone is eligable, especially people who post on this site (seriously, these people need dates). If you don't know about Houston, shame on you.

----------
Update 2 - Prop 5 is not part of the contest, but guess if you want too. Please put your real email address or you can't be notified if you have won. The prize is a mystery, but let's just say that it is going to be more than $10.00 but less than $200.00.

----------
Update 3 - Travis County returns will be available here tonight, as well as precint by precinct reports.

Prop 2 Turnout Data

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I've managed to get ahold of some expanded information on Early Voting numbers beyond the top 15 counties.

Expanded Early Returns (excel)

Trend Chart (excel)

The latter shows something that I wasn't really expecting, which is how much Houston turnout may actually affect the statewide vote. On the last day of early voting, Harris County made a huge bounce and cast over 25,000 votes alone as evident on the "Trend" tab chart. In fact, the top 5 counties (including Dallas and Travis county where Prop 2 is expected to fail) are clearly separated from the rest of the Top 15 pack in that last day turnout bounce.

Final UT Prop 2 Polling Data

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I'll be busy all day and through the night with election activities on campus. Returns will be available from the Secretary of State site tonight here. Polls will be open from 7am - 7pm today so be sure to go cast your votes against Amendment #2.

I know I havn't listed how I voted on all these issues, but honestly, you are safe voting against all the amendments, but for all the bond issues (if you live in Travis County that is). Below the fold is the final UT polling data, which is very encouraging.

"These statistics were one component of the Student Government Survey Research Agency's fall student survey. 2,465 students were polled and the margin of error is ± 2.0%. Full results are available on the Student Government website, www.utsg.org."

1. Overall support
* 26.9% FOR
* 73.1% AGAINST

2. Among registered (71.9%)
* 26.3% FOR
* 73.7% AGAINST

3. Among intended voters (46.3%)
* 21.5% FOR
* 78.5% AGAINST

4. By political affiliation
a. Very Liberal (9.5%)
* 2.1% FOR
* 97.9% AGAINST
b. Liberal (32.7%)
* 6.5% FOR
* 93.5% AGAINST
c. Moderate (32.1%)
* 25.0% FOR
* 75.0% AGAINST
d. Conservative (18.1%)
* 68.3% FOR
* 31.7% AGAINST
e. Very Conservative (4%)
* 95% FOR
* 5% AGAINST
f. Other (3.6%)
* 11.0% FOR
* 89.0% AGAINST

5. By gender
a. Female (55%)
* 22.6% FOR
* 77.4% AGAINST
b. Male (45%)
* 32.3% FOR
* 67.7% AGAINST

6. By ethnicity
a. White / Caucasian (64.7%)
* 27.2% FOR
* 72.8% AGAINST
b. Hispanic or Latino (13.4%)
* 24.4% FOR
* 75.6% AGAINST
c. African American / Black (2.9%)
* 34.4% FOR
* 65.6% AGAINST
d. Asian / Asian American (14.9%)
* 27.9% FOR
* 72.1% AGAINST
e. Native American (.5%)
* 63.6% FOR
* 36.4% AGAINST
f. Other (3.6%)
* 16.0% FOR
* 84.0% AGAINST

7. By college
a. Architecture (1.2%)
* 16.0% FOR
* 84.0% AGAINST
b. Business (12.9%)
* 35.7% FOR
* 64.3% AGAINST
c. Communications (10.0%)
* 21.9% FOR
* 78.1% AGAINST
d. Education (5.7%)
* 32.2% FOR
* 67.8% AGAINST
e. Engineering (13.6%)
* 33.8% FOR
* 66.2% AGAINST
f. Fine Arts (4.6%)
* 17.5% FOR
* 82.5% AGAINST
g. Geosciences (.9%)
* 20.0% FOR
* 80.0% AGAINST
h. Information (.8%)
* 17.6% FOR
* 82.4% AGAINST
i. Law (2.2%)
* 21.7% FOR
* 78.3% AGAINST
j. Liberal Arts (30.2%)
* 22.0% FOR
* 78.0% AGAINST
k. Natural Sciences (19.4%)
* 28.3% FOR
* 71.7% AGAINST
l. Nursing (1.7%)
* 38.9% FOR
* 61.1% AGAINST
m. Pharmacy (.8%)
* 31.3% FOR
* 68.8% AGAINST
n. Public Affairs (1%)
* 4.8% FOR
* 95.2% AGAINST
o. Social Work (1.4%)
* 6.7% FOR
* 93.3% AGAINST

David Van Os, Candidate for Attorney General, Speaks Out On Prop 2

By Damon McCullar

David Van Os, in a statement via email, had this to say about Prop. 2:

My opponent in the 2006 general elections, incumbent Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott, is campaigning on behalf of the passage of Proposition 2. So is the Ku Klux Klan. Let there be no mistake about where I stand and what I appeal to you to do.

If you did not vote early, please let nothing stop you from making it to your polling place on Tuesday and voting AGAINST Proposition 2. The vote on Proposition 2 has become one of the defining moments in the modern history of Texas. Do we want a society that honors privacy, equality under law, and the separation of church and state? Or do we want a society that exalts discrimination, hate, intolerance, and the elevation of some people’s one-sided religious beliefs into state Constitutional law?

The Texas Constitutions of 1836 and 1845 prohibited members of the clergy from serving in the legislature. The hardy founders of Texas respected religion, but they did not want priests, ministers, or rabbis making public laws. This principle runs deep in Texas culture. When John F. Kennedy was campaigning for President in 1960, he felt compelled to come to Texas to deliver a major address pledging that if elected as the first Roman Catholic President he would not permit the Vatican to set United States public policy. Consistent with the values of the real Texas, I whole-heartedly support this principle and I urge you to support it on November 8 with the power of your vote in opposition to Proposition 2.

The Texas Bill of Rights is one of the strongest written charters of liberty, democracy, and equality in the world. Texans have always been proud of this. Texans were one of the first groups of people in the country to place the Equal Rights Amendment into their State Constitution (Bill of Rights, Article 1, Section 3a), doing so by a large margin by referendum vote on November 7, 1972. I am not a historical revisionist who is pretending that the promises of the Texas Bill of Rights have always been honored, for clearly they have not been through much of our history for many of the residents and citizens of Texas. But at least those promises have always been there as goals to fight for and to point to as destiny’s call. In Proposition 2, the forces of hypocrisy and hate are seeking literally to elevate discrimination to Constitutional stature. The Bill of Rights of the Texas Constitution was written to protect liberty and freedom, not prohibit them.

As parents in a conventional family structure of mother and father and four children, my wife Rachel and I stand with all our fellow Texas citizens who would be reduced to second-class citizenship by this odious amendment to our precious Bill of Rights. Rachel and I stand against intolerance, hate, discrimination, and hypocrisy. We stand against making anybody a second-class citizen. Please join us in voting against Proposition 2 on November 8.

David Van Os
Democratic Candidate
For Texas Attorney General 2006

State Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa Supports Chris Bell For Governor

By Damon McCullar

State Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa pledged his support for former-Congressman Chris Bell today. You can read what Sen. Hinojosa had to say on the Chris Bell blog.

Something I found a little more interesting about what Sen. Hinojosa had to say was this:

Second—and this is less important than bipartisan leadership but no less true—Texas Democrats need some new blood and a fresh face leading us. I've been active in statewide politics since the 1970s, and I can see next year shaping up as a changing-of-the-guard year much in the way that 1978 and 1994 were. Many of the people who have talked about running for governor are close, dear friends of mine, but we need someone fresh with new ideas who is committed to public policy and to what is best for all Texans, and Chris Bell is just what we need here in Texas.

This idea has been banging around in the back of my head for awhile now. There has been some scanty evidence that this may be true. First, there was the Hackett race in Ohio. That showed that even the reddest Bush country is ready for a change (albeit, this was an isolated case).

The next big indicator in my mind is the fact the the President's approval ratings are the bottom of an oil well and seem to be drilling on down. If things don't change, there won't be any coattails for the next Republican Presidential Candidate to hang on to.

Tomorrow will be an indicator. Are the people of Texas still hung up on the wedge issues of God, Gays and Guns, or are they ready to send a message to Austin that they reject the Republicans pandering to the far right? Will Texans stand up and reject the Nonesense that was the 79th Session?

If the answers are yes, then in 2006 I think you will see another message sent to Austin. It will be in the hands of a host of newly elected, first-term representatives and senators. Hopefully they will all be good Democrats, but I think I might be stretching it there. What do you, the readers think? Is change in the air?

Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls

By Damon McCullar

It's time for this week's installment of Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls! This post has gotten long due to the number of candidates in the field. Use the extended entry to see what's going on this week and who is running for what! If anyone has any leads on candidates or knows of someone I'm leaving out, please email me or leave a comment.

Barbara Radnofsky

Chris Bell
Chris Bell is a former US Congressman who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.

Chris will be speaking to the Waller County Democratic Club on the evening Monday, November 21. The club meets in the county courthouse on Austin Street in Hempstead. The meeting starts at 6:30 PM, and Chris will speak around 7 PM. Don't miss your chance to come meet Chris!

For more information about the Waller County Democrats, contact John Mull at 979-826-3841.

Felix Alvarado
Felix Alvarado is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.

Maria Alvarado is running for Lt. Governor.

David Van Os
David Van Os is running for Attorney General.

Hank Gilbert
Hank Gilbert is running for Ag Commissioner

Dan Dodd
Dan Dodd is running for Congress in CD-03

Glen Melancon

David Harris
David Harris is running for Congress in CD-06.

Shane Sklar
Shane Sklar is running for Congress in CD-14.

John Courage
John Courage is running for Congress in the CD-21.

Tue. Nov. 8,

5:30 - 8:00 p.m.
John will attend the South Austin Democrats Monthly Mtg.
Little Mexico Restaurant, 2304 South 1st Street
(between Oltorf & West Mary)

Wed., Nov. 9

5:30-8:00 p.m.
John will attend the San Marcos Area Democrats Meeting
Stonebrook Community Ctr
300 S. Stagecoach Trail in San Marcos

Nick Lampson
Nick Lampson is running against Tom DeLay for Congress in CD-22.

Henry Cuellar
Henry Cuellar is running for re-election to Congress in the CD-28.

Richard Raymond
Raymond Rodrigez is running for election to Congress in the CD-28.

Ciro Rodrigez
Ciro Rodrigez is running for Congress in the CD-28.

Mary-Beth Harrell
Mary-Beth Harrell is running for Congress in the CD-31.

On Nov. 10, at 7:15 pm, Mary Beth will speak to the Williamson County Democratic Party in Cedar Park, in the JP courtroom located at 50 Discovery Blvd., Suite 204

Veterans Day is a Family Affair at the Harrell household.
On Nov. 11, Mary Beth will ride in her campaign float in the Fort Hood/VFW Veterans Day Parade, kick off is at 11 am at the Killeen City Hall. The float will be driven by her oldest son serving on active duty in the Army and due to deploy to Iraq before Christmas. Her youngest son, also serving on active duty, and her daughter will carry her campaign banner. Mary Beth's husband, Bob, a retired Army warrant officer, will also be riding in the float.

Later that day on Nov. 11, Mary Beth will join in at the Texas Democratic Party's Fall Fundraiser hosted by the AFL-CIO in Austin at 1106 Lavaca from 6:30 - 8 pm.

On Nov. 12, Mary Beth will be in Round Rock. Michael Barton, Vietnam Vet and Republican, will host a Neighborhood Openhouse for the candidate at his home at 3707 Cheyenne in Round Rock from 3 to 4 pm. He wants to give everyone an opportunity to meet Mary Beth and hear her speak. Mr. Barton is spearheading the group, "Veterans for Harrell", and hopes to have their website up by the 12th. We'll let you know as soon as the website is published.

Kirk Watson
Kirk Watson is running for Texas Senate District 14.

Jason Earle is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 47

UDems Speech 8pm 11/9/05 Garrison 1

Veteran's Parade 9am 11/11/05 Congress Avenue Bridge

Volunteer Social: Texas Tailgate Party 1pm 11/12/05 Parking lot on MLK/Congress, accross from Bob Bullock Museum

UDem sponsored block walk 9am 11/19/05 Galaxy Cafe (Brodie & Slaughter)

Andy Brown
Andy Brown is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 48.

Andy Brown will be blockwalking this weekend. Come meet Andy, talk to West Austin voters, and work on your tan! Contact Marc at 636-4345 or at marc@voteandy.com for more information.

Donna Howard
Donna Howard is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 48.

Dan Barrett
Dan is runing for State Representative in District 97.

Paula Hightower-Pierson
Paula is running for Texas House District 93.

Judge Jim Coronado (site under construction)

Diane Henson
Diane is running for the Third Court of Appeals, Place 3

Bree Buchanan
Bree is running for the Third Court of Appeals.

Mina Brees
Mina is running for the Third Court of Appeals.

Charles Baird
Charles is running for the 299th district court here in Austin. Let's get behind him and Keep Austin Blue.

State Numbers

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The final Top 15 County Early vote numbers are now up on the Secretary of State's site.

405,718 total cast in the top 15 Counties with Liberal Travis County casting 10.5% of it's registered voters on the high end, and Jefferson County on the low end with 1.5%. Jefferson is home to many black voters who seem to be even more uninterested than the Hispanic border counties which are voting below the state average. In any other election, I'd be worried about that, but in this election, as has been stated by other conservative bloggers, many minorities are in favor of the amendment.

This election is less about party though. It's not a Democrat v. Republican issue. It's somewhat a liberal v. conservative one. But voting patterns are going to break much more along education and income lines than anything else. Which is why I'm not as worried about the upper end Republican areas casting more votes down in Houston as Greg noted today. It's partly because of them, as well as GLBT Montrose voters, that Prop 2 when polled, was failing by over 65% in Martha Wong's district the other week.

Note: We should see Harris County bump up its vote tomorrow, as it tend to prefer E-Day more so than the other most populous counties.

Hate Mail

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Traditional Christian Values?

Yeah, I'll get right on defending those.

Lufkin Daily News: In this country, we need to move away from the morality issue of homosexuality, the "rightness" or "wrongness," of this issue. It is the "hate the sin, but love the sinner approach," except that the hate always precedes the love. It is the unpardonable sin of homosexuality, not blasphemy, according to social conservatives, but curiously ironic, not the "judge not, lest you be judged" mentality. The speck in your eye is always bigger than the plank in mine, so forgo the Bible verses on the sin of homosexuality.

Dustin of Odessa, TX
in supporting the amendment had this to say:

"I HATE FAG's...kiss my ass you fucking homo's!" Interesting apostrophe use there...

Barbara of Keller, TX
in supporting the amendment had this to say:

"Stop spreading AIDS you idiots! You willing aggressively spread AIDS...Drop dead NOW and spare a few!"

Alvin L. of Amarillo, TX
in supporting the amendment had this to say:

"Please do NOT send me any more of your junk-please no more gay stuff I pray that same-sex marriage will never be-Praise God and I pray you will fine Jesus and he will save you from your gay sins."

Voter Turnout

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Turnout appears that it will tick up this election cycle, with the Secretary of State projecting 16% statewide. The big question I have is if the boost in early returns that we've seen is going to mean a boost in Election Day turnout as well, or if it's part of a continuing shift of voters voting early rather than on E-Day.

Longview News Journal: – Gregg County – 5,719 residents cast a ballot during the early voting. That's 2,144 more than in the 2003 election during the early voting period. Two years ago at the end of early voting, 3,575 people had cast a vote. The total count for that election was 9,551 votes.

– Harrison County – 2,370 people cast a vote from Oct. 24 to Friday and 80 more people are expected to mail in ballots, increasing the number to 2,450. In 2003, the county had 1,615 residents cast a ballot during early voting, and a total of 4,539 people voted in that amendment election.

– Rusk County – 1,778 residents cast a ballot during early voting, and the county expects to receive about 50 more mail-in ballots, bringing this year's early voting total to about 1,828. This year's early voting total is twice as high as it was two years ago, when 958 residents cast a ballot. The final total for the 2003 election was 3,750.

Wichita: As opposed to previous constitutional amendment elections, this particular one is seeing good turnout, according to Lori Bohannon, county clerk. She said, as of Thursday, 4,508 registered voters cast an early ballot by mail or at various countywide polling places.

Compared to the voter turnout for the 2003 constitutional election that total looks rather optimistic. Only 9,427 voters cast ballots out of approximately 60,000 registered voters in that election, Bohannon said in a previous election.

Actually, all this turnout isn't for Prop 2 at all. It's for the "Champions of the Republic" plaque that Secretary of State Roger Williams is giving as a prize to high turnout counties. But this quote about Waco turnout is the one that I think speaks truth to all of the talk about turnout. The question is who is turning out, and when? Is it a boost in voters (for sure in many areas) or a shift in voters casting early votes?

Waco: The higher turnout – 4,094 to 3,300 – comes as residents consider a proposed ban on gay marriage and eight lower profile changes to the Texas constitution.

The heavier traffic, based in part on extra days of early voting, is not a clear indication that more people will cast ballots by the end of election day on Tuesday, McLennan County elections administrator Kathy Van Wolfe said.

Based on the 2004 presidential election and other recent elections, Van Wolfe said, "We're seeing the same amount of people show up, but it's a trend to get started earlier."

More turnout numbers in the extended entry.

Tyler: Gauging from the turnout so far, early voting numbers could break previous records, she said.

"So far, the vote totals are well above the constitutional election in 2003," she said. "It will probably at least come close to an early voting record for this kind of election."

In 2003, 2,976 early votes were cast. With two of the heaviest days remaining in this early voting cycle, Mrs. Patterson reports that 2,957 have been cast.

Also, the number of requests for ballots by mail was up; in 2003, 85 ballots were sent out. This year, that number rose to 212.

Denton County: Based on early voter turnout, officials estimate 50,000 Denton County residents will show up to cast their ballots through election day, said Denton County Elections Administrator Don Alexander...

By comparison, only 21,959 votes were recorded during the 2003 election, which included 22 proposed amendments to the Texas Constitution. In 2001, only 8,489 votes on 19 proposed amendments were recorded.

Austin Area: In Travis County, 8.3 percent of registered voters had cast a ballot by the end of the day Thursday, compared with 4 percent in all of the state's 15 most populous counties, according to the most recent data available from the secretary of state's office. That figure is indicative of statewide trends because 60 percent of the state's residents live in those counties, officials said.

In Williamson County, 7.4 percent of registered voters had cast a ballot by the end of the day Thursday, and in Hays County, 5.1 percent of registered voters had done so.

Fredericksburg: As of 4 p.m. yesterday, Tuesday, 1,272 in-person and mail ballots had been tabulated by County Clerk Mary Lynn Rusche’s staff since early voting got underway Oct. 24... By the time early balloting wraps up at 4 p.m. Friday, the 2005 vote count is expected to easily exceed the total 1,339 early ballots cast in the 2003 state constitutional amendment election.

Challenge to Armbrister

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Texas Senate seats don't seem to be attracting much interest from either party this cycle, due in part to their sheer size (they are as big most Congressional districts), as well as the fact most have been drawn to be uncompetitive. Open seats seem to drawing replacements from their own parties (SD 7 and Austin's own SD 14).

But word comes today that Sen. Armbrister (D- Sorta) will be challenged by anti-Toll activist David Stall in SD 18, who is running as a Republican. Stall at the same time, is working against Rick Perry's Trans Texas Corridor in any way, shape, or form that it crops up (which includes Amendment's 1 and 9 in the eyes of most Anti-Toll Roaders).

Stall will be making his formal announcement speech via Internet Broadcast, Monday at 2 pm, at www.StallForSenate.org.

Show us the Money

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

From a reader... -kt

Today we are treated to yet another inane Washington Post story claiming that Tom DeLay's legal defense fund is "bulging" with money.

What is the basis for this claim? Tom DeLay's spokesman, apparently.

Fortunately, every single quarterly report filed by the Tom DeLay Legal Expense Trust is posted on the Internet at Political Money Line.

If you look up each report and do simple addition, you will find that yes, indeed, the Tom DeLay Legal Expense Trust has taken in $1.4 million ($1,438,000 to round it to the nearest thousand) since it was established in 2000. But It has also paid $1.6 million ($1,612,000 to round it to the nearest thousand) in expenses. In other words, according to its publicly available records, the Tom DeLay Legal Defense Trust is broke!

How is this possible? The Trust doesn't have to report contributions of less than $200, so its likely that the Trust has raised a significant amount of money in small contributions. There is no reason to believe, however, that the trust is bulging in extra cash. Indeed, the Houston Chronicle recently reported that the trust owes DeLay's principal law firm, Bracewell & Giuliani, between $100,000 and $250,000.

And keep in mind that DeLay now has four law firms on the payroll and, according to the most recent report, is racking up over $100,000 a month in legal fees. So please, let's stop this nonsense about reporting DeLay's "bulging" legal defense fund.

And why doesn't someone ask Brent Perry (1) what is the current cash balance in the fund? and (2) how much does the fund have in outstanding debt?

Travis Early Vote Final Results

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The final Travis County Turnout for the 2005 Constitutional Amendment Election. Big bump today, some numbers below.

UT: 776 today // 5,228 total (highest single day & highest overall early vote location in Travis)
Travis: 11,680 // 56,369 total (highest single day)
(UT cast 9.3% of Travis County votes)

Travis Turnout: 10.57%
Est. Turnout: 17.6% (assuming 60/40 early v. election day turnout pattern seen last fall)

Oddly, that turnout prediction is only off .4% points from the one I figured would be way off on the second day of voting. My hopes are of course that there will be closer to a 50/50 pattern which would be more in line with past elections, and would result in Travis casting and even higher overall percentage). We'll soon find out if last November was an anomoly or a new pattern.

To download the early vote spreadsheet in excel format, click here.

Dude!

By Jim Dallas

I suppose it's a good thing I quot my job a couple weeks ago; I used to work two blocks away from the Harris County Jail. The whole Charles Victor Thompson escape thing is just so bizarre.

Dean Powers Named Finalist for UT President

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Bill Powers, dean of the School of Law, has been named the only finalist for UT president by UT System Chancellor Mark Yudof, the Texan is reporting. The regents will vote on the nominee in the next three weeks.

Powers was named dean of the UT law school in May of 2000, leaving the University of Washington School of Law. He was chair of the task force that explored curricular reform and suggested a new University College that would house all incoming freshman undergraduates before they entered a specific college of study. The regents interviewed possible candidates all day Friday before naming Powers as the sole finalist.

The Presidential Search Advisory Committee, chaired by Teresa Sullivan, System vice-chancellor for academic affairs, submitted candidates to the regents last week. Sullivan is married to law school associate Dean Douglas Laycock.

Powers was the only internal candidate submitted to the regents. Provost Sheldon Ekland-Olson and Liberal Arts Dean Richard Larivere were both often mentioned as possible finalists in the search for a new University president, but Larivere had previously denied that he was in the final running for the office. "[Powers] seems to be very good at bringing large groups together and sympathizing points of view," said Regents Chairman James Huffines.

If I remember correctly, I want to say it was due to Dean Powers that the University has included sexual orientation into its nondiscrimination clause, originally at the Law School because it was needed in order to move UT Law higher in National Rankings. I've tried to find reference to this online, does anyone remember this?

Step Back, Step Forward

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

If passed, Proposition 2 would be the 434th Amendment to the Texas Constitution. If passed, Texas would become the 19th state to amend it's constitution to ban gay marriages.

That, says The Economist, is a step backward, to the time when the constitution banned idiots and lunatics.

Banning idiots and lunatics...might make the Texas Legislature a lonely place.

“Your kind and the trash should both burn in hell”

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

No, it's not an angry letter or the KKK, it was a note attached to a bag of trash left on the doorstep of Associated Student Government Senator Jeff Moody down at Texas State. Their Student Government has recently passed a resolution against Proposition 2 and Moody was one of 16 who voted in favor of passage (10 opposed the resolution).

Quoted in the article was also a comment that turnout in San Marcos among students had been outstanding (as it has here at UT, we should pass 5000 total early votes today).

San Marcos Daily Record: "It is the perfect platform. We as ASG senators are there as student leaders to represent and protect every student, not just the minority. If we only allow ourselves to debate items that are not controversial and that every single person agrees with whatever the outcome may be, then we might as well disband and not even have a meeting."

Moody said he joined 16 other student senators voting to approve the resolution opposing the amendment. Ten student senators voted against the resolution and one abstained.

As for the bag of trash on his doorstep, Moody didn't report it, and brushes the incident off as childish behavior.

"I have had an extraordinary amount of positive feedback from students, faculty and even community members," he said. "People who play such childish games are not worth my time."

We are now less than 20 hours away from the Ku Klux Klan here in Austin. I will be joining the No Nonsense campaign at 1 pm on the 1st Street Bridge, which will be blocked off for the purpose of their counter demonstration.

Vote Now!

By Jim Dallas

Today is the last day of early voting. If you're leaving work, remember, you've got an hour or two left. Swinging by the grocery store? Don't forget to buy toilet paper. More importantly, don't forget to vote!

Sure, you can vote on Tuesday in your precinct, but you can vote now and get treated like a celeb with the supercool short lines.

Inner Child Escapes, Obliterates Tokyo in Computer-Generated Rampage

By Jim Dallas

I'm waiting word as to the outcome of the summary judgment hearing in the Alabama video game killer case (Strickland v. Sony). I don't know much about the case, but I'd like to see a judge order wacky Jack Thompson to go home and play Pong.

Meanwhile, though, this story says that the wave of the future in political advertising is... cartoons:

Politicians looking for a fresh way to get voters' attention have seized on something that is more "South Park" than "West Wing": cartoons. Around the country, candidates are running cheeky animated political ads, mostly on the Internet, but also on television.

...

Animated political spots are not new. Dwight Eisenhower and Adlai Stevenson both deployed primitive black-and-white cartoons during their 1952 presidential race. But the recent cartoons are far more sophisticated, and wickedly satirical as well.

"They are magnets for attention, and that's the name of the game in political advertising," said Martin Kaplan, an associate dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Southern California.

The burst of animated ads may be traceable to the wildly and unexpectedly popular "This Land" clip that was unleashed over the Internet by JibJab Media during the 2004 presidential campaign. The musical satire skewered both President Bush and John Kerry.

In it, oversized photos of the candidates' heads were computer-pasted onto animated bodies, and the men traded singing-and-dancing insults to the tune of "This Land Is Your Land," with Bush calling Kerry "a liberal wiener" and Kerry branding the president a "right-wing nut job."

"We've created a monster," said 34-year-old Gregg Spiridellis, co-founder of JibJab Media of Santa Monica, Calif.

A monster indeed. Better send wacky Jack to defend America's children from the inevitable second, er, third, Pearl Harbor: criminal use of anime/manga on behalf of a federal candidate.

Meet the New (Judge), Same as the Old (Judge)

By Phillip Martin

From the Statesman:

Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson, asked to name a trial judge for the DeLay case, shared the same campaign treasurer and consultant as DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority. One of his largest campaign donations -- $25,000 --was from the arm of the Republican National Committee that's at the center of the allegation that DeLay and his co-defendants laundered corporate money into political donations in 2002.

This revalation comes only hours after Judge B.B. Schraub recused himself from the case. Judge Schraub was the temporary replacement for Judge Perkins, who stepped down due to his money ties to Democrat groups. Judge Schraub stepped down because of his money ties to Governor Perry.

As others have already said, this is just becoming silly. Judges are elected in Texas, and trying to find one that doesn't have political ties will be impossible. To suggest that there's no conflict of interest in the Supreme Court's charge to select an appointee -- considering these reported donations from the RNC and TRMPAC -- is equally impossible.

So, where is all this heading? Will the Supreme Court appoint a judge anyways, money and donations be damned? Is Delay trying to maneuver his way entirely out of the Texas judicial system -- and therefore away from District Attorney Ronnie Earle? Is that possible? Where does this end?

Oh, and my apologies to The Who.

Catholics Speak Out on Prop 2

By Phillip Martin

An extremely well-written, well-reasoned column in the San Antonio Express News appeared in today's paper, written by Catholics concerned with the human and civil rights implications of Prop 2. Here is a sample:

We acknowledge that in Catholic doctrine marriage is between a man and a woman. But the proposition goes far beyond that in a way that deeply troubles us.

We are gravely concerned that this proposition, by making it constitutional law that civil authorities may not recognize any legal status similar to marriage, will make it possible to deny certain civil and/or human rights to people with strong and lasting personal bonds who are not a man and a woman united in marriage.

For this reason, we are compelled by our sense of integrity, our nation's tradition of equitable laws and our Catholic faith to ask voters to seriously ponder that this amendment potentially threatens the civil rights of all unmarried people in significant domestic relationships and is unjust and discriminatory.

Further, this amendment apparently does nothing to protect the existing institution of marriage.

Our bishops have asserted that "the Church's teaching about the human dignity of every person, including homosexuals, is also clear and strong. Homosexual persons are to be treated with respect and compassion. Our respect for them means we condemn all forms of unjust discrimination, harassment or abuse," in "Catholic Bishops of Texas on Proposition 2."

As a Catholic, I found this column very real to my own personal concerns. Balancing my personal and political convictions can be an extremely difficult task, and the decisions I make on some of the tougher political issues in this state and this country can be strenuous. However, I'm grateful that I'm afforded the struggle of my decision, since my own faith does not demand absoulte conformity. The issue of human and civil rights is just as important, to me, as the issue of holy matrimony, and I rejoice that my faith enourages me to pray and discover my own voice and my own choice with the assistance of God's wisdom.

This article does a remarkable job articulating the very real, very serious human and civil rights implications of Prop 2. I appreciates its honesty, and commend those who worked, thought, and prayed as they wrote it.

Perry Issues Executive Order on Teacher Pay

By Phillip Martin

Governor Perry issued another executive order on education today, this one on teacher incentive pay. According to his release, the plan is that 100 economically disadvantaged schools that show improvement in performance will each be eligible for a $100,000 grant, 75% of which must go to teachers. That's only $10 million. Perry's order calls for $35 million, asking the Legislative Budget Board to direct another $25 million for his incentive pay plan to be spread out across an additional 250 campuses.

Chris Bell had the following to say about Perry's latest order:

“All teachers need an incentive to stay in classrooms, whether they are in poor, rich or middle-class neighborhoods. Rick Perry has been ignoring a legitimate crisis in teacher retention for five years, and this gimmick would do little to address that...We can’t treat teachers like glorified test monitors and pay them accordingly if we want to have any hope of keeping teachers in classrooms. We need to bring all teachers up to the national average, put them in charge of their own classrooms, and then we might see some different results.”

Well said. This executive order, like others before it, amounts to little more than an overblown and out of touch press release that proposes a failing solution that a majority in the Texas Legislature have already decided is simply not enough for our teachers.

From the Texas State Teacher's Association:

"If the Governor really cared about the hard working teachers of Texas, he would get behind an across-the-board teacher pay raise proposal that would move all teacher salaries to at least the national average rather than proposing a 5% solution that rewards only a handful of teachers and leaves 95% of our teachers behind."

In total, 350 campuses could see money from this executive order, but that's assuming the LBB has $25 million to redirect to 25 other campuses. The grant that Perry proposed would only go out to 100 campuses across the state.

Well, there's almost 8,000 school campuses in Texas, meaning the grant Perry has proposed would not give a pay raise to at least 278,000 of the 288,000 teachers in Texas. Compare that to the $2,000-$3,000 across-the-board teacher pay raises that Republicans and Democrats proposed during the Regular and Special Sessions.

As Chris Bell said, we can't keep ignoring the fact that teachers are leaving public schools because they aren't getting paid what they deserve.

E-mails; The Wright Amendment

By Jim Dallas

We here at BOR get a lot of e-mails from people with agendas (hidden and otherwise) and axes to grind. Occasionally, they are useful to us. Occasionally, they get ignored. And occasionally, there's that little-known gray area.

Dropped in my inbox today was a fairly well-sourced (kudos for that, at least) hit on Senator Hutchison in re: legislation regarding Love Field in Dallas. Although the basic facts appear to check out, I'm not sure what to make of it, and cannot vouch for its veracity. Take it with a huge boulder of salt.

At any rate, this is a perfect excuse for me to start a little (Hutchison-free) rant about the Wright Amendment, a federal law which restricts flights to Love Field in order to prevent competition with flights to D/FW International.

There is no morally pure, corporate-interest free position on the Wright Amendment. If you're for keeping it, you're (whether you like it or not) in bed with American Airlines. If you're against it, you're in bed with Southwest Airlines. That said, the Wright Amendment strikes me as unjust and economically inefficient because it is, at it's core, anti-competitive legislation. Progressives ought to support free and competitive markets. As such, my gut feeling is that it is hurting the public interest. Other Burnt Orange Report bloggers, of course, may have entirely different opinions about this.

Incidentally, the KBH-bashers would do well to note that Ron Kirk and Barbara Ann Radnofsky are both V&E folks. I have no idea what Radnofsky's position on the Wright Amendment is, but I would prefer that she would oppose it.

2 Letters Against Prop 2

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Following are two letters, one of them mine, the other Glen Maxey's, that we have sent to friends, family, teachers, and those that we hardly ever send things to. Think about writing a letter and e-mail yourself, the responses you get back are some of the most fulfilling things to read, and remember, a personal plea to vote is one of the most effective ways to get people to the polls.

If you can't do that, donate to the last round of campaign calls that will go out before the election. They cost a nickel a call. Spare your brothers a dime.

Dear Friends,

It is not often that I contact you all together about the issues or projects that I am working on, unless of course you are on some listserv that I webmaster, in which case you get contacted far too much. But today I am asking you to do something so basic, so easy, but so critical I cannot express how important it is.

I'm asking you to Vote and to Vote Against Constitutional Amendment #2, the Marriage Amendment.
If you live in Austin, Vote Early on campus at the FAC/UGL, 7a-7p until this Friday the 4th.
Election Day is then on Nov 8th.

And then I'm asking you to take 5 minutes of your time to pass this message on, either in my words or preferably your own.

I know it's wrong to expect others to make my issue their issue. But this isn't my issue. This is our issue. It's an issue for each and every one of you who reads this and this is the only time when we are going to be able to do anything about it. There is no second chance. If it passes, it stays for a century. It won't be repealed in my lifetime. And I keep thinking about that and realize that is what makes this different. You have got to care this once, because this once is all we get.

It makes me cry sometimes. The dedication and love and energy of our straight allies in this… I know why I'm fighting. I think I know why they are fighting, too.

There are 10 days left… 10 short days until I find out if my state will choose to constitutionally define me as a second-class person.

I must fight. I hope you will too.

Vote and remind your friends,
Karl-Thomas Musselman

A Personal Plea from Glen Maxey.

You’ve known me for a long while. I’ve been a State Representative, a Democratic Party activist and a Party consultant. I hope you know me as a vocal spokesperson for the ideals of the Democratic Party, for social justice, for the underdog and the little guy.

I also happen to be a gay man who cares deeply about my relationship.

Today, I’m sending you this note and this request on a very personal matter. I need you to be a spokesperson for me. I need you to speak out for me and the thousands of your neighbors across Texas who will be permanently made second class citizens if Proposition 2 passes and is placed in the Bill of Rights.

It’s a daily experience for many of us dealing with the “little things” that everyone else takes for granted in their heterosexual relationships. Sometimes, for us, it turns tragic. It affects everything about our lives.

I’ve stood in the emergency room, partner unconscious, me in tears, trying to convince an uncaring desk clerk that I had a right to be there. I’ve gone into hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt paying for health care of a partner who I cannot put on my insurance policy. And I even have to go through the hassle and cost of doing a legal document just so that a partner can bury my body when I die.

You might take for granted the 1,130 rights and responsibilities heterosexual folks get when they pay for that marriage license. I have lived through the horror of not having those same rights.

So I have two simple requests: Please vote. People’s lives depend on it.

Help me send messages to Democrats across Texas on Monday telling them to vote. Send Rick Perry, the Republicans in the Legislature, and the hate mongers and religious zealots a message by helping us have a huge turnout of Democrats on Tuesday.

Donate here: Donate

An automated call costs a nickel. Donate $100 and tell 2500 Democrats to vote. Donate $10 and tell 250. Please help.

Call my office at 512-443-2004 if I can pick up a check or have a local campaign person do so. You can mail a check to: No Nonsense, 512 E Riverside Dr Ste 203, Austin Tx 78704.

Thank you,
Glen

Saturday March

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Info on this march was passed on to me by Dave Collins, who is active in area veterans organizations. -kt

The last patrol 2005

March/walk for hospital

America' s last patrol, American legion, catholic war veterans, disabled American veterans, veterans of foreign wars, and Rio Grande valley citizens will march/walk from hidalgo county courthouse in Edinburg to the Alamo in San Antonio, for the purpose of bringing attention to the lack of medical facilities (hospital) for veterans in south Texas.

Whereas veterans in this area number around 60,000 and about 40,000 veterans residing in Mexico, plus our winter visitors surely exceed the 100,000 mark. The sole inpatient clinic in the Rio Grande valley (an 8-county area) has limited hours of operation and must refer patients to other facilities for tests or treatments. The nearest veterans hospital is more than 200 miles away in san Antonio (a 4 to 5 hour drive).

In may of 2004 the dept. Of veterans affairs acknowledged the need for improved and expanded medical facilities for the Rio Grande valley. The veterans of south Texas have gone too long without proper medical facilities.

March/walk begins Nov. 5, 2005
At 8am
At the co. Courthouse parking lot
Edinburg (hwy 281 & 107)

To arrive at the Alamo
In San Antonio on veterans day Nov. 11, 2005
At about 12:00 noon

U.S. Senate (Done) Meeting in Closed Session

By Phillip Martin

Update: The Senate is back, and there will be a Task Force of 6 United States Senators (3 from each party) to study "Phase 2" of the Intelligence Committee's investigation into the question of prewar intelligence -- who knew what, when they knew it, and if anything was hidden. The task force will report to the Senate leadership by November 14. The Democrat line seems to be that this investigation has been going on for 1 1/2 years, and it's time to see answers. The Republican line seems to be that they've been doing their job, and all of this was simply a stunt.

Well, anyone who ever complains that Democrats never stand up for what they believe in are going to have to get some new talking points.

Democrats in the United States Senate have shut down the U.S. Senate, accusing the Republican leadership and the Senate Intelligence Committee of putting politics ahead of the American people. The Democrats in minority want to talk about Iraq, the reasons we went to war, and how the White House may have manipulated information to sell the war to the American people.

The U.S. Senate is meeting in a closed door session -- no press, no cell phones, no blackberries, no pagers, no nothing -- and talking about why there has been no serious investigations into the corruption in the White House.

Here's what CNN is reporting:

Democrats forced the Republican-controlled Senate into an unusual closed session Tuesday, questioning intelligence that led to the Iraq war and deriding a lack of congressional inquiry.

"I demand on behalf of the America people that we understand why these investigations aren't being conducted," Democratic leader Harry Reid said.

Taken by surprise, Republicans derided the move as a political stunt.

"The United States Senate has been hijacked by the Democratic leadership," said Majority Leader Bill Frist. "They have no convictions, they have no principles, they have no ideas," the Republican leader said.

This comes out on a day when President Bush had announced his plan to address the bird pandemic, and a day after he announced Alito as his newest nomination for the Supreme Court. Looks like the White House can't chance the subject that eaisly, as Democrats are hell bent on not letting the issue of what the White House knew before the war slip into the back pages of the newspapers.

There's lots of arguments for and against this. Sen. Frist, the Senate Majority Leaders, is accusing Democrats of "hijacking" the Senate and using a "publicity stunt" to shut down democracy.

At first blush, this seems a lot like what Texas Democrats did when they went to Ardmore, Oklahoma and New Mexico during the redistricting battles -- an extreme, admittedly risky move to draw the public's attention to problems they see with the Republican leadership...

Updates as I continue to get them...

David Van Os Speaks Out Against Political Coruption

By Damon McCullar

David Van Os, candidate for Attorney General, had a few words to say about the legal woes of the current administration. This is what he had to say:

Government by lies, secrecy, and cronyism is not what the American Revolutionaries had in mind when they proclaimed government by the consent of the governed. The Bushite government is crumbling by the minute. It will be up to us, the grassroots American people, to pick up the pieces and rebuild self-governing democracy the way it should be: every citizen a 100% equal part owner of the government, and government serving the people.

Let’s do it right this time, and dismantle the whole corrupted political culture that led us down the path to Bushite government. Let’s restore democracy and the political process to their owners, the people. No more of electing hustlers who use public office to benefit themselves and their cronies. No more of government by pollsters and marketing consultants. No more corporate government.

David Van Os

I guess all I can say is Amen, brother.

DeLay Judge Removed

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Democratic Judge Bob Perkins, who was scheduled to preside over DeLay's trial, has now been removed by a fellow Democratic Judge from Bell County.

More will be developing, but one thing that isn't going to change no matter which judge lands this job, is the fact that in Texas we elect our judges, and we elect them on a partisan basis. Many of them donate to their respective parties. To us here, it's hardly a big deal, but it's great political fodder.

Of course the DeLay team will play off of this to the national media where most people don't understand this concept of electing partisan judges (I'm not a fan of it by the way). More to come.

UT Women's Soccer

By Matt Hardigree

Many of you may not know that in addition to all of the organizations I headed and the people's lives I touched while at UT, I was also a Texas Soccer Hooligan. That's why it warms my heart to see our women's soccer team doing so well. We often get so caught up in Football and Basketball that we forget how great our team is. This from the Texan:

Texas soccer struggled earlier this season without 2004 top scorers Kelly Wilson and Kelly McDonald, winning just three of its first nine games. Since then, the team found its offensive firepower and won seven of its last nine games, securing a berth in Wednesday's Big 12 Tournament.

[...]

So while the Longhorns have high hopes for this year's Big 12 Tournament and probable NCAA Tournament berth to follow, the future for this Texas team is extremely bright.

"We've come back from being down this year, and we still have that fight in us," Carpenter said. "As we grow, we're going to be even better than we are this year and than we were last year."

For those of you who have never attended a game I must reccomend it for the following reasons:

1. Fast-paced, high-kicking soccer action that will keep you upright the entire game.

2. The low turnout means that getting a good seat isn't that difficult.

3. Texas Sports has a student drawing each game for shirts, televisions, gift certificates and gaming systems. The number of students that enter is low and thus the odds are high.

4. You can meet the team after the game and get autographs and pointers (along with the approximately 200 elementary school kids that show up every game).

5. The only reason you need: they're rocking the burnt orange.

New Candidate Announcements Across Texas

By Damon McCullar

In the last couple of weeks, there have three new candidates for public office that have caught my attention. Here's a brief glimpse.

Dan Dodd
Dan Dodd has announced that he is running for Congress in CD-03. Dan is a is a dedicated father, husband of 36 years and career Air Force Officer with an extensive family military background. CD-03 covers northeast Dallas county and southwest Collin county. Visit his website (linked above) for more information about him.

Glen Melancon
Glen is a professor of history at Southeastern Oklahoma University. He has served as the Cubmaster and Committee Chair for Pack 9, Wakefield Elementary School. He is also a part of the adult education team at St. Mary's Catholic Church. He is running for Congress in CD-04. That district covers much of extreme northeast Texas, including my home in Titus county.

Valinda Bolton
Valinda Bolton is running for state representative in district 47. Valinda is a nationally recognized leader on domestic abuse and sexual assault issues, an advocate for affordable housing. She is a founder of WOMAN, Inc. (Women Opting for More Affordable Housing) a community organization to develop transitional housing for women and their families and an experienced speaker providing training on the value of building collaborative efforts. She has served as the Training Director of the National Center on Domestic and Sexual Violence, as staff consultant to the Department of Defense Task Force on Domestic Violence, and as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, SafePlace, Red Cross, Texas Freedom Network, and democratic political campaigns. She faces Jason Earle in a primary for the Democratic nomination in this race.

Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls

By Damon McCullar

It's time for this week's installment of Where To See Your 2006 Democratic Hopefuls! This post has gotten long due to the number of candidates in the field. Use the extended entry to see what's going on this week and who is running for what! If anyone has any leads on candidates or knows of someone I'm leaving out, please email me or leave a comment.

Barbara Radnofsky

Chris Bell
Chris Bell is a former US Congressman who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.

Felix Alvarado
Felix Alvarado is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor.

Maria Alvarado is running for Lt. Governor.

David Van Os
David Van Os is running for Attorney General.

Hank Gilbert
Hank Gilbert is running for Ag Commissioner

Dan Dodd
Dan Dodd is running for Congress in CD-03

Glen Melancon
Glen Melancon is running for Congress in CD-04
Come sign Glenn's ballot petition at the Wild Wild West Country
Christmas Fair
Where: Downtown Whitewright, Grayson, TX, Democratic Party Booth
When: Saturday, November 5, 2005, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Please join Glenn at the Grayson County Democratic Party Chili
Supper Social. He will deliver a speech calling you to join the Fight for Texas Families.
When: Friday, November 18, 2005, 6:30 pm
Where: Bingo Hall, Corner of Hwy 691 and FM Rd 1417
Who: All Grayson County Democrats
Door charge: $10.00

David Harris
David Harris is running for Congress in CD-06.

On October 30th, the Harris campaign makes a stop in Dallas to volunteer at the Stonewall http://www.stonewalldemocratsofdallas.org/ sign in table in their early voting push for the NNIN campaign. October 31st we will block walking Kindergarten style, for trick or treating with Emma...:) November 3rd, the campaign attends the Tarrant County Executive Meeting to hear from the special guest speaker from the DNC. On November 5th, David will attend a joint precinct picnic in Arlington.

Shane Sklar
Shane Sklar is running for Congress in CD-14.

John Courage
John Courage is running for Congress in the CD-21.

Saturday October 29, 2005 Canyon Lake
John will be campaigning at the Canyon Lake In/Outdoor Market Days,
Come by and visit the Courage for Congress booth for signs and bumper stickers, 125 Mabel Jones Dr. Canyon Lake, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Saturday October 29, 2005 San Antonio

John Courage will speak at the Bexar County Precinct 3 Democrats Planning Session, North East Service Ctr. Toolyard Dr. (off Wurzbach Expressway at Perrin-Beitel), 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (John will speak at 1:30 p.m.)

Wednesday Nov.2 - Saturday Nov.5 Washington DC

John will be meeting with party leaders and Democratic activists in Washington DC.

Nick Lampson
Nick Lampson is running against Tom DeLay for Congress in CD-22.

Henry Cuellar
Henry Cuellar is running for re-election to Congress in the CD-28.

Richard Raymond
Raymond Rodrigez is running for election to Congress in the CD-28.

Ciro Rodrigez
Ciro Rodrigez is running for Congress in the CD-28.

Mary-Beth Harrell
Mary-Beth Harrell is running for Congress in the CD-31.

Kirk Watson
Kirk Watson is running for Texas Senate District 14.

Jason Earle is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 47

Andy Brown
Andy Brown is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 48.

Andy Brown will be blockwalking this weekend. Come meet Andy, talk to West Austin voters, and work on your tan! Contact Marc at 636-4345 or at marc@voteandy.com for more information.

Donna Howard
Donna Howard is seeking the nomination for State Representative in District 48.

Dan Barrett
Dan is runing for State Representative in District 97.

Wednesday, Nov. 2, 7 pm - Democracy for America, Fort Worth, Ol' South Pancake House

Thursday, Nov. 3, 7 pm - Tarrant County Democratic Party Executive Committee Meeting, Carpenter's Union Hall, Arlington, Tx (see www.tcdp.net for more details)

Paula Hightower-Pierson
Paula is running for Texas House District 93.

Judge Jim Coronado (site under construction)

Diane Henson
Diane is running for the Third Court of Appeals, Place 3

Bree Buchanan
Bree is running for the Third Court of Appeals.

Mina Brees
Mina is running for the Third Court of Appeals.

Charles Baird
Charles is running for the 299th district court here in Austin. Let's get behind him and Keep Austin Blue.

A Disgruntled Blogger with a Uterus

By Katie Naranjo

I have been reading studies recently about teen pregnancy in Texas and it has made me so fustrated I needed to share some information with ya'll. So forgive me if this sounds like I am preaching, but as someone who was preached to about sexual conduct I think it is appropriate.

Growing up in East Texas was a rewarding experience. The small town charm and friendly faces of the people you know are fond memories. However, when it came to education about one’s body, growing up in a small town school system was an interesting experience.

I remember our sexual education class we took in the 8th grade; it was scary. It consisted of a man standing in front of several classes describing our “gift” (virginity) and the benefits of having our “gift.” Girls are supposed to hold on to our “gifts” and to bestow them on our husbands. In return our husbands will love and cherish us until death. The girls are told that men are evil, and predatory looking for “gifts” to take and put on their wall of accomplishments. However, when discussing rape, he told us that God has a plan for your “broken gift” so those in the room who were no longer virgins did not have to worry. With God and a rededication to your virginity, those who had been raped could repair their “gift.” While describing this process to 8th grade children, the man did not forget to mention that even thought one could rewrap their gift, they would never be virgins again.

That message—the doctrine of rationing the truth to kids in middle school—has contributed to Texas having the highest teen pregnancy rate in the country. Teaching sex education without giving students medically accurate information they need to prevent pregnancy damages them because it does address methods to handle social pressures regarding sex, teen pregnancy, contraceptives or sexually transmitted diseases.

My graduating class had almost 30 girls who had either had babies or were pregnant by graduation, meaning they did not cross the stage because of their “irresponsible decisions.” Unfortunately for these girls, they were never taught how to prevent pregnancy if they become sexually active. They were only taught abstinence, and then, fortunately, they were provided classes on child care once they became pregnant. However, the state continues to cut funding for children’s insurance (CHIPS), which mothers like those in my graduating class depend on for health care for their children. The state’s irresponsibility to educate the mothers on safe sex practices or to provide childcare has lead to a devastating problem that has run full circle.

There seems to be startling contradictions in the doctrine of Rick Perry’s administration. The voices of teenagers and their children are falling on deaf ears. The Texas government is not taking a realistic approach to sexual education and as a result there are pregnancies that are unwanted occurring at high rates. There has not been a vehicle provided to prevent pregnancy, or a vehicle provided to help the new mothers once they have the child. The young families of Texas are changing in scope, from the young professional at age 28, to the young high school kid at age 17. There needs to be a shift in paradigm and priorities; instead of trying to ineffectively take care of the effect we need to take care of the cause.

Teaching children right from wrong is a parent’s duty, but public polling shows that an overwhelming majority of Texas parents want schools to teach their kids the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the medically accurate, age-appropriate truth when it comes to preventing pregnancy.

With the 2006 elections coming up, I hope that before any candidate who decides to claim God as his partisan reads the Bible before speaking. If ever there are moral imperatives before us to resolve, children without health care, teenage pregnancy, and the contradicting initiatives of the current administration, here they are.

AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' The second is this, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these. (Jesus’ reply to Pharisees in the Gospels, Mark 12:30-31)

Bell Campaign...

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I read the Chris Bell blog for better or worse. Then I read the following on the front page of the campaign site this morning and am stunned by the absolute incompetence a bit saddened. How much do you have to not be paying attention to think that Early Voting would end today when it ends Friday in every county in Texas.

Vote early, get a bumper sticker

Early voting ends today. Any of y'all who voted early, drop T-Mac an email with your info, and we'll send you a ChrisBell.com bumper sticker. Just for clarification, the "I Voted" sticker goes on your lapel, and the "ChrisBell.com" sticker goes on your bumper.

Just for clarification, Early Voting runs until Friday this week. And while the campaign is busy cracking jokes, UT has now cast over 3,000 votes and Travis County is about to exceed the total number of early votes cast two years ago in the multi-million dollar Prop 12 battle.

Limited Ballot

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I was just alerted to a fantastic opportunity for those of you who are not yet registered to vote in Travis County:

LIMITED BALLOT

If you were previously registered in a Texas County and have not registered to vote in Travis County, you may be eligible to vote a Limited Ballot. Limited ballots are available only during the Early Voting period, Monday, October 24 – Friday November 4, 2005, at the main Early Voting location at 5501 Airport Boulevard. For the November 8, 2005, Joint Special Elections, a person voting a limited ballot is entitled to vote only on statewide propositions.

To vote a limited ballot, a voter:

§ Has moved to Travis County from another Texas county

§ Was a registered voter in the county of former residence when the voter moved to Travis County

§ Has completed an Application for Limited Ballot and submitted the Application to the Travis County Elections Division.

Constitutional Amendments are statewide elections so you can vote AGAINST Constitutional Amendment #2 at the Travis County Elections Division Office (also the Tax Office on Airport Blvd...on the way to Highland Mall from campus) even if you are not a Travis County voter! They request that you call ahead at 512.854.4996 to let them know you are coming. Remember, you can only take advantage of this opportunity until Early Voting ends on Friday.

Please remember just how important this election is in the fight for equality.

How to Oppose the Klan

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The worst thing that those of us here in Austin could do is make a big violent mess out of the Ku Klux Klan's arrival at City Hall this Saturday. While some plan a second mooning of the Klan, if you really want to be useful, I'd suggest joining the No Nonsense in November campaign starting at 1pm this Saturday at Auditorium Shores (South 1st and Riverside Drive map) and then walk peacefully out to the middle of the 1st Street Bridge where the march will halt in silent, watchful protest, within auditory and visual contact of City Hall. Join us there between 1-3 PM.

This will be yet another turning point for the campaign, and the Klan's arrival almost guarantees state and national media interest. We gain little in rioting. We gain so much more in non-violent protest, standing strong, sending our message, and proving that the true repository of hate lies with the KKK and the supporters of this Amendment.

The campaign's official remarks are below the fold.

1. Fair-minded Texans are encouraged to gather at Auditorium shores and the southern entrance to the First Street Bridge for brief introductory remarks by rally leaders.

2. All those in attendance will be given posters, signs and other messages designed by our staff with nonviolent language consistent with our campaign message, balloons, etc. There is no need to bring anything with you. (If you bring hand made signs, please remember we are doing this for statewide TV coverage IN OPPOSITION to Amendment #2. Please DO NOT exhibit hate or anger messages toward the Klan. Let the Klan speak for themselves.)

3. When instructed by our leaders, we will walk in unity to the middle of the bridge over the river. This will be a silent walk and protest. We will not yell, call out, or otherwise respond vocally to any of the speaker's antigay comments. In keeping with the Soulforce principles taught by Gandhi & Martin Luther King, Jr., we will instead "absorb the suffering" without responding in any manner that could be perceived as violent or aggressive. Your presence, the truth of your life, and the beautiful photo images, we believe, will challenge the speaker's antigay statements in a way more powerful than any words.

Please note: If you do not feel emotionally ready to be involved in such an action without reacting in anger, we respectfully ask that you decline participating in this peaceful response. Any action that could be perceived as aggressive or violent by the media would actually work in favor of the Ku Klux Klan.

In fact, a representative for the American White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan wrote: ". . . we expect anti-Klan demonstrators to be there who may become violent. We certainly don't want any of our people hurt nor any city officials. We just want to come and encourage people to vote for Christian Family Values and against legalized homosexual marriage in the state of Texas."

Again, this will be a peaceful counter-protest and we will refrain from any actions, words, or signage that could be misperceived as violent or hateful. Glen Maxey and/or his designee will answer questions by the media.