Burnt Orange Report

It's Official: Special Election in the 106

By Kirk McPike

State Representative Ray Allen, who previously announced his retirement from the Legislature, has decided to call it quits early, confirming today the rumors that have circulated since early this week. The Grand Prairie Republican is claiming that he "cannot afford to serve on a $600-a-month salary with no other source of income with the prospect that we will soon be in special session until June." But his reasons for leaving are immaterial -- what is important is that this gives Democratic candidate Katy Hubener, who narrowly lost to Allen in 2004, the chance to win a special election and go into the November general election as the incumbent.

Katy has already announced her intentions to run in any special election for House District 106. Katy is a local realtor and longtime leader in the Dallas County Democratic Party. She's the only Democratic candidate in the March 7, 2006, primary for District 106, so she's the only Democrat who could both win this special election and not be a half-term lame duck. It seems unlikely that any other Democrat will jump into a special election with no chance to continue beyond this summer's special session. Katy ran a good race in 2004, has broad support for 2006, and now has a unique chance to win the seat early and help bring a solid Democratic voice to Austin for the important debate on school finance reform.

With the encouraging results down in Austin, we know that Democrats can do well in these special elections. Katy has a broad base in the District 106 community and is already campaigning for the primary. She'll likely be facing one Republican, Kirk England, in the special election, provided that no candidate swings in from out of the blue.

Katy's going to need the help of Dallas-area Democrats to run in this early election. She's proven she can come close against an entrenched incumbent, and now she only needs to beat a political novice. Dallas Democrats would be making a huge tactical mistake not to push hard to give Katy the support she needs to win this race in the spring, so that we can move into the fall with one more Democratic incumbent.

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.

Pre-Launch of DallasBlog

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

I noticed this earlier today, but there is a new Blog being run by some professionals up in Dallas, one who was part of the original team over at Quorum Report. See DallasBlog.

QR: Bennett was one of the driving forces behind the creation of Quorum Report back in 1983. He worked in the first round of Governor Bill Clements, was editor of the now-departed Texas Business magazine, did time as a Dallas Morning News columnist for seven years and is now a business consultant specializing in strategic business transformation. He includes companies such as Boeing in his client list.

Unlike most sites, Bennett has some regular contributors with some real bona fides including former News columnist Carolyn Barta, current DMN columnist Bill Murchison, former DMN technology editor Doug Bedell and Lone Star Report editor Will Lutz...

The site is intended to be a broad based town hall kind of blog with both the right and the left well represented.

Now, I'm not sure how based in fact some of their stories are today, but they do mention a couple interesting theories. One is that GSD&M ad man and Austinite Roy Spence would run for the Democratic Nomination for Gov. Now, that's not new news around these parts, but certainly not something that I've seen any wind blowing behind of late. The second one is interesting but as unlikly as the first...

The hot rumor in Houston is that former Democratic Congressman Chris Bell may drop his candidacy for Governor and be replaced by Houston Mayor Bill White. A Houston political insider tells DallasBlog that, once White is re-elected Mayor of Houston next month the stage would be set for Bell to withdraw from the race in favor of White.

I'll keep on eye on it.

Arlington Area Mission Needs Assistance

By Damon McCullar

David Harris, candidate for CD 6, had this press release today.

ASSISTANCE FOR KATRINA VICTIMS IN ARLINGTON

We are currently working in the Mission Arlington location and have the following information available for anyone interested in assisting here:

Hours open for donations?
7am-7pm

Donation location for drop off?
Rear of the Mission off Pecan

Volunteers need for most?
Sorting of donations/Transportation needs

What do they currently need most?
Toiletries, Diapers size M-L, Cleaning Supplies, Perishable foods, Baby formula, Baby wipes, linens, air mattresses, furniture

A time volunteers are needed but unavailable? EVENINGS

For more information please go to: www.missionarlington.org

They are in need also of people that can help organize the system and take responsibility for part of the process. If you are there long enough, you will be in charge of something!

Frost Effect?

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

Much debated here at BOR in the past has been the efforts of Martin Frost on other candidates in his losing race against Pete Sessions last fall up in Dallas. Charles Kuffner has done some more analysis on the race which he has detailed here which you should check out if interested. Here's his wrap up though- emphasis mine.

From this, it would seem fair to conclude that on a performance basis, it didn't matter to Garcia and Valdez if they were in Page's precincts or Frost's - they each did about as well relative to the national ticket in each. Therefore, if there was any Frost effect at all, it would have to come from turnout alone.

I didn't know what I was going to find going in to this. I do not consider this to be fully conclusive. For one thing, I've not looked at all of Dallas County; in particular, I've not looked at any of the other Congressional races there, including the precincts in which Eddie Bernice Johnson ran unopposed. More importantly, we only looked at some turf that was pretty hostile overall to Democrats; we'll need to see how things shake out in the more Democratic areas in these districts. I also don't have the relative turnout numbers at hand, so I can't say if there was a real benefit from an absolute vote total perspective in Frost's district. At the very least, however, this should cast doubt on the notion that Frost's tide lifted all boats. There's still more work to be done, but it doesn't look good at this point.

I don't know Dallas politics, but have a feeling that Byron may have some thoughts on this if anyone does.

Candy Marcum Withdraws her Endorsement of Kathy Ingle

By Byron LaMasters

Earlier this week, I reported that Dallas City Council District 14 candidate Kathy Ingle (R) is a Republican activist that has donated $7775 to Republican candidates and committees in the past two years alone. Ingle is in a run-off election against Angela Hunt (D). The third place finisher in the race, Candy Marcum (D) endosed Ingle when she conceded. Today, Marcum sent out an email retracting her endorsement of Ingle:

Endorsement withdrawl of Kathy Ingle for District 14 City Council

Dear Friends, Neighbors and Supporters,

As some of you are aware, there have been a flurry of e-mails having to do with the runoff race for Dallas City Council District 14 and my endorsement of Kathy Ingle. I thought for the sake of open, honest and clear communication, I would write to you about the series of events leading up to the withdrawal of my endorsement of Kathy Ingle's candidacy.

The week after the election, I met with Kathy Ingle and went over the issues that were important to me in order to support her candidacy. These mainly had to do with her stance on GLBT issues. She assured me that she was a person who would not only support the non-discrimination ordinances currently in place in Dallas, but would also advocate for shoring up a loop hole in the housing ordinance. Never in that discussion was it revealed how she had voted on the DART non-discrimination policy 10 years ago.

When it came to my attention Monday, May 16th at 10:00pm by a good friend that Kathy had voted against including sexual orientation in DART's non-discrimination policy, I immediately made the decision to withdraw my endorsement for her candidacy for City Council. As you know, my life's work has been about fighting and advocating for equality for the GLBT community. I cannot and will not support someone who in any way deters my community from that goal.

So, dear friends, many of you have contacted me asking for clarification about this flurry of contradicting e-mails. I hope this helps with your confusion. At this time, I am not endorsing anyone for City Council District 14. My favorite candidate did not make the runoff! I am now in a neutral position where it comes to endorsing.

I encourage those of you who live in District 14 to vote for the candidate of your choice. Early voting has started today and Election Day is Saturday, June 4th.

Again, thank you for all your support and love. As generous as you have been with me, let me tell you I feel that 10 times more back to you!!

Love and kisses...

Candy

GOP Major Donor and Activist Kathy Ingle Seeks Dallas City Council District 14 Seat in Run-off

By Byron LaMasters

On June 4th, Dallas voters will vote in several run-off races for city council. In District 2, voters will choose between a transsexual woman, Monica Barros-Greene, and a longtime Democratic activist, Pauline Medrano for the seat of the term-limited John Loza. In District 8, former councilman Al Lipscomb will face off against incumbent James Fantroy. In district 12, Tony Fleo and Ron Natinsky will fight for the seat of term-limited Sandy Greyson. And in District 14, Angela Hunt and Kathy Ingle will face off for the seat of term-limited Veletta Lill. District maps available here.

While all city elections are non-partisan, many candidates have an obvious partisan agenda. Kathy Ingle is one of them. In the past two years, Ingle has donated $7,775 to Republican candidates and causes:

Results:

12 records found in 0.0469 seconds.

Search Criteria:
Donor name: ingle, kathy
Donor State: TX
Cycle(s) selected: 2006, 2004 Contributor

Total for this search: $7,775

Do District 14 voters want a Republican activist to be their representative on the Dallas City Council? Ingle sought the endorsement of the Dallas Stonewall Democrats, and at their meeting she stated that she disapproved of the tactics of Tom DeLay and thought that he was an embarrassment for her party. Why then, has Ingle donated to the National Republican Congressional Committee and the Texas Republican Congressional Committee in the past two years? Why then has she donated to Kenny Marchant and Pete Sessions - two of Tom DeLay's top congressional cronies?

After initially endorsing Candy Marcum, the Dallas County Young Democrats have endorsed Democrat Angela Hunt:

At our May 10 meeting, the Dallas County Young Democrats voted unanimously to endorse Angela Hunt in her run off election for Place 14 on the Dallas City Council. Angela is a longtime Democratic activist and a good friend of our organization. We encourage everyone in her district to support her in the June 4 election.

The incumbent, Veletta Lill has also endorsed Hunt. However, Candy Marcum endorsed Kathy Ingle. Rumors have circulated that Ingle and Marcum had a deal that the third place finisher would endorse the other in the run-off against Hunt. Regardless, I hope that Dallas voters reject Republican activist Kathy Ingle for the Dallas City Council. I would urge District 14 voters to vote for Angela Hunt. Not only is she a great Democrat, but she has a blog.

You can donate to Angela Hunt here.

Darlene Ewing Elected DCDP Chair

By Byron LaMasters

Darlene Ewing was elected chair of the Dallas County Democratic Party tonight at their executive committee meeting. She was elected with 118 votes to 61 for Bruce Rothstein and 40 for Walter Hofheinz. A quorum of 56% was present (225 precinct chairs).

After the meeting I had the chance to speak with the new chair, and asked her if there was anything that she wanted to share with our readers. Ewing said that I could share with you all that she graduated from UT and is a proud Longhorn. She also agreed to participate in a Q&A interview on BOR in the coming weeks. If any of you have a question that you would to ask of the new party chair, please post it in comments (or email me).

Huge South Dallas Opposition Fuels Strong Mayor Defeat

By Byron LaMasters

I spent some time playing with the turnout numbers earlier today in the Dallas strong mayor race. The results? There are two major reasons for the defeat.

First, voters in north Dallas did not turn out very heavily for the Blackwood proposal. Of the north Dallas districts most likely to vote for a strong mayor proposal, three saw a decreased turnout from 2003 - Districts 9, 10 and 13.

Second, south Dallas and the African-American community turned out very heavily against the strong mayor proposal. The opposition in the Black community was fueled by a distrust of mayor Laura Miller regarding her opposition to former mayor Ron Kirk and former Police Chief Terrell Bolton among other issues. In the four city council districts represented by African-Americans, turnout increased dramatically. In fact, the turnout in two of the southern sector districts (5 and 8) more than doubled from 2003.

In 2003 there was a mayoral election in Dallas between Laura Miller (a Democrat and the wife of former State Rep. Steve Wolens, D-Dallas) and Republican Mary Poss. Many majority African-American precincts voted for Mary Poss, but the turnout was low. This time, African-American voters had the opportunity to vote against Miller, a supporter of the strong-mayor proposal without voting for a Republican - and the turnout reflected this. Check out the extended entry for the turnout in various districts across the city.

Here is a look at the turnouts of the 2003 and 2005 Dallas city elections by city council district. Listed first is the district number. Listed second is the turnout in the 2003 city election that saw a contested mayoral election between Laura Miller and Mary Poss. Listed third is the turnout by council district in the 2005 election where the strong mayor proposal was rejected by city voters. Listed fourth is the location of the districts (also available here). Listed fifth is the vote change in turnout in each district between 2003 and 2005. Listed sixth is the percentage increase in turnout in each seat.

Seat	2003	2005	Loc.	Change	% Increase
1	1892	1897	SW Ctrl	5	0%
2	2349	2993	Central	644	27%
3	6976	7386	WSW	410	6%
4	6613	9610	South	2997	45%
5	4123	8822	South	4699	114%
6	1764	1518	West	-246	-12%
7	4921	6688	SE	1767	36%
8	3239	7118	South	3879	120%
9	10748	9646	NE	-1102	-11%
10	9287	8140	NE	-1147	-14%
11	5039	7027	North	1988	39%
12	6931	7798	North	867	13%
13	9105	9447	North	-342	-4%
14	8158	10138	Central	1980	24%

A map of the districts is available here. Several notes should be made.

Districts 2, 11, 12 and 14 had open-seat elections this year as the incumbent was term-limited. This clearly increased the turnout in those districts.

In 2003, District 3 had a high turnout due to a redistricting incumbent pairing. Also District 6 was a newly created seat in redistricting in 2003 which was open. The lowest turnout districts - 1, 2 and 6 are all Hispanic majority districts. All three have a large immigrant and foreign population that account for their low turnout. Also, districts 9 and 10 were open seat elections in 2003, which may account for their decrease in turnout in 2005.

Marchant Son Defeated for Carrollton Mayor

By Byron LaMasters

I spent little time following the elections outside of the major cities last night, but one race in particular caught my eye this morning, and made me smile a little bit. Matthew Marchant, the son of the U.S. Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-Carrollton) lost his bid for mayor of Carrollton (a northwest Dallas suburb) to Becky Miller.

The final results from Dallas County Elections:

Carrollton-Mayor
(WITH 36 OF 36 PRECINCTS COUNTED)

Matthew Marchant 2,227 - 47.33%
Becky Miller 2,378 - 50.54%
Christopher Edward Norton 100 - 2.13%

I know next to nothing about Becky Miller, but I do know that Kenny Marchant was one of the most vocal Craddick/DeLay hacks during the 2003 re-redistricting ordeal (and was rewarded with a seat in congress - Texas's 24th CD, formerly held by Martin Frost). So, I was pleased to see Kenny's attempts to use his name to carry his son to office fail.

Dallas Co. YD's Endorse Bruce Rothstein

By Byron LaMasters

The Dallas County Democratic Party will be electing their permanent party chair at their May 9th executive committee meeting. Three candidates - Bruce Rothstein, Walter Hofheinz and Darlene Ewing are running. Last week, the Dallas County Young Democrats endorsed Bruce Rothstein:

At the April 28 Happy Hour, after meeting with all three candidates for Dallas County Democratic Party Chair and having the opportunity to ask them questions and listen to them speak, the Dallas County Young Democrats voted to endorse Bruce Rothstein for County Party Chair.

Bruce is a Precinct Chair, a member of the DCDP Advisory Committee, a former member of the Dallas County Democratic Party Legal team, and a sustaining member of the DCDP. He is a founding member of Dallas Area Democrats and the Dallas County Democratic Victory PAC. He has been a delegate to every state convention since 1994. Bruce was the co-chair of Dallas for Kerry-Edwards. He is also a former president of the Dallas County Young Democrats.

The Dallas County Young Democrats encourage all precinct chairs to support Bruce in the upcoming party chair election.

We would like to thank all of the candidates for taking the time to come out and meet with our members.

Have any other Democratic clubs endorsed?

Guest Post on Dallas County Democratic Party Chair Race

By Byron LaMasters

Here's an email that I received from Jake Sapiens regarding the April 22nd Grand Prairie forum for Dallas Democratic Party County Chair candidates:

On Friday I attended a candidates forum hosted by Grand Prairie (and now Irving?) Democrats at Monterey's in Downtown Grand Prairie.

Of course I came into it with a bias: I already know and respect Bruce Rothstein as a longtime Democratic grassroots activist, and on this note the forum reinforced my opinion of him as the best candidate for these reasons. He had the strongest message about message, and had more nuts and bolts understanding of what goes into the political work of a county party structure. His vision seemed the most ambitious as well as the most based in concrete knowledge. I don't forsee any on-the-job training necessary should he become the interim or even regular party chair. His longtime experience as an activist and precinct chair makes him a favorite on those values which the last party chair found herself most in conflict with. On the subject of Susan Hayes, however, he stressed the need for all party leadership both past and current to communicate with each other. "We can't afford to lose institutional knowledge." I was impressed with his intelligence and ability to move into the future. All of the candidates expressed similar sentiments and impressed me with their positive attitudes and the lack of needless dwelling on the now-publicized party conflict which brought the party to this point in the first place.

I am not unfamiliar with Walter Hofheinz; he has become a friend-in-democracy of mine through this last election cycle as I've run into him at numerous fundraising and social events. Since I had never seen him address a group like this, I previously viewed him as just a low-key and friendly guy. Nothing had particularly impressed me of his leadership potential until the forum. Now that I look up his background as a candidate and his history of convention involvement I suppose I shouldn't have been as surprised as I was at the smoothness of his communication and his confidence in working with a room of people the way he did. Of all the candidates, my opinion of him changed the most through the forum, his communication skills seeming the best. If elected, I think he could be a fast-learner and would inspire the kind of confidence that potential Democratic candidates for office would want in deciding to put their own name on the line.

Darlene Ewing came into the forum as the most unknown to me, however her connections and loyalty are not unfamiliar. I "know" her through her work in Citizens for Equality. On the issue of election protection all of the candidates were on the same page, however she had the strongest and most informed message on this. With the transition to electronic voting machines and the irregularities many have actually experienced first hand, she impressed me as the candidate who would best address ballot protection. She stressed her fundraising experience which on further research I see is considerable, and her unique skills as a family lawyer in relation to dealing with the kind of recent conflicts. Her presentation came across as upbeat and can-do.

All of the candidates seemed to know and genuinely like each other, sticking around afterwards to talk to each other, precinct chairs, and other assembled Democrats. Katy Hubener was an excellent moderator for the event, letting the candidates shine while sticking to the tough concerns of the group through pointed questions. The tone of the forum and all of the candidates inspired hope in me for the Democrats of this county.

Endorsements, Resolutions From Dallas

By Byron LaMasters

I would say that the Stonewall (GLBT) Democrats and the Dallas County Young Democrats are the two most active Democratic clubs in Dallas County. Both clubs have made endorsements in the Dallas City Elections in the past weeks. You can read of the Dallas Stonewall Democrats endorsements in their newsletter (PDF file). The Dallas County Young Democrats made their endorsements on Tuesday night and passed several resolutions as well.

The Dallas County Young Democrats made the following endorsements and resolutions at their Tuesday meeting:

NO on the Strong Mayor Proposal
A Resolution Calling for the Resignation of Tom DeLay
A Resolution Regarding Senator John Cornyn
A Resolution Opposing HJR 6 (gay marriage amendment)

Also, DCYD's endorsed in several city council and county school board races. I do not have the full list, but I know that they voted to endose Pauline Medrano in Place 2, Candy Marcum in Place 14, and Anne Hubener and Pauline Dixon for Dallas County School Board. I did not attend the meeting, but I also support those four candidates.

I attended the Dallas Stonewall Democrats meeting a few weeks ago. I have attended Stonewall meetings regularly when I am in Dallas for the past two years, and I finally joined as a member, because I wanted to be able to vote to support two great Democrats at their endorsement meeting - Pauline Medrano and Candy Marcum.

The two city council districts that take in the majority of the gay community in Dallas are District 2 and 14. Distict 2 is represented by the openly-gay and term limited mayor pro tem, John Loza. I've known Loza since I was in high school, when I got my first campaign job experience with his 2001 re-election campaign. Running to replace him is longtime Democratic activist Pauline Medrano and restuarant owner Monica Barros-Greene. Greene is a member of the GLBT community as a transgendered woman, and all things being equal, that would weigh positively into my decision on the race. However, Medrano's activism and service to the Democratic party seal the deal for me.

In district 14, there are two good candidates - Angela Hunt and Candy Marcum for the open seat of term-limited Veletta Lill . Both are good Democrats and would represent Dallas well on the city council. However, Marcum would add another GLBT voice to the council, and that is the tiebreaker for me. Marcum's professional and personal experience also make her a phenominal candidate.

The Dallas Stonewall Democrats endorsed the following:

Dallas City Council District 2: Pauline Medrano
Dallas City Council District 3: Ed Oakley
Dallas City Council District 6: Linus Spiller
Dallas City Council District 14: Candy Marcum
Strong Mayor Proposal: NO
Dallas County School Board Precinct 4: Anne Hubener

Medrano was endorsed by a 16-13 vote. I think that former Dallas County Chair Bill Howell, and author of Stout Dem Blog made the difference. Various charges against Pauline Medrano were made in discussion, and a Dallas Morning News article was cited. The Dallas Morning News has endorsed Monica Barros-Greene. Howell then noted that the Dallas Morning News has actively opposed the Medrano family for many years because of the Medrano family's work in organizing unions, notably for newspaper workers. The Dallas Morning News opposed their work in this regard, and have questioned the reputation of many in the Medrano family for years. I followed up by remarking that great Democrats and great friends of the GLBT community such as former State Rep. Harryette Ehrhardt (D-Dallas) and State Rep. Terri Hodge (D-Dallas) were supporting Medrano and that she deserved the support of the organization. After debate, the motion to endorse Medrano passed by a 16-13 margin.

In district 3, Stonewall endorsed the openly gay incumbent Ed Oakley. Oakley had a tough first race in 2001, and another tough race after redistricting as he was paired with another incumbent in 2003. This time, Oakley should have no trouble winning re-election.

Linus Spiller was endorsed over Steve Salazar in place 6 because of Salazar's role in denying representation of many Stonewall members at the Senate District 23 caucus at the 2004 Democratic convention in Houston. Salazar will likely win re-election, but Stonewall made the point that they feel that they needed to make.

In district 14, a motion for a dual endorsement of Angela Hunt and Candy Marcum failed, and the motion to endorse Marcum passed. Both are good candidates, but Marcum is the best candidate.

The strong mayor proposal was opposed overwhelmingly. I must give plugs to Beth Ann Blackwood for speaking at the meeting in a hostile environment, but the proposal was seen as too far-reaching by the organization. The organization also had serious problems with the fact that several individuals with a history of supporting anti-gay causes were major donors of the strong mayor proposal.

The Hubener family have been friends of the GLBT community for a long time, and Stonewall was pleased to support Anne Hubener in her race for Dallas County School Board.

Ron Kirk, Laura Miller Debate Dallas Strong Mayor

By Byron LaMasters

They're both Democrats, but the two never agree on anything, and strong mayor is no exception. Miller supports it, Kirk opposes it. The Dallas Morning News reports:

On Thursday, they renewed their storied rivalry, jousting over the merits of a May 7 referendum that would give the mayor more power, while joking about their feud that changed the city's political landscape.

Mr. Kirk, the former Dallas mayor, described the proposal by Dallas lawyer Beth Ann Blackwood as a divisive, almost diabolical plan that would push the city over a cliff.

Ms. Miller, who served on the City Council before succeeding Mr. Kirk as mayor, said the Blackwood proposal was the tonic needed to pull the city out of its doldrums.
Also Online

The lively debate before the Metro Tex Association of Realtors, moderated by University of North Texas Chancellor Lee Jackson, gave a glimpse of how both sides of the strong-mayor debate will frame their arguments.

Ms. Miller frequently criticized City Hall and its workers – past and present.

"No accountability, no one in charge, no one to blame," she said. "It's been like this for years at Dallas City Hall, and that's what this is all about."

She then invoked memories of ousted Police Chief Terrell Bolton and former City Manager Ted Benavides, both of whom she fought hard to vanquish.

Speaking at times in an aggressive, tense tone, she even insulted Mr. Bolton, the city's first black chief, who was unpopular in parts of Dallas.

"I spent the first two years as mayor trying, trying to get a better city manager, and no one on the council supported me," Ms. Miller said. "And that manager hired an idiot to be a police chief without even interviewing anybody."

Near the end of the debate, Mr. Kirk accused Ms. Miller of using Mr. Bolton as a boogeyman.

"Bolton was a failure as police chief," he said. "But this has nothing to do with Terrell Bolton."

Mr. Kirk, who is a member of the Dallas Citizens Council, said the Blackwood proposal would confirm the fears of minority residents who say the plan would diminish their clout at City Hall.

"We would return to the days when a handful of people get into a room and make the decisions for the rest of us," he said, explaining that the proposal was developed by a small number of people.

"If Blackwood passes, they [minorities] would be right. ... I want us to go for a strong-mayor form of government, but I want us all to go together."

Ms. Miller and Mr. Kirk agree that the mayor should have more power, and both were rebuffed when they asked their respective councils to produce a plan that would allow the mayor to hire and fire the city manager.

Learn about the Dallas County Chair Candidates

By Byron LaMasters

You can read about the three announced candidates for Dallas County Chair on the Dallas County Democratic Party website. The three announced candidates are Darlene Ewing, Walter Hofheintz and Bruce Rothstein.

You can have the chance to meet the candidates at the DCDP Burger Bash on Wednesday, April 13:

Next Wednesday, April 13, the Dallas County Democratic Party will be having its third annual Burger Bash in honor of taxpaying working Americans. Once again it will be at the party office, 4209 Parry at Fletcher in Dallas, starting at 6 PM. For a symbolically correct $10.40 you'll get burgers, chips, cookies, and good fellowship with other Democrats. And all three candidates for County Chair have been invited to meet folks there as well. Come meet them and other sane and fun people in this county that we are beginning to turn around, as last year's elections showed. If you want a veggie burger instead of meat, please email so we'll have a count, or call the office at 214-821-8331 during our expanded hours from 9 to 6. Look for more details soon on the party website.

Date Set for DCDP Meeting to Elect New Chair

By Byron LaMasters

A date was set earlier today by the Secretary of the Dallas County Democratic Party, David Wilkins for an election to fill the vacancy of chair. Theresa Daniel was elected on Saturday to serve as interim chair. Daniel will chair the meeting, although she is not running for permanent chair. Announced candidates include Darlene Ewing, Walter Hofheintz and Bruce Rothstein thus far. The meeting will be held:

When: Monday, May 9 at 6:30 PM.
Where: Communications Workers of America (CWA) Hall - 1408 N. Washington, Dallas, TX.
Purpose: Election of to fill the vacancy of Party Chair

The official notice as posted is available here in PDF format.

Update: Stout Dem Blog has the info up as well.

Three Candidates Announce For Dallas County Chair

By Byron LaMasters

Three candidates have announced for Dallas County Democratic Party Chair in the past days.

Former Judge and precinct chair Darlene Ewing of Mesquite announced over the weekend. Ewing was appointed judge by Ann Richards, but lost election to a full term in 1994.

Former congressional candidate Walter Hofheinz also announced his candidacy. Hofheinz lost to Pauline Dixon in the 2002 CD 32 primary for the right to take on Pete Sessions.

Today, Bruce Rothstein announced his intent to run for chair as well. Rothstein was an early Kerry supporter and led Dallas for Kerry during the primary and general election. Rothstein was also elected out of the 16th Senate District to serve as a delegate to the 2004 Democratic convention.

I know that others are considering a run for chair, and I'm sure that there will be more announcements and horsetrading in the coming days and weeks.

Update: Hofheinz website here.

Another Update: Former Dallas County Chair Bill Howell has more on the executive committee meeting yesterday at his blog, Stout Dem Blog.

Peace Breaks Out in the Dallas County Democratic Party

By Byron LaMasters

The Dallas County Democratic Executive Committee met today at 2 PM at the Hall of State in Fair Park to continue the recessed meeting of February 28. The meeting was conducted in an orderly manner and most business was passed unanimously. The meeting was called to order by Precinct Chair Shannon Bailey shortly after 2 PM with a quorum present. Following the call to order current and former SDEC (State Democratic Executive Committee) members and former Party officers were invited to join the presiding officers in unison on the stage.

The first order of business was to appoint a temporary chair to chair the meeting. Precinct Chair Michael Moon was nominated and seconded, and was appointed unanimously as temporary chair to preside over the rest of the meeting. Finally, there was the opportunity to elect precinct chairs to many of the vacant seats and approximately sixty vacancies were filled. What many thought might be a controversial topic, a resolution to correct the congressional record passed unanimously. The executive committee asked that a letter be sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee to reflect that Susan Hays’s endorsement of a Republican Judge, Michael Schneider was hers alone and not authorized by the Dallas County Democratic Party Executive Committee.

There was some debate over when to elect a permanent chair (to serve the remainder of Susan Hays’s unexpired term), but it was decided to call a meeting within 45 days to allow time for candidates to campaign for the position. At this time, SDEC 16 member Theresa Daniel (and 2002 HD 107 nominee) was elected to serve as interim chair until a permanent chair was elected. Daniel also announced that she was not a candidate for permanent chair.

Also at the meeting, several elected officials had the opportunity to speak. State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) stressed the importance of the 2006 elections and urged party unity. State Rep. Terri Hodge (D-Dallas) thanked the members of the committee who recognized that there was a problem and for acting upon that problem, and looked forward to moving towards 2006 working together as “one, big, happy, dysfunctional family”. At the end of her speech, Hodge asked the entire committee to join her in supporting the party financially. Hodge personally wrote a check for $120, many others joined her, and by the end of the afternoon approximately $9000 was raised at the meeting for the Dallas County Democratic Party.

[Ed. Note. I did not attend this meeting. This account was compiled after speaking with numerous people who attended the meeting.]

Is this Racially Insensitive?

By Byron LaMasters

We report. You decide.

I'm posting the email that I received from Wick Allison of D Magazine last night. The email is related to my comments regarding the Park Cities People editorial that wrote that it is an "unpleasant fact" that "Anglos will be a minority in North Texas". In response I wrote this:

I agree - we should talk about race, and the serious factors regarding our changing demographics in north Texas. High teen birth rates, high dropout rates and declining household incomes are serious problems that must be solved. My point is that the Park Cities People editorial addressed those issues in a highly insensitive manner. Stating that Anglos being a minority is an "unpleasant fact" suggests racial insensitivity at best, and blatant racism at worst. We'll never solve our problems by scapegoating one race or ethnicity or another. We'll solve our problems by working together towards common ground with mutual respect - something that the writers of the Park Cities People editorial page certainly lack.

Now, Wick Allison has responded by saying that the Park Cities People editorial was correct as he stated via email that "Anglo society is superior to Hispanic society". I would say that such a statement is racially insensitve at best, and is reflective of the attitude held by many north Dallas and Park Cities Republicans that is usually said in private, but usually does not make waves into the mainstream media. Read the full email in the extended entry:

But it IS an unpleasant fact. Anglo society is superior to Hispanic society. Why do you think so many Hispanics want to be here? How many Anglos are fleeing the other direction? Read, for example, the Catholic thinker Michael Novak on Spanish Catholic thinking vs. American protestant thinking and how this divergence formed two very different societies in the Americas. Mexico, for example, has some of the wealthiest families in the world, but it is not (Novak's point) a wealth-producing, wealth-sharing society. Ask Argentinean political analysts about their society, and they will tell that it is a "take" society vs. the Anglo "build" society. It is a fine and wonderful thing to celebrate the different cultures that form our country, but it would be suicide to acquiesce to them. Hispanics flee their culture for a reason. The point of the editorial was to point out the dangers if we do not spend money now to educate and enculturate the new majority, which by the way increasingly consists of illegal aliens. I think the use of the word "alien" is interesting, because they are alien to our culture and way of thinking. So were the Jews and the Italians and the Irish at one time, but the nation made a whole-hearted effort to "Anglicize" them--that's why public education was started in the first place.

Now, to your point about racism. It would be racist to suggest that Hispanics are prone to destructive behavior. It would also be untrue. "Have-nots"--white, black, brown--have patterns of destructive behavior that are not correlated to race or ethnicity. And D Magazine has published extensive research to show that patterns of behavior and even political ideas correlate to class much more than, even to the exclusion of, race or ethnicity. Once again, we have the Jews and the Italians and the Irish and so forth. So we have to take into account poverty as well as an entirely different cultural background--and treat these two phenomena separately. But we DO have to treat them. And we can't treat them if we can't talk about them without having some (highly intelligent, wonderful, nice) liberal yell "Racism!!" every time somebody tries to address it.

What do you think? Let's keep the debate going, and let us know in comments.

Soechting Offers Opinion on Dallas County Meeting

By Byron LaMasters

Texas Democratic Chair Charles Soechting has issued an opinion on who should chair the Dallas County Democratic Party Executive Committee meeting on this Saturday, April 2. The current chair of the Dallas County Democratic Party, Susan Hays had appointed precinct chair 1802 Robert Franklin to chair the April 2nd meeting. The chair appealed to party rules in making her decision. Susan Hays will be resigning on April 1st.

The petitioners, disputed the appointment by Susan Hays, saying that the decision was in conflict with the Texas Election Code. They then asked for an opinion from the state party chair, Charles Soechting. Soechting opined that the chair of the meeting should be appointed by the secretary of the Dallas County Democratic Party - David Wilkins. Now, a letter from Robert Franklin is posted on the Dallas County Democratic Party webpage:

State Party Ruling regarding April 2nd Meeting

DATE: MARCH 28, 2005
FROM: BOB FRANKLIN
RE: TEMPORARY CHAIR OF DCDP FOR APRIL 2

There has been some controversy over the selection of a temporary chair for the April 2 meeting of the Executive Committee for Dallas County. It is the ruling of the Texas Democratic Party that only David Wilkins, party Secretary, has the authority to appoint a temporary chair for the purpose of conducting a meeting to choose a successor to resigning chair Susan Hays.

I urge all Democratic precinct chairs to attend this meeting and cooperate with Mr. Wilkins in the conduct of the hearing. A repeat of the chaos of the February 28 cannot be permitted. Please support and help Mr. Wilkins to chair a productive and orderly meeting. If all segments of the party work together for our common goals, we shall continue to enjoy greater and greater success in the future.

Sincerely,
Robert Franklin

Now, all that is needed is for the Party Secretary to choose a temporary chair and for a quorum to show up for the meeting. It is important that Dallas County to have a strong Democratic Party going into the 2006 election cycle, and for that reason it is critical that all precinct chairs show up for the meeting. If you are a precinct chair in Dallas, please attend the meeting at 2 PM at the Hall of State in Fair Park.

Dallas Meeting Notice Posted

By Byron LaMasters

Read the posting of the Dallas County Democratic Executive Committee Meeting in PDF format here.

Dallas Rally to Protect Social Security

By Byron LaMasters

From our Dallas friends, a rally to protect Social Security hosted by the NAACP and the AFL-CIO:

The Dallas AFL-CIO is taking action to save Social Security at 11:45 AM through lunchtime this Thursday, March 31, in the 7600 block of Northwest Highway (at Central Expressway in Dallas). It's just across the street, south of Northpark shopping mall.

There's a public sidewalk there just fine for picketing. Right beside it is the office of Charles Schwab brokers, one of the main financial backers of the propaganda campaign for privatizing Social Security. You can see why Schwab will be targeted all over the nation on Thursday: they stand to profit first and foremost if the government undermines Social Security by privatizing.

Jim McCasland of AFL-CIO and Bob Lydia of NAACP have agreed to approach the Schwab people while we're outside. AFL-CIO will provide all the signs, so we just need you to come to enjoy an hour or less with us.

Dallas Strong Mayor Proposal a Dead Heat

By Byron LaMasters

The Dallas Morning News reports that the Dallas strong mayor proposal is a dead heat. In typical Dallas fashion, feelings about the strong mayor proposal closely follow ethnic, regional and economic divides:

Just six weeks before a landmark election that could change Dallas' form of government, the city is divided on whether to maintain the current system or greatly increase mayoral power, according to a Dallas Morning News poll.

Nearly 500 likely voters were asked whether they would vote on May 7 to eliminate the city manager position and give the mayor a slate of new powers. Forty-one percent favored the change, 40 percent opposed it, and 19 percent were undecided.

The city is divided economically, racially and geographically, with most North Dallas whites favoring the measure and most blacks in southern Dallas opposed, the poll indicates. Experts say the election could swing either way, depending on which camp more effectively mobilizes its voters. [...]

Mayor Laura Miller's supporters are most likely to favor the switch to a strong-mayor system. And her approval rating stands at 57 percent (68 percent among white likely voters, 53 percent among Latinos and 28 percent among blacks). [...]

Both supporters and opponents of the May ballot measure have stressed publicly that race and geography are not factors in the election, but the News poll suggests otherwise. White respondents favored the strong-mayor proposal by a 5-to-3 ratio, while black respondents opposed it nearly 5-to-1. Hispanics were evenly divided.

Geographically, likely voters in Dallas' northern sector strongly favored the measure, while southern-sector respondents overwhelmingly opposed it. [...]

Education and socioeconomic factors also were underscored in the poll. Likely voters who are highly educated, wealthy and over 40 were more likely to favor the ballot measure than those without college degrees and with household incomes of less than $50,000. Women were less likely than men to support the proposal. [...]

Opinions on the proposed strong-mayor amendment were also closely aligned with support of Ms. Miller. Most of the poll respondents who said they would vote for the proposal also voted for Ms. Miller in 2003.

Because Ms. Miller's job approval rating is so low among black residents, many of whom live in the city's southern sector, "she becomes a mobilizing force for the opponents of the strong-mayor proposal," said Harold Stanley, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University and author of the book Vital Statistics in American Politics. "Attitudes about Laura Miller herself do factor into this."

I am inclined to oppose this amendment. While I think that a stronger mayor system would serve Dallas well, I think that this proposal goes too far. I will be issuing an endorsement on this issue as well as for Dallas city council districts 2 and 14 later this week.

Susan Hays Resigns Effective April 1st

By Byron LaMasters

The embattled Dallas County Democratic Chair, Susan Hays has announced her resignation effective April 1st. A draft of her letter to precinct chairs can be read as a PDF file, here.

The Dallas Morning News reports on Susan Hays's resignation as well.

More on the Park Cities People Editorial

By Byron LaMasters

I wrote on Thursday my objection to this remark in the Park Cities People editorial on HB 3 - "First, a few unpleasant facts. In just 10 years, Anglos will be a minority in North Texas". Wick Allison of the D Magazine Blog, The Frontburner posted this in reply:

RACE, RACE, RACE, RACE

According to the Burnt Orange Report, we're not supposed to talk about it. Staggeringly high birth rates for teenagers? The second highest dropout rate in the nation? Declining household income? Apparently, we are supposed to treat these social disasters as mysteries too deep to plumb. The fact that Texas is about to become a majority-minority state has profound consequences that need to be faced now. And you can't face them if you are too politically correct to talk about them.

Here's my response:

I agree - we should talk about race, and the serious factors regarding our changing demographics in north Texas. High teen birth rates, high dropout rates and declining household incomes are serious problems that must be solved. My point is that the Park Cities People editorial addressed those issues in a highly insensitive manner. Stating that Anglos being a minority is an "unpleasant fact" suggests racial insensitivity at best, and blatant racism at worst. We'll never solve our problems by scapegoating one race or ethnicity or another. We'll solve our problems by working together towards common ground with mutual respect - something that the writers of the Park Cities People editorial page certainly lack.

Minutes of the 2/28/05 Dallas Co. Executive Committee Meeting

By Byron LaMasters

The Secretary of the Dallas County Democratic Party, David Wilkins, has submitted the minutes of the February 28, 2005 Dallas County Democratic Executive Committee meeting. You may view them in PDF format here. Also attached in the file are the two resolutions approved by the committee at their 2/28 meeting.

I have read the minutes, and as someone who attended the meeting, it is my opinion that they accurately reflect the events of the meeting.

Dallas County Judge Margaret Keliher in Trouble

By Byron LaMasters

It's nice to know that Dallas County Democrats aren't the only ones involved in a public feud. The Dallas Morning News writes of the Republican quarrels on the Dallas County Commissioners Court:

Discord among Dallas County commissioners has grown so personal and vitriolic that some political observers fear it could hamper the county's ability to solve serious issues.

The four Republican members of the Commissioners Court publicly acknowledge the deteriorating atmosphere on the panel, which stems from an irritation over the leadership style of County Judge Margaret Keliher.

Commissioners Mike Cantrell and Kenneth Mayfield's displeasure with the judge has grown so pervasive they now routinely cast withering remarks her way during weekly court meetings and try to trip her up on the rules of order for moving legislation.

They complain that she works as a loner, neglects to keep them informed, fails to attempt consensus-building, and airs the county's dirty laundry in public for no good purpose when it would be better to solve problems quietly, behind the scenes – the way former County Judge Lee Jackson did.

Ms. Keliher, in turn, considers the commissioners' demeanor rude and unprofessional and says she's just trying to provide a more open county government and publicly air the issues of the day.

"I don't have any personal disdain for Judge Keliher," Mr. Mayfield said. "But she doesn't bring people together. She's out on her own."

The Dallas County Commissioners Court has a 4-1 GOP majority. Both the Precinct 4 seat and County Judge are up in 2006. The DPI (Democratic Performance Index - meaning the average Democratic performance) of Dallas County was 50.18% in 2004. The DPI has increased by about 1.5% each cycle for the past several cycles. The DPI of precinct 4 is in the high 40s. Dallas County is turning Democratic, but it is critical that we recruit a quality candidate for County Judge (an executive, not judicial position). My top choices would be 2000 Congressional candidate Regina Montoya Coggins, Former State Sen. David Cain or Former State Rep. Dale Tillery. One of them should be recruited.

Beyond that, Democrats are well-positioned to take back Dallas County government. The keys to taking over county government are winning a majority on the Commissioners Court, and winning the DA office, District Clerk and County Clerk (since we won the sheriff's office in 2004). I know that a top-notch African-American candidate has been recruited to run for DA, but the other offices are in need of good Democrats to step up. It is my hope that Dallas Democrats will be able to unite under new leadership in order to be victorious in 2006.

Filings for the Dallas County School Board

By Byron LaMasters

I finally got on the Dallas County Democratic Party email list, and today's email brings news of two Democrats filing to run for the Dallas County School Board:

Ann Hubener and Pauline Dixon, both longtime Democrats, have filed for Dallas County School Board of Trustees. Both are active in the Democratic Party and have served their communities in many leadership roles.

Hubener, a Duncanville realtor, is running for the District 4 seat. Dixon, a retired schoolteacher and former Congressional candidate, is vying for the District 1 seat.

In addition to bus service, Dallas County Schools provides medias ervices, psychological services, and technology services to area school districts. The last day to register to vote is April 7. Early voting runs from April 20-May 3. Election Day is May 7.

Ann Hubener is the mother of Katy Hubener - the 2004 Democratic nominee for HD 106 who nearly defeated Ray Allen. Dixon was the 2002 Democratic nominee for CD 32, losing to Pete Sessions. Dixon also ran for Dallas County School Board in 2003 finishing third in a field of six for two at-large seats (interestingly, now-Sheriff Lupe Valdez was also among the losing candidates in that field - I endorsed Dixon and Valdez in that race). Both Hubener and Dixon are great Democrats, and would certainly add some needed diversity to a White-male dominated board.

Air America Radio Coming to Dallas

By Byron LaMasters

We've noted that Air America Radio is coming to Austin and that other Texas cities are on the way. It's now official - Dallas is next (albeit on a low frequency station):

Air America Radio, the left-leaning network, is taking on Texas.

Its round-the-clock political talk will hit the air Monday in Austin and debut March 21 in the Dallas area, replacing the Spanish-language programming on KXEB-AM (910). Air America is already on in Corpus Christi.

In North Texas, Air America's success could be limited by the reach of the low-wattage station. Static nearly drowns out KXEB in some areas, but officials at Border Media Partners, the station's owners, said they were trying to strengthen the signal.

Air America executives, who called the expansion in Texas the high point for the network, said Mr. Franken will find an audience, even in President Bush's home state.

"We're providing an alternative for a minority that feels alienated," CEO Danny Goldberg said.

Update: Tom Blackwell reminds us that John Kerry won the city of Dallas by 53,902 votes (Kerry 200,854, Bush 146,952). Dallas is a Democratic city, and is getting more so each election cycle.

Sam Johnson Story Finally hits the local Press

By Byron LaMasters

Finally, weeks after U.S. Rep. Sam "Nuke 'em" Johnson (R-Plano) suggested that the United State should nuke Syria, the comments have hit the local press. Here's the Fort Worth Star-Telegram article from Sunday:

Capitol Hill is buzzing over remarks made by Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Plano, to President Bush and Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, last month at the White House that the way to solve the problem of Syria allegedly harboring Iraq's weapons of mass destruction is "to put two nukes in 'em."

Johnson, a former fighter pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam, relayed that conversation with the president at a veterans event Feb. 19 at Suncreek United Methodist Church in Allen. Someone taped Johnson's speech and shared it with Roll Call, a nonpartisan newspaper that covers Capitol Hill.

"Syria is the problem. Syria is where those weapons of mass destruction are, in my view. You know, I can fly an F-15, put two nukes on 'em and I'll make one pass. We won't have to worry about Syria anymore." While there was loud applause, some people took offense.

As for Granger, spokesman Pat Svacina said, "She has no recollection of that conversation."

Isn't that convenient, Kay. Fortunately, other witnesses have better memories. The Houston Chronicle also picked up on the story on Sunday as well:

Dallas-area congressman Sam Johnson raised eyebrows with his recent offer to personally drop a couple of nuclear bombs on Syria.

But he said that he was "kind of joking" in his comments at a pancake breakfast at a North Texas church in February.

His remarks in Allen were first reported last week in Roll Call. The Capitol Hill newspaper said it had heard a recording of the talk.

According to Roll Call, Johnson said he was talking with President Bush and Rep. Kay Granger, a Fort Worth Republican, at the White House about weapons of mass destruction that U.S. troops had failed to find in Iraq.

Johnson said he told the president: "Syria is the problem. Syria is where those weapons of mass destruction are, in my view."

"You know, I can fly an F-15, put two nukes on 'em and I'll make one pass. We won't have to worry about Syria anymore," he said.

Johnson, 74, is a former Air Force combat pilot who served in the wars in Korea and Vietnam, where he was shot down and spent 7 1/2 years as a prisoner of war.

Note to congressmen.... you don't "joke" and you certainly don't "kind of joke" about using nuclear weapons. Meanwhile, the Dallas Morning News picked up on the story on Friday:

Folks know the colorful Sam Johnson, R-Plano, is good for the occasional off-the-wall comment, and here's what one person with a tape recorder caught the congressman saying last month to a group of veterans gathered at an Allen church: "Syria is the problem. Syria is where those weapons of mass destruction are, in my view. You know, I can fly an F-15, put two nukes on 'em and I'll make one pass. We won't have to worry about Syria anymore." We're not sure which is worse, that Mr. Johnson, a former fighter pilot, made such an inappropriate, tongue-in-cheek comment or that the group applauded so loudly. It only helps those who would harm this country to paint us all as bloodthirsty cowboys.

I have two questions. First, why did it take two weeks for the local media to pick up on these outrageous remarks? Second, why are people not calling for Sam Johnson's resignation?

I'll do it. Joking about using a weapon that could lead to the end of civilization as we know it, is just not funny. Hearing a member of our federal government make such comments is downright scary. No one who makes such irresponsible statements should serve at any level of government, especially not as a member of Congress, which has the constitutional authority to authorize military action. Sam Johnson should resign. Who will join me in calling for Sam Johnson's resignation?

Tejano Democrats Of Dallas County Resolution

By Byron LaMasters

This was passed yesterday:

After reviewing all the facts and hearing the allegations against our party chair, today the Tejano Democrats of Dallas County executive committee (the official Hispanic caucus of the Democratic Party) passed a resolution of no-confidence in our party chair. It also calls for her resignation for malfeasance and undemocratic activities. Until yesterday's meeting the organization had not taken a position, however the chair's actions and refusal to comply with basic party rules leaves us no choice but to encourage our members to get involved and support this grassroots movement for reform and change.

Dallas Democrats Prepare for Executive Committee Meeting

By Byron LaMasters

Last week, I reported that for the first time in memory, the Dallas County Democratic Party will be holding an executive committee meeting called not by the chair, but by petition of 51% of the executive committee (precinct chairs). While there were runors that the Chair would attempt to challenge the legality of the meeting, notice of the meeting is now on the webpage of the Dallas County Democratic Party. The meeting will be Monday, February 28, at 6:30 p.m. at the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Hall. I plan on attending the meeting in order to keep an unofficial record of the proceedings.

Both supporters and opponents of Chair Susan Hays have sent a series of emails and letters this past week. Much of the criticism of Susan Hays is related to her letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee last year in support of Bush judicial nominee Michael Schneider. I wrote at the time that I didn't think that the letter was that big of a deal, but there are a few issues of concern which I was not aware of at the time.

First, the fact that Susan Hays wrote the letter on a Dallas County Democratic Party letterhead implied that she was not only speaking for herself, but for the Dallas County Democratic Party. That apparently was the assumption made by Senator Cornyn who said the following in the Senate record:

Justice Schneider's reputation as an exceptional jurist and a true gentleman is well known throughout the State of Texas. It is also well known by the American Bar Association, which gave him its highest rating, when its standing committee on the Federal Judiciary unanimously certified him as ``well qualified'' for the Federal bench. And his nomination enjoys broad bipartisan support across the State of Texas. For example, Susan Hays , who chairs the Dallas County Democratic Party, has written a strong letter of support. [...]

I also ask unanimous consent to print in the RECORD a letter from the Dallas County Democratic Party.

Also of concern is the fact that this appointment violated the so-called "Thurmond Rule". Sen. Leahy (D-VT) said the following in the Senate record on the Schneider confirmation:

Finally, I note today is the 7th day of September and we are way beyond what is called the "Thurmond Rule." It was back in July of 1980 when Ronald Reagan, who was not yet President but was running for that office sought to stop any more judicial nominees of President Carter from being confirmed. The Republicans were actually in the minority in the Senate but candidate Reagan asked Senator Thurmond, who was the Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee which was led by Chairman KENNEDY, to block any more nominees from being confirmed for the remainder of the year. Senator Thurmond happily obliged and from July 1980 until the end of the year the only judicial nominees confirmed were those who had the consent of the Majority Leader and the Minority Leader and the Chairman and Ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. All of President Carter's other judicial nominees were blocked and defeated without votes.

The "Thurmond Rule" is