Tonight, Republican Representative Quico Canseco of Texas's 23rd Congressional district will be giving the Republicans' Spanish language response to the State of the Union address. Immediately following Canseco's speech, Mitt Romney will ask him to deport himself. Just kidding. But really, how many Republicans are going to listen to Canseco give a speech in Spanish? Alienating Latinos is practically a plank in the Republican party platform at this point. By the time he's done, Sheriff Joe Arpaio might be waiting on Canseco's doorstep with a shotgun to try and intimidate him into not voting.
If you're unfamiliar with the West Texas representative, here's a chance to learn more about Francisco "Quico" Canseco: tax cheat, firefighter defunder, crazy right-winger, and soon-to-be-former Congressman.
7 Things To Know About Republican Congressman Quico Canseco:
Despite record wildfires in Texas, Quico Canseco voted against increased funding for firefighters and first responders. He attacked Obama for not providing funding for Texas wildfires (which Obama did, in fact, provide) and then voted against increasing funding for FEMA firefighter assistance grants by $510 million. The new total funding would have given $390 million for firefighter assistance grants and $420 million for Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grants. Canseco was one of only 113 members of Congress to vote against SAFER. Source: Burnt Orange Report
Canseco is funded by Wall Street, and now serves on the House Financial Services Committee. The bulk of Canseco's fundraising comes from the financial industry, which kicked in over $100,000 to his election effort. Now, he's supposed to be writing the rules to help rein in the worst Wall Street abuses. Source: Sunlight Foundation
Canseco has reportedly had $715,000 worth of federal, state, and mechanics liens levied against him in the last three decades. The liens are to recover unpaid payroll taxes and contracting fees since the early 1980s. Source: Burnt Orange Report
Canseco is supported by the American Action Network, a right-wing organization that recently sent misleading mail to senior citizens about Democrats' efforts to protect Medicare Part D and save the government $112 million dollars. Source: ThinkProgress
During redistricting, Republicans in the legislature specifically looked to draw low-performing Hispanic precincts into the 23rd district to help "shore up" Canseco's re-election chances. By including low-turnout precincts and drawing out high-turnout precincts, Republicans made district look more Latino on paper based on Hispanic surname voter registration than it is based on voting performance. Source: txredistricting.org
During his campaign in 2010, Canseco was endorsed by Michele "Crazy Eyes" Bachmann and followed the Minnesota Republican's then-practice of refusing to debate, declining to meet with the San Antonio Express News' editorial board. Source: ThinkProgress
Canseco has avoided taking questions and talking directly with citizens during town halls. Maybe he's afraid to talk to senior citizens directly about why he supports cutting their Medicaid and Medicare benefits. Source: San Antonio Express-News
Here's the best news about Quico Canseco: he has a great Democratic challenger in State Representative Pete Gallego. Gallego was elected to the State Legislature in 1990 at age 28, and has spent his entire adult life fighting for the people of West Texas. His gigantic legislative district closely overlaps with CD-23, the district in which he's now running for Congress. Gallego is a great champion of the people. As a legislator, he has crafted and passed legislation to invest billions of dollars in public schools, secure our border, reform our criminal justice system, and support Texas veterans.
Gallego also on the DCCC's targeted Red to Blue fundraising list, which looks for the best pick-up opportunities as we fight to take back the House of Representatives. If you like Pete Gallego or you really don't like Quico Canseco, consider dropping Pete some coin here.
Republican Congressman Quico Canseco is failing the people of Texas. He votes against first responders, and wants to weaken medical coverage for senior citizens. He's a tool of the financial industry and backed by right-wingers determined to shred what's left of our social safety net. Let's hope voters sending him packing this November. Then Republicans will need to find another Spanish-speaking patsy to respond to Obama after the next State of the Union.
Lyle Larson is running for Congress in district 23. Funny since he is advocating a 23% sales tax. If he were running in the 31st, would he push for a 31% sales tax? Let's not find out.
Larson supports a 23% national sales tax which result in a 23% increase in just about everything. That's why the DCCC has released this ad aptly called, "Lyle Larson: For Taxes. Not Texas".
I wrote earlier today about the DCCC filing a formal complaint against Republican Lyle Larson for failure to follow FEC regulations in his first television advertisement.
Thomasenia Duncan, Esq.
General Counsel
Federal Election Commission
999 E Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20463
Re: Complaint against Lyle Larson and Lyle Larson for Congress
Dear Ms. Duncan,
I write this letter to file a complaint pursuant to 2 U.S.C. § 437g(a)(1) against Lyle Larson, a candidate for the 23rd Congressional District in the state of Texas, and his campaign committee, Lyle Larson for Congress ("Respondents").
Respondents have plainly violated the Commission's disclaimer requirements for television communications. In a television advertisement that is airing on multiple stations in Larson's district, Larson failed to include a written statement saying that he approved the advertisement. By refusing to follow the law, he has ignored Congress's mandate that he stand fully by the assertions made in the advertisement, even while seeking office in that same Congress. Because paying for a television communication that does not include the required written statement represents a clear violation of federal law, the Commission should act immediately to investigate this matter and impose penalties against him and his campaign.
THE FACTS
Congressional candidate Lyle Larson's campaign committee has paid for a television advertisement that is airing on multiple stations in Larson's district. The advertisement is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
The written disclaimer that appears on screen at the end of the advertisement states as follows: "Paid for by Lyle Larson for Congress." There is no written statement indicating that Larson approved the advertisement.
ARGUMENT
When a candidate authorizes a television communications, he must include a written statement indicating that he approved the communication. See 2 U.S.C. § 441d(d)(1)(B)(ii); 11 C.F.R. § 110.11(c)(3)(iii). The statement must appear in letters equal to or greater than four percent of the vertical picture height and must be visible for a period of at least four seconds. See 11 C.F.R. § 110.11(c)(3)(iii). This requirement is in addition to the requirement that the communication include an audio statement that identifies the candidate and states that he approved the communication, to ensure that voters who might not hear the audio of the ad can still discern that the candidate approved it. See id. § 110.11(c)(3)(i), (ii).
The purpose of the requirement is to require candidates to demonstrate their support for the statements made in the advertisement. Larson did not do this. Rather than obey the law and take full responsibility for his ad - which compares Members of Congress to barnyard swine - Larson chose instead to follow his own, invented rules, and take lesser accountability for his ad's claims. The result is a clear, black-and-white violation of federal law.
When, in the first election cycle that McCain-Feingold was in effect, a Texas Congressional campaign issued mailings with the proper disclaimer, but failed to put the disclaimer in a box because of vendor error, the Commission prosecuted the matter through the enforcement process. It extracted a $6,000 civil penalty with the threat of litigation, even though the campaign had long since been defunct. See MUR 5547. This blatant violation warrants no lesser treatment. With three election cycles of McCain-Feingold under their belts, Larson and his sophisticated media consultants do not have the excuse of having to figure out how to follow a new law.
For these reasons, the Commission should immediately find reason to believe that Larson and the Committee violated the law, and seek civil penalties commensurate with the amounts spent on the advertising.
Lesson number one to all current and future candidates, don't lie to voters.
Lying Lyle Larson, Republican Candidate in Texas' 23 Congressional District, can't seem to keep his term limits promises, but that doesn't stop him from making them.
Last week, Larson wrote on his campaign blog and sent out an email to supporters pledging to only serve six terms if elected this November.
Larson also said he would support a constitutional amendment which would limit the terms of Members of Congress. Yet, Larson already broke the term limit promise he made back in 1996 during his first run for his Bexar County Commission seat, by running for a third term after pledging not to.
"Lying Lyle should stop making promises he doesn't intend to keep," said Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd Richie. "Let the voters beware, Lyle Larson will go back on his word about term limits and say he simply changed his mind."
Sleuthing from the Texas Democratic Party found the details.
According to the San Antonio Express-News, Larson said "he would serve no more than two terms." [San Antonio Express-News, 10/24/96] But in 2004, Larson broke his promise, running for a third term. Larson also went back on his word that he would resign from his post on the Bexar County Commission to run for the 23rd District Congressional seat, because he "changed his mind" and is now staying on as Commissioner. [San Antonio Express-News, 5/21/08]
"Texans in Congressional District 23 need a congressman they can trust to stand up for veterans, children and hard working middle class families," added Richie. "That's why I'm confident voters will re-elect Congressman Ciro Rodriguez and reject Lying Lyle's most recent false promises."
Not only is Larson not telling the truth is blatantly breaking the law.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) announced today that it has filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) against Republican (TX-23) for his clear failure to follow FEC regulations in his first television advertisement.
Not sure how you can trust a guy to write laws when he doesn't even adhere to them. Jennifer Crider, spokesperson for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said simply, "Voters in Texas' 23rd district can't pick and choose which laws they follow and neither should political candidates. Lyle Larson chose to break the law by failing to take full responsibility for his political ad's claims. We are filing this FEC complaint to hold Lyle Larson accountable for his clear violation of federal law."
Ciro's ad on the other hand touts real achievements and follows the letter of the law by having all disclaimers.
The Republican Party must be desperate. In a press release from earlier this week, the Republican Party of Texas asked Ciro Rodriguez to announce who he supports for President and then proceeded to attack him for endorsing Barack Obama (something he hasn't declared).
The press release simply titled, 'Ciro Rodriguez Should Step Up to the Plate:
Time for Democratic Superdelegate to Say Whom He Supports" is one of the most libelous releases I have read in some time. That's right, libelous. Why?
Congressman Rodriguez (TX-23), a superdelegate who's been elusive in his support of Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential nominee, has been called on to denounce Sen. Obama's statement...
After hours of searching this week and requests into multiple offices, it doesn't appear Ciro Rodriguez has expressed his presidential preference. How then can Congressman Rodriguez denounce a person he hasn't endorsed? Let's go one step further, why is the Republican Party inserting itself into our Democratic primary and demanding a Democratic incumbent to endorse either Senator Clinton or Senator Obama.
Hans Klingler continues to write press releases blindly attacking Democrats that simply don't make sense. Klingler and the Republican Party out of touch with the reality of the current political climate.
It already looks like Lyle Larson has no chance to defeat Congressman Rodriguez. Rodriguez has nearly $1 million cash on hand while Larson has about $150,000. Maybe that is the reason the Republican Party feels the need to insert themselves in the Democratic process.
Rodriguez has the support of his district, from Democrats and non-partisan groups across the country, earning a perfect score from the National Education Association, the Children's Defense Fund, National Association of Social Workers, and many more. Maybe, if the Republicans understood the needs of the people they wouldn't have to libel a sitting Congressmen. Maybe if they could field a legitimate challenger, they could get them to attack the Congressman. Maybe Hans Klingler is just a useless communications director who would rather accuse, attack and scare than debate the facts.
It is so much harder to write on the road. I am back now until YearlyKos, and a story had to be told.
Francisco Canseco – a Republican running against Ciro Rodriguez in TX-23 – claimed that he raised an astounding $550,000 in the second quarter. To have that much support in a 55% Democratic district is impressive. So impressive a reporter from the Dallas Morning News even wrote a piece on Canseco’s early success.
San Antonio lawyer Francisco "Quico" Canseco says he's raised more than $550,000. That would make him one of the country's best-financed GOP challengers, and others may join the race.
What Canseco failed to mentioned was that all but $30,400 came from his own bank account. Talk about grassroots support! To put that in perspective, Dan Grant and Larry Joe Dougherty have both raised over $70,000 each in the Texas 10th congressional district!
The reporter, understandably pissed, wrote a second article blasting Canseco for his misleading press release which read, “Fundraising will not be a problem for Canseco, due mainly to the supporters who have rallied around his campaign.”
…a federal campaign report filed Monday showed that nearly all of that money came from Mr. Canseco himself, bringing the amount he has lent his campaign to $1.03 million.
Just 22 other donors have pitched in, yielding $30,400 – a far cry from the boast the Republican's aides issued last week, which read: "Fundraising will not be a problem for Canseco, due mainly to the supporters who have rallied around his campaign."
The Canseco campaign has spent more than a quarter-million, but thanks to the candidate's largess, it has more than $315,000 in the bank. By contrast, Mr. Rodriguez raised nearly $250,000 in the last three months, putting his total for the campaign above $1.06 million. He owes just $2,139 and has about $550,000 in cash.
Typically we appreciate our candidates and elected officials to be honest and avoid deceiving voters. That whole ethical government thing seems to be good. Instead Canseco has already proven he wants to, at best, mislead voters and, at worst, straight up lie to them. That should make the decision come next November pretty easy.
Great stuff- I've added the videos into the extended text. -KT
Ciro Rodriguez, the voters of the 23rd congressional district of Texas, and everyone who helped out won a great victory yesterday. And with that win, Democrats knock off Henry Bonilla, who went in one week from labelling Rodriguez as a terrorist-supporter, to reportedly making a gracious concession call, where he offered to work with Rodriguez during the transition.
We went down to Ciro's victory rally at the packed Harlandale Civic Center on the south side last night,and posted a video segment of Ciro's victory speech. Earlier in the day, we got short video interviews of Rep. Joe Baca of California and John Courage explaining why they were out supporting the GOTV effort for Ciro. The videos are at my blog, B and B.
Thanks again to everyone who helped make this victory a reality!
I attended the GOTV rally at Palo Alto College on the south side of San Antonio this afternoon and got a number of pictures of the event. I've posted them at my blog, B and B.
Clinton gave a great speech, emphasizing the need to turn out the vote. It is all up to us, he said. Do we want to join the 29 districts that voted out the GOP and sent Democrats to Congress, or will we join the dozen or so districts that came up just short?
Prior to Clinton's arrival, former San Antonio mayor Henry Cisneros brought down the house. "I do not understand a man like Henry Bonilla, who grew up in this area, and yet has voted time and again and again against the interests of the people of this area. It's time to tell him, Ya basta! Ya acabo'! Ya vete!" (Video here)
It's all up to us to send Bonilla home in favor of Ciro Rodriguez.
Update: I finally figured out how to embed the YouTube videos into my blog posts, so I've added a post with the Cisneros video and also one of Clinton remarking on Bonilla's expressed happiness that Clinton was coming to town to campaign for Ciro.
On Sunday, December 10th President Bill Clinton will be in San Antonio for a Get-Out-The-Vote Rally with Ciro D. Rodriguez, Democratic Candidate for Texas' 23rd Congressional District.
Tickets will be available after 3pm on Saturday, December 9th by calling the Rodriguez Campaign Headquarters at 210-928-CIRO.
What: GOTV Rally for the December 12th Special Election Run-Off
When: Sunday, December 10th, 12:30 PM
Where: Palo Alto College Gymnasium 1400 W. Villaret San Antonio, TX 78224
