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Cruz 
Wed Mar 27, 2013 at 05:16 PM CDT
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 Randy Weber is doing exactly what he said he would do, oppose every action of our President, unfortunately it comes at the expense of seniors, and middle and low income families. Most Americans believe that any person who works full time should be able to support themselves and their family without being on government assistance, which is why 71% said Congress should raise the minimum wage. Last week Randy Weber voted "no" to raising the minimum wage and yes to the Paul Ryan budget that exacerbates our rising income inequality. While income for the top 20% of American households rose by 1.6 percent in 2012, households in the middle saw declines that helped bring Median household income to 8% below what it was before the recession started. It's unfortunate that even with the stock market making a strong rebound and corporations still making record profits that Americans can not rely on their members of Congress to ensure that hard working people can at least keep up with the rising cost of living.
The Paul Ryan budget is a get-out-of-paying-your-fair-share free card for millionaires, paid for by essential programs for seniors and low income families. It seeks to turn Medicare into a voucher program, raise the Social Security eligibility age from 65 to 70 for those 51, while giving an average tax cut of $245,000 to millionaires. The DCCC (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) has their hands full with a Republican majority afraid of the extremist in its own ranks, but it is definitely keeping a close eye on Rep. Weber and his Tea Party sympathies. Emily Bittner of the DCCC released this statement, "Congressman Randy Weber must be living in a different reality than most Americans - one where the rich should pay less, hardworking families should pay more and the biggest sacrifice should come from our seniors-but those aren't the values that made America great,".
Below the jump is a round up of the destructive nature of the Paul Ryan budget:
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Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 01:40 PM CST
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Part of the Burnt Orange crew got together for a little election Hangover Hangout to talk about our take on last Tuesday's results. Its a bit lengthy but the second by second transcript provided on youtube may help.
Tonight's hangers-out include Ed Garris, Chaille Jolink, Ben Sherman, Katherine Haenschen and Joe Deshotel. Below the jump is a breakdown of what we discussed...
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Mon Nov 12, 2012 at 11:00 AM CST
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 Last Tuesday's results show that Republicans have a lot of soul-searching to do about the future viability of their party, but the same could be said about Texas Democrats. After conceding there was much work left to be done, Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said by 2018 Texas would become battleground state, "by itself." I strongly disagree, I expect national pundits and observers to casually assume demographics alone will make our state competitive but our past says something much different. Almost 50 years ago Lyndon Johnson said he signed away the South (to the Republicans) for a generation with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and still more than a generation later identity politics dominate the conversation. As the Party colors change from Red and Blue to White and Brown the demographic scapegoating of Hispanics could also potentially alienate middle-class white voters. The subtle nods to white voters that the Democratic Party was some how hostile towards them started immediately after President Obama's election was announced. Pat Buchannan wrote on his blog, "We face demographic disaster, they are wailing...These are people who depend upon government. Why would they vote for a party that is going to cut taxes they do not pay, but take away government benefits they do receive?." Bill O'Reilly said on Fox News, It's not a traditional America anymore, and there are 50 percent of the voting public who want stuff...The white establishment is now the minority." I have a feeling these type of messages aren't falling on deaf ears in the reddest parts of the state, and Democrats have to make a compelling economic case or risk losing further ground. Over 60,000 online signatures have been collected to grant Texas secession, to which Gov. Perry, a prospective 2016 Presidential candidate, refused to lend support too. Texas is very much still a red state, Romney beat Obama by 1.2 million votes in Texas, while Obama won nationally by less than 3 million.
There are few other hitches to the changing demographic scenario. Besides the lack of party structure to get eligible voters out, Hispanics voters face deliberate barriers to their growing electoral impact like restrictive Voter ID and redistricting. Another is that the rate Hispanics turnout is lower in Texas than other states where they are a decisive voting bloc like Colorado and Nevada. Republicans know they have issues with demographics and despite an inner struggle they won't just sit around and watch Texas become a blue state. Texas' first Hispanic Senator-elect Ted Cruz acknowledged his party needed to do better in their appeal and recognized the stakes when he said, "If that happens, no Republican will ever again win the White House,...If Texas turns bright blue, the Electoral College math is simple...The Republican Party would cease to exist. We would become like the Whig Party." For his part Cruz garnered 35% of the Hispanic vote compared to Romney's 29%. There are also future Latino candidates like George P. Bush, the son of Jeb Bush who has been instrumental in the Hispanic Republicans of Texas. Democrats must make their move while Republicans, in identity crisis, are forced to reconcile voter suppression and harsh immigration policies with reaching out to Hispanics.
 Every Democrat in Texas fondly remembers Ann Richards for her tenacity and wit but also as our last Democratic Governor. But let's not forget, she lost her reelection bid and she wasn't "supposed" to win in the first place. Similar to the unlikely Senate pickups in Missouri and Indiana, Richards was helped by an outrageous rape comment by her opponent. In March of 1990 Republican Gubernatorial candidate Clayton Williams compared inclimate weather to rape saying, "'If it's inevitable, just relax and enjoy it.'' The Same man also said Hispanics should vote for him because he met his wife in a Mexican restaurant. So yes, maybe Texas Democrats can actually win on issues, even the same issues Republican's struggle with nationally, but turning Texas blue will be a process not an event.
Having an attractive candidate or two at the top of the ticket won't be enough to make up the infrastructure gap. Though his name is regularly thrown out there as a possible statewide candidate for 2014, Mayor Julian Castro said himself he didn't believe Texas would be competitive before 2016. We must focus, as Republican's did decades ago, on winning local races and redefining the party. Support Castro now as Mayor, the same for up and coming legislators, council members and County Commissioners around the state, raise their profile and then we will have started the process. Our Democratic state legislators, who are the greatest intermediary between the state and local party, gained 7 seats in House and broke the Republicans 2/3s margin and thats a good start. Even though we barely represent ⅓ of state we have members present in 5 of it's 6 largest media markets. Democrats must use their time in Austin wisely to make the case that state leaders have failed and that there is an actual alternative. Texas may be filled with progressives, minorities and those whose economic interest align with Democrats but thats not enough to get them to the polls for us. We must look at Texas the way we look at our nation, the same message or candidate will not work everywhere. Its time we ask every community this simple question, "Does the Texas budget reflect Texas values." Now, can we propose one that does?
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Fri Mar 09, 2012 at 08:39 AM CST
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Timid vs. Liberal
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is a quiet man who often comes across as awkward and forced. His YouTube campaign announcement video is what you'd call a disaster. David Dewhurst is probably the only man who could keep up with Mitt Romney in an awkwardness contest. Enjoy a catalogue of Dewhurst's awkwardness on his YouTube channel.
Dewhurst's strangeness hasn't gone unnoticed by the Cruz campaign, which recently released a YouTube video called "Timid Career Politician." While the ad mostly features Cruz touting his conservative credentials, the core argument is that Dewhurst isn't one of us (conservatives) and he is out of touch. Those accusations aren't likely to be contradicted by voters' assessments of Dewhurst's demeanor; a clip in the web ad shows Dewhurst awkwardly shaking Cruz's hand at a debate while Cruz slammed him for not attending more debates.
But the Cruzhurst fight is two-sided. The Dewhurst campaign released a video laying into Ted Cruz for donations that his law firm, Morgan Lewis, has made to Democrats. The ad claims that the firm has given 84% of its donations to Democrats, including $202,734 to President Obama. "Why has Ted Cruz chosen to partner with liberal activists that fund Democrats?" the ad asks. "Can Texas Conservatives Trust Ted Cruz?"
Dewhurst isn't playing patty cakes. He's had his eyes on Sen. Hutchison's seat for years, and while he may be timid, he's willing to go toe-to-toe with an opponent if that's what it takes to win.
Cruz's Gay Hypocrisy
In their last debate, Cruz assaulted former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert for marching in Dallas's gay pride parade twice. When Leppert argued that it was his job to represent all residents of Dallas, Cruz rejected his answer.
But apparently, the Cruz campaign didn't get the memo that their candidate is wholly hateful slime. In late February, Dallas gay Republican group the Metroplex Republicans heard a keynote presentation from Ashley Sewell, the North Texas field director for Cruz's campaign. While Sewell spoke to the group primarily about socal media and says the appearance had been scheduled for months, the hypocrisy is obvious.
A socially conservative candidate who is appalled at the very notion of a gay pride parade, would prevent his staff from supporting gays in any way.
Cruz needs to stop all instances of human acceptance in his campaign if he's to be the archetypal archaic Republican he's always wanted to be.
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Tue Feb 21, 2012 at 11:55 AM CST
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Republicans
A new University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll shows a GOP field consolidating into a two-man race.
In the poll, released Monday, Lt. Gov. Dewhurst leads with 38 percent, up from 22 percent in October. Cruz has also risen, clocking in at 27 percent, up from 10 percent. ESPN analyst Craig James and Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert both pull 7 percent.
There is still plenty of time left (heck, we don't even know the primary date yet), but one imagines that Cruz is exactly where he wants to be. He can legitimately claim to be a "surging" candidate who is in a position to be the dark-red alternative to Dewhurst (if indeed there could be).
Meanwhile, the Austin American-Statesman has a piece explaining how deeply Cruz's success is due to support from Washington. From support from the most stridently conservative senators and think tanks, to praise from conservative columnist George Will, Cruz has the national Tea Party movement galvanizing behind him. Cruz is looking outside of Texas for fundraising as well, he says, because of Dewhurst's institutional support in Texas.
Another article in the Statesman's developing Senate series explains Tea Party resistance to Dewhurst, who many view as more of an opportunist than a strong conservative.
A third article delves into Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert's questionable record in the private sector as a leader of Washington Mutual when it became the largest bank failure in history.
Democrats
The same poll shows Democrats in a statistical tie: Sean Hubbard, 12 percent; Addie Dainell Allen, Daniel Boone and Paul Sadler, each at 10 percent; and John Morton trailing the pack with 3 percent.
Voters are still in the process of getting to know the Democrats, and we can expect those numbers to shift in the next two months.
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Mon Feb 06, 2012 at 04:45 PM CST
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On Wednesday, the Republican candidates for U.S. Senate debated in Austin.
Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, working to raise his name recognition, touted his business experience and bragged about bringing down Dallas' crime rate.
ESPN football analyst Craig James claimed that his experience as a football player, broadcaster and parent qualified him for the Senate. "God blessed me with the ability to communicate, and we need people to go to Washington who can communicate their experiences of being a citizen," James said.
Lt. Gov. Dewhurst, the front-runner, faced direct attacks from only one candidate: former Solicitor General Ted Cruz.
"He's a nice man, but his record is consistently been that of a conciliator, it has consistently been that of a moderate," Cruz said. "If you think what we need right now is a fighter, then I am asking for your support."
Cruz is trying fervently to take the "true conservative" mantle in this race. Dewhurst defended himself by portraying his career of that as a doer, not a talker.
But Cruz's attacks may be reaching more GOP ears than Dewhurst would like. On Saturday, Cruz won a Tarrant County GOP straw poll with 44 percent support. Tarrant County's GOP is considered more ideologically conservative than average, suggesting that Cruz may be able to corner the Tea Party faction of the Republican electorate.
Cruz may also benefit from Rick Perry's failure to capitalize on his "Texas Miracle" message during his presidential campaign. Dewhurst talks at length about his administration's record of pure conservative leadership, but at least some Republicans can see that Texas government is anything but pure under Perry and Dewhurst's leadership.
Looks like the Perry-Dewhurst administration could be in for another Texas-sized blow to its reputation, this time coming from inside the state. Great!
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Wed Feb 01, 2012 at 09:03 AM CST
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The 2012 Republican primary for U.S. Senate has begun.
There are four main candidates: Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert, former Solicitor General Ted Cruz, and ESPN sports analyst Craig James. With the ongoing Texas district maps court battle, there has not been a primary date set yet. This week, however, the four candidates plan to debate at the Texas Association of Business's annual conference. It's not unsurprising that the candidates chose that venue for their first debate. They are all corporate robots with no core conviction other than "profits for my donors."
According to the most recent poll, Dewhurst has the support of 50 percent of Republican primary voters, followed by Leppert at 9 percent, Cruz at 5 percent and James at 3 percent. The race is starting slow, but there is already notable movement.
Fundraising
- This Tuesday, Tom Leppert announced that he put in another $500,000 of his money on top of the $2.6 million he had previously loaned to his campaign. With the $387,000 he brought in during the last quarter, he now has about $3.5 million to spend.
- Dewhurst has brought in $6.1 million, a third of which is his own money.
- Cruz took in $1.1 million in the last quarter, bringing his total to more than $4 million.
Tax Returns
- On Thursday, Craig James, who entered the race in the last few weeks, released his tax returns and called for the other candidates to do the same. James' showed an adjusted income of $257,000 in 2010 and $1.1 million in 2009.
- On Friday, David Dewhurst released his returns, which showed that his investments exceeded $225 million in 2010.
- This week, Leppert released his returns, which showed adjusted gross income of $1.5 million in 2008, $1.28 million in 2009 and $443,194 in 2010. In all three years, he paid effective tax rates of more than 21 percent.
- Cruz reported an adjusted gross income of more than $2 million in 2010.
This primary is a primary of the 1% doing battle for who gets to represent the 1% in the Senate.
The spectre of Mitt Romney paying less than 14 percent in income taxes has horrified so many Americans that Republicans are trying their hardest to seem less sleazy than their frontrunning presidential standard-bearer. That's good news - and evidence that the Occupy movement is bringing income inequality into the national debate.
Overview
This primary race is playing out like every other Republican contest in America: a rhetorical battle for the mantle of "most conservative." Each candidate is advocating against essentials like the environment, strong public education, and reproductive rights, while advocating corporatist government policies. These are not unique candidates; they are four examples of what is so wrong with the Republican Party today. They are not here to represent Texans, they are here to represent the industry interests who pay them.
Hopefully in the general election, a majority of Texas voters will vote against any one of these corporate shills.
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Wed Jan 25, 2012 at 09:20 AM CST
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This November, Texans must choose someone to replace Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who is (finally) retiring.
In the Republican primary, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is running on the myth of a Texas economic miracle. Dewhurst is so dedicated to this strategy, which didn't seem to work with the Perry campaign, that they've put together an ad featuring Gov. Perry's praise for Dewhurst while campaigning in Iowa.
Dewhurst has collected the high-profile endorsements of former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, Michael Reagan, and the Texas Oil and Gas Political Action Committee (shocking).
Former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz is running against Dewhurst. Of course, he's angling as the "true conservative" in the race.
Cruz has collected the endorsements of Sen. Jim DeMint (R - SC), the Young Conservatives of Texas, social conservative James Dobson, George P. Bush and former Republican Party of Texas chairwoman Cathie Adams.
Right now, Cruz is slamming Dewhurst for missing several debates and candidate forums. The Cruz campaign has set up a website, www.DuckingDewhurst.com, with a memorable video calling Dewhurst a "political animal." There's even a "Ducking Dewhurst" duck costume that keeps showing up at Dewhurst's events.
The latest poll of the race shows Dewhurst sitting at 36% of the vote with 18% support for Cruz. However, Cruz leads among those who know who he is. Expect a bloody Republican primary...if the hilarious Fake Ted Cruz Twitter account doesn't end it before it even begins.
The Democratic primary has been much more quiet thus far, and is really just starting to get revved up.
There are six Democratic candidates so far, including Jason Gibson, President of the Houston Trial Lawyers Association,
Sean Hubbard, strategy director of Manny Molera's 2002 congressional campaign, and Paul Sadler, former state representative.
Let the race (slowly) begin.
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