(Don't forget that you can help this weekend in Dan Barrett's special election. The campaign can make best of you if you can help in person at any of the events listed below or in the comments. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
There is one week left. In 7 days, Democrats have an opportunity to win a very special election runoff and now Dan Barrett needs your help getting out the vote.
When someone asks if a Democratic presidential ticket can win in Texas...
When someone opines whether dismal Junior Senator John Cornyn can be taken out...
When someone asks if Harris County will sweep it's county wide races...
You can say, "Well, if House District 97 and Dan Barrett can take back a 'Republican' district in Tarrant County, it can happen anywhere!"
The Fort Worth Star Telegram endorsed Barrett this past Sunday because he is a unique candidate who is ready to change the Texas House and end the auto-craddick rule. Help take back the Texas House. Help Dan Barrett today and every day until December 18th.
Update: From Todd in the comments.
Many of us will also be doing GOTV block walking on Saturday as well.
You can meet at the TCDP HQ at 3004 W. Lancaster in downtown Fort Worth. We'll be heading out about 10am to start hanging GOTV lit on doors throughout HD 97.
Mid-Cities has carpooling running from all areas of our territory to get folks downtown to help walk. Check out the details here.
And a real-world phonebank on Saturday.
The phone bank will run Saturday and Sunday 1-5 p.m. at the Law Offices of Art Brender (600 8th Avenue Fort Worth). Beverages and snacks will be provided.
Already claiming endorsements from the TexBlog PAC and the Texas Progressive Alliance, Dan Barrett won a major victory today with yet another endorsement. Tomorrow voters will go to the polls as early voting begins in the Special Election runoff for House District 97. The Star-Telegram decided to make their recommendation first, though.
Their entire basis is one issue:
Democrat Dan Barrett has a ready answer for people who contend that the controversies involving Speaker Tom Craddick's heavy hand in the Texas House don't matter to the voters in District 97.
"Maybe only the most inside of political wonks know his name," said Barrett, who is facing Republican Mark Shelton in the Dec. 18 runoff, "but they are upset by a style of leadership that allows Craddick and the people he works with to exercise absolute control by fair means or foul."
Craddick's "politics of fear and intimidation" came to a startling climax in the last session, Barrett said, when the speaker declared himself the ultimate authority in the House, but this has been an issue ever since the Midland representative took the speaker's chair.
"That is so contrary to the very principle of democracy," Barrett said. Even if people aren't well-informed about the particulars of government, they still care what happens in Austin. "They want to make sure that things are going OK so they don't have to watch every single move. That's why they elect representatives."
That is entirely fine with me. The Star-Telegram mentions some other issues, but the other issues are virtually meaningless if the House's leadership blocks any progress on them. With Tom Craddick, the issue is what he wants, and we all know now that he wants his power intact before all else.
The newspaper's editorial board might sum it up best:
To paraphrase Barrett from a League of Women Voters forum, District 97 voters who think things are hunky-dory in Austin should vote for Shelton.
Unfortunately, the last legislative session was far from hunky or dory. Although Barrett is a realist in admitting that he alone, as a freshman legislator, can't change the status quo, he just might make a difference as part of a growing body of lawmakers who represent a growing number of Texans who are dissatisfied with House leadership.
The Star-Telegram recommends Dan Barrett in the Dec. 18 runoff for Texas House District 97.
The Dan Barrett campaign wants your help getting out the vote for Dan.
This weekend and next weekend the campaign will be block walking in the mornings and phone banking in the afternoons and Dan needs your help. Rep. Lon Burnam is coordinating the efforts and said all he wants for the holiday's is your help.
The information of when and where to blockwalk and phonebank is below the fold, but please contact the campaign via e-mail or by phone (817-332-2580).
For those of you that do not want to block walk there will be phone banking going on all day at several locations. In short they can put to work anyone who comes.
We can of course also provide them with ample quantities of food and drink.
The Star-Telegram decided to finally report on what many of us Democrats in Tarrant County have been saying for quite some time: Democrats are growing stronger here and so now is the time to run aggressive and competitive races against our political opponents.
Local Democrats are feeling a new sense of urgency to put up a fight in every race, even the long shots. The main motivator: last year's surprise Democratic sweep in Dallas County.
"Right now, we're all thinking, 'Look what happened over there,'" said Stephen Maxwell, a Fort Worth lawyer who is running to lead the Tarrant County Democratic Party after the current chairman, Art Brender, steps down in May.
"The time has come to show that we have a Democrat on every race on the ballot. It's a different world."
Political times are changing and our county along with it. You can feel it, and see it, much like a growing spring thunderstorm on the Texas horizon. We've been in a strong rebuilding mode here for several cycles now and the old theory of discouraging good Democrats from running because you can't win is being tossed to the side for a more optimistic theory of, you can't start winning unless you actually field candidates.
"I've had friends who say, 'I'll start running when Democrats start winning.' Well, they're not going to start winning until we start running," said Randy Turner, a Fort Worth lawyer making his first run for judge of the 17th District Court. "It's a catch-22."
This morning Todd Hill mentioned a Dallas Morning News Article discussing Netroots Nation and online activism. There is no doubt that the progressive community is at the forefront of this new politic.
Texas Republican Party spokesman and political director Hans Klingler however continues to question our ability to change the face of Texas politics.
Now we have an entire nation of activists coming to Austin next year. Coincidently, it's a Netroots Nation-- a group of elected officials, candidates, activists, and campaign operatives all ready to maximize online tools to help elect Democrats. Our echo chamber continues to shed the light on cronyism and corruption at the highest levels of the Republican Party. We are advocating on behalf of organizations and spreading campaign messages beyond the daily newspapers or nightly news. We are real time and we are changing the political landscape by making politics a transparent endeavor.
The Texas Republican Party is afraid of you. They are nervous about us. And they are prepared to attack our community.
Republicans are seeing the change. In Texas, where lefty bloggers outnumber conservatives by an estimated 5-1 ratio, conservatives who once relied on direct mail and talk radio to get their message out are seeing the potential of new media to help their causes, too.
"The Democrats did a great job [with blogs], and the Republicans are catching up," said Hans Klingler, spokesman for the Republican Party of Texas. "This cycle is going to be a real test for how to translate a very active blogosphere into not only votes but also resources. ... Republicans are definitely doing better and definitely paying attention to the successes the Democrats have had."
In less than three months we have moved from echo chamber to a tool for change in the eyes of the Republican Party. TexBlog PAC has over $10,000 in the bank account to help elect Democrats to the Texas House. We have raised almost $1,500 for Dan Barrett in HD-97. Our presumptive U.S. Senate nominee, Lt. Col. Rick Noriega, has raised close to a quarter million bucks online.
For the first time, I agree with Klingler. This is a test for us, and if we fail, we know they will attack us. Remember how Klingler attacked Rick Noriega for actually hitting his online fundraising goal?
We are an "activist force", and it is time to show the Republican Party what we can do. You can prove Klingler wrong by donating TexBlog PAC or supporting your local Democratic candidate.
With a special election run-off now set for December 18th, the race for HD-97 continues to heat up. In addition to the recent endorsements of Texas Parent PAC and the United Educators Association, Democratic nominee Dan Barrett has picked up the endorsement of the Texas League of Conservation Voters. From Kuff...
The Texas League of Conservation Voters (TLCV), a coalition of Texans committed to clean air, clean water, and access to public lands, water, fish and wildlife, has endorsed Dan Barrett for state Representative in the District 97 Special Election run-off.
"Dan Barrett is the candidate most committed to cleaning up Fort Worth's air, holding polluters accountable, and ensuring that Texas leads the way toward an independent, clean, and sustainable energy future ," said TLCV's executive director, Colin Leyden.
"Unlike his opponent, Dan Barrett has pledged to support a new vision of Texas politics. He rejects the dangerous and extreme ideology that claims we can't have cleaner air, that climate change isn't real, and that we can't have both a strong economy and healthy environment," said Leyden.
An additional reminder- the Fort Worth City Council runoff has moved their election date to the 18th as well. It had originally been set for the 11th but followed Perry's decision to place the HD-97 race on the 18th. Nice try Gov. Good Hair. There are two Democrats facing off in the city council run-off with precincts that overlap that of the HD-97 race.
"Dan Barrett is a skilled, experienced advocate who will stand up for the needs of schoolchildren and their parents," said Texas Parent PAC board member Pam Meyercord of Dallas. "He will be a courageous, independent legislator who acts in the public interest and steers clear of divisive partisan politics."
Texas Parent PAC joins United Educators Association in supporting Barrett because of his strong stance in fighting for teachers and students.
Meyercord said Barrett will work to change the way the state house does business so there is real progress on solving problems and less political bickering in Austin.
[…]
"Unlike his opponent, Dan Barrett opposes taking money away from public schools to fund private school tuition vouchers," said Ellen Jones of Euless, a Texas Parent PAC board member. "Barrett understands that Texas taxpayers cannot afford to subsidize private schooling through voucher schemes. Our limited state and local funds must be used to strengthen public schools in every neighborhood so children can succeed academically and their communities and families prosper."
As the release points out, Barrett put himself through the University of Texas and Texas Tech Law School. His mother was an administrative assistant at an Austin elementary school and his father was on staff at the University of Texas. He has been an advocate in the courtroom fighting for municipalities and school districts in litigation in areas ranging from construction, insurance claims, and boundary disputes.
While Shelton is out arguing against CHIP and protecting Craddick, Barrett has been a leader in the community.
In Fort Worth, Barrett is known for his collegial leadership style and ability to bring people together to accomplish goals. He has been active in Leadership Fort Worth for the last 10 years, served as a member of the Board for Volunteers of America, and was president of four Tarrant County legal professional associations. From 1990 to 1997 he was a trustee on the board of Shakespeare in the Park.
The past 5 days TexBlog PAC has been raising money for Dan Barrett. Barrett won a plurality in this Fort Worth House seat against Republican Mark Shelton, and momentum is on the Democratic side.
We have already raised $764 of our $1200 goal and we still have until Wednesday to raise the rest. But don't support Dan because we tell you, let's talk about the race for House District 97 in Fort Worth. The importance of this runoff extends far beyond the districts boundaries.
Mark Shelton is Tom Craddick's guy. A candidate willing to sacrifice the needs of his district to protect a man who believes the Speaker has absolute power over the House. Just last Thursday, Tom Craddick had an afternoon fundraiser for Shelton at the Austin Club. While we are raising small donations from every Texan, Shelton only seems to be raising large donations from Republican lobbyists ready to pay to play.
As if to show the stark differences between the candidates, the United Educators Association has already endorsed Dan Barrett. So Shelton has support from one of the most corrupt Speakers in Texas history and Barrett has the support of Texas teachers. The release puts it simply:
The United Educators Association announced today their endorsement of Dan Barrett for Texas House of Representatives in District 97. The United Educators Association is an independent association representing more than 16,000 Texas public school employees in North Texas.
"Dan Barrett earned the endorsement of UEA through his commitment to the students, teachers and the Texas public education system" said Executive Director of UEA Larry Shaw.
Democrat Dan Barrett was the top vote getter in the November 6th Special Election to replace retiring State Representative Anna Mowery. He is facing Republican Mark Shelton in a run-off election expected to be held December 11th. Support of public education is expected to be a major issue in the election, with Barrett supporting public education and opposing vouchers and Shelton endorsing the use of public tax dollars to support a voucher program for private unregulated schools.
"We have to improve our public education system so it is second to none," stated Barrett whose mother was a secretary in the public school system for many years.
Other groups appear to be lining up to support Barrett as well. Rumors are circulating that many big name PACs, unions and organizations will be joining TexBlog PAC and UEA once the Election Date is set.
While education groups are lining up to support Barrett in the Fort Worth special election, Dr. Mark Shelton shows how naïve he is about public policy and his own profession. In a recent forum, Shelton talks about chips… not sure what chips is (other than what I eat during the game on Thanksgiving). As a doctor and a pediatrician, you would think Shelton would know that SCHIP (not chips) is a program designed to help uninsured children get the medical attention they need. Shelton opposes the State Children's Insurance Program saying the incentives are "wrong and perverse".
This is one of the few times you really need to click a link. So please watch the League of Women Voters forum here.
Here are some of the highlights that show that Shelton is just plain wrong:
That he has it exactly backwards, CHIP creates incentives for children to see their doctor before getting so sick they end up in the emergency room;
That CHIP has nothing to do with Medicaid, principally because working families (who can't afford private insurance) are actually buying insurance while Medicaid is a benefit for the needy;
That the man he backs for Speaker is behind all the cuts and mismanagement that cost 200,000 children their access to health care;
That it's amazing, of all people, a pediatrician is, as he might put it, so "wrong in the perverse."
Shelton is clearly bad for his district and the state of Texas. He plays dirty political tricks to win elections and has no clue about the biggest issues of our day.
First, congratulations to Democrat Dan Barrett. He had the right message that resonated well with voters throughout House District 97. Some wondered if Dan would even make the runoff, others thought if he did that he would come in second place. Those of us who were on the ground and working hard for Dan knew otherwise and let me tell you why.
Reason one: The campaign had a great message that resonated well with voters. The fact of the matter is yesterday's election results were an indictment of Tom Craddick and his leadership of the statehouse in Austin. Voters are tired of status quo politics, cronyism, and corruption, while neglecting the real needs of Texans. When we were block walking throughout this campaign folks listened intently to Dan's message of reigning in big utility companies, anti-eminent domain specifically related to the Trans-Texas Corridor, and restoration of children to S-CHIPS. Only one candidate could deliver a message of change centered on the issues above and that was Dan Barrett. This element must remain to be successful in the special election with Mark Shelton.
