Electing Democrats. That has been my goal since I joined the party years ago.
I filed last week to challenge the incumbent Democratic Party Chair in Denton County. In a county with no partisan offices held by members of the Democratic Party, the goal of electing Democrats is challenging. Building a better Democratic Party at the county level is part of that challenge, and I believe it is something I can do.
I honestly can not remember the first time I blogged, since I used to blog before blogging was called blogging. But I do know, that a great deal of my time blogging has been put into progressive politics. There are many more out there like myself, who take the time to educate their friends and to push for policy that can help our respective liberal political parties.
For people like us to continue pushing for progressive policy in this country, we need conferences like Netroots Nation. We need liberal gathering places now more than ever, especially for us Texans.
I have had the chance to go to NN in the past, but at the last minute been unable to attend. But this June, I feel I must make the journey. And you can help me.
Democracy for America is kind enough to sponsor 40 diverse progressives from across the country to help defray the cost of attending NN. Their scholarship will help pay for the hotel, registration, food, etc.
You can help me win won of these scholarships by showing your support. How do you show your support?
We're bringing back a "borrowed" concept from DailyKos from the past few years. Can you go without one super mocha double latte a week? Can you pass on that value meal?
If so, $5 Friday is for you. Just once a week on Friday, you donate $5 to our campaign to help elect a Democrat in District 64. If all 10,845 Democrats who voted for John McClelland donated just $5 to the campaign, the possibilities for our campaign would be endless!
You may donate securely at www.johnfortexas.com by using the PayPal or ActBlue options, or mail us a personal check. If you would like to set up recurring automatic donations of any amount, ActBlue conveniently provides you with that option.
We can take back District 64 this fall. Be a part of history. Join the campaign, and together we can do what is right for Texas.
Sincerely,
John McClelland for State Representative District 64 Campaign
campaign@johnfortexas.com
www.johnfortexas.com
P.S. Join the Denton County Democratic Party on Saturday March 15th for a 70s Disco Night fundraiser at 6PM benfiting the DCDP. RSVP with Linda Fogle, 972-966-1765. Entry is $60 per person of $500 per table of 10. Silent auction, dinner, and groovy dancing. This will be held at Celebrations Grand Ballroom, 2380 FM 407, Highland Village TX 75077
(I wonder if that tune will make it on iTunes.. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
My campaign has released the first campaign commercial of the 2008 general election season in House District 64.
We wanted to stand out from the crowd to publicize the campaign and this ad is a great beginning. The idea of the ad harkens back to the late Senator Paul Wellstone and his ads asking why his opponent at the time was never seen by his constituents. In this case, we want everyone to sing 'Where is Myra?' over and over in their heads while they wonder why their State Representative is rarely anywhere to be seen in District 64.
The concept of the commercial was the idea of J-Michael Cabosky and Michael Brown, new residents of the district, who recently moved their media production company to Denton from Beverly Hills. "I definitely wanted to do something fun and catchy for John's campaign to help voters remember his message," said Cabosky. "As a political junkie, my goal is to create a conversation throughout North Texas races. Residents deserve to find out about the candidates, and what better way then internet political advertising."
District 64 includes the cities and communities of Denton, Corinth, Shady Shores, Lake Dallas, Hickory Creek, Lakewood Village, Oak Point, Lincoln Park, Paloma Creek South, Little Elm, and The Colony.
Thank you to the 10,845 people who voted for me in the Democratic Primary. Only 8,249 voted for Myra in the GOP primary. Maybe because they couldn't find her.
Our candidates in Denton County constitute the best slate in over 20 years, and quite possibly the most diverse-- encompassing male, female, hispanic, and LGBT candidates. Here is our list of those who have filed.
(We want to wish our former writer the best of luck. - promoted by Matt Glazer)
I am officially announcing my candidacy for House District 64 in Denton County, Texas.
While I could post the usual press release, which I have blasted out today to various media outlets, I have decided to make this more personal for the blogs, especially my former home at Burnt Orange Report.
I was asked by the Coordinated Campaign to run for the 2008 nomination because we need to make a change. Denton County, and all of Texas for that matter, needs positive change, which only a Democrat can deliver.
We are the party that works for the people. I want to see the best for our children in Texas by improving education and raising teacher salaries, so they can provide students with the attention they deserve. I want to see Texas take care of its sick and injured, by increasing the number of insured citizens and offering greater access to healthcare. I want to improve public transportation, and look for alternative sources of energy, so we can end the nightmare of traffic jams and poor air quality in our state.
In order for this change to happen, we need a majority in the TX House. At last count, we are 5 seats away from that majority. 5 more seats gives us the power to reverse the problems that the GOP majority and House Speaker Tom Craddick have caused. I believe the people of Texas are ready.
I need only look at HD 97, a Republican stronghold, electing Democrat Dan Barrett to represent them. That is inspiration enough. HD 64 has been a similar Republican "safe district" for many years. I plan on dispelling that notion in 2008.
I am asking for everyone's support in this campaign. Together, we can make a difference in Denton County and all of Texas. John McClelland for State Representative District 64.
I also have a December 31st filing deadline to contend with, as do most Democrats who have already announced. Contribute to my campaign by visiting my website www.johnfortexas.com
While most counties are lucky they even have a Democratic County Chair, there will actually be a contested special election for the vacancy that was recently created in the Denton County Democratic Party.
Dr. John Gossett recently resigned due to ill health as he has not been well for some time. With the vacancy created, party members felt it was necessary to fill the position as soon as possible. The special election date is set for this coming Thursday, March 29th at the Courthouse on the Sqaure in Denton. A quorum must be present in order to hold the election.
In what has come as a surprise to me, the race to fill this seat is actually contested!
Today, WhosPlayin interviews John McClelland, a resident of Northern Dallas, and fellow blogger / activist who is running for City Council in Dallas' Twelfth District. John recently announced his intention to run for the seat, currently held by one-term incumbent Ron Natinsky. He was kind enough to agree, so without further introduction, we'll hop right into it:
WhosPlayin: With apologies, because you're going to get this same question a hundred times: What is your motivation for running for this office?
John McClelland: You're right, I will answer it over and over again for the next 3 months and maybe even after the election. I believe it is my civic duty to give back to a city that I've been able to call home for the last 5 years. I want to steer Dallas in the right direction. We need a city government who will stop wasteful spending of our citizens' tax dollars. We need a City Council who feels they are not above the law. We should be model citizens, not model felons.
In early September, a colleague and I were fortunate enough to spend a day with Chris Bell as unofficial chauffeurs. It was such a high to ride along with the man that I believed represented the Democratic party's only hope for a change in Texas politics in 2007, since I had long given up on the dream of attaining a legislative majority. In the next County over that very same day, Rick Perry was presiding over the grand opening of the 121 toll road.
Recent Republican efforts to essentially zig-zag our state with such toll roads truly embody the Texas GOP's politics. I was laughing with a friend the other day about how 121 can be seen as a perfect metaphor for Republican policies of fast-tracking, undermining, and underachieving.
For example, four months after its grand opening, the highway's construction is less than 50% completed. Furthermore, for several Counties at a time, this road stretches without the faintest sign of a toll booth. And yet somehow Texans who claim to have never driven on the road are allegedly receiving bills from the Texas Turnpike Authority asking them to pay for passing through the 121 tolls. In fact, I even received one of such bills, and though it was only for $0.80, the fact is that I was charged for a service that doesn't even exist.
Here in Denton County, you can expect such wacky government. Republican officials have cut funding for school programs and libraries and have invested in wasteful, expensive, building projects. They hang tight to that last bastion of Republican Neo Conservatism that has in the rest of the country been recognized as a hypocrisy of fraud, greed, and intolerance.
That is why in November, while the nation celebrated the Democratic revolution that had swept Congress, most of Texas, including this area, felt that victory was bittersweet. For we knew that this generation of the Republican base would take a final stand here in Texas, and the task of overcoming it in the coming years will be extremely difficult. We are truly living in the Red, and that what makes our task so important.
I believe it is imperative that we always keep this discussion going, moving forward in deliberation and cooperation, to find unity in those values that unite us, to create strength through the marketplace of ideas. As a new writer for BOR, I look forward to contributing to this ongoing conversation, and hope that my perspective from in the Red will be of some benefit to you.
Former Republican Denton County Constable Larry Dale Floyd finally plead guilty for attempting to molest an 8 year old in Colorado. It was part of a plea bargain agreement.
As part of an internet sting, The Colony area constable tried to arrange on the internet to have sex with an 8 year old child. He drove to Colorado to meet with the woman arranging the hookup. Little did he know the woman was a cop and the child did not exist.
OOPS!
This story has tried to go under the radar in these parts, but I applaud the Star newspapers for covering it.
This is the quality of GOP leadership north of Dallas. It's just another in a long line of hypocrits, preaching family values, and in this case protecting our children. I guess Mr. Floyd can sit in his prison cell, for the 6 years to life sentence he may receive, and think about what he's done.
