Though I haven't made any sort of decision in this race (considering it is still early), I figured this would be something people in the Austin community would like to know about. It should prove to be a great opportunity to meet our only declared candidate for the Governor's Mansion:
Come meet Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Tom Schieffer at Scholz Beer Garten. Enjoy a cold drink and meet Tom Schieffer, former State Legislator, Texas Rangers Baseball President, and United States Ambassador to Australia and Japan, as he launches his campaign to become the Texas Democratic Party's nominee for Governor in 2010.
Former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle told the Austin American-Statesman that he is considering a statewide run. Earle told the Statesman he has been approached to run for either Governor and Attorney General.
Earle, who was Travis County's DA for 31 years after serving in the Texas Legislature, did not give the Statesman an indication of when he expected to make a decision.
Democrat Barbara Radnofsky has filed papers to run for Attorney General and both Tom Schieffer and Kinky Friedman are exploring runs for Governor as Democrats.
What do you think of Travis County's former top prosecutor running statewide? Which office would better suit him: Governor or Attorney General?
I am writing to request your service in expressing outrage over Governor Rick Perry's recent remarks about Texas seceding (or having an option to secede) from the Union. Governor Perry's remarks resemble 1859 far more than 2009. Only a year ago, then candidate Barack Obama spoke about the founders' desire to form a more perfect Union. He explained that we have to continue to work to form a more perfect Union. It's disheartening to see our supposed leader in the great state of Texas claim that we might consider opting out of the Union. I never knew that Texans were quitters.
(I wanted to make sure people had a chance to see this excellent interview with the next Governor of Texas, I mean, State Senator Van de Putte. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Ed. Note: The first half of the interview is policy-based, because I think you can learn more about an elected official from how they approach policy than anything else. However, I also know what most readers want. To read the political side of the interview -- and her answers to the 2010 statewide questions -- go to the second half of the interview immediately by clicking here.
Senator Van de Putte's record on progressive issues lends credence to the attention she has received. A former President of the National Conference of State Legislators, Senator Van de Putte received her most recent bit of national attention as Co-Chair of the Democratic National Committee Convention in Colorado last summer. A little over a year ago, she gave the Spanish State of the Union response. She is the current and long-standing leader of the Texas Senate Democratic Caucus, a group that was thrust into the national spotlight in 2003 when she helped lead her colleagues to New Mexico for a month to help fight Tom Delay's unconstitutional mid-decade redistricting map.
Needless to say, Senator Leticia Van de Putte has been a hot topic among Texas Democrats over the past few weeks. I had a chance to interview Senator Van de Putte last Friday about the current legislative session, as well as what the political future may hold for her and the Democratic Party. Read the full transcript below.
---------------------------------------
Phillip Martin: It seems you've been quite busy lately. How has the last week been in the spotlight?
Senator Van de Putte: We had an incredible week in the State Senate. Things seem to be moving at a very quick pace, particularly at this time in the Legislature. Right now we want to make sure that all of the stimulus funding that is coming to our state and that will flow through the state budget gets utilized for its purposes. We're particularly pleased that we've been able to raise the importance of the unemployment insurance issue, so we can make sure that $540 million goes to workers that are already affected by the downturn of the economy.
I've read that Governor Perry changed the rules surrounding the unemployment fund, right?
Governor Perry got convinced by some of his business supporters that they needed to give relief to businesses, so they turned back the rate by which businesses pay into the unemployment fund. At the time, the unemployment insurance fund looked pretty solid. It was the wrong move, because as the downturn occurred nationally, Texas wasn't immune. Now, we find ourselves hundreds of millions of dollars short because Governor Perry, basically, decided to give it back.
However, the stimulus money that has been passed by the current administration would allow for us to draw down to the state an additional $540 million for workers who have lost their jobs. We had been hearing this rhetoric from Tom Pauken -- the former Chair of the Republican Party of Texas who is now Chair of the Texas Workforce Commission -- that he and Governor Perry didn't want to accept this money. They were saying that there were strings attached and this was not something we needed to burden Texas employers with.
Nothing could be further from the truth. What about the people who have already lost their jobs? We are very happy that on record this week Senator Kirk Watson -- who sits on the Senate Nominations Committee -- got Tom Pauken to publicly recognize the fact that, yes, we absolutely need these dollars and we need to change the law in the state of Texas to be able to get those stimulus dollars to the state of Texas.
With the change in law, you're referring -- I'd presume -- to the legislation you've filed?
Yes. And what's interesting is that Senator Lucio and I have been filing these bills year after year, because the policies are inherently unfair to workers. There's a trio of bills that we're looking at, and we've asked Governor Perry to put them on the special call for the Session. As soon as we pass these bills, we're eligible for the stimulus money.
There are a lot of folks that will lose their jobs this summer, unfortunately, and on into the fall. We haven't gotten to the worst of this economy. But we know there is money to start doing something now, and that's what the legislation is trying to do.
I know that we've seen some figures about full-time workers that have lost their jobs, but one of the growing stories across the country is the large number of part-time workers that are losing their jobs. Can you give me a sense of how many part-time workers have lost their jobs, or if there has been a growing rate in the number of reduced hours worked here in Texas by part-time, or even full-time, workers?
Well, Texas is one of the few states that does not allow part-time workers to collect unemployment insurance, so we don't have solid data on that. The bill I have filed would allow part-time workers to file unemployment insurance claims and, if they qualify, draw down some of those funds. While we don't know the statistics, though, we do know that in the down turned economy, the first to be told that they don't need to come to work the next day are part-time workers.
There are three classes of people that are mainly part-time workers. First, our young students who are either in high school or in college, but particularly college-age students. The second are working women with young children -- young moms that will work part-time, juggling family and home. The third are our senior citizens, who may be on a fixed income but still need that extra cash coming into their monthly pockets.
When we don't offer unemployment benefits to part-time workers, the ones who are affected our students, seniors, and working moms. These are folks who lost their jobs -- through no fault of their own -- but because of the downturn of the national economy and the state economy, these groups are having to go to food banks, they're going to have to ask their sisters to pay for the utilities...They're hurting, and we can only surmise that it's because they've lost the only job they have, even if it's a part-time job.
Ed. note: There is much, much more with Senator Van de Putte below the fold -- including her response to whether or not she'd run for Governor, what kind of infrastructure needs to be in place for a Democrat to win statewide, and her reaction to last week's Perry vs. Hutchison poll numbers. Click "There's More" to continue reading...
(Here's an excellent diary from one of our regular readers -- and a Bastrop precinct chair. I'll also let everyone know, in case you haven't, that you can join the Facebook group "Draft Leticia Van de Putte for Governor" if you want to show your support. - promoted by Phillip Martin)
(Fair disclosure: I am a partisan hack, precinct chair, yellowdog and all-around liberal tool from Bastrop County...)
Que es esto? Phillip's recent post floating Sen. Leticia Van de Putte as a gubernatorial possibility made me pause in uffish thought for awhile today. While I'd pondered her as a statewide before, it never really occurred to me to put her at the top of the list, but the post made me dig a little deeper and do some cipherin' (as my grandfather used to say).
My first thought was, damn that's a great media piece in the SA Current to start things off. Somebody in her camp has their act together - all the way down to the photos, which make her look tall and commanding and serious (as opposed to short and matronly), without sacrificing her femininity. I like where this is going, PR-wise, if nothing else.
Then I thought some more, going down my mental list of vital candidate criteria and what a Democrat needs to knock off the jackals who currently control the machinery of our state gubmint...
I couldn't come up with a single weakness in her profile. Unless of course it's just not mathematically possible to elect a Latina as Texas Governor yet. My cursory reading of the numbers suggest that it's not out of the realm of possibility, given a combination of circumstances next year, but perhaps someone else can work over the numbers more closely and see what they yield. For the moment, I'm in love with the idea of this woman leading our cabal into the breach in 2010...and here's a few reasons why - (after the jump, if there is one around here...)
Democrat State Senator Leticia Van de Putte had an amazing feature in this week's San Antonio Current. The piece highlights her focus on an agenda this session that is more aggressive -- "Julian's Agenda" -- and how well she works in a pragmatic fashion to deliver real change to Texas families.
You should really read the whole piece. If you only have limited time now, read the part highlighted below. But come back later and read the whole piece before the day ends.
Van de Putte, 54, seems to sense that this is her political moment, and she’s capitalizing on it with a flurry of legislative proposals — including tax exemptions for the sale and installation of solar panels — demonstrating a new-found urgency on environmental issues. She explains her legislative aggressiveness with a story about a “transforming moment” during a September 2007 visit with her then 3-and-a-half-month-old grandson, Julian, to the grave of her beloved grandfather.
“It was a beautiful day, early in the morning, and I had [Julian] in the carrier,” she says. “I noticed the baby was hungry, so I got the bottle and I was feeding him. A breeze comes through and then it hits me: ‘I am at my grandparents’ grave and I am holding my grandson.’ And it clicked. I had this huge feeling of responsibility and awe and total fear that in 20 years I may not be around.
“I know I’m not going to be around for the majority of this child’s life, even if I lead a very healthy life. My fear is that in 20 years he’ll say, ‘You were part of it. Why didn’t you invest, why didn’t you protect the environment?’ I just balled. I stayed there about an hour trying to compose myself, and saying, ‘Oh, my God!’”
Van de Putte says that shortly after her graveside epiphany, she began meeting with members of her staff, telling them that she hadn’t been vocal enough in pushing for change. She told them she needed “rock stars” who could work tirelessly and create legislative miracles. In response, Van de Putte’s staff members began calling her 2009 legislative proposals “the Julian Agenda.”
As reported in the A-Chronicle, Kay Bailey Hutchinson is likely running for governor in 2010, and considering her initial right hand peeps she's picked--doesn't look like she's going for a moderate platform, one to set herself apart from the last 8 years of the neo-con agenda. So if Perry runs again--will they attempt to out neo-con each other? Gonna need a hella strong Dem in this.
It's official: Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is thinking about maybe, possibly, running for governor in 2010.
Yesterday, Hutchison filed the paperwork with the Texas Ethics Commission to establish an exploratory committee for a run at the mansion. Former Bush pioneer Allan "Bud" Shivers, Jr. has signed on as her campaign treasurer: Shivers also helps run deep pocketed tort reformists and one time pals of Tom DeLay Texans for Lawsuit Reform.
Of course, this still only means she's thinking about it, but it would now be a shock to onlookers if her name wasn't on the ballot in two years time. All of which steps speculation about infighting in the Texas Republican establishment into high gear.
There's no reason to believe that Gov. Rick Perry will not run again, but Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst seems to have been squeezed out of this race, and out of the natural succession. Of course, if Hutchison does run, she'll have to stand down from her Senate seat (which Congressional Republicans may not be very happy about, and rumors swirl that they are actively lobbying the well-regarded and seasoned Hutchison to please, please not leave their ranks). All of which raises the question of who the Republicans (or rather, Perry, who would make the appointment) could put in her place to finish her unexpired term.
State Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, said today that he’ll run for governor at the end of the 2009 legislative session if he doesn’t succeed in passing legislation targeting illegal immigrants.
“If we can’t get anything done next session because it’s blocked, I will run for governor at the end of the session,” he said in an phone interview from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, where he landed early this evening after attending the GOP convention in St. Paul, Minn.
Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office today released a document showing Berman has requested Abbott’s official opinion on whether a House member would lose his seat if he announces his candidacy for governor during the first year of a two-year term.
Berman said he wants to keep his House seat and that if Abbott rules that he would have to give up his seat to run for governor, that would factor into his decision whether to run.
Berman would like to penalize employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. He’s also proposing a surcharge on money wired to Mexico.
“We have almost two million illegal aliens in Texas and no one’s doing anything about it,” Berman said. “A lot of people are very concerned, including myself. It’s costing Texans $4 billion a year and we think something needs to be done.”
Berman's questions about his House seat show even he realizes he would stand little chance in the primary.
But another Republican eager to beat up Hutchison and Perry? That's fine by me.
Just a random little tidbit. For no particular reason, rep. Leo Berman formally asks Attorney General Abbott what would be the effect of a legislature announcing his candidacy for Governor in the first year of his two-year term:
This year we've been a little more selective than usual. Rather than endorsing in all contested races – since many of these are frankly walkovers without major party opposition – we've endorsed only in those races that either appear actually competitive, or that we believe have sufficient local interest to merit specific attention.
In the interest of supporting the return of the two-party (at least) system in Texas – and a more than usual necessity to "throw the bums out" – we briefly considered endorsing a straight-ticket Democratic vote, something we generally avoid. The overwhelming dominance of the Republican Party in Texas politics over the last several years, like its overwhelmingly Democratic predecessors, has been largely a disaster for public policy.
Upon reflection, however, in service to our readers we decided to address individually all the competitive races, to give a fuller sense of the relevant issues, as well as our logic in making these endorsements.
Honestly, we almost always endorse Democrats, so that's not exactly an innovation. Never in the past, however, have we been so tempted to make a blanket-ticket endorsement as we were this time – which reflects far more on the fanatical partisan rigidity of the current dominant party than on us. Traditionally, we have had as many concerns over Democrats as Republicans, including any number of lesser-of-two-evils election endorsements. But the current GOP wrongheadedness and destructiveness to the very structures of our country – Constitutional, social, economic, and diplomatic – demands a redress, if only for the good of the country.
I find it especially refreshing for an editorial board to tell folks upfront that they are naturally slanted to one side. Instead most present very slanted endorsements and pretend to be unbiased!
Attorney General: David Van Os
The race for attorney general's office hasn't garnered one-umpteenth the attention of the tragi-comic governor's draw, despite the Texas-sized personality fighting for the public interest. With an omnipresent Stetson and bolo tie, Van Os is a striking figure, even before he opens his mouth. A specialist in constitutional and labor law, Van Os has targeted Texas oil barons and insurance and pharmaceutical giants, in his populist, anti-corporate, whistlestop campaign. The implicit contrast is that incumbent Greg Abbott has let such corporate wrongdoers run roughshod over the state – as indeed he has. Despite several splashy "cyber crime" initiatives (remember getting tough on MySpace?), Abbott has done little to make Texans safer, especially from the pollutant-spewing, scofflaw conglomerations drawing Van Os' ire. Abbott has also been a complicit servant to Tom Delay and Gov. Perry in the disastrous redistricting saga, never hesitant to defend another gerrymandered map on behalf of his bosses. Partisanship and hoary headline-hogging have defined Abbott's tenure, and we'd be happy to see him go; we're even happier his challenger is as strongly spined as David Van Os.
At Van Os's Tarrant County Whistle Stop Monday, Oct. 16th, truckers passing the venue and seeing the Van Os signs (and him on the court house steps) honked their horns in agreement with this endorsement. Aproximately 65 supporters from all spectrums of the usually divided Tarrant County Democratic party joined Van Os on the steps. It was incredible to see arch rivals (even enemies) standing together in unity with David Van Os and enjoying it! About every five or ten minutes another trucker would turn the corner, see the gathering, recognize Van Os's "BIG OIL I'M COMING AFTER YOU" and honk their horns. This message, is splattered all over the state on billboards financied by local contributors. Sometimes candidates spend money on polls. This year the entire budget has gone to reaching the people. In Tarrant County, at Van Os's Whistle Stop, we were able to tell that the message has reached folks who aren't just activists. His other bill board message is: "Insurance Gougers, I'm Coming After You!"
