I commented in a post yesterday that if campaigns want us to post about their ads, they need to put them online somewhere in a way that's embeddable for bloggers. Nothing is particularly more frustrating than the emails saying "hey, you should write about this" and then making it difficult for us to write about them.
So here's the ad I was talking about. Kudos to the campaign for adding all their tv spots to their YouTube account.
House Speaker Tom Craddick's disastrous handling of challenges to his leadership has heightened House races across the state, including several in Central Texas. Whether voters know it or not - and certainly most don't - House races on the Nov. 4 ballot are a referendum on Craddick's heavy-handed rule.
The Austin American Statesman sums up this election cycle perfectly. Tom Craddick is a failure in leadership. As November 4 approaches, Texans have a unique opportunity to get rid of the self proclaimed dictator of the Texas House.
With the Statesman's honest assessment on Texas legislative politics, its no surprise they endorsed three qualified Democrats- Donnie Dippel, Diana Maldonado, Patrick Rose.
District 52 Though both candidates are strong, we believe Democrat Diana Maldonado would best represent the district. Maldonado is a former president of the Round Rock school board and was an employee in the state comptroller's office until she was forced to resigned to run for this seat.
Maldonado, 45, has a reputation as a budget hawk who understands accounting. And she can be counted on to be an effective voice for education issues and public schools. She supports the law that grants college admission to the top 10 percent of the graduating class in Texas high schools and wants to reconsider having the Legislature set college tuition rates.
[...]
Maldonado knows the district and has served as an effective leader in her five years on the Round Rock school board. She should be elected in District 52.
District 17
This is another open seat, left vacant when Democrat Robby Cook decided against seeking re-election. Cook won a close victory in 2006, and Republicans are campaigning hard to win the district, which covers Burleson, Lee, Bastrop, Fayette and Colorado counties.
[...]
We believe Dippel would be best for the far-flung, largely rural district.
Dippel, 57, a consultant who worked for the Texas Department of Agriculture for 14 years, opposes voucher programs for schools, selling water to buyers outside the district and the Trans-Texas Corridor. He supports more vocational education and is concerned about health care, particularly in rural areas.
The Statesman also endorsed Patrick Rose in his bid for re-election. The paper summed up Rep. Rose's legislative history.
Rose has voted his district, and his list of accomplishments includes road improvements, funding for Texas State University and support for local schools. In a district of independent-minded voters, Rose has gained their support by voting their interests, not either party's.
First off, I want to thank the 7 donors who have given $235 through Burnt Orange Report to Rick Noriega this last week! You can join them here, especially if you like the good news about South Texas in this round-up.
Here's a second ad out from Rep. Patrick Rose, a bit more substantive on the PEC.
The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals denies an appeal by Colton Pitonyak (who had sawed up Jennifer Cave in her West Campus apartment bathtub). Good for them.
Hidalgo and Cameron Counties launch effort to not be lowest turnout urban counties in Texas. Good news for Rick Noriega and statewide Democrats.
Sixty percent of Americans think we're heading for another depression. How depressing.
Barack Obama now has 4 million donors. That means he might have raised $100 Million in September alone. This presidential race is so over for me.
FYI: On Sunday, Rose hosted his annual barbecue (last year, cycling champion Lance Armstrong was the guest because of their joint fight for cancer research) at which hundreds of supporters boosted his campaign bank account.
After Sunday's event, Rose added $125,000 to his huge advantage on the money front.
In July, he had $807,809 to spend; Young had a $27,272 bank balance, plus a $16,000 loan.
Libertarian Jerry Chandler said he is not fundraising or spending his money to campaign for the job. He said he's running largely to give voters another option at the ballot box.
Mikus said the incumbent's financial resources will mean little because of the resonance of the Republican's top issues, such as eliminating school property taxes, requiring photo identification to vote and stemming illegal immigration.
"He may sell himself on the boob tube or in the papers, but I sell myself face-to-face, hand-to-hand," Mikus said. "Votes count. Money doesn't count."
Strama said that many of the issues Mikus touts, such as voter identification requirements, are not top concerns for most District 50 voters and that Mikus' proposed solutions are unworkable.
"They care about their property taxes and they care about education," Strama said.
Republican Message Fail. And who calls it a boob tube anymore?
In a strip center off Interstate 35, there's an excitement at the shared headquarters for Williamson County's fledgling Democratic Party and Texas House candidate Diana Maldonado.
On a recent weekday afternoon, about a dozen party and campaign workers were organizing a revolt of sorts - the first election of a Democrat in this county in a decade.
Meanwhile, at a campaign office in downtown Round Rock, the mood was more low-key for Maldonado's Republican opponent, Bryan Daniel, who exuded the confidence of a team that thinks it still has home-field advantage.
This Sunday I had a chance to attend Rep. Rose's 5 annual BBQ shindig out at the Salt Lick. Being one not willing to pass up some comped food, I headed on out to chill with the best and brightest of Blanco, Hays, and Caldwell County.
This thing has really gotten out of control. Apparently 1,000 people showed up this time. That's like, what, half the population of Blanco County? I'm sure that will also grow the Rose warchest to further insane levels, which of course, is awesome. It's not StramaRama, but hey, I'm not complaining. :)
Anyways, they run a great operation down there and I look forward to more re-election bids, if only, because it means more BBQ from Salt Lick.
Former Republican Rep. Rick Green who was taken down by Patrick Rose in 2002, apparently got a little upset over a Rose mailer that had his face superimposed on this year's Republican nominee Jim Neuhaus (as Green is deeply involved in running the Neuhaus campaign).
So upset that Rick Green drove up to the polling location that Patrick Rose was at a punched him in the face, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground.
Apparently there is an all-point bulletin out in Hays County for the arrest of Rick Green.
Republican values in action?
Update: Patrick Rose is doing fine (no broken bones or noses) and will be working the polling locations in Dripping Springs until the end of the day.
This Sunday I had a chance to attend Rep. Rose's 5 annual BBQ shindig out at the Salt Lick. Being one not willing to pass up some comped food, I headed on out to chill with the best and brightest of Blanco, Hays, and Caldwell County.
