I tried to google around for a photo of John O'Qunn, who recently put more of his money where his mouth is and secured more money to help Chris Bell's ads on television.
I was really shocked when I didn't see a photo of O'Quinn with horns and a pointy tail. After all, if you listen to the talking heads of the campaigns of Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Rick Perry, you just might get the impression that Chris Bell was selling his soul to the devil himself in order to bring his message to the people of Texas. That, of course, is rhetoric typical of the Strayhorn and Perry campaigns.
What is most entertaining about Perry and Strayhorn's feigned shock and dismay that someone would put so much money into Bell's campaign is how quickly those two have forgotten about being recipents of similar contributions—from someone far more sinister than a mere trial lawyer: Dr. James Leininger.
Immigration reform has been a long debate that has only received attention in the last year, and now Mega-Republican donors are chiming in. Why? To clarify their position and let everyone know it is not okay to subjugate a group of people and basically make people indentured servents.
Monday, August 28th, the Dallas Morning News printed a piece signed by dozens of donors and political insiders titled “Texas Business: Pass Imigigration Reform”.
We own and run a variety of businesses: agriculture, food processing, hospitality, construction, banking and more, mostly but not exclusively in Texas. And we know, if not firsthand, certainly at close reach, just how much the economy depends on immigrant labor.
….
Not all employers mean well, of course. Some companies exploit illegal immigrants. But most who turn to foreign workers do so out of necessity. We aren't looking for "cheap labor." We're looking for available labor, period – and for some businesses, the choice is to hire immigrants or close shop.
Is it possible that these conservative mega-donors disagree with their party and support a guest worker program that has been promoted and tied up by the Republican led Congress? What are they doing with their dollars and influence to ensure that a debate and vote occurs when the Federal Government reconvenes?
Ed. note: The following is a letter Rep. Lon Burnam (D-Fort Worth) has submitted to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott regarding the loss of $1.5 million in ERS retirement money. ERS currently owns 80,000 shares of stock in KCI, a James Leininger-owned company, and Bill Ceverha, the former treasurer of Tom Delay's TRMPAC, is in question of helping Leininger "pump and dump" 80,000 shares of failing KCI stock into the state's ERS.
Dear General Abbott:
I am writing to ask that you immediately launch an investigation into the peculiar circumstances surrounding the Texas Employees Retirement System’s (ERS’) purchase of 80,000 shares of stock in Kinetic Concepts, Inc., (stock symbol KCI), a medical device company founded and owned by James Leininger. Last week, a San Antonio jury ruled against Leininger’s KCI in a high-profile patent infringement lawsuit. As a result, the stock lost over 40% of its value last Friday, August 4.
Texas employees and retirees are faced with a seven-figure loss while Mr. Leininger has lined his pockets with nearly $100 million from selling off KCI stock. Mr. Leininger cashed out at the top whileTexas employees and retirees lost millions. This is wrong. You need to immediately determine if the Texas employees and retirees were the victims of a massive pump and dump scheme, and what role (if any) ERS board member, Bill Ceverha, played in this multi-million dollar loss.
According to his own ethics filings, Ceverha is a paid lobbyist of Leininger’s Texans for Educational Excellence. Ed. note: link provided by editor -- search "Ceverha"
For the rest of Rep. Burnam's letter, please look below the fold.
It looks like James Leininger is going to be coming into some money soon. An Express-News article titled "KCI heads to court in patent dispute: S.A. company's wound-care product has become its lifeblood" gives you some idea of the situation. The article starts off:
Kinetic Concepts Inc.'s future will be tested in a six-week federal trial that begins today against two companies KCI claims infringed on its patents and trademarks.
San Antonio-based KCI derives about 75 percent of its $1.2 billion in revenue from a wound-care device known as VAC, or vacuum assisted closure. It sued Bluesky Medical Inc. in 2003 for marketing a similar suction product called Versatile 1 and associated wound care dressings. And it's suing Medela AG of Switzerland for breach of contract.
Further into the article, you come across this:
KCI has about 2,000 employees at its headquarters, manufacturing plant and insurance claims processing center in San Antonio. In recent years, the sales and rentals of VAC have outstripped revenue from the therapeutic, ulcer-preventing beds the company has made since Dr. James Leininger founded it.
And this time it's in Oregon! I got an email yesterday from the folks at Loaded Orygun
Oregon's telegenic GOP goobernatorial candidate Jason Atkinson has got himself a Texas-style Sugar Daddy.
As we reported here on Saturday, Atkinson's campaign is reporting a hefty $50,000 contribution from Texas gajillionaire James Leininger.
Leininger (pronounced with a hard "g") is a big-time campaign donor in Texas. He's got no stomach for "moderate" Republicans and has gone out of his way to give copious amounts of cash to hard right candidates and causes in Texas.
Wonder if he will be as sucessful in Oregon has he has been here in Texas:
Dr. Leininger poured at least $6,914,042 in contributions and personal loans into campaigns and political action committees from mid-1997 to December 2004.
A $1.1 million loan from Dr. Leininger in the final weeks of the 1998 campaign funded a media blitz that helped Rick Perry win the race for lieutenant governor by just 2.3 percent of the vote.
Dr. Leininger guaranteed a last-minute $950,000 loan to Carole Keeton Strayhorn that helped her win the 1998 race for comptroller by just .05 percent of the vote.
Former Texas Attorney General and current U.S. Senator John Cornyn received $1 million in campaign contributions from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a Leininger political action committee, and $96,000 from Dr. Leininger himself.
Other notable recipients of contributions from Dr. Leininger include state Rep. Kent Grusendorf (chair of the House Education Committee and House Select Committee on Public School Finance), Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and State Board of Education member Terri Leo. Leininger has largely funded the rise of social and Christian conservatives on the State Board of Education.
Or maybe the folks in Oregon will see the light and show Leininger-backed candidates the door as we did here in Texas:
Two of four counties have finished their recounts and Macias has grown his lead by 5 votes to 51.
SAEN: Two of the four counties recounted their ballots Wednesday, and Macias' margin increased by five votes, from 46 to 51. Casteel picked up two more votes in Comal County and Macias picked up seven additional votes. The totals in Bandera County remained the same.
Gillespie County began the recount process but did not finish. The results are expected to be ready today, Gillespie County Republican Chairwoman Pauline Cusack said. She said the county's five largest boxes remain to be counted.
Kendall County is to recount its ballots Friday.
Gillespie County Chairwoman Pauline Cusack was a supporter of Casteel, but unless someone is willing to risk some Duval County type ballot stuffing, I don't expect the 52-48 Gillespie County to yield dozens of extra votes.
"I've dealt with it already and moved on down the line," Casteel said. "I only asked for the recount because my supporters were having a fit."
Macias said he was "delighted" by the recount results so far.
"We're definitely excited about the system and the quality of the system and the integrity of the system we vote under," he said. "We hope that will continue to play out and hopefully Friday we will have the final results."
My only question is, when they contact Macias for quotes, does the phone call get routed through San Antonio first? I just want to be sure that James Leininger approves of his message. Oh wait, he does to the tune of nearly one million dollars.
The HD 73 race between Rep. Carter Casteel and James Leininger Nathan Macias has been officially canvassed and Macias has increased his lead by 2 votes to 47.
MySA.com: "That's a large number to overcome and it's probably not going to happen, but we're doing it and that will put it to bed. And then we can move on down the line, and that will be good for the district," said Casteel, who cited encouragement by backers as the main reason she will seek the recount for the District 73 seat.
Casteel gained five votes in the canvass, pushing her total to 10,136, while Macias picked up seven votes, bringing his total to 10,183, with the additional ballots mailed by members of the military and received by Monday.
It is unlikely that the recount will overturn the victor here, but keep in mind that regardless, Rep. Casteel will serve in the special session starting April 17th, and considering she is exiting politics for the short term, she may now be freer to work for solutions and be more independent than she already was.
While most outlets in the state are reporting on Rep. Casteel's demise, some are coming around to the possibility that it's too early to write into the history books. The Express-News runs an article which you should go read in full if you want to know what is the latest.
Casteel is looking at a recount which she has until March 29 to call for. I got in touch with the campaign, and they have retained an election lawyer who is reviewing the situation. As to the ballot situation...
The 45-vote margin could narrow when mail-in absentee ballots sent to out-of-country military personnel are counted. They must be postmarked by election day but can be received until March 20.
Officials are awaiting 93 ballots that were mailed out, but not yet returned, including 79 from Comal County, Casteel's base of support. However, election officials expect relatively few of those ballots to come in. Four were delivered to the Comal County courthouse Wednesday, said Comal County Elections Administrator Linell Hinojosa.
There also were nine provisional ballots cast, seven from Comal County. Those will be checked by voter registration officials and counted if the voters registered properly.
I also received a pack of mailers and clippings from my parents last night from this race. I'll scan them and try to get some up in the next 24 hours so you can see the work of James Leininger. Speaking of him, I've taken the liberty of adjusting Leininger candidate Nathan Macias' quotes from the article for you below.
Macias said he's "telling everyone I'm victorious and will represent the district with [James Leininger's] strong, conservative values."
But he later added that with the number of ballots that still could show up and be counted, "I'm not sure anybody can claim victory, [but I'd need to call James Leininger to be sure of that.]"
...
Macias said his campaign stuck to the facts.
"I believe the voters chose the representation they desire and deserve, which is [the] conservative, Republican representation [of James Leininger]" he said, [while uncomfortably adjusting the puppet strings attached to his neck].
The Republican Party is up for sale and its new owner in the Hill Country is James Leininger for only $786,096.36.
This race is personal. Casteel, (possibly, see update, there is hope yet) soon to be my former hometown representative, is the Republican I most respect in Texas. She stood for a type of representation, speaking, and campaigning that was a breath of fresh air in the post-2002 era of Texas politics. This race highlights some serious flaws in Texas' campaign finance system, where a candidate wholly uninterested in actually representing a district, controlled by an San Antonio carpetbagger puts ideology before public policy.
I'm so sorry Carter. For you, for your party, and for Texas.
Carter Casteel is mulling her options in the face of her 44 vote loss to Nathan Macias. Several anomalies appear in the race including the fact that that the House race garnered about 680 more votes than any other race on the ballot. While no one is yet alleging any mischief, it is unusual that so many people went to the polls and simply skipped over races for governor, senator, county judge, sheriff and the like. There are 329 possible mail ballots still out, including 259 from Comal County voters. As those trickle in, it may change outcomes. She has sought legal advice and may yet request a recount.
New Braunsfels Herald-Zeitung:(HD 73) But Casteel later gathered her family around her and comforted them and her supporters with motherly wisdom.
"It’s fine. Shush, it’s fine," she said, putting her arms around as many of them as she could. "We might have lost tonight, but we are winners for two reasons. First, we did not break the 9th Commandment — do not lie. And secondly, our family for the first time in four years will be able to spend more time together."
...
Casteel might have been hesitant to commit to redoing Tuesday’s count, but she wasted no time making a pronouncement about how important her loss was to the entire state.
"What this means is that no representative can take an independent vote because someone with money might take issue with it," she said. "That’s the tough part. I’ll be all right, but this race has changed Texas politics."
...
Through individual donations and money spent with the Texas Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, Leininger poured $786,096.36 into Macias’ bid to send Casteel home.
...
"My desire is to see that no seat is for sale. I want to make sure a school teacher’s $10 donation means as much as the millions someone else has to spend," she said.
To her well-wishers and party faithful, Casteel offered a warning.
"Let me tell you, the Republican Party is in trouble. And we’ve got to do what we can to save it," she said, which was greeted with a hearty chorus of "amen."
There are two very important dynamics going on within the Texas Republican Party. As Rep. Mark Strama put it at this past week's University Democrats meeting, "There is an all out war within the Texas Republican Party right now."
There is of course the Texas Parents PAC, running teachers, school board members, and superintendents against incumbent Republicans who are generally hostile to Public Education. And then there are the Leininger Five, wholly owned candidates of San Antonio Voucher Advocate James Leininger who along with Houston homebuilder Bob Perry increasingly funds and tries to call the shots of Texas Republicans. These five challengers are the opposite of the Parent PAC, they are trying to dislodge Republicans who are willing to work for common productive solutions for Education, voting more independently than Craddick, Leininger, or Perry wants.
So if we can, we'll try to feature some of these races before the primary, as it is these local battles which will drive most of the turnout in the Republican Primary.
State Rep. Carter Casteel, R-New Braunfels, has campaigned for school board, county judge and state representative during her 22-year political career, but she's never been as fed up with the process as she is this time.
"This is the first race I've ever been involved in that gave me distaste," Casteel said. "All the races I've been involved with are the way I've taught government when I was a schoolteacher, the way I've lived government and the way I thought government should be.
...
The barrage of radio and television ads and two to three direct mailings a week from the Macias camp, painting Casteel as voting with "liberal Democrats," has gotten under her skin.
...
While he stressed the need to cut "wasteful spending," Macias could not identify any areas he would advocate cutting.
"I need to get in there and really take a look at it," he said. "Do an across-the-board, up-and-down review and look for ways to relieve some of the burden."
Macias isn't running on any specific principle other than running to the far right of Casteel. The district is conservative (about 80% Republicans) but places a high value on Education and is interested in a solution to state educational finance, as one of it's local school districts (Fredericksburg) recently became a Chapter 41 "Rich District". But Macias is nothing more than a puppet for James Leininger.
Macias dismisses criticism that his campaign represents an attempt by an out-of-district millionaire to buy a seat in the House.
More than 90 percent of Macias' campaign funds have come from San Antonio businessman James Leininger, who has pumped at least $180,000 into the campaign. Casteel is one of five House members Leininger targeted for defeat after they opposed a school voucher bill last year.
...
Casteel, seeking a third term, says Macias is not her true opponent.
"Really, it's about me and Dr. Leininger and vouchers," she said. "He is somebody who has unlimited sources of money and will spend whatever it takes to misrepresent Carter Casteel. Well, I've been here 33 years. I've taught 1,800 kids. I've served as a school board member and county judge. I've volunteered for lots of organizations. He can't make me something I'm not."
There is no Democratic opponent in HD-73. The largest newspaper the New Braunfels Herald-Zeitung has endorsed Casteel.
If you’re a Republican who is thinking about sitting out this primary so you can sign Kinky Friedman’s or Carole Keeton-Strayhorn’s petitions, reconsider. Too much is at stake March 7. The District 73 representative should answer to us, and not to a single-issue Republican donor from San Antonio.
