Rush Limbaugh and Clear Channel Communications Lowry Mays, who is McCaul's father-in-law, will host a fundraiser for Mike McCaul in San Antonio next month.
The McCaul campaign is doing its pathetic best to distance McCaul from Limbaugh even though the hate-filled commentator will be raising money for the congressman.
Jack Ladd, McCaul’s campaign spokesman, said, “Just because Rush Limbaugh is attending a fundraiser for Michael doesn’t mean they agree on every issue and we believe Michael’s voting record speaks for itself.”
Asked to name an issue on which they disagree, Ladd repeated, “I think Michael’s voting record speaks for itself.”
Mike McCaul's record does speak for itself. He puts the special interests above the people's interests and continues the pay-to-play politics he learned from Tom DeLay.
"Your Congressman" Michael McCaul has been asleep at the switch, allowing the only defense contractor in the district to lose it's only contract, directly costing the district 5000 jobs.
We're printing these signs and posting them throughout the district. This is only a sample of what we'll be doing with your support.
This is a 100% volunteer campaign. We have a virtual office with zero overhead; no consultants or paid staffers. Every penny we raise goes right into the campaign.
We'll continue to create ads like this;
We've spent zero dollars on our website, graphics design or the ad you saw above and we've just begun.
Do you want to see these types of signs throughout the district, stretched down 290 between Austin and Houston?
Ted Ankrum, Democratic Party Candidate for Congressional District 10, congratulates Austin for bringing a Formula 1 auto racing event to the Central Texas area.
"Being an auto racer myself, I fully support this exciting racing event. This World Class auto racing series schedules events around the world. I attended my first Formula 1 race in 1959 at the Avus track in Berlin, Germany and also attended the 1960 race in Monaco and the 2002 race in Melbourne, Australia. This annual event will bring jobs and fans to Austin and the economic impact to the area will be like having the Superbowl in town every year." Ankrum said.
Until 2007, the US event in this race series was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Now Austin has stepped up to the plate and this race will again be held in the USA, starting in 2012.
Ankrum is an avid auto enthusiast, running his Nissan GT-R at track events at the Texas World Speedway in College Station, the GrandSport Speedway near Galveston, and most recently, was sponsored by Baker-Jackson Nissan in Cypress at the Texas Mile event at Goliad, Texas in March. "I set the fastest time in my class with a speed of 167.2 MPH and have a certificate to prove it."
Ted with Mr. Brad Baker, general manager of Baker-Jackson Nissan in Cypress, TX prior to the Texas Mile event
Ted running ahead of a Ford GT at the Texas World Speedway in College Station, TX in 2009
Going into the Memorial Day weekend, Republican Michael McCaul, voted against funding for America's troops and their families.
"As Americans prepare to honor our fallen soldiers this Memorial Day, Representative Michael McCaul was in Washington voting against the bill to fund our troops on the battlefield," said Ryan Rudominer, National Press Secretary of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "It's outrageous that Representative McCaul would talk about supporting the troops but then play politics by voting against the funding they need to keep the American people safe. Our men and women in uniform and their families deserve better."
What did the bill do?
The Defense Authorization for FY 2011 (H.R. 5136) authorizes $726 billion for defense programs in FY 2011 [HR 5136, #336, 5/28/10].
The measure includes $159 billion in FY2011 to support operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the general war on terrorism.
This includes authorizing $33 billion in FY 2010 funds to support the surge of additional forces in Afghanistan and relief operations in Haiti.
The legislation also calls for a 1.9 % pay increase for military personnel.
In the past year, McCaul has voted against families, health care, education and now our troops. McCaul is on the wrong side of consistency.
As I noted in a post on Pete Session's lackluster NRCC efforts last Friday, many of our incumbent Texas Republican Congressmen are facing primary challengers this cycle, from Tea Party folks. Let's take some time to get to know the folks who are doing their best to make Congress even less functional, and think about what this means for the Republican party.
Ralph Hall vs. Jerry Ray (Tea) Hall, TX-4
Hall faces tea party challenger Jerry Ray Hall (no relation to Ralph or Mick Jagger's ex), who submitted his ballot application with the word "Tea" after his middle name. Challenger-Hall also has been passing around a photo of himself with Rep. John Culberson as an implied--and erroneous--endorsement. That link is also entertaining because "Jerry Ray (Tea) Hall" mixes it up in the comments... With himself.
Also interesting about this race: Congressman-Hall is the oldest member of the House, at 86 years. He would take over the Science Committee should the Republicans regain control of the lower chamber. Notably, would-be Science Chair Hall is actually older than the Big Bang Theory, the Heisenberg Uncertainty principle, penicillin, the material nylon, radiocarbon dating, treatment for leukemia, the radio transistor, and the polio vaccine. I'm not trying to imply anything... Well, really, I'm just saying, the dude is too old to be in charge of the Science Committee.
Michael McCaul vs. Joe Petronis, TX-10
Michael "#7 Water Waster in Austin" McCaul is facing a primary challenge from the self-proclaimed "RINO Hunter" Joe Petronis. In fact, he has an entire page on his website dedicated to his RINO Hunting. Click on the link. You need a giggle.
This is interesting, because unlike some of the districts mentioned here (the 4th, 11th) which are mind-numbingly Republican, the 10th (and Sessions' 32nd) have the potential to flip. Unfortunately, the highly-anticipated challenger to McCaul, Jack McDonald, did not file for the race, leaving 2006 challenger Ted Ankrum to pick up the slack. It will be interesting to see, however, what effect the primary challenge has on a Republican base that doesn't have too much to praise in the lackluster McCaul's performance in D.C. After all, McCaul is clearly better at wasting water at home than he is fighting for jobs or hewing to "conservative principles" in D.C.
Mike Conaway vs. Chris Younts, TX-11
Conaway, from Midland, is a big-time Bush crony, working for Bush's various failed business ventures until being appointed by then-governor Bush to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy. He later had the luxury to run for a district again redrawn by DeLay to include Midland and Odessa. TX-11 is widely considered to be one of the most Republican, with a PVI of R+28. (Only the 13th, much of the Panhandle held by Mac Thornberry, is more Republican, at R+29.)
Conaway is being challenged by Chris Younts, an insurance salesman from San Angelo. Of his candidacy, Younts stated, "Contrary to opinions on both sides, the Tea Party movement was never intended to play the role of an infatuated, doting cheerleader of all players with an 'R' on their jersey, regardless of past indiscretions."
Kenny Marchant vs. Frank Roszell, TX-24
Marchant will face a primary challenge for the district he basically drew for himself during the 2003 Congressional gerrymander, during which time he was a member of the Texas House. He is squaring off against Roszell, a developer and tea party supporter from Grapevine. Roszell may win the "best quote on a campaign website" contest, which is pretty stiff amongst the Tea Partiers: "No one will jerk my chain but my wife." Unclear how his views on chain-jerking relate to partisan line-drawing.
Pete Sessions vs. David Smith, TX-32
As I noted last Friday, the head of the entire NRCC is facing a primary challenger in the form of David Smith, a corporate financial analyst and tea party activist determined to rid the Republicans of the D-minus Sessions.
Smith expects to receive significant grassroots support from the Tea Party denizens, telling TPM "I anticipate that those will be the most active supporters of my campaign, those are going to be the people who will go out for my campaign and wear out shoes, and make phone calls to people in the district."
This ought to be interesting. While pundits and political "soothsayers" are already predicting death to Democratic victories this cycle, there's clearly a fomenting Tea Party movement on the Right that sets the stage for post-primary strife, and may enable third party or independent candidates to step up to the plate and capitalize on this discontent.
Let's also not count out the role of Debra Medina in this, whose gubernatorial campaign may draw out Republican primary voters who seek to support the "Tea Party" challengers in their local Congressional primaries. However, the national Republicans seem largely unwilling to address the growing frustration amongst Tea Party activists, suggesting that everyone will mend fences after the primary and work for the status-quo Republican incumbents that are likely to survive the vast, vast majority of their primary challenges.
A New York Times piece on the recent Republican retreat to their favorite foreign nation of Hawaii illustrates this. Michael Steele, RNC chairman, stated:
"If a Republican incumbent or a Republican candidate is running and a Tea Party candidate is in the race and the Republican wins, my expectation is that the Tea Party guy is going to support the Republican. ... Because we would support the Tea Party guys."
Ok, let me get this straight: RNC Chair Michael Steele says that his party would support Tea Party activists should they win a primary. However, that's the exact opposite of what happened in NY-23, where moderate Republican Dede Scozzafava endorsed Democrat Bill Owens over certified nutjob Doug Owens after Tea Party folks pushed Scozzafava out of the race for being insufficiently ideologically pure. The comments of the challengers above suggest that this might not be so true, and that Tea Party activists may not let themselves be taken for granted by the Republican Party.
This should also be a huuuuge warning sign to moderate Republicans and independents, that the RNC establishment says publicly that they're willing to get on board with Tea Party extremists should they win the primary.
However, former Texas Congressmember and one-man Dick Armey seems to see the handwriting on the wall:
"This is not a situation where the grass-roots activists are saying, 'What can we do to make ourselves attractive to the Republicans?'" he said. "It is 'What can we do to help the Republicans understand what they must do to be attractive to us.'"
Armey admits it: the Tea Party is the new activist base of conservative politics. To win over their support and enthusiasm in November, Republican candidates may have to swing even harder to the right to pacify the folks who are currently holding the megaphone in the Republican party. What this will do to moderate and mainstream voters remains to be seen, but thanks to the Tea Party this may shape up to be a more intriguing election season than we expect.
I never expected to do this. It was so unlikely that I had let the domain name registration tedankrum.com lapse. Of course, it was picked up by a porno site. I did it because Michael McCaul is such a bad Representative he should never be allowed to run unopposed. That was the theme of the radio interview I did on KWHI radio this morning (there is some advantage to having run in '06 and being in people's rolodex's). Now, I'm scrambling to register with the FEC (this came together on the Sunday before filing closed), so that I can get an ACTBlue page. Kernan Hornberg is working on a template for a website. Thank goodness I had not closed the bank account (because I still had campaign debts from 2006)so I was able to write the filing fee check from a Campaign account. Jack McDonald provided a substantial part of the money for that, with some more for the General Election Campaign and Ron Coldiron the rest.
The '06 Campaign put me on record for many things and if one Googles Ted Ankrum, much of that remains. Many of my positions will need to be updated, though. I think the Senate Health Care Plan leaves much to be desired, but if that is what we get; take it for now and fix it later--in particular the part that still keeps health care costs on the backs of our companies. We always seem to be one war behind. We fought Iraq when we should have finished Afganistan when it was easy. The most recent attack came from Yemen, just as we are ramping up in Afganistan. Our President says that Afganistan is not Vietnam or Iraq and I agree with him. It's mired in the time of Alexander the Great and it breaks my heart that our troops are dying to prop up a feudal and corrupt regime. Our fight is with the terrorists, not the Taliban and we ought to concentrate on them where they are--and they aren't in Afganistan. I think there are far too few military veterans, and combat veterans in particular, among our political leaders. If there were more, there might be a different perspective on where and who we choose to fight. Our military leaders fight the wars they are presented with. Our political leaders are the ones that do the picking. There is more to discuss on Cap and Trade and Financial Regulation but I'll save all that for the future.
I got an artificial shoulder last January (the VA now rates me as 100% disabled) and I'm scheduled for an artificial knee on Feb 2. It wasn't an IED that got me in Vietnam, it was an East German anti-tank mine; but the effect is the same. One doesn't let these availabilites slip, so I'll be good for nothing the first week of February. I told you I never expected to do this run.
I can't promise you that I'll win, but I will promise you to show just how bad a Representative Mike McCaul is. He ignored me in the '06 race and that let me knock 10% off his expected results. Ever since, he's looked vulnerable and attracted stronger opposition than I could give him. He really should have smacked me down in '06 and scared away any thought of opposing him. We'll see what happens this time.
By all means support our Statewide Candidates as much as you can. That's really important. But if you have anything left over, I could use the help; no matter how small.
Ted Ankrum Congressional Committee 2010, 13707 Via Siena Ct., Cypress, TX 77429
It looks like in the final day to fill the vacancy, another McCaul challenger has decided to run.
Multiple sources have indicated Ted Ankrum will file tomorrow to run against Republican Michael McCaul. Ankrum ran in 2006 and kept McCaul to just 55.28% of the vote but only garnered 40.4% of the vote himself. He spent less than $75,000 total in his race but gains have been minimal over the last 4 years.
For Ankrum to be successful, he will have to spend the bulk of his time in Harris County, stress his military service, let the Travis County Democratic Party and Austin area activist do the heavy lifting in the north part of the district, and get a committed group of surrogates in the 10th Congressional District and beyond to begin a massive fundraising operation.
Needless to say, with the shortened window, Ankrum will have an uphill battle. The district continues to be tough pre-redistricting, but it is good to see a Democrat step up to the challenge.
Unfortunately for Texas, the Pentagon decided to shift an Army truck building contract from here to Wisconsin. Since 1991, BAE Systems in Sealy has been manufacturing trucks for the U.S. Army.
According to the Houston Chronicle Republican lawmakers and BAE officials were completely unaware of the threat posed by our competitors in Wisconsin.
The Pentagon's decision to shift the production of Army trucks from Texas to Wisconsin after 17 years caught Texas' elected officials by surprise, raising questions about overconfidence, a loss of political clout and the impact of economic incentives provided to the winning company by Wisconsin's Democratic governor.
Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry and the 34-member Senate-House delegation are rallying to salvage a deal for BAE Systems that could be worth $2.6 billion and sustain 10,000 direct and indirect jobs around the sprawling truck manufacturing plant in Sealy.
Good luck boys. It's kind of too late to salvage anything, including your humongous egos. If our esteemed Republican lawmakers hadn't been too busy lying to and scaring their constituents at teabagging hate fests this summer and fall, perhaps they would have time to think about the plant in Sealy. And what were those top executives at BAE Systems thinking given the tough times in which we now find ourselves? Companies and academic institutions are engaged in a near dual to the death competition for federal funding.
As campaign season cranks into high-gear, heavy hitters are making their way down to Texas for a few marquee fundraisers in support of various Congressional candidates. Now, you can tell a lot about a candidate by whom they choose to draw in the high rollers. Seems to me that the Republicans down here in Texas are increasingly relying on the crazy fringe to bring out the checkbooks and media attention. Let's take a look at who's traveling down to Texas to raise the big bucks:
Candidate
Special Guest
John Carter, TX-31 -- Round Rock Republican, recently described health care bill as "Death for the Baby Boomers, Jail for the Middle Class, Free Healthcare for Illegal Aliens," on his own website, no less.
Michele Bachmann, MN-6 -- Fox News' favorite census conspiracy theorist and global-warming denier. Hosted fundraiser for Carter on October 17 in Cedar Park.
Michael McCaul, TX-10 -- Unremarkable Republican incumbent and heir-in-law to ClearChannel fortune. Misrepresents gerrymandered chunks of Austin, Harris County, and some of everything in between.
Rush Limbaugh -- Famous radio hate-monger, failed hypothetical NFL owner, McCaul's Daddy-in-Law's heavy hitter. Attended fundraiser for McCaul with Governor Rick Perry in May 2009 at undisclosed location.
Jack McDonald, TX-10 -- Self-made entrepreneur, chairman of Perficient. Leader in the Austin business and philanthropic community. Unstoppable fundraiser, drawing strong bipartisan support in R+11 district.
Dr. Madeleine Albright -- Secretary of State and Ambassador to the UN during Clinton Administration. Also, not a crazy hate-merchant dragging political discourse down into ever-deeper gutter. Special guest at fundraising brunch on October 30 for Jack McDonald at MPower Labs.
As if the Texas Republicans in Congress weren't inane enough, they need to import the likes of Limbaugh and Bachmann to do their fundraising for them? Limbaugh openly hopes for the Obama administration to fail and compares Obama to Hitler. Bachmann blames Obama for the swine flu outbreak and refuses to fill out her census form because she thinks it's an ACORN plot to steal her private information. (Seriously.)
Meanwhile, McCaul's challenger, the completely-not-insane Jack McDonald, is drawing serious support to his campaign from legitimate leaders such as Dr. Albright and talking about how the people of TX-10 can gain real representation in Congress on issues such as the economy, health care, and clean energy.
Currently, John Carter has no challenger to offer the people of Bell and Williamson County actual representation in Congress. But Central Texans can unite behind Jack McDonald, and make sure that the people of Texas' 10th District send a strong Representative to work on their behalf in D.C.
Meanwhile, the voters of TX-10 need to ask themselves: "Who better represents me and my views in Congress? ...
... Rush Limbaugh and Michael McCaul? Or Jack McDonald and Madeleine Albright?"
McDonald's campaign is still in exploratory mode. You can check him out on his website, www.JackForCongress.com, and make a donation or offer to volunteer. It's going to be a good race. Best of all, a McDonald victory may mean 100% less Rush Limbaugh in our backyard. And if that's not a reason to get involved, I don't know what is.
