Rounding out the House Democratic Leadership, Jim Dunnam has endorsed Barack Obama for President.
It gives me great pride to endorse Barack Obama for President. The constituents I serve, and all the people of Texas, are tired of politics as usual. In Texas -- and across the rest of the country -- we want a president who will finally put doing what is right above corporate special interests and radical partisan agendas. We want change we can believe in, not the same old Washington-style promises made and promises broken.
Texas House Democrats are fighting hard to improve our public schools and bring health coverage to the uninsured. With Barack Obama as president, we will have a remarkable ally in achieving those vital goals and many more.
Rep. Dunnam joins Rep. Pete Gallego and Rep. Garnet Coleman in endorsing Sen. Obama. This unity among House Democratic leaders shows the diversity of support Obama is building in the Lone Star state and the positive impact he should have in down ballot races.
Rep. Gallego told the Rio Grande Guardian earlier this week, "I just think he has this ability, an almost unnatural ability. His cadence, is very, very, good. He can really excite the mind."
Gallego is the Chair of the non-partisan Mexican American Legislative Caucus which comprises mostly Hispanic members of the Texas House of Representatives. Gallego told the Guardian he was in the process of contacting other Democrats in MALC to see who they are lining up for in the presidential election which could dramatically cut into Clinton's base.
"Part of what drives me is his life story. It's a fascinating life story. It's more than just the issues, it's his values. I think Hispanics and South Texas should really be able to relate to him."
Most interesting about these three endorsements is that it covers Houston, Central Texas (where unpledged superdelegate Chet Edwards lives), and the expansive West Texas region. In addition to the turf these endorsements cover, these are three major leaders in the Texas House with access to influence makers and voters a like.
Last night was an incredible success for TexBlog PAC. Over 150 individuals, candidates, elected officials, and bloggers attended the inaugural fundraiser at the home of Austin attorney Amy Clark Meachum. Our friend and fellow TexBlog PAC board member Vince Liebowitz drove in to town to celebrate with us, and there is a lot to celebrate.
TexBlog PAC is less than two months old, and already we can say that it is an overwhelming success.
In less than two months over 5,000 people have signed up to take back the House. We have raised over $10,000 from a little over 100 donors. We have a working coalition that includes our largest supporter to date, the Texas Democratic Party, the Lone Star Project, the House Democratic Campaign Committee (who's board includes Rep. Jim Dunnam, Rep. Pete Gallego, and Rep. Garnet Coleman), and Democracy for Texas. This doesn't even begin to cover the more than a dozen Democratic State House Members that have given generously.
A very special thanks to the 7 Democratic House members who took the time to attend the event last night-- Pete Gallego, Lon Burnam, Elliott Naishtat, Eddie Rodriguez, Tracy King, Mark Strama, Valinda Bolton.
All this and we are just getting started. Not a single person on the board is getting paid for their efforts, and still, every blogger across the state is devoting their personal time and energy to this project. We are uniquely committed to taking back the State House, and it appears you are too.
Last night, my former boss, Rep. Gallego spoke to the crowd and told them we are at a crossroad. In 2001, we had 78 Democrats in the House. In two short years that number fell to 62 because of Tom DeLay and Tom Craddick. Over the past 4 years, we have increased our numbers from 62 to 70 Democrats in the House. It is our turn to join with groups like DFT, HDCC, TDP, and local counties and organizations to help win the next 6 seats.
Texas Bloggers will only be as successful as you allow us to be. Your donations will allow us to build a movement and elect good Democrats next November.
To all of you who made it last night, a huge thank you. To those who have supported us, thank you. We have one year to work together and take back the people's house. Help TexBlog PAC achieve that goal.
Last night we proved we were more than an echo chamber.
When we are fortunate enough to score a touchdown we usually subscribe to the theory of "act like you've been there", rather than dancing like an idiot. However, I think it's important for us to stop for a second and take inventory regarding just how far the House Democratic Caucus has come since 2003.
In 2003, after Tom DeLay's illegally laundered TRMPAC money financed the Republican takeover of the Texas House and the ascension of Tom Craddick to the absolute pinnacle of power, Democrats were bruised, battered, and paralyzed by a 13-seat deficit in the Texas House. The partisan make-up of the house was 62-D and 88-R. For those who were around, it was an accomplishment for the D's to hold 40 votes on anything.
After the courageous and historic party switch of Kirk England this week, House Democrats have shrunk that deficit from 13 to a mere 5 seats. No one deserves more credit for these significant accomplishments than the Leader of the House Democratic Caucus, Jim Dunnam.
When the Caucus was at the lowest point in its history, Representative Dunnam stepped up to the plate and accepted the challenge. No one, friend or foe, can argue with his results.
After pulling of the impossible (Ardmore), Reps. Dunnam, Gallego, and Coleman formed the House Democratic Campaign Committee (HDCC). During the 2004 elections, House Democrats netted 1 seat in the House by knocking off Craddick's Chair of House Appropriations, Talmadge Heflin. In 2006, House Democrats had unprecedented success by picking up 6 seats; 5 on election-day and 1 during a special election to fill Todd Baxter's old seat.
This past week, after months of persistent and skillful negotiations, Mr. Dunnam and other House Democrats pulled off the impossible by convincing a Republican State Rep. (Kirk England) to switch parties and run as a Democrat.
After years of hard work by many folks, we are now only 6 seats away from electing a Democratic Speaker and moving Texas forward. Every step of the way, no one has shown more skill or courage in taking on Tom Craddick and his corrupt right-wing cronies than our fearless House Democratic leaders; Dunnam, Gallego, Coleman, Hochberg, Thompson, and the other good Democrats in the Texas House.
Since Rep. Dunnam chooses not to dance in the end zone, we thought we'd do it for him. Thanks for all that you've done for Democrats in Texas, and go win us 6 more seats next November!
Most of you know by now that the Texas progressive blogosphere has put together and launched TexBlog PAC. The inaugural fundraiser is September 24th in Austin and the sponsors are a who's who of Texas luminaries from all over the state.
With sponsors like Jim Dunnam, Pete Gallego, Lon Burnam, Eddie Rodriguez, Valinda Bolton, Mark Strama, the Texas Democratic Party, House Democratic Campaign Committee, and Texas Progress Council PAC, blogs are taking online action offline. We are ready and prepared to shake up the '08 election cycle.
What does the Republican Party think of this? In a Fort-Worth Star Telegram article out today, Hans Klinger the political director of the Texas Republican Party dismisses anyone working to take back Texas.
Hans Klingler, the political director of the Texas Republican Party, is not convinced. Texas voters have not elected a Democrat to a statewide office since 1994, and Republicans have been steadily whittling down the Democrats' advantage at the county level, the one stage in Texas that they still control, Klingler said.
Klingler also suggested that the Democratic bloggers are less of a grassroots movement and more of an echo chamber, where the handful of writers and readers talk almost exclusively to one another.
"Maybe they're a majority in the virtual world," he quipped.
When September 25th hits the number one question bloggers will get is, "so how much did you raise?" There is no way we can let the Republican Party get away with calling us an echo chamber and a virtual majority. In the last four years we have worked for candidates like Carlos Uresti, Juan Garcia, Valinda Bolton, Boris Miles, Ellen Cohen, and many many more.
House Democratic leader Jim Dunnam already knows we are an agent of change.
"I think the blogosphere is giving voice to what a lot of ordinary Texans are thinking, and that is that we need a change of leadership in Austin," said Dunnam, of Waco. "I think they are really helpful in spreading the message that it's Democrats who are going to be the agents of change in 2008."
Prove Jim Dunnam right and come by the home of Kurt and Amy Clark Meachum on September 24th. We are going to be celebrating the beginning of TexBlog PAC's journey to help win back the Texas House at 5103 Cedro Trail Austin Texas 78731 from 6 to 8 p.m. and saying thank you for your support.
And now I hear it is too late this session, but I am going to leave the topic up since it is something to consider in 2009's session. Gas will be about $20 a gallon by then.
With extraordinary gas price increases this year, one would think the Texas Legislature may try and assist its citizens and make sure we are getting the bang for our $3.08 a gallon that we deserve. It should be making sure we are actually getting that gallon of gas. But instead I have found a bill sitting in committee for the past month that should instead be sitting on the Governor's desk.
House Bill 37, authored by Rep Burt Solomons of Denton County, refers to the sale of temperature-adjusted unleaded and diesel gasoline. Depending on climate and temperature, gasoline expands and contracts. Thus, in certain areas of the state that are hotter, you are getting less than your gallon of gasoline that you think you are paying for. In effect, the hotter it is, the more we get screwed at the pump!
While I don't always agree with Rep. Solomons legislation, this is a bill with merit. Several states across the nation have been seeking similar legislation to force the oil industry to allow retail outlets to install temperature-adjusted pumps.
It is already bad enough that our Department of Agriculture does not inspect gas pumps at retail outlets in a timely manner (ask me some day to find the pictures of the out of date Weights & Measures inspection stickers I have found in both Dallas and Houston. We're getting Stapled!). Now we realize that we aren't even getting a gallon of gas when we pay for one. This bill needs to get out of committee and to the house floor. It has been sitting in committee since April 17.
Consider calling or emailing the Agriculture & Livestock Committee members to give them that needed push: Chairman Rep. Sid Miller, Vice-Chair Rep. Charles "Doc" Anderson, Rep. Betty Brown, Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, Rep. Pete Gallego, Rep. Juan M. Garcia, and Rep. Joe Heflin.
How does the DSCC select its targeted candidates? The internal maneuvering and decision making within the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is probably quite a mystery to most of us who consider ourselves grassroots get-out-the-vote activists. What we do know is that using a complex set of criteria and insider judgments, the DSCC decides where to place their money in 2008 in an effort to get to a filibuster proof Senate.
While I'm a great advocate of people-powered campaigns, the frustration in the last months by so many of us on the inability of critical legislation to move in the Senate, even with Democratic control, makes me want to be sure that we move up the Democratic margin in that body considerably.
Rumors are circulating with a possible entry into the race for U.S. Senate. It's not former candidates Barbara Radnofsky or Chris Bell. It is not a currently elected official like Bill White, Pete Gallego or Rick Noriega.
It is Democratic lightning rod and former Lt Gov of Texas and Texas Speaker of the House. Ben Barnes.
Right now Quorum Report is the only news or blog buzzing with this rumor, but where Quorum starts many will soon follow.
A meeting was supposedly held in recent days where supporters pitched Barnes. Dollar amounts for a campaign were discussed. The consensus was that it would take $25 million to do the job and, according to one of our sources, supporters at the meeting committed to $10 million. By himself, Barnes is credited with being able to write a seven-figure check. Besides his own personal wealth, Barnes is one of the national Democrats' leading fund-raisers.
Barnes is an interesting "choice" for the Democratic option for U.S. Senate. His career was originally ended in the early 1970's because of the Sharpstown Scandal.
Barnes was one of eight people who raised half a million dollars, so his pockets are deep. The real question is whether democratic voters in a democratic primary will forgive both Sharpstown and raising $20 million for gubernatorial candidate and former republican and democrat Carole Keeton Strayhorn.
Texas Nate has a recent interview with Lt Gov Barnes. At the time of the interview, it struck me that Barnes, a strict institutionalist, embraced blogs at all.
Philip Martin subtly shows the difference between Barnes idea with the netroots manifesto, "Crashing the Gates".
"Crashing the Gate" - The Bible for progressive bloggers, CTG is an extraordinarily enlightening read, and an interesting one given the events of the November elections. If you ever want to know why bloggers spend so much free time toiling away at their computers, read this book. As a side note, I should mention that the Texas Netroots are raising money to buy every member of the Texas SDEC and TDP a copy of Crashing the Gate. Learn more about that effort here. 4 out of 5, strongly recommended.
"Barn Burning, Barn Building" - A personal memoir and political history, Ben Barnes writes an interesting book on the history of Texas Democrats. Chapters that detail the tragedy of President Kennedy and the rise of President Johnson, not to mention the Sharpstown scandal, are an excellent primer for those who love to learn the history of Texas politics. Though the closing chapters and recommendations are the same advice everyone has offered ad nauseum, the book is an enlightening view of what Texas Democrats once were. 3 out of 5, recommended.
As Philip hints, Barnes is about history and classic strategies. Barnes is known for loving current institutions and running to the center to win traditional voters. This is a nice way of saying he is not known for using new technology, new tactics, or mobilizing new voters.
Regardless of whether Barnes is really in, the Barnes Buzz continues to show how vulnerable Cornyn is. Why would Barnes eye the race if Cornyn couldn't be defeated?
This brings the possible candidate list to John Sharp, Barbara Radnofsky, Nick Lampson, Bill White, Rick Noriega, Pete Gallego, Ron Kirk, and Ben Barnes.
It's not uncommon for Perry to take a little time off when the legislature meets. During the 3rd special, Perry decided the educational crisis was so important that he had to go to Italy.
Now, Perry is out of the state again, and a bipartisan group want Lt Governor David Dewhurst to help during the TYC crisis.
The letter requests Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, in his role as current acting governor, place the Texas Youth Commission (TYC) under Conservatorship immediately.
Under the Texas Constitution, Lt. Gov. Dewhurst currently possesses all the powers and authority of the office of the governor because Governor Perry is out of the state visiting Dubai. As the current acting governor, with full powers, Lt. Gov. Dewhurst has the authority to place TYC under immediate Conservatorship. Conservatorship has been recommended unanimously by the full Senate and the Legislative Audit Committee.
Additionally, the Joint Select Committee on the Operation and Management of the Texas Youth Commission unanimously voted to express their complete lack of confidence in the TYC board. Placing TYC under Conservatorship will suspend the authority of the TYC board and transfer the board's functions to the conservator.
The letter was authored by State Representatives Pat Haggerty, Valinda Bolton, Delwin Jones, Jim Dunnam, Tommy Merritt, Pete Gallego, Robert Talton and Scott Hochberg.
Rep. Pete Gallego sent out a release today talking about the need for immediate property tax relief for seniors. HJR 1 -- which is discussed in the letter -- is by Rep. Leo Berman, but is co-authored and contains langauge drafted and furthered by Rep. Elliott Naishtat, D-Austin.
"I appreciate Jim Keffer setting HJR 1 for a public hearing tomorrow and accommodating my request to move this resolution instead of the more problematic alternative. The vast majority of members want to expeditiously give senior citizens and the disabled the same tax relief given to all other Texans last year. This is a great way to show all Texans that Democrats and Republicans are working together to provide our elderly and disabled with the property tax relief they were promised."
Background and History
Last week, the Senate opted to entangle their proposed constitutional amendment regarding tax relief for seniors with language used to justify busting the state's spending cap for the first time in history. Over the weekend, Speaker Craddick embraced the same problematic idea, despite the fact that many members believe that any discussion of busting the state spending cap is premature until a proposed state budget is available for review.
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) was dead on when they said "it's wrong to hold tax cuts for seniors hostage to the spending cap issue." The umbrella of giving senior citizens the tax break they have earned should not be used to provide cover for busting the spending cap, especially when the specific expenditures (and amounts of those expenditures) for which the cap is to be busted are unknown.
Yesterday, State Rep. Pete Gallego (D-Alpine) sent a letter to Speaker Craddick asking that HJR 1 be brought to the floor as a stand-alone measure. HJR 1 had not even been set for hearing prior to Rep. Gallego's letter - only HJR 60, which coupled the senior citizen tax relief with busting the spending cap - had been filed. Today, Rep. Gallego asked a series of parliamentary inquires on this same topic.
Immediately after Rep. Gallego concluded his inquiries regarding the need to get HJR 1 to the floor, Chairman Keffer moved to suspend all necessary rules so that his House Committee on Ways and Means could hear HJR 1 in committee tomorrow.
This is from a source with ears open and listening in San Antonio. Consider this the initial list of anyone who could potentially run and may be looking at their options, not a list of those that will end up in the much smaller list that we should have settle over the weekend.
Julian Castro (former City Councilman and Mayoral candidate), State Rep. David Leibowitz, former Congressman Ciro Rodriguez (for sure), SA City Councilman Art Hall (Dem who gave the opening invocation at the state convention in June, and who represents the North/Northwest portion of CD-23 in Bexar County), SA City Councilman Richard Perez, current candidate Rick Bolanos, and attorney Rene Barrientos.
Names are being thrown around like crazy right now. I can tell you for sure that SA City Councilman Roland Gutierrez is out (he's gonna be our next mayor... you heard it here first) and some crazy bastard just told me that Madla is thinking about running. My major question is, where is West Texas and border Rep. Pete Gallegos gonna stand?
Seriously, this is the first time in forever that we've had an open opportunity for a SA Dem to move up to Congress so they are coming out of the woodwork right now.
Early speculation? Ciro has early money, but I don't know if anyone else gives to him. I think that the two strongest candidates are Gallegos and Castro. And we need to be worried about too many Dems hopping in this race, fighting amongst themselves and letting Bonilla rise above the fray and take 50% plus 1 on November 7.
Absent from that is State Sen. Carlos Uresti. While his senate district almost exactly overlaps the new 23, he just got out of the primary beating incumbant Frank Madla this spring. While I'd love him, there is far less chatter about him. Now Pete Gallego in HD-73 which covers the western half of the district is certainly one I'll keep an eye on too... Remember, it's open filing and the prior filings are void. That means candidate Rick Bolanos has to physically refile if he wants to run; it doesn't automatically switch over.
But if you asked me right now, the short list I'd give you (in order) are Julian Castro, Ciro Rodriguez, and Pete Gallego...
