Yesterday a group of Galveston/Harris county liberals invaded Pete Olson's office. Yes, there are liberals in Texas. We are as mad as hell and aren't going take it anymore. We are fighting back. Opening our mouths. Showing up where they don't want us.
So we decided to show up at Pete Olson's office yesterday. A friend of mine sent out an email and 15 people showed up. It was really cool, because I only knew 4 of them. New people. Yeah!
When we got there, we had a difficult time finding Pete Olson's office. It was in a big building. No signs where it was located. The office wasn't listed in the building directory. Hmmm. It was like they didn't want to be found.
We met with one of Olson's aides. Pete Olson is not too smart. A lot of people think that he is pretty goofy. I guess birds of a feather flock together. This aide was not too smart and is goofy. He was also not very prepared for any kind of meeting. He came armed with talking points. That was not enough to overcome passionate people who know what they are talking about. Here is a video of some of the highlights. I hope you enjoy it!
James O'Keefe, a conservative activist who had posed as a pimp in order to set up ACORN has been arrested by the FBI for having attempted to commit a felony. O'Keefe and two others, wearing telephone company uniforms, were busted last night for allegedly wiretapping the phones in Senator Mary Landrieu's New Orleans office.
Landrieu said: "This is a very unusual situation and somewhat unsettling for me and my staff. The individuals responsible have been charged with entering federal property under false pretenses for the purposes of committing a felony. I am as interested as everyone else about their motives and purpose, which I hope will become clear as the investigation moves forward."
Brace yourselves folks as the list of Texas Republicans who honored James O'Keefe is quite long. My U.S. House Rep. John Culberson is on the list. Is your representative? See the list below the fold.
According to the DCCC there are 67 House Republicans who voted against the stimulus package. But when these no voters are back in their home states they like to brag and swagger about bringing home the bacon. On a different level, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison joins these ranks. She voted against the stimulus bill and yet she criticized Rick Perry for turning down federal funding for extended unemployment benefits.
Texas has its fair share of outstanding hypocrites. Check the list below to see if your U.S. House Rep. is included in the GOP Hall of Hypocrites. I must admit that I am not shocked to learn that my U.S. Rep., John Culberson, is among them. I betcha your U.S. Reps are too.
I'll take a Blue Dog over a Republican any day in a conservative district. You can't purify what you don't own!
Rural Democrats in Texas are a tough breed. They are always going to have a tough challenger. They are always targeted. They live and vote under a microscope. They are good, proud Democrats, but they are usually under siege by both sides of the electorate-- Democratic Primary voters and Republicans.
That's one reason I expected to see a few Texans on the list of the Blue Dog Caucus released by Huffington Post 2 days ago.
In the list of 51 members, there is only 1 Democrat.
The only Texan on the list is Henry Cuellar (TX-28), who is a Democrat who represents a very Democratic district.
In 2008 Cuellar won re-election by an impressive 40 points against Jim Fish. In 2006 Cuellar didn't even have a challenger. Cuellar will never be on the NRCC target list and that is probably even more true now that Pete Sessions is running the show.
The other surprise was not seeing Chet Edwards on the list. Edwards is having a great session already and his influence has only been bolstered by being on the Obama short list for Vice President. Perhaps that is the reason Edwards has left the Blue Dog caucus. In either case, the list is interesting for a number of reasons.
The full membership and it's leaders are below the fold.
Update: From a friend and former staffer to some Blue Dogs.
Chet has never been a blue dog, but there have been some significant blue dogs from Texas. One current congressman, ralph hall was a blue dog before he switched parties. Lampson was a blue dog on both of his runs in congress.
Also Charlie Stenholm and Max Sandlin were both Texans and Blue Dogs early on in the Blue Dog history - in fact, i believe stenholm was a founding blue dog.
To Congressman Edwards, sorry for giving you the label. The national online folks tend to tag Edwards with the Blue Dog label and I was wrong and passing the title.
This morning when I opened the Houston Chronicle, one of the front page articles immediately grabbed my attention.
Texans Rip Budget Yet Add to Cost
The online edition reads:
Texas lawmakers rip budget, but seek millions
The Houston Chronicle does not single out Republicans, of course, because Texas Democrats added to the budget's costs as well. However, the Democrats are not bellowing and bellyaching about the stimulus budget while the Republicans continue to 24/7.
What hypocritical jackasses. Do Republican lawmakers actually believe they can continue to fool us with their double talk and embarrass us by their endless clown shows?
At this point, Pete Olson (R- CT, VA, and TX) has told some whoppers this election cycle. Heck he may have even committed voter fraud before running for Congress.
Now it looks like Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison won't even stick by Pete Olson or the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC).
According to the Lampson campaign:
The ad falsely claims that Rep. Lampson voted against "Strengthening our border fence" and "Funding our military bases." In support of this attack the NRCC cites Roll Call Vote 1171. Contrary to the impression given by the ad, Rep. Lampson voted yes on this legislation, which funded a wide variety of important priorities including funding for military bases such as $7.2 million for Ellington Field in Houston and the border fence.
Texas Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison wrote the bill referenced in the deceptive ad. While stumping for Pete Olson in Clear Lake, KBH was asked some direct questions were she pointed out the NRCC ad was deceiving voters.
Listen for yourself:
"The NRCC's use of blatant lies to distort Congressman Lampson's strong record is shameful; but the voters won't fall for their dirty politics," said Trevor Kincaid. "It's no surprise that Pete Olson remains silent when matters of integrity are on the line after lying multiple times about criminal charges he faces in Virginia."
The Lampson for Congress campaign has called for television stations to remove the false ad, and we are asking the NRCC and Pete Olson to apologize for deceiving voters. We are also hoping John Cornyn will denounce his former chief of staff's actions. He cannot condone such behavior and neither can we.
The Lone Star Project recently filed a criminal complaint against Olson for being registered to vote and voting in two different states. While living in Virginia, Olson voted in a handful of local and state elections, but in 2003, Olson also went up to Connecticut and voted in a special election.
Olson has been asked repeatedly why he committed voter fraud, and he has a lot of reasons..
AP (10/15/08) - Was it a trip to Texas? "Olson's campaign produced a document that suggested he was flying to Texas on Senate business that day. The document for Aug. 12, 2003, to Aug. 15, 2003, shows a $643.50 charge for a flight, but no time of day is provided. At the bottom of the document the itinerary is listed as Washington, D.C., to Houston, Harlingen, Austin and return."
AP (10/15/08) - Was it Olson's baby? "It doesn't make sense that he would drive four hours to Connecticut ... when his son had been born a couple months (before)," Goldstein said.
FortBendNow (10/4/08) - Was Olson working in DC? "Pete Olson never owned property in Connecticut; his father owned property in Connecticut," Goldstein said. "On the day of the vote (in Connecticut), Pete Olson was working in his office in Washington, D.C."
FortBendNow (10/4/08) - Was it an imposter? Goldstein also pointed out that while a Peter G. Olson may have voted in the August, 2003, special election in Newtown, it was not candidate Olson.
Matt Angle, Director of the Lone Star Project, told Fort Bend Now all these different answers led to more questions.
When the Lone Star Project found the voting records, Angle said he raised the issue of whether or not Olson voted illegally. Olson's changing stories and dismissive attitude toward the allegations, Angle said, led him to file the complaint.
"Rather than giving a straightforward answer, he had two or three different answers," Angle said.
Angle noted that Olson gave various media outlets different answers about the illegal voting allegations. Those answers included Olson spokesperson Amy Goldstein telling FortBendNow that Olson was working in his office in Washington, D.C. on the day he was alleged to have illegally voted in Connecticut. Goldstein also said that a Peter G. Olson may have voted in the Connecticut election, but it was not candidate Olson.
Angle said Goldstein then gave the Associated Press several other answers. Goldstein told the AP "it doesn't make sense that (Olson) would drive four hours to Connecticut" when his son had been born only a few months earlier, and later told the wire service that Olson was on a trip to Texas on Senate business on the day of the vote.
Regardless of the excuse, the reality appears to be that Pete Olson committed voter fraud and now he wants to be a Congressman for Texas. The 22nd Congressional District has already given Tom DeLay the boot, voters shouldn't elect someone who is as ethically challenged as DeLay.
In 2006, Nick Lampson replaced embattled former House Majority Leader Tom Delay to win election to the United States Congress. Since then, Lampson has joinged the Blue Dog Caucus, a group notorious for housing conservative Democrats that trumpet bipartisanship and fiscal responsiblity above all else.
Lampson, who has an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association, is running in one of only a handful of seats where a Republican challenge is credible. The district identifies more with Republicans than Democrats, though recent strides in Fort Bend County have begun to shift the dynamic to a more even split.
Olson is running a traditional Republican campaign that focuses on taxes. However, he's running into trouble with his continued ties to Tom Delay -- a comparison that will prove to dog at him for the remainder of the campaign.
The Cook Political Report rates this race a "toss-up" largely due to the political makeup of the district. However, with the recent devastation of Hurricane Ike, the larger reality is that -- right now -- no one knows what to plan or what to expect in this area of the state. To be honest, campaigning isn't the top priority right now. That uncertainty is what allows us to categorize the race as a "toss-up" for now.
A third party candidate -- Libertarian John Wieder -- is also running in the race.
Here are some links to previous coverage of the race on Burnt Orange Report:
Law only allows you to vote where you live. Pete Olson either doesn't know the law or he thinks he is above it.
Documents obtained by the Lone Star Project show that Republican congressional challenger Pete Olson (Texas CD22 - Houston) voted in both the State of Virginia and the State of Connecticut during a five month period in 2003. By remaining on the voter rolls and casting ballots in both states, Olson may have committed voter fraud. Under Virginia law, a person who intentionally registers to vote in Virginia and any other state or territory is guilty of a felony violation.
The time line is pretty specific.
Connecticut: 9/6/1996 - Olson registers to vote in Newtown, CT. ( Federal Post Card Registration and Absentee Ballot Request , Newtown Town Clerk, Received September 4, 1996)
Connecticut: 11/5/1996- 11/4/1997 - lson votes in 2 general elections in Newtown, CT. ( Voter Election History , Peter G. Olson, Newtown Town Clerk, Search conducted April 30, 2008)
Virginia: 2/27/1998 - On Olson's Confirmation of Voting Residence Return Form signed 2/27/2005, Olson indicated that he moved out of Newtown, CT to Annandale, VA on this date. (Confirmation of Voting Residence Return Form , Newtown Town Clerk, Received March 3, 2005)
Virginia: 9/3/1998 - Olson registers to vote in Fairfax County, VA. (Voter File , Virginia Democratic Party)
Virginia: 11/3/1998- 6/10/2003 - Olson votes in 7 elections in Fairfax County, VA. (Voter File , Virginia Democratic Party)
Here's the kicker Connecticut: 8/12/2003 - Olson votes in special election in Newtown, CT. (Voter Election History , Peter G. Olson, Newtown Town Clerk, Search conducted April 30, 2008)
Back to Viriginia: 11/4/2003- 11/2/2004 - Olson votes in 2 general elections in Fairfax County, VA. (Voter File , Virginia Democratic Party)
Virginia: 2/27/2005 - Olson signs and returns Confirmation of Voting Residence Return Form indicating that he had moved out of Newtown on 2/27/1998. Gave new address as 8203 Strong Spring Court, Annandale, VA 22003. (Confirmation of Voting Residence Return Form , Newtown Town Clerk, Received March 3, 2005)
As the Lone Star Project states, Pete Olson lived in Virginia until late 2007, when he moved to Texas to run for Congress. While in Virginia, he voted regularly in State and local elections. During much of this same period, Olson also maintained his voter registration in Connecticut. Election documents show that between June and November of 2003, Olson voted in the Virginia Republican Primary, a special election in Newtown, Connecticut and then again in the Virginia General Elections.
That is voter fraud.
Virginia does not allow individuals to register in multiple states. The Virginia election code states clearly that any person who "registers to vote at more than one residence address at the same time, whether such registrations are in Virginia or in Virginia and any other state or territory of the United States ... is guilty of a Class 6 felony." ( Va. Code. Ann. Section 24.2-1004 (C) ). ??
While Pete Olson resided in Virginia and participated in Virginia elections, he owned property in Connecticut and remained active on the Connecticut voter rolls through at least March 2005. Pete Olson's presence on the 2003 Connecticut voter rolls and his vote in Newtown, Connecticut , which was followed by his vote in the 2003 Virginia General Election, appears to violate Virginia election law.
After Tom DeLay, Texans don't need another politician plagued with legal problems.
