At least that is the impression you get after reading the editorial from the Lubbock-Avalanche Journal from this past Saturday. In reality though, they are correct. A number of politicos---both Republican and Democrat---are waiting in the wings for Kay Bailey to decide what exactly she wishes to do with her political future.
Upon her resignation from the United States Senate, Hutchison will trigger a special election that already has two Democrats and a number of Republicans vying to fill a vacancy that doesn't exist. If she resigns---and that is a really big if---you're likely to see a few more Republicans with larger financial war chests enter the race. But I'm beginning to think that Kay Bailey won't resign from the United States senate, which would foil a lot of plans and political futures of several Texas politicos. It must be so cool to be Kay Bailey Hutchison right now, holding the whole wide world in your hands. But maybe that much power and attention is pissing off a lot of people too, particularly within your own Party.
I mean think about it. David Dewhurst is eagerly waiting for Hutchison to resign so he can begin to run for her seat, if not fill it by means of a gubernatorial appointment by Perry. He has already corrected his rather suspect financial statements and disclosed his investment funds. Much like an individual or politician suddenly losing weight, correcting ones' statements and disclosing your riches is a sign of someone itching for a position higher than the one they currently retain. Dewhurst runs, then someone wants to run for his spot, maybe Attorney General Abbott, and then someone wants to run for his spot, and so on and so forth. Democrats are just as eager to play this game too. We've heard Senator Royce West for Attorney General, maybe Kirk Watson for Lt. Governor, or even governor. It's a snowball down hill effect. That process hasn't been triggered yet though and I'm not confident it will, thus foiling the political futures of a lot of folks.
State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas), the chairman of the committee appointed to the Texas Democratic Party's primary/caucus system, told the Austin American-Statesman he didn't expect any "dramatic" changes to the system.
West, who conceded their needed to be some "retooling" of the system to allow for greater participation, said his committee would recommend that the State Democratic Executive Committee keep the system.
State Rep. Aaron Pena (D-Edinburg) had hoped the committee would recommend changes to the current system.
"This system cannot continue," Peña said, because many voters are unlikely to attend evening caucuses.
"The average citizen, the silent majority, they pay their taxes, go to church, raise their kids, go to soccer games and the PTA," Peña said. "The average citizen does not get involved in the nuances of party affairs. ... We are grooming a leadership of party hacks and party bosses instead of average folks."
I was hoping to see some significant changes, but perhaps it will be better to wait until the 2008 primary is even further in the rearview mirrow. The fact that Gardner Selby felt compelled to identify West as an "Obama supporter" and Pena as a "Clinton supporter" is distressing to me because that is really not what this should be about.
If that is what is driving some people, they should get over it; or rather, they should have gotten over it a year ago. Having attended one of the hearings in Austin, I know that there were supporters from both primary candidates on each side of the issue.
We will keep an eye on what the SDEC does on this at their June 1 meeting.
After insisting for months that the Voter ID bill carried a fiscal note of zero, it appears Senate Republicans are changing their tune.
Chairman Steve Ogden offered up a $2 million rider that was contingent on the passage of the bill.
Ogden was admitting what Republicans have been hiding for a long, long time. If Voter ID does manage to pass, the State will be obligated to spend millions of dollars to educate people about the changes. Even then, of course, thousands of people will fall through the cracks and be denied their right to vote.
On Monday, Ogden ended the Republicans' ongoing charade that Voter ID would cost the state nothing. But then, as Sen. John Whitmire (D-Houston) pointed out, he tried to have it both ways.
If Vote ID passes, “prudence would dictate that we provide the Secretary of State with additional funds to make sure everyone in the state of Texas knows the new rules (requiring identification at the polls),” Ogden reasoned.
“Will the fiscal note for the bill still be zero?” asked John Whitmire. Royce West suggested that the rider indicated the true cost of Voter ID was $2 million.
Ogden said he believed the fiscal note, but “I just think they (the Secretary of State’s office) need more (money).”
“That doesn’t sound like the chairman I know,” West said.
“Nobody’s perfect,” Ogden quipped.
The proposal prompted a testy exchange when Voter ID advocate Tommy Williams observed that “the very people who are complaining (about costs of the bill) are opposing what appears to be very generous funding.”
“What’s absurd is that someone is trying to have it both ways,” Whitmire shot back.
Eventually Senate Republicans will have to come clean and level with Texans about the true costs of Voter ID.
They claim that a significant amount of legal voters will not be barred from voting. They claim (most of the time, at least) that the Secretary of State's office will not need millions of dollars in funding to educate voters about the dramatic changes.
Our job, as Democrats, is to make sure the truth comes out. It is good to see Sen. Whitmire and Sen. West working to make sure that happens.
We missed the press release, but the Austin American Statesman is reporting Senator Leticia Van de Putte was re-elected to chair the Senate Democratic Caucus.
The Senate Democratic Caucus today re-elected Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, D-San Antonio, as chair and Sen. Royce West, D-Dallas, as vice-chair.
This will be Van de Putte's fifth term representing San Antonio in the Senate. Some will recognize from a her work nationally as the co-chair of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
Senators Van de Putte, West and the other Democrats will have one new member this session-- Wendy Davis. With Davis, Democrats now have 12 seats in the Senate and greater unity to fight bad legislation like Voter ID.
Congratulations to Senator Van de Putte and West on there leadership posts.
While Davis is advocating for Democrats to get rid of caucuses nationwide, he does single out Texas in a section that is excerpted below:
Even nuttier is the "Texas Two Step" system. In 2008, the over 2.8 million voters participated in the March 4 democratic primary. Then comes two step: at 7 pm, the party caucuses begin. People get to vote a second time (I am not making this up). But not all votes are equal. If you lived in Houston and Dallas, and carried your precinct in 2006 for the Democratic candidate for governor by a large margin, your vote could be twice or three times as powerful than if you lived in South Texas, in heavily rural Republican counties.
How can that be small "d" Democratic? How can that be constitutional under one person-one vote principles? Doesn't that embarrass a party that calls itself the "Democratic" Party?
Speaking of embarrassment. The result of these arcane rules for Democratic Party caucuses is incredibly small voter turnouts. The average turnout for all caucuses held in 2008 was under 10 percent. Even in the highest profile caucus state of all, the first one attracting all the media hype for months -- King Iowa -- the turnout among eligible voters was under 20 percent (meaning 80 percent of eligible voters stayed home). Other low turnout states included New Mexico (11 percent), Nevada (9 percent), Minnesota and Maine (5 percent), North Dakota (4 percent), Colorado and Nebraska (3 percent), and Idaho, Wyoming, Kansas (2 percent). You did not read that last number incorrectly: That is 2 percent!
Davis has a few other suggestions that could gain traction, especially these two:
* Limiting primaries to pre-registered Democrats, rather than allowing Rush Limbaugh and others to encourage independents and Republicans to do same day re-registration, motivated only by mischief to muck up the Democratic results;
* Eliminating Super Delegates. After what happened in 2008, it is silly to make believe they can exercise their independent judgment, as they were intended to be able to do when they were created in 1982. They can't and they didn't. If the political big wigs who are the Super Delegates want to go to the convention, then give them free tickets.
I've written about two anti-caucus editorials in the last few days. Personally, I signed the petition to abolish the Two-Step at the state convention, thought it deserved a full floor vote and am interested in seeing it reformed, though not necessarily completely abolished.
However, I know that a lot of our readers (and writers) are passionate supporters of the primary/caucus hybrid system.This is to continue to the productive discussion we had about the Dallas Morning News editorial.
If you come across any pro-caucus editorials, be sure to post them. As the West Committee continues to hear testimony across the state, this is an important dialogue for us to have.
Note: It was my initial intention to liveblog the first hearing of the Texas Democratic Party Primary/Caucus System Committee, chaired by Senator Royce West. Unfortunately, I ran into some internet problems, but here is a report of what I saw, including pictures, that continues after the jump.
The movement to end the Texas Two-Step, as many have been saying for a long time, is about a lot more than Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
For those who were still trying to paint this as Clinton “sour grapes”, the first speaker at the “End the Texas Two-Step” press conference was quick to put that to rest.
“I’m not sure that it matters,” Peter Nolan began, “but I am and was a supporter of Barack Obama.”
Nolan is right: it doesn’t really matter. His support of Obama is only relevant because some have tried to dismiss those opposed to the Two-Step as bitter Clinton supporters. That is just not the case, and anyone who attended the hearing can attest to that.
And Nolan wasn’t the only Obama supporter at the hearing. I happened to be sitting next to Amy Esdorn, a graduate student who was unable to attend the caucus because of her class schedule.
Esdorn conceded that while Obama may have benefitted from the two-step system in the short run, the results of the primary were really irrelevant at this point.
“[Ending the caucus] is exactly the kind of change Barack Obama stands for,” she said.
“My vote should not count more than someone from the Rio Grande Valley or El Paso just because I’m from Travis County,” Martha Smiley said during the press conference.
Johnnie Limon of Austin held one of the more humorous signs to be seen at the hearing. “Two-Step at the Broken Spoke, One Step at the Polls,” his sign read.
Wendell Scott, a Gonzales County resident who wrote the anti-Two Step resolution and voted for Barack Obama, held a sign that said, “TDP leaders violate their own rules.”
Sue Berkel, a Clinton national delegate, stressed that the caucus could stay in place as a means for delegate selection, even if popular vote became the only means for delegate allocation.
Senator West called the meeting to order just before 10:2am.
To read about what happened during the hearing and to see more pictures, click "THERE'S MORE"
Representative Kirk England's decision shows courage and commitment to his district. Time and again, Representative England has stood up against the extreme partisan Republican leadership in Austin that has continually failed our state. He's a fighter for the people who elected him to serve and I am very pleased to welcome him to the Texas Democratic Party.
-- Boyd Richie, Chairman of the Texas Democratic Party
"This decision was not made lightly, but I believe I can get more done on the issues we care about as a Democrat. Of course, I have many close friends, supporters and even family members that are Republicans. But when I went to Austin, I saw firsthand the agenda of the Republican leadership, along with the strong arm tactics used in enforcing that agenda. I realized that the leadership and the special interests they represent had very little in common with the principles and ideas I value most. At the end of the day, I decided that the ability to represent my district was more important than following a party line set by folks in Austin.
"I was born and raised in Grand Prairie, and I have lived here my whole life. My wife Marcy and I raised our two sons, Sam and Charlie, in this community, and I own a small business here. I trust the voters in District 106, and I am confident that my friends and neighbors agree that doing what is right is more important than partisan politics.
"I am prepared to roll up my sleeves and work hard to be reelected in 2008. I am confident that the voters in our district want a representative who will fight for public education and the Children's Health Insurance Program and who believes that the folks struggling to pay skyrocketing utility bills every month are more important than TXU's profits. I am committed to returning to Austin to keep the promises I made to citizens of District 106."
But clearly actions speak louder than words. Lucky for us, we can look at the 80th session and see how Rep. England acted to make Texas a better place for everyone. As the Lone Star Project points out, Rep. England will be a valuable member and asset to Democratic caucus.
Stood Up to Craddick: In an extraordinary display of courage, England broke with GOP freshmen and voted with centrist Democrats against Tom Craddick on the defacto "Vote of No Confidence" against the Speaker.(Source: H- 1047 Motion to Sustain the Ruling of the Chair)
Strongly Supported Educators: Showing the courage to stand with children and educators over partisan party leaders, England voted with centrist Democrats to raise teachers salaries by $6,000 to reach the national average. (Source: H- 1157 Motion to Table Amendment #3 by Dunnam)
Protected Our Ballot: To protect the sanctity of the ballot and senior voters in HD106, England voted with centrist Democrats to exempt elderly voters from Voter ID requirements. (Source: H- 604 Motion to Table Dunnam Amendment to B Brown Amendment #1)
Acted to Stop Child Abuse: Breaking with Republicans who refused to aggressively investigate child sexual abuse at Texas youth facilities, England voted with centrist Democrats for a special prosecutor to investigate the TYC. (Source: H- 147 Motion to Table Amendment by Dunnam)
Fought for Clean Air: Taking action to improve air quality and promote energy conservation, England voted with centrist Democrats to provide taxpayer-funded incentives to build clean energy projects. (Source: H- 706 Motion to Table Amendment #2 by Vaught)
Kirk England is going to be a fantastic representative for HD-106 and for the rest of Texas. His courage to stand against Craddick and his top lieutenants (Chisum, Brown, Howard, etc.) shows his commitment for a better Texas. We aren't the only ones happy to see him join our party, for that, you will have to read below the fold.
The Mid-Cities Democrats will be hosting our 3rd Annual Independence Day picnic on Sunday, July 1st from 12noon- 4pm.
Guest Speakers this year include:
* State Representative and Lt. Colonel Rick Noriega
* State Senator Royce West
* State Representative Marc Veasey
* Hank Gilbert, 2006 Candidate for Agricultural Commissioner
* Patrick Nolan, Iraq War Veteran and recipient of the Bronze Star for Valor
The MCD picnic is always a star-studded affair that honors our men and women in uniform, while also celebrating the founding of our country.
Last year's picnic drew over 200 Democrats, prompting the Dallas Morning News to declare, "Apparently there are Democrats in heavily Republican Tarrant County." You bet there are!
Considering Representative Noriega is part of a grassroots draft movement to Stop John Cornyn, it will be interesting to see and hear him in person. I'm not aware of any other real public appearances Noriega has made since Mikal Watts has begun traveling the state, and he too was invited to our picnic. We never heard back from Watts. I'm very interested to hear what Noriega says.
I had the opportunity to attend the Texas Values in Action Coalitions 2nd Annual Rayburn-Johnson dinner this past Saturday in Dallas as a volunteer. The who's who among former and current elected officials, as well as Democratic donors, were pretty much all in attendance.
Let me first say this was one of the best planned, well managed, and well-executed fundraisers I have ever worked for. Paul Begala was an outstanding speaker, although I've heard him twice before at the past two Campus Progress student conventions I attended in Washington DC,; but I never remembered him being so funny before. And oh my God, stop my beating heart, as I got to see General Wesley Clark again too. I have such a man crush on this national treasure, and every time I see him it invokes such great memories of my work on the Draft Clark and 2004 Clark Presidential campaign. It also lets me fantasize at what a fine candidate for president this man is….I mean was….oh hell, who knows.
