Governor, lately you've been pitching, twitching and puffing a lot of hot air about secession.
Texas is a real unique place all right and the Governor is a major contributor to its uniqueness.
Come on Governor, put your money where your mouth is. Just do it. Leave already. You can take all of your worshipers, i.e. secessionists, teabaggers, Birchers, birthers, racists and xenophobes with you.
Hit the road dude.
Leave, dude. Voters are the meanest old women you will have ever seen. You won't be packing any of our money with you when you leave, either.
But you can, Sir, help yourself to all of the creationism, witchcraft and voodoo science text books that you and your supporters put in our schools in yet another endless crusade of right wing conservative efforts to dumb down the children of Texas.
I'm sure you all will find a cozy place to establish a new Republic, Governor. Hell, Sir, you could name your new territory the New Republic of Teabagistan, Secessistan or Birchistan in honor of your strongest supporters. Below is a little reminder to help you sort out the guiding principles of your new Republic.
This would be a perfect time for you to leave Governor. After all, Bill White, Houston's former and very popular mayor raised $2.2 million last month. So far he has over $9 mil in his war chest.
To all of you who have written emails and comments, I really wish I could respond to every one of you. I truly appreciate your taking the time to write, even if we may be on different sides of the political fence. If there is one thing that my politically mixed San Francisco/Idaho background has taught me, it is benefit of continuing a discussion even if you don't agree. Too often these days, the Left and the Right immediately shut down if you are deemed to be from the opposing camp. Here's to good discussion even if we don't agree.
Of course there is not a civil war brewing in the Republican Party. Someone just made it up. But a leading conservative has recently called the non-civil non-war an impending bloodbath.
After the havoc the Republican Party and its newly formed teabagger faction have wreaked on this country from Ronald Reagan to George H.W. Bush and culminating with the horror of George W. Bush and his neocon policies, a bloodbath sounds just fine by me. Indeed, one is long overdue.
According to yesterday's Houston Chronicle, the teabaggers in Texas are fed up and want to throw all of the bums out. In Texas, the bums happen to be Republicans.
Even Rick Perry is a target of this group because he apparently is not conservative enough.
While it's too early to determine if the Tea Party movement will prove to be a durable political force, its candidates could prove a costly and unwanted distraction for establishment Republicans who would rather be aiming their fire at Democrats. Case in point: the GOP race for governor, where Tea Party ally Debra Medina of Wharton has announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination against incumbent Gov. Rick Perry and Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, whom she dismisses derisively as "get-along-style politicians."
Excuse me if I get a bit emotional, but I couldn't be more ashamed that Pete Sessions represents my congressional district (TX-32) than I am now.
It's bad enough that Sessions dishonestly claims that healthcare reform has been rejected by the American people when in fact poll after poll shows the completely opposite conclusion. It's also bad enough that Sessions has opposed anything that represents real progressive change in this country, including the Employee Free Choice Act.
Now Sessions has, in effect, allied with those who have toted guns during presidential events and have made hints of violence in placards seen during last week's teabagger protests.
Folks have a right to express their opinions, including those that strongly disagree with President Obama's policies and those of the Democratic leadership. But when my area's representative who also happens to be one of the main House Republicans made the statements that he did, it requires more than just mere comment. It requires that strong action be made to assure his defeat next year.
More below.
Dear Staff of the Texas Republican House Committee,
Your insurance company rally on Saturday was pretty pathetic.
That shouldn't be surprising -- you're rallying to maintain the status quo and let big insurance companies increase the premiums and unfairly deny people their health care based on pre-existing conditions, which is only one of the least popular ideas anywhere right now.
I was the only person (other than Glenn Smith) to attend both the BOR event last Thursday night and your crappy event on Saturday. Let's compare your rain-soaked event with the one BOR had:
Comparing the BOR & TRHC Events Last Week
Event Host
Day / Time
Rain?
# of Attendees
Candidates Present
Burnt Orange Report & Netroots Nation
Thursday night
Yes
180-200
Bill White, John Sharp, Tom Schieffer, Hank Gilbert, Jack McDonald, Marc Katz, Jeff Weems
Texas Republican House Committee & The Republican Party of Texas
Saturday afternoon
Yes
75-100
None
Key Point: When a volunteer-driven blog has more grassroots support than a professionally-staffed organization, then you know you're in trouble.
I have video from the event -- lots of it, in fact -- but I may hold off on posting that for a little bit. In the mean time, let me ask some basic questions about how you define a "success" -- I mean, even from a purely political perspective, it was an abject failure:
This was co-hosted by the Republican Party of Texas, with Tina Benkiser in attendance; you created a website, a Facebook page, a Twitter account, and you only got 75-100 people there -- that's what you define as success?
You are the Texas Republican House Committee.....the supposed counter to the proven and successful House Democratic Camaign Committee.....and not a single House Republican shows up to speak at your rally -- that's what you define as success?
The purpose of the rally was to tell those in town for a meeting of the Democratic National Committee to, as Texas Republican Party Chairwoman Tina Benkiser put it, "crawl back to the left-wing socialist pit they came from and keep their hands off Texas."
That's it? I stood in the rain for two-and-a-half hours to hear several dozen supporters chant "Hands Off Texas" -- and the best speaker you had was former State Rep. (and certified Looney Tune) Suzanna Hupp??!?!! Come on. This isn't even a fair fight! You're the supposed answer to the House Democratic Campaign Committee, not the Student Council of Paint Creek High School.
We're not joking around here, y'all. Texas Democrats are going to take back the State House. We have a proven record of success. Each and every year, you convince people like Paul Burka that Republicans are going to have a good year, and each and every time -- in 2004, 2006, 2008, and the special elections in between -- Democrats keep winning. At some point, the press will remember that clear history of victory, and they'll look at how promising and effective the HDCC is and how pathetic and embarrassing you are, and they'll understand why Texas Democrats are going to take back the House in 2010.
For now, though, keep convincing yourself of your own success. Talk a great game. Talk about fascism and socialism. Rally against the President telling your kids to stay in school. Stand up and defend the status quo of big insurance companies denying health care to Texans based on pre-existing conditions.
Just next time, try to stay out of the rain -- and remember that using the excuse of rain and flash flood warnings is a good way to get out of a pathetic attempt at political organization.
A Fayette County "teaparty" activist is planning to protest the opening of a Veterans Affairs clinic.
That's right. A VA clinic. You know, where veterans receive their benefits earned through years of service in our military. The teabaggers' hatred of taxpayer-funded social services extends even to those who have fought and risked death to protect our nation.
Chris Boyle, the teabagger in question, serves as Vice President and Secretary of "The Fayette County Taxpayers' Coalition," and apparently just wants to protest Congressman Lloyd Doggett. Seeing as Doggett is participating in the dedication of the VA clinic, what the heck? Looks like a great opportunity to rail against Doggett and the evil socialist agenda of giving benefits to our fellow Americans, especially those who served in the military.
Fayette County Judge Ed Janecka called Boyle and suggested that perhaps, just maybe, the opening of a VA clinic might not be the most appropriate venue for this. From the Statesman:
Janecka, saying he made the call after a VA representative expressed concern about the protest, stressed that he didn't tell Boyle to can the protest. He said Doggett's office did not contact him about the protest.
The judge said: "There is no way in hell I would ever tell anybody they can't go protest anything. I just told her it would not be good for the veterans."
Boyle, a retiree, said of the judge's call: "He told me he wanted me to stop this 'tea party.' He said this is going to make the veterans feel like you're against the clinic.
[Boyle responded] "I said bull... no it's not, they know better than that."
Actually, you know, I think someone calling for secession at best and treason at worst really might in fact offend people who were willing to fight and die for America. That means all of America, including Texas. Oh, and what funds the military and the VA? That's right! Tax dollars.
But no surprise. Perhaps Boyle read about the VA in Wikipedia and decided that they must be stopped!
It is a socialized government-run health-care system, and the American government's second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense. With a total 2009 budget of about $87.6 billion, VA employs nearly 280,000 people at hundreds of Veterans Affairs medical facilities, clinics, and benefits offices. (Emphasis mine.)
Uh oh, sounds like socialist Obamacare! It must be stopped! Someone make a sign with a hammer and sickle, quick!
The Statesman story continues:
Regardless, Boyle said, she plans to be there to urge Congress to heed the Constitution, uphold free speech and to stop meddling in people's lives.
Yes, Congress. Stop meddling in the lives of those veterans and giving them medical care. Especially stop here in Texas, where one third of vets are otherwise uninsured, and many more live in rural areas where they can't access a VA clinic at all. This new facility in Fayette will actually help America keep its promise to our veterans. As such, it must be protested at all costs!
As for Judge Janecka, he regrets even opening up this big old bag of crazy:
"It's so sad that it's getting to this point," he said. "People sometimes are just looking for a fight. I wanted this to be a day for the veterans of Fayette County."
It can be hard to focus on what's best for all of America when a crazy few try to hijack the conversation with all of this "teabagging" ridiculousness. America needs health insurance reform. America needs more VA clinics. America needs access to health care for all.
And just think -- with a strong public option, Chris Boyle herself would be able to seek psychiatric help. Ironically, maybe while she's there she should thank Congressman Doggett for standing up for Americans like her, who clearly need all the help they can get.
