(Good info for this weekend from the TDP. - promoted by Phillip Martin)
Stay up-to-date with the latest news about the TDP State Convention on Facebook or on Twitter. If you're on Twitter, use the #TDPSC hashtag.
This week, Texas Democrats from across the state are preparing to travel to Corpus Christi for the 2010 State Convention. Throughout the week, we'll be highlighting information about our state convention, and taking a look back at our 10-week "Meet the Statewides" campaign to introduce our statewide ticket to voters across Texas.
We'd also like to highlight video of our Communications Director, Kirsten Gray, speaking on Fox 7 Austin's "Good Day" morning program last week and answering questions about what we can expect from this week's Texas Democratic Party State Convention.
She may have won the TX-22 Democratic primary, but considering how Rogers is calling for the impeachment of President Obama without any legitimate cause to do so, can the TDP declare Rogers ineligible to run on the Democratic ticket and select a replacement nominee?
Democratic candidate for Texas Attorney General Barbara Radnofsky blasts Republican AG Abbott for challenging a law that does not exist. In her New Year's Eve press release Radnofsky wrote:
The Texas Attorney General is wrong on the law of his challenge of the senate version of the health care bill. He is wasting taxpayer resources on a loser challenge.
Attorney General Abbott challenges the constitutionality of a law that does not exist, promising to use the office of the Texas Attorney General to "explore all legal options" to dismantle federal legislation. Ironically, Texas would receive subsidies and benefits of greater magnitude than most of the nation, in the $7.5 to 10 billion range.
There they go again. Not only are Republicans willing to burn precious taxpayer resources on a frivolous lawsuit that has no legal basis, but they are also hell bent on thumbing their noses at extraordinary financial subsidies and benefits for Texans. Texas, as we well know, has the highest number of uninsured. Folks don't have health care insurance because they can't afford it or they have pre-existing conditions that no insurance company will cover. The federal health care reform bill would make health insurance more affordable and it would prevent insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. It would also put a stop to insurance companies that cut patients loose when their health care needs become too costly.
These benefits and consumer protections are what Abbott wants to kill. Abbott, like all Texas Republicans is more concerned about the interests of insurance companies than he is the people of Texas. It should also be noted that the Party that rails 24/7/365 against trial lawyers and frivilous lawsuits has no problem with either when Republican lawmakers are the ones doing the suing.
Paul Burka kicked up a fuss on his blog when he incautiously and not-quite-correctly re-cycled from memory some old thoughts from Democrats about how Tom Craddick did us a favor by remaining in office. I think the necessary corrections have been made there. But it does beg some questions that deserve longer answers.
Should Democrats have helped unseat such an unpopular speaker as Craddick in favor of a youngish, polished, urban moderate like Straus? That's two questions really. The first's about Craddick; the second about Straus.
My answer to the first: Political opponents are not deer. They don't get fatter and grow bigger antlers next season. You have to defeat them when you can, because you don't know what tomorrow holds. It's too cute by double to believe you can out-think all of tomorrow's political uncertainties. Anyone remember progressives voting for John Tower in the 1961 special election for the U.S. Senate, under the assumption he'd be easy to beat in a general? Good guess, that.
My answer to the second -- what about Straus -- has to do with why I'm a Democrat in the first place. Maybe Burka's right and he turns around the Republican Party. I doubt it, because that party is simply on the wrong side of history.
But I'm a Democrat because I care about children's health, about public and higher education, about jobs, about the availability of health care, about the quality of Texas air, water and soil, about safe communities, about fair and open elections in which scandalous, artificial barriers to voting are removed.
I don't know where the new prospective Speaker is on these issues. But I believe he will certainly be better than Craddick. Democrats are one vote shy of demanding a Democratic speaker. Republicans chose Straus. I'm for change.
Burka was wrong when he implied some Democrats would game the system for future political advantage. That would be bad politics. And I don't know how it could be explained to today's eight-year-old Texan who can't get to a doctor, is stuck in a going-nowhere education system, whose father lost his job and whose mother is still treated as a second-class citizen.
Who among us could look that eight-year-old in the eye and say, "Just wait 'till your 12. We promise."
This diary is an expanded and updated re-post of one I wrote previously on Texas Kaos. This updated version is also cross posted on Texas Kaos.
As predicted, John Cornyn voted for the Wall St. bailout the other night. I never doubted for a moment that John Cornyn would ever in a day let down his buddies the fat cats. After all, the Republicans enabled Wall Street's financial melt down by voting for deregulation and lifting all "shackles," as they would call it, from their beloved soul mates on Wall Street.
Deregulate, Baby, Deregulate.
And boy did they ever do that big time.
Republicans dumbly believed Wall St. would police itself. Indeed, this is what a recently retired professor at the London School of Economics has to say about the U.S. financial melt down:
It was great to see so many Texas bloggers and party leaders at the Netroots Nation conference in Austin. I hope that this is a sign that the state party will step up and be a leader in technology communications.
Many of us in the grassroots movement came in through the Obama web site long before we met our first staff person. In fact, the weeks leading up to the campaign offices opening were intense times of organizing, setting up list groups, and meet ups.
By utilizing a similar web based model with social networking aspects, our job on the ground would be a lot easier. Right now, some people aren't doing anything. Others are using their own web sites and list groups to organize. The problem is that the party has no control (which might be okay) and there is a higher skill level expected of community volunteers. Let's be honest, there are a lot of precinct chairs who do not actively use a computer and certainly would not know how to set up a web site.
If the state made sure that it had the infrastructure for each county and then precinct, then individual pages would feed onto a master calendar or you could look up activities based on radius from your home like the Obama site.
I know the state has some of that now, but it seems either under developed or maybe just under used. So, those who have the skills to create a more dynamic, interactive based site for the state are encouraged to post their ideas so we can move forward and put our candidates in office.
This morning the Advisory Committee on the Texas Democratic Party Convention/Caucus System met at Austin Community College to, according to an email from the Texas Democratic Party Chairman Boyd L. Richie, "studying the current convention/caucus system. Furthermore, based on the testimony taken at these meetings, the committee will then consider this feedback and possibly make recommendations for changes."
This has been a difficult issue for this blogger to take a firm position on, in part because that the caucus system is one of the reasons that I became involved in Democratic politics. However, it would be disingenuous of me to ague a position without honestly examining the system and giving an honest assessment. Which has led me to this position: the Texas Democratic Party primary system of caucuses and ballet voting is a flawed misstep.
and complete the questionnaire there for endorsement purposes. If you have a photo suitable for the Web and a short bio, upload it as a part of the survey and we'll include it in your endorsement. When the Campaign for Change endorses you we will also post your information on the website, which you may download, print, e-mail or otherwise use to advance your candidacy and campaign.
The sooner you submit the questionnaire, the sooner we can endorse you, and the sooner we can help you publicize and win your race!
Individuals selected for endorsement will be given an opportunity to speak at the Progressive Populist Caucus on Friday June 6, from 10:30 until noon, Level 3, Rm. 9, A-B-C.
(Bill Dingus it the Democratic nominee against Tom Craddick. At least I think. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
A Message to House District 82 and All Texans
Why it is necessary that I sue the Texas Democratic Party.
From the beginning of this campaign, I have said that I am running to give the people of House District 82 a choice in who represents them in the Texas House.
And from the beginning, the Republican Party - with Tom Craddick operating in the background - has worked to deny the voters a choice.
As you may recall, when I filed to run for State Representative an attorney advised me that I could continue to serve on the Midland City Council because a federal court ruling superseded provisions of the state constitution. However, a federal judge later issued an order counter to this attorney's advice. The judge's ruling did not remove me from the ballot, but it has left my campaign in legal limbo.
After the ruling came out, the Texas Republican Party issued a press release crowing about its "victory." In my book, denying the voters a choice is not a victory, but a suppression of democracy.
Believing the judge in error, the Texas Democratic Party appealed that decision last Friday. However, my campaign is still in limbo and it is now clear that I can only resolve this issue by going to court.
I must act quickly, as there is a deadline looming - August 22. If the Republican leaders were to succeed in kicking me off the ballot after that date, the Democratic Party would be unable to replace me, and the Republican Party will have succeeded in denying the people a choice.
