The Houston Chronicle's Texas on the Potomac blog has used Change.gov to come up with a list of 88 Texans who have contributed to Barack Obama's inaugural committee.
Only three Texans have given $5000, the maximum contribution set by Obama's team.
One of the $5000 contributors is Mikal Watts, the trial lawyer and major Democratic donor who explored running for the U.S. Senate last year.
Melanie Barnes, wife of former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes who now runs one of Washington's most successful lobbying firms, the Ben Barnes Group, also gave $5000.
The final Texan who contributed $5000 is Bill Perkins, the Houston venture capitalist who raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Obama's campaign.
You’re invited to a roundtable discussion with former Texas Lt. Governor Ben Barnes. He’ll talk with about Texas political history, the upcoming election season and the importance of youth activism. He’ll also bring copies of his new book: Barn Burning, Barn Building.
WHERE: Texas Freedom Network Headquarters, 608 West 22nd St. (in between Nueces & Rio Grande) WHEN: Today, 4/30 at 4:00pm; Free pizza served at 3:45pm.
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.
I recently had the chance to sit down with Governor Barnes and ask a few questions. Here's his commentary on the current state of the lottery:
I also wanted to correct some egregious errors in my previous post about Barnes and his real estate doings. I got two bridges confused. I blamed Governor Barnes for the 360 bridge which he had nothing to do with.
In fact, the bridge that Governor Barnes built is ugly but was deliberately designed to have a minimal environmental impact and involved no blasting.
My take on Governor Barnes' involvement with the creation of the Texas Lottery is below the fold.
[UPDATE]I made some egregious errors in this post. I incorrectly blamed Barnes and Connally for the 360 bridge and called that bridge the Barton Creek bridge. This is the bridge that Barnes built:
It didn't involve any blasting and was based on a bridge that Governor Barnes had heard of in Switzerland that was one of the least environmentally damaging in the world at that time. Thanks to Alfred Stanley for pointing out that mistake and for Governor Barnes for giving me more info on that.
Here's the original post:
After I finished my first post on Ben Barnes, I found this quote from a 2001 feature in Texas Monthly and I just had to include it.
But the résumé does not even begin to hint at what he is really like. In person he has an overwhelming presence, partly because of his height (six foot three); partly because of his hair, which today is more orange than red; but most of all, because of the immense energy that bursts forth in his body language and his speech.
Whatever he is trying to tell you-it could be something as simple as who we are going to see today in Washington or as complex as what the Democratic message should be in Texas-he is so forceful, so enthusiastic, so optimistic that you cannot help but believe too that it is totally, obviously, the right thing to do. You go into a conversation with him remembering how controversial he has been, vowing to be on guard, but it doesn't matter. You come out thinking, "Wow!"
He advocated policies that were far ahead of his time: making Spanish a required course for every high school student, reducing the penalty for possession of marijuana, raising taxes to address the problems of urban Texas.
I'd have to concur. Governor Barnes remains an amazing presence. At 68 years old he still brings to bear an awesome influence over both Texas and national politics.
Ben Barnes' autobiography brushes over the 34 years after his political career was cut short. There are three reasons for that I think:
He's been a private citizen since 1972 so it made sense to focus on his public career.
He wanted to focus on what the Lyndon Johnson/John Connally wing of the Democratic Party accomplished in the 1960s: major improvements to public education, laying the groundwork for Texas' technology industry; and Barnes' own progressive spin on that formula: passing minimum wage laws, mentoring Barbara Jordan, etc.
Real estate development and lobbying -- the businesses Barnes has pursued since -- just ain't pretty.
(Another interesting part of an important off cycle conversation. - promoted by Matt Glazer)
Blogging about Ben Barnes brings up a lot of conflicts -- conflicting emotions, generational conflicts, political conflicts, and especially conflicts of interest.
The powerful Barnes, sometimes called the "51st Democratic Senator", is easily the most charismatic living Texas Democrat. He is also easily the most controversial and dogged by scandal.
For those who are not students of Texas political history and/or modern big money politics, Ben Barnes is a Texan mega-lobbyist and power broker. In 2004 he inadvertantly triggered "Rather-gate" with his admission that he helped George W. Bush get into the National Guard as Texas' Lt. Governor in 1968.
At age 26 Ben Barnes was the youngest ever Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. At 30, Barnes was elected Lieutenant Governor and after cruising to re-election in 1970 he seemed a sure shot to be elected Governor in 1972.
I've seen Barnes speak many times -- most notably at the summer 2004 Austin for Kerry meetup where he admitted on video that he helped Bush get into the national guard in 1968 -- and he's still a charismatic speaker who can rouse a crowd like few I've seen.
When I think that he could have been the youngest elected governor in Texas history in 1972...and that he very well might have run for the presidency in 1976...a string of painful what ifs come to mind. I have no doubt that Jimmy Carter is the more ethical of the two men, but I also have no doubt that Ben Barnes is a far more effective politician and that had he been elected President in 1976 history would be very different today. Coulda woulda shoulda...
However, fate and Richard Nixon's dirty tricks crew intervened. In 1971, the Sharpstown scandal, a stock-for-legislation brouhaha, splashed enough mud on Barnes to end his career. Although never accused of accepting stock as a quid pro quo for passing legislation favorable to banker Frank Sharp, Barnes' political career took a mortal blow.
Word out of the nation's capital this weekend is that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has asked former Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes to head up a "Democrats for Hutchison," sparking renewed speculation that Texas' senior solon has made her decision to take on Rick Perry in what promises to be a bruising GOP primary.
Barnes, a longtime Hutchison supporter, was at the center of last fall's CBS controversy over reports that George W. Bush was AWOL from much of his National Guard duties in the early Seventies. For Hutchison to call on him now has raised eyebrows among her supporters who wonder whether aligning herself this closely to the Bush-bashing Barnes makes sense in a GOP primary.
It should also be noted that Barnes is also close to Carole Keeton Strayhorn, the feisty State Comptroller who is also said to be looking at a primary challenge against the hapless Perry. Strayhorn boasts not one, but two, sons who work directly for the President in Washingon, leading some back here in Texas to conclude that she has at least winking approval for the White House for her ongoing jihad against Perry - the least popular politician in the state, according to the latest Texas Poll.
Seems like "Mr. Democrat" has a habit for falling for those Republican ladies. I'm doing a video interview of Governor Barnes on the 9th of February, please submit questions you'd like to see asked.
And to all those on the Texas blog scene that I offended yesterday. Sincere apologies. Lots of madness in ol' SmartyVille yesterday.
The article shows the reason Ben Barnes has been backing Carole Keeton Rylander Strayhorn at the expense of Texas Democrats since fall of 2000.
Former Lt. GOY, Ben Barnes is known at the Capitol as Mr. Democrat, but he may be, backing Republican Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander's re-election because she has made a $12 million state investment in one his affiliated companies.
Democratic comptroller nominee Marty Akins said Barnes told him last fall that a business relationship with the comptroller's office would prevent him from supporting Akins in his challenge to Rylander. Akins, who had announced as a candidate for governor, said he called Barnes after deciding to run instead for comptroller.
"He (Barnes) was most gracious. He would eagerly support me for any other race other than comptroller because he had a business relationship with Carole Keeton Rylander and the comptroller's office." Akins said in response to questions from the Houston Chronicle.
Barnes, who helped build this year's statewide Democratic ticket, said Akins is wrong.
Barnes said he supported Democrat Paul Hobby in the 1998 comptroller race because Hobby asked first. Barnes said he pledged support for Rylander's re-election three years ago because she is an old family friend.
"I've got no ongoing relationship with the comptroller's office," Barnes said in an interview.
But Barnes sits on the board of advisers of Techxas Ventures, a high-tech venture capital firm that invests in Texas companies. Barnes said his investment in the company amounts to less than 1 percent of its total worth.
Rylander's office in the fall of 2000 committed to invest $20 million of the state's tobacco settlement money with Techxas Ventures II L.P., one of the firm's investment funds.
"Oh, yeah, I remember that, now that you mention it," Barnes said.
The comptroller's office transferred the first $4 million of its promised investment to Techxas on Dec. 5, 2000.
Three days later, Barnes' adult son, Greg, gave Rylander $7,500, and Techxas board member Richard Salwen donated $25,000.
Barnes said his son is not involved in Techxas in any way.
Rylander and Bames said they never discussed the Techxas investment.
Rylander said the contributions from Greg Barnes and Salwen were coincidental because she was raising money to beat a Dec. 10 deadline. After that date, no statewide officeholder could raise political money until the 2001 legislative session was over.
Two days after the deadline passed, Techxas general partners Bruce Ezell and Michael LaVigna each donated $10,000 to the Associated Republicans of Texas. One of Rylander's personal aides is the son of the association's executive director.
Since then, Techxas has drawn another $8 million from the tobacco fund. Rylander's campaign has received another $15,000 from Greg Barnes and Salwen. [NOTE any typos occurred in transferring the text from the pdf which is apparently based on a printout from a Lexus Nexus search]
For the record I have immense respect for Governor Barnes (as a former Lt. Governor of Texas he is addressed as Governor) but agree with much of this note from reader:
There is one thing that strikes me in this ongoing debate about the Democratic Party.
The real targets are left untouched.
Who am I talking about? Ben Barnes is at the top of the list. A power broker par excellence and charter member of the Me First school of self-centered politics, Barnes long ago stopped letting the greater good stand in the way of his own personal ambition or financial gain. For him public service and partisan politics are all about which candidates can help him line his pockets - period.
As Lt. Governor in the early 1970s, he fell all over himself to help a young George W. Bush escape dangerous military service and instead get a coveted spot in the Texas National Guard. Then, Barnes spent the next quarter-century refusing to talk publicly (privately, he told anyone next to him on a bar stool who was willing to listen) about the favor his did for the Bush Family while first Pappy, then Jebby, then W. rose to power and did irreparable harm to the ideals Democrats like Barnes claim to hold dear.
Along the way, Barnes has repeatedly sold out his party and its principles when the price was right, which it often has been. He kept quiet about George W.'s military service when Bush made sure that the lucrative Texas Lottery contract would remain his. He has worked behind the scenes to keep good candidates out of statewide races by cutting off their funds. And this year, he supported Republican-turned-Independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn over potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates - including the eventual nominee, Chris Bell - to safeguard his personal business interests, which include a major contract with the State Comptroller and controlled by Strayhorn.
Don't get me wrong. Soulless lobbyists are commonplace in D.C. and in Austin. It's just that most them don't simultaneously dictate Democratic Party decisions at the highest level, from Harry Reid to Boyd Richie. Barnes does.
There are plenty of villains who make the goal of "crashing the gates" and turning the current Democratic Party structure on its head a worthy one. But none is more destructive to our long-term ideals than Ben Barnes.
And I want to make it clear that while I disagree with his actions and question his motives, I would never presume to question his service to Texas, his service to the Democratic Party or this country in the course of his lifetime.
What I am questioning is his support of Rylander Strayhorn since 2000 and his motivations for that. [UPDATE] I just got off the phone with Governor Barnes and he has agreed to sit down with me for a video interview on February 9. Stay tuned.
