Political Maneuvering Begins in Republican Primaries

by: liberaltexan

Tue Dec 01, 2009 at 07:59 PM CST

According to an article in the Eagle, Senator Ogden's office made a statement that there will be an announcement later this week about the upcoming election. Currently Ogden's campaign web site displays the Senator's statement from earlier this year in regards to not seeking reelection. Ben Bius, the only other Republican seeking the nomination for Senate District Five, made a statement in the Eagle article that the speculation about Ogden running for reelection is "completely unfounded and baseless."

Could it be a question of fundraising? According to Texas Ethics Commission records, Senator Ogden reported $737,578 cash on hand as of the July Semiannual campaign finance report, while Representative Gattis reported only $81,039 on hand as of the July Semiannual campaign finance report. However, according to the latest campaign finance report, Ben Bius has reported no campaign contributions. Even if Gattis is having a difficult time raising money before the primary it does not mean that he would have a difficult time raising money for a general election, and the likelihood that he would face a serious Democratic opponent is low.

More Below the Fold...

College Station City Council Elections: Students Challenge Incumbent

by: liberaltexan

Wed May 06, 2009 at 07:35 PM CDT

Ruesink has served on the on the city council for the last three years, and the Bryan-College Station newspaper The Eagle said in a recent editorial that he "has shown himself to be more than up to the challenge of the job."

Ruesink supports funding for a permanent farmers marker in a visible central locations, and noted that having a market in Central Park would be a step forward but that a better location should be found. Also, Ruesink supports "smart growth," as opposed to urban sprawl, and has proposed the possibility of rasping property taxes on undeveloped property within the city to "make it more attractive to sell than to hold onto the land."

The construction of a new city hall has been an issue of great concern, and Ruesink had the most thoughtful approach to the problem. While agreeing that the city needs to be expanded, he also noted that it might not be possible to expand the current city hall efficiently in its current location. Ruesink said that "it would be more effective to being a totally new building that could incorporation "green" methods for construction."

*Note: Ruesink did not respond to Brazos Progressives questions about the US Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement, the curb side recycling program, or access for pedestrians, bicyclist, and wheel chair users.

More On the Other Candidates Below the Fold...

Bryan City Council Elections: Southerland and Hughes Unopposed

by: liberaltexan

Tue May 05, 2009 at 06:30 PM CDT

More Below the Fold...

Meet Texas Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Schieffer

by: Bt

Mon May 04, 2009 at 11:59 PM CDT

Though I haven't made any sort of decision in this race (considering it is still early), I figured this would be something people in the Austin community would like to know about.  It should prove to be a great opportunity to meet our only declared candidate for the Governor's Mansion:

Come meet Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Tom Schieffer at Scholz Beer Garten. Enjoy a cold drink and meet Tom Schieffer, former State Legislator, Texas Rangers Baseball President, and United States Ambassador to Australia and Japan, as he launches his campaign to become the Texas Democratic Party's nominee for Governor in 2010.

 Ambassador Tom Schieffer

Scholz Beer Garten.

Friday, May 8.

5:00-8:00 PM.

Austin's Mayoral Elections: Go Vote!

by: TomBombadil

Thu Apr 23, 2009 at 00:39 PM CDT

First, if you aren't planning on voting, that's just foolish. This past November Al Franken won a Minnesota Senate seat by 312 votes. That was out of nearly 3 million votes cast. 312 out of 3 million. That's all that made the difference in a statewide Senate race. That's such a small percentage I can't even figure it out. Like one-tenth of one percent or something. (And hopefully Al will get to take his Senate seat before 2014 when he runs for reelection.)

By contrast, the Austin mayoral election is going to be decided by a lot fewer votes. The projected turnout is around 60,000. If Austin were to pull a Minnesota then this election would be decided by 6 people. (Or maybe six-tenths of one person, not actually sure on the math on that one.) So, it is incredibly important for you to get out to the polls and vote.

If you haven't looked into the Austin mayoral race there are five people running. But only one of them is right for Austin. His name is Brewster McCracken and he is the current Mayor Pro-Tem. And yes, his name sounds like it should be, "Coming this summer Will Ferrell in Mayoral Race: The Legend of Brewster McCracken," but he's an incredible candidate.

There's a bunch of reasons why I support Brewster, but I'll only list a few of them here. As an aspiring screenwriter who wants to get back into the film business, I want to see Austin as a thriving metropolis of film. In 2002 Austin was second only to Hollywood for film productions. But with the recent tax incentives in Albuquerque and Shreveport, Austin is losing business to our neighbors to the east and west. Brewster is a strong proponent of getting Austin's tax credits back to where they should be: the best in the country. He believes that the creative economy (both digital and music) is a top priority for the continued success in Austin. Most people probably don't realize the vast amount of money that a film brings into a town. But it is massive. They spend millions of dollars on housing, clothing, props, food, and rental cars, just to name a few. Not to mention the hundreds of local people hired for each film.

Brewster also believes that Austin can become the clean energy capital of the world. He wants to bring in solar, wind and biotech to make this city green in both the literal and figurative sense. And he's got the credentials to back it up. Brewster has been the driving force in the city for the Pecan Street Project, a revolutionary initiative designed to keep Austin at the forefront of clean energy.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of driving Brewster around town to a few campaign events. While in the car, we got to chatting about my past political experiences amongst other things. I told him about how I was in Missouri during the gay marriage ban in 2004. He shook his head and said that those bans were just horrendous. It's that sort of candor and honesty that we need from our politicians. By contrast, John Kerry supported Missouri's ban in 2004. We need more than just pleasantries about equal rights from our politicians. We need their open support towards fighting injustice.

This election is incredibly important. Austin, much like many other places in America, is at a crossroads. One path is to continue the way things were, and hope that jobs and prosperity returns. The other path is with Brewster McCracken. He wants to build an infrastructure of clean energy and creative digital media for Austin. Those are jobs that can't be shipped overseas. And that's the kind of leadership that Austin needs right now. Please get out and vote.

CALL TO ACTION: Call the Texas State Senate! Stop Voter Suppression!

by: legalpad

Sat Mar 07, 2009 at 11:03 PM CST

The Honorable Jeff Wentworth
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711
(512) 463-0125
fax: (512) 463-7794
email: http://www.senate.state.tx.us/...

The Honorable Joan Huffman
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711
(512) 463-0117
email: http://www.senate.state.tx.us/...

The Honorable Tommy Williams
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711
(512) 463-0104
(512) 463-6373 fax
email: http://www.senate.state.tx.us/...

The Honorable Glenn Hegar
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711
(512) 463-0118
fax: (512) 475-3736
email: http://www.senate.state.tx.us/...

The Honorable Steve Ogden
P.O. Box 12068
Capitol Station
Austin, Texas 78711
(512) 463-0105
(512) 463-5713 (fax)
email: http://www.senate.state.tx.us/...

Let them know: (below the fold)

A Case for Van de Putte for Governor

by: Robert Ryland

Fri Feb 20, 2009 at 02:39 AM CST

Que es esto? Phillip's recent post floating Sen. Leticia Van de Putte as a gubernatorial possibility made me pause in uffish thought for awhile today.   While I'd pondered her as a statewide before, it never really occurred to me to put her at the top of the list, but the post made me dig a little deeper and do some cipherin' (as my grandfather used to say).

My first thought was, damn that's a great media piece in the SA Current to start things off. Somebody in her camp has their act together - all the way down to the photos, which make her look tall and commanding and serious (as opposed to short and matronly), without sacrificing her femininity.  I like where this is going, PR-wise, if nothing else.

Then I thought some more, going down my mental list of vital candidate criteria and what a Democrat needs to knock off the jackals who currently control the machinery of our state gubmint...

I couldn't come up with a single weakness in her profile. Unless of course it's just not mathematically possible to elect a Latina as Texas Governor yet. My cursory reading of the numbers suggest that it's not out of the realm of possibility, given a combination of circumstances next year, but perhaps someone else can work over the numbers more closely and see what they yield. For the moment, I'm in love with the idea of this woman leading our cabal into the breach in 2010...and here's a few reasons why - (after the jump, if there is one around here...)

Williamson County Elections Administrator, Rick Barron, Misleads Voters

by: PaulR

Mon Oct 20, 2008 at 01:08 PM CDT

Local resident, Ms. Sherry Dana, reports problems at polls

Round Rock, Texas. October 20, 2008- Ms. Sherry Dana went to the polls in Round Rock this morning ready to vote a straight ticket.

"I voted at the main location this morning. I voted straight D then clicked on a Democratic candidate. When my ballot came up for review the race where I had clicked on the Dem candidate said 'No Selection Made'".

"I said Democrats and Libertarians should mark each race because they don't have candidates in all the races and they might want to vote for other candidates in those races."

What Mr. Barron leaves out is the following vital information to voters:

• Voting a straight party and subsequently choosing a candidate of the same party de-selects that candidate.
• Voters must know that pushing the flashing, "VOTE" button DOES NOT record their vote. You must push "CONFIRM" for the vote to be recorded.

The right to vote is the foundation of a free and democratic society. All voters, regardless of party, must feel confident that their vote has been properly cast. Mr. Barron has a duty to make accurate and timely information available to Williamson County voters.

Steps should be taken by Mr. Barron immediately to make sure Ms. Dana's experience is an isolated mistake.

• Mr. Barron must amend his statement to the Taylor Daily Press.
• Mr. Barron must post accurate voting instruction in each voting booth.
• Mr. Barron must ensure that all Election Judges, Alternate Judges, and Clerks are properly trained and will correctly advise Williamson County voters.

Contact:
Braden Frame. Campaign Manager, Jaime Lynn Campaign
512-413-6953
bradenframe@gmail.com

Genevieve Van Cleve, Campaign Manager, Diana Maldonado Campaign
512-573-3630
gen@dianamaldonado.com

Melancon (D for TX 4th), "Do you have a surfboard?"

by: Glenn Melancon

Mon Aug 25, 2008 at 03:26 PM CDT

You can make a difference right now with our Online Phone Bank!  Help me identify potential supporters.  An online phone bank looks much like a typical phone bank, but it's paperless.   All the information you'll need is on your computer through the internet.

http://www.melanconforuscongre...

The script and the "clickable" answers are on the screen.  As you read the script and get responses, simply click the appropriate answer.  When you hit "submit", the info feeds back into Texas VAN, and a new voter pops onto the screen for the next call. You can work from home, office, or a phone bank site.  You can work for a few minutes between doing household chores or for hours at a time.

http://www.melanconforuscongre...

Please take a minute to register as a volunteer.  Once you sign up, we'll provide you with the login information and a copy of the script.  You can get started right away.  Forward this email to your friends and family and ask them to volunteer too.

http://www.melanconforuscongre...

Cornyn's Comm. Dir. Should Learn to Spell

by: Triangulation of Death

Fri Jul 18, 2008 at 04:35 PM CDT

Just got this great e-mail from John Cornyn's campaign pimping their last anti-Noriega fundraising e-mail:

   Team:

   See note below from our communications director, thanks for what you have done in last 24 hours, let's keep it going.

   From: Kevin McLaughlin
   Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 1:40 PM
   To: Rob Jesmer
   Subject: Nutroots

   Rob-

   2 things;

   1) Our guys at the convention told us Noreiga and his out-of-state buddies spent the morning attacking Senator Cornyn

   2) according to finance team, the fact that Dean and Pelosi came in to shill for Noreiga really fired up our supporters the last 24 hours. We have raised well over 10K and I think we could another 10k if we send out the email below again.

   Talk soon,

   Kevin

You know, it might be a good idea to hire someone (or two someones, since Rob Jesmer, Cornyn's campaign manager didn't even correct the misspelling in the e-mail) who can actually spell your opponent's name. Especially your communications director.

As for the message . . . Noriega and the rest of the Netroots and Dem leadership who showed up bashed Cornyn!? STOP THE PRESSES! SOUND THE ALARM! TIP THE COW!

Anyway, I guess "Buck Smith"/David Beckwith must be earning his keep (and some Democratic schwag) by attending Netroots Nation.

More to the point, Kevin, you really need to learn how to (a) spell and (b) not make yourself look like an ass in the press (yes, I'm talking about that asinine comment about "Buck Smith" speaking for himself and all that other BS you pulled from that place beneath your nose that resembles an asshole when BOR outed Beckwith).

By the way, Kev: Since "Buck Smith" speaks for himself, why isn't he posting on BOR any more?