Remember the stories just a few months ago about Walmart executives sitting all their employees down and sternly warning them to vote Republican? Because if they didn't, the evil unions would take over the world, and then there would be no jobs?
Earlier this month the Wall Street Journal reported that Wal-Mart, fearful of mandatory labor laws, is politically bullying its employees to vote Republican in this year's election.
...
Wal-Mart strongly opposes the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which supports unionization and seeks to establish higher penalties for violations of employee rights. The EFCA would likely be passed under a democratic leadership, so Wal-Mart educates its employees about its strong rejection of the bill, but doesn't tell them how to vote, according to David Tovar, Wal-Mart's spokesman. With the EFCA still dormant, the company's managers are told to call a special hotline prepared to swiftly diffuse any type of situation that may involve potential employee organization.
Well... Walmart's now flexing its muscles to indicate its preparedness to back up its ugly threats. Details below the fold.
Tomorrow we will be hosting our weekly Blog Talk Radio show where we will be discussing the U.S. Senate Race from Texas. We will have a lengthy discussion with Pollster Loren Collingwood about the recent Research 2000 results as well as other factors that favor a last minute push by Noriega.
We will also talk about the latest Michele Bachman comments as well as national polling trends.
Please join us from 11:00 - 12:00 central time tomorrow and you are welcome to call in with your questions and comments.
Probably the most difficult thing about being a SessionsWatcher is actually seeing Pete Sessions in person. It's kinda like hanging out in the rain forest with binoculars, trying to catch a glimpse of a rare bird that only shows up every two years, then flits away into the night.
After last night's debate--which only lasted half an hour--Sessions made a hasty retreat out the door of the elementary school cafetorium, instead of hanging around with constituents, enjoying cookies and coffee and listening to the other debates of the evening...
October 6th is the last day to register voters for the 2008 elections. It is time for everyone to get involved and make a difference. Anyone in Texas can be sworn in as a deputy voter registrar and register voters. All you have to do is go to your county Tax Assessor office and be sworn in. Voter registration is at an all time high across the nation but we can do better with your help.
Follow me below the fold to find out all the ways you can help register voters and help make this the most historic election in Texas history.
In a conference call this past weekend, some in the media found a way the Democratic Party was planning to attack John McCain, a military veteran, on military issues.
Along with a cast of Democratic veterans, the anti-McCain offensive is being led by Texas Rep. Chet Edwards, the leading House Democratic voice on veterans' issues.
"All Americans, myself included, deeply respect Sen. McCain's military service and sacrifice in the Vietnam War," Edwards, D-Waco, said. "But most Americans would be surprised and disappointed to find out that Sen. McCain has repeatedly voted against improved health care and benefits for millions of veterans.
"It's difficult to understand how, during a time of war, that Sen. McCain can support massive tax cuts for Exxon-Mobil and people making over $1 million a year, while saying, via his votes, that we cannot afford to increase funding for veterans' health care and benefits."
Edwards, chairman of the House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Appropriations Subcommittee, points out that the Disabled American Veterans gives McCain a lifetime voting rating of 39 percent, while Democrat Barack Obama scores 89 percent by this vets' group. A group of Iraq and Afghan war vets gives McCain a grade of "D," while Obama scores a "B+," Edwards added.
"I think, despite his service -- distinguished service -- to our country, his political record on veterans has been out of touch and often wrong," said Edwards.
We can only speculate on the possibility that Chet Edwards is even being considered for the Veep slot with Barack Obama, but it's a sure thing that he'll be helping the campaign. And that, regardless of who Obama chooses, should be a good thing in this campaign.
One of my proud feelings about the Texas netroots has been our ability to help money come to our local candidates. Now we have an opportunity once more.
Many of you are familiar with Russ Feingold's Progressive Patriots program. Well, there's now a vote for House Challengers.
And Larry Joe Doherty has a chance to bring 5 grand back to help Texas turn blue.
CQ Politics has done a run-through of some of the key races in the nation (and at least in Texas), and they've decided to change some of their prediction-ratings.
First, the good news:
• Texas' 7th(New Rating: Republican Favored. Previous Rating: Safe Republican). With more than $1 million in his campaign account as July began, Democrat Michael Skelly, a wind energy executive who is taking on four-term Republican Rep. John Culberson , is among the best-funded challengers in the nation. Skelly has ample personal wealth, though the vast majority of his campaign funds have come from individual donors. Culberson, who was re-elected in 2006 with 59 percent of the vote, has significantly ramped up his fundraising this year.
• Texas' 10th(New Rating: Republican Favored. Previous Rating: Safe Republican). Democrat Larry Joe Doherty, a trial lawyer, has had success raising money for his uphill campaign against Republican Rep. Mike McCaul, who is in his second term representing a district that stretches from eastern Austin to the suburbs west of Houston. CQ Politics was also swayed to re-rank Texas 10 as Republican Favored in part because McCaul's 55 percent showing in 2006 was not overwhelming. Like Skelly in Texas' 7th, Doherty is running in a district with a generic Republican lean and will need to attract split-ticket voters who prefer John McCain to Obama in the presidential race.
This news, in large part, stands testament to the strong campaigns of Michael Skelly and Larry Joe Doherty. The development is also result of several years of aggressiveness by Ted Ankrum, Jim Henley, and others in the past few cycles. Our more recent aggressiveness as a party has ensured that few Republicans are safe, and hopefully we'll see many dividends in November.
CQ Politics did, however, gives some not-so-pleasant news:
• Texas' 22nd(New Rating: No Clear Favorite. Previous Rating: Leans Democratic). Though the strong Republican tendencies of this mainly suburban Houston district are unmistakable, CQ Politics had kept this contest in Leans Democratic since the beginning of this campaign cycle because there was a possibility, however small, that Democratic Rep. Nick Lampson might again face Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. She is the former Houston city councilwoman who lost to Lampson in a 2006 write-in campaign that followed the ill-timed resignation of former Republican leader Tom DeLay. But, in a Republican runoff election in early April, district Republicans rejected Sekula-Gibbs and instead backed Pete Olson, a former chief of staff to Republican Sen. John Cornyn who will be a tougher challenger for Lampson. Olson's background as a military veteran will be helpful to his campaign, and his Capitol Hill ties have helped him raise money. Anticipating a tough race, Lampson is voting against his party far more often than he did when he represented a much less Republican-leaning district from 1997 through 2004.
If Nick Lampson gets through this alive, he might need to study the work of a Mr. Chet Edwards. Their situations draw similar situations.
Until then, however, hopefully the Democratic constituents in CD22 will remember there's a tough race, and hopefully they'll forgive him for the votes he uses to try and save his hide.
All in all; these are probably the congressional races that deserve the most focus this cycle. I've seen the excitement around Skelly's campaign and around Doherty's campaign. I only hope the same energy goes into defending Lampson. For if we can net two seats this November, then maybe no harm would be done if another Texan graces a Presidential ticket.
Taegan Goodard poses an intriguing issue that should interest readers and writers of this blog alike.
Sen. John McCain has already shown his ignorance of the Internet, but this morning at the Personal Democracy Forum conference, Mark Soohoo, speaking on behalf of the the Arizona senator's Internet team, was asked whether McCain even uses a computer.
His response: "You don't need to use a computer to know how it shapes the country."
The admission that McCain doesn't use a computer is startling. In 1992, President George H.W. Bush took a beating for not knowing the price of milk as the country slipped into a recession. It's hard to imagine anyone in 2008 electing a president who doesn't know much about a fundamental building block of the modern economy.
My main issue with this is that so much information travels through computers and is organized in computers. If I'm not on vacation, I have to have a computer with internet access with me each day -- besides my cell phone, it's the number one way others contact me. Papers I read are now often easily transferred through the computer -- it's quicker and environmentally friendlier.
Perhaps we can take a president that doesn't use the computer. But wouldn't it be odd if the country is run with less efficient equipment than this citizen blog here?
Assuming you want your president to be able to use a computer, should we ask the same of lower positions in government? Governor, senator? What positions of government, in the world of 2008, need to utilize the advantages of the computer?
Each individual here today has provided extraordinary service to our nation in the executive branch and Congress. Several have been advising my campaign for some time. We're also honored to be joined by some of Senator Clinton's senior advisors. In the months to come, we'll be reaching out to others, as well as leaders in Congress," Senator Obama said. "The stakes in this election could not be higher. John McCain wants to continue George Bush's foreign policy which has made us less safe, less respected, and less able to lead the world. It's time to change course. It's time to end the war in Iraq responsibly, refocus on Afghanistan and al Qaeda, and renew our global leadership so that we can tackle the huge challenges of the 21st century.
Virtually every Democrat in Harris county hopes that the local party can replicate what its peers in Dallas did in 2006. It's more than just partisan bickering, too. Every countywide office is held by a GOP member, and power has gotten to their heads. No government can work like that; period.
(And Houston has thought that it might one day secure an Olympic Games -- let's secure overall good government, first. Theoretically, that should be easier.)
Matt Angle of the Lone Star Project thinks that this power is only increasing the chances of Republican loss:
With each passing day, the all-Republican county leadership in Harris County, which includes the city of Houston, is demonstrating why they should be replaced. Virtually every Republican county-wide office holder is directly or indirectly involved in an ethical or administrative scandal.
To help facilitate the arrival of good government, the Lone Star Project has launched a Republican Rap Sheet. Here you can examine the misdeeds of the Republican sheriff and Republican chief executive officer of the county.
And then at that point, we'll know why we're voting against them.
