Today's Northeast Bexar County Democrats meeting was a forum for congressional candidates and the TX 35 race was the most hotly contested with 3 candidates. Patrick Shearer made a strong case for his candidacy and the need for a progressive who will not just vote the right way but who will be a real leader.
The club members seemed genuinely enthusiastic about his candidacy and one attendee told me that Patrick is just the kind of congressman the district deserves. That same person, a Hispanic male, was disappointed in Sylvia Romo whose case for her candidacy was largely "this district was drawn as a minority district and I'm a Latina, I represent diversity."
Patrick Shearer, candidate for US Congress in district 35 spoke to the Dem's Café Wednesday evening, the democratic club in Schertz/Cibolo. The members in attendance were sufficiently impressed with him that we all signed his petition for a place on the primary ballot which would allow him to save the $3000 filing fee and use those funds for campaigning instead. Given that his is a grassroots campaign he'll need every penny he can get. http://shearerforcongress.com/
We asked Mr. Shearer about his positions on various issues and he kindly responded to all of them, this is my interpretation of his answers as I of course can't speak for him.
Come to think of it, they like to argue and obfuscate in abstractions, as well. They campaign in abstractions and make abstract pledges until those abstractions turn into something tangible, like a subprime lending crisis or a downgrade from a particular private rating agency.
We spend so much time wading through abstractions that we cannot get to the meat of the issues that face us today. Enough of that.
What really happens in a bad economy? And what is the public's role during these tough times?
It has been a tough news weekend for the United States.
I've been blocking out news coverage today and cringing every time I hear a partisan or pundit prognosticate about the decline of America, or our supposed shuffle closer to doomsday.
My heart breaks hard every time I think about the selfless men and women we lost in Afghanistan this weekend. Brothers and sisters alike, it seems almost trivial to sit here tonight and type--a freedom they have won for me--while so many are facing grim realities and long, tense moments of combat half a world away.
It's easy to lose focus of who you are and what you stand for in times like these.
Tonight, I'm reminded of a famous speech given by a wartime American president from Illinois (emphasis added):
"It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
It is easy to cower in the face of disappointment or unspeakable tragedy, to cave to the demands of those playing the temporary game of political opportunism. In these times, we should not forget who we are:
Has anyone read the latest posts about the Jack McDonald vs Michael McCaul race for the Texas 10th District? We deserve a strong, progressive Democratic candidate in a district which is trending Blue. Increasingly, it looks like McDonald has the same "I'm not really a Republican" problem plaguing Tom Schieffer's candidacy.
I have found a few documents that I find very surprising and require some answers. A short ten years ago, Jack McDonald was registered as a Republican in New York City where he worked for a prominent Wall Street law firm. See the link below:
Okay, so he was once registered GOP - I'd like to know why and what changed his heart and I'm sure I can accept those answers. What deserves a little more explanation is why he was repeatedly donating to George W Bush - one big contribution coming as late as 2003. See the link below:
Our last TX-10 candidate, Larry Joe Doherty recently put his support behind Jack McDonald, but is anyone asking any questions about McDonald's past political affiliations, his donations, and his positions on key progressive issues? I think it is very important that we know who he is, what he stands for, and where he is going to lead our Congressional District, if elected.
I will tell you were they have gone. They have gone fleeing the Democratic Party for all of its retched betrayal of people and principle. Nowhere is this truer than in Texas. And seldom has it been more clearly exemplified than with Mark Duncan's front page expose in political mediocrity in an attempt to discredit the candidacy of Ray McMurrey.
Duncan rambles through four points, three strikes and slogs on to even further muddy his own Bush Dog reasoning. Money, electability based on surname, connection to the good ol' boys of the TDP and something about Gene Kelly, and not a point of policy or principle in any of it.
In a fit of irony McMurrey is called a single issue candidate, which of course would give him exactly one more issue than Mr. Noriega seems to claim. Campaign finance reform is the part of McMurrey's well rounded platform that was chosen as his single issue. If McMurrey is running on this single issue, why do you suppose that Noriega has refused his offer to debate on immigration? I suppose that Mr. Duncan feels that the immigration issue goes to the man with an Hispanic surname and not the guy with policy points who is willing to actually address the issues in public.
He claims that McMurrey is a Democrat of convenience. I am not going to defend McMurrey from this charge. I am going to defend the charge on my own account. I am a Democrat of convenience. I would not presume to speak for Mr. McMurrey. But let me please address this often repeated bit of moronic Democratic nationalism. I have always voted Democratic, not because I thought that the Democrat in most cases represented my values, but because we are shackled to a political monopoly in which the corporate D is less offensive than the corporate R. I grew up in the company of Yellow Dog Democrats and watched them resist, with all of their might, any substantive changes within the party or the country. And now we have this new generation of neoyellowdogs. No matter how repugnant a direction they are lead, they will remain true to the D without a thought in their head to the bigger picture or the supposed principle of what is to be a Democrat or even democratic. And through blind obedience they will resist the winds of change. I am a progressive and a populist first and a Democrat only of convenience. Raise your flag and point your finger at me you obedient and complacent party true. I will continue to stand at democracy's door welcoming back those brave progressives who in desperation have left the party and allowed it to drift so far to the right. There are those who use their podium to argue for exclusion and privilege within the party of the people. But do not be mistaken in thinking that this is the podium of progressives. It is not.
To drive home the point of his arrogant sense of entitlement Duncan says that McMurrey is clueless because he has welcomed Gene Kelly into the race. He asks, "What type of Democrat would welcome Gene Kelly into a Democratic primary?" And just what type of Democrat would denies access to the Democratic primary or debate? But Duncan goes on to damn McMurrey for uttering these words: "Democracy demands that we have more than one choice in who will represent us. ... Democrats are about inclusion, not exclusion. We are about expanding democracy, not limiting it." Indeed, Mr. Duncan seems to be arguing that we are not inclusive, that we seek to limit democracy and that we allow a choice of only one.
Duncan embarrassingly trudges on with preposterous twists of logic such as claiming that McMurrey has compared himself to Larry Kilgore because he suggests that he should have the same right as Kilgore to debate his opponent. Indeed one would like to think that free and open debate is more indicative of the Democratic Party, but in Texas with our party and its apologists that distinction goes to the party of Tom Delay and Tom Craddick.
This hackneyed cronyism of political mediocrity seems to increasingly be the fate of BOR who appears content to be the well fed lapdog of the TDP rather than a voice of reform. Indeed Noriega is the progressive choice. And war is peace.
With Democrats on the verge of winning back the majority in the Texas House and sweeping the National Majority, I have spent the last few weeks wondering what we are going to do once in power. We must first consider the reasons for this momentous change. Texans are unhappy with the recent work of the state government. Whether it’s because of continued abuse of the environment, a lack of compassion for children in need of health care, or ignorance towards the fact that education is the key towards progress, one thing is for certain, we are tired of having special interests and big business receive more attention that the voting public.
(Best party in Austin tonight -- come by if you can! - promoted by Burnt Orange Report)
Congratulations on surviving another legislative session. We’ve fought the good fight, and now it’s time to celebrate!
WHAT: Progressive Sine Die Party with Live Music WHEN: Tuesday, May 29 – 5:30 PM WHERE: Scholz’s Garten, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd
Travis County’s very own Sen. Kirk Watson will emcee this exciting event. Come enjoy free appetizers, cold beverages and local live music from Brent Adair and Odyssey, Austin’s premier Journey cover band.
It is with great excitement that the Texas Roosevelt Institution invites you to our first meeting of the fall semester! We are the local chapter of the thriving national progressive think tank known as the Roosevelt Institution. We're students, we research policy, and we put our research onto policy-makers' desks. We believe we can improve our society and the time to do so is now!
If you are interested in being a part of this rising movement, please join us at our event. It will take place at 5:30 PM on Tuesday, September 26 at SRH 3.109 (1st floor of the LBJ school of Public Affairs). We will give a brief presentation of our organization, the progressive movement, and the opportunities available for students to conduct meaningful research. If you are unable to attend, please send e-mail to me@kedrontouvell.com for further information. You may also peruse http://utexas.rooseveltinstitution.org for additional background information.
Again, we hope to see you next Tuesday. Remember, all levels (undergrad, grad, professional, etc.) of students are welcome to attend!
Sincerely,
Your Roosevelt Team
Eve Richter, Executive Director
Kedron Touvell, Communications Director
I was reading through the stacks of newspapers that I have to as a requirement of my job, when I came upon an article by Doug Cross of the Atlanta Associated Press about an increase in single-sex public schools expected with rule change ( "More single-sex public schools expected with rule change" ). This trend, and trends like it, has been gaining ground in the United States. While it may seem progressive by some, in that it comes at male and female students on "their own terms," it is far from progressive. It is, in fact, a regressive move championed by both conservatives and liberals for different reasons. And in this case, both sides are wrong.
