Bio:
I grew up in Northeast Texas in the sleepy hamlet of Mount Pleasant. After graduating high school, I enlisted in the US Navy as a nuclear power plant technician. I am a physics major at UT and have interned for several prominent Democrats.
Okay, did this surprise anyone? Seriously though, Texas is back! The D and Special Teams are stronger than ever. This team is so good that they made two rookie QB's look like seasoned vets. On that note I believe that McCoy looked a little more prepared than Stead, but that was expected with him being a redshirt last season. The 2006 Texas team is just as good if not better than the 2005 National Championship team. I can see great things in the Longhorn's future.
It's that time again! The Longhorn's season gets underway tommorrow in earnest. Let me know what you think. My prediction is that UT trounces North Texas. The score will be 42-10. That's my take. I'll have a round up tomorrow after the game. What's your prediction?
Rick Perry has taken an early lead heading into the club house turn, but Chris Bell and Kinky are gaining ground. Looks like Strayhorn is dead last and heading for the glue factory. (If you don't get it, I'm trying to make a horse race analogy).
Perry: 38.3% (+0.6 since June/no change since January)
Bell: 20.8% (+1.1/+2.9)
Kinky: 20.7% (+3.2/+6.3)
Strayhorn: 11% (-3.1/-9.5)
To add a little to what Jason Stanford said over at the Chris Bell Blog, Grandma got ran over by a semi! Holy Cow, a 10ish point drop in a month! Well, either the campaigning against Strayhorn that the Bell team has been doing since the convention is working or her ballot name shenanigans are working against her. I'm not happy to see a dead heat between Chris and Kinky though...gotta do something about that. This poll was conducted before the Think Big ad buy. I've not seen any of those adverts yet, but I don't watch that much TV either. I get my Daily Show/Colbert Report free from MotherLoad!
On to the US Senate Race, KBH is down to 52%. That's down 17% from this time last year. Unfortunatly, the Radnofsky campaign is hanging out in the mid 30's (36.7 to be exact). Team Radnofsky still has a big hill to climb before November. Will she make it? No one knows!
...when you have friends like Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. (D-Brownsville). Eddie is one of the "conservatives" in our ranks. Today he pledged his support to Strayhorn for Governor.
Following last Friday’s appearance by the three primary gubernatorial challengers at the Texas Association of School Personnel Administrators, Quorum Report caught wind of an interesting political alliance, Carole Keeton Strayhorn and state Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. (D-Brownsville).
QR got in touch with Lucio who confirmed that he was indeed supporting Strayhorn. He indicated that his decision to back the independent candidate came as a result of the Texas Federation of Teachers gubernatorial endorsement, which went to Strayhorn.
I just don't get it. If you're gonna have a "D" after your name, don't you think you should back your party's candidate for governor. I don't understand how a leader in the party (and if your an elected official from a party, you are, by definition, a party leader), can contradict the will of said party. Chris Bell received damn near 70% of primary votes. The party has spoken, either shape up or ship out!
And before I'm crucified by you, dear readers, as being a party purest or advocating "partisan purging", I sincerely believe that there is some responsibility to the party when you associate yourself with the party. You might disagree with me, but that's how I feel on the matter.
The Jackson plaintiffs, which include the Democratic Congressional interveners, filed a remedial redistricting plan and brief today in the Texas redistricting case. The plan meets all the requirements set forth in the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision. The Lone Star Project has links to the brief and map below and will post all maps and an analysis of the other plans in the coming days.
Highlights of the Jackson Plaintiffs’ Plan
Cures the Voting Rights Act violation that the Supreme Court found in District 23, as well as the shape and compactness concerns in District 25;
Changes only two other districts, leaving 28 of the State’s 32 districts completely untouched;
Complies with all other federal districting requirements, including the Voting Rights Act and the Constitution’s “one person, one vote” rule; and
When compared to the current DeLay map and other remedial proposals, the Jackson plan respects cities, counties, and communties of interest and maintains both partisan and regional balance to provide fair representation for all voters, while affecting the minimum number of districts (4).
Plan Overview
The plan unites Webb County and returns it entirely to CD23 (Bonilla);
CD28 (Cuellar) picks up new population from the current CD25, primarily Hidalgo County;
CD25 (Doggett) is shifted northward and is made a compact district based in Travis County; and
CD21( L. Smith) is shifted west to pick up Hill Country Counties and other areas necessary to balance CD 23 (Bonilla).
I think this is the most fair map. Doggett gets back southern Travis and eastern Hays county (where I live), Cuellar picks up Doggett's hispanic voters and Smith picks up more rural voters. I can see this map as a win-win. The GOP , however is determined to oust Doggett, we'll see what happens.
Federal District Court Judge Sam Sparks just ruled in favor of Texas Democrats who sought an injunction to prevent Republicans in Texas Congressional District 22 from replacing Tom DeLay on the congressional ballot.
Texas Democrats argued that the U.S. Constitution, not State law, defines eligibility to serve in the U.S. Congress. Judge Sparks agreed.
More details to come.
***UPDATE*** 12:30: Excerpts from the opinion after the jump from The Lone Star Project
The Statesman article that's out is a bit misleading. It reads:
The Texas Democratic Party sued to keep the indicted Sugar Land Republican on the ballot because party officials believed that their candidate Nick Lampson could more easily defeat DeLay instead of a GOP replacement.
The TDP filed the lawsuit b/c Tom Delay and the Republican Party of Texas were trying to break the law. As Judge Sparks noted -- Delay could have easily withdrawn, but he didn't want to do that because then the RPT couldn't replace him on the ballot. The RPT could have had someone other than Delay on the ballot if Delay hadn't run in the priamry to horde money for his legal defense fund.
Of course Delay would most likely be easier to defeat in November -- but the lawsuit was followed b/c no matter who you are, or how much money you have, you don't get to run roughshod over the voters of Texas. We saw that in the redistricting ruling last week, that declared Delay's map illegal, and we saw that today in Judge Sparks' ruling.
***UPDATE*** 4 4:00:
TDP Statement on Sparks Ruling:
“This is not partisan victory, but a victory for the rule of law. This case was about protecting the electoral process and preserving the U.S. Constitution, and we are extremely pleased with Judge Sparks’s ruling.
Today’s ruling confirmed what we have believed all along—that this attempt by the Republican Party to replace Tom DeLay on the ballot is at best a manipulation of election law and most importantly, a sham attempt to circumvent the primary process and ignore voters in the 22nd Congressional District. We felt it was important for somebody to stand up and fight against the Republican scheme to hand-pick the candidate of their choice and subvert the most fundamental aspect of popular democracy—the right of voters to pick their representatives.”
A judge’s ruling to prevent the state Republican Party from replacing Tom DeLay on the ballot was just a few hours old, but representatives from both parties were already looking toward the next legal battle in the appellate court.
Republican Party of Texas Chairwoman Tina Benkiser released a statement Thursday afternoon that she "will appeal this decision in order to protect the voters of Texas and their right to vote for a nominee of their choice."
She criticized U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks’ ruling, saying it "effectively throws the federal election process into total chaos." An appeal would be heard by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Cris Feldman, one of three attorneys who argued the case on behalf of state Democrats, said in a Thursday afternoon press conference that Sparks handed down a strong ruling that would be upheld on appeal. "They can have an expedited appeal, but this is a very strong opinion and there are some very strong findings here and their road from this forward is an uphill road," he said.
Let's get one thing straight in this whole mess, Tom DeLay is currently the GOP candidate for TX-22. Unless this ruling is overturned on appeal, which is unlikely, he will be the guy that TX-22 votes for in November. He only resigned from Congress and ATTEMPTED to be ruled ineligible.
This was left as a comment to my last post about the MapChangers contest by Glen Maxey, but I thought it was deserving of the front page. If you want these tools to be a part of YOUR Democratic Party, please vote for John Courage in the MapChangers Contest. -Damon
We're working on a open access website for candidates, activists, and campaigns across Texas to use to organize their efforts.
Look for these kinds of tools coming soon:
Voter registration: Info in one place about how to do it and all the stuff you have to know... but then the things to make you able to do it effectively, such as...
Tool #1:
A tool to call up your block, street, precinct or more with the names and addresses of registered voters... and the missing addresses where no one lives. An easy way to find which doors to knock on to register voters. And we're going to ask you to help us create a permanent address file so we can do this every election cycle. Is that old house at 1504 Park Ave, really just a shed? Did you register someone to vote at a new address?
Tool #2:
Did you meet a disabled or senior citizen who'll need an mail ballot? You'll be able to make that notation and then the system will send you a list of everyone you've got on your list on September 7th when applications can be accepted by the clerk. You'll have your list ready to go get applications signed... but where are you going to get the applications???
Tool #3:
Mail ballot applications online! If a voter needs an application to vote by mail, they can simply call up their name in the online file, mark the reason, and print out an automatically populated request form ready for a signature and a stamp. And more importantly, it tells you exactly where to mail it in your county.
Better yet... this tool will have a file near it where you can print out a list of everyone over age 65 in your block, your street, your precinct so you have a road map to drop by and ask your neighbors if they need you to print out an application for them to vote by mail.
Ahhh... but what about all the nursing home staff and social workers who've struggled to get mail ballot applications for those they care for? It's now going to be as simple as entering their names, printing the form, obtaining a signature, and mailing the application.
Or maybe you're better suited to take your laptop and a printer to a senior center and printing out applications for anyone who needs one... or going to your neighborhood nursing home, or to a hospital, or maybe even a bingo parlor.
How about using Face Book (an online networking site for high school and college studnets) and looking up every university student from your high school who is attending college outside your county and sending them a link to print out an application for a mail ballot?
How about that friend living in Europe or that soldier in Iraq? They can now print out the form and fax it in... the correct fax number is on the form!
Tool #4: Friends Vote
This tool allows you to call up the names of your friends or family, enter their email, and sent them a list of all the early voting locations in their county and their election day polling location.
There are a bunch more in development, but the sky's the limit.
And it's all going to be "free". No access fee, no secret pass codes, just action items to get folks registered and to a polling place.
Help John Courage win this contest, so we'll have the money for a bunch of other cool, new tools.
Statewide, all candidates, all activists, all the time.
Everyone can organize their world. One voter at a time.
Have ideas of things that could help you organize? Email me at repgmaxey@aol.com.
We are a few hours away from being over the hump in the final round of the MapChangers contest and John Courage is in the lead!
There's been a great showing from the Netroots, and let's keep the blitz going. If you've already voted, get five of your friends to do so. If you haven't voted yet, what are you waiting for?!
Here are a few reasons why John Courage has such a following in cyberspace:
A podcast with Senator Russ Feingold and John Courage, recorded at the University of Texas at Austin.
TX-21 Smith/Courage poll numbers that show, among other things, that only 31% of voters said that they would vote to re-elect Lamar Smith.
Smith admits that Courage is a serious challenge: BOR's own reporting on an e-mail sent out by Lamar Smith asking for help from his supporters, because he recognizes the serious challenge he faces in John Courage.
Smith's Walk of Shame: A copy of video footage where Lamar Smith, trying to get to a speech on the UT campus, is forced to slide through dozens of Courage supporters.
Links to media coverage about a Smith rally that Courage supporters crashed, refusing to let Lamar Smith get away with touting himself as an environmentalist.
Chris Bell has asked you to vote for John, all of us at BOR have asked for you to vote for John, and John himself has asked you to vote for him. Not only do we get a windfall for our greatest chance at taking back a Congressional seat, but we get funds to invest in web tools that will help Democrats from the candidate for dogcatcher to our candidate for governor. I don't know exactly what all of the tools will be, but I do know it goes beyond GOTV efforts by targeting those that have voted Democrat in previous elections and primaries.
You have your marching orders Netroots, now get out there and make a difference for Texas!
(Like Kuff, we're reprinting this e-mail in full. Please get the word out far and wide. No splitting of the vote this round. Unity! - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
Proving yet again that he is the leader that Texas and the Texas Democratic Party, Chris Bell has asked in an email that the Netroots support John Courage in the final round of the MapChangers competition.
Now as we start the final round, there are ten candidates from across the country vying to win a fundraiser with Governor Warner. Voting runs through July 10th, and you can only vote for one candidate. It's a testament to the strength of the Texas netroots that we have two Texans into final ten, and we'll need every bit of that strength to bring Mark Warner to Texas. That's why we need to work together to make sure we do not split our votes.
I've talked with John Courage and we've decided that, in the spirit of Texas unity, and on behalf of all Democratic candidates and activists across Texas, we will ask all of our supporters to join together:
John is a great Democrat and a great candidate, and he finished the second round only a handful of votes shy of being the leading vote-getter nationwide. We believe that if we can pull together and get all of Texas behind John Courage and take him to victory, that we can accomplish a much greater victory for all of us across the state
Our new field director, Glen Maxey, is working with activists and campaigns all across the state to build a website at TrueBlueAction.com that will offer netroots organizing tools that will help Democrats win in November and beyond. If we can put John Courage over the top, he has agreed to use the first $15,000 raised at the Mark Warner fundraiser to underwrite the development of these tools and this website. These tools will help us across the state for years to come, and they will only get better as we build and improve on them.
The TrueBlueAction.com web site is under construction and is being developed as a open access site with lots of organizing tools for candidates and activists to use to register and turn out Democratic votes. It will be open for the use of local, state and federal candidates. It will be open for the use on any individual wanting to help the Democratic ticket or a candidate.
That's why winning this contest is bigger than John Courage or me. It's about what all Texas Democrats can accomplish if we work together. By voting for John Courage in the Map Changer contest, you will be helping all Democratic candidates in Texas.
First he helped out Glen Maxey by holding a fundraiser to pay off his bill from the State Party Chair race, and then he brought Glen on as field director. In his lastest move, Chris jumped on the straight Texas ticket campaign in the MapChangers contest. Now, he's rallying his Netroots troops to support John Courage and help bring TX-21 into the blue column!
John Courage is the best opportunity for us to pick up a seat in Congress. Stolen from Phillip's round up, here's a brief run down on John Courage.
A podcast with Senator Russ Feingold and John Courage, recorded at the University of Texas at Austin.
TX-21 Smith/Courage poll numbers that show, among other things, that only 31% of voters said that they would vote to re-elect Lamar Smith.
Smith admits that Courage is a serious challenge: BOR's own reporting on an e-mail sent out by Lamar Smith asking for help from his supporters, because he recognizes the serious challenge he faces in John Courage.
Smith's Walk of Shame: A copy of video footage where Lamar Smith, trying to get to a speech on the UT campus, is forced to slide through dozens of Courage supporters.
Links to media coverage about a Smith rally that Courage supporters crashed, refusing to let Lamar Smith get away with touting himself as an environmentalist.
Now it's your turn Netroots. Get out there and change the map!
As of 3:00am EDT, the MapChanger race was over and the final standing were:
WEST
1. MT-Sen Jon Tester
2. TX-21 John Courage
3. CO-06 Bill Winter
4. CA-11 Jerry McNerney
5. TX-Gov Chris Bell
EAST
1. VA-Sen James Webb
2. OH-03 Stephanie Studebaker
3. CT-04 Diane Farrell
4. MI-09 Nancy Skinner
5. PA-08 Patrick Murphy
The Netroots have pulled through and brought $10k to Texas campaigns. The final round will be beginning today and the person that gets the most votes will get a fundraiser hosted by Gov. Mark Warner. Just to be clear, the final round will be a 10-way free-for-all.
