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Burnt Orange Report TX-Sen: Rumors of Bill White Switching Races Continue http://bit.ly/1OdwP8
Burnt Orange Report Rep. Lloyd Doggett Speaking In Favor of Health Reform http://bit.ly/3Acpig
If you follow me on twitter, you may have noticed a passion to help local non-profit organizations. Here in Austin, there are two events I am helping organize to help state and local non-profits discuss technology or learn from the crowd. The first one is a totally free event on November 14. Austin Non Profit B...ar Camp Saturday, November 14, 2009 10:00am - 4:00pm ACC Eastview Campus 3401 Webberville Rd, Bldg 8500. Multipurpose Hall What is a Non-Profit Bar Camp? Austin Non Profit Camp is a FREE, facilitated and participant driven conference that will be the place in Austin for non profits to learn and troubleshoot their technology problems in a supportive, collaborative setting. Non Profit Bar Camp is being spearheaded by David J. Neff, Jon Lebkowsky, Maggie Duval and Matt Glazer. Their goal is to take the successful Bar Camp model and apply it to expand understanding and awareness of free and Open Source technology within the non-profit community in Central Texas. A Free lunch is provided by Pictoric and the fine folks at carinositalian. How It Works: Non profits and technology folks come together to have conversations about the issues that they face in a no sales, no cost environment. We bring tech experts together with nonprofits in a context that will facilitate mutual understanding. In addition to scheduled speakers, attendees will have the option to sign up to speak about issues and solutions they know best. Nonprofit attendees collaboratively problem solve issues they face with running and promoting their organizations, workshopping with local technologists about the latest and most effective technologies and methodologies. These conversations will help nonprofits filter what's useful from what's not and keep their organizations humming and on track. Topics will include (but are in no way limited to): Google Apps, Data Exchange/Salesforce, Google Grants, Social Media, Marketing, Cloud Computing, Email Marketing, Fundraising in Social Media, ZERO COST Infrastructure, ROI of The Cloud and more. Austin Non Profit Camp is sponsored by: EFF-Austin, NTEN, 501 Tech Club, Plutopia Productions, Austin Social Media Club, 501derful.org, Social Web Strategies, GNI Strategies, Lights.Camera.Help. and Soma Vida. A special thank you/shout out to the Center for Community Based & Nonprofit Organizations at Austin Community College for providing the incredible space. Visit the website or sign up at Eventbrite. In addition to this free event next weekend, there is a non-profit communication training on December 10 being put together by Rowan Communication You can find out more information about this event here. Both give unique opportunities for the community to engage non-profits and for non-profits to learn from on the ground experts. Read More
From the Texas Tribune: If this makes you upset, frustrated, mad, or discouraged, fight back. We can win back the Texas House if we fight for it. Donate today to the House Democratic Campaign Committee.
President Barack Obama released the following proclamation today:Our Nation's thoughts and prayers are with the service members, civilians, and families affected by the tragic events at Fort Hood, Texas. The brave victims, who risked their lives to protect their fellow countrymen, serve as a constant source of str...ength and inspiration to all Americans. We ask God to watch over the fallen, the wounded, and all those who are suffering at this difficult hour. As a mark of respect honoring the victims of the tragedy at Fort Hood, Texas, I hereby order, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, Tuesday, November 10, 2009.I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixth day of November, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.BARACK OBAMA Read More
Just a round-up of releases so far:First, from Chairman Boyd Richie of the Texas Democratic Party: “While I am extremely disappointed with Chuck Hopson, I remain confident the Texas House of Representatives will have a Democratic Speaker of the House next Legislative Session. Democrats continue to make inroads ...across the Lone Star State and will continue to put the best interests of Texans ahead of the special interests Republicans continue to represent. “Make no mistake… as a rural Democratic elected official who served in rural Texas, I can tell you that if, in fact, Chuck Hopson makes this announcement this afternoon, he will be joining a party that has abandoned rural Texas. “The Republican Party is the party that has abandoned our public schools to send our tax dollars to private schools in the big cities; the Party that tried to take 600,000 acres of our farmland for toll roads while leaving our farm to market roads in disrepair. “Perhaps more importantly, Chuck Hopson will be joining the party of the special interests – the party that has given us the highest homeowners insurance rates in the country, that has increased our health insurance premiums beyond repair, and let the special interest lobbyists rule our State Capitol. “It takes strength and integrity to stand against the special interests – and while some members have that strength, others like Chuck Hopson, do not. In the Democratic Party, there is room for members who are conservative and progressive – the only reason anyone would leave is for crass political reasons and a refusal to stand up to special interests.” From Jim Dunnam, House Leader and one of the three heads of the House Democratic Campaign Committee (via the Houston Chronicle):"Chuck has assured me and a number of other Democrats of his intention to continue to vote as he has in the past, which has been with our Democratic delegation the vast majority of the time. ... As for the future, this will have only a marginal impact on House Democrats' inevitable progress toward a majority ... Our overall goals and plans for 2010 have not changed, and we will gain a majority in the House in 2010."From Jim Dow of the 20/20 PAC:"We learned this morning of Representative Hopson's intentions to switch political parties. In light of that, he is no longer a member of our organization. We are profoundly disappointed by his decision."I know that the members of the 20/20 PAC -- the other conservative Democrats -- were furious at Hopson this morning.Will have more on this later... Read More
A man who lives with honor says to your face what he says behind your back. I used to think Chuck Hopson was that kind of man. Today, I learned the harsh truth that he is not. I always knew Chuck was first and foremost about self-preservation, but I would have thought he would retire before becoming a Republican -- a ...promise he's told countless State Representatives, party officials, and local constituents. In fact, he had a fundraiser for himself no more than two weeks ago, taking money from Democrats.Chuck's decision to join the Republican Party shows that he has sunk to a level of political cowardice I never expected from him. As a former employee of Hopson's, I feel betrayed by his lack of conviction -- betrayed that I ever trusted someone who so clearly puts his own self-interest above that of those who support him.My first job in the Texas Capitol was as a legislative aide for Hopson. I began working for him in the 2005 Regular Session, and stayed on through the school finance special sessions in 2006, after which time -- in September 2006 -- I went to work as Chief of Staff for State Representative Garnet F. Coleman. His decision today to switch parties reflects the colder side of Hopson, the side most people never encountered but was always there beneath the surface. It is a side of a man whose principles are dictated by self-preservation, and whose positions on policy you could only count on once you'd convinced him that it was politically safe for him to take action.I can remember countless times where I had to talk Chuck into doing the right thing, including...Water RightsThe biggest issue facing East Texas is water rights. The city of Dallas, for years, has tried to build the Fastrill Reservoir along the Neches River -- water that no one in East Texas wants to lose to Dallas, and land that was promised to be built for the Neches River Wildlife Refuge.In what should be a no-brainer to any rural member with brains (Don't give our water away to Dallas!), Hopson struggled. I wrote constituent letters, official letters to county and city officials, press releases and speeches where Hopson was straddling the fence -- calling for "further study" on an issue where, during a local fair in Jacksonville more than "1,269 new people signed on in support of the Neches River National Wildlife Refuge" in a single day in 2006. (Source) Why wouldn't Chuck speak up against the Reservoir? Because of the money. If he didn't block the Reservoir, he would get political donations. So for months and months, he straddled the fence, refusing to take a position despite my constant urging that (1) it was the smart political decision, and (2) it was the decision his constituents wanted him to make.Since then, he has publicly covered his tracks. A person who always put himself first can do that pretty well. Public Education - I Wrote His Education Plan for his 2006 CampaignChuck was facing a tough race in 2006. He needed to speak strongly about public education, but since I'd done all the policy and press work for him, he needed me to write it. So, I put together most of the work I'd done on school finance in the 16 months I'd been there, put together a simple plan, and wrote press releases, a speech, and policy papers for him.He then -- two months before his election, and five months before I thought I was going to get to be his Chief of Staff -- fired me. But that education plan I put together for him ended up in mail pieces, and he used it as a crutch in his town hall meetings for the final weeks of his campaigns.I don't think he ever even filed legislation on any of the policy proposals I created for him.For me, it worked out in the end. I got hired on as Chief of Staff for a real Democrat, State Representative Garnet Coleman -- another person who, throughout the years, did everything he could to get Chuck re-elected. But Hopson...I was always okay with the fact the he fired me without any notice, and that he often worked harder to get himself re-elected than to do any real work in Austin. I remember some good work he did, too -- but I also rembmer enough that I was never at ease with the way Hopson ran things, and with his kind of politics.I thought I was just too young. I thought I didn't understand politics. I assumed Chuck knew what he was doing, and was doing what was best for his constituents.Turns out he was just doing what he has always done - what is best for himself.The party of self-interests just got the most self-interested man I've ever had the displeasure of working for. Good riddance. Read More
The following are locations accepting blood donations to help with the tragic violence at Fort Hood:All Austin Area Seton Medical CentersClick here for a map to find the location nearest you.The Blood and Tissue Centers in Central Texas Austin Donor Center 4300 N Lamar Bl...vdAustin, TX 78756 Cedar Park Donor Center920 N Vista Ridge Blvd, Suite 560 (at FM 1431)Cedar Park, TX 78613 Georgetown Donor Center1015 W University Ave, Suite 340 (in Wolf Ranch Town Center)Georgetown, TX 78628 Round Rock Donor Center2132 North Mays, Suite 900Round Rock, TX 78664 South Austin Donor Center9500 S IH-35, Bldg L, Suite 800(Southpark Meadows: Right on Slaughter Lane, then left on Cullen, and look behind the Taco Bell.)Austin, TX 78748 The Scott & White Hospital in TempleClick here to find directions to the locationIf anyone knows of other locations, please let us know by e-mail (phillip@burntorangereport.com), or by leaving a comment.Our thoughts and prayers are with the men and women at Fort Hood and their families today. Read More
Republican Rep. Michael McCaul is working hard in D.C. to make sure that Texans in the 10th District receive no meaningful health reform. With efforts to block President Obama's proposals at every turn, the unremarkable incumbent has now taken to touting bogus polls and whining about not being included in the process.... And what does McCaul have to show for it? A Republican bill that will leave 17 million Americans uninsured, and won't cut the deficit nearly as well as the Democratic bill. Last week, Michael McCaul went on KVUE to complain about health insurance reform, touting an oh-so-scientific poll from his own website. From KVUE, October 31, 2009: "In my view, the majority of the American people don't support [the Democratic health reform plan]. Certainly in my district, on my website I have a poll, and it's about 85% against this, it's what's called the public option, the government-run option, the government takeover of our healthcare, it's one sixth of our economy." Michael McCaul is wrong about health reform. In August, 77% of Americans supported the public option, according to a SUSA poll. That's even higher than it was in June. According to an ABC News poll conducted last week more Americans prefer the Democrats' public option than a watered-down, bipartisan compromise. McCaul continues on with a series of bogus Republican buzz-words against health reform: "government-run takeover," "getting in between you and your doctor" and "health czar!" Funny, last time I checked, the only person coming between me and my doctor was some insurance company bureaucrat trying to decide if I really need that M.R.I., or visit to a specialist, or blood test, or not. And what's with their czar fetish? To provide justification for his position, McCaul sites a bogus poll conducted on his website. (How does he know the folks voting on his website are only constituents? Hmm?) On his Facebook Feed, McCaul also published the results of another bogus poll conducted during his own tele-town hall, with 65% opposed to the public option. Whaaat? You mean to say the small sample of folks who bother to visit his website or join a tele-town hall happen to overwhelmingly agree with his views on the public option?! What's extra irritating here is how the newscaster just takes the bogus statistic as God-given fact. Then she has the gall to suggest that health reform is actually moving too fast. As anyone who has actually been following the legislative process can tell you, things are definitely NOT moving too fast, especially for the 9.3 million Texans who were uninsured for all or part of last year. Then, just this week, McCaul continued whining in a call-in press conference that Obama and the Democrats have "left out" the Republicans in the health reform process. This is disingenuous, for three reasons. First, the Republican bill championed by McCaul is widely considered to be a dismal failure. From Ezra Klein: In 2019, after 10 years of the Republican plan, CBO estimates that ...17 percent of legal, non-elderly residents won't have health-care insurance. The Republican alternative will have helped 3 million people secure coverage, which is barely keeping up with population growth. Compare that to the Democratic bill, which covers 36 million more people and cuts the uninsured population to 4 percent. According to CBO, the GOP's alternative will shave $68 billion off the deficit in the next 10 years. The Democrats, CBO says, will slice $104 billion off the deficit. ... The Democratic bill, in other words, covers 12 times as many people and saves $36 billion more than the Republican plan. McCaul describes the Republican bill as better, because it "incentivizes the free market and the private sector to provide coverage." Except that's the same idea that has failed Americans since World War II. It's no change in policy, and it will do very little to change the rate of uninsured Texans. Second, Republicans--teabaggers and members of Congress alike--are deliberately trying to obstruct the reform process for ideological and political gain. They spent all summer yelling about death panels and insuring undocumented immigrants and shouting "YOU LIE!" during joint sessions of Congress. Republicans are too busy trying to prevent meaningful reform and coverage that will extend to all Americans, in order to support their buddies in the insurance industry. All they want is for President Obama's plans to fail--they don't care about meaningful reform, they only care about their own electoral prospects in 2010 and beyond. Third, while McCaul complains about not having a seat at the table, he made it nearly impossible for his own constituents to share their views on health reform. He complains that the Democratic bill was written "behind closed doors in Washington," despite the many open town-halls held by Democratic Representatives and constant stream of news coverage about every single step of the process and constant updates from Democratic Congressional leaders. Meanwhile, it's McCaul who is largely operating behind closed doors, having private meetings with folks who seem to unanimously oppose reform. According to his website, McCaul held only one in-person town hall, at 9:00 a.m. on a Friday, in Katy, the day before Labor Day weekend. He waited until the final day of the Congressional District working period to solicit real input from his constituents. It was only posted to his campaign website three days before the event. Sounds as if Rep. McCaul doesn't want to hear what his constituents have to say. In a district that spans 150 miles from Austin to Houston, he holds only one event, off in one of the most Republican parts of the district. There sure was no event in Travis County, because if there was, McCaul would have heard an earful from his constituents who are tired of losing coverage for pre-existing conditions, being dropped from their plans, and watching premiums rise as access to quality care drops. To conclude, let's sum up the many ways in which Michael McCaul is wrong about health reform: Elections have consequences. Barack Obama won, and Democrats have significant majorities in the House and Senate. Democrats are supposed to set national policy. That's what people voted for. (N.B.: Olympia Snowe is not a Democrat and should not be setting health care policy.) If Republicans want a seat at the table they need to offer real solutions backed by their party, not just vitriol and obstruction. A bill that leaves 17 million people uninsured and doesn't cut costs as well as the Democratic bill is not a real solution. Congresspeople can't conduct bogus polls on their websites and conference calls and tout it as scientific fact. Anyone who actually has a say in our nation's education funding should know better. The thought makes me shudder. Michael McCaul is yet another out-of-touch Republican in Congress working hard to prevent the people of the 10th Congressional district from having access to quality, affordable health care. He needs to go. Read More
Work. Action. Results.Burnt Orange Report publisher Karl-Thomas Musselman is twenty-five years old. KT is a great friend of mine -- someone who brought me onto BOR over four years ago, and has continued to give me a platform to write stories, make arguments, provide political analysis, and -- when I was in Boston for ...two years -- stay connected to home through the amazing BOR community he's helped nurture and grow for the better part of this decade.In many ways, BOR is KT's full-time job. Though he does work for various clients from time-to-time (and despite the fact at least three current statewide candidates have tried to get him to work for their campaigns), KT has stuck to his grassroots and netroots self and fought in every way he could for the bigger change, and the bigger cause.On Tuesday, he helped deliver one of the coolest election night wins in the country -- a measure in Kalamazoo, Michigan, to approve an anti-discriminatory law.Voters in Kalamazoo have approved a measure banning discrimination based on sexual orientation or identity. With all precincts reporting Tuesday, the ordinance had 7,671 votes in favor to 4,731 opposed.The ordinance will add gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender individuals to an existing Kalamazoo city ordinance banning discrimination in housing, employment and public accommodations.There are about 72,000 residents in the southwestern Michigan city. It may not seem like much, but it is. Especially when you understand that KT basically left Austin and lived in Kalamazoo for two weeks to help make this happen and be a part of this important local election.How many of us can claim that? How many of us settle for what is comfortable, as opposed to doing what is challenging? KT just did it. He didn't have to. No one asked him to. He just went for it.Congratulations are in order for KT, this site's publisher -- and my election day hero. Read More
Three political methods exist to stop the State Board of Education from crippling our schools with an extremist agenda. Run a Democrat against a socially conservative Republican and win.Support moderate Republicans against the God-Fearing Conservative Republicans, and make sure they win.Purge any Democrats who vote wi...th the Socially Conservative Bloc. The first two options will prove quite difficult. Locally, lots of Democrats are lining up to take on the ultra-crazy Cynthia Dunbar, and they all should be applauded for that, but a 15-seat body to represent everyone in Texas doesn't exactly have "swing districts." Beating Cynthia Dunbar in a general election, unfortunately, will require a lot of money, a lot of volunteers, and/or a lot of luck. It's possible. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but eventual failure in these efforts will not surprise me. The second option is highlighted in this excellent article from the Texas Tribune. Most notably, Thomas Ratliff, son of former Lieutenant Governor Bill Ratliff, is running against former chair Don McLeroy. I remain skeptical about putting too much stock here, too. We just saw Republicans abandon their own candidate in NY-23 because she was too moderate, and almost every sign in Texas shows that Rick Perry and his extra-conservative gang lead the state GOP. Success here will be easier than in the general election, so we should consider helping folks like Bill Ratliff if we can. But still, failure in these endeavors won't phase me a bit. That same Texas Tribune article reminded me of the third option: Though the board had (and still has) ten Republican and five Democrats, seven socially conservative Republicans had formed a reliable voting bloc that, with the swing vote of Democratic member Rick Agosto, gave them the power to push forward a socially conservative agenda. A Democrat should never vote with a far-right block anywhere, especially when his or her single vote is so important -- Not to mention on a regular basis, as Mr. Agosto does! On a board where the Republicans have stocked many of their farthest right members, I'm not suggesting all Democrats be far-left, but they shouldn't consider associating with those in the farthest right, either. Worse yet with Agosto, he is involved in some SBOE ethics problems, which could jeopardize his chances in a general election while opening up the opportunity for an even more conservative board member. Some speculation even suggests that his ethics troubles and his periodic support of the Right Evangelistic positions are interrelated! Can this guy get any worse? We probably shouldn't wait to find out. Thankfully, his seat is on the 2010 ballot. People have been calling for challengers for a while, and the San Antonio Express-News even joined the fray in a mid-October editorial, saying, "surely there are more qualified candidates in this 11-county SBOE District 3 region than we saw in 2006." After reading the editorial, I combed through the interwebs to see if anyone in this district has expressed remote interest in challenging the most Republican Democrat on the State Board of Education. One name came up: Dr. Michael Soto, an English professor at Trinity University. Looking at his website, he looks like a potential asset for the board. Wonderful. Now, can he win? He ran for the San Antonio ISD school board in May, and he garnered almost 44% of the vote. Impressively, however, he managed this against former mayor Ed Garza. In that race he managed to gain the support of local San Antonio businessmen, but the race isn't just in San Antonio. SBOE 3 runs from Bexar County all the way down to Hidalgo County in the Valley. And Agosto rings a bit more Hispanic than Soto. He has a website already, but it's lacking in many respects compared to Rick Agosto's. He could use some help. And right now, no one else is stepping up. So if you live in the district, either offer Mr. Soto a hand or find another challenger. We need someone here. If he's the only other option, he could be our savior on the State Board of Education. Right now, nobody has a better chance to rid the board of a bunch of bad votes. Read More
Usually when you contribute to losing a race that has been controlled by your party since the civil war, you lay low and avoid words like referendum and change. Pete Sessions hasn't read that memo. Sessions, chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, lost races in both California (not a surpri...se) and New York (huge surprise) and yet he is spending his day saying last nights election results are a referendum on the popular Democratic President. The big surprise is Sessions, like Tom Craddick in the State House, is so out of touch, he has directly contributed to helping increase the Democratic majority in Congress. As mentioned today on the Plum Line, "NRCC chair Pete Sessions's statement says the gubernatorial wins prove independents are "dissatisfied" with Dems and will continue "moving away from them at a rapid pace." The NRCC and Sessions came out strong against the Republican nominee and for the independent/conservative candidate. Yet, they lost. Do we extrapolate then that Sessions is unpopular and the people of New York and the Republican Party as a whole made a referendum on the leader of the caucus? No. That is ridiculous. What it does mean is that the Republican Party is still in total disarray and lost traction in local races and lost ground in Washington D.C. where the battle over health care reform, insurance reform, environmental reforms, clean energy reforms, and many many other initiatives are being fought. Clearly the people of California and New York both want Washington to move forward. This is a signal that Democrats can continue to win tough races in fragmented parts of the country as long as Sessions, Cornyn, Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Rick Perry can't agree on what their party stands for and what sort of candidate they should field. Both sides need to use last nights results and learn. 2010 is going to be tough and Democrats will lose seats in the U.S. Senate and House and in local races if the fail to mobilize and turnout. When Democrats can sweep in federal races but lose gubernatorial races perhaps we should stop throwing out buzz words and start asking why. Why are Pete Sessions and John Cornyn gloating when their jobs just got harder? Why is this a referendum when VA has swapped parties with the President for nearly four decades? Why aren't we comparing Corizine and Bloomberg instead of comparing Obama to the whole Republican Party of New Jersey? Let's start asking some questions and stop making blind, sound bite assumptions. Oh, and let's get to work for March and November. Read More
Here are the basic election results for the night. Constitutional Amendments Texas voters passed every single constitutional amendment today. Houston Races The Houston mayoral race will feature a runoff between Annise Parker and Gene Locke, who received 30.5% and 25.9%, respectively. Peter Brown received 22.4% ...while Republican Roy Morales received 20.2%. It seems that, although Brown led in some late polls, his supporters really were soft. A handful of them went and voted for Locke or Morales, apparently. In the Houston Controller Race Democrat Ron Green has reached a runoff with Republican M.J. Kahn. NY-23 Rick Perry broke from his Republican Party and endorsed Conservative candidate Doug Hoffman. With so much "Republican" support going to Hoffman, the Republican candidate Dede Scozzafava chose to leave the race in its final days. So, with almost 50% of the vote, Blue Dog Democrat Bill Owens prevails. The aftermath of this race should be interesting for Republicans to parse... National GLBT Battles KT's efforts in Kalamazoo have been successful. Voters there have approved new anti-discrimination laws. Unfortunately, Maine went the other direction, banning gay marriage. The votes for the Washington proposition are not entirely in yet, but expanding GLBT rights has the early lead. Read More
Two of the pillars of the progressive online community -- Markos Moulitsas and Chris Bowers -- wrote very similar pieces today about why Democrats are expected to lose in Virginia, New York, and possibly New Jersey.Their thesis, in a nutshell: Democrats didn't act like Democrats.First, from a piece that started on... FireDogLake, we learn that the number of Democrats who said they would come out and vote in Virginia dropped seven perecentage points as the Democrat in the race -- moderate/Blue Dog Creigh Deeds -- continued to shift more and more to the center/right as opposed to running as a progressive:Instead of attempting to energize more young and minority voters to the polls to make the electorate more representative of Virginia–[the Deeds campaign] began running a campaign targeted to the people already planning to vote. Creigh began bashing federal Democratic priorities like “Cap and Trade” and health care reform to appeal to the conservatives that were headed to the polls.And every time he did it, polls indicated turnout shriveled even further among Democrats and progressive voters–making the electorate even older, whiter, and more conservative. To which Creigh responded to by bashing federal Democrats more–which resulted in even more progressives becoming disengaged. Over and over, the cycle continued. Over the last six weeks, PPP polls indicated the share of the electorate that identified as Democrats declined from 38% to 31%. I'll then point to key points from both Markos and Chris:Markos, from Daily Kos: 2010 will be a base election. The party best able to turn out its core voters has the best chance of winning. If Democrats want to see a repeat of Virginia at the national level next year, then they should cave to Blue Dogs and the media nabobs and water down reform efforts (whether in energy, health care, financial services, or immigration).The further Right Deeds moved, the further his poll numbers collapsed. The correlation is clear, even if the Blue Dogs argue the opposite.Chris, from Open Left: The message here is that Blue Dog losses are a sign that more Democrats should be like Blue Dogs. Presuming that Blue Dog victories would also, in the eyes of Blue Dogs, be a sign that Democrats as a whole should be more like Blue Dogs, then really there is nothing that can happen at the ballot box that would not be a sign Democrats should be more like Blue Dogs. In a way, this is actually perfect thinking for our current system of government. Wall Street crashes the economy, so give more money to Wall Street. Health insurance costs too much, so give them more customers with little competition. Energy and agriculture conglomerates are the largest polluters in America, so construct a climate change bill that gives those conglomerates tens of billions of dollars. Blue Dog Democrats lose, so Democrats should be more like Blue Dogs. It all makes perfect sense, as long as your goal isn't actually for Democrats to win elections.Something to think about today, one year away from the 2010 elections. Read More
The Republican Party will release its alternative to President Obama's plan for health insurance reform this week. In true "Party of No" fashion, it offers no solutions, no meaningful expanded coverage, and no guarantees that Americans can finally receive access to the care they need. In particular, the Huffington Po...st states that the GOP bill of No Reform would not end discrimination on the basis of pre-existing conditions: The health legislation authored by House Republicans and set to be unveiled in the next few days reportedly would not prevent health insurance companies from discriminating against patients with pre-existing conditions. That's not just a stark contrast to Democratic-produced legislation; it puts Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) and his co-authors at odds with many members of their own party. Many of the most respected health care voices in the GOP have historically treated the idea of eliminating pre-existing condition exclusions as an obvious plank in any reform effort. The fact of the matter is, conservative ideology and the influence of the far-right fringe have pushed even "moderate" Republicans into siding with the insurance companies instead of the American people. Seems like a Boehn-headed move. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, a champion of real reform for all Texans, issued the following statement on the bill: After months of delay in offering any proposal, Republicans have been as revealing as a hospital gown regarding why we lack a bipartisan health insurance plan-they have speeches, but no real solutions to offer our families. Sadly, Republican obstructionism is a recurrent pre-existing condition to any meaningful change. Masquerading as reform, their new bill authorizes insurers to continue denying coverage to Americans with 'pre-existing health conditions,' such as acne, a C-section, or any other prior medical treatment. The GOP Leadership again sides with insurance monopolies over struggling middle-class families. Under their proposal, competition does not increase and health insurance coverage remains little more than a receipt for premiums paid and likely denial of coverage when families need it the most. Here in Texas, 24% of our residents are uninsured, the highest rate in the country. We desperately need real reform on the federal level to help Texans receive access to the care they need. Unfortunately for the people of Texas, it looks like the Republican Party just doesn't care. Read More
Hundreds of Texans from all walks of life rallied to Roll Beyond Coal on Halloween, Saturday, October 31. There were 200 people in Dallas including speakers -- Representatives Carol Kent, Lon Burnam, Robert Mikloss, and Dallas Council Member Linda Koop. There were 200 also in Austin including MC Ian Davis and ...speakers Representative Eddie Rodriguez, Austin Council Member and bike advocate Chris Riley (He stood up for the City's Climate Protection Agreement) and Dr. Kimberly Carter of Austin Physicians for Social Responsibility (She really nailed the seriously SCARY part of the Halloween message about Texas coal pollution). 100 oeople came out in the sparking city by the sea, Corpus Christi where their Clean Economy Coalition is in a contested case hearing this week along with Sierra Club over the proposed and quaintly named Las Brisas, 'the Breezes' coke plant. Corpus speakers included two physicians -- a family practioner from Aransas Pass, Dr. Lorraine Stehn, pediatrician Dr. Kevin Hopkings, Stacy Barrera, President of the TAMU-CC Young Democrats, former REpresentative Arnold Gonzales and Hal Suter of the Sierra Club. There was also 50 people rolling beyond coal in Beaumont and 35 in Alpine, Texas. Calmly scared half to death about rising coal costs, health and environmental impacts of 12 new Texas coal plants http://www.texas.sierraclub.or... , they are taking action to stop the second wave of the Texas coal rush and promoting instead clean air, clean power, green jobs, and the availability of water in the future. Coal Plant Pollution means Attainment of Federal Air Quality Standards Shot to Hell "These 12 new coal plants are a significant jump to the 17 operating coal plants we already have in Texas," said Rita Beving with Dallas Sierra Club. "Whether it's the nearby plants being built east of Waco or the one proposed as far away as Abilene, the wind carries coal plant pollution north to the Dallas-Fort Worth area and will only exacerbate our ability to reach attainment." The Dallas-Fort Worth area is currently in non-attainment of required federal clean air standards, as is Houston and the Beaumont-Port Arthur area. Austin, San Antonio and the north east Texas area have early action compacts and are near non-attainment. New federal air quality standards coming this Fall (70 ppb)will mean that several additional regions of Texas will go into non-attainment. Many states around the nation have dropped plans for coal plants, letting Texas run far ahead in a horrible lonely lead in the opposition direction. With Michigan trailing at only 4 proposed new coal plants, Texas has the largest number still moving in various stages of permitting - contested case hearings, appeal, and construction. With the grotesque rate of acceptance of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), a whole army of new coal plants could go online next year emitting their enormous tonnage of pollution as they rev up to a full-throttled, smog-spewing, global warming, lung-clogging, nerve-shattering, mind-numbing, and heart-stopping blast of nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, mercury, and carbon dioxide. See the fact sheet list of the proposed coal plants in Texas and the gory truth on their cumulative emissions numbers. Human Health Impacts http://www.texas.sierraclub.org/press/newsreleases/HealthImpactsfromTexasCoalPlantPollution.pdf Corpus Christi cardiologist, Dr. Greg Silverstein said, "In Corpus Christi, we already experience twice as much asthma as the state average. If the Las Brisas petcoke plant is allowed to go forward with the huge annual emissions of smog and smoke in their permit application, we will see a significant increase of even more asthma in Corpus Christi and the surrounding towns. I am concerned about my patients and all the people of Corpus Christi." Coke is regulated similarly to coal and it emits the same nasty pollutants. See just what effects coal and coke plants have on human physiology in the attached Fact Sheet. Coastal Bend doctors of the Nueces County Medical Society and the Tri-County San Patricio-Aransas-Refugio Medical Society passed resolutions opposing the permitting of the hilariously-named Las Brisas (the Breezes) coke plant. Corpus Christi citizens from all walks of life united across class, Hispanic and Anglos, men, women, children, and the elderly crowded into a room that couldn't contain their opposition at last February's preliminary hearing in which a large number of individuals and organizations including the Clean Economy Coalition and the Sierra Club received 'standing' for a contested case hearing which began today, Monday, November 2. Clean Energy Solutions and Green Jobs on the brighter side of the Dark Ages "There are many reasons to oppose coal plants - they cost too much, make people sick, contribute to global warming, and use enormous amounts of water," said Eva Hernandez, Regional Organizer for Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign. "Another reason is that they are a huge dangerous diversion from the clean power and green jobs economy that Texas is so perfectly suited for and already leading." Roll Beyond Coal is a project of Sierra Club's Climate Recovery Partnership and the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. In Texas, Sierra Club is fighting to stop new coal plants and clean up and phase out old coal plants. Sierra Club's environmental partners include our 14 Regional Sierra Club groups, lawyers on the Texas contested case hearings the Environmental Integrity Project, running buddies Sierra Student Coalition, Public Citizen, and a cast of dozens of awesome Texas organizations. Slide show with photos from all rallies coming soon! Stay tuned to Lone Star Chapter of Sierra Club on Burnt Orange Report! Read More
Classic investigating from the Austin Chronicle. Paul Workman is almost a complete unknown in his bid to defeat Democrat Valinda Bolton. Bolton is a great candidate and solid Democrat and has been for two full sessions. However, the district leans to the right and was drawn to elect Republicans. Regardless of the fact... it is entirely inside Travis County, Republicans had advantage in HD-47 until they broke their brand and kicked everyone out from under the tent. Now Paul Workman is trying to do what Donna Keel couldn't last cycle, defeat Valinda Bolton. As people across the state try to find out who this Workman fella is, Richard Whittacker at the Chronicle noticed a strange paradox in Workmans far right ideology and the depths his hypocrisy will allow him to move in order to make a few bucks. So what form of Republican is Workman (an important question, considering the nationwide orthodoxy test seemingly underway)? Aside from making his money in building as the CEO of, Workman spent eight years on the RECA board, and is now secretary of arch-tort reformists Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse-Central Texas. He's now director of development for commercial leasing and development firm T. Stacy & Associates (which, considering his CALA-TX link, makes it interesting to note that his new employers acted as development advisors for the Texas Trial Lawyers Building). If actions speak louder than words, then Republicans and Democrats should be very cautious about who else Workman will sell out in order to make a quick buck (or millions of quick bucks as the case may be). Read More
Burnt Orange Report City of Austin Extends COBRA Benefits to Same-Sex Couples http://bit.ly/2OoRGR
Burnt Orange Report TX-Gov: Mark Thompson Drops Out of Race, Endorses Hank Gilbert http://bit.ly/4kEqVS
Burnt Orange Report OFA-TX to Celebrate Election Day Anniversary http://bit.ly/4A2LDk
Burnt Orange Report Bill White to Houston Candidates: Don't Make Accusations Lightly http://bit.ly/3Yb9Ys
Burnt Orange Report Look Who's Coming to Fundraise http://bit.ly/3ahXVx
Burnt Orange Report HD-100: Craig Watkins Endorses Eric Johnson http://bit.ly/4EvxwB
Burnt Orange Report WFAA's Inside Politics Praises Hank Gilberts Transportation Plan http://bit.ly/3KlHPd
Burnt Orange Report Hank Gilbert & Our Own Katherine Haenschen on Texas Politics Today at 2pm! http://bit.ly/2rh3Z5
Burnt Orange Report Last day of early voting for Texas Constitutional Amendments! Vote with the Burnt Orange Report endorsement guide: http://bit.ly/3xuS5K
Source: www.burntorangereport.com
In Texas, the month of November in odd-numbered years brings elections to ratify the latest batch of constitutional amendments put forth by the preceding legislative session. The Legislature proposes these amendments in joint resolutions in the House and Senate. ...
Burnt Orange Report I'm Starting to Feel that Campaign Fight Again... http://bit.ly/4rBbdf
Burnt Orange Report TX-Gov: Haley Barbour Endorses Rick Perry http://bit.ly/3mTesR
Burnt Orange Report Early Voting on Constitutional Amendments Ends Tomorrow http://bit.ly/49aZHR
Burnt Orange Report Dan Branch to Seek Re-Election, Won't Run for Attorney General http://bit.ly/1SDEKE
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