Posted by Faith for Tom Love for U.S. Congress District 24 Campaign - Nov. 4, 2008
As we enter the final stretch of this incredible race, I want to take a minute to thank you.
This nation is built on the hard work and "elbow grease" of the American people. I have traveled District 24, meeting my neighbors. I've seen the dedication of North Texans. Despite personal struggles, I've witnessed neighborhoods and communities come together to help neighbors and strangers. You solve problems, care for your families, and work for a living, while serving others - like those who had to evacuate the Texas Gulf Coast. For some this would seem heroic, but for the "extraordinary people here in North Texas, "it's normal -- it's what we do."
It is my honor to be the Democratic nominee for U.S. Congress for the 24th District. I have grown as I've traveled and listened and learned from you.
I give each voter, encourager, volunteer, and donor my heartfelt thanks. If the voters decide to send me to Washington, I will continue listening to you. Our nation is especially challenged right now but I am confident that the spirit which exists here in North Texas and the ingenuity and dedication of the people will prevail.
The polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today. If you have not voted yet, PLEASE GO VOTE TODAY.
If you send me to Washington, I promise that I'll be the working man on the hill fighting for the good of the folks here in North Texas.
Thomas P. Love
Democratic Candidate for U.S. Congress District 24
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Barnett Shale puts local focus on Texas Railroad Commission race
By MIKE LEE - The Fort Worth Star Telegram - Oct. 22, 2008
The election for Texas Railroad Commissioner is usually a sleeper.
But in the midst of the Barnett Shale gas drilling boom, it’s a race to watch for North Texas residents.
The railroad commission, which no longer has anything to do with trains, has one job: regulating oil, gas and mining.
On issue after issue related to urban gas drilling — pipelines, saltwater disposal, well safety — residents have learned just how much authority the railroad commission has. And this year, the race features a Democratic challenger preaching about "corruption," and a rising Republican star who has his eye on higher office.
Michael Williams, the commission chairman, is the only African-American to hold a statewide office in Texas, and he got to make a prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention. He’s heard a lot of the complaints about the railroad commission, and he says he’s working on them.
"We’ll have a range of issues that are new to the state and new to the industry because of the Barnett Shale," he said.
The challenger, Mark Thompson, said he decided to run for office after learning about a series of pipeline explosions. He has hammered Williams for taking campaign contributions from the industry it regulates.
"The Republicans messed up the banking, the energy. They haven’t done their job," Thompson said. "They’ve been so busy getting themselves elected all the time, they haven’t thought about the people."
Thompson is not the railroad commission’s only critic. In the last two years, the agency has come under fire from several directions:
The state auditor’s office issued a scathing report about the commission’s inspection practices. Forty percent of the state’s 360,000 oil and gas wells have not been inspected in the last five years. In Tarrant County, the figure is 30 percent, according to railroad commission data. And the auditors reported that state inspectors routinely accepted gifts and free meals from companies they inspected.
A series of reports by WFAA/Channel 8 and The Dallas Morning News showed that the railroad commission was slow to act when it learned about faulty natural gas couplings that were linked to fire and explosions at several homes in North Texas.
A state appeals court ordered the commissioners to reconsider a case in which they allowed a saltwater disposal well on a rural road. The court ruled that the commissioners took too narrow a definition of "public interest" when they ignored complaints about the potential for truck traffic from the well. Commissioners said the disposal well was in the public interest because it would help produce oil and gas. The case is now being appealed to the Texas Supreme Court.
The railroad commission issues permits for natural gas pipeline companies, which have the power to condemn private property. But it does not review pipeline routes or exercise any significant control over the companies until after the lines are built.
Williams said he has pushed to shift inspectors to the Barnett Shale, and he has asked the Texas Legislature for more inspectors. But he said there will never be enough inspectors to do the kind of regular inspections that critics have pushed for. Instead, the agency will have to concentrate on the highest priorities.
"The greatest opportunity for harm is when you’re starting and finishing a well," he said. "We’re not like a restaurant, where you’re cooking every day."
On saltwater wells, Williams said, the commissioners believe that traffic and environmental issues are important, but "we just don’t have the authority to take that into consideration."
"If the Legislature wants to tell us we have jurisdiction over traffic issues, we’ll take over traffic issues," he said.
He said he also wants to encourage recycling of saltwater and other drilling waste, once the technology is viable.
Likewise, Williams said, it will take a new law to give cities and landowners more rights when dealing with pipeline companies.
"As a proponent of local control, I’m not opposed to that," he said.
Thompson had no political experience and voted only sporadically before he decided to run for office. He said he became interested in the railroad commission after a fatal natural gas explosion at a home in Garland, his hometown. The explosion was blamed on faulty natural gas couplings, and news reports showed that Williams and the other commissioners were slow to act on previous reports about the couplings.
"He didn’t do anything; those deaths were preventable," Thompson said in an interview.
Likewise, he said, the railroad commission should have hired more staff to prepare for the Barnett Shale boom.
"I’m surprised — all these rigs coming in and didn’t they know about it," he said. "How come it took so long to actually open an office here in Fort Worth. It’s like they finally get a clue."
Thompson got 48 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary and won the runoff with 59 percent. He said he’s successful because people are tired of the status quo.
Williams took more than $200,000 from oil and gas industry representatives in the last cycle, and accepted a pair of Super Bowl tickets from an electrical utility in 2004. He dismisses Thompson’s allegations.
Williams is open about his desire for another elected office, and he said taking campaign funds — even Super Bowl tickets — from oil and gas companies is legal.
He said he frequently votes against companies and people who have contributed to his campaign.
"The only way he [Thompson] knows about it is because it’s on my campaign report," Williams said.
He was asked what the companies want for their contributions.
"They just want good government," Williams said.
Texas Railroad Commission
The agency no longer has anything to do with trains or transportation. Its only function is regulating the oil, natural gas and mining industries in Texas. Commissioners are elected statewide for six-year terms and earn $137,000 annually.
Michael Williams (incumbent)
Party: Republican
Age: 55
Background: Williams, a lawyer, started his career in the U.S. Justice Department, where he prosecuted Ku Klux Klan members, among other cases. He later served in the U.S. Education Department and worked in the private sector before being appointed to the railroad commission by then-Gov. George W. Bush in 1999. He was re-elected in 2000 and 2002.
Goals: Williams wants to add more staff to the agency and promote clean energy such as wind and clean-burning coal. He also wants to promote compressed natural gas as a vehicle fuel and encourage young people to study science, math and engineering.
Unusual: Williams has twice turned down raises that the Legislature approved. He still earns the same pay, $99,000 a year, as when he was appointed.
Mark Thompson
Party: Democrat
Age: 49
Background: Thompson was a park and Capitol policeman in Austin before he quit law enforcement to become a counselor for blind people. He decided to run for railroad commissioner in 2007, after researching a home explosion that killed two people in Garland, his hometown. He believes that the railroad commission was slow to act after learning about previous explosions linked to the same cause and that some of the deaths were preventable.
Goals: Thompson has vowed not to take campaign contributions from energy industry political action committees. He wants the state to hire more inspectors and wants to encourage companies to recycle more of their saltwater waste.
The election for Texas Railroad Commissioner is usually a sleeper.
But in the midst of the Barnett Shale gas drilling boom, it’s a race to watch for North Texas residents.
The railroad commission, which no longer has anything to do with trains, has one job: regulating oil, gas and mining.
On issue after issue related to urban gas drilling — pipelines, saltwater disposal, well safety — residents have learned just how much authority the railroad commission has. And this year, the race features a Democratic challenger preaching about "corruption," and a rising Republican star who has his eye on higher office.
Michael Williams, the commission chairman, is the only African-American to hold a statewide office in Texas, and he got to make a prime-time speech at the Republican National Convention. He’s heard a lot of the complaints about the railroad commission, and he says he’s working on them.
"We’ll have a range of issues that are new to the state and new to the industry because of the Barnett Shale," he said.
The challenger, Mark Thompson, said he decided to run for office after learning about a series of pipeline explosions. He has hammered Williams for taking campaign contributions from the industry it regulates.
"The Republicans messed up the banking, the energy. They haven’t done their job," Thompson said. "They’ve been so busy getting themselves elected all the time, they haven’t thought about the people."
Thompson is not the railroad commission’s only critic. In the last two years, the agency has come under fire from several directions:
The state auditor’s office issued a scathing report about the commission’s inspection practices. Forty percent of the state’s 360,000 oil and gas wells have not been inspected in the last five years. In Tarrant County, the figure is 30 percent, according to railroad commission data. And the auditors reported that state inspectors routinely accepted gifts and free meals from companies they inspected.
A series of reports by WFAA/Channel 8 and The Dallas Morning News showed that the railroad commission was slow to act when it learned about faulty natural gas couplings that were linked to fire and explosions at several homes in North Texas.
A state appeals court ordered the commissioners to reconsider a case in which they allowed a saltwater disposal well on a rural road. The court ruled that the commissioners took too narrow a definition of "public interest" when they ignored complaints about the potential for truck traffic from the well. Commissioners said the disposal well was in the public interest because it would help produce oil and gas. The case is now being appealed to the Texas Supreme Court.
The railroad commission issues permits for natural gas pipeline companies, which have the power to condemn private property. But it does not review pipeline routes or exercise any significant control over the companies until after the lines are built.
Williams said he has pushed to shift inspectors to the Barnett Shale, and he has asked the Texas Legislature for more inspectors. But he said there will never be enough inspectors to do the kind of regular inspections that critics have pushed for. Instead, the agency will have to concentrate on the highest priorities.
"The greatest opportunity for harm is when you’re starting and finishing a well," he said. "We’re not like a restaurant, where you’re cooking every day."
On saltwater wells, Williams said, the commissioners believe that traffic and environmental issues are important, but "we just don’t have the authority to take that into consideration."
"If the Legislature wants to tell us we have jurisdiction over traffic issues, we’ll take over traffic issues," he said.
He said he also wants to encourage recycling of saltwater and other drilling waste, once the technology is viable.
Likewise, Williams said, it will take a new law to give cities and landowners more rights when dealing with pipeline companies.
"As a proponent of local control, I’m not opposed to that," he said.
Thompson had no political experience and voted only sporadically before he decided to run for office. He said he became interested in the railroad commission after a fatal natural gas explosion at a home in Garland, his hometown. The explosion was blamed on faulty natural gas couplings, and news reports showed that Williams and the other commissioners were slow to act on previous reports about the couplings.
"He didn’t do anything; those deaths were preventable," Thompson said in an interview.
Likewise, he said, the railroad commission should have hired more staff to prepare for the Barnett Shale boom.
"I’m surprised — all these rigs coming in and didn’t they know about it," he said. "How come it took so long to actually open an office here in Fort Worth. It’s like they finally get a clue."
Thompson got 48 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary and won the runoff with 59 percent. He said he’s successful because people are tired of the status quo.
Williams took more than $200,000 from oil and gas industry representatives in the last cycle, and accepted a pair of Super Bowl tickets from an electrical utility in 2004. He dismisses Thompson’s allegations.
Williams is open about his desire for another elected office, and he said taking campaign funds — even Super Bowl tickets — from oil and gas companies is legal.
He said he frequently votes against companies and people who have contributed to his campaign.
"The only way he [Thompson] knows about it is because it’s on my campaign report," Williams said.
He was asked what the companies want for their contributions.
"They just want good government," Williams said.
Texas Railroad Commission
The agency no longer has anything to do with trains or transportation. Its only function is regulating the oil, natural gas and mining industries in Texas. Commissioners are elected statewide for six-year terms and earn $137,000 annually.
Michael Williams (incumbent)
Party: Republican
Age: 55
Background: Williams, a lawyer, started his career in the U.S. Justice Department, where he prosecuted Ku Klux Klan members, among other cases. He later served in the U.S. Education Department and worked in the private sector before being appointed to the railroad commission by then-Gov. George W. Bush in 1999. He was re-elected in 2000 and 2002.
Goals: Williams wants to add more staff to the agency and promote clean energy such as wind and clean-burning coal. He also wants to promote compressed natural gas as a vehicle fuel and encourage young people to study science, math and engineering.
Unusual: Williams has twice turned down raises that the Legislature approved. He still earns the same pay, $99,000 a year, as when he was appointed.
Mark Thompson
Party: Democrat
Age: 49
Background: Thompson was a park and Capitol policeman in Austin before he quit law enforcement to become a counselor for blind people. He decided to run for railroad commissioner in 2007, after researching a home explosion that killed two people in Garland, his hometown. He believes that the railroad commission was slow to act after learning about previous explosions linked to the same cause and that some of the deaths were preventable.
Goals: Thompson has vowed not to take campaign contributions from energy industry political action committees. He wants the state to hire more inspectors and wants to encourage companies to recycle more of their saltwater waste.
We’ll have a range of issues that are new."
Michael Williams
Those deaths were preventable." Mark Thompson, on a fatal gas explosion in Garland.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Star Telegram endorses Chris Harris
Fort Worth Star Telegram Editorial Board - Oct. 07, 2008
Read more in the Fort Worth Star Telegram
NOTE FROM FAITH CHATHAM:
Neither candidate has campaigned seriously in this district. I have received no campaign contacts from either Senator Harris nor his minimal Democratic challenger.
When weighing the options, on the plus side for Senator Harris is one of the most experienced, constituent responsive staffs in either the Texas House or Senate. Senator Harris's staff does not discriminate and "underserve" those who are not Republican. On numerous times, they have responded immediately and with expertie to my inquiries.
On the negative side, I wish that Senator Harris understood how detrimental toll fees on the scale planned in the RTC's 2030 plan will be on businesses, individuals and every facet of the North Central Texas economy. Like most Senators and State Representatives from the DFW metroplex, he voted to exempt this region from the 2 year moratorium on private public partnership toll roads. The citizens have been given no opportunity to approve or veto any specific toll project. Public outcry at public meetings did not slow down the projects. The only bright ray in the financial crisis is that foreign interests cooled to participating in public Private partnerships in this region, cost of financing increased, and transportation planners have been forced to return to the drawing board and try to find other solutions to this region's transportation needs.
It is my belief that there are less expensive transportation solutions than those proposed in the public private toll projects. It is regrettable that Senator Harris, and many of his colleagues in Austin, failed to demand that TxDOT find less costly transportation solutions several years ago instead of red-stamping Rick Perry's public infrastructure give-away.
Senate District 9 is a district which stretches from Arlington to Denton County. Hopefully, after the next census this district will be redrawn to to include fewer "parts of cities and parts of counties".
Chris Harris has more seniority than any other Republican in the Texas Senate. He sits on the Finance Committee, where he has influence over funding of projects and policy initiatives that are important to North Texas and the state as a whole.
His Democratic opponent, Melvyn Willms, is running for office because he wants to change laws that didn’t go his way in a 1996 lawsuit. Willms, who is not an attorney, represented himself in that suit and in subsequent appeals.
Harris has represented parts of Arlington in the Senate since 1991. Before that, he served six years in the Texas House. Willms has never been elected to public office.
Harris has a clear knowledge of the state’s needs in health and human services, transportation, education and criminal justice. He is a staunch supporter of The University of Texas at Arlington. Willms is still fighting his 12-year-old lawsuit.
The Star-Telegram recommends Chris Harris for Texas Senate District 9.
Read more in the Fort Worth Star Telegram
NOTE FROM FAITH CHATHAM:
Neither candidate has campaigned seriously in this district. I have received no campaign contacts from either Senator Harris nor his minimal Democratic challenger.
When weighing the options, on the plus side for Senator Harris is one of the most experienced, constituent responsive staffs in either the Texas House or Senate. Senator Harris's staff does not discriminate and "underserve" those who are not Republican. On numerous times, they have responded immediately and with expertie to my inquiries.
On the negative side, I wish that Senator Harris understood how detrimental toll fees on the scale planned in the RTC's 2030 plan will be on businesses, individuals and every facet of the North Central Texas economy. Like most Senators and State Representatives from the DFW metroplex, he voted to exempt this region from the 2 year moratorium on private public partnership toll roads. The citizens have been given no opportunity to approve or veto any specific toll project. Public outcry at public meetings did not slow down the projects. The only bright ray in the financial crisis is that foreign interests cooled to participating in public Private partnerships in this region, cost of financing increased, and transportation planners have been forced to return to the drawing board and try to find other solutions to this region's transportation needs.
It is my belief that there are less expensive transportation solutions than those proposed in the public private toll projects. It is regrettable that Senator Harris, and many of his colleagues in Austin, failed to demand that TxDOT find less costly transportation solutions several years ago instead of red-stamping Rick Perry's public infrastructure give-away.
Senate District 9 is a district which stretches from Arlington to Denton County. Hopefully, after the next census this district will be redrawn to to include fewer "parts of cities and parts of counties".
Star Telegram Hits the Mark Again
RECOMMENDATION TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 97
Recommendation by Fort Worth Star Telegram Editorial Board - Sun, Oct. 19, 2008
The matchup in the Texas House District 97 race is familiar for voters in this southwest Fort Worth district.
Democrat Dan Barrett and Republican Mark Shelton are facing off — again. They were two of the seven candidates in the special election last Nov. 6 to replace the retiring state Rep. Anna Mowery, and moved on to the Dec. 18 runoff.
Barrett, 53, was victorious, as he should be on Nov. 4.
In the brief time he’s been state representative, Barrett has immersed himself in establishing contacts and building relationships with other Austin lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. His two interim committee assignments — Land and Resource Management and Pensions and Investments — have introduced the attorney to the mundane but important work of government, with issues ranging from eminent domain to contracts with the company that runs the state’s pharmacy benefits program.
Should voters return him to Austin, Barrett said, he will focus on the economic issues affecting the residents of District 97: reining in escalating homeowners insurance and utility rates, promoting programs that will decrease the transportation gridlock, and revisiting the state’s less-than-successful funding formula for public education.
It is on the issue of public education that Shelton, 51, is most disappointing. Moments after the physician said that he has "never been for vouchers in public schools," he told Editorial Board members that he "is in favor of 'parental choice.’ " When pressed to define that, Shelton said it is the use of vouchers for students in failing schools.
Libertarian Rodney Wingo, 60, is also running, but the Fort Worth contractor is little more than a placeholder.
The Star-Telegram recommends Dan Barrett for Texas House District 97.
Read more in the Fort Worth Star Telegram
Recommendation by Fort Worth Star Telegram Editorial Board - Sun, Oct. 19, 2008
The matchup in the Texas House District 97 race is familiar for voters in this southwest Fort Worth district.
Democrat Dan Barrett and Republican Mark Shelton are facing off — again. They were two of the seven candidates in the special election last Nov. 6 to replace the retiring state Rep. Anna Mowery, and moved on to the Dec. 18 runoff.
Barrett, 53, was victorious, as he should be on Nov. 4.
In the brief time he’s been state representative, Barrett has immersed himself in establishing contacts and building relationships with other Austin lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. His two interim committee assignments — Land and Resource Management and Pensions and Investments — have introduced the attorney to the mundane but important work of government, with issues ranging from eminent domain to contracts with the company that runs the state’s pharmacy benefits program.
Should voters return him to Austin, Barrett said, he will focus on the economic issues affecting the residents of District 97: reining in escalating homeowners insurance and utility rates, promoting programs that will decrease the transportation gridlock, and revisiting the state’s less-than-successful funding formula for public education.
It is on the issue of public education that Shelton, 51, is most disappointing. Moments after the physician said that he has "never been for vouchers in public schools," he told Editorial Board members that he "is in favor of 'parental choice.’ " When pressed to define that, Shelton said it is the use of vouchers for students in failing schools.
Libertarian Rodney Wingo, 60, is also running, but the Fort Worth contractor is little more than a placeholder.
The Star-Telegram recommends Dan Barrett for Texas House District 97.
Read more in the Fort Worth Star Telegram
This time the Star Telegram Gets It Right:
STAR-TELEGRAM RECOMMENDATION: House District 96 — Chris Turner
By Star Telegram Editorial Board Endorsements - Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Wed, Oct. 01, 2008 October 01, 2008
Read more in the Fort Worth Star Telegram
KENNEDY: Texas, taxes and schools
By BUD KENNEDY - Fort Worth Star Telegram - Oct. 10, 2008
Four weeks before Election Day in a campaign that is not going his party’s direction for now, you would think that Arlington Republican Bill Zedler would avoid picking a fight.
He just picked one — aiming at, of all people, public school leaders, including those in his districts of Arlington, Crowley, Kennedale and Mansfield.
Zedler is among conservatives behind a new "Pledge With Texans." It’s published by the Texas Conservative Coalition ( www.txcc.org) as sort of a state Contract with America, a to-do list for the next Texas Legislature.
"Elimination of school district property taxes must be the long-term goal," the pledge reads.
Ouch.
We don’t have an income tax in Texas. Basically, we have two ways to pay for children’s education: property taxes and sales taxes.
It’s the only option. Unless he’s got a few billion stashed in a piggybank somewhere.
How much would the Texas Legislature have to raise the sales tax to pay for Texas schools?
The Arlington school district alone — one of the state’s most thrifty — needs $200 million a year in property taxes to teach kids.
By the time the state of Texas replaced that money, it would take an extra quarter-cent in sales tax statewide to cover the bill. And that’s just for Arlington.
When Weatherford Republican state Rep. Phil King suggested a school sales tax last year, Texas Monthly said the idea was a "scheme . . . to hurt the schools." The idea is a political gesture designed to shift control to Austin and stir up opposition to tax increases, the magazine’s Paul Burka wrote.
Crowley Superintendent Greg Gibson just got turned down by his own voters for a tax increase.
Imagine if every school in the state had to ask Austin for money to raise teacher salaries or pay higher electric bills.
Zedler, a three-term lawmaker, is the vice chairman of the Texas House Education Committee.
He has always returned calls. This was no exception.
The Conservative Coalition is hosting town halls to promote the Pledge With Texans.
Zedler will host a meeting at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at Moore Elementary in Arlington.
King, the originator, said he might agree to exempt low-income Texans from the sales tax. (A sales tax is often criticized because it’s like an income or property tax in reverse: The poorest Texans pay the highest percentage of their income.)
Zedler’s opponent, Burleson Democrat Chris Turner, said a school sales tax would be "a dangerous path." It wouldn’t produce enough money in the event of a sales recession, he said.
Right or wrong, this is a horrible time to be talking about taxes.
Read more in the Fort Worth Star Telegram
By Star Telegram Editorial Board Endorsements - Fort Worth Star-Telegram - Wed, Oct. 01, 2008 October 01, 2008
Bill Zedler has had enough time and opportunity to shine as a Texas legislator. He hasn’t.
It’s time for a change in Texas House District 96, which stretches south of Interstate 20 from southwest Arlington to Crowley. Republican Bill Zedler has represented the district since 2003, and frankly he’s had time to be a better legislator than he is.
Zedler, 65, touts his membership in the Texas Conservative Coalition as a badge of honor, often using the collective “we” when speaking of the group’s 40-plus House members and their accomplishments in “free enterprise, limited government, limited taxes and family values.”
As slogans, those terms sound good, but in practice some of the legislation pushed by the coalition and its members has been downright bad. We’d rather have seen more evidence that the District 96 representative could think and act independently rather than simply support group causes.
In the coming session, Zedler says he wants to push more of the coalition’s goals.
He wants to require all local police departments to check the immigration status of people in their custody, without fully explaining how the state would have the authority to impose such a requirement or enforce it. He wants to train employers on how to recognize illegal immigrants and to require them to take steps to avoid being duped by fake documents used to gain employment. Putting the state in the role of chief immigration enforcer would be a legal and financial mistake.
Zedler joins the Conservative Coalition crowd in decrying the property tax appraisal system. He wants appraisers to have a freer hand to set property values lower than full market value. Doing so would result in an uneven and unfair tax system.
Opposing Zedler is Democrat Chris Turner, 35, of Burleson. Turner is young and untested, but he is smart and driven by a desire to improve the lives of the residents of District 96 and the rest of the state.
Turner looks at the Oct. 4 school property tax election and the $8.1 million in budget cuts at the Arlington school district this year and sees a common theme: The school funding plan adopted by the Legislature in 2006 has left local districts unable to meet increased costs without raising taxes or dangerously drawing down reserves.
He advocates construction of a North Texas regional commuter rail system. He recognizes funding such a system could be difficult, but the region and its 6.5 million residents are headed for traffic gridlock without it.
He also is focused on the need for transportation innovations and other measures to improve North Texas air quality.
Turner favors measures to enhance funding opportunities for The University of Texas at Arlington and other state higher education institutions.
The Star-Telegram recommends Chris Turner for state representative in District 96.
Read more in the Fort Worth Star Telegram
KENNEDY: Texas, taxes and schools
By BUD KENNEDY - Fort Worth Star Telegram - Oct. 10, 2008
Four weeks before Election Day in a campaign that is not going his party’s direction for now, you would think that Arlington Republican Bill Zedler would avoid picking a fight.
He just picked one — aiming at, of all people, public school leaders, including those in his districts of Arlington, Crowley, Kennedale and Mansfield.
Zedler is among conservatives behind a new "Pledge With Texans." It’s published by the Texas Conservative Coalition ( www.txcc.org) as sort of a state Contract with America, a to-do list for the next Texas Legislature.
Pledge No. 1: "Cut property taxes until they are eliminated" — and one tax in particular.
"Elimination of school district property taxes must be the long-term goal," the pledge reads.
Ouch.
We don’t have an income tax in Texas. Basically, we have two ways to pay for children’s education: property taxes and sales taxes.
"Certainly, we could look at that as an option," he said Thursday, saying lawmakers could "eliminate property tax and replace it with a sales tax."
It’s the only option. Unless he’s got a few billion stashed in a piggybank somewhere.
How much would the Texas Legislature have to raise the sales tax to pay for Texas schools?
"It would have to be an astronomically high sales tax," said Steve Brown, Arlington associate superintendent of finance.
The Arlington school district alone — one of the state’s most thrifty — needs $200 million a year in property taxes to teach kids.
By the time the state of Texas replaced that money, it would take an extra quarter-cent in sales tax statewide to cover the bill. And that’s just for Arlington.
When Weatherford Republican state Rep. Phil King suggested a school sales tax last year, Texas Monthly said the idea was a "scheme . . . to hurt the schools." The idea is a political gesture designed to shift control to Austin and stir up opposition to tax increases, the magazine’s Paul Burka wrote.
Crowley Superintendent Greg Gibson just got turned down by his own voters for a tax increase.
Imagine if every school in the state had to ask Austin for money to raise teacher salaries or pay higher electric bills.
"It’s pretty frustrating to me to hear about proposals like this when the state is funding schools so poorly," Gibson said. "It’s all rhetoric. The money’s not there."
Zedler, a three-term lawmaker, is the vice chairman of the Texas House Education Committee.
He has always returned calls. This was no exception.
"If you can reduce the property tax, then Texans will have more money to spend," he said. "That’ll be good for the economy. And it’ll also generate more sales tax."
The Conservative Coalition is hosting town halls to promote the Pledge With Texans.
Zedler will host a meeting at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at Moore Elementary in Arlington.
"If you want to see what keeps people out of homes, a lot of it is the property tax," he said. He wants school districts to "do more with less," he said.
King, the originator, said he might agree to exempt low-income Texans from the sales tax. (A sales tax is often criticized because it’s like an income or property tax in reverse: The poorest Texans pay the highest percentage of their income.)
Zedler’s opponent, Burleson Democrat Chris Turner, said a school sales tax would be "a dangerous path." It wouldn’t produce enough money in the event of a sales recession, he said.
"It’s a horrible idea," he said.
Right or wrong, this is a horrible time to be talking about taxes.
Read more in the Fort Worth Star Telegram
Attacks ramp up in Texas Senate District 10 race
By ANTHONY SPANGLER - The Fort Worth Star Telegram - Oct. 18, 2008
FORT WORTH — If you thought the attacks have been harsh in the
presidential race, get ready for some tough TV ads and biting
accusations by candidates vying for Texas Senate District 10.
Democratic challenger Wendy Davis started running TV advertisements
Friday that paint incumbent state Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, as a
servant to special interests and a deadbeat who defaulted on a loan.
A narrator uses the phrases "Brimer prefers the shadows to the
spotlight" and "The more we know, the worse it gets."
Just hours after airing its first TV commercials attacking Brimer, the
Davis campaign found itself Friday fending off allegations from Brimer’s
campaign staff and consultants that she is a "ghost employee" at
Republic Title in Fort Worth and that she was paid bonuses for steering
business to the company through her position on the Fort Worth City Council.
Surrounded by campaign workers at her camp’s Fort Worth headquarters,
Davis denied Brimer’s allegations, calling them blatant "lies."
"Kim Brimer is filing trumped-up legal charges and hiding from the
voters because he does not want to talk about his record," she said at
the news conference. "I am challenging you [Brimer] today to stop lying
and filing phony legal actions."
The complaint, mailed to the Texas Insurance Department by Brimer’s
campaign manager, Jarod Cox, contends that Davis was paid bonuses by
Republic Title that violate state law and that she does no work for
Republic Title. A spokesman for the department said the agency has not
received any complaints regarding Davis or Republic Title.
A vice president of the company who answered the phone Friday at a Fort
Worth office of Republic Title said that Davis is an employee and has a
direct extension but that it is easier to reach her on her cellular
phone or at her campaign headquarters.
According to documents obtained by the Star-Telegram, Davis had the
city’s law department review her contract as chief executive of
Republic Title’s Fort Worth division, including her $180,000 annual salary.
Fort Worth City Attorney Davis Yett wrote in a Nov. 9, 2004, letter
that Davis’ "employment agreement provides for compensation in the form
of salary, without any incentives or commissions."
Davis said she is the only executive at Republic Title in Fort Worth who
does not receive bonuses.
"I never accepted any commission or incentives from Republic Title, as
Brimer would have you believe," she said. "I revised my contract to
remove any commission or incentive payments on the advice of the [Fort
Worth] city attorney."
Although Brimer’s TV campaign ads focus on his endorsement by Fort Worth
Mayor Mike Moncrief and the 18 other mayors in the Senate district,
Davis said Friday that Brimer’s campaign has been full of negative
attacks in the form of "trumped-up complaints."
Davis also criticized the Brimer campaign for trying to remove her from
the ballot through a lawsuit challenging her eligibility as a candidate.
The case was rejected this month by a Dallas appeals court.
Brimer’s campaign officials say they are running a positive campaign.
"Ms. Davis’ actions today are kind of like a hubcap thief that steals
the hubcaps and then gets caught, comes back and puts them back on and
says there was no crime," Cox said. "We’ll let the complaint speak for
itself. If she wants to claim things at Republic Title were on the up
and up, then she should release those pay stubs going back to 2004. ..."
Read more in the Fort Worth Star Telegram
FORT WORTH — If you thought the attacks have been harsh in the
presidential race, get ready for some tough TV ads and biting
accusations by candidates vying for Texas Senate District 10.
Democratic challenger Wendy Davis started running TV advertisements
Friday that paint incumbent state Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, as a
servant to special interests and a deadbeat who defaulted on a loan.
A narrator uses the phrases "Brimer prefers the shadows to the
spotlight" and "The more we know, the worse it gets."
Just hours after airing its first TV commercials attacking Brimer, the
Davis campaign found itself Friday fending off allegations from Brimer’s
campaign staff and consultants that she is a "ghost employee" at
Republic Title in Fort Worth and that she was paid bonuses for steering
business to the company through her position on the Fort Worth City Council.
Surrounded by campaign workers at her camp’s Fort Worth headquarters,
Davis denied Brimer’s allegations, calling them blatant "lies."
"Kim Brimer is filing trumped-up legal charges and hiding from the
voters because he does not want to talk about his record," she said at
the news conference. "I am challenging you [Brimer] today to stop lying
and filing phony legal actions."
The complaint, mailed to the Texas Insurance Department by Brimer’s
campaign manager, Jarod Cox, contends that Davis was paid bonuses by
Republic Title that violate state law and that she does no work for
Republic Title. A spokesman for the department said the agency has not
received any complaints regarding Davis or Republic Title.
A vice president of the company who answered the phone Friday at a Fort
Worth office of Republic Title said that Davis is an employee and has a
direct extension but that it is easier to reach her on her cellular
phone or at her campaign headquarters.
According to documents obtained by the Star-Telegram, Davis had the
city’s law department review her contract as chief executive of
Republic Title’s Fort Worth division, including her $180,000 annual salary.
Fort Worth City Attorney Davis Yett wrote in a Nov. 9, 2004, letter
that Davis’ "employment agreement provides for compensation in the form
of salary, without any incentives or commissions."
Davis said she is the only executive at Republic Title in Fort Worth who
does not receive bonuses.
"I never accepted any commission or incentives from Republic Title, as
Brimer would have you believe," she said. "I revised my contract to
remove any commission or incentive payments on the advice of the [Fort
Worth] city attorney."
Although Brimer’s TV campaign ads focus on his endorsement by Fort Worth
Mayor Mike Moncrief and the 18 other mayors in the Senate district,
Davis said Friday that Brimer’s campaign has been full of negative
attacks in the form of "trumped-up complaints."
Davis also criticized the Brimer campaign for trying to remove her from
the ballot through a lawsuit challenging her eligibility as a candidate.
The case was rejected this month by a Dallas appeals court.
Brimer’s campaign officials say they are running a positive campaign.
"Ms. Davis’ actions today are kind of like a hubcap thief that steals
the hubcaps and then gets caught, comes back and puts them back on and
says there was no crime," Cox said. "We’ll let the complaint speak for
itself. If she wants to claim things at Republic Title were on the up
and up, then she should release those pay stubs going back to 2004. ..."
Read more in the Fort Worth Star Telegram
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Dallas lawyer Fred Baron allowed to use experimental drug in cancer fight
By JEFFREY WEISS - The Dallas Morning News - October 16, 2008
Dallas lawyer and Democratic Party fundraiser Fred Baron has won his fight to gain access to an experimental cancer drug, according to an e-mail sent out by his son late Thursday afternoon.
NEW YORK TIMES
NEW YORK TIMES
Lawyer Fred Baron in Dallas in September 2006.
View larger More photos Photo store
According to the e-mail from Andrew Baron, his father was given the drug, called Tysabri, in hopes that it would reverse what doctors say is an otherwise incurable case of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow.
Tysabri has been approved to treat multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease but not cancer. Researchers began preliminary clinical trials testing the drug on patients with multiple myeloma only six weeks ago and don’t yet know whether it works.
The drug is not available to other cancer patients without the permission of the manufacturer, Biogen Idec. As of Wednesday night, the company was refusing to give that permission. A Biogen spokeswoman said that allowing Mr. Baron to use the drug could jeopardize its use by thousands of other people.
Also Online
Link: Son's plea to drug company
But Mr. Baron’s family enlisted some of their well-known friends to lobby the company. The list included Lance Armstrong, the bicyclist and cancer survivor; Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton; Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass; and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who has brain cancer.
Andrew Baron, founder of the Web video company Rocketboom, posted a letter with details of his father’s condition on his personal blog. His plea that his father be allowed to get Tysabri was picked up by the online technology community, which posted links on several other well-known blogs.
Andrew Baron sent out a brief note late Thursday afternoon:
“Thanks to the persistence and hard work of so many friends, Frederick has received Tysabri. The Mayo Clinic working with the FDA found a legal basis for this use. We have every expectation of a positive result.”
Access to the drug was not granted by Biogen, a company spokeswoman said.
“The FDA did notify us late yesterday they were working directly with the Mayo Clinic to try and resolve the situation,” Naomi Aoki said. “It wasn’t through us.”
Mayo Clinic officials declined to comment.
Neither members of the Baron family nor representatives of the FDA were available to provide additional details about how Mr. Baron obtained the drug.
Most prescription medications can be used for “off-label” treatments without additional approval. But Tysabri was pulled from the market once because of its connection to a rare brain infection, and any off-label use must be approved by Biogen.
Biogen officials said they feared that if Mr. Baron had bad side effects from the drug, the company would have difficulty getting approval for its use by other cancer patients. It also feared that doctors would become reluctant to prescribe the drug for MS and Crohn’s.
In his letter, Andrew Baron said that Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, head of the Food and Drug Administration, had given “special approval” for his father to get the drug. His letter also said that the FDA had agreed “that there would be no legal risk and no negative consequences” to Biogen if something went wrong.
An FDA spokesman said Biogen’s president had called Dr. Eschenbach but that no such immunity had been given to the company.
“FDA has provided no such assurance to the company,” Christopher DiFrancesco said in an e-mail. “We recognize and appreciate that expanded access programs involve less-controlled use of experimental treatments than the well-controlled environment of a clinical trial, and thus we would consider information that might be obtained in this instance within that context.”
Read more in the Dallas Morning News
Dallas lawyer and Democratic Party fundraiser Fred Baron has won his fight to gain access to an experimental cancer drug, according to an e-mail sent out by his son late Thursday afternoon.
NEW YORK TIMES
NEW YORK TIMES
Lawyer Fred Baron in Dallas in September 2006.
View larger More photos Photo store
According to the e-mail from Andrew Baron, his father was given the drug, called Tysabri, in hopes that it would reverse what doctors say is an otherwise incurable case of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow.
Tysabri has been approved to treat multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease but not cancer. Researchers began preliminary clinical trials testing the drug on patients with multiple myeloma only six weeks ago and don’t yet know whether it works.
The drug is not available to other cancer patients without the permission of the manufacturer, Biogen Idec. As of Wednesday night, the company was refusing to give that permission. A Biogen spokeswoman said that allowing Mr. Baron to use the drug could jeopardize its use by thousands of other people.
Also Online
Link: Son's plea to drug company
But Mr. Baron’s family enlisted some of their well-known friends to lobby the company. The list included Lance Armstrong, the bicyclist and cancer survivor; Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton; Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass; and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who has brain cancer.
Andrew Baron, founder of the Web video company Rocketboom, posted a letter with details of his father’s condition on his personal blog. His plea that his father be allowed to get Tysabri was picked up by the online technology community, which posted links on several other well-known blogs.
Andrew Baron sent out a brief note late Thursday afternoon:
“Thanks to the persistence and hard work of so many friends, Frederick has received Tysabri. The Mayo Clinic working with the FDA found a legal basis for this use. We have every expectation of a positive result.”
Access to the drug was not granted by Biogen, a company spokeswoman said.
“The FDA did notify us late yesterday they were working directly with the Mayo Clinic to try and resolve the situation,” Naomi Aoki said. “It wasn’t through us.”
Mayo Clinic officials declined to comment.
Neither members of the Baron family nor representatives of the FDA were available to provide additional details about how Mr. Baron obtained the drug.
Most prescription medications can be used for “off-label” treatments without additional approval. But Tysabri was pulled from the market once because of its connection to a rare brain infection, and any off-label use must be approved by Biogen.
Biogen officials said they feared that if Mr. Baron had bad side effects from the drug, the company would have difficulty getting approval for its use by other cancer patients. It also feared that doctors would become reluctant to prescribe the drug for MS and Crohn’s.
In his letter, Andrew Baron said that Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, head of the Food and Drug Administration, had given “special approval” for his father to get the drug. His letter also said that the FDA had agreed “that there would be no legal risk and no negative consequences” to Biogen if something went wrong.
An FDA spokesman said Biogen’s president had called Dr. Eschenbach but that no such immunity had been given to the company.
“FDA has provided no such assurance to the company,” Christopher DiFrancesco said in an e-mail. “We recognize and appreciate that expanded access programs involve less-controlled use of experimental treatments than the well-controlled environment of a clinical trial, and thus we would consider information that might be obtained in this instance within that context.”
Read more in the Dallas Morning News
Monday, October 6, 2008
By GROMER JEFFERS JR. - The Dallas Morning News - Monday, October 6, 2008
John McCain doesn't plan on spending a cent to carry Texas: No offices, no staffers, no television commercials and no campaign appearances.
"Senator McCain is going to win Texas," said former Secretary of State Roger Williams, chairman of the statewide coordinated campaign effort led by the Texas Republican Party. "I can see why he isn't spending any time" in the state.
But for states not in the heat of the presidential fight, seeing the candidates at the top of the ticket offers more than just a glimpse at history. It helps down-ballot candidates and energizes party activists in the party.
So while Mr. McCain's absence signals that Texas is solidly red, it leaves local, more vulnerable GOP candidates to grind alone. He'd be the first GOP presidential candidate in years not to campaign here in the general election.
In contrast, Barack Obama, who acknowledges that he will probably lose Texas, has placed paid staffers in the state to work with thousands of volunteers. Many of them are being sent to battleground states to campaign.
"We are the Alamo, and I'm Col. Travis," said Dallas County Republican Chairman Jonathan Neerman, whose party was buried in a Democratic landslide in the 2006 election. "We don't have the benefit of Senator McCain campaigning here, but this is our county, and we have to take responsibility for winning it."
Confident of victory
The McCain campaign says that because it's confident of winning the state – and because the coordinated campaign has done such a good job – it doesn't plan on spending any money in the state.
Mr. McCain had a much different view of the role of Texas when he visited Dallas for a June fundraiser at the Belo Mansion.
"I don't believe it's fair or appropriate to come here and ask for your money and then not campaign here," he said after promising to make regular visits to Texas. "I'll be back to the great state of Texas on several occasions. Not just for fundraising, but because I think it is an important state for the future of this nation."
Since his remarks, Mr. McCain has not been back to the state, nor have many of his surrogates. And he's had to reconsider his efforts in other states as well. Last week, the campaign said it was pulling up stakes in Michigan, conceding the state to Mr. Obama.
So Texas supporters must watch the campaign on television.
And when they want to participate by buying yard signs and other campaign gear, they must either drive to a battleground state, purchase it through Mr. McCain's Web site or rely on the local party's scarce stashes.
Mr. McCain is hardly the first Republican who didn't run an active campaign here.
In 2000 and 2004, George W. Bush didn't spend significant resources in Texas either.
Then, as now, the presidential ticket was pushed by a statewide campaign.
Mr. Williams said Texas Republicans are having success selling Mr. McCain, as well as state and local candidates.
"We're helping Senator McCain a lot," he said. "We're helping everybody else down the ballot."
There are "victory" operations in the Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio areas. Those campaigns are funded by the state party, with input from local Republicans.
In the past several months, they have had 50 sessions to train volunteers.
Hometown races
But unlike Mr. Obama, who sends many of his volunteers outside Texas, Republican volunteers are used almost exclusively for hometown races.
Mr. Neerman said the McCain campaign had pledged not to take valuable campaign workers out of Dallas County. He says he needs them to help with local races.
But Mr. Neerman and others were hoping for more, including public rallies by both Mr. McCain and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
Ms. Palin visited Dallas on Friday for a fundraiser attended by more than 1,000 people.
And hundreds more lined the streets outside of the Fairmont Hotel and along the path of her motorcade.
The private luncheon allowed down-ballot candidates like former Irving Police Chief Lowell Cannaday to feel the energy brought by Ms. Palin's stardom.
He met her but didn't mention his race for sheriff against Democrat incumbent Lupe Valdez.
"That would not have been appropriate," he said. "It was her day."
Read more in the Dallas Morning News
John McCain doesn't plan on spending a cent to carry Texas: No offices, no staffers, no television commercials and no campaign appearances.
"Senator McCain is going to win Texas," said former Secretary of State Roger Williams, chairman of the statewide coordinated campaign effort led by the Texas Republican Party. "I can see why he isn't spending any time" in the state.
But for states not in the heat of the presidential fight, seeing the candidates at the top of the ticket offers more than just a glimpse at history. It helps down-ballot candidates and energizes party activists in the party.
So while Mr. McCain's absence signals that Texas is solidly red, it leaves local, more vulnerable GOP candidates to grind alone. He'd be the first GOP presidential candidate in years not to campaign here in the general election.
In contrast, Barack Obama, who acknowledges that he will probably lose Texas, has placed paid staffers in the state to work with thousands of volunteers. Many of them are being sent to battleground states to campaign.
"We are the Alamo, and I'm Col. Travis," said Dallas County Republican Chairman Jonathan Neerman, whose party was buried in a Democratic landslide in the 2006 election. "We don't have the benefit of Senator McCain campaigning here, but this is our county, and we have to take responsibility for winning it."
Confident of victory
The McCain campaign says that because it's confident of winning the state – and because the coordinated campaign has done such a good job – it doesn't plan on spending any money in the state.
"We're all working together, hand in hand," said Tom Kise, a McCain spokesman. "Every state is important, and Texas is going to be won by John McCain."
Mr. McCain had a much different view of the role of Texas when he visited Dallas for a June fundraiser at the Belo Mansion.
"I don't believe it's fair or appropriate to come here and ask for your money and then not campaign here," he said after promising to make regular visits to Texas. "I'll be back to the great state of Texas on several occasions. Not just for fundraising, but because I think it is an important state for the future of this nation."
Since his remarks, Mr. McCain has not been back to the state, nor have many of his surrogates. And he's had to reconsider his efforts in other states as well. Last week, the campaign said it was pulling up stakes in Michigan, conceding the state to Mr. Obama.
So Texas supporters must watch the campaign on television.
And when they want to participate by buying yard signs and other campaign gear, they must either drive to a battleground state, purchase it through Mr. McCain's Web site or rely on the local party's scarce stashes.
Mr. McCain is hardly the first Republican who didn't run an active campaign here.
In 2000 and 2004, George W. Bush didn't spend significant resources in Texas either.
Then, as now, the presidential ticket was pushed by a statewide campaign.
Mr. Williams said Texas Republicans are having success selling Mr. McCain, as well as state and local candidates.
"We're helping Senator McCain a lot," he said. "We're helping everybody else down the ballot."
There are "victory" operations in the Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin and San Antonio areas. Those campaigns are funded by the state party, with input from local Republicans.
In the past several months, they have had 50 sessions to train volunteers.
Hometown races
But unlike Mr. Obama, who sends many of his volunteers outside Texas, Republican volunteers are used almost exclusively for hometown races.
Mr. Neerman said the McCain campaign had pledged not to take valuable campaign workers out of Dallas County. He says he needs them to help with local races.
But Mr. Neerman and others were hoping for more, including public rallies by both Mr. McCain and vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
Ms. Palin visited Dallas on Friday for a fundraiser attended by more than 1,000 people.
And hundreds more lined the streets outside of the Fairmont Hotel and along the path of her motorcade.
The private luncheon allowed down-ballot candidates like former Irving Police Chief Lowell Cannaday to feel the energy brought by Ms. Palin's stardom.
He met her but didn't mention his race for sheriff against Democrat incumbent Lupe Valdez.
"That would not have been appropriate," he said. "It was her day."
Read more in the Dallas Morning News
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
OBAMA TRIED TO STALL GIS' IRAQ WITHDRAWAL
By Amir Taheri - The NY Post - Sept. 15, 2008
WHILE campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence.
According to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Obama made his demand for delay a key theme of his discussions with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad in July.
"He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington," Zebari said in an interview.
Obama insisted that Congress should be involved in negotiations on the status of US troops - and that it was in the interests of both sides not to have an agreement negotiated by the Bush administration in its "state of weakness and political confusion."
"However, as an Iraqi, I prefer to have a security agreement that regulates the activities of foreign troops, rather than keeping the matter open." Zebari says.
Though Obama claims the US presence is "illegal," he suddenly remembered that Americans troops were in Iraq within the legal framework of a UN mandate. His advice was that, rather than reach an accord with the "weakened Bush administration," Iraq should seek an extension of the UN mandate.
While in Iraq, Obama also tried to persuade the US commanders, including Gen. David Petraeus, to suggest a "realistic withdrawal date." They declined.
Obama has made many contradictory statements with regard to Iraq. His latest position is that US combat troops should be out by 2010. Yet his effort to delay an agreement would make that withdrawal deadline impossible to meet.
Supposing he wins, Obama's administration wouldn't be fully operational before February - and naming a new ambassador to Baghdad and forming a new negotiation team might take longer still.
By then, Iraq will be in the throes of its own campaign season. Judging by the past two elections, forming a new coalition government may then take three months. So the Iraqi negotiating team might not be in place until next June.
Then, judging by how long the current talks have taken, restarting the process from scratch would leave the two sides needing at least six months to come up with a draft accord. That puts us at May 2010 for when the draft might be submitted to the Iraqi parliament - which might well need another six months to pass it into law.
Read more in the NY Post
OBAMA CAMPAIGN DENIES USING STALL TACTICS WITH IRAQ
By GEOFF EARLE - Post Correspondent - September 16, 2008
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama said yesterday he didn't urge Iraq to hold up an agreement with the Bush administration over the status of US troops serving in Iraq.
"Obama has never urged a delay in negotiations, nor has he urged a delay in immediately beginning a responsible drawdown of our combat brigades," said Wendy Morigi, an Obama spokeswoman in response to a column in yesterday's Post.
Morigi cited "outright distortions" in an column by Amir Taheri, but the Obama camp did not specifically dispute any of the quotes in the piece.
The article quoted Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari in an interview saying Obama said it might be better to delay an agreement.
"He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington," Zebari said.
Zebari said Obama wanted congressional approval of a deal, and said it was better not to have the agreement negotiated while the administration was in a "state of weakness and political confusion."
John McCain's senior adviser, Randy Scheunemann, called Obama's statements "an egregious act of political interference by a presidential candidate seeking political advantage overseas," citing the "possibility" that Obama tried to undermine negotiations.
geoff.earle@nypost.com
WHILE campaigning in public for a speedy withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Sen. Barack Obama has tried in private to persuade Iraqi leaders to delay an agreement on a draw-down of the American military presence.
According to Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, Obama made his demand for delay a key theme of his discussions with Iraqi leaders in Baghdad in July.
"He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington," Zebari said in an interview.
Obama insisted that Congress should be involved in negotiations on the status of US troops - and that it was in the interests of both sides not to have an agreement negotiated by the Bush administration in its "state of weakness and political confusion."
"However, as an Iraqi, I prefer to have a security agreement that regulates the activities of foreign troops, rather than keeping the matter open." Zebari says.
Though Obama claims the US presence is "illegal," he suddenly remembered that Americans troops were in Iraq within the legal framework of a UN mandate. His advice was that, rather than reach an accord with the "weakened Bush administration," Iraq should seek an extension of the UN mandate.
While in Iraq, Obama also tried to persuade the US commanders, including Gen. David Petraeus, to suggest a "realistic withdrawal date." They declined.
Obama has made many contradictory statements with regard to Iraq. His latest position is that US combat troops should be out by 2010. Yet his effort to delay an agreement would make that withdrawal deadline impossible to meet.
Supposing he wins, Obama's administration wouldn't be fully operational before February - and naming a new ambassador to Baghdad and forming a new negotiation team might take longer still.
By then, Iraq will be in the throes of its own campaign season. Judging by the past two elections, forming a new coalition government may then take three months. So the Iraqi negotiating team might not be in place until next June.
Then, judging by how long the current talks have taken, restarting the process from scratch would leave the two sides needing at least six months to come up with a draft accord. That puts us at May 2010 for when the draft might be submitted to the Iraqi parliament - which might well need another six months to pass it into law.
Read more in the NY Post
OBAMA CAMPAIGN DENIES USING STALL TACTICS WITH IRAQ
By GEOFF EARLE - Post Correspondent - September 16, 2008
WASHINGTON - Barack Obama said yesterday he didn't urge Iraq to hold up an agreement with the Bush administration over the status of US troops serving in Iraq.
"Obama has never urged a delay in negotiations, nor has he urged a delay in immediately beginning a responsible drawdown of our combat brigades," said Wendy Morigi, an Obama spokeswoman in response to a column in yesterday's Post.
Morigi cited "outright distortions" in an column by Amir Taheri, but the Obama camp did not specifically dispute any of the quotes in the piece.
The article quoted Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari in an interview saying Obama said it might be better to delay an agreement.
"He asked why we were not prepared to delay an agreement until after the US elections and the formation of a new administration in Washington," Zebari said.
Zebari said Obama wanted congressional approval of a deal, and said it was better not to have the agreement negotiated while the administration was in a "state of weakness and political confusion."
John McCain's senior adviser, Randy Scheunemann, called Obama's statements "an egregious act of political interference by a presidential candidate seeking political advantage overseas," citing the "possibility" that Obama tried to undermine negotiations.
geoff.earle@nypost.com
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Tarrant County: Judge Candidate
Maureen Tolbert on "How Cases are Tried":
Tolbert on "How Tolbert is Different":
Tolbert on "How Judge is Referree":
Tolbert on "How Tolbert is Different":
Tolbert on "How Judge is Referree":
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
New Media and the Presidential Campaign - The Aspen Institute
Media in Campaign:
McCain's Poll Vault
By Jonathan Capehart - Washington Post - September 8, 2008
In July, I was on a panel at the Aspen Ideas Festival on the media and the 2008 presidential campaign. There was a bit of happy talk about Sen. Barack Obama and the campaign he'd run thus far, which rankled a few folks under the tent at the Aspen Meadows Resort. One asked if there was anything nice any of us could say about the Republican nominee for president. I leaned over to the moderator and said, "I'll take that one."
For those of you thirsty for some good news about John McCain, I said, here you go. Citing a May Washington Post-ABC News poll, I pointed out that 82 percent of respondents felt the nation was going in the wrong direction. I noted that the conventional wisdom among Democrats and Republicans alike, both inside and outside the Washington Beltway, was that the Democrats would expand their majorities in the House and the Senate. And I said that voters overwhelmingly favored Democrats over the GOP when asked who they trusted to address the war in Iraq, the economy and a whole host of other issues. Then came the good news for McCain: despite this tidal wave of bad news for Republicans, he was in a statistical dead-heat with Obama. I warned the Obama supporters to pay attention to this, especially since the senator from Illinois lost nine of the final 14 contests, including Pennsylvania, Ohio and Indiana, and was having a hard time winning over supporters of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Two months later, the situation is a tad more dire. Three polls out today spell trouble for Team Obama. While a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll has Obama and McCain tied at 48 percent, a USA Today/Gallup survey has McCain besting Obama 50-46 among registered voters. And a Washington Post/ABC News poll shows McCain leading among white women, 53-41.
This could be the traditional convention bounce for McCain. After all, these polls were done over the weekend, just after the Republican convention disbanded in St. Paul. Or it could be that McCain's pick of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate was the spark that the conservative base of the party, and white women, needed to finally show McCain some love. Or these numbers could represent growing resistance to Obama. Whatever the reason, Obama better figure out a way to turn those ugly numbers around lest he be the losing Democrat in a year of expected gains.
Some of the McCain Greenscreen Videos:
Make McCain Exciting Challenge: McCain on Jeopardy
Make McCain Exciting: McCain hosts the Colbert Report:
Make McCain Exciting - Cavewomen Catfighting:
McCaMake John McCain Exciting: Dinosaurs Fighting:
Make McCain Exciting: Wizard of Oz edition:
Make McCain Exciting: Blue Suede Shoes edition:
Make McCain Exciting: The Emperor edition:
See all forty Greenscreen Colbert challenge videos.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Gore and Clinton stronger against McCain than Obama
In mid July, almost a month after Senator Clinton suspended her campaign, the Rasmussen poll shows Hillary Clinton is stronger than McCain, yet McCain leads Barack Obama in the poll.
The same report states:
They summarize:
Another poll shows:
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday, Aug. 15, 2008 shows Barack Obama attracting 44% of the vote while John McCain earns 41%. When "leaners" are included, it’s Obama 47% and McCain 45% (see recent daily results). Tracking Polls are released at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time each day.
National Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters
Conducted July 13, 2008
By Rasmussen Reports
2* Fine… what if the choice was between Republican John McCain or Democrat Al Gore? For whom would you vote?
43% McCain
50% Gore
4% Some other candidate
4% Not sure
4* Just two more… what if the choice was between Republican John McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton? For whom would you vote?
42% McCain
50% Clinton
5% Some other candidate
3% Not sure
NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence
This week they polled on views of Hillary Clinton:
The August 15, 2008 Rasmussen Polls:
However, McCain fares better against Obama than he does against two other prominent Democrats. New York Senator Hillary Clinton leads McCain by eight points, 50% to 42%. Former Vice President Al Gore, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2000, leads McCain 50% to 43%.
The same report states:
These numbers help explain why Election 2008 is competitive even though events so heavily favor the Democrats -- because the Republicans are on course to nominate their strongest possible general election candidate but the Democrats are not.
They summarize:
In all five hypothetical match-ups featured in this article, the Democrat leads the Republican among unaffiliated voters. In the match-up between the two presumptive nominees, McCain holds a slight edge over Obama among those voters.
Another poll shows:
The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday, Aug. 15, 2008 shows Barack Obama attracting 44% of the vote while John McCain earns 41%. When "leaners" are included, it’s Obama 47% and McCain 45% (see recent daily results). Tracking Polls are released at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time each day.
National Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters
Conducted July 13, 2008
By Rasmussen Reports
2* Fine… what if the choice was between Republican John McCain or Democrat Al Gore? For whom would you vote?
43% McCain
50% Gore
4% Some other candidate
4% Not sure
4* Just two more… what if the choice was between Republican John McCain and Democrat Hillary Clinton? For whom would you vote?
42% McCain
50% Clinton
5% Some other candidate
3% Not sure
NOTE: Margin of Sampling Error, +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence
This week they polled on views of Hillary Clinton:
The August 15, 2008 Rasmussen Polls:
Seventy percent (70%) of Democrats have a favorable opinion of Clinton. Just 45% of African-Americans feel that way, however, while 52% offer a negative assessment.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Clinton To Be Nominated At Convention - It's official.
By Elizabeth Benjamin - The NY Daily News - August 14, 2008
Word that a deal had been reached between the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns to put both of their names into nomination at the convention in Denver has been percolating around the Web all morning.
Now there's a joint statement from the Obama and Clinton press offices that confirms the agreement.
Read more in The NY Daily News - Daily Politics
Clinton Will Be Nominated
by Steve Kornacki - The Politicker - August 14, 2008
Read more in The Politicker
Word that a deal had been reached between the Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama campaigns to put both of their names into nomination at the convention in Denver has been percolating around the Web all morning.
Now there's a joint statement from the Obama and Clinton press offices that confirms the agreement.
Since June, Senators Obama and Clinton have been working together to ensure a Democratic victory this November. They are both committed to winning back the White House and to to ensuring that the voices of all 35 million people who participated in this historic primary election are respected and heard in Denver.
To honor and celebrate these voices and votes, both Senator Obama's and Senator Clinton's names will be placed in nomination.“I am convinced that honoring Senator Clinton's historic campaign in this way will help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong united fashion,” said Senator Barack Obama.
Senator Obama’s campaign encouraged Senator Clinton's name to be placed in nomination as a show of unity and in recognition of the historic race she ran and the fact that she was the first woman to compete in all of our nation’s primary contests.“With every voice heard and the Party strongly united, we will elect Senator Obama President of the United States and put our nation on the path to peace and prosperity once again,” said Senator Hillary Clinton.
Senator Obama and Senator Clinton are looking forward to a convention unified behind Barack Obama as the Party’s nominee and to victory this fall for America.
Read more in The NY Daily News - Daily Politics
Clinton Will Be Nominated
by Steve Kornacki - The Politicker - August 14, 2008
Per Marc Ambinder, we now have formal word of an agreement between the Clinton and Obama campaigns that calls for both candidates’ names to be placed in nomination at the convention in order to “honor and celebrate” all of their supporters, according to a joint statement.
As I wrote yesterday, the Obama campaign didn’t have much choice here. The official purpose of a convention is to nominate a presidential candidate, and that can only be done two ways: by acclimation or by a roll call of the states.
If the Obama campaign had gone the acclimation route (as a way of avoiding a formal vote in which hundreds of Clinton delegates might dissent), the protests from Clinton’s die-hard delegates (there are many of them) would be deafening and would produce video clips that would be played over and over, completely defeating the purpose of an acclimation motion.
That left the roll call option, which is traditionally used (even when the nominee is unopposed). But even if Clinton had – as the Obama campaign would have liked – instructed her delegates not to nominate her (and refused to consent to being nominated if they went ahead and did so anyway), it would still be permissible for her delegates to vote for her in the roll call of the states. One way or another, the Clinton delegates who want to vote for her were going to be heard. With this compromise, the Obama campaign is finally recognizing this.
Now the questions will begin: Will Hillary explicitly urge her delegates to vote for Obama anyway, as a show of unity? And how many of them will listen if she does? And will any of this mollify the PUMA crowd, some of whom are still talking of wresting the nomination for Clinton in Denver? And, perhaps most importantly: Will we be talking about any of this once the convention is over?
Read more in The Politicker
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Wolfson: Edwards' Cover-up Cost Clinton the Nomination -
Aides Say She Would Have Won Iowa if Edwards Affair was Exposed
By BRIAN ROSS and JAKE TAPPER - ABC NEWS - August 11, 2008
Sen. Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic presidential nominee if John Edwards had been caught in his lie about an extramarital affair and forced out of the race last year, insists a top Clinton campaign aide, making a charge that could exacerbate previously existing tensions between the camps of Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.
Clinton finished third in the Iowa caucuses barely behind Edwards in second place and Obama in first. The momentum of the insurgent Obama campaign beating two better-known candidates -- not to mention an African-American winning in such an overwhelmingly white state -- changed the dynamics of the race forever.
Obama won 37.6 per cent of the vote. Edwards won 29.7 per cent and Clinton won 29.5 per cent, according to results posted by the Iowa Democratic Party.
Two months earlier, Edwards had vociferously, but falsely, denied a story in the National Enquirer about the alleged affair last October, and few in the mainstream media even reported the denial.
Read more on ABC NEWS
By BRIAN ROSS and JAKE TAPPER - ABC NEWS - August 11, 2008
Sen. Hillary Clinton would be the Democratic presidential nominee if John Edwards had been caught in his lie about an extramarital affair and forced out of the race last year, insists a top Clinton campaign aide, making a charge that could exacerbate previously existing tensions between the camps of Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama.
"I believe we would have won Iowa, and Clinton today would therefore have been the nominee," former Clinton Communications Director Howard Wolfson told ABCNews.com.
Clinton finished third in the Iowa caucuses barely behind Edwards in second place and Obama in first. The momentum of the insurgent Obama campaign beating two better-known candidates -- not to mention an African-American winning in such an overwhelmingly white state -- changed the dynamics of the race forever.
Obama won 37.6 per cent of the vote. Edwards won 29.7 per cent and Clinton won 29.5 per cent, according to results posted by the Iowa Democratic Party.
"Our voters and Edwards' voters were the same people," Wolfson said the Clinton polls showed. "They were older, pro-union. Not all, but maybe two-thirds of them would have been for us and we would have barely beaten Obama."
Two months earlier, Edwards had vociferously, but falsely, denied a story in the National Enquirer about the alleged affair last October, and few in the mainstream media even reported the denial.
Read more on ABC NEWS
All Votes Aren’t Equal: Texas Credentials Report Cites Evidence of Procedural Irregularities
Crossposted on DAILY KOS and TEXAS KAOS
By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - August 12, 2008
I just received a copy of the 2008 Texas Democratic Convention Credentials Committee's report from TDP Staffer Jim Boyton. The summary is below:
The Preamble of the 2008 Credentials Committee Report to the SDEC and Texas Democratic State Convention addresses the expectations of the 2.8 million Texas primary voters:
Acknowleding that many of the conventions were conducted fairly, they stated:
They attributed some of the problems to:
The Preamble explains the importance of the Challenge Process:
The committee acknowledged that they did not remedy all the challenges they affirmed and they did not enforce the rules to the fullest extent:
Apportioning presidential delegates at the convention creates disunity:
This year the high turn-out of convention attendees further exacerbated the divisions among Texas Democrats:
The Challenge Process is designed to facilitate healing among Democratic Convention participants:
The Committee stated that they decided in some instances not to require full compliance with the rules, attempting "to balance" opposing sides and hopefully create ways for participants to work together in the future:
By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - August 12, 2008
I just received a copy of the 2008 Texas Democratic Convention Credentials Committee's report from TDP Staffer Jim Boyton. The summary is below:
STATEMENT ON RULES AND PROCEDURES
The Committee heard heart-felt, dispiriting testimony from witnesses representing hundreds of challengers about improprieties at many county/senatorial district conventions. Even though the Committee could not always ascertain the factual predicate necessary to divine a remedy that would deny the fruits of the wrongdoing to the violators without harming the effort of welcoming participation by tens of thousands of new Democrats and beginning the healing process, the Committee implores the Party to take stringent steps to prevent recurrence of the following types of infractions:
• Abandoning the convention leadership’s responsibility to ensure credentials go only to those properly elected at the precinct conventions below as properly reflected on the precinct convention minutes returned in a timely manner;
• Allowing participation by alternates or visitors in the voting in precinct caucuses or the voting on the floor of the convention;
• Not recognizing delegates on the floor to challenge the approval of the nominating committee’s nominees for4 delegate-at-large without allowing individual challenges;
• Having one person serving in multiple positions, e.g. Chair of the Tabulations Committee, Rules Committee and Credentials Committee simultaneously as well as adopting and enforcing special rules;
• Claiming to suspend the rules or adopting special rules under the rubric of Robert’s Rules of Order in order to operate in direct violation of the Rules of the Texas Democratic Party;
• Holding joint conventions of different senatorial districts within a county, including joint Nominations or other committees;
• Not appointing members of the Credentials or other committees at the time and in the manner prescribed in the rules, including not in open meetings or not properly balanced;
• Ordering precinct conventions to be ignored and to be reheld without proper factual basis found by the appropriate authorities and without opportunity for sufficient notice to all potential precinct voters;
• Not having the precinct convention minutes and all exhibits made available in a timely manner to anyone wanting to use those materials for supporting any Democratic candidates;
• Not addressing the time frame for the credential verification and challenge processes so that those matters can be resolved sufficiently in advance of the opening of the conventions to avoid long delays in the convention before conducting their other business.
The Preamble of the 2008 Credentials Committee Report to the SDEC and Texas Democratic State Convention addresses the expectations of the 2.8 million Texas primary voters:
PREAMBLE
On March 4, 2008, some 2.8 million Texans exuberantly turned out to select the leaders that they wanted to carry forward the Democratic banner in the fall election. These people cast their votes to restore the levers of government in our county and state to those dedicated to implementing policies and democratic values in the best interest of all Americans.
An unprecedented million or so of those voters also participated in their precinct conventions in hopes of helping the presidential candidate of their choice obtain the Democratic nomination to lead that campaign in the fall. Those Democrats rightfully expected the convention process at both the precinct and the county/senatorial district convention levels to be conducted fairly and openly in accordance with the rules and laws applicable to the most important of all rights – the right to vote.
Acknowleding that many of the conventions were conducted fairly, they stated:
For the most part, the conventions were able to conduct their important business with due respect for the rules and the rights for all involved. The conventions did so in spite of the unprecedented numbers of participants, the vast majority of whom had never participated in their conventions beforehand, and cumbersome or arcane rules and procedures. The amazing success of the conventions is due to the dedication, patience and good faith of the scores of thousands involved.
They attributed some of the problems to:
However, constraints of time or facilities, misunderstanding of the rules, miscommunication between the people involved, or occasionally excess zeal in trying to advance the cause of a particular presidential candidate, caused improprieties or mistakes to be made in the process.
The Preamble explains the importance of the Challenge Process:
The Democratic Party devised the rules after decades of experience where those in positions of power often overrode the rights of others, sometimes even of the majority. The rules are designed to give everyone a fair opportunity to participate and any transgression of those rights, regardless of how well intentioned or innocent the cause of the transgression, is a serious matter. For that reason the Party has established the challenge process over which this Committee has been deliberating these past three weeks.
The committee acknowledged that they did not remedy all the challenges they affirmed and they did not enforce the rules to the fullest extent:
This report contains the recommendations of the committee to the SDEC as how to resolve all of the challenges that came before the Committee. The Committee recognizes that these recommendations do not always enforce the letter of the rules to the fullest. This is done consciously and advisedly.
Apportioning presidential delegates at the convention creates disunity:
In the heat of the convention process, where those supporting competing candidates vie for delegates, passions run high and feelings are often injured.
This year the high turn-out of convention attendees further exacerbated the divisions among Texas Democrats:
The unique obstacles created by trying to accommodate such unprecedented participation in inadequate facilities in such a short time for planning often exacerbated the sense of injury.
The Challenge Process is designed to facilitate healing among Democratic Convention participants:
The Committee strongly believes that it is crucial to our common pursuit of success in the fall elections to use the resolution of these challenges to commence the healing of those bruised feelings and the coming-back together of the factions. For that reason, the Committee suggested that the local participants involved always try to reach a mutual accommodation amongst themselves before forcing the Committee to rule on certain challenges. The Committee appreciates and commends those challengers and respondents in many senate districts that did so. The Committee has recommended approval of those agreements.
The Committee stated that they decided in some instances not to require full compliance with the rules, attempting "to balance" opposing sides and hopefully create ways for participants to work together in the future:
In other instances, the Committee has recommended resolution of challenges that balance the competing interests of not discouraging participation by those new to the process and insisting on full compliance with rules. In these instances, the Committee chose not apply the harshest relief available for these violations. These decisions are not made lightly and do not reflect in any regard a derogation of the good faith and hard effort of those bringing those challenges, often in the face of powerful interests or community pressures not to do so. The balanced resolutions are recommended not only because the available data is sometimes insufficient to tie a particular remedy to the appropriate person or the remedy may harm the potential participation in the state convention of those not involved in the violation of the rules; but also because the Committee feels these resolutions are appropriate to encourage those involved to look beyond their arguments for or against the particular challenge to see how they can begin working in harmony again for our common purpose in the fall.
In Texas All Votes Aren't Equal - Report of 2008 Texas State Democratic Credentials Committee Cites Evidence of Procedural Irregularities
By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - August 12, 2008
I just received a copy of the Report of 2008 Texas Democratic Convention Credentials Committee from TDP Staffer Jim Boyton.
The summary is below:
STATEMENT ON RULES AND PROCEDURES
The Committee heard heart-felt, dispiriting testimony from witnesses representing hundreds of challengers about improprieties at many county/senatorial district conventions. Even though the Committee could not always ascertain the factual predicate necessary to divine a remedy that would deny the fruits of the wrongdoing to the violators without harming the effort of welcoming participation by tens of thousands of new Democrats and beginning the healing process, the Committee implores the Party to take stringent steps to prevent recurrence of the following types of infractions:
• Abandoning the convention leadership’s responsibility to ensure credentials go only to those properly elected at the precinct conventions below as properly reflected on the precinct convention minutes returned in a timely manner;
• Allowing participation by alternates or visitors in the voting in precinct caucuses or the voting on the floor of the convention;
• Not recognizing delegates on the floor to challenge the approval of the nominating committee’s nominees for4 delegate-at-large without allowing individual challenges;
• Having one person serving in multiple positions, e.g. Chair of the Tabulations Committee, Rules Committee and Credentials Committee simultaneously as well as adopting and enforcing special rules;
• Claiming to suspend the rules or adopting special rules under the rubric of Robert’s Rules of Order in order to operate in direct violation of the Rules of the Texas Democratic Party;
• Holding joint conventions of different senatorial districts within a county, including joint Nominations or other committees;
• Not appointing members of the Credentials or other committees at the time and in the manner prescribed in the rules, including not in open meetings or not properly balanced;
• Ordering precinct conventions to be ignored and to be reheld without proper factual basis found by the appropriate authorities and without opportunity for sufficient notice to all potential precinct voters;
• Not having the precinct convention minutes and all exhibits made available in a timely manner to anyone wanting to use those materials for supporting any Democratic candidates;
• Not addressing the time frame for the credential verification and challenge processes so that those matters can be resolved sufficiently in advance of the opening of the conventions to avoid long delays in the convention before conducting their other business.
I just received a copy of the Report of 2008 Texas Democratic Convention Credentials Committee from TDP Staffer Jim Boyton.
The summary is below:
STATEMENT ON RULES AND PROCEDURES
The Committee heard heart-felt, dispiriting testimony from witnesses representing hundreds of challengers about improprieties at many county/senatorial district conventions. Even though the Committee could not always ascertain the factual predicate necessary to divine a remedy that would deny the fruits of the wrongdoing to the violators without harming the effort of welcoming participation by tens of thousands of new Democrats and beginning the healing process, the Committee implores the Party to take stringent steps to prevent recurrence of the following types of infractions:
• Abandoning the convention leadership’s responsibility to ensure credentials go only to those properly elected at the precinct conventions below as properly reflected on the precinct convention minutes returned in a timely manner;
• Allowing participation by alternates or visitors in the voting in precinct caucuses or the voting on the floor of the convention;
• Not recognizing delegates on the floor to challenge the approval of the nominating committee’s nominees for4 delegate-at-large without allowing individual challenges;
• Having one person serving in multiple positions, e.g. Chair of the Tabulations Committee, Rules Committee and Credentials Committee simultaneously as well as adopting and enforcing special rules;
• Claiming to suspend the rules or adopting special rules under the rubric of Robert’s Rules of Order in order to operate in direct violation of the Rules of the Texas Democratic Party;
• Holding joint conventions of different senatorial districts within a county, including joint Nominations or other committees;
• Not appointing members of the Credentials or other committees at the time and in the manner prescribed in the rules, including not in open meetings or not properly balanced;
• Ordering precinct conventions to be ignored and to be reheld without proper factual basis found by the appropriate authorities and without opportunity for sufficient notice to all potential precinct voters;
• Not having the precinct convention minutes and all exhibits made available in a timely manner to anyone wanting to use those materials for supporting any Democratic candidates;
• Not addressing the time frame for the credential verification and challenge processes so that those matters can be resolved sufficiently in advance of the opening of the conventions to avoid long delays in the convention before conducting their other business.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
All voters do not count equally in Texas
Crossposted on DAILY KOS
By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - Aug. 10, 2008
"Overwhelmed", "chaotic", and "not complying with the election code or Texas Democratic Party Rules" is how many Texas Democratic Precinct and Senatorial Convention attendees describe the Texas Two-Step. Texas is the only state to apportion part (2/3rd) of their national presidential pledged delegates by the results of the Democratic Primary and the rest (1/3) by sign-ins at precinct convention caucuses.
This year 2.8 Texans voted in the Democratic Primary (2,874,986) for every registered voter who attended a Democratic Precinct Convention/Caucus. Only 1,000,000 Texans signed-in at Precinct Conventions to select the remaining 1/3 of the delegates.
If all the delegates had been selected using the percentage of vote cast in the Primary for each candidate, Senator Clinton would have 10 more national delegates than Senator Obama. However, because the percentage of sign-ins per candidate distributes 1/3 of the delegates based on the sign-in presidential preference of the 1,000,000 precinct convention attendees, after primary and convention numbers are tallied, Texas will be sending 5 more delegates pledged to Senator Obama than the number going for Senator Clinton. With nearly three Texans voting in the primary for every Texan attending the precinct conventions, many people think that the preferences of the majority of Texas Democratics should not be overruled by the preferences of many fewer convention attendees.
The Texas Secretary of State's Election Office received few reports of glitches in the Primary Election this year in which 2/3rd of the pledged presidential delegates were selected. However, the Democratic Party Credentials Committee received many complaints (challenges) documenting flawed flawed precinct and senatorial conventions where the remaining 1/3 of the pledged presidential delegates are chosen.
The Texas Democratic Party attempts to address and remedy irregularites in convention voting procedures. This year many senatorial district credentials committees and the Texas State Democratic Credentials Committee reported that they were unable to remedy many of the procedural challenges they reviewed.
Even if the precinct conventions business had been conducted flawlessly, the Texas 2-Step Hybrid Primary/Precinct Convention Caucus system of apportioning national pledged presidential delegates would still discriminate against many Texas registered voters.
>
NEWS 8 AUSTIN Texas 2 step West committee
Selection of 2/3rd of the delegates through the primary allows the disabled, elderly homebound, frail, and military personnel stationed away from their permanent voting residence to cast ballots by mail or at early voting. Texas election law and the Texas Democratic Party rules, however, forbids absentee or proxy voting at the precinct conventions. Unlike Maine, which allows registered voters to register their presidential preference by mail and it to be included in the apportionment of national convention delegates, Texas and other caucus states such as Iowa, makes no allowance for inclusion of persons unable to physically attend the precinct convention to be counted in selecting 1/3 of the delegates. The vote parents with small children, persons who have to work during the precinct convention, and persons in frail health who cannot remain long hours at precinct convention also only counted
2/3rd of neighbors who were able to attend the precinct conventions.
Birdseye view of problems at a North Dallas Precinct Convention/Caucus:
More precinct and senatorial district convention irregularies were reported through the "challenge process" in the DFW Metroplex than in the entire rest of the state combined. In most of the Senatorial Districts in Texas three or less challenges were filed. However, in the DFW Metroplex, 119 challenges were filed with the State Democratic Party Credentials Committee. In Collin county alone, over 145 pages of caucus irregularities were reported to the State Democratic Party. In Senate District 23, (Sen. Royce West's District), 35 challenges were filed. Senate District 10 (Fort Worth) had the second highest number of challenges: 29.
Click on image to enlarge.
Two other regions in Texas also reported high numbers of caucus irrgularites:
27 Challenges filed in the Houston area.
17 Challenges filed in Bexar County (San Antonio).
Inside the Texas 2-Step – taped in San Antonio March 4th at a Precinct Convention (Caucus):
Credentials committees frequently "remedied" proven irregularities to finalize the convention roll. They mediated disputes between delegates of different campaigns regarding which delegate to seat. However, they usually did not attempt to remedy proven instances of persons voting in the wrong precinct, unregistered voters signing in on convention sign-in sheets, incomplete information on sign-in sheets, failure of convention clerks verifying voter ID information and confirming that all attendees had voted in the Democratic Primary. Many precincts reported that they had not removed provisional voters from the sign-in sheets. In Tarrant County alone the Provisional Ballot Board rejected over 800 provisional ballots, yet none of the three Senatorial Districts in Tarrant County removed rejected provisional voters from the convention sign-in tally sheets before seating delegates at the Senatorial Conventions.
The National Democratic Delegate Selection Plan stipulates that all meetings pertaining to selection of delegates including precinct conventions, senatorial conventions and state conventions must begin and end at a reasonable time. However, numerous precinct convention caucuses, senatorial conventions, and district convention cacuses at the Texas State Convention where delegates were elected did not end before 10 p.m. The Senatorial 10 At Large Nominations Committee finished selecting national At-Large Pledged delegates at 4:30 a.m. Despite the impact on attendees (or possible attendees) in these meetings where delegates were chosen, these rules remain unenforced.
All Democratic Party meetings are supposed to comply with HAVA and ADA to accommodate the Handicapped. National Democratic Delegate Selection Rules stipulate that all meetings pertaining to the selection of national delegates must adhere to the same ADA accessibility standards as those prescribed for primary polling places. However, many conventions were held in venues which are not ADA compliant. Some precinct convetions were held in dimly lit parking lots hallways, and other inadequate places. At one precinct convention in Dallas, elderly attendees were trampled by other participants and three ambulances were called which transported the injured to the hospital.
Persons needing translators were rarely accommodated at the Precinct Conventions, even though the Election Law requires translators at most polling places. Few of the Senatorial Conventions provided translators for the hearing impaired or materials in Spanish. The visually handicapped and hearing impaired were not accommodated at conventions according to Federal Law and Democratic Party Rules. In Senatorial Districts 9 and 10 in Tarrant County, mobility impaired individuals were not seated on the ground floor, but were required to attempt to climb stairs to their seats. Several delegates elected to the District Conventions phoned the Tarrant County Democratic Headquarters complaining that they would be unable to attend the convention because of inadequate accommodations for the handicapped.
In many parts of the state, precinct conventions were conducted appropriately. The majority of Senatorial Conventions resulted in only one challenge (complaint) filed with the State Credentials Committee. However, in the DFW Metroplex, Bexar County and the Houston Metropolitan area, there were many reports of election workers and convention clerks/chairs instructing voters to go home before they voted for delegates.
Current Democratic Party Rules do not require persons running for Convention Permanent chair or Permanent Secretary to have ever attended a precinct convention or training by the county election office or Democratic Party. Frequently persons who brought a few
neighbors and relatives with them, were able to get elected Permanent Chair or Permanent Secretary at Precinct Conventions. Unfamiliar with Party Rules and Convention Procedures, they were unable to properly instruct other convention attendees. Many failed to properly complete convention minutes or turn in lists of both candidates delegates.
Some precinct convention permanent chairs placed zeal for their candidates over their responsibility to accurately record and report every attendees presidential preference. Obviously, many of the precinct conventions in three of the largest metropolitan areas in Texas were not conducted smoothly.
CURRENT SYSTEM WEIGHS VOTES OF PERSONS IN SOME DISTRICTS MORE THAN OTHER DISTRICTS:
However, even if the conventions had been conducted smoothly and had not discriminated against those who were unable to be present in person to cast their vote, the current process for apportioning delegates in Texas would result in the combined vote and precinct convention attendence of Texans living in different Senatoral Districts having a different weight in apportionment of national pledged presidential delegates.
The number of presidential delegates per senatorial district is based on a formula which grants more delegates to to districts which have higher voter turn-out in the previous Governor's election and less delegates to those which have lower numbers of voters during the previous governor's election. This year, Senator Obama benefits from the formula because more districts with higher numbers of African American residents voted Democratic in the previous governor's election than did residents of other districts with fewer African American residents. African American districts are the districts where the greatest percent of the residents support Senator Obama for president this year.
Coverage on Austin News:
The Texas Hybrid Two Step Process is under review by a committee chaired by Senator Royce West. The party is not expected to rectify the formular which grants more delegates to districts with higher voter turn-out. All votes do not weigh the same when apportioning delegates for nominating the Democratic Nominee for President. When Democrats who live in Senator Royce West's District vote in the primary or sign-in at their precinct convention, their vote goes toward election of more senatorial, state and national convention pledged presidential delegates than does a voter who lives in districts dominated by Republican voters. This year, the formular which distributes more delegates to district which cast the greatest number of votes for Chris Bell for Governor in 2006 than to other districts results in a formular which allows one vote cast in predominately African American district to count more than a vote cast in districts with less African American voters. Therefore, the racial demographics of your neighborhood, not your race or activism, determines how much your vote counts toward nominating the Democratic Presidential nominee.
By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - Aug. 10, 2008
"Overwhelmed", "chaotic", and "not complying with the election code or Texas Democratic Party Rules" is how many Texas Democratic Precinct and Senatorial Convention attendees describe the Texas Two-Step. Texas is the only state to apportion part (2/3rd) of their national presidential pledged delegates by the results of the Democratic Primary and the rest (1/3) by sign-ins at precinct convention caucuses.
This year 2.8 Texans voted in the Democratic Primary (2,874,986) for every registered voter who attended a Democratic Precinct Convention/Caucus. Only 1,000,000 Texans signed-in at Precinct Conventions to select the remaining 1/3 of the delegates.
If all the delegates had been selected using the percentage of vote cast in the Primary for each candidate, Senator Clinton would have 10 more national delegates than Senator Obama. However, because the percentage of sign-ins per candidate distributes 1/3 of the delegates based on the sign-in presidential preference of the 1,000,000 precinct convention attendees, after primary and convention numbers are tallied, Texas will be sending 5 more delegates pledged to Senator Obama than the number going for Senator Clinton. With nearly three Texans voting in the primary for every Texan attending the precinct conventions, many people think that the preferences of the majority of Texas Democratics should not be overruled by the preferences of many fewer convention attendees.
The Texas Secretary of State's Election Office received few reports of glitches in the Primary Election this year in which 2/3rd of the pledged presidential delegates were selected. However, the Democratic Party Credentials Committee received many complaints (challenges) documenting flawed flawed precinct and senatorial conventions where the remaining 1/3 of the pledged presidential delegates are chosen.
The Texas Democratic Party attempts to address and remedy irregularites in convention voting procedures. This year many senatorial district credentials committees and the Texas State Democratic Credentials Committee reported that they were unable to remedy many of the procedural challenges they reviewed.
Even if the precinct conventions business had been conducted flawlessly, the Texas 2-Step Hybrid Primary/Precinct Convention Caucus system of apportioning national pledged presidential delegates would still discriminate against many Texas registered voters.
>
NEWS 8 AUSTIN Texas 2 step West committee
Selection of 2/3rd of the delegates through the primary allows the disabled, elderly homebound, frail, and military personnel stationed away from their permanent voting residence to cast ballots by mail or at early voting. Texas election law and the Texas Democratic Party rules, however, forbids absentee or proxy voting at the precinct conventions. Unlike Maine, which allows registered voters to register their presidential preference by mail and it to be included in the apportionment of national convention delegates, Texas and other caucus states such as Iowa, makes no allowance for inclusion of persons unable to physically attend the precinct convention to be counted in selecting 1/3 of the delegates. The vote parents with small children, persons who have to work during the precinct convention, and persons in frail health who cannot remain long hours at precinct convention also only counted
2/3rd of neighbors who were able to attend the precinct conventions.
Birdseye view of problems at a North Dallas Precinct Convention/Caucus:
More precinct and senatorial district convention irregularies were reported through the "challenge process" in the DFW Metroplex than in the entire rest of the state combined. In most of the Senatorial Districts in Texas three or less challenges were filed. However, in the DFW Metroplex, 119 challenges were filed with the State Democratic Party Credentials Committee. In Collin county alone, over 145 pages of caucus irregularities were reported to the State Democratic Party. In Senate District 23, (Sen. Royce West's District), 35 challenges were filed. Senate District 10 (Fort Worth) had the second highest number of challenges: 29.
Click on image to enlarge.
Two other regions in Texas also reported high numbers of caucus irrgularites:
27 Challenges filed in the Houston area.
17 Challenges filed in Bexar County (San Antonio).
Inside the Texas 2-Step – taped in San Antonio March 4th at a Precinct Convention (Caucus):
Credentials committees frequently "remedied" proven irregularities to finalize the convention roll. They mediated disputes between delegates of different campaigns regarding which delegate to seat. However, they usually did not attempt to remedy proven instances of persons voting in the wrong precinct, unregistered voters signing in on convention sign-in sheets, incomplete information on sign-in sheets, failure of convention clerks verifying voter ID information and confirming that all attendees had voted in the Democratic Primary. Many precincts reported that they had not removed provisional voters from the sign-in sheets. In Tarrant County alone the Provisional Ballot Board rejected over 800 provisional ballots, yet none of the three Senatorial Districts in Tarrant County removed rejected provisional voters from the convention sign-in tally sheets before seating delegates at the Senatorial Conventions.
The National Democratic Delegate Selection Plan stipulates that all meetings pertaining to selection of delegates including precinct conventions, senatorial conventions and state conventions must begin and end at a reasonable time. However, numerous precinct convention caucuses, senatorial conventions, and district convention cacuses at the Texas State Convention where delegates were elected did not end before 10 p.m. The Senatorial 10 At Large Nominations Committee finished selecting national At-Large Pledged delegates at 4:30 a.m. Despite the impact on attendees (or possible attendees) in these meetings where delegates were chosen, these rules remain unenforced.
All Democratic Party meetings are supposed to comply with HAVA and ADA to accommodate the Handicapped. National Democratic Delegate Selection Rules stipulate that all meetings pertaining to the selection of national delegates must adhere to the same ADA accessibility standards as those prescribed for primary polling places. However, many conventions were held in venues which are not ADA compliant. Some precinct convetions were held in dimly lit parking lots hallways, and other inadequate places. At one precinct convention in Dallas, elderly attendees were trampled by other participants and three ambulances were called which transported the injured to the hospital.
Persons needing translators were rarely accommodated at the Precinct Conventions, even though the Election Law requires translators at most polling places. Few of the Senatorial Conventions provided translators for the hearing impaired or materials in Spanish. The visually handicapped and hearing impaired were not accommodated at conventions according to Federal Law and Democratic Party Rules. In Senatorial Districts 9 and 10 in Tarrant County, mobility impaired individuals were not seated on the ground floor, but were required to attempt to climb stairs to their seats. Several delegates elected to the District Conventions phoned the Tarrant County Democratic Headquarters complaining that they would be unable to attend the convention because of inadequate accommodations for the handicapped.
In many parts of the state, precinct conventions were conducted appropriately. The majority of Senatorial Conventions resulted in only one challenge (complaint) filed with the State Credentials Committee. However, in the DFW Metroplex, Bexar County and the Houston Metropolitan area, there were many reports of election workers and convention clerks/chairs instructing voters to go home before they voted for delegates.
Current Democratic Party Rules do not require persons running for Convention Permanent chair or Permanent Secretary to have ever attended a precinct convention or training by the county election office or Democratic Party. Frequently persons who brought a few
neighbors and relatives with them, were able to get elected Permanent Chair or Permanent Secretary at Precinct Conventions. Unfamiliar with Party Rules and Convention Procedures, they were unable to properly instruct other convention attendees. Many failed to properly complete convention minutes or turn in lists of both candidates delegates.
Some precinct convention permanent chairs placed zeal for their candidates over their responsibility to accurately record and report every attendees presidential preference. Obviously, many of the precinct conventions in three of the largest metropolitan areas in Texas were not conducted smoothly.
CURRENT SYSTEM WEIGHS VOTES OF PERSONS IN SOME DISTRICTS MORE THAN OTHER DISTRICTS:
However, even if the conventions had been conducted smoothly and had not discriminated against those who were unable to be present in person to cast their vote, the current process for apportioning delegates in Texas would result in the combined vote and precinct convention attendence of Texans living in different Senatoral Districts having a different weight in apportionment of national pledged presidential delegates.
The number of presidential delegates per senatorial district is based on a formula which grants more delegates to to districts which have higher voter turn-out in the previous Governor's election and less delegates to those which have lower numbers of voters during the previous governor's election. This year, Senator Obama benefits from the formula because more districts with higher numbers of African American residents voted Democratic in the previous governor's election than did residents of other districts with fewer African American residents. African American districts are the districts where the greatest percent of the residents support Senator Obama for president this year.
Coverage on Austin News:
The Texas Hybrid Two Step Process is under review by a committee chaired by Senator Royce West. The party is not expected to rectify the formular which grants more delegates to districts with higher voter turn-out. All votes do not weigh the same when apportioning delegates for nominating the Democratic Nominee for President. When Democrats who live in Senator Royce West's District vote in the primary or sign-in at their precinct convention, their vote goes toward election of more senatorial, state and national convention pledged presidential delegates than does a voter who lives in districts dominated by Republican voters. This year, the formular which distributes more delegates to district which cast the greatest number of votes for Chris Bell for Governor in 2006 than to other districts results in a formular which allows one vote cast in predominately African American district to count more than a vote cast in districts with less African American voters. Therefore, the racial demographics of your neighborhood, not your race or activism, determines how much your vote counts toward nominating the Democratic Presidential nominee.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Elected or Designated: Democratic Nominee in Historical Perspective
OPINION: By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - August 8, 2008
Howard Dean and some so called "party leaders" are demanding that Hillary Clinton not have her name entered into nomination. News pundits have referred to the prospect of her being nominated as "unprecedented." Others discuss how having her name in nomination will take the spot light off of Obama.
The voice of 18 million voters seems inconsequential to Howard Dean and those who are threatening Senator Clinton, trying to force her not to allow her voters to be represented democratically at the Democratic National Convention.
A look at historical data shows that the "presumed nominee" does not always win the nomination. In fact, the "underdog" sometimes goes straight to the White House.
Instead of splitting the party, entering her name into nomination and allowing her delegates to represent the preference of 18 million Democratic Voters will unify the party. Unless her name is entered into nomination, a signification number of her 18 million voters will either 1. sit the election out, 2. vote only for down ticket candidates, or 3. vote for a candidate of a different party.
Democratic voters demand that the party treat every candidate fairly. Neither Senator Obama nor Senator Clinton should be marginalized or discriminated against. A fair, legitimate, honest election at the National Democratic Convention is necessary to energize and sustain the party. Howard Dean should step down as chair of the DNC because he just does not understand the importance of upholding the sacred American principal of one person one vote.
Howard Dean fails to lead. Instead he dictates and manipulates. In addition to threatening viable candidates, he appointed a third of the members of both the Rules and By Laws Committee and the Credentials Committee. Decisions by these committees to strip her of a significant number of her delegates through imposition of penalties for A RULE VIOLATION while similar penalties have not been imposed on other states where there are MANY DOCUMENTED RULES VIOLATIONS created a false perception that Senator Obama is the inevitable Democratic Nominee for president.
These committees have violated the trust of the members of the Democratic Party. Their role is not to DETERMINE who the nominee will be but to insure that there is a fair and honest process which honors the votes of American citizens.
The Chair of the Democratic Party is not elected to be a "king maker." Howard Dean's actions during this election cycle more closely resemble that of Josef Stalin than of an American leader. Chairman Dean should retire. Democrats deserve better. The American people deserve better.
Every candidate deserves to be treated fairly and respectfully.
In order to "unify the party" the nominee must win FAIR AND SQUARE. The manipulations of the Democratic Party to curtain fair electoral processes representing all candidates at the Democratic Party violate the precepts upon which the party was created.
This op-ed was posted on Daily Kos and has attacted a lot of heated comments by Obama supporters. The attitude shown by many on that site is what many Clinton supporters face in the community. There is a lack of understanding of the process and a lack of respect for the process.
If you want to join in on the discussion, register as a user of Daily Kos. Twenty four hours after you register you can comment and post.
Howard Dean and some so called "party leaders" are demanding that Hillary Clinton not have her name entered into nomination. News pundits have referred to the prospect of her being nominated as "unprecedented." Others discuss how having her name in nomination will take the spot light off of Obama.
The voice of 18 million voters seems inconsequential to Howard Dean and those who are threatening Senator Clinton, trying to force her not to allow her voters to be represented democratically at the Democratic National Convention.
A look at historical data shows that the "presumed nominee" does not always win the nomination. In fact, the "underdog" sometimes goes straight to the White House.
Instead of splitting the party, entering her name into nomination and allowing her delegates to represent the preference of 18 million Democratic Voters will unify the party. Unless her name is entered into nomination, a signification number of her 18 million voters will either 1. sit the election out, 2. vote only for down ticket candidates, or 3. vote for a candidate of a different party.
Democratic voters demand that the party treat every candidate fairly. Neither Senator Obama nor Senator Clinton should be marginalized or discriminated against. A fair, legitimate, honest election at the National Democratic Convention is necessary to energize and sustain the party. Howard Dean should step down as chair of the DNC because he just does not understand the importance of upholding the sacred American principal of one person one vote.
1980:
Jimmy Carter - 1981 delegates
Ted Kennedy - 1225 delegates
Uncommitted - 122
No way Kennedy could win, but his name was placed in nomination.
2004:
John Kerry: 2192.5 Pledged delegates
Howard Dean: 114.5 Pledged delegates
Dean had already dropped out with no chance of winning, but his name was placed in nomination.
2008:
Barack Obama: 1766.5 Pledged delegates
Hillary Clinton: 1639.5 Pledged delegates
The contender is being told to shut up for the sake of the party.
In addition, Teddy Kennedy has had his name on that first ballot in 1968 (12 votes), 1972 (12 votes), 1976 (1 vote), 1980 (1150 - he lost some supporters along the way).
Jesse Jackson has had his name on that first ballot twice: 1984 (465 votes), 1988 (1218 votes).
Howard Dean fails to lead. Instead he dictates and manipulates. In addition to threatening viable candidates, he appointed a third of the members of both the Rules and By Laws Committee and the Credentials Committee. Decisions by these committees to strip her of a significant number of her delegates through imposition of penalties for A RULE VIOLATION while similar penalties have not been imposed on other states where there are MANY DOCUMENTED RULES VIOLATIONS created a false perception that Senator Obama is the inevitable Democratic Nominee for president.
These committees have violated the trust of the members of the Democratic Party. Their role is not to DETERMINE who the nominee will be but to insure that there is a fair and honest process which honors the votes of American citizens.
The Chair of the Democratic Party is not elected to be a "king maker." Howard Dean's actions during this election cycle more closely resemble that of Josef Stalin than of an American leader. Chairman Dean should retire. Democrats deserve better. The American people deserve better.
Every candidate deserves to be treated fairly and respectfully.
In order to "unify the party" the nominee must win FAIR AND SQUARE. The manipulations of the Democratic Party to curtain fair electoral processes representing all candidates at the Democratic Party violate the precepts upon which the party was created.
This op-ed was posted on Daily Kos and has attacted a lot of heated comments by Obama supporters. The attitude shown by many on that site is what many Clinton supporters face in the community. There is a lack of understanding of the process and a lack of respect for the process.
If you want to join in on the discussion, register as a user of Daily Kos. Twenty four hours after you register you can comment and post.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Forida Delegates may regain full voting strength
By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - August 4, 2008
Senator Obama wrote the co-chairs of the Democratic National Convention Credentials Committee this month requesting restoration of Full-voting strength for Florida and Michigan delegates:
Senator Obama advocates that the Credential Committee pass a resolution restoring each delegate to a full-vote (from the current half vote imposed by the Rules and By Laws Committee earlier this year). The next meeting of the Credentials Committee is Aug. 24th.
The letter was written months after the DNC Rules and By Laws Committee stripped Michgan and Florida of half of their delegates' voting strength. Senator Obama's campaign objected to granting full voting strenght to Florida when the Rules and By Laws Committee met.
Combined, Michigan and Florida have 368 delegates. Enough delegates are in play between the two states to determine the nomination for president. Despite the Obama campaign, the DNC and many media outlets, declaring Senator Obama the presumptous Democratic Nominee for president, restoration of both Michigan and Florida's full voting strength to their delegates significantly narrows the the margin between the pledged delegates of Senator Obama and Senator Clinton. Clinton is the only candidate who has not conceded the race or released her national national delegates.
The Obama campaign counted endorsement from Unpledged Super Delegates in their delegate count when declaring him the winner. However, superdelegates are unpledged. Endorsements from super delegates are non-binding. Super delegates, unlike other national delegates, vote in secret. Historically, the votes actually cast by Super Delegates at Democratic National Convention frequently do not parallel their presidential endorsements. Some Super Delegates change their minds, without making public the candidate who actually gets their vote.
Click on image to enlarge.
Declaration of Senator Obama the presumptous Nominee before the National Convention is criticized as disenfranchising the voters.
For a candidate to legitimately be the "presumptous nominee", the threahold of 2118 delegates should be reached from pledged delegates selected from the 60% of delegates who are elected from the State Conventions without inclusion of any of the 40% of unpledged Super Delegates in the total delegate count. Some Democratic activists believe the DNC, media and Obama campaign have misreperesented the nomination process to the public, causing many to believe that including unpledged delegates with the pledged delegate count gives a reliable indicator of the outcome of the election at the Convention. Despite many unity events and cooperation by Senator Hillary Clinton, belief that the Obama campaign and the DNC are resisting entrance of Senator Clinton's name into nomination at the convention, and conduction of a fair, democratic election for the Democratic Presidential Nominee where both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama's names appear on the ballot and there is a recorded roll call vote is believed by many to be contributing to Sen. Obama's favorable ratings remaining soft and reflections in the polls that he continues to be unable to energize Democrats who are not already his supporters.
Without leadership from the Clinton Campaign (which was suspended in June), a network of activist groups continues to lobby, demonstrate, and stage visibility events working toward restoration of the full voting strength of the Florida and Michigan delegates, and entrance of Sen. Clinton's name in nomination in Denver.
Prospects for the General Election:
In November, Michigan and Florida will be key battleground states. Numerous visits to Florida and Michigan have not "sealed" the election for either Sen. Obama or Sen. McCain in those states. In Florida this past week, the Quinnipiac poll released Thursday morning (July 31), lists Florida as "officially too close to call". Senator Obama's slight lead over Sen. John McCain is disappearing. In June, Obama led McCain in Florida by 47 to 43. This last poll shows that lead narrowed with Obama leading only 46 to 44 for Sen. McCain among likely General Election voters. This is within the margin of error. Obama's championing restoration of the delegates voting strength, even though it comes rather late, may help improve his ratings in Florida which is rich in Electoral Votes.
McCain beats Obama among white voters in Florida. In Florida, Obama's strength is with African American and Hispanic voters. He needs to make better inroads with progressive white voters. Read more in Central Florida 13 News.
Disgruntled Floridians who resent the DNC for having reduced the weight of their primary votes half could definitely determine the outcome of the General Election. Flordia may ultimately determine who is the next occupant of the White House.
Months after the DNC's decision by the Rules and By Laws Committee, the "Count Every Vote movement" continues to exert pressure, demanding that the DNC restores the delegates of Michigan and Florida and allows them to represent the voters.
Nationwide, in a syndicated story on NPR News August 2, 2008, "New polls show that the presidential race is looking close nationally and in swing states. Although Charles Cook of the Cook Political Report says it is too early to predict the outcome of the race, he says that the Electoral College vote will be closer than the popular vote.
Swing State Voters In Flordia and Michigan Seen as Crucial to Winning in November:
Florida has a total of 208 Delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Of these delegates, 182 are pledged and 26 are unpledged Super Delegates. If they are granted full voting strength, Senator Clinton has earned 105 of Florida's pledged delegates, Sen. Edwards, 12, and Sen. Obama, 65 pledged delegates. Even though Sen. Edwards has withdrawn and endorsed Senator Obama, his delegates are not obligated to vote for Senator Obama.
If the DNC restores full voting strength to Florida's delegates, Senator Clinton will gain 65 pledged delegates for a total of 1693 pledged delegates. Her pledged delegates will give her 80% of the delegates necessary for nomination. Senator Obama will gain 33 pledged delegates (total of 1793) giving him 84.7% of the pledged delegates necessary for nomination.
The nomination will be determined at the National Democratic Convention by the secret ballots of 825 UNPLEDGED Super Delegates. Super Delegates' endorsements of candidates are not reliable indicators of how they will actually vote at the Convention. Historically, some Super Delegates who declare for a candidate prior to the convention change their minds. Frequently they do not release who they voted for after the Convention. This year 14% to 20% of the delegates necessary for nominating a presidential candidate will come from the vote of unpledged Super Delegates who cast secret ballots at the National Convention.
Polls consistently show that Florida will be a pivotal swing state in this year's General Election. Senator Obama's hardline resistance to granting Florida delegates full voting status has not enabled him to poll significantly higher than Sen. McCain among likely voters in Florida. His numbers remain softer in other states than they should considering the high unfavorable ratings of many Republican incumbents and the George W. Bush administration. The DNC's violation of the principles of one person one vote in penalizing Florida and Michigan is a firestorm which has not died down among activists across the nation.
A fair, Democratic convention where Senator Clinton's name is entered into nomination, and appears on the ballot at the National Convention are demands which consistently are made by her supporters. Unless her supporters see that a fair election for Presidential Nominee is conducted at the National Democratic Convention, a significant number of the voters and donors necessary for a Democratic Nominee winning in November remain defiant and unconvinced. Senator Obama's letter to the DNC urging that they restore Michigan and Florida delegates full voting status at the Convention is a step toward real unification instead of empty rhetoric.
Senator Obama wrote the co-chairs of the Democratic National Convention Credentials Committee this month requesting restoration of Full-voting strength for Florida and Michigan delegates:
"I believe party unity calls for the delegates from Florida and Michigan to be able to participate fully alongside the delegates from the other states and territories."
Senator Obama advocates that the Credential Committee pass a resolution restoring each delegate to a full-vote (from the current half vote imposed by the Rules and By Laws Committee earlier this year). The next meeting of the Credentials Committee is Aug. 24th.
The letter was written months after the DNC Rules and By Laws Committee stripped Michgan and Florida of half of their delegates' voting strength. Senator Obama's campaign objected to granting full voting strenght to Florida when the Rules and By Laws Committee met.
Combined, Michigan and Florida have 368 delegates. Enough delegates are in play between the two states to determine the nomination for president. Despite the Obama campaign, the DNC and many media outlets, declaring Senator Obama the presumptous Democratic Nominee for president, restoration of both Michigan and Florida's full voting strength to their delegates significantly narrows the the margin between the pledged delegates of Senator Obama and Senator Clinton. Clinton is the only candidate who has not conceded the race or released her national national delegates.
The Obama campaign counted endorsement from Unpledged Super Delegates in their delegate count when declaring him the winner. However, superdelegates are unpledged. Endorsements from super delegates are non-binding. Super delegates, unlike other national delegates, vote in secret. Historically, the votes actually cast by Super Delegates at Democratic National Convention frequently do not parallel their presidential endorsements. Some Super Delegates change their minds, without making public the candidate who actually gets their vote.
Click on image to enlarge.
Declaration of Senator Obama the presumptous Nominee before the National Convention is criticized as disenfranchising the voters.
For a candidate to legitimately be the "presumptous nominee", the threahold of 2118 delegates should be reached from pledged delegates selected from the 60% of delegates who are elected from the State Conventions without inclusion of any of the 40% of unpledged Super Delegates in the total delegate count. Some Democratic activists believe the DNC, media and Obama campaign have misreperesented the nomination process to the public, causing many to believe that including unpledged delegates with the pledged delegate count gives a reliable indicator of the outcome of the election at the Convention. Despite many unity events and cooperation by Senator Hillary Clinton, belief that the Obama campaign and the DNC are resisting entrance of Senator Clinton's name into nomination at the convention, and conduction of a fair, democratic election for the Democratic Presidential Nominee where both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama's names appear on the ballot and there is a recorded roll call vote is believed by many to be contributing to Sen. Obama's favorable ratings remaining soft and reflections in the polls that he continues to be unable to energize Democrats who are not already his supporters.
Without leadership from the Clinton Campaign (which was suspended in June), a network of activist groups continues to lobby, demonstrate, and stage visibility events working toward restoration of the full voting strength of the Florida and Michigan delegates, and entrance of Sen. Clinton's name in nomination in Denver.
Prospects for the General Election:
In November, Michigan and Florida will be key battleground states. Numerous visits to Florida and Michigan have not "sealed" the election for either Sen. Obama or Sen. McCain in those states. In Florida this past week, the Quinnipiac poll released Thursday morning (July 31), lists Florida as "officially too close to call". Senator Obama's slight lead over Sen. John McCain is disappearing. In June, Obama led McCain in Florida by 47 to 43. This last poll shows that lead narrowed with Obama leading only 46 to 44 for Sen. McCain among likely General Election voters. This is within the margin of error. Obama's championing restoration of the delegates voting strength, even though it comes rather late, may help improve his ratings in Florida which is rich in Electoral Votes.
McCain beats Obama among white voters in Florida. In Florida, Obama's strength is with African American and Hispanic voters. He needs to make better inroads with progressive white voters. Read more in Central Florida 13 News.
Disgruntled Floridians who resent the DNC for having reduced the weight of their primary votes half could definitely determine the outcome of the General Election. Flordia may ultimately determine who is the next occupant of the White House.
Months after the DNC's decision by the Rules and By Laws Committee, the "Count Every Vote movement" continues to exert pressure, demanding that the DNC restores the delegates of Michigan and Florida and allows them to represent the voters.
Nationwide, in a syndicated story on NPR News August 2, 2008, "New polls show that the presidential race is looking close nationally and in swing states. Although Charles Cook of the Cook Political Report says it is too early to predict the outcome of the race, he says that the Electoral College vote will be closer than the popular vote.
Swing State Voters In Flordia and Michigan Seen as Crucial to Winning in November:
Florida has a total of 208 Delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Of these delegates, 182 are pledged and 26 are unpledged Super Delegates. If they are granted full voting strength, Senator Clinton has earned 105 of Florida's pledged delegates, Sen. Edwards, 12, and Sen. Obama, 65 pledged delegates. Even though Sen. Edwards has withdrawn and endorsed Senator Obama, his delegates are not obligated to vote for Senator Obama.
If the DNC restores full voting strength to Florida's delegates, Senator Clinton will gain 65 pledged delegates for a total of 1693 pledged delegates. Her pledged delegates will give her 80% of the delegates necessary for nomination. Senator Obama will gain 33 pledged delegates (total of 1793) giving him 84.7% of the pledged delegates necessary for nomination.
The nomination will be determined at the National Democratic Convention by the secret ballots of 825 UNPLEDGED Super Delegates. Super Delegates' endorsements of candidates are not reliable indicators of how they will actually vote at the Convention. Historically, some Super Delegates who declare for a candidate prior to the convention change their minds. Frequently they do not release who they voted for after the Convention. This year 14% to 20% of the delegates necessary for nominating a presidential candidate will come from the vote of unpledged Super Delegates who cast secret ballots at the National Convention.
Polls consistently show that Florida will be a pivotal swing state in this year's General Election. Senator Obama's hardline resistance to granting Florida delegates full voting status has not enabled him to poll significantly higher than Sen. McCain among likely voters in Florida. His numbers remain softer in other states than they should considering the high unfavorable ratings of many Republican incumbents and the George W. Bush administration. The DNC's violation of the principles of one person one vote in penalizing Florida and Michigan is a firestorm which has not died down among activists across the nation.
A fair, Democratic convention where Senator Clinton's name is entered into nomination, and appears on the ballot at the National Convention are demands which consistently are made by her supporters. Unless her supporters see that a fair election for Presidential Nominee is conducted at the National Democratic Convention, a significant number of the voters and donors necessary for a Democratic Nominee winning in November remain defiant and unconvinced. Senator Obama's letter to the DNC urging that they restore Michigan and Florida delegates full voting status at the Convention is a step toward real unification instead of empty rhetoric.
Clinton Diehards Want Convention Vote
By Shawn Zeller - CQ Weekly Staff - July 13, 2008
She may have given up, but a few of Hillary Rodham Clinton ’s people haven’t.
The senator from New York is said to be negotiating a respectful presence followed by a graceful exit from next month’s Democratic convention, and last week the party announced that Barack Obama would formally accept the party’s nomination in the stadium built for the Denver Broncos. But there are Clinton supporters clinging to the hope that if her name is placed in nomination and the roll call of the states is conducted, she might — might — still win.
Heidi Li Feldman, a Georgetown University law professor, insists there’s still “no way of predicting” the outcome should there be a fair vote. That’s because Obama has not secured enough pledged delegates to ensure the magic number of 2,118 needed to claim victory; the Illinois senator has gone past that benchmark only with the pledges of about 390 superdelegates — and they can change their minds at any time up to the moment they cast their ballots.
So Feldman, who says she has raised about $100,000 for Clinton, has turned her prowess to raising money for advertising demanding a convention vote, and she has teamed with a fellow pro-Clinton blogger, Marc Rubin, to form the Denver Group to lobby the Democratic National Committee, much of the staff of which has already moved from Washington to Chicago to work for Obama.
Feldman says she won’t vote for Obama if Clinton doesn’t get a convention vote. Rubin says he might not. Both say they aren’t worried that their efforts will continue to divide Democrats at a time when they should be uniting to take on Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona. In fact, they argue, many Democrats might stay home if they feel Clinton gets short shrift.
Read more in the QC Politics.
Click on Image to enlarge
She may have given up, but a few of Hillary Rodham Clinton ’s people haven’t.
The senator from New York is said to be negotiating a respectful presence followed by a graceful exit from next month’s Democratic convention, and last week the party announced that Barack Obama would formally accept the party’s nomination in the stadium built for the Denver Broncos. But there are Clinton supporters clinging to the hope that if her name is placed in nomination and the roll call of the states is conducted, she might — might — still win.
Heidi Li Feldman, a Georgetown University law professor, insists there’s still “no way of predicting” the outcome should there be a fair vote. That’s because Obama has not secured enough pledged delegates to ensure the magic number of 2,118 needed to claim victory; the Illinois senator has gone past that benchmark only with the pledges of about 390 superdelegates — and they can change their minds at any time up to the moment they cast their ballots.
“If they had a meaningful vote, I have no idea who would win,” Feldman says. “But I know that if Sen. Obama were sure he would win, there wouldn’t be a negotiation” about Clinton’s role at the convention.
So Feldman, who says she has raised about $100,000 for Clinton, has turned her prowess to raising money for advertising demanding a convention vote, and she has teamed with a fellow pro-Clinton blogger, Marc Rubin, to form the Denver Group to lobby the Democratic National Committee, much of the staff of which has already moved from Washington to Chicago to work for Obama.
Feldman says she won’t vote for Obama if Clinton doesn’t get a convention vote. Rubin says he might not. Both say they aren’t worried that their efforts will continue to divide Democrats at a time when they should be uniting to take on Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona. In fact, they argue, many Democrats might stay home if they feel Clinton gets short shrift.
“What they have to do is make it possible for people to say to themselves that there was a fair and correct process,” Feldman says.
Read more in the QC Politics.
Click on Image to enlarge
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