Saturday, August 25, 2007

Rick Noriega A Smash Hit at the SDEC Meeting in Austin Today.

No, I didn’t get to attend, but my good friend who tells me some good stuff from time to time did. Because she did not see any bloggers at the meeting she thought someone should know about what happened with regard to the appearances of the US Senatorial candidates at this meeting of the State Democratic Executive Committee.

So she phoned me from time to time.

I didn’t write anything down so this is all from memory.

She told me that on Friday evening she attended Mikal Watt’s party for SDEC members – no one was checking IDs.

As she was standing in line to get in she was talking to the lady in front of her and they introduced themselves to each other. She was so-and-so from Austin. But when she signed in the guest list sign-in, she provided a completely different name and city, Corpus Christi. Said she, “No one was giving their right names, Hal.”

The hospitality room was packed, she said. There was a table in the center piled high with food. A 9 year old girl was trying to hand out Watts campaign stickers at the door, and they also had name tags for every SDEC member as well. But my mole reports that no one in the room was wearing them.

As I said, the room was packed, the TV was on, and Watts was camped out on the far end of the room talking to the same 4 or 5 white men. Not moving around working the crowd. She reports that she was accosted several times by youngish probable college students who offered to fetch her a drink. She finally accepted the offer and asked for a glass of water. “But we have beer here,” one objected. But she just wanted water.

She observed several people loading food up on their plates, getting a second drink at the bar, and then going out the door to the elevator. Destination, the Hilton Bar and the Rick Noriega reception hosted by several SDEC members.

I did not hear very much about the Noriega reception. Just that the bar was packed and that Rick was moving around meeting and talking to everyone.

The next day, at the SDEC meeting, all three announced senatorial candidates were there and they were, all three of them, introduced to the members. Yes, even Emil Reichstadt was there. Reichstadt was actually the first to announce his candidacy but has been off the radar screens these past months.

So he is apparently still running.

He also, is apparently not getting much sleep. My source tells me that after he was introduced he took a seat on the back row of chairs and promptly fell asleep. Someone literally had to jump up and catch him before he fell out of his chair onto the floor.

But I am saving the best for last, naturally.

Each candidate stood up as they were introduced. Mikal Watts and Emil Reichstadt each got what my source called “polite applause”. But when Rick Noriega was introduced the applause, shouts, foot stomps and hoots nearly blew the roof off. Sue Schechter, Noriega’s campaign manager was visiting with my source minutes later, and my source tells me that Sue was almost speechless with surprise.

My source estimates that if an SDEC vote were held today, Rick Noriega would have gotten 75% of their votes, Sue, being maybe more of a Half Empty type, estimated 70%.

What became clear at that moment, and it should be no surprise but it was, was that Rick Noriega is the frontrunner Democratic candidate, not the disadvantaged progressive grassroots underdog as he is being painted. Rick Noriega is not just the people’s choice for the Democratic nominee to take on John Cornyn in November.

He is the choice of a broad spectrum of Democrats from Lefty to Centrist.

Rick Noriega: Frontrunner.

4 comments:

refinish69 said...

As someone in attendance at the Texas Democratic Party Fund raiser on Friday evening where the cheering for Rick was so loud you could barely hear Mikal Watts name announced at all, I can tell you the room went nuts for him at SDEC today. Rick will be the winner of the primary and the next Texas Senator!!!

Anonymous said...

refinish69,
We can only hope. But remember that Conservative candidates sometimes carry Indian Reservations because, "They watch TV too."

Hal,
Are you saying that the Reichstadt Fire has gone out? Sorry, couldn't resist.

Anonymous said...

This report of the SDEC meeting tells me EXACTLY how the election is going to go in 2008. Thanks for the insight!

Hal said...

Basically the vote is going to go for Noriega, TexasIndy. Not because of the SDEC. About 0.2% of voters are aware of the existence of the SDEC.

Here it is TI: If an underfunded grassroots candidate can sway this Texas Democratic Party Establishment, when the other choice is a guy with so much money to spend it makes one salivate, then I see new hope. That doesn't happen very often. Dems love them some $$$$. But when there is substance instead, apparently Dems love them some Substance.

And that is what separates us from our opposition.