Charlie Howard Files Ron Reynolds’ Bill

I hate it when I am so right about something that is so wrong.

When I heard that freshman State Rep Ron Reynolds, whose campaign I have championed here despite the fact that he does not actually represent me by about 5 blocks, filed a bill to require ALL incoming college freshmen to be vaccinated for bacterial meningitis – not just the ones living in the dorms – I derided this exceptionally good idea.

Derided it because I knew that something like this was such a good idea that Republicans would surely vote against it. A very good bill inspired by a Democrat was going to fail as sure as the sky is blue and Texas is red.

So when State Rep Charlie Howard, R- Sugar Land, filed the exact same bill this week, I had to laugh out loud. What a snake. He knows that Ron Reynolds’ bill is a good idea, and also knows what I know, that it is doomed to failure because no Republican will give it his or her attention.

If I were to grade Charlie Howard’s latest effort, I would have to assign a zero grade to his work and write him up for plagiarism. His parents would be duly informed. Charlie Howard is guilty of intellectual piracy. Shame, shame on him.

The only good thing to come out of this is that Ron’s great idea will very probably get passed. The only bad thing to come out of this is that Ron will receive zero credit for it. Charlie Howard has seen to that.

Howard behaves exactly as a teacher’s worst student. Dumb as a stump but able to copy the answers from an excelling student’s exam to the letter.

Future students in Texas can learn from Charlie Howard. This is their future given the fact that they will be shortchanged of anything resembling a good education for the foreseeable future, given the budget cuts we are all expecting combined with imminent teacher layoffs.

You get what you vote for.

Riddle Me Ree: Why Texas Republicans Are Getting So Looney

So this morning, on a Saturday no less, I set my alarm so I could attend a special meeting sponsored by the Sugar Land Democratic Club and the Tejano Democrats. A meeting on immigration issues, specifically bills that the state legislature will be addressing in the current session, and things that we should really be concerned with, as opposed to things that Republicans are concerned with.

I recently wrote about new immigration legislation in a blog posting that seriously questioned the sincerity with which an anti-immigrant bill was filed recently, a very anti-business bill that Republican donors would hate to see passed.

So being up on the subject, I thought I would see what State Rep Ron Reynolds and a leading Houston immigration lawyer, Gordon Quan, would have to say on this. I was not disappointed, and I learned a lot.

Ron Reynolds was on point today. He came armed to the teeth with all of the bills that have been filed, and at one point mentioned the state rep whose anti-immigrant bills I outlined in the aforementioned post, not mentioning her by name, but everyone knew that he was talking about Debbie Riddle (R – Tomball).

A real piece of work as you can see in the video I posted on You Tube.

I had forgotten all about “Anchor Babies,” and forgotten about the famous exchange on AC 360 last year. So here. Here is Ron Reynolds introducing the subject, and then a couple of excerpts from that infamous interview.

Other countries don't allow illegal aliens inside their borders? This is someone who writes laws and votes on them. Seriously.  

Congratulations Rep!

Do us proud in Austin!

Is Dora Olivo Anti-Establishment?

That’s a term that dates me somewhat. The term Anti-Establishment was used in the 1960’s and 1970’s as a way to describe a point of view that opposed conventional social, political or economic opinions.

That is definitely not a word that we can use to describe Texas State Rep Dora Olivo (D-Missouri City). But it is part of a phrase.

Dora Olivo is Anti-Establishment Clause.

The Establishment Clause is a clause within the 1st Amendment to the US Constitution that forbids Congress from establishing a state religion. Here it is:

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion”

You know, it strikes me that this is the first clause to be written in the Bill of Rights. The first. The Framers must have had some strong feelings about this to have written this clause even before “freedom of speech” or “freedom of the press.”

But Dora Olivo appears to be against the Establishment Clause. This appears to be the case and I have it on video as rock solid proof that appearances don’t deceive. It’s a short clip from a larger exchange between Olivo and Ron Reynolds that took place last Wednesday.



Did you hear that? If you didn’t get it I have it transcribed below.

“You know there’s people here that…in…in Fort Bend County…there’s a lot of church people here in Fort Bend County that believe . . .eh … don’t believe in embryonic stem cell research their whole life, you know. And I'm pro-life, you know. And this has been my position all this time.”

Dora Olivo bases her opposition to embryonic stem cell research, not on her own religious beliefs, oh no, not at all. She bases her opposition to embryonic stem cell research because she has religious people in her district and THEIR religious beliefs lead them to conclude that embryonic stem cell research is a moral sin and should be outlawed.

In short she is letting someone else’s religious doctrine guide her governmental decision-making processes.

That she hasn’t actually taken a public vote in her district to see how many of them actually oppose embryonic stem cell research, and how many do not, is absolutely beside the point. In her own self-incriminating words, Dora Olivo admits to bending to the pressure of people whose sole reason in opposing embryonic stem cell research is their religious doctrine.

That’s not only unconstitutional; it’s just plain bad manners.

It’s also, as Ron Reynolds sought to point out, not very Democratic.

I quote from the Texas Democratic Party Platform that can be found here:

"Stem cell research should not be held hostage to politics that limits the potential for conquering many debilitating and deadly illnesses. Texas has world-class research facilities that cannot attract world-class talent and funding until we take stem cell research out of politics and put it into the labs where research could lead to life-saving therapies. Texas Democrats strongly and unconditionally support research into stem cell therapies and state funding for research into stem cell therapies at state public universities. Curing disease is the right thing to do, and stem cell lines should be expanded without increasing or encouraging any high risk procedures."

This is the platform of the political party of which Dora Olivo professes to be a member.

True Democratic voters in HD 27 would want a real Democrat to represent them in the Texas state house. Ron Reynolds may have had some past issues with the Texas State Bar Association, issues that have been resolved and everyone has moved on, but I see Ron Reynolds as someone who will more fully and fairly represent HD 27 voters, voters who want a true Democrat in that office rather than someone who cherry picks the platform.

HD 27 voters wouldn't want someone who puts the religious beliefs of some of her constituents before a cure for cancer or any of the other manmade miracles that stem cell research promises.

One would think.

Sparks Fly at Candidate’s Forum: Reynolds vs. Olivo II

One of the contested races on the Fort Bend County Democratic Primary ballot is for the Democratic nomination in Texas House District 27, a seat currently occupied by State Rep. Dora Olivo. Attorney Ron Reynolds is challenging Olivo for the second time to be the party’s nominee.

The two candidates sparred at the Fort Bend Democrats’ Candidate’s Forum this past Wednesday and I got it on video.

The first two clips you see below are relatively tame video on each candidate’s statements, reasons for running (or in both cases, re-running) for the nomination.

First, here’s Reynolds, who went first.



Then it was Dora Olivo’s turn.



Then Bob Haenel of the Fort Bend Herald Coaster had a question for both candidates: what will they do to make up for the expected budget shortfall on the horizon?



Bev Carter then focused on an issue that has been dogging Ron Reynolds in both primary elections. She asked him to explain his past troubles with the Texas Bar Association which suspended Reynolds from practicing law for a year, and then put him on probation.

Then the sparks flew when Olivo accused Reynolds of stealing a client’s award in a civil rights case that was settled.



I particularly like the part about how Olivo is really running for re-election because she doesn’t want Reynolds, a despicable character in her estimation, from doing harm in her district. Somehow I missed that in the intro. Did she say that before?

And finally, Carter questioned Olivo on her controversial (for Democrats) votes on the Gay Marriage Ban constitutional amendment in 2005, how she will vote in a piece of anti-choice legislation that will come before the body in the next session, and finally, what bills she can say are her own personal accomplishments.

This is where Olivo chastised an elderly woman in the audience who complained that she couldn’t hear and would she please use the microphone.



Fun stuff, huh?

Want the You Tube links to share with friends?

Ron Reynolds' opening spiel is here.

Here is Dora Olivo's

Then Bob Haenel's question is here.

Here is Bev Carter's question for Ron (with sparks at the end).

Here are Bev Carter's questions for Dora.

Down to The Wire: Vote For Jonita Reynolds on May 10th

Tomorrow the voters living within the boundaries of Fort Bend ISD will have a final opportunity to repudiate the “reform” Gang of Four that turned Fort Bend ISD on its ear for two memorable years.

Two years that saw mass exodus of teachers and administrators. Two years that saw hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars flushed down the commode from the expenses incurred in replacing these people, and the lawsuits that resulted from board member actions.

Two of the original gang of four are standing for re-election and are being challenged by members of the education community. Of the two, former educator Susan Hohnbaum has the easiest task to unseat trustee Stan Magee, who claims that he does not have the time to campaign for his seat – and by correlation, does not have time to serve on the Board of Trustees. So unless the voters in Fort Bend ISD are truly asleep, look for a fond farewell to Stan Magee. In the other race, however, long-time Texas educator and administrator Dr. Jonita Reynolds has the steepest slope to climb to defeat her opponent, Laurie Caldwell.

Caldwell, whose personal and educational qualifications for this position are dwarfed by those of Dr. Reynolds, apparently has attempted to make up for that in having some help from fellow board member, Steve Smelley.

Smelley, a former supporter of Dr. Reynolds’ husband’s run for state representative in HD 27, has no similar feelings toward her. So much so that a story has emerged that Smelley, in his attempts to discredit Dr. Reynolds, has suggested that Jonita Reynolds bought her PhD degree in Education. All of that blew up in his face, however, when it was revealed that two of Dr. Reynolds’ professors in her quest for the degree at the University of Houston were none other than former FBISD Superintendents Betty Baitland and Don Hooper.

These attempts to defame Dr. Reynolds by casting doubts upon her honesty and integrity must be answered by the voters. Smelley’s insinuation is actually an accusation that Dr. Reynolds is in violation of Texas law by claiming a doctoral degree from an unrecognized institution. This is a practice that was recently abandoned by a couple of Republican elected officials in Fort Bend County when they were informed that they were committing Class B misdemeanors. Voters must reject these political ploys as the disingenuous things that they are.

Show your support for education in Fort Bend ISD by showing up at the polls tomorrow, May 10th 2008, and show even more support for education by voting for Dr. Jonita Reynolds for Fort Bend ISD Trustee Position 5.

How Craddick Was My Olivo?

Just as in the novel How Green Was My Valley, where the main protagonist, Huw (Hugh) Morgan is the smarter brother who wants to rise above his condition, Ron Reynolds is the smarter candidate who wants to rise above Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick’s machine politics.

Early on, after Ron Reynolds made his announcement that he was going to run for his party’s nomination for State Representative for Texas House District 27, before his opponent, Dora Olivo, indicated her desire to run for another term, Reynolds received a telephone call from Texas House leadership probing the possibilities of his support for a 4th Tom Craddick Speaker’s term for the 81st Legislature.

At that time, Reynolds stated categorically to his caller that he was opposed to the dictatorial tactics of Tom Craddick and would oppose his candidacy for Speaker.

Tom Craddick dearly wants to be speaker of the Texas House for another term. He cherishes the power, the prestige and the perquisites that go with the job. Not to mention the fact that he can order money thrown at or withdrawn from anyone he wants.

And because of this, and the fact that Craddick is running out of friends in his own party, and may lose some allies next week from primary challenges within the party that opposes him, Tom Craddick is looking for some new friends.

Some new Craddick D’s.

And where better to look for new friends and allies than in a primary where a progressive Democrat has mounted strong opposition against a moderate Democratic incumbent? A Democratic incumbent whose campaign contributions have lagged behind her upstart opponent’s war chest?

We have been talking about these campaign contributions for awhile. In this piece, I made some noise about Olivo’s acceptance of a $1000 contribution from one of Tom Craddick’s favorite PACs whose disbursements he is said to control: HillCo PAC. This is a very exclusive club of Craddick’s most loyal friends. The club includes, but is not limited to the following Republican State Representatives: Phil King, Betty Brown, John Davis, Mike Jackson and Mike Krusee.

Nice bunch of bedfellows, don’t you think?

Reference to this funding was also made in this piece which reproduced a Ron Reynolds flyer that was circulated in order to beat back a smear campaign that had been mounted against him by the Olivo people.

I have also been watching contributions from the Texas JOBS PAC, a Craddick-run political action committee that got a huge cash infusion from Tom Craddick’s campaign early this year. The next day the PAC made huge cash contributions to several state representatives, all of them former supporters. Only Dawnna Dukes, a Craddick D who is fighting a primary challenge in her district returned the $50,000 wad of cash.

And now, to Dora Olivo, a check for $2,500.00.

Perhaps to keep things below the radar, Texas JOBS PAC made a very recent (recent as in February 26th recent) contribution to State Rep. Dora Olivo’s campaign fund, a not so insignificant $2,500 donation. One wonders why this entry was placed in the TEC campaign report form with the PAC’s full name (Texas Builds Jobs & Opportunity For A Secure Future PAC INC), to confuse and befuddle people?

To hide something?

No, what we have here is an incipient Craddick D. Vince at Capitol Annex, who has written, in the past, some uncomplimentary words about Ron Reynolds, is also somewhat alarmed at these events. He asks the question “So, what is the deal? Is Craddick trying to buy her love (and her vote)…”?

My question is rather, since these contributions have not been turned away by Olivo, when did Dora Olivo start becoming a Craddick D?

And if you have not voted yet, it’s time to get off the dime and vote for the man who will not be Tom Craddick’s pawn in the next session.

Ron Reynolds.

And, oh yeah, vote for Barack Obama, too.

Ron Reynolds Campaign Responds to Smear Tactics: The Gloves Are Off

I have gotten a copy of a flyer that is going out to Texas HD 27 voters this week. It is perhaps in answer to a door-to-door canvassing that Texas State Representative Dora Olivo's campaign has embarked upon.

Sadly, Dora Olivo's campaign has just demonstrated that it is indeed behind a smear campaign that intends to drag the name of a good and decent young man through the mud. They reproduced a blogger's post on Missouri City attorney Ron E. Reynolds, a posting that I suspect has been heavily influenced by information provided by the campaign. I am in the way of knowing that the blogger has been contacted, and has had circumstances explained to him, but has not presented a more balanced story in any subsequent posting.

That's his perogative.

The Reynolds campaign, from what I can see, has decided to respond to Olivo's smear. They intend to respond to their deception with truth: the sad but true facts about this Texas State Representative.

The following is a reasonable facsimile of a flyer that is appearing all over HD 27 this week. I wanted to reproduce it as faithfully as I could so that you can see what is going on here in Fort Bend County: a primary battle that has gone to the next level.

The gloves are off.

__________________________________________________________

Dora Olivo:
DEMOCRAT IN NAME ONLY!

• Funded by the three biggest Republican lobbyists in Texas, as well as GOP Speaker Tom Craddick, Bob Perry's PACs, and a host of other right-wing donors

• Routinely crosses the aisle to vote against our party with the Republican party

• Wrote the bill that outlaws stem cell research

• Has a hostile relationship with many of her Democratic State Representative peers

• Not endorsed by ANY local Democratic elected officials

• Has become an ineffective voice in Austin with the worst bill “fail rate” of any legislator in the last Texas House session
  
  __________________________________________________________
  

WE NEED A LOYAL DEMOCRAT!

WE NEED AN ADVOCATE WHO SHARES OUR VALUES!

WE NEED RON REYNOLDS!

Award-winning Civil Rights Attorney
Former Associate Municipal Judge
NAACP President, Missouri City Branch

Endorsed by over 80 Democratic leaders including
Congressman Al Green, Constable Ruben Davis,
Commissioner Grady Prestage, the Honorable Jesse
Torres

Paid for by the Ron Reynolds Campaign, Curtis Williams, Treasurer http://www.ronaldreynolds.com/

UPDATE: I don't know how I missed it but it is always possible. Mark B. left a comment with a link here that the above-mentioned blogger commented in a subsequent posting on the Kuffner podcast of his interview with Reynolds. He follows Kuffner in commenting that "you have to give Reynolds credit for talking about this in this way", so I'd have to say that he has backed off a little from his all out assault on Reynolds' character. That was nice.

Ron Reynolds for Texas HD 27: He’s OK in My Book

I’m sure anyone who has been reading this blog for any length of time recently, knows that I support the candidacy of Ron E. Reynolds as the Democratic nominee to run in November for State House District 27.

Now why would I do such a thing? Why support a candidate for an office where there is already a perfectly good Democratic incumbent in State Rep Dora Olivo? It’s not like she is a Craddick-D. So many of my progressive blogger cohorts rant and rave about Craddick D state reps that they are openly opposing in primary contests (when there is one).

No, that doesn’t bother me very much.

As I have said in the past, Craddick Ds are Craddick Ds for reasons of their own, and if they can remain so, get things for their district, and stay in office, then they know their districts better than we bloggers. But the risk is theirs, I guess.

No, Dora Olivo is no Craddick D. What I heard is the same thing that others heard, that Dora was thinking of calling it a day with the 80th Legislature. When I heard that Ron Reynolds was going to file, I thought now that was a great idea. Here we have new young Turk, an up and comer, and a proven leader. But then Dora Olivo filed for another term.

So what do you do? Go by your gut instinct that Reynolds is probably the best thing for the new century? Or back the incumbent? An incumbent who has consistently voted against a woman’s right to choose whether to have or not to have a child? A choice that is the personal choice of a woman, and not ever to be a whim of governmental bodies.

People give Ms. Olivo a pass on her position on abortion because she is a practicing Catholic, and the Church has directed all of its adherents to oppose abortion. And that is exactly why I DON’T give Ms. Olivo a pass on that issue. How dare any government representative put their religious convictions over and above the wishes of a majority of her constituents? How DARE she?

And for similar reasons, Ms. Olivo has presented legislation that would prevent the state of Texas from funding embryonic stem cell research. Because this research makes use of human embryos, embryos that would otherwise be destroyed in an oven, Ms. Olivo opposes it. Opposes it, again, on religious grounds.

So if there are reasons to be against the incumbent, those are two.

But mostly, I am FOR Ron Reynolds. I was very gratified, by the way, that Charles Kuffner, who writes the blog Off The Kuff, has published his recent interview with Ron Reynolds. Kuffner says that he “came away with a good impression of him and I think he’d do a fine job if elected.” Here is the interview.

Mainly what you hear, if you don’t want to listen, is what he has been saying all along, what I captured on video at a fundraiser he had last year that can be seen in 5 parts here.

There is also a question that I think Ron fielded perfectly fine, where he explained a dust-up he got into with the Texas Bar Association a couple of years ago. You should listen to his words. They are words that explain what happened, but he does not use words to excuse himself as others might. His explanation helps you to understand how the events came to pass, but he takes full blame for the events. This is a straight shooter. A man of integrity.

So those of you out there, you bottom feeders who have sought to besmirch the good name of this young man with innuendo and outright lies, maybe you ought to take a listen as well.

Listen to what honor and integrity sound like.

Oh, and also, you bottom feeders who don’t like what I write here and want to continue your smear tactics (which I would hope the Olivo campaign does not approve), go on ahead and leave a comment. If I like it, I will post it. Just beware that I will like it only if it makes you sound like an idiot.

Campaign Finances: Dora Olivo Takes Contribution From HillCo PAC

That just about does it.

When all the ballots are counted this March 4th, we will have a Democrat to run in Texas’s House District 27 against a Richmond coffee house owner. I would have hoped that the Democrat we choose will not be beholden to Bob Perry and his cronies who run HillCo PAC. But now it seems that we have a campaign finance disclosure that needs ‘splainin.

Take a look here at the bottom of page 6. It is State Rep Dora Olivo’s campaign finance report. In it, on page 6, she lists a $1000 contribution from HillCo PAC. This political action committee is a pet project of Houston home builder Bob Perry, notoriously the man behind 2004’s anti-Kerry swift-boat campaign. Perry himself contributed $75,000 to the PAC this year, the lion’s share of the PAC’s total funding.

I don’t know how much you remember about the frou-frou and dust that was kicked up earlier this year when teams of progressive bloggers from Texas jumped all over Mikal Watts’ campaign finance statements when they not only listed contributions from HillCo PAC, but they also revealed that Mikal Watts’ own PAC made campaign contributions to HillCo.

It was poison then. Really, it is still poison, but now we have Mikal Watts comfortably out of the limelight and the running.

Not so with State Rep Olivo.

You have to ask yourself this. When the common thread that runs between State Rep Dora Olivo, State Rep Phil King, State Rep Betty Brown, State Rep. John Davis, State Rep. Mike Jackson and State Rep. Mike Krusee is that they all received campaign contributions from HillCo PAC, you have to ask yourself why?

Why?

Names not on the list? State Rep. Jim Dunnam, State Rep. Jessica Farrar, State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, State Rep. Garnet Coleman, and State Rep. Lon Burnam to name a few.

And State Rep Rick Noriega is not there also.

You have to ask yourself, when HillCo PAC targets Democrat Dora Olivo’s campaign as one to give a hand to, when the typical receiver of funds from this PAC is generally a conservative to ultra-conservative Republican, why did they do that?

Is it because they feel a threat? Did we see any HillCo money going to the Republican challenger in HD 27? No, and not likely in the future. Republicans don’t win in HD 27. No, HillCo, and the Perry cronies want Dora Olivo to win her primary in March, because the alternative progressive Democratic candidate running for the HD 27 nomination, Ron E. Reynolds, poses a threat to them. Maybe it’s the devil they know versus the devil they don’t know, but my guess is HillCo wants friends in the legislature, and Reynolds doesn’t seem to me to be much in the way of being in HillCo’s hip pocket.

If HillCo PAC is against Ron Reynolds being a State Rep, I guess that makes me for him.

Kronberg on Ron Reynolds vs. Dora Olivo in Texas HD 27

The other day Harvey Kronberg made some observations with regard to the upcoming HD 27 primary showdown between Ron Reynolds and the incumbent state representative, Dora Olivo. It was on the January 8th issue of the Quorum Report. I thought they were interesting and refreshingly unadorned by the recent mudslinging that has marred the campaign of Olivo, who I had thought up to now ran a clean campaign.

Kronberg compares the current race by young African-American attorney Ron Reynolds with the 2006 primary challenge by another African-American challenger, Steve Brown. Demographically, the district is roughly split into three populations of African-American, Hispanic, and Anglo. African-Americans, outside of the local East Fort Bend communities, have been mostly ignored by Olivo, some who live in the community say. In fact, when Olivo had learned of Reynolds’ interest in running for her seat, her office had just received a phone call from a constituent who informed them that Olivo would have a challenger “because she hadn’t delivered for the blacks in the district”. Looking back at 2006, while the district contains about a one third African-American voting group, it was not enough for Steve Brown to be successful in his primary challenge. According to Kronberg:

“In 2006, though, Steve Brown could not break 40 percent against Olivo. That was despite a fairly impressive resume, which included stints on the staffs of U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee and of state Rep. Sylvester Turner. He also interned in the Clinton White House.”

The main problem was that while he was on the staff of these influential legislators, his former bosses could not endorse their protégé in a primary challenge.

This is not the case with Ron Reynolds. Reynolds, once on the internship program of State Senator Rodney Ellis, has benefited from the endorsement of his former mentor, and as well has benefited from the endorsements of State Rep. Jessica Farrar and US Congressman Al Green as well as the endorsement of Fort Bend County Precinct 2 Constable Reuben Davis. Having been to a Reynolds event, I have also observed Fort Bend County Commissioner Grady Prestage and Missouri City Mayor Allen Owen as present in the crowd, and are also apparently supporting Reynolds. Kronberg initially reported that State Rep Senfronia Thompson was also among Reynolds’ supporters, but was told today that because she is running for Speaker of the House, she must refrain from any endorsements.

These endorsements, Kronberg says, will be trouble for the Olivo campaign.

Finally, there is the note of frustration among those who have been waiting for State Rep Olivo to step aside for emergent candidates from the next generation.

“Reynolds said the reason for the erosion of support for Olivo stems from her decision to run for re-election. He claims that Olivo had let it be known that she would not run again after her 2006 election and that some of her backers expected her to step aside for another representative. Ellis said that was his understanding, too.”

Olivo agrees that she had considered the idea of stepping aside, and does admit to reports that her supporters, upon hearing that she was thinking of not running, “and asked her to reconsider”.

Kronberg did not mention any of this, but I thought this was also germane to the discussion. Among the wedge issues that separate the two candidates ideologically are Olivo’s anti-abortion stance as well as her votes to bar embryonic stem cell research from state-funded research projects. While Ron Reynolds is both pro-choice and in favor of embryonic stem cell research, Olivo, a Catholic, has been given a pass by some for taking positions against these as they run against her religious creed. I would wonder, however, if the same people who give State Rep Olivo a pass for her anti-choice/anti-stem cell research votes would do the same for evangelical Christians who who vote their beliefs in this case if they believed with all their hearts and souls that Intelligent Design was a valid subject worthy of discussion in our public schools.

Would they?

Would you?

Ron E. Reynolds is Running for State Rep in Texas HD 27

Well I did something that I swore I would not do: a series.

Series blogs are a nuisance to me. I usually ask myself why can’t this blogger just say it in one posting? Or if that’s not possible, why can’t this blogger change it up a little from one piece to the next?

Well I answered my own questions today.

It's hard.

Ron E. Reynolds is going to challenge Democratic State Rep Dora Olivo in next March’s Democratic primary. He held a campaign kickoff fundraiser in Stafford last week and I got to try out a friend’s new mini DVD camcorder there, married this time to my old camera tripod. Look Ma, no hands.

You Tube has a limitation on the size of videos that you can upload, so I had to split up the parts of the video that I wanted to show on the blog into 5 clips. Now, I could have just embedded those 5 clips in one blog article, but you have no idea (or maybe you do) how slow this process is. So rather than wait, I put up one video at a time over several days. But I decided that I didn’t want them all intermixed with other blog postings, so I took them down and put them up again when I finished the last one. All together this time.

In a series.

But where there is a will, there is a way and I’m just going to link all of them here in this posting so you can read them in order.

First, Don Bankston was asked to say a few words about what a Real Democrat is.

Second, Ron spoke about the first of three areas of focus: Education.

Third, Ron spoke about the second of three areas of focus: Health Issues.

Fourth, Ron spoke about the third of three areas of focus: Economic Empowerment.

Finally, in his closing remarks, Ron spoke of his commitment, his passion, and being a force for positive change in HD 27, and about how he wants the voters to vote him out of office if he doesn’t come through for them.

Why Ron Reynolds is Running for Texas State Representative in HD 27 [Part Last]

In his closing remarks, Ron Reynolds spoke about change, commitment, public service, and passion.

“There’s so much that can be done that is not being done. And it’s not about a change just to have a different change in scenery, but it’s time for a change because you have someone with passion, with a vision, with a calling of his life that is committed to giving a hundred percent of everything that he has to better our community.”

And you heard it here first:

“… If I do that [say one thing when they’re running, when they get in office they do another thing] I want you to vote me out my first year . . .”

This sounds like a slam dunk to me. Voters in HD 27 will have a choice to make this coming March, and it very much looks like who wins this primary is the one who will be best at beating the bushes for those 15% of Democrats who vote in Democratic primaries.

And who that is will depend on who generates the most excitement in this Democratic-safe district. My guess is that it will be the young man from Missouri City.

Why Ron Reynolds is Running for Texas State Representative in HD 27 [Part 3]

Ron Reynolds’ third focus is in the area of “Economic Empowerment”.

“As a small business owner who happens to be African-American, I understand the needs of small business owners. I understand the needs of women- and minority-owned businesses. One of the things that you have a commitment from me on, is that I am going to make sure that businesses who are competent, capable and qualified compete on a level playing field for contracts.”

Why Ron Reynolds is Running for Texas State Representative in HD 27 [Part 3]

For years the Republican-dominated Texas state legislature has chipped away at CHIP. The state-federal funded health insurance program for children in families that make too much money to qualify for medicaid, but not enough to afford medical insurance. This past year, the state legislature restored benefits to tens of thousands who went without health care because of one Republican roadblock or another. We need a state representative that pledges the restoration of CHIP benefits to everyone who rated it when it was first made state law.

And finally, embryonic stem cell research. What is it about this issue that makes this issue continually come up? My feeling is that it has become a wedge issue that Republicans have used to divide us, as many Democrats are also of the Catholic faith. Catholics hold that all life is sacred and that life begins at conception. To use embryonic stem cells to improve the health of the people, to cure diseases that no one has a cure for right now, they say, is a sin against God. These tissues come from embryos that are not ever to be used or needed ever again. Is it pleasing to God that these embryos are cast into a furnace? Does that make more ecumenical sense? If it still does, then maybe we need a change of the guard.

Watch Ron Reynolds pledge his support for embryonic stem cell research.

Why Ron Reynolds is Running for Texas State Representative in HD 27 [Part 2]

Ron Reynolds, in his opening remarks to a group of supporters yesterday evening (9/20/2007), spoke of his many blessings. Having been blessed with so much, there is so much to return. That is why Reynolds is running for Texas State Representative in HD 27.

Ron Reynolds addressed three areas of focus, three critical areas that he promises to address when he becomes the Texas State Representative from HD 27. In the video below, he addresses focus area one: Education.

This is an issue that is near and dear to my heart.

“…there’s so many people, so many students dropping out of high school . . . they’re not graduating. There’s so many teachers that used to love the profession that are getting away, that are quitting. And why is that? Because as legislatures, in the state of Texas, I’m very, very ashamed to say, that we are one of the worst states when it comes to public funding for our schools. We can and we have to do better. We have to give the funds that these schools need to pay the teachers a reasonable salary so that they can stay encouraged to deal with a lot of these hard-headed kids.”

There’s more to it Ron, but it has nothing to do with salary. It has to do with respect. Respect that teachers are professionals and can do their jobs without state government breathing down their necks. Without the news media jumping on teachers whenever they are denounced. Without laws being passed to fine teachers for offenses, that seem trivial on their face. Without laws that presuppose that teachers will behave any way but professionally.

Maybe there is a relationship. Maybe the teachers who are accepting these low-paying jobs do so because it pays better than working as a night janitor in a commercial building. Maybe it’s these people who besmirch what I see as a highly professional community of educators. Especially here in Fort Bend County. Better pay does draw a better class of people. You do get what you pay for.

Better pay also means the public respects you not only as a public servant, but as a person of substance in the community.

Why Ron Reynolds is Running for Texas State Representative in HD 27 [Part 1]

Ron Reynolds held his campaign kickoff fundraiser this evening at the Kim Son Restaurant in The Fountains, in Stafford Texas. The count was something at 175 attendees. At $100 dollars a plate (minimum) this attracted a very committed crowd.

Lots of elected officials were there. Allen Owen, Mayor of Missouri City was there. So was Ruben Davis, Fort Bend County Constable in Precinct 2. Newly elected Fort Bend ISD Trustee Bob Broxson, a personal friend of Ron Reynolds was there. He actually recognized me by my name tag and walked up to introduce himself. Seems like an OK sort of person. Doc Holliday, on Congresman Al Green’s staff was there. Lots of others.

What I thought I would do is bring you to the function. I have some video clips from a 30 minute video I shot there. Appearing in the first clip is not Ron Reynolds, but Richmond trial lawyer and SDEC Member Don Bankston. Don set the stage.

Why is Ron Reynolds running against a progressive Democrat? Don tells the story in this You Tube embed..

OK, Have To Nip This One In The Bud

I noticed that Kuffner mentioned my two stories on Ron Reynolds, who will oppose Dora Olivo in the Texas March primary for the HD 27 seat. He mentioned Dora’s ’06 opponent then also:

“What I recall from the '06 primary is that there were questions about whether Brown was being backed by Tom Craddick. I know that Brown himself denied these rumors, and offhand I don't recall any evidence coming out to demonstrate that he had financial backing from Team Craddick, but the questions were there anyway.”

The first thing I thought upon reading that is that someone is going to throw that one at Ron Reynolds, too. It’s already happening in other districts, as Vince pointed out here:

“Evidently applications are now being accepted for the position of “Craddick D’s” in El Paso.”

“Marisa Marquez (D-El Paso) has announced she will challenge Rep. Paul Moreno, the state’s senior Hispanic Democrat and the “conscience” of the Texas House.”

Someone is bound to lay this one at Reynolds’ feet as well.

Here is what I can say about that: Reynolds told me at Saturday’s Democratic Party function that he indeed had been approached by the Craddick camp about running against Dora Olivo, offering him support from The Speaker’s deep pockets. Ron turned them down flat. Ron said that he was definitely not going to be supporting The Speaker, that he was a progressive Democrat like Dora, but that they differ on a few issues. Issues we have already mentioned before. He also re-emphasized to me his desire to help other Democrats win in their races. [I had a John Kerry sign on my lawn in ’04. I’ll bet Ron did, too.]

So let’s not let that one rear its ugly head.

Besides if all of the many, many people who know Ron Reynolds well hear someone say that he’s a Craddick D, I’m afraid that an earthquake will hit HD 27. The first earthquake in geologic history triggered by foot stomping, back slapping, tears in the eyes hilarity.

Ron Reynolds and Dora Olivo Speak at Democratic Party Function

They were in the same room, a Fort Bend County Democratic Party function today, for the first time since Ron Reynolds announced the time and date of his formal announcement that he will run in the March primary against Dora Olivo for the Texas State House seat, District 27.

Dora was there from the beginning. She was seated across the room at a table of Democratic women, most of them Precinct Chairs. Just as the meeting got started, in glides Ron Reynolds. He walked across the back of the room and found an empty chair in the far corner.

Before the guest speaker got started, it was decided to allow all elected officials in the room get up and give a speech of undefined length. Other announced candidates in the room could meet and greet the attendees out in the hall, or during the meeting’s progression. But that was immediately nixed and the several candidates who were in the room, mostly to gather signatures for their ballot petitions, were given “2 minutes each”.

But Dora, as the only elected official in the room, got to speak first. She stood in front of the room and spoke of her voting record in the House, that she is with us – and obviously didn’t mention where she isn’t. She spoke of her work with the coalition of groups who oppose expansion of the Blue Ridge Landfill, spoke of an issue that she took up with the Fort Bend ISD Board of Trustees concerning schools in east Fort Bend County, spoke of interest groups she was working with, and recognition that she had received.

Dora spoke about Dora and the why of it is that she will have an opponent in March who is not a political unknown, but a man who is well liked and well respected in the area. Local Fort Bend County attorney Ron Reynolds.

A bunch of other candidates got up to give brief – and not so brief – speeches about their campaigns. Then when no other candidates could be found, Ron Reynolds was recognized. Ron, who is a bit under the weather with a summer cold, was there, he said, not as a candidate but as an activist who wanted to come and learn how he could help other Democrats get elected. His goal is to help the Democratic Party grow and in order to do this, Democrats must, as candidates or as activists, must work to support other campaigns.

Someone asked, again, what seat Ron was running for. “District 27” came the answer. And there was a near imperceptible pause that went around the room as it registered on people that Dora and Ron were both in the room. In the same room, yes, for the first time since Ron’s big announcement, but it occurred to me that for most in the room, they were hearing this for the first time.

I got to speak with Ron a little later. Ron Reynolds reads my blog. We were talking about public service and our duty to help other candidates. Marsha was also there. Those who know Marsha know that she is rather blunt. She compared and contrasted Dora’s and Ron’s speeches, and concluded that Dora’s was “all I” and Ron’s was “all We”.

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: this is going to one barn burner of a primary this coming March. Maybe they will have decided who the presidential nominee will be before March 3rd, But here in Texas Democratic voters are going to be faced with some real choices for the first time in years.

As they said in that old AT&T commercial: “Choose wisely.”

More on Ron E. Reynolds and Dora Olivo

Just want to dot my i’s and cross my t’s with this little post.

I mentioned in the previous posting that Dora Olivo had made no announcement as to whether she would run for re-election, although it haunted me because I thought I had read about it somewhere, but Google searches kept coming up blank. Bob Dunn at FortBendNow writes that she announced her re-election plans on her campaign website but I’m not so sure. When I saw the announcement on the site I was under the impression that it was the one for the 2006 campaign and became convinced of that when I saw that she reported being on the County Affairs and Agriculture & Livestock Committees but when you look at her state website you don’t see that. You see that she is on the Public Health Committee and Public Education Committee. That and her home page lists primary day as March 7, as it was in 2006 and not March 4 as it will be in 2008.

So I think that’s an old page.

I also think she should say something pretty soon because her opponents are coming out of the woodwork.

Even from the GOP.

Yes, it’s true. Now we come to find out that as of this past Friday the Republicans are going to field another candidate to challenge the Democratic nominee in the race for Texas state Rep from District 27. As reported on FortBendNow, some guy named Steve Host is going to file for this seat in the Republican primary.

I recall in distant memory that when Ken Bryant was making noises that he wanted to run against Dora, people around him tried to dissuade him, saying that it was a lost cause and that he would never win.

But he didn’t listen to them.

If Steve Host has any friends to advise him, he isn’t listening either. He probably has lots and lots of friends. He owns the Richmond Coffee Station right there near the William B. Travis Building in Richmond. He’s probably served coffee and frappacinos to half the county employees. One online reviewer of the place mentions that Bible study groups meet there and that there is a whole bunch of religious stuff you can buy there [Religion, by the way is a non-issue as both Dora and Ron are deeply religious]. Just down the street are his other two businesses, the Host Insurance Agency and Texas Fidelity Mortgage – both business are run out of the same office.

So he has lots and lots of friends that he doesn’t listen to.

Oh, and the new news about Ron Reynolds? He’s still going to run.