Republican Immigrant Haters Have Forum in Houston

Beating their Anti-Immigrant drums loudly this past Saturday, seven of the ten Republicans who want to replace Nick Lampson in congress this year spoke at the February monthly meeting of the Texans for Immigration Reform. Their website can be found here. It is unmistakable. This is the only website that I have ever seen with an image of the Alamo in the upper right hand corner of every one of its pages. They seem like a real fun group. A group that seems to be unified in their unbending hatred of all things Mexican.

Their website announced that Nick Lampson, Sheila Jackson Lee and “Republican and Democrat candidates who have opposition within their own party”, had been invited to the meeting, and promised that eleven would show (without actually stating who they were going to be). No mention was made in the Chron article about either Lampson or Jackson Lee actually showing up for this.

Well 7 of our CD-22 candidates did show up (Dunbar, Hrbacek and Squier were elsewhere), and it proved to be a real butt-whipping on the part of Bob “Mad Dog” Talton who openly attacked by name DC insider Pete Olson, who he said “has had 10 years to do that [build a border fence] as a chief of staff, and it hasn't happened yet!” Talton was referring to Olson’s years on staff with Senators Phil Gramm and John Cornyn. Olson responded with words to the effect that a staffer can’t make policy, and follows that of his bosses, words that I am sure Talton rubbed his hands in glee over – what better way to paint your opponent as an impotent lackey?

I really do wonder how that was received by the attendees? Wonder, because I cannot place myself in their mindset at all. It must be strange being them, is all I can come up with.

So if Bob Talton wanted to come off as the Anti-Immigrant’s hero yesterday, I think he must have succeeded, because little else was written about the meeting. Come to think of it, when nothing gets said about Shelley Sekula Gibbs when she attends a meeting, it must be because she was lying low.

I mentioned “beating drums” at the beginning of this, and want to emphasize that, because as Americans’ attention is drawn to the presidential primaries, and to their main area of focus these days, the economy, it reinforces my point that these people, these anti-immigrant drum beaters, are clearly clueless.

You don’t have to look very far to figure out that Texas’ economy is heavily dependant on immigrant labor, nor to realize that most of that labor comes from illegal aliens. Mexicans. But rather than even look in that direction, these people that convened this forum would rather slam the door in the faces of 12 million illegal immigrants. Do that and worry about the economic consequences later.

Or not.

I keep forgetting that this immigration issue isn’t about the economy. The economy is where it is today because of the policies of misguided state and national Republican leaders. Worrying 1 hour or 10 hours about illegal immigrant workers instead of the same amount worrying about the economy would be just okey-dokey to these people To these people it’s not really about immigration, it’s about not worrying about anything else other than immigration.

But this immigration issue is all about the economy, especially here in Texas where agribusiness and home building are two primary pedestals of the state’s economy. The more people realize this, the faster we can proceed to fixing both problems.

One sure-fire way to fix this is the proposed “guest worker” program. It’s an idea promoted by Texas builders that handles things on many levels. A guest worker program will “create a legal status by which the current immigrant workforce could work here legally that does not grant citizenship but gives both employee and employer the ability to continue driving the American economy”. It’s not the last best idea, but it offers a humane aspect to this problem, one that Republicans simply don’t want to consider.

No, what we had yesterday at the Anti-Immigrant forum was smoke, mirrors, and waving the flag in directions that most people need not pay attention to, need not concern themselves.

I can think of another time, in another country, when a group of people were vilified by a political party in order to distract the public from real solutions to some of the basic problems that were affecting them at that time. It worked wonders for them.

It worked out pretty badly for about 40 million others, but I guess that is how you get in power, and how you retain it, huh?

Why Rat On Your Friends?

In yesterday’s posting I presented a theory, nestled in a collection of sordid tales, of how one former congressman may be the focus of federal investigators in the dealings of former Texas congressman Tom DeLay – or his associates. I am left with one question to ask and answer: why rat on your friends?

Some of that question has been answered – cooperating with the feds seems to be a good idea for someone so down on his luck, as seen in the press, and so vulnerable now that he has no power and his “friends” have all fled.

But that does not get us into the mindset of John Sweeney. Doesn’t at all. Not unless you look at his past statements on his former friends, friends who cannot help him any more.

Look at this piece again by Elizabeth Benjamin of the Times-Union. In it you can see where being a former friend and ally of James Sweeney gets you. The comment was recorded during the time Sweeney was being questioned about his failure to provide information on who paid for his trip to the Northern Marianas Islands. Sweeney claimed that the Saipan Chamber of Commerce paid the bills, and as a US Commonwealth entity, these benefits do not need to be reported to the FEC. Sweeney claimed that he was informed of this by Abramoff (and former Tom DeLay staffer) aide Tony Rudy. Later, however, the Chamber refuted Sweeney’s claims that they paid the bills.

Commenting on Rudy, who by then had pled guilty in federal court to several corruption counts, Sweeney had this to say:

“It was our understanding that this was paid for by the Marianas government. If it was based on misinformation that may have been given to us by a guy who's now an admitted felon, I will go to the Ethics Committee and ask what I should do.”

There you have it in a nutshell. James Sweeney’s former friend, the guy who provided for him a lavish lobbyist-paid junket is now ‘a guy who's now an admitted felon’.

And this, in the end, is why I think John Sweeney is such a ripe target for federal investigators. He had lots of friends, lots of contacts, but has now been left to swing in the breeze by them.

And now we see, from his comment about Tony Rudy, what he thinks of former friends.

Theory: A New Canary About To Sing A Tale of DeLay?

Now this kind of sordid tale generally doesn’t drop in my lap, and I usually don’t touch ones like them until I have read about them somewhere else, but this story is one that I can’t leave alone. Thanks go to Susan who unloaded this little oeuvre from her DC mole on me last night.

What I propose here is a theory that federal investigators of former congressman Tom DeLay (and maybe associated others) in their continuing government corruption probe, have a new canary. Whether that canary is now singing for them or not isn’t known, but from the information Susan’s source has been gleaning, if the concert has not started yet, he may be just now clearing his throat.

Former Congressman John Sweeney, formerly of New York Congressional District 20, a congressman named in the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) report “Beyond DeLay” as “one of the 20 most corrupt members of Congress”, has had a change of heart vis-à-vis his lawyerly representation.

Former Congressman Sweeney (he lost his seat in 2006 in a squeaker to Democratic freshman Congresswoman Kirstin Gillibrand) shared with Tom DeLay an acquaintanceship with Jack Abramoff, an all expenses paid trip to the Northern Marianas Islands (the sweatshop and prostitution capitol of the western Pacific), and . . . and a Virginia law firm with specialists in white collar crime defense and federal investigations.

Yes, including the other two above, John Sweeney and Tom DeLay shared an apparent appreciation for the legal services of McGuire Woods LLP. DeLay was the far more active client, having laid out to McGuire Woods in one October 15, 2006 payment, $175,000. Sweeney’s paltry charge of $6,262.20, paid to McGuire in September of that year, confirms that Sweeney and DeLay were both clients of the same law firm.

But now Sweeney has had a change of heart, and not at an entirely convenient time, it seems. Late last year, Sweeney plopped down what must be one of the last $10,000 checks that he could write from his dwindling campaign fund, made out to DC law firm DLA Piper, US, LLP. DLA Piper also has specialists in “white collar criminal defense”. So Sweeney may still be feeling a need to retain these kinds of services, but apparently not at Tom DeLay’s place of legal representation.

Why?

Well, given the worst case scenario, what if the concert was about to begin, and John Sweeney started singing the sweet tunes of corruption to federal investigators? What if those tunes led in directions that would put McGuire Woods in a conflicting position with their other client(s)? What better way to head off those unpleasantries than just to take your game to another law firm.

But why Sweeney? Aren’t there just a whole bunch of these fish out there? Yes, there were ten or so who lost their seats in 2006, but maybe none who have had such recent personal and legal troubles as Sweeney. It almost sounds like a soap opera, but this has all been in the news.

Apparently late last year John Sweeney was pulled over for erratic driving on the turnpike. He was accompanied by a 23-year old woman who was observed sitting in his lap, which might itself cause some erratic driving, but apparently he had a blood alcohol content of .10 as well and so was arrested for DWI . . . AND driving erratically.

And then just a month ago Sweeney was involved in a misunderstanding with a local taxi company. It seems Sweeney engaged the services of a taxi to take him home from an upstate New York strip club at around 2 AM on January 8th, but upon arriving at his house, he refused to pay the cab fare. That got the state police involved, and it was all settled the next day when he (soberly, I guess) sent his son down with a check.

There are other stories, such as alleged wife beating and drunken carousing at frat houses, but that’s just titillation and I won’t bore you with these details.

Now this is all speculation on my part (and, let’s face it, the DC source’s), but doesn’t it look like some government investigators have gotten their hooks in a guy who might have some knowledge, as in confirmation knowledge, of some of the scandalous activity that spelled the beginning of the end of the Republican hegemony in America? A guy who really can’t say “no” right now?

This can’t be good news for Tom DeLay or any of the others who are still out roaming free. Their former associates Jack Abramof, Tony Rudy, Bob Ney, Duke Cunningham and the like have all had their turn with the judge as well as the turnkey. Can it be this canary that, so down on his luck, vulnerable, and willing to sing in exchange for some immunity, will turn the rest of them into jailbirds?

Can there be more to come courtesy of our man Sweeney? More revelations? Some tasty little treats for us? If so, I think I am safe in saying that our anticipated canary has a most apt surname.

"God, that's good that is de have you

Licious ever tasted smell such

Oh my God what perfect more that's

Pies such flavor

God, that's good!!!

(From “Sweeney Todd”, God That’s Good!)

To Catch A Thief

A Little Teaser For The Curious . . .

Susan had to go and gamble her next year’s income at the green felt-topped tables, but she left a little hot potato in my lap. More later but let me just ask you this one question:

What does it take to catch a thief?

UPDATE:

Tony: Another clue, maybe? Pretty please? Are we talkin' about a white collar criminal?

Yes on both counts.

Obama Volunteer Office Opening This Saturday in Houston

Coming off of yesterday’s post on the coming inundation of Democratic Presidential campaign activity in Texas, what could be more appropriate than to post this press release that I just received from the Barack Obama for President Campaign? Some of the information below can also be found at the campaign website, here.

Grand Opening: Houston for Obama Volunteer Office

Place 2520 Southmore

Time 10:00 A.M.

Date February 9, 2008

Join us for the Grand Opening of the Houston for Obama Volunteer Office. Houston for Obama is chargedwith energizing the Houston region’s electorate in support of Senator Barack Obama’s Presidential Campaign. As a grassroots volunteer organization, Houston for Obama regularly participates in activities to identify and encourage potential voters, increase awareness of Senator Obama’s positions, and provide a unified presence of support for Senator Obama’s candidacy.

On the heels of Super Tuesday, where no clear victor for the Democratic nominee has emerged, the Texas primary will have a significant impact on the nomination. Houston for Obama is ready to respond by escalating their efforts in Houston.

The Grand Opening of the Houston for Obama Volunteer Office will take place this weekend. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. Supporters will learn about volunteer opportunities to help Houston’s grassroots movement in advocacy of Senator Obama’s campaign for the Presidential nomination. The Grand Opening will be emceed by Speaker Pro Tempore of the Texas House of Representatives, Sylvester Turner. In attendance will also be Texas State Representative Alma Allen, Precinct Judge Clara Caldwell, and former City Councilwoman Ada Edwards. The rally will feature a performance by the Yates High School Band. Following the Grand Opening, volunteers will begin canvassing their support in neighborhoods all over Houston.

The leadership of Houston has shown tremendous support for Senator Obama. The following elected officials have endorsed Senator Obama’s candidacy for President: U.S. Congressman Al Green, Texas State Sentor Rodney Ellis, Texas State Representative Alma Allen, Texas State Representative Garnet Coleman, Texas State Representative Senfronia Thompson, Houston City Councilman Peter Brown, Houston City Councilman Jarvis Johnson, At‐Large Houston city Councilman Ron Green, former City Councilwoman Ada Edwards, and Precinct Judge Clara Caldwell.

Join Houston for Obama in getting Fired Up, and Ready To Go! at the Grand Opening of the Volunteer Office on Saturday, February 9th, 10am, 2520 Southmore.

This should be a memorable event. Here is a map to the volunteer office for the future, and also in case you want to join in the celebration as the Obama campaign comes home to Texas.

You Mean The Presidential Campaigns ARE Coming to Texas?

The Democratic ones, anyway.

Stick a fork in Romney (Huckabee sure did), he’s done. The Republican nominee is going to be the oldest goll durned white man that the Grand OLD Party could scare up in this day and age who doesn’t have one foot in the grave yet. Yes, we can all thank Mike Huckabee for sucking some delegates right out from under the nose of the other darling of the evangelicals, Mitt Romney, relegating the both of them to the dustbins of GOP history.

But this is far from the case with the Democrats, who now have a real horse race in the delegate count. Did I just see that Clinton and Obama are just one “pledged delegate” apart from being dead even? Can it be? And we all know about the “super delegates” right? As in I never met a super delegate whose vote was in anyone’s pocket for very long. No, there is now a full-out Democratic tsunami that is about to pound across our borders, bringing (cha-CHING!) their campaign cash back to the lands from whence they came.

Now I mentioned this a few posts back, as did Houtopia also back on January 21st. Heck it was even mentioned in some mainstream media places. But there were a few doubters out there, some more derisive than others, but I guess that there way may be something more than a 1 in million chance that Texas might have something to say in this primary season after all. Maybe even . . . oh . . . 2 in a million.

That being the case, it now appears that Texas is going to appear front and center in the news again.

It doesn’t happen very often any more, to the relief of a few locals who are always looking for some other sort of Texas icons and images besides Slim Pickens waving his Stetson whilst mounted on a hydrogen bomb on its final trip to a Soviet perdition.

That sort of image.

So some of the blogs have begun to look at Texas anew, here, and local blogs are looking a little introspectively at what Texas will do with this new limelight, but more humorously, other bloggers are providing information to out-of-state travelers who find themselves putting their boots . . . er . . . shoes up in Texas for awhile, here and here.

Now I am not, in any way, shape or form a Texas local. I’m an immigrant but the local citizenry, those who know about my alien status anyway, seem to have accepted me, or at least tolerate my presence. So I don’t have sage words of advice for out-of-towners. But I have picked up a few “Texas-isms” and other handy tips that you might want to keep in mind should you venture here with the campaigns.

1. Don’t say “y’all”. It’ll just make them smile and shake their heads (But for God’s sake, don’t say “you all”).

2. If it rains hard, don’t run to high ground. That’s where the snakes and fire ants go.

3. When a Texan tells you that they’d “like to die” don’t take them seriously, it’s just a local expression of joy. As in “When he fell in that mud hole wha’ I like to die laughin’”.

4. When zipping around in your car on the Texas Gulf Coastal Plain, have a compass. There are no landmarks and the compass is your only true friend. That is, except when you are in or near Houston. Then the Transco Tower is.

5. When you ask for a margarita at a Texas restaurant (pronounced margy-rita in some places) you will be asked whether you want it “frozen” or “on the rocks”. You want “frozen”.

6. When it rains, don’t bother with umbrellas. They weren’t designed to keep out rain that falls horizontally.

7. Making contacts and appointments involves the art of “gitaholdayew”. As in “When shay wunts to tawk to yew shay’ll gitaholdayew”.

8. When your Pakistani server at your dining establishment says something that seems utterly unintelligible, stop and listen, he’s probably speaking with a Texas accent.

9. When asked where you are from, just say “Amerkin”.

10. Place names: Houston is pronounced “Useton”, San Antonio is pronounced “Santone”, Dallas is “Big D”, the “J” is pronounced in San Jacinto, Bexar (as in Bexar County) is pronounced “bear”, and if you are talking to an Hispanic, Palacios is pronounced “Pah-LAH-ciohs”, to everyone else it’s “Pa-LAYshus”.

Good luck and spend lots of those campaign dollars.

Texas CD 22 4th Q Fundraising Wars: The Results Are In

Now that the 4th quarter campaign finance reports are in and digested, I guess it’s time to take a look at my favorite Texas congressional race: The Fighting 22nd. CD 22, that is.

Amazingly, the financial juggernaut that was the Lampson campaign in 2006, where there was always talk of “that 3 million dollars” is a mere shadow of its previous greatness.

While still posting totals that exceed his GOP rivals, Nick Lampson’s 4th quarter intake was an abysmal $130,937.50, placing him in the rankings as 2nd to last.

Besting Lampson’s intake twice over was Shelley Sekula Gibbs’ whopping $263,059.80. Pete Olson, who was the reputed “it’ll be me and her in the runoff” man, he who had the DC connections, the organization, and the machine in place, came in third at $204,837.50 – still ahead of the incumbent, but woefully behind dark horse (at least in this area) former Pasadena mayor John Manlove who pulled in a respectable $228,610.00. Surprisingly, given his much self-vaunted conservative appeal and the only “experienced candidate”, Bob Talton, while beating Lampson, posted a $167,450.00 total, 4th from the top. Even Jim “Reverend Jim” Squier beat Nick Lampson’s total by over 30 large, posting a respectable $152,549.00. Pulling up dead last in the money raising category is Dean Hrbacek at a paltry $100,592.00.

Oh well, money isn’t everything, hey Dean? Not when he has an entire blog that is subliminally dedicated to his candidacy.

Oh, the other guys? Bazzy, Dunbar, Klock and Rowley? No FEC filings. Nada.

So is this news? That all but one of his GOP challengers have beat Lampson in the fundraising game? Well I guess it’s news when you want to make it news, but really, what does it matter what Nick raised last quarter? He’s running unopposed in March. His challengers are raising money to spend against EACH OTHER until March. And then, only one of them will emerge to run in November. Now I call THAT half a million plus dollars in well-spent GOP money. Good job, guys.

No, Lampson has another timetable to deal with, and assuming that the average CD 22 GOP voter is as cracked as I suspect they are, he will be facing Shelley Sekula Gibbs in his first ever head-to-head campaign with her. It is then that we will expect to see an influx of funds from the national party and out-of-state sources as Democrats circle the wagons to protect swing districts from Karl Rove’s “Hit List Campaign”. Watch for the lukewarm funding that SSG gets from the RNCC at that time. Long-term memory is nonexistent in CD 22, but there are still those in DC that remember Shelley’s glorious weeks serving out Tom DeLay’s term during the lame duck session of 2006.

I think they’re still shuddering over that.

Still, Nick Lampson will need to look in-district for some local monetary support. I know there are some individuals and organizations that are wildly enthusiastic about having Nick as their Democratic congressman. There, Nick will find a replenished well in which to lower his dipper. Not so among others from the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, who range between dismayed and shocked at some of his floor votes. This is not who we meant to send to congress, they cried.

The obvious reply? OK, so who else are you going to vote for?

Good point. Point well taken as a matter of fact. But the fact is, a vote for Nick, in my specific case, is a single event that takes care of each and every Democrat on the ballot as I am a straight-ticket Democratic Party voter. It’s nearly effortless. It’s more effort to get out of my car than to vote for every Democrat on the ballot. The effort lies in getting that old check book out. Who should I send this check to? Who, who, who? The guy who voted away my FISA rights?

Yeah, right.

Take Back the Texas Legislature

The Fort Bend Democrats have a new fundraiser, and its theme is “Take Back the Texas Legislature”. This is something we in Texas are currently poised to do in November 2008, and what better way to kick it off than to hold a fundraiser/dinner honoring State Representative Senfronia Thompson.

Rep. Thompson stands as the only Democrat currently running for the 81st Texas Legislature’s position of Speaker of the House. The only Democrat, that is, who did not support what became the very autocratic rule Speaker Tom Craddick at any time during the 80th Texas Legislature.

Her Democratic opponent in the race for Speaker, State Rep. Sylvester Turner, cannot make that claim.

As the only “Real” Democrat running for the Speaker position, this makes State Rep Thompson a shoe-in as the next Speaker of the House of the Texas House of Representatives when Democrats retake the majority in the House, the first woman to have that distinction, as well as the first minority.

This makes it doubly important that you and everyone you know who supports Turning Texas Blue go here now and find out about making reservations online or by phone (I’d post it on this notice also, but I’m lazy and slightly under the weather).

But here are the pertinent dates and times for you so you can mark your calendar.

Who: State Rep. Senfronia Thompson

What: The Fort Bend Democrats Annual Winter Fundraiser

When: Friday, February 22nd, 2008 from 6:30 until 10:00 (dinner served at 7:30)

Where: Quail Valley Country Club, Missouri City, Texas [map]

Why: To hear the words of the future Texas Speaker of the House and to help the Fort Bend Democrats raise money to support our Fall 2008 candidates.

How: It’s easy. Click HERE.

Janek Exit Makes For Interesting Politics and Speculation

I have been a little remiss in withholding comment on the recent exit of Texas State Senator Kyle Janek (R - Houston) of SD-17, from his senate seat. An exit that takes place a mere two years into his four-year term. I would much more prefer that my own state senator make a similar announcement, but alas.

SD 17 takes in parts of Fort Bend, Brazoria and Harris County, and is considered a “safe” Republican district. You’ll get no argument from me on the Fort Bend part. In Fort Bend, SD 17 includes a small ‘neck’ of real estate covering most of Sugar Land, but excludes less conservative neighborhoods like those in East Fort Bend County.

The thought was originally that Janek was looking for greener pastures, as in a statewide race later on, but his recent statements gave lie to those original reports, and now it looks like he just wants to spend more time with his family.

Is it just me or is everyone getting tired of hearing the same old tired saw that a Republican office holder simply wants to quit for more family time? Could it be that Republicans are starting to pay attention to the vibrations that are beginning to look and feel like a Democratic ground swell? Do these people just not want to be in office when, after years of coasting downhill on the Republican wave, it is suddenly going to get too hard?

Janek was unopposed by a Democrat in 2006, and handily beat his Libertarian opponent by over 40 points. In 2002, when the Buster Brown’s retirement made SD 17 an open seat, Janek defeated Ronnie Ellen Harrison by a 61.42% to 38.57% margin to gain the office, moving up from his HD-134 lower house seat.

So now we have another open seat. And now, by virtue of the fact that Janek isn’t going to make his resignation effective until June 2nd, despite early reports that he would make it as early as March 10th, it looks like SD-17 residents will be without a state senator for nearly half a year. Had he stayed with the original script, with a March 10th vacancy, the seat could easily have been filled in the next regularly scheduled election day, on May 10th 2008. But now, residents will have to wait until November 2nd . . . unless . . . unless Governor Rick Perry decides to call a special election to replace State Sen. Janek.

Now this makes for some interesting possibilities.

It has been long-rumored that State Rep Charlie Howard, of HD 26 has been having a . . . well let’s just call it a strong yearning . . . for Janek’s seat. Now what would happen if Governor Perry decides to wait to fill the seat at the November general election? Well, according to what I have read at the Texas Election Code website, Howard has a choice of either running for his current seat with no opposition from the Democrats, or running for Janek’s seat. He can’t make both. It’s here:

§ 141.033. FILING APPLICATIONS FOR MORE THAN ONE OFFICE PROHIBITED. (a) A candidate may not file applications for a place on the ballot for two or more offices that: (1) are not permitted by law to be held by the same person; and (2) are to be voted on at one or more elections held on the same day. (b) If a person files more than one application for a place on a ballot in violation of this section, each application filed subsequent to the first one filed is invalid. (c) This section does not apply to candidacy for the office of president or vice-president of the United States and another office.

I think this pretty much keeps Charlie Howard off of the special election ballot in November, because if he is successful in both the general and the special, it gets him elected to two concurrent office terms, which is prohibited.

Or . . . OR, Governor Perry can call for a special election. This election can occur at a time between May 10th and November 2nd. This will allow Howard to continue his primary campaign (with two challengers) and then later file for the special election for senate seat even if he is victorious in the primary.

Now should Perry call for a special election before November, this will also allow another state representative, State Rep. Scott Hochberg (D - Houston) to try for the seat. The upside for calling a special election, from Perry’s point of view, is that special elections favor Republicans as they have had historically better turn-outs for these. The downside is that because it is a special election, no one may run under a party banner (although that didn’t stop Shelley Sekula Gibbs when she ran in the special election in 2006).

But then, we have recent Democratic victories in two recent special elections that I am reminded of, the one that saw the election of democrat Dan Barret in HD-97, and the one that elected Melissa Noriega to the Houston City Council.

So there is that worm-turning aspect that should be considered.

All in all, a fairly interesting game of chess.

Bringing me to the other affected race in all of this in the Republican primary: the HD 26 race which has two primary challenges to Charlie Howard in Paula Stansell and Norman Ley. As previously mentioned, there will be no Democratic challenger in this race in November, so Howard, in having two primary challengers, stands a chance of getting knocked out of the state house in March.

Wouldn’t that be a treat?

Of the two partisan challengers, I can find out absolutely nothing about Norman Ley. Given the geography and local memory for previous scandals, I’d say that the only thing Norman has going for himself is that his surname is spelled slightly differently than Enron CEO Ken Lay spelled his.

Bringing me to Paula Stansell. Now, despite the fact that the woman asserts an allegiance to “The Dark Side”, given the choice between retaining Charlie Howard in the state house, and replacing him with this challenger, I think that Republican voters could do far worse than to cast their votes for Paula Stansell. She has a good record of community service and has some very good ideas with regard to education.

If anyone on “The Dark Side” ever listened to, as Liz Mitton calls me, “an Ultra-Liberal Democrat”, I would hope that they would make a great amount of hay on the issue that Howard is not in this for his constituency, but is using his office as just another stepping stone to higher places. That no one can be a serious Republican candidate for HD 26 when he has his eyes set on a bigger prize that is in the offing only months away.

I can only hope.

Support the Troops, Lose Your Job

Juanita over on her blog at the Fort Bend Democrats' website has a You Tube video with Montel Williams, late of CBS’ Montel Williams Show being interviewed on Fox News. On the video you see a very agitated Montel Williams being asked for his thoughts on the death of actor Heath Ledger. Of this, Williams was shown on live television saying things like this:

“You know, for me, my heart goes out to his family, but I have been repulsed, honestly, by all the coverage. Here’s a question I have, watch this: ‘How many people [troops] have died in Iraq since January 1?’”

Fox: “It’s about 20”

Williams: “No, it’s not about, its 28”.

Later, in answer to the question on why we focus on the death of a famous actor rather than the horrific deaths of our soldiers in Iraq, Williams had this to say: “It’s our voracious appetite to bring on ratings, that’s what it is, we know it, we know it as a fact, let’s be honest about it”.

From there it devolved into the Fox dweeves desperately trying to get Williams back on track to talk about Ledger. No dice.

And at the end of what we see on the video clip, one host abruptly called for a commercial, “…we’ll have more with Montel in just a moment”, only to have Williams gone from the set after the commercial break.

You tell me who supports the troops here.

Fox lost no time in informing CBS that it was dropping Montel Williams’ syndicated television show in its two major media markets, in New York and Los Angeles. CBS quickly responded by canceling Williams’ show, and will wean Montel Williams addicts off of his show by putting on a “best of” series, of which it has 17 years-worth of work to choose from.

Williams enlisted in the Marines in 1974, and eventually graduated from the United States Naval Academy, and served a total of 22 years in the Marine Corps and Navy. So it would appear that this issue is personal with him.

But no matter to Fox News, the media organization that has become the bully pulpit for the Bush Regime and the neoconservative cause. Fox News doesn’t care a whit that they just saw to the end of the 17-year long television series of a veteran and spokesman for our troops living and dying in Iraq.

As Juanita says, Montel Williams deserves a medal for standing up to these corporate servants of the Bush war-mongering machine.

Knowing how fickle the public is about this, I suspect that Williams’ run on the major media has ended for awhile. It seems that the corporation that syndicated The Montel Williams Show, CBS Television Distribution, handles 90% of syndicated television programs in the United States, so they know how to silence people.

I could be wrong, I have been before, but I get the feeling that this is the last we will hear of Montel Williams in awhile.

Unless the rival networks want to pile on . . .

Super Obama Girl

Now this video is just about perfect for a Friday night when most of the people who regularly read this thing (4 of the 6) are out doing things that gives them more pleasure than staying home looking at the blogs.

It's brand new, just posted on You Tube yesterday, and just about the right timing for the run-up to Super Tuesday.

Super Obama Girl.



By the way, if you are in the Sugar Land area on February 5th, you could do worse than come to the Fort Bend Democrats Super Tuesday Primary Watch at Berryhill Tacos and Tamales [map]. We've got the back room reserved, and they have a plasma TV (at this writing, no promises after Super Bowl Sunday).

Poor Rick Perry: What Does A Governor Endorse Now?

My question is, what will Texas Governor Rick Perry do now that his endorsed presidential candidate has fizzled?

Apparently only 39% of Texas voters actually cast their ballot for the sitting governor, thanks to a Texas law that only requires a plurality of the vote in order to become elected governor of this state.

And by my own evaluation of those that make up that 39% group, I think we are talking about friends, cronies and the vast bulk of right wing conservatives that still call the Republican Party home: evangelical conservatives, all of whom have had huge problems with the candidacy of former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani.

So when Rick Perry, whose entire base make up that specialized wing of the Republican Party endorsed the candidacy of Giuliani, you couldn’t avoid hearing the collective grinding of conservative teeth. And Perry was alone among the state governors to make this endorsement.

Look at it from Perry’s point of view. Really, it was an endorsement based on Texas chauvinism, right? Giuliani is a senior partner in the Houston-based law firm of Bracewell & Giuliani, LLP (since 2005). That makes Rudy Giuliani a Texan . . . of sorts. And since there are no native-born Texans running for president (and probably none for the foreseeable future if the rest of America has anything to say about it), that gives Rick Perry an obvious choice for an endorsement. Heck, Rudy was riding the crest of a wave: in the news every night, ahead in every poll. And Rick Perry was THE FIRST to endorse Rudy Giuliani.

When you are first to endorse . . . well that means something. That means you have vision. That means that you know how to pick a winner.

So despite all of the downside of picking a pro-abortion pro-stem cell Republican candidate for President, despite angering your entire base – all 39% - Perry went for it, leaned out and grabbed for the ring.

Only to come back with a gob of snot on his hand.

Now what do you do when you have enraged the people who have put you there in that office, when you have NOT made the endorsement that needed making for the front-runner (by the way, another Republican that Perry’s base cannot stand, and by the way, the guy that Giuliani turned around and endorsed).

What do you do?

Well I hear that Ron Paul needs some help, and oh we all forgot, Ron Paul is a Texan. But, no, Paul is not polling in the teens, so maybe not.

Well there is only one choice that I can see for Rick Perry. One choice is all he has. No, not McCain (H-E double hockey sticks no). And no, not Mitt. These evangelical conservative Texans that represent Perry’s base still have problems with adherents to the Church of Latter Day Saint (that’s “Mormon” in Texan). So it only leaves only one choice for Rick Perry. Only one bandwagon left to jump on, and I predict that he will if Mike Huckabee, or his campaign, doesn’t view Rick Perry’s endorsement as something like the blessing of Jonah.

Oh, please Jesus, grant me this prayer: tell Governor 39% to endorse Mike Huckabee for president.

Let it be Huckabee.

UPDATE: Well it is either one of two things, Jesus doesn't give a rat's behind about my pleadings, or Rick Perry no longer has a personal pipeline to our Lord and Savior's suggestions. Looks like Perry went ahead in lockstep with his friend Arnold Governator and endorsed John McCain.

Hey . . . isn't Schwarzenegger an immigrant? Can't we do something about that?

A Thank You From John Edwards

Yes, even I get email from friends:

Dear Hal,

Let me start by saying, "Thank you." You have stood with Elizabeth and me throughout this campaign. Your support has sustained us as we have traveled across this country.

Earlier today, I suspended my campaign for the Democratic nomination for the presidency. I made this announcement from where our journey began just over 12 months ago: New Orleans.

I began my presidential campaign in New Orleans to remind the country that all of us -- as citizens and as a government -- have a moral responsibility to each other, and what we do together matters.

Now, it's time for me to step aside so that history can blaze its path. We do not know who will take the final steps to the White House -- but what we do know is that our Democratic Party will make history.

And, along the way, all of you who have been involved in this campaign and this movement for change and this cause, I am asking you to continue speaking out for those who have no voice, just as Elizabeth and I will continue to do. We need you.

Do not turn away from the great struggles before us. Do not give up on the causes that we have fought for. Do not walk away from what's possible, because it's time for all of us -- all of us together -- to make the two Americas one. We need you.

I hope you will take a few moments to listen to the video clip of my speech in New Orleans earlier this afternoon or to read it below.

In the meantime, Elizabeth and my family join me in thanking all of you for your support and for working so hard on my behalf. We are truly blessed to have such friends.

Thank you.

John Edwards

January 30, 2008

Edwards Steps Aside. Obama Rises.

The news was a little too quick for my tastes, but not unexpected. Today John Edwards’ announcement that he was stepping aside narrowing the Democratic race for the presidential nomination to a field of two left me somewhat disappointed that we couldn’t take this to the convention, as John was saying, but I understand his reasons. I will always wonder, though, how Edwards really would have done in Texas.

Joe Trippi, Edwards’ senior advisor explained it so that I could perhaps receive this with more nodding acceptance in this article as quoted below:

“Every day we were looking for ways to break out against these two candidates ... It became clearer and clearer after South Carolina on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, the press was really focused on Clinton and Obama that it was going to be tougher and tougher for us to break through. And contrary to what staff or pundits may say — the idea of playing the political game of kingmaker or spoiler never really appealed to him. In his mind it was a clear shot at the nomination or nothing.”

It appealed to me, but I can see that if you spend a year on the road in a grueling campaign, how settling for being a kingmaker at a brokered convention might not appeal to him when the prize is, after all, to be the one who is given the opportunity to set things aright in this country, and in the world. And maybe, as they say, Edwards found that given how things were going, he had already contributed more to the Democratic races than he was ever going to by staying in. If what I am hearing is right, Edwards has already done great things to keep the populist message to Democrats in the forefront, and had great influence over the evolving agendas of both Obama’s and Clinton’s campaigns.

So there’s that.

And now, with Edwards relegated to the sidelines, I find that I need to realign myself, and this blog, with another candidate. I can think of no one better to put my support behind than Barack Obama.

There is some thought that went into this. It goes all the way back to 2004 when I first saw this man give the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention. “What an odd name for a guy who speaks English so well,” was among my first thoughts about him. He really wowed the convention, and he impressed the H-E double hockey sticks out of me. I commented to friends that this was a guy to watch.

Fast forward to this past year and the debates. I began to see that of the top tier candidates on the stage, Barack Obama most closely approached my guy’s political and social positions, including, but not restricted to, his vow not to take contributions from corporate PACs, a promise that Hillary Clinton eschewed.

I see Barack Obama as one who is still untainted by insider DC politics. Most of his legislative experience has been in the Illinois state house and senate. Compare that to Hillary Clinton, someone who is very much associated with insider DC politics.

After all, isn’t it all about Change?

And finally, I am one of the many who was very much taken aback by the “over the top” attacks that have recently been waged by the Clinton campaign, our ex-president being in the forefront of that onslaught. Recent key endorsements by Senators Kerry and Kennedy also did not go unnoticed by me.

I have been fascinated by how the pundits are spinning this. Some say that Edwards split the “White vote” that would have been evenly divided between Clinton and Obama, therefore this move by Edwards will not be affecting the campaigns of either candidate. Time Magazine’s Joe Klein offers the most astute observations, I think (maybe because I agree with them) that Obama has the most to gain from an Edwards withdrawal because Edwards himself more often than not campaigned against the things that are most associated with Hillary Clinton: “the old Washington Democratic establishment that he believes got too close to the corporations in the '90s.” In recent debates, Edwards more often than not found common ground with Obama, and less with Clinton.

So those are my reasons for taking up the Obama standard (note the new campaign banner on the left side of this blog).

But what will Edwards do? He has not endorsed either candidate, although Obama has himself voiced what I have noted above, that they have a common agenda, and has all but claimed the support of former Edwards adherents. My guess is that it will fall one of two ways: he will simply not endorse the campaigns of either, leaving each of us to decide on our own who to support – a not totally unlikely notion. Or he will endorse Obama’s campaign.

If John Edwards comes out in favor of Hillary Clinton as the Democratic nominee, I will be very, very surprised.

John McCain, The Immigrant’s Friend, The Neocon’s Worst Enemy

John McCain is running ads about something that I mentioned here the other day: who we Democrats don’t want to run against in November. Polls, news pundits, bloggers, and the guy two doors down all have the same idea that John McCain would be the worst news for Democrats if he gets the Republican nomination. This has not missed the attention of his campaign.

Here is McCain’s own Web ad on this:



I think we have one last chance to keep McCain off the ballot in November, and that chance lies in McCain’s fairly humanitarian stance vis-à-vis how we are to manage the problem of having 12 million undocumented workers in the United States.

This stance, which has attracted the ire of a vocal neoconservative minority within the GOP is our last best hope for McCain’s loss of the nomination. Look at the video:



These people are just rabid, aren’t they? It gives me no comfort in knowing that I am practically relying on them to come out in force in the Republican primaries, as they did in 2000 when they nominated the least of the group of white men on their state primary ballots to become their party standard bearer.

Maybe we need a video of John McCain using the Worst Verb In The Universe, like the one he is said to have used when he responded to junior senator John Cornyn’s chiding last year when Cornyn was trying to obstruct the McCain/Kennedy plan for immigrants’ path to citizenship. Unfortunately we don’t have video of that. Only this reconstruction of how the rant might have gone:



That may not be enough, mainly because of the bleeps. While these neoconservatives hate the words, they love to hear them spoken out for some reason.

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.

Ready or Not, Here Is Another TPA Weekly Round-UP

A Monday Limerick

by Hal (with apologies)

There once was a group who could pound up
A list of posts that was ground up
In HTML
But it read so well
That they made every Monday a Round-Up

Off the Kuff looks at the woes of the Harris County GOP and what it may mean in November.

North Texas will have one less class II commercial injection well pumping toxic soup underground. Reported by TXsharon on Bluedaze.

TXDOT has dug itself into quite a hole by using your money to lobby for the TTC and to pay for an advertising campaign to sell the wildly unpopular TTC to the citizens of Texas. McBlogger at McBlogger has the details and a great video.

Hal at Half Empty got his TI-83 out and ran the numbers on the Presidential Primaries. Conclusion? Texas has a chance to crown a king (or queen).

WhosPlayin? looks at the case of a teen brought up on charges for "huffing" hand sanitizer and is frustrated at the lack of discretion caused by "zero-tolerance" policies.

The action plan for Monday's FISA-with-telecom-immunity legislation is contained in PDid's post at Brains and Eggs. Don't strain your dialing finger, and don't forget to
call Senators Corndog and Hutch. It's a waste of time, yes, but they still need to hear from us.

NYTexan at BlueBloggin explains who Voters, Pledged Delegates and Super Delegates are and how they influence the democratic party nomination at the convention.

Are you a MOTO? If not, you will be after reading State Sen. Kirk Watson's guest blog this week at Capitol Annex.

North Texas Liberal reveals which celebrity is destroying the planet... and no, it's not Britney Spears.

Could we be looking at beginnings of the first upward trend in labor membership since 1983? The Texas Blue thinks we just might be.

Fort Bend To Get a “Rail Bypass”?

It sounds almost surgical, but what a “rail bypass” really is, is maybe something to alleviate the 40 to 60 (and on the increase) freight trains per day that tie up traffic and delay the morning drives of thousands of Fort Bend County commuters every week.

I remember when this first came to my (and others’) attention. It was at a Nick Lampson “Neighborhood Office Hours” meeting in Richmond, last July.

From that posting:

“There was lots and lots of discussion on transportation issues. One question had to do with light rail to Houston. It opened up a can of worms. First, that the existing railroad line that runs right through Richmond was going to have increased traffic due to the purchase and construction of two container offloading sites in western Rosenberg. Railroad traffic, already around 60 trains per day, is expected to double and the truck traffic between Rosenberg and US 59 is expected to be heavy. Lots of infrastructure issues.”

“Nick also mentioned a proposal to reroute the rail line so that it bypassed populated areas, but that the railroad companies would probably need federal ‘inducement’.”

And now it seems we are a little further along. While in July I had the distinct impression that people were thinking about a northerly bypass (I don’t know, maybe the way everyone was waving their hands), it now seems to be that if a bypass is built to avoid the heavily populated areas of Fort Bend County, it will be through the southern part of the county, with the bypass beginning in the Rosenberg area, then southward, bending to the east, and then north to link up again in Houston.

I am wondering now, what this means for the container onload/offload sites that are in the planning stages for the Triple Forks Area west of Rosenberg. It is my speculation now that maybe since TxDOT’s plans for expansion of State Highway 36 to accommodate container truck traffic to that area are moot, maybe instead of bringing trucks to the rails, they plan to bring rails to the trucks.

Congressman Nick Lampson (D - Stafford) seems to have gone further along on this, because there is now a mile figure being batted around – an additional 36 miles of total distance traveled to cover the same change in longitude, and a cash figure: $880 million. A cost that Lampson says will be prohibitive unless the Feds kick in some dough.

Upside. Rail traffic through heavily populated areas of southwestern suburban Houston will be cut to almost nothing. Also consider another thing that was batted around at that meeting last July: maybe the Highway 90 corridor could be adapted to a light rail Houston to suburbs commuter system.

Downside: Apparently County Judge Bob Hebert is all in favor of this, and the County Commissioners have allocated 250 large to “study the project.” This must mean that someone smells a buck. If not the group that will study the project for the cool quarter mil, then maybe something else.

“It ain’t gonna happen”, says Precinct 1 Commissioner Tom Stavinoha. Unless . . .

Unless somehow, by some Machiavellian sleight of hand we can somehow work in Stavinoha’s pet project, the much-discussed expansion of the Grand Parkway. Yes, somehow Commissioner Stavinoha envisions how having a toll road through cotton fields is congruent with plans to have a freight train route through same. The former, by the way, is the road project that will probably end up costing Stavinoha dearly, in one election or another this year.

As you can see, nothing changes here in kleptocratic Fort Bend County.

Maybe someday, and this is just a distant dream of mine, maybe someday some decisions will be made in this county based on what is good for the people.

Naaaahh.

Edwards Looking at Third Place Again In South Carolina

What a contrast from only four years ago. Four years ago John Edwards was victorious in South Carolina against a well-funded John Kerry Campaign, and somewhat funded Al Sharpton and Wesley Clark campaigns. The results were Edwards – 44.86%, Kerry – 30.27%, Sharpton – 9.65% and Clark – 7.19%.

Times were different then. Edwards ran as a favorite son against a Yale-educated Massachusetts Yankee. Not a particularly difficult thing to do. But now there is a new mix, and while we saw a huge Black vote for Al Sharpton, that did not deliver the victory that we are expecting (as polls are indicating) for Barack Obama.

Neither Hillary Clinton nor Barack Obama have the taint of “Yankee” about them. Clinton for years was first lady of the Arkansas governor’s mansion, Obama, the son of a Kenyan immigrant, certainly has not been hurt by his heritage in this southern state, which expects a 50% African-American turnout today.

So John Edwards, by far the best of the three candidates who are still in the running for President of the United States, will again take third place.

It has never been an issue of written words. That makes people read, and God knows these days most people hate to read. So while John Edwards has a very significant endorsement by Martin Luther King, III, (read it at Bluedaze), I doubt that will have much of an affect. I hear that Hillary Clinton’s campaign has saturated the media market with her message, and has been answered by a well-thought out but under-funded television spot by the Edwards campaign. Click below.



It’s a very uplifting TV spot. I only have one problem with it. They need to get rid of the voiceover guy who sounds like he’s speaking into a shoe box.

More to the point. I think John Edwards has tried to keep the dignity of the Democratic Primary races elevated above the mud. The back and forth squabbles between Hillary and Barack are, quite frankly, turning people off. Not a significant number of them, granted, but enough to make a difference in the outcome today, I think.



So yes, look for 3rd place today. But not a distant 3rd.

The Texas US Senatorial Campaign: Who's Running This Show?

Rick Casey writes some interesting stuff today about the Democratic senatorial race. Interesting if you want to see how the mainstream media are being pimped by a high school teacher who has a total campaign treasury of $9700.

To give them the credit they are due, the mainstream media are using the teacher from Corpus Christi, what’s-his-name McMurrey, every bit as much at the teacher is using them.

What the heck? What is so interesting about a Democratic senatorial race with a clear front-runner, a guy with the tools and talent to take it to the Republicans in November? How do you make that interesting for your readers?

Well, first, you jump to the defense to an unknown, underfunded challenger, that’s how

And then next, call Noriega a tyro. Call a state representative with 5 terms under his belt a political novice. Saaay, that’s the ticket. Say this:

"Is Houston state Rep. Rick Noriega ready for prime time? It's a long time until November, but some early missteps in the warm-up primary campaign suggest that Noriega needs to hone his skills before stepping on to the big stage.”

What? Noriega should “hone his skills” by swatting at gnats?

Since when do the media get to set the stage for a campaign? Since when do the mainstream media get on their white steeds and run a charge for a little-known, under funded, and under qualified private school teacher?

Face it, this McMurrey guy is simply running a spoiler campaign. He has absolutely no hope of being able to put together a credible campaign against John “I’ve Got $7.5 Million” Cornyn. You cannot, canNOT, run a senatorial campaign in Texas, a state with 5 separate major media markets, with $9700 and a campaign slogan that “I am not a politician”.

People who are not politicians should not run for political office.

All of these demands for Noriega to give respect to McMurrey fall on deaf ears here. Mainly because if you really look at it very, very hard, McMurrey is not the main threat to Noriega at the polls. His main opponent, sorry to say, is Gene Kelly. Hard to fathom, but true. Ignorance at the polls causes people in their advanced years to gravitate to a familiar name. Casey says it himself:

“He [Gene Kelly] won the Democratic nomination for the Texas Supreme Court in 1996 and for the U.S. Senate in 2000, and two years ago he forced Houston lawyer Barbara Radnofsky into a runoff for the Democratic nomination to challenge Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Kelly, 81, lives in Universal City, a suburb of San Antonio. Radnofsky thinks many voters confused that with Universal Studios”.

Actually, to give these Kelly voters credit that neither Casey nor Radnofsky seem to want to give them, there actually is a Universal City in California. And within it you will find Universal Studios, Universal Amphitheater, and the world famous Universal Studios Tour.

Gene Kelly just lives at the OTHER Universal City.

What also amazes me it that voters are completely ignorant of the fact that Gene Kelley, the singer/dancer/actor, not the retired Navy guy, was under contract at MGM, not Universal.

Hmmpf.

So should Rick Noriega debate this guy from Corpus Christi, the guy whose only campaign issue seems to be that he doesn’t get any respect?

No way.

Why not? Should he debate the man, Rick would immediately negate the guy’s plaintive whine to the news media, that he doesn’t get any consideration from the Noriega campaign.

And no one wants to completely rip the guy’s only issue to shreds.

Wouldn’t be fair, would it?