Texas Politics

Will She Run? Wendy Davis Answers

Leave a comment

Texans, if you’re not watching the new MSNBC program All In With Chris, then you missed some serious breaking news for the state of Texas last night. As I read this morning’s blogosphere, there’s a lot of prognostication about State Senator Davis’ next role in Texas politics. Will she run for Governor, or won’t she??

In an exclusive interview with Chris Hayes last night, she answered the question point blank….

Hayes: There is a Gubernatorial election in 2014. Your state has not elected a statewide Democrat for quite some time. Are you going to run for Governor?

Davis: You know, I would be lying if told you that I hadn’t had aspirations to run for a statewide office. I love this state and it’s been an incredible opportunity to represent it in the Texas Senate. I think the real story will be… will the sentiment of people hold? Will they demonstrate their desire for new leadership in this state? If yesterday was any indication, I think chances are good that is going to be the case.

Here’s the clip.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

An interesting answer which sounds quite familiar. In fact, I discussed this same issue with HCDP Chairman Lane Lewis a few months back. After suffering two decades of defeat for statewide office, Texas Democrats have been caught in a particular political conundrum. Here was Lane’s answer when I asked him about the possibility for statewide candidates…

If we expect a Senator, Mayor or State Rep to put their name out to run for state-wide office, the first thing they will look at is their ability to raise money. The second thing they’re going to look at is capacity for voter turnout. Now the problem is this… the only way they can raise money is if the answer to the second question is already there. The big money isn’t going to contribute without knowing voter turnout and engagement (the answer to the FIRST question) is already in place. So when people ask me “who have we got running for Governor?” my question to them is “How many calls have you made today? How many doors have you knocked on today?” Because if the answer to my question is ZERO, then the answer to their question will most certainly be ZERO. The money will come… the candidates will come when we’re doing our job. That job is to raise a dollar, knock a door and make a call.

Luckily, we know that things are beginning to change in the state. Shifting state demographics are in our favor, even if aggressive gerrymandering and voter suppression are not. Battleground Texas has already made a visible difference with rapid fundraising, organization and training to increase voter turnout. County Democrats across the state are working hard to line up new initiatives and stay active before the 2014 campaign season even begins. And let’s just admit the facts… with Governor Perry waiting less than twenty-four hours to call another Special Session (this time with his Anti-Choice agenda a top priority), the GOP is giving Democrats plenty of fuel for the fire.

Senator Davis has issued Texans a clarion call. Are we ready for new leadership in the state? If so, it’s time to get our act together and work for it. We have to keep raising money, keep knocking doors, and keep speaking out against Rick Perry’s abuses. Don’t let any bad deed be forgotten, or get swept under the rug. There’s 495 days left until the 2014 election. I say we go ALL IN.

Texas Politics

SB5 Falls: Wendy Davis, Texas Women Still Standing

Leave a comment

American politics is a living, breathing thing. And it is constantly changing. Those changes occur in very small increments… A new people moving to an area, people talking at work, or learning about new neighbors. It’s difficult to actually see that change happening until we take a “snapshot” of it through an election.

But this week in the great state of Texas, we’ve gotten to witness a true political turning point. Like any real movement, it wasn’t cooked up by a couple of money big-wigs, but borne from the concerns of everyday Texans. Texans that were tired of living under the oppression of Perrystan and his minions in the lege. Texans have had enough.

On Thursday night, hundreds of Texans went to the Capitol and staged a Citizen’s Filibuster to slow down the GOP- Dominated House hearing on omnibus anti-abortion bills. After pushing the hearing long into the night, true Republican intransigence prevailed, as Committee Chairman Byron Cook decided that the testimony of his constituents was “too repetitive” and simply shut down the hearing, illegally blocking hundreds of protesters.

That fact was not lost on Texas state House Democrats however. As the Anti-Abortion bills moved to the House floor, Democrats lodged a true fight of their own, challenging Republicans at every turn with amendments to weaken the legislation (and get it caught in Conference. Reps Jessica Farrar, Senfronia Thompson, Dawnna Dukes and others fought valiantly to stall the legislation by keeping the House in session for nearly 15 hours. But true Republican intransigence prevailed, and the bills were finally passed Monday morning and moved to the Senate.

And that’s where this story took an epic turn.

State Senator Wendy Davis, a Ft. Worth Democrat who successfully defended her seat in a majority Republican district, had already proven herself a fighter, and a good politician. But she decided to take up the fight, and defend the rights of all Texas Women by staging a filibuster of the anti-abortion bill… SB5.

And with millions of Texas Women on her shoulders, Wendy Davis took to the Senate floor (in pink tennis shoes), and began one of the most significant 13-hour stands in Texas History. As the last line of defense, she held the floor, reading the testimonies of hundreds of women, including some of those that were originally shut out from that first House hearing. She stood and endured the grueling rules of Texas filibuster, which doesn’t all you to sit or even lean on your desk, and talked all the while. But of course, Republican intransigence once again prevailed, and just after 10pm, they effectively “killed” the filibuster. But with less than two hours to go, Senate Democrats rallied to slow revocation through a slew of Parliamentary Inquiry and Points of Order. As midnight approached, the crowd in the Senate Gallery began to roar with all their might, running down the clock before a vote could be cast. Republicans tried to lie and say that the vote occurred in time, but it was kind of hard to do with the whole world watching. Thanks to the bravery of Davis, Senate Democrats and others in the Chamber, Lt. Governor Dewhurst confirmed this morning… SB5 died.

Thanks to the incessant short-sighted nature of the Texas GOP, that sleeping giant that Democrats have so long predicted in Texas is now awake. Who knows what the next election will hold, but today we celebrate a new political landscape in Texas. Hopefully, as Senator Davis takes a look at that landscape, she’ll want to be sure her next career moves play a prominent role.

Uncategorized

Harmonious Hundred: The Houston Symphony’s Centennial

Leave a comment

When people think “Texas tradition”, the phrase often conjures up some sort of cattle drive, country line dance, or classic big-haired beauty queen. But contrary to popular, Bach, Brahms and Beethoven are long-held Texas traditions as well. With its first concert on June 21st 1913, today marks the 100th year anniversary of the Houston Symphony. It was originally founded by noted Texas philanthropist Ima Hogg, and started out as a part-time regional orchestra. Through the ups and downs of world wars, a turbulent Houston Recession in the 1980s, and a massive flood loss from tropical storm Allison, the Houston Symphony has been a solid classical music venue for Southeast Texas. Today, thanks to its continually inventive programming, the Houston Symphony has grown into one of the premiere classical organizations in the world.

To usher in it’s Second Century, the Houston Symphony has hired Classical music superstar Andres Orozco- Estrada to be the new Music Director. It promises to be an exciting season, with lots more to come. This is one Texas tradition that is sure to stick around, even without the cattle prods.

Congratulations Houston Symphony. Can’t wait to hear the next act.

Texas Politics

Texas Lege DECIMATING Women’s Health Services

Leave a comment

Republicans have learned quickly in Texas just how “Special” a Special Session can be.

Late last night in the Senate, the GOP took advantage of unique rules in the Special Session, and were able to pass SB5 against Democratic objections. Senate Bill 5 is textbook amongst TRAP laws, or Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers. Like the ones already passed in other states, it would place unnecessary restrictions on abortion providers, such as each doctor on staff having admitting privileges to a hospital within 30 miles of their practice, or the need to upgrade their facilities to match that of an Emergency Room. Given that Texas is a VERY sparse state in rural areas, and what few hospitals there are have religious objections to abortion, this is basically an eviction notice for women’s health services. These restrictions will effectively end abortion services for Texas women in all but a few select urban areas. Only 5 clinics in the whole state at present meet the rigorous qualifications set forth in SB5, which would cause the shut-down of 42 clinics.

During the Senate hearings, Republicans said that they were passing the legislation out of “concern for women’s health care”, but that reasoning was a total lie, as revealed by Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst. After the Senators spent hours trying to say otherwise, he proudly boasted such news on Twitter by tweeting out the map showing how many clinics would be forced to shut down…

Given that the Texas House is dominated by Republicans, the measure will likely become law tonight. At the same time, Texas women from across the state are headed to Austin for rally in protest.

This is truly a new low for the Texas Congressional GOP.

—-UPDATE—-

9:10am June 21st— Though the Senate has done it’s dirty work by passing SB 5, House Bill 60 (HB 60) is still in committee. And thanks to the bravery and true dedication of 700 Texans last night and into this morning, HB 60 did NOT get a vote. They descended upon Austin and staged an astonishing Citizen’s Filibuster as everyone present signed up to speak about the bill. It was a total takeover of what the GOP House members expected to a “rubber stamp” hearing.

Here’s part of the first-hand account from Andrea Grimes at rhrealitycheck.org

We’re here as part of a citizens’ filibuster against a bill added to the Texas house’s special session calendar at the last minute by Republican Gov. Rick Perry. They spent the day anxiously waiting for their names to be called by House State Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Byron Cook (R-Corsicana). They’ve been poring over testimony, timing themselves on smartphones, practicing their statements in the hallway with quavering voices.

Seven hundred people registered to testify today. Tonight. Into the wee hours. They were prepared to wait as long as it took.

At midnight, Rep. Cook told us that, after nearly seven hours of testimony against HB 60, our words were getting to be “repetitive,” and he would allow just one more hour of testimony.

That’s when the yelling started.

“Let her speak!” chanted women and men who gathered in the room as one woman was escorted away from the podium by a Texas State Trooper.

Shortly thereafter, citizens took over the hearing room and decided to testify with or without the committee members present.

That’s when #HB60 began trending worldwide on Twitter. That’s when people stopped tweeting about getting coffee delivered to the James H. Reagan building here in downtown Austin, and started tweeting about bail money.

Eventually, Rep. Cook and his colleagues called the hearing back to order and gave the gathered citizens another half-hour to speak against HB 60.

“Our words are not repetitive,” testified Lesli Simms, a first-generation American. “Our government’s attacks on our choice, on our bodies, is repetitive.”

There are hundreds of people still waiting to have their voices heard. But it may be their silence, engineered and ensured by Rep. Cook and right-wing lawmakers, that will speak loudest of all.

These courageous Texans fought for all of us last night. And for that, I thank them.

Texas Politics

Why We Celebrate Juneteenth

Leave a comment

As people living in the age of instant information, it’s sometimes difficult to imagine the significance of Juneteenth today. Any news out of Washington DC is known across the country instantaneously. But for Americans in the 19th Century, news only traveled as fast as human hands could carry it, especially to areas of the country that were far removed from the East Coast. The Emancipation Proclamation went into effect at the height of the Civil War… January 1st, 1863. But that news took some two and a half years to reach the entire country.  From the Texas State Historical Association, here’s a brief history of Juneteenth…

 On June 19 (“Juneteenth”), 1865, Union general Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston and issued General Order Number 3, which read in part, “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them becomes that between employer and hired labor.” The tidings of freedom reached the approximately 250,000 slaves in Texas gradually as individual plantation owners informed their bondsmen over the months following the end of the war. The news elicited an array of personal celebrations, some of which have been described in The Slave Narratives of Texas (1974). The first broader celebrations of Juneteenth were used as political rallies and to teach freed African American about their voting rights. Within a short time, however, Juneteenth was marked by festivities throughout the state, some of which were organized by official Juneteenth committees.
Today, Juneteenth is much more than political rallies. Communities across the country commemorate the day through concerts, parades, readings of the Emancipation Proclamation and lectures. And in Galveston, Juneteenth has grown into a week-long festival, with events at the original site of Ashton Villa. This year marks the 148th anniversary of the event.
As Americans in the 21st century continue struggle to find their way towards greater equality and freedom, the event of Juneteenth serves as a shining beacon from our nation’s past.  In a world of great suffering and sacrifice, the Emancipation Proclamation was a huge advance in progress.  And indeed, it was a reason to celebrate that which all Americans hold most dear today… Freedom.
Happy Juneteenth to all.
Uncategorized

The Texas Lege Dredge 2013

Leave a comment

Now that the Special Session is approaching a feverish end, it’s time to share some thoughts about the 2013 Texas Legislature. I haven’t written much about the Lege on this blog, choosing instead to continue focus on local politics and select national issues for two reasons. The first being excellent coverage from fellow bloggers Texpatriate and Off the Kuff… They have monitored the many twists and turns with careful accuracy, and I highly suggest consulting their work. Secondly, as a frustrated Liberal, I just didn’t have high hopes for this legislative session. I expected some Republican legislators to waste the critical time and money of Texas taxpayers on things like Anti- women’s rights bills, which they did, and for them to continue to cripple our state’s vital educational resources, which they did.

Now don’t get me wrong… I’m very proud of the hard work of Texas Democrats like Senators Wendy Davis and Sylvia Garcia. They fought tooth-and nail to restore most of the massive cuts made to Texas schools in 2011. But across the state schools remain severely under-funded, especially when you consider that the state has roughly 140,000 MORE children than it did two years ago. That means Texas educators are still faced with an array of impossible choices. You’d think for all the boasting Republicans do nation-wide about the so-called “Texas Miracle” they’d want to invest in our children’s future. And you’d be wrong.

The other event I expected from this years session? For Governor Perry to kill what little bi-partisan cooperation occurred in a massive slew of vetoes. And that’s exactly what he did. Particularly hurtful to Senate Democrats was the Governor’s veto of the Fair Pay Act… a bill meant to tweak Texas laws to be more in tune with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. The Houston Chronicle reported the following reactions to Perry’s veto…

Davis, along with Sen. Kirk Watson, blasted Perry on Friday in a news conference, likening the veto and his addition of abortion issues to the special session call as a “concerted effort to attack and erode women’s rights and quality of rights.”

“Once again the governor has made women’s health and women’s rights a target in an effort to bolster his own political standing,” Davis said.

Watson added: “These are political decisions that are part of a political war. Women are, at best, the collateral damage in that war.”

No wonder the state’s nickname is Perry-stan.

And of course, no summation of Texas political events would be complete without mention of the deplorable Texas Redistricting drama. After November 2011, when federal judges concluded that the GOP-dominated legislature’s new redistricting maps discriminated against African American and Hispanic voters, three separate interim maps were drawn by a San Antonio federal court in 2012. Though a mild improvement over the lege, the federal maps are still drawn by people that have no input or understanding of the majority of Texas communities they’ve been asked to affect. It’s like you living in the same place for decades, and knowing how to get to the bank, but one day you decide to map it in Apple maps just to laugh at how illogical the computer’s map is. If the GOP can’t have their fantasy map, they’d much rather stick to the highly unfair status quo. So it appears that the kink-ridden, “Apple maps.0” version of Texas Redistricting will be made permanent.

As Rice University political scholar Mark P. Jones reminds us, it could’ve been worse. The Legislature was no where near as tragic as they were in 2011’s Tea-Party tantrum. And sure some of the state’s Democrats actually managed to get a few things done. But comparing the 2011 and 2013 sessions is like comparing Hurricane devastation to Tornado devastation… if it’s your particular house lying in a pile of rubble, you’re still the one that’s out of luck. Texas Democrats can breathe a sigh of relief that it wasn’t as bad, but if they ever want to put a true end to Perry-stan, it’s time to plan for 2014 and 2015 right now. Or else, the state is at risk to have another 2011… perhaps worse.

Music Musings

Music Musings: Sebastien De La Cruz’s National Anthem

Leave a comment

As a singer, I can confess that it’s an honor to sing the National Anthem at any public event. But imagine having to get up and sing on camera, at the NBA Finals in front of Tens of Millions of viewers? The pressure of that situation is enough most adult professional singers, much less anyone born in the 21st century. But 11 year-old Sebastien De La Cruz not only sang the song, he did it about as well as anyone has ever heard… twice in one week. No wonder he’s been given the name El Charro de Oro.

Despite some idiotic racist tweets after his first, little Sebastien was asked back by the Spurs to again take the international spotlight, and once again he gave the crowd a slam dunk.

For those that see fit to pick on an 11-yr old is disgraceful. But here’s the missing part of the story… the hatred is simply a cover-up for fear. Kids like Sebastien are the new face of America, as we become a more diverse, less Anglo nation. Hopefully the hate will die away, and more people can learn to accept, even embrace the changing US population. Either way, it’s going to happen. As for Sebastien’s response to all the hateful tweets??

Another slam dunk. I’ll be looking for more from this talented young Texan!!

A Voice for the Rest of Texas