Last week, I was honored to re-join the folks over at Houston Matters for a particularly deep discussion. We delved into the current developments over Houston’s Non-Discrimination ordinance, the pressures of high-stakes testing for Texas teachers, and transparency accolades for the Texas Comptroller’s office. The segment was hosted by Craig Cohen, and featured myself along with Lisa Falkenberg of the Houston Chronicle and Russ Capper of the Business Makers radio show.
The show, which is celebrating its 1st anniversary this month, has quickly become a valued news resource for the Bayou City, Greater Houston region, and indeed the state. The young show has made its fair share of news as well, having conducted critical interviews with Houston Mayor Annise Parker, and other influential Texans. I highly encourage you to check it out, and add this program to your daily news fix. Houston Public Media just concluded it’s Spring fundraising campaign last week as well, but it’s certainly not too late to join the cause and support great shows like Houston Matters.
On Houston’s impending Non- Discrimination ordinance, new developments abound…
First,Off the Kuff reminds everyone that it’s not out of the ordinary for Council Members to take a cautious approach…
There’s been a lot of speculation about who may or may not support the ordinance that Mayor Parker has promised to bring before council. As yet, there is not a draft version of the ordinance, and that seems to be the key to understanding this. As CMs Bradford and Boykins mention to Lone Star Q, without at least a draft you don’t know what the specifics are. Maybe it’ll be weaker than you want it to be. Maybe it’ll be poorly worded and you will be concerned about potential litigation as a result. It’s not inconsistent for a Council member to say they support the principle and the idea of the ordinance, but they want to see what it actually says before they can confirm they’ll vote for it.
A key point to consider, particularly when trying to gauge the votes of members like Kubosh who have given little indication for why they might be supportive. Which is why it’s more important than ever to continue to focus on Mayor Annise Parker, and any clues of what to expect. In her State of the City address, she laid out that the planned ordinance will offer protections to all public employees, housing and businesses with public accommodations. Extending non-discrimination protections to private employment has never been mentioned by the Mayor herself. Given that the only way an ordinance can be proposed is from the Mayor’s office, this point is crucial. No matter what the community wants… no matter how many Council Members they call asking if they’d support extensions to private employment, Council won’t have the option to vote for a strengthened ordinance if the Mayor doesn’t propose it in the first place.
Texas Leftist was able to ask this question of Mayor Parker in a recent interview with News 92 FM. Conducted by JP Pritchard and Lana Hughes, here’s how the exchange transpired…
JP Pritchard: From Texas Leftist, In light of recent developments, are you willing to strengthen the planned Non- Discrimination Ordinance to include private employment?
Mayor Parker: I am willing to cover private employment, but this is not about my personal preferences. This is about getting an ordinance that will pass Council and that is defensible with the public, and a repeal effort after that. I’m not going to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. I am interested in having an effective Non- Discrimination ordinance, and if it doesn’t go as far as it could the first time around, there is always an opportunity later to fix it.
As you can see, it is again a very political answer. Parker says she’s willing, but at the same time it appears she has already decided what will be proposed. This makes me wonder if all of the work trying to sway Council is even worth it if the Mayor isn’t movable on the central issue. Is it Council that is unwilling to support a strengthened ordinance, or is it the Mayor?
The only other possibility here? If Parker brings hers as planned, and one of the Council Members submits an amendment to extend protections to private employment. The likelihood of this happening is very slim. There are certainly those at the Council table looking to score some political points against Parker, but I highly doubt this is the issue they would choose. One thing is clear… if Houston wants the best possible Non- Discrimination Ordinance, the buck stops with Parker.
The social policies of Charles Murray, whom the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified as a white nationalist, serve as inspiration for Greg Abbott’s education reform proposal. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs is shocked and awed that Abbott is making so many critical mistakes in his gubernatorial campaign.
Texas Democrats haven’t claimed a statewide elected office in 20 yrs, but after a rousing bus tour, Texas Leftist is convinced now more than ever that pharmacist, State Senator extraordinaire and Lt. Governor candidate Leticia Van de Putte has the prescription to change that.
It appears that traffic frustration isn’t the only thing that President Obama stirred up during his recent visit to Houston.
After a somber appearance at Ft. Hood, the President and First Lady of the United States came to the Bayou City for some fundraisers in River Oaks and the Museum District. Here’s coverage from Reuters via Huffington Post…
HOUSTON, April 9 (Reuters) – President Barack Obama sharply criticized what he called the least productive U.S. Congress in modern history on Wednesday in a fund-raising speech that he used to try to energize Democrats to vote in November congressional elections.
Obama blasted Republicans in the U.S. Senate for blocking a Democratic-supported bill earlier in the day aimed at addressing a gap in pay between male and female workers. Republicans argued that pay discrimination is already illegal.
Obama also cited Republicans’ refusal to agree to an immigration overhaul and an increase in the minimum wage as examples of what he called obstruction by his political opponents.
“This has become the least productive Congress in modern history, recent memory. And that’s by objective measures – just basic activity,” Obama said.
[…]
Obama said Republican “obstruction” this year may be a good political strategy if Democrats do not vote in the mid-terms. Democrats are active in presidential campaign years, he said, but “we have this congenital disease, which is in mid-term elections, we don’t vote at the same rates.”
“We need you to take these mid-terms as seriously as any presidential election that you’ve ever been involved in,” said Obama.
Though the 113th Congressional session isn’t yet over, President Obama is likely to be correct. This Congress is well on its way to being the least productive in history, and at this point in the year, it’s next to impossible to change that. Just 98 bills have left the House chamber since January of 2013.
Yet unlike the average American worker, Congress gets to do no work, keep its job and still get paid. Don’t forget that every legislator that represents us in Washington is getting paid a minimum of $174,000 per year to NOT legislate. Adding insult to injury, one of the few bills that could be passed this year is whether or not Congress deserves a raise. I am believer in the role of government, but this is just ridiculous. If we’re looking to cut a welfare program, Congressional pay is a GREAT place to start.
Blasting frustrations aside, there are very clear reasons for the degeneration of America’s legislative branch. The first one is of course money. Congressional campaigns have become so expensive that the average federal law-maker spends more time fund-raising than they do on anything else. It’s quite sickening that they are being paid to call donors just so they can keep their job.
And of course the little time that they are in session is spent in total disagreement. Thanks to the GOP’s calculated gerrymandering plan, this is the most divisive Congress in recent American history. Congressional questionnaires that have measured basic ideology over the years prove this fact. And because so few in Congress have to compete for voters in the middle of the political spectrum, the two parties continue to drive further and further away from each other.
Let’s hope that voters start taking notice of the waste happening on Capitol Hill this year. It’s really becoming too much to bear.
In contemporary times, it’s difficult to win any election without endorsements. Short of spending a fortune on TV ads, they are often the best way to get a candidate’s name out to the voters. But as any candidate is well aware, endorsements typically have to be earned through a record of service and a rigorous screening process.
For Houston and Harris County, one of the most important endorsements that a political candidate can earn is that of the Houston GLBT Political Caucus. The Caucus endorsement means additional votes, and has been the difference between victory and defeat in several local races. So it’s no surprise that most of the municipal candidates for office, both Democrat and Republican, seek this most esteemed prize.
Yesterday, the GLBT Caucus redefined the brewing debate over Houston’s coming Human Rights Ordinance. Though Mayor Parker made a firm pledge to pass a Human Rights Ordinance in her recent State of the City speech, the planned legislation, to the disappointment of many in progressive community, does not extend to private employment because it wouldn’t have the votes to pass Council. But judging from the GLBT Caucus’ 2013 candidate questionnaire, those votes should already be locked down. Eleven Council Members promised to support a comprehensive Non-Discrimination Ordinance during the Caucus screening process, and now that organization is calling them out on that promise.
Posted on the group’s Facebook page, the Caucus confirms that Council Members Jerry Davis, Ellen Cohen, Dwight Boykins, Ed Gonzalez, Robert Gallegos, Mike Laster, Larry Green, Steven Costello, David W. Robinson, C. O. Bradford and Jack Christie all pledged public support for a comprehensive Non-Discrimination Ordinance.
Eleven votes (presumably twelve including the Mayor) out of a Sixteen-member Council is certainly enough to pass the ordinance, with more potential votes lining up. Noah M. Horwitz of Texpatriate did some legwork on this, and even spoke to CM Bradford directly for a most interesting response. I called Council Member Michael Kubosh’s office, and here is what a staff member had to say…
“Council Member Kubosh is against discrimination in all forms, and is looking forward to seeing the proposed ordinance.”
Even with this cautious response from a staff member, sources close to Texas Leftist say that Council Member Kubosh would be likely to support a Non-Discrimination Ordinance that extends to private employment. Said source worked with Kubosh on this issue prior to his election to City Council, and has spoken with him recently as well.
Of course there is no record of Kubosh’s stance, as he did not seek the GLBT Caucus endorsement. But for the Council Members that did, they deserve to be held to their word. Some questions still remain here… What about the other side? Who in the Business community is pressuring Council to not pass the ordinance? Why do they want to support discrimination, and more importantly, why is their voice on the issue loud enough to counter the voices of citizens?
Those answers need to be discovered. Lone Star Q has much more on the topic.
As the 2014 campaign season begins to pick up steam, it’s becoming clear which candidates hold the momentum. Some are fully engaged in general election fights, like Democrat Wendy Davis and Republican Greg Abbott in the Governors’ race, while others like Dan Patrick and David Dewhurst are forced to vie for the GOP nomination in the upcoming Primary run-offs. The Patrick- Dewhurst brawl has already gotten particularly ugly.
However, one candidate for Lieutenant Governor sees the GOP run-off as a golden opportunity… State Senator Leticia Van de Putte. Though she’s been a known fixture in Austin since the Ann Richards administration, Senator Van de Putte came to international prominence last June alongside Wendy Davis, causing a roar in the Senate chamber when she was disrespected by her male colleagues.
But make no mistake… Senator Van de Putte is not taking her cues from Davis. She is running her own campaign, and talking about the issues that matter to Texans as she sees them. The increased action on the GOP side is certainly an advantage, but in some ways, so is the fact that the Davis- Abbott battle is stealing the spotlight. As a result of these factors, Van de Putte is quietly building a movement for her campaign, and may have a better shot at victory than her more famous Gubernatorial counterpart. The Senator has tackled the tough issues, and is a strong supporter of common-sense reforms, public investment, and providing healthcare for all Texans.
And this week, Leticia Van de Putte embarked on a bus tour across the state of Texas, giving voters a dose of old-fashioned shoe leather politics. Here’s more about the tour from Van de Putte’s op-ed in the Burnt Orange Report…
Campaigning statewide requires listening to the people in all of these areas, learning what they expect of government, and then unifying them all under the Lone Star flag so that we may move forward together as a single state.
And when I say unify, I don’t just mean Democrats or those who usually agree with me. I mean all the people of Texas. During my 30 years as a pharmacist and legislator, I’ve learned that to really serve people, first you listen – then you talk. That’s why I’ve been able to work with Republicans, Independents and Democrats to solve problems. I’ve worked with Fortune 500 executives, community activists, doctors and nurses, firefighters and financial executives, all sharing the same goal – keeping Texas the best place to live in the country. And I am proud to say I’ve developed friendships and working relationships with all of them.
Those relationships will be key to sway voters if the Senator is to make history in the Lone Star State. April is a critical time for the Van de Putte campaign… a time to get the word out, meet voters and make sure that Texans know there is a credible alternative GOP antics. Given that she’s kicking off the month with a statewide, press-generating bus tour, one has to think she off to a great start. As a business owner, pharmacist, mother of 6, and experienced legislator, Van de Putte brings a wealth of unique experience that her opponent, whomever it is, simply cannot match. It just may be the prescription for victory in November.
If you’d like to learn more about Leticia Van de Putte, check out her Texas Tribune interview with Evan Smith below…
Some very revealing plans for Pre-K came out of the Abbott campaign. Here’s the low-down from the Texas Tribune, including Wendy Davis’ response…
Announcing the first of his education policy proposals Monday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott called for reforming pre-kindergarten programs before expanding access, saying that additional funding should be tied to academic outcomes.
Abbott’s plan, which was unveiled in Weslaco, proposes providing an additional $1,500 per student on top of the funding the state already provides for half-day pre-K programs if the program meets performance requirements set by the state.
“Expanding the population of students served by existing state-funded programs without addressing the quality of existing prekindergarten instruction or how it is being delivered would be an act of negligence and waste,” Abbott’s policy proposal reads.
Abbott’s proposal comes with a $118 million price tag in the 2016-17 biennium and includes a focus on annual reviews for children beginning school in 2016…
On Monday, Davis was quick to respond to Abbott’s call for reforming pre-K instead of expanding access.
“The fact that Greg Abbott thinks it’s a ‘waste’ to ensure all Texas children have access to pre-K explains why he’s still fighting to defend nearly $200 million in cuts to pre-K in the courtroom,” Davis said in a statement. “Abbott’s plan of pre-K for the chosen few but not for all hardworking Texas children would set our state backwards at a time we need to prepare for a 21st-century economy.”
Earlier in the day, Davis also attacked Abbott before he released his proposal, calling his policies hypocritical given his defense of the state in court as part of the school finance lawsuit.
Abbott’s Pre-K “plan” is tailor-made for his mostly Conservative, non-minority audience. He proposes that instead of trying to take care of all Texas children, we should instead shift more resources to programs that are already doing well, and let the struggling children fall further behind.
But unlike years past for Democrats, Wendy Davis is able to offer a competing vision that will get noticed by voters. After massive cuts to public education in 2011, Davis lambastes Abbott for daring to cut some programs even further. She also mentions a landmark lawsuit where Texas schools are suing the state due to severe under-funding from the Legislature’s 2011 education budget slash-fest. One has to agree with Davis in this case…. having our precious Pre-schoolers compete in a Hunger Games battle for their education is not the way to make Texas a better state.
The sheer immediacy of the response to Abbott is impressive, and presents further evidence of a bold shift for the Davis campaign, and even for the Texas Democratic Party. Here’s hoping they can keep the heat on Abbott through November. It’s quite astounding that the Abbott campaign would be bold enough to even mention education platform this early before November. Are they giving Democrats free ammunition here? No matter one’s political stripes, everyone in the state of Texas lived through those ridiculous cuts in 2011, and they know that schools haven’t nearly recovered. As the Attorney General has proven today, a Davis administration would be much better for our kids.
