Tag Archives: #GiveToWendy

Screw the DMN: Vote For Wendy!

For years now, the Dallas Morning News has been a trusted source for news coverage analysis across the state of Texas. The work of their staff reporters is often praised for sound knowledge and journalistic integrity.

The editorial board on the other hand? Well, let’s just say they seem to be suffering from a momentary lapse in judgement. Much to this reader’s surprise, the Dallas Morning News has endorsed Greg Abbott for Governor of Texas.

Or wait a minute, let me be perfectly clear… The Dallas Morning News has endorsed their hope of a “new” Greg Abbott, because the guy they talk about in this piece doesn’t actually exist. And instead of actually comparing the real records of either candidate, they appear to have sided with Abbott because they are afraid of what a Davis win would do to the state’s political climate…

Texas Republicans’ hard-right swing in recent years is troubling. Too many Texans feel alienated by a ruling party that seems indifferent, for example, to the plight of the working poor, the uninsured or youths caught through no fault of their own in immigration limbo.

As governor, Abbott must be a moderating influence and guide a realignment of his party. He has outlined plans that could advance that effort. Where Davis would be likely to encounter ideological battles at every turn, Abbott has the best chance to inspire legislative progress.

Davis has fought valiantly. But for all her progressive promise, and alignment with this newspaper on many issues, Texas cannot afford to provoke the kind of partisan stalemate her victory would probably bring, much like the gridlock that has paralyzed Washington. As much as Texas needs to counterbalance its GOP hard-liners, we fear Davis would only invigorate them.

Interesting argument against Davis there, but they’ve forgotten to mention one thing.  Greg Abbott is FAR from the center of his party on any ideological scale.  While he may have a warm demeanor, envious hairline and camera-friendly smile, he hasn’t shown any indication that he would do the things DMN hopes for.  Given that this endorsement shows that the editorial board is in serious need of some education, who better to accomplish that than Texpatriate blogger and actual University of Texas student Noah M. Horwitz.  Here is an excerpt from his opinion article in The Daily Texan

Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Republican candidate for governor, has demonstrated time and again that he is not ready for primetime. He has failed at his current job, prioritizing political grandstanding over the real work necessary to be an effective steward of the state. He maintains illogical and extreme political positions on a plethora of issues, namely those of special importance to students. Most importantly, despite feel-good ads and insincere debate performances, Abbott truly shows no signs of moving back toward the middle if elected. Make no mistake: An Abbott administration would be a dream come true for right-wingers. For all these reasons, I simply cannot recommend a vote for the Republican in good faith.

For the past 12 years, Abbott has served as attorney general of Texas. Historically a low-key post, it has been best known in recent years as serving as the main vehicle for going after deadbeat parents delinquent on their child support, as well as representing the state in lawsuits. These suits historically have been unifying exercises where the attorney general seeks justice on behalf of Texans. A major example was when a former officeholder, Dan Morales, secured more than $17 billion in a settlement against big tobacco companies. But ever since the creation of the tea party five years ago, Abbott has appeared content with using the office as his personal soapbox. Filing frivolous lawsuit after frivolous lawsuit, Abbott brags about his wasteful litigiousness in office, saying his typical day consists of waking up, suing the president and going home.

Unfortunately, Abbott shows no signs of reforming this lacking governing strategy if elected. Stump speeches, TV ads and debate performances show Abbott’s almost pathological obsession with harping on the perceived failures of President Barack Obama rather than focusing on why people should elect Abbott and not his opponent.

On the issues, Abbott does no better. He opposes a woman’s constitutional right to terminate her pregnancy,even in cases of rape and incest. He continues to harmfully defend the state’s ban on same-sex marriage and civil unions, even after it has been ruled unconstitutional. Recently, he even made the absurd claim that banning same-sex marriage could reduce the number of children born out of wedlock. Such outdated political positions fly in the face of shifting public opinion and should not be supported.

(Check out the full article here, and be sure to also visit Horwitz’s work at Texpatriate)

 

Nor can the DMN editorial board be bothered, apparently, to read their own paper. Had they scrolled back through a few recent articles from their staff, they could a learn lot about Greg Abbott’s actual record of governance. Maybe they would have caught the piece where James Drew exposed Abbott’s merciless crusade in search of non-existent voter fraud, which resulted in an armed police raid of innocent Houstonians… guns, bullet-proof vests, unlawful destruction of property and all… only to drop the charges after decimating the organization’s ability to operate.  Using the police to bully and scare innocent citizens?? I guess that’s inspiring legislative progress, if you’re a mob boss.

And then there are all of the positions where we simply don’t know how far Greg “Boss” Abbott is willing to go.  When he says he is Pro-Life, does that mean that he would try to ban all forms of contraception?  Given his incredibly vague statements on the matter, that is a very open question.   Do Texans really want to elect a Governor that wants to ban all forms of birth control, and severely limit women’s healthcare??

But thankfully in this election, there is a real choice.  Texans don’t need an insider mob boss leading our state… we need a fighter.  And that fighter is Wendy Davis.  Though she may be best known for her 2013 filibuster to protect women’s healthcare, she also filibustered the horrendous 2011 budget cuts to state educational institutions.  At that time, Wendy said real teachers would lose their jobs, real classrooms would be over-burdened and real students would lose valuable time, resources and programs… all of this was proven to be true.

Wendy is also fighting for Texas families across the state with no access to healthcare because state leaders, including Boss Abbott, have refused any form federal healthcare expansion funds. As a result, Texas is losing out on $136 billion dollars that would not only give millions of Texans access to vital healthcare options and help lower the current cost burdens on our hospitals, but fuel.  By sending our federal tax dollars to Washington and refusing to act, we’re funding better healthcare for other states.  Davis knows that  there is a bi-partisan coalition forming in the state that supports doing what is best for all Texans.    As Governor, this is something that she can achieve.

I’m sure that the Dallas Morning News editorial board means well with this endorsement.  But instead of looking at the Greg Abbott that they hope to create, they need to see Greg Abbott for who he really is.  And then they, like you, need to vote for Wendy Davis.  Make no mistake Texas… it’s all on the line for 2014.

Articles like this one today are an important reminder that sometimes just your vote is not enough.  On this Blog Action Day, Texas Leftist is proud to endorse Senator Wendy Davis for Governor of Texas.  If you needed any more convincing, just take another look at the information above.

Wendy really can win this election, but she needs your help to get it done.  Give to the campaign and help elect Wendy Davis as the next Governor of Texas.  Now is the time when your donation dollars and volunteer hours make the most difference for 2014.  Please share this post on social media and help spread the word with the hashtag #GiveToWendy.  To make a donation, click the image below.

Give To Wendy

Texas Democrats: Still Chicken vs. Egg

For all of the buzz that has surrounded Wendy Davis’ candidacy for Governor, eventually Texans are going to have start looking down at the rest of the 2014 ballot. For Democrats, this remains a particularly unsettling task. As Noah M. Horwitz of the Texpatriate blog justly points out, it’s some pretty ‘slim pickins’ thus far.

Todd J. Gillam of the Dallas Morning News voiced the situation appropriately. The root problem for Texas Democrats is that we’re caught in a “chicken vs. egg” scenario. Which comes first… the candidate or the funds to support the candidate? You can’t have one without the other. I’m sure if we had a few mega-rich folks walk up to Trey Martinez-Fischer or Ana Hernandez Luna and say “If you’ll run statewide, I’ll fund every penny”, they’d probably be in with little hesitation. But the problem for Dems right now is we keep asking these people to drink from a dry well. Less than one year ago, former State Rep Paul Sadler decided to walk the plank and run for US Senate, and he did so getting outspent by now Senator Ted Cruz 20 to 1. We see how great a decision THAT turned out to be for the rest of the country, and it all could’ve been prevented with a stronger Democratic apparatus in the state. Did we seriously think Sadler could run a statewide campaign in Texas on less than $1 million dollars?

Part of the reason that Texas is viewed as such a heavily Republican state has much less to do with the low-performing voters, and much more to do with the color of our money. No matter how we may split at the ballot box, our affluent population is deep red. This is the first great hurdle that Texas Democrats face… how to raise enough money to even get close to the Republican coffers. This is why I was pretty sure Wendy Davis would run for Governor after her big June Filibuster. She is the rare exception among Texas Dems that actually has some big-money friends, most notably Ft. Worth oil tycoon Sid Bass. Combine that with a slew of national recognition (and hopefully some national money), and you get a path to viability for Davis’ run. BTW Off the Kuff has done some great writing on this particular subject, so I suggest you check it out.

As mentioned above, the second great hurdle for Texas Democrats is some serious name ID… both inside and outside of the state. You need the outside name ID to generate press attention and money sources. You need the inside name ID so voters will have a clue who to vote for. These are burdens that the GOP side don’t have to bear, as they’ve already got a well-tested apparatus in place. At present, the people possessing this precious resource can all be counted on one hand… Davis, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, his twin brother Congressman Joaquin Castro and Houston Mayor Annise Parker (thanks to the whole ‘1st GLBT mayor of a major American city’ thing). They’re the only ones that CNN will bump a story for.

The final great hurdle? You have to have an army of volunteers in every corner of the state. It’s the only way to connect with the “Silent Majority” in the Texas electorate. Everyone knows that the potential voters are here, but they’re probably not registered, and they likely have no clue that there is an election happening in 13 months, and definitely don’t know why they should care about it now.

I know this all sounds like Politics 101, but to be frank, that’s where the Democratic Party in Texas is right now. While I agree with Horwitz’s sentiment and also hope for a “full-slate” of viable candidates to run in 2014, it’s important to take all of these factors into account before getting frustrated at the lack of movement. Democrats in Texas have to build from the ground up. Even if we were to “sweep” the statewide ballot, there still aren’t enough candidates running just in State House and Senate Districts to actually flip power of the state government, and the filing deadline is approaching fast.

But Wendy Davis’ campaign is a start… and a great one at that. Her election as Governor, even with Republican (possibly even TEApublican) majorities in both Houses of the Legislature could still be a big step towards expanding Medicaid, investing more in Texas schools, and protecting the rights of Texas women to make their own health decisions. So even if we’d have to put all the eggs in one 2014 basket, it’s a lot better than no basket at all.

Hope in Haltom City

Hope was born in Haltom City, Texas.

Last week, on the very same stage that she received her high school diploma, Texas State Senator Wendy Davis took a huge leap of faith, and entered the race for Texas Governor. She did this already knowing the basic facts of the race, and of the right-leaning Texas electorate. She did this knowing that a Democrat hasn’t won a statewide office in Texas for 20 years. She did this knowing that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, with $25 million cash-on-hand and the ability to raise upwards of $80 million, could out-spend her into the next millennium. Wendy Davis knows that in the Governor’s race, the odds are against her.

But Wendy Davis has beaten the odds her entire life. She was a poor, single mother at the age of 19, with no college education. Even then, Davis saw that her life could be more than her immediate surroundings. She put herself through community college, earned a scholarship to Texas Christian University, graduated with High honors, and went on graduate from Harvard Law School. All the while, raising a family. After becoming a successful lawyer, Davis felt the call to public service, and was elected to the Fort Worth City Council. When she finally decided to run for State Senator of District 10, Davis once again faced a tough road. As a Democrat in a solidly Republican district, she beat the male, Republican incumbent Kim Brimer in a nail-biter race. Also worth noting, her former City Council seat is currently held by the wildly popular LGBT politician Joel Burns.

So that’s how Davis became a State Senator in 2008. Most GOP operatives blamed her victory on the “Obama wave” (eventhough John McCain clearly won her district) and saw Davis as a novelty that would be easily beaten in 2012. They of course thought wrong. Senator Davis won reelection in 2012 from a tough campaign battle. Here’s an excerpt from the Texas Tribune’s 2012 election night article…

State Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, narrowly clung to her seat on Tuesday night, fending off Republican state Rep. Mark Shelton in the most-watched legislative race of the Texas election…

Her win kept Republicans from coming within one vote of the two-thirds majority needed to render Democrats virtually powerless in the upper chamber. And it gave hope to Texas Democratic Party officials, who see Davis as a rising star and a potential a statewide candidate.

The Tarrant County district was hardly a certain bet for either candidate. It has traditionally leaned Republican: Gov. Rick Perry won the district in the 2010 gubernatorial race; U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., won the presidential vote there in 2008.

“I think it’s really a reflection of people wanting a bipartisan voice,” she said. “People rose above partisanship in the way they voted tonight. They voted for integrity, for a fighter.”…

What is critically important for Texas Democrats, and national Democrats to understand… thanks to the make-up of HD 10, Wendy Davis is well-practiced for a statewide race. The district is virtually a microcosm of Texas as a whole, and she has figured out what Democrats need to do in order to win there. That’s why you’re not going to see her spewing hardcore “left-wing” ideology. Instead Davis carefully speaks about Texas values, and limited, but effective government. She has carefully crafted a message that allows her to appeal across party lines and political philosophies. This is exactly why I wrote back in February that Davis is the top Democrat prospect for a statewide victory. She’s a pro at this stuff.

Just imagine all of the hope that started last week… hope for a true pathway to LGBT equality in Texas, with no more living in the shadows, or being second-class citizens. Hope for millions of Texas families to have healthcare through the Federal Medicaid expansion, and not have to live in fear of financial ruin if they get sick. Hope for Texas women to be able to make their own family planning decisions without the interference of big government. Hope that our children’s education will be a viewed as a top priority for Texas, instead of a budget line-item awaiting the chopping block. In Haltom City, all of these seedlings of hope were planted.

But Wendy can only become Governor if Texans take a stand and commit to the cause. She definitely cannot do it alone. So today affords you, loyal readers an opportunity. Texas Leftist is honored to participate in a blog fundraiser for Wendy’s campaign. Together, by spreading the word, and giving of our time, money and service, we can get Wendy elected. If you’d like to donate to the Wendy Davis campaign, you can do so right here via Act Blue. The more people like Wendy Davis we bring to office in Texas, the less chance we’ll have of ever going through another government shutdown, or threatening the livelihood of millions thanks to immature political brinksmanship. It starts right here, right now. Along with your gift, please share this blog post with your friends, and use the hashtag #GiveToWendy on Facebook and Twitter. If you’d like to learn more about Wendy, check out the video below.

It’s time for a real change in Texas. Wendy Davis FOR THE WIN!!

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