Drumroll please…

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the US unemployment rate for March ticked down to 8.2% with a net gain of 120,000 jobs. Leading the charge with the most prominent growth were manufacturing (+37,000) and leisure and hospitality (+37,000). Healthcare also continued it’s upward march, adding 26,000 jobs. Retail jobs declined by 34,000, mostly due to job layoffs by major retailers.

As has been discussed in an earlier blog post, growth in the manufacturing sector is a targeted initiative of the Obama Administration. This month’s report was by no means a “total knockout” but it show that we continue to move in the right direction.

In the wake of the much publicized Supreme Court showdown this week, it’s hard to keep up with local and state issues with our current Healthcare situations. But one that shouldn’t be denied is the current battle for the Texas Women’s Health Program. In a political “game of chicken”, Governor Perry has decided to withdraw funding from TWHP if it is given to Planned Parenthood, eventhough PP has been allotted funding every year since the program was created. As HHS Secretary Sibelius points out, the 130,000 women that are affected by this are the losers… it has very little to do with those that made the law.

Our only hope is that the Texas legislature wakes up and remembers to put the needs of its citizens above manufactured political principles.

The saga behind the murder of young Trayvon Martin has shocked and enraged the entire nation. Even more troubling is the fact that under Florida law, the alleged killer George Zimmerman is allowed to walk as a free man. But evidence continues to mount against him. Recently discovered by ABC news, Trayvon was on the phone at the same time Zimmerman placed the 911 call.

In Zimmerman’s conversation, he also utters a racial slur just as he tries to corner Martin. You can hear him whisper it during the call.

Listen very carefully at 2:23… He says “F_____ Coons”. If that doesn’t prove this to be a racial hate crime, I don’t know what else could.

Please for the sake of America’s children, this man needs to be brought to justice.

From the words of the great Former Congressman Ronald Dellums…
“The Center of American Politics is not static. It’s defined by who shows up.”

I can’t argue with that statement in the slightest, and neither can the GOP. Through all of the hoopla and noise of the Presidential Primaries, the most pervasive sound is actually silence… the unnoticed “elephant” in the room is that the majority of the electorate has yet to weigh in on a single contest. Eventhough it seems that this fight should be winding down, it’s barely even started. Lest we forget, the majority of voters in this country are actually Independents… they don’t claim loyalty to EITHER Political Party. It’s safe to assume that they are in the center of the political spectrum.

In order for one side of the pendulum to tip the scales in their favor, they have to drum up some excitement around their candidate. In essence, they kinda have to BELIEVE in him or her. And thus lies the continued issue of Mitt Romney… nobody believes that he’s going to be President. As we’ve watched vote after vote get cast, what the pundits continue to leave out are two very key factors… GEOGRAPHY and TURNOUT. Both seem to be running away from Romney and any other candidate.
As proof of this, let’s look at the results from the most diverse state in the Primary season thus far… Florida.

Romney beat Newt Gingrich in Florida by an admirable margin of 15%… not a blow-out, but certainly nothing to scoff at. But he did very little to encourage party enthusiasm, as the 2012 primary produced 400,000 fewer voters than its 2008 predecessor. Yes that’s right… 400k. Now mind you that Florida is a growing state. In 4 years there are more Floridians overall, and one would assume more registered voters. Not to mention that there isn’t even a Democratic primary to contend with this year. If the Center is defined by “who shows up”, the Romney faithful are less than impressive.

Far more is revealed when you actually look at the map of where Romney won Florida… major urban centers and their suburbs, and most of the southern counties. Gingrich ruled supreme in the north. If the Romney campaign is relying on urban centers to suddenly turn red in this year’s general election, then they are headed for trouble with a capitol “D”. Urban centers are the DEMOCRATIC strongholds. But even in that case, urban Republicans aren’t in love with Romney either, even if some of them vote his way. Turnout was DOWN in Miami-Dade, Broward and Duvall counties. For all of the money that the Romney campaign raised and SPENT in Florida, they failed at the basic principle of getting their faithful to show at the polls.
Granted, the Florida primaries were held at the very end of January. Surely the GOP is now ready to rally around the presumptive nominee and turnout will increase, right?? Well, umm… not exactly.

Take Oklahoma for example. This state is safely Republican. In fact not a single county went to President Obama in the 2008 General Election. But even the reddest of red states is not enthused for party prospects this year. Turnout for the 2012 Oklahoma primary was down nearly 50,000 from 2008. Again a very large number when you consider the increase in voters and the assumed increase in excitement of having undivided primaries for the GOP. Rick Santorum won, but didn’t excite the typical base voter. Again this is “home plate” for a Red State, but the voting public continues to produce anemic results.

So if you’re watching the 24-hour news coverage and thinking that Democratic prospects are slim-to-none this year, just remember that the Silent Majority of America is still waiting to be called to the stage. Perhaps better advice could come from Nicole Scherzinger… Don’t Hold Your Breath.

I know I’m not a super-active Blogger. To be frank, I just haven’t had the time to do this as I’d like. But in an election year as critical and devisive as this one, I will be doing some intermittent posts. In blood-red Conservative Texas, it’s important that Liberal voices are heard (and seen). So here I am. Three cheers to Texas Liberals and Moderates in places like Houston, Dallas, Ft. Worth, San Antonio and Austin who swim against the current to fight for the rights and protections of ALL Texans, not just the privileged few!!

So the race for Texas Governor is finally set… incumbent Rick Perry vs. former Houston mayor Bill White. Most claim that it is Perry’s race to lose. He’s a powerful establishment-Republican that flirst with the fringe Tea Partiers when convenient. And according to Paul Burka’s blog at Texas Monthly, it’s Perry’s race to lose at this point, and much more of an uphill charge for White. Texas (as we know it) is still a staunchly Republican stronghold. But there’s one thing that Texans like much more than party affiliation or even (dare I say it) political ideology. It’s strength. Right now, that’s what hurting Bill White the most… Perry’s getting all of the “strong points” because people simply don’t know enough about him. I’m not talking the city of Houston here… we’re already in White’s corner. But the rest of the state barely knew his name until this primary was over.

So the former Mayor has got to toughen up and be CLEAR with his positions. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s downfall was her lack of clarity. Is she pro-life or pro-choice?? The primary debates exposed grave weaknesses for her on issues that should have been crystal clear. In Texas politics, you earn more salt with a voter that understands your point, even if they disagree with you. Bill White is ahead of the game on this, but there’s still some room to grow.

Secondly, don’t let Texans have a short-term memory. This was Kay Bailey Hutchison’s greatest gift to the White campaign. All of the dirt and shameful cronyism that Perry has amassed as governor is incomprehensible compared to some red ink on the Houston budget or disagreements with Harris County. The Governor’s press power is unmatched, mostly because he always knows exactly what to say, and what to leave out.  Bill White may have to get a little ugly, but voters need to be reminded that Rick Perry’s campaign talk is nothing like his governance.

Finally, White’s campaign must be built from the ground up. Pandering to the Democratic Party establishment simply won’t work in Texas. His ground team has got to be twice as diligent as Perry’s by registering voters and getting the word out about White.

So an uphill battle?? Probably so, but to those of us that are tired of Perry’s antics, it’s certainly worth it for Texas. Let’s see what Mr. White can do.

The job of government is supposed to be deliberate and thorough (let’s just say the word… S-L-O-W), but eventually we must reach a breaking point for such behavior. The breaking point was months ago in the United States Senate.

Rachel Maddow pointed it out last night… the Senate is sitting on 290 bills that have already been passed by the House of Representatives. Many of them bipartisan ventures that are being ignored thanks to the filibuster. It’s a real shame when the needs and quality of life for almost 310 million Americans have to be ground to a halt because of a few greedy politicians. It’s not just Health Care folks… we can all understand differences of opinion on things like the Public Option for Health Insurance. It’s a big step. But do we really need to hold up bills like the Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act? Revolutionary War and War of 1812 Battlefield Protection Act?? 139 bills have been filibustered by Senate Republicans this year. That’s far more than any time in the 229-year history of our great nation. That means that finally, partisanship has crippled us to the point that our great government system… built on the hopes dreams, blood and tears of people wishing for a better life… has been arrested in the hands of a greedy few.

Not surprisingly, AP’s Matthew Lee writes that this is not only frustrating and dangerous to our nation’s security. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified to the “gridlock in appointing officials to critical positions, including those with key foreign policy and international assistance responsibilities.” Literally, the irresponsibility of Senate Republicans is taking its toll on jobs all across our government, and exposing us to potential threat.

So my question to the Senate Republicans is this… how many Americans deserve to be denied important progress in their lives because you “don’t like” the current administration. Are the citizens of the USA really just a game to you all?? If so, then shame on you.