Texas 21

Too many irons in the fire

2006-10-27T13:52:00.000-05:00

My apologies for not keeping this blog more current. There is a lot going on in TX-21.

With your help, Team Courage is in good position to force incumbent Lamar Smith into a runoff.

Most of my blogging - both on TX-21 and other critical races here in the Lone Star State has been done on Texas Kaos.

I invite you to join us there, on Burnt Orange Report, and of course, Daily Kos, where John Courage is well represented as we close in on Election Day, 2006.

All that's missing is you.

Courage Blogging at Big Orange and at TexasKaos

2006-09-04T12:03:00.000-05:00

John Courage has posted the following diary over at Dailykos:

Keeping our promises to working men and women
Today, Labor Day 2006, American working families are struggling because the Bush White House and the most corrupt Congress in history have failed to keep their promises to the American people. They have broken their "Contract with America," and the basic promises of the American dream, the values we all share, are not being honored: honesty and integrity in our government, economic prosperity, a health care system that works for everyone, fiscal responsibility, and a strong public education system. I am totally committed to taking the bold steps necessary so that Texas working families can live the dream and see the promises fulfilled that are the heart of our democracy. Together we can stand for honesty, hard work, respect, and opportunity for all Americans. Together, working families in Texas can do better.

John has some ideas on how to do that, and he elaborates in the diary. Go check it out, and lend your recommend if you would.

And if it seems you are working harder for less gain, according to the Austin-American Statesman (reg required), that's no illusion:

The median household income in Texas in 2005 was about 10 percent lower than it was in 1999 after adjusting for inflation, down to $42,139, according to the American Community Survey, a report released by the U.S. Census Bureau last week.

The survey, similar to the decennial census but less expansive, includes information about people living in areas with populations of more than 65,000.

Despite job growth, some analysts say Texas is still struggling to shake off the lingering effects of the recession.

The state has shown a 6.2 percent decline in real median household income since 2002.

In Travis County, the survey found that the median household income was $48,026, down about 12 percent since 1999. In Williamson County, it also was down about 12 percent, to $62,418.

In Hays County, it was down about 18 percent, to $43,207, and in Bastrop, it was down about 10 percent, to $46,097.

In Austin, the median household income in 2005 was $43,731, about a 13 percent drop from what was reported in the 2000 census.
A decline in higher-wage jobs, the state's stagnant minimum wage at $5.15 an hour and a need to improve the education of the state's work force all have led to the decline in real median household income, said Don Baylor, a policy analyst at the Center for Public Policy Priorities, which advocates for low- and middle-income Texans.

* Courage's diary is crossposted on Texas Kaos as well.

Keith Olbemann Spanks Rummy

2006-08-31T06:59:00.000-05:00

Okay, I confess this has absolutely no direct connection to TX-21, but it made me so very happy I have to share. Not happy that our beloved country has come to this pass, but happy that there are still members of the press like Olbermann who will stand up when we need them to:

Meet John Courage and Party 2 Win

2006-08-28T15:47:00.000-05:00

AndersonTX at TexasKaos reported on a fun event at Canyon Lake last week that allowed the candidates and supporters to meet and get to know each other. One of the attendees was John Courage. Here's what Anderson had to say about John:

John Courage (US House Dist. 21) then got a shot to speak, and he fired us all up, reminding us that "it takes Courage to change!" He told us that he's been chasing Texas District 21 and Lamar Smith around Texas and now they're finally nailed down. John's a great speaker and he told those of us outside his district that even though he wasn't officially representing us, he will represent all of us with his votes and that we should feel free to give him a call if we need his help. With that (and since his campaign gave us three donation envelopes) he earned a donation for his campaign.

Another opportunity to meet is being hosted this Sunday, Sept 10 by Kossack Simplicio:

You are invited to a house party we are hosting on behalf of John Courage's campaign for the U.S. House of Representatives as the Democratic candidate in TX-21. John Courage will be there to meet with people and to talk about his campaign. We will provide coffee and drinks. Hope you can join us!
The party will be on Sunday Sept. 10 at 4:00. We live just west of the UT Austin campus. For more details and to RSVP, please go here.

If you're not close enough to attend Simplicios shindig, check out the Team Courage page on Party2Win for another party near you.

And, remember also there's a couple of days left in the Netroots August Fundraiser. You can contribute to John Courage's campaign on the Netroots ActBlue page.

Everybody wants to be a playa in TX-21

2006-08-27T10:18:00.000-05:00

The Austin American Statesman reports that the slate of candidates in TX-21 is complete:

District 21

Currently represented by San Antonio Republican Lamar Smith. Redrawn to include less of Travis County and more of the Hill Country.

•Tommy Calvert, I, consultant, San Antonio

•John Courage, D, teacher, San Antonio

•Gene Kelly, D, retired Air Force, Universal City

•James Lyle Peterson, I, computer programmer, Austin

•Mark J. Rossano, I, automotive management, Austin

•Lamar Smith, R, U.S. representative, San Antonio

•James Arthur Strohm, L, technical writer, Austin

So, I guess Rhett Smith decided to let fellow perennial hobby Gene Kelly have this one.

Between the governor's race and the special congressional elections, the Indies practically have enough candidates to form a party themselves.

If they could come to even the broadest agreement about issues.

Calvert is a well respected San Antonio activist known for his anti-slavery work. (And yes, slavery does shamefully exist still in the 21st century).

Patterson is an Austin computer programmer who's taking the unconventional approach of using his personal home page as his campaign website, telling people not to send him money, but do their own things to support his candidacy. I hope he has a large family in the district. Otherwise, I don't see many votes coming his way.

Mark Rossano doesn't have a web presence at all at this date. Perhaps he is relying on the mind control machine he's building in his garage for his GOTV effort.*

*Yes, this is snark. The mind control prototype hasn't been tested on humans yet, though the lemmings have provided several successful trials.

A Shot of Courage on BOR

2006-08-24T13:52:00.000-05:00

John posted a diary on BOR last night with some thoughts on the reconstituted TX-21:

Certainly the latest redistricting changed the makeup of CD 21. This is great for Austin, giving a favorite son and one of my favorite congressmen, Lloyd Doggett, a well-deserved strong base in Travis. But it is also good for a lot of people in the newly added areas of District 21, because they will now have an opportunity to elect a congressional representative with honesty, integrity, and the courage to stand up for them.

Even though the statistics may indicate a five-point swing in the voting pattern, that means less in today's volatile political landscape.

What really counts is what people on the streets (and on the dirt roads) are thinking and saying. If you get out into the district, out from behind your computer and talk with regular people, you can't help but feel the growing mood of dissatisfaction among the majority of the public over the direction this country is heading in, and the partisan games being played by the Republican leaders in Washington.

What we are doing in this campaign is tapping into that general discontent with the Republican-led Congress and the Bush White House. We have found in our polling that Lamar Smith only has between a 31 and 35% reelect number. For a 20-year incumbent, that is a formula for disaster, and he knows it. A whopping 69% of the voters polled in the district wanted to replace Smith or at least have some better choices this November. That's a wide-open door for our campaign.

We have met and heard from more disaffected Republicans than you would have thought possible, here in what a lot of outsiders still consider Bush Country.

I think we can turn Bush Country into Courage Country. As a Webb supporter diaried on Dkos this morning, the big difference between our candidate and the incumbent, is that John Courage will stand tall and tell the truth.

Now that's a Texas value to be proud of.

Benefits of the National Netroots Spotlight for Courage

2006-08-24T11:25:00.000-05:00

The national Netroots page, administered by Chris Bowers of MyDD, selected John Courage as one of their National Netroots candidates earlier this summer. (See the fantastic profile by Glenn Smith on DKos.)

And that attention is paying off. The August fundraiser for ALL the candidates selected for the list is on right now, and they've already blown past the initial goals they set.

Here's the tally for Team Courage for just this fundraiser at this posting:

Candidate	District	8/20 Donors	8/23 Donors	New Donors in Past 24hrs.	New Donors Since 8/20

John Courage

TX-21

415

566

151

This fight in a long overlooked corner of Texas has been generating other national coverage as well. One of my very favorite writers ever, Meteor Blades of Dkos and The Next Hurrah, wrote about a fantastic podcast, The Gori Details. (I can't believe I missed this, but many thanks to TXSharon over at TexasKaos for picking up my slack.

And the edition he used to introduce it was the interview host Kathy Gori recently did with John Courage.

The podcast is available here.

Courage Filing in TX-21 Today

2006-08-24T09:32:00.000-05:00

John Courage is filing this afternoon for Tx-21's congressional special election. Thanks to devoted volunteers who mobilized after the redistricting decision nullified the primary results, Team Courage gathered enough signatures to qualify by petition rather than by paying the filing fee.

“The redistricting ordered by the federal courts may have changed some of my precincts and some of my constituents, but it doesn’t change my resolve,” Courage said. “The people of Texas—good, honest, hardworking people, from San Antonio to Austin and throughout the Hill Country—deserve hardworking, honest representation in Washington. All of us expect and deserve a government that works. Our government today is not working; the majority of us believe that our government is headed in the wrong direction. In order to get things right we need to change what isn’t working with people who will work to get it right. That’s why I am remaining in this race,” Courage said.

BOR has a rundown of some of the other candidates for this seat. They include hobby candidate Gene Kelly, who apparently has more money than sense; Tommy Calvert, an activist from San Antonio running as an independent; Libertarian Jim Strohm; and of course, Republican incumbent Lamar Smith.

Round Up of TX-21 Activity

2006-08-22T17:50:00.000-05:00

Lots of doings since my last post. Here's a quick whip round of the highlights. Feel free to chime in with any I've missed:

TX-21 was remapped by the Fed Court. Details of the plan at BOR. Lamar Smith no doubt breathed a sigh of relief to get rid of that chunk of Blue Travis County that was giving him fits.
Besides making TX-21 redder, this remapping also negated the primaries already run. It's now a Special election.
Which means hobbyist politician Gene Kelley is free to file, and apparently already has. Kelley's an odd duck, who seems to never have a problem forking out the filing fee (wonder where that money comes from) but can't be arsed to campaign or anything else you'd expect of someone running for an office he actually wants to fill. Guess he just likes to see his name on the ballot. Gene, couldn't you look into model trains or something?
This also means that Democratic primary winner John Courage is collecting signatures to get on the ballot. If you don't know whether you're still in TX-21 or not, give the campaign office a call at (512) 637-0855, and they'll look you up.
The race is tougher for a Dem to win now, but Team Courage has regrouped and is ready for the fight. John Courage vowed to give Lamar Smith the race of his life, even if he had to chase him all across Texas.
Team Courage recently released an ad, 18,000 Promises which is available on YouTube and being discussed on national blogging sites like Firedoglake.
Also, while Courage came up just short in the Mapchangers contest, the strong showing of Texas candidates (including Chris Bell for Governor) yielded help in developing an online organizing site, True Blue Action, that should help all the Texas candidates this year. Check it out.
The adventures of the Courage Truth Squad continue in Boerne, but Lamar Smith's not interested-even at a "public meeting" for Tx-21 residents. Well, you can't really blame him for that. When Lamar has an actual meeting with the public, it doesn't go so well for Lamar.

More news to come. Gotta jet now.

Xposted on Texas Kaos.

Redistricting Limbo

2006-07-30T22:59:00.000-05:00

The latest round of redistricting promises to screw Travis County once again, at least if the RPoTties have their way.

And it seems very likely that TX-21 will be effected, though we will not know precisely how until after the Aug 3 hearing.

Several sources of really solid analysis already exist, so I suggest checking them out if you're interested.

The Lone Star Project is doing great work keeping up with all the ins and outs of this long, protacted mess. And, I love that they're not afraid to come right out and call a partisan hack wearing the mask of a public servant just that:

Perry/Craddick/Dewhurst Plan (1418C) is partisan and disruptive
Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott, on behalf of the State Republican leadership, forfeited the opportunity to represent all Texans by submitting a proposed redistricting plan that is even more disruptive than and just as partisan as Tom DeLay’s 2003 plan. The Perry brief essentially says the Court should place higher priority on partisan interests than restoring the Voting Rights of Hispanic voters.

No wonder that Lamar Smith was part of the shameful cabal that resisted renewing the Voting Rights Act for so long. That's the only snag in the TRMPAC takeover-well, and the illegality, of course...

Courtesy of the Dallas Morning News:

At issue was the DeLay committee's improper use of more than $200,000 in soft money to help elect candidates in 2002 and failure to report nearly $325,000 in debts owed to campaign vendors.

In particular, ARMPAC spent $121,000 for voter drives, including $50,000 in Texas, and more than $100,000 for fundraising events that should have been covered by so-called "hard money" contributions.

Soft money is contributions from corporations and individuals that are largely unrestricted in amount and, as a result, can only be used for limited purposes such as administrative costs and generic party-building activities. Hard money contributions are sharply limited in amount and can be used to elect candidates.

Known by its acronym ARMPAC, the committee provided $50,000 in seed money and the assistance of political operatives to launch a Texas group at the heart of Mr. DeLay's plan to boost the GOP by redrawing congressional lines.

Texans for a Republican Majority used $190,000 in corporate money in 2002 to help elect Republican legislative candidates, who took control of the Texas House and drew new congressional lines that added five new GOP seats in Congress.

In May 2005, a judge hearing a civil lawsuit filed by Democrats in Texas ruled that TRMPAC had violated Texas election laws.

Kuff has a link to the PDF of an analysis, including maps.

And CQ has a synopsis of the various plans submitted.

As required, the long list of remedial proposals currently under consideration all make changes to the 23rd District lines. The proposed maps all also reconfigure three other districts, though in widely varying combinations. One is the 21st, a Republican-leaning district in the San Antonio-Austin region that is represented by Republican Lamar Smith. A second is the 25th, a heavily Hispanic district that stretches 300 miles from Austin to the Mexico border and is represented by “Anglo” Democrat Lloyd Doggett, who previously represented an Austin-centered district. The third is the 28th District, held by Cuellar.

Three of the major proposals would redraw just those four districts: a map submitted by Texas Republican defendants, which is being defended by the office of Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott; a map from a group of Texas Democratic voters known as the Jackson plaintiffs; and one of two maps submitted by the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). But a map submitted jointly by Bonilla, Cuellar and Smith would affect the lines of three additional districts along with those common four.

Other plaintiffs include Travis County, which includes Austin and whose lawyers submitted two remedial maps, and the GI Forum of Texas, a Hispanic group that is represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund.

This time, redistricting is a game almost everybody can play...

A Tale of Two Votes

2006-07-10T08:14:00.000-05:00

Update: The two leaders in the Mapchangers Contest, John Courage and Bill Winter, have posted an open letter to Mark Warner requesting that he agree to do fundraisers for both of them. Sounds like a win/win to me.

Both these gentlemen are great candidates, facing particularly odious incumbents. Time for Lamar and Tancredo to retire to their lucrative lobbying careers.

As previously reported here, John Courage made it into the final round of Mark Warner's Mapchanger contest.

Today is the final day of voting. At this moment, thanks to the support of Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Chris Bell, who asked his supporters to vote for John rather than split the Texas vote, John is leading the votes.

If you haven't yet voted, please do so now.

If you have voted, please encourage your friends to get behind this united Texas ticket. It will benefit all of the TDPs candidates, because the Courage campaign has committed the first $15k raised from the Warner fundraiser to finance development of internet tools available statewide.

(There may be a further development to report on this morning regarding Mapchangers. I'll let you know as soon as I hear details.)

And there's another chance to cast a vote that will bring money and a higher profile to Texas. Barbara Ann Radnofsky is in the mix for support from Senator Barbara Boxer's PAC for a Change.

Winning this endorsement will mean a fundraising email sent out by Senator Boxer in support of BAR that will not only generate much needed campaign cash, but further raise Texas profile as a place where the Democratic action is.

You know what to do.

Light posting for the next few days

2006-07-02T11:28:00.000-05:00

As I'm headed for a family reunion over the holiday.

If you've popped over from the Netroots page, welcome, and please feel free to wander around the archives. Mixed in with the event announcements are a few articles that may be of interest.

Happy Independence Day to all.

A Word From Chris Bell

2006-07-01T19:24:00.000-05:00

Vote for John Courage in the Final Round of the MapChangers Contest. Bring Mark Warner to Texas for a fundraiser that will help create the tools to coordinate our campaigns for candidates up and down the Democratic ticket.

This is a very classy and smart move on the part of the Bell and Courage campaigns. As a bonus, this is the kind of move I've been hoping to see that marks Bell as the leader he must show himself to be to convince ordinary working Texans that he is not only on their side, but that he'll be fighting for them.

Congratulations again to both Team Bell and Team Courage.

Dear Friend,

Thank you for your help!

With your help over the past two weeks, we smashed our online fundraising goal and advanced to the finals of Mark Warner's Map Changer contest. We also asked you to join is in supporting the other Texas campaigns in this contest, and you came through by sending John Courage into the finals as well. It's a great example of what Texas Democrats can accomplish when we work together.

Now as we start the final round, there are ten candidates from across the country vying to win a fundraiser with Governor Warner. Voting runs through July 10th, and you can only vote for one candidate. It's a testament to the strength of the Texas netroots that we have two Texans into final ten, and we'll need every bit of that strength to bring Mark Warner to Texas. That's why we need to work together to make sure we do not split our votes.

I've talked with John Courage and we've decided that, in the spirit of Texas unity, and on behalf of all Democratic candidates and activists across Texas, we will ask all of our supporters to join together:

Please vote for John Courage in this contest.

http://www.forwardtogetherpac.com/mapchangers

John is a great Democrat and a great candidate, and he finished the second round only a handful of votes shy of being the leading vote-getter nationwide. We believe that if we can pull together and get all of Texas behind John Courage and take him to victory, that we can accomplish a much greater victory for all of us across the state

Our new field director, Glen Maxey, is working with activists and campaigns all across the state to build a website at TrueBlueAction.com that will offer netroots organizing tools that will help Democrats win in November and beyond. If we can put John Courage over the top, he has agreed to use the first $15,000 raised at the Mark Warner fundraiser to underwrite the development of these tools and this website. These tools will help us across the state for years to come, and they will only get better as we build and improve on them.

The TrueBlueAction.com web site is under construction and is being developed as a open access site with lots of organizing tools for candidates and activists to use to register and turn out Democratic votes. It will be open for the use of local, state and federal candidates. It will be open for the use on any individual wanting to help the Democratic ticket or a candidate.

That's why winning this contest is bigger than John Courage or me. It's about what all Texas Democrats can accomplish if we work together. By voting for John Courage in the Map Changer contest, you will be helping all Democratic candidates in Texas.

Vote today: http://www.forwardtogetherpac.com/mapchangers

Vote for Texas. Vote for Courage.

In unity,

Chris Bell

P.S. I need to thank you again for helping us smash our goal on our online fundraising drive. We set a goal of raising $25,000 through our website in the last two weeks of June. With your help, we ended up bringing in more than $40,000 from grassroots Texans. The momentum keeps building as we get closer to November, and I'm glad to have you at my side in this fight.

So NOW Lamar's Worried About the Tab

2006-07-01T18:27:00.000-05:00

This little item is especially ironic given the last entry. WOAI in San Antonio reports about a serious shortfall in stateside funding for military bases. Include right here in TX21:

And Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio hasn't been able to pay its $1.4-million monthly utility bill since March, prompting the energy company's automated computer system to mail out 1,300 disconnection notices for many of the post's administrative buildings.

CPS Energy spokesman Bob McCullough insists the company understands the problem and won't turn off the lights any time soon.

But Col. Wendy Martinson, Fort Sam's garrison commander, still lies awake at night worrying about what services she can afford to lose and what services she can't - but will have to cut anyway.

"Every time something goes away it impacts a person ... a soldier or their family or one of our civilians," said Martinson, whose post has 27,300 military and civilian workers. "I'm charged with taking care of them, not taking things away from them."

Spoken like a real leader. One who's concerned with taking care of her troops and making sure they and their families have what they need to complete the mission.

Lamar's response to this problem is a classic of misdirection:

In a letter to Army Secretary Francis Harvey, (Lamar) Smith said he worries the budget crisis will affect Fort Sam's ability to accommodate the 11,000 additional personnel being sent there starting next year by the Base Closure and Realignment Commission.

"That Fort Sam cannot even pay for basic post operations is, frankly, Mr. Secretary, a disgrace," he said.

That's like the Congressional equivalent of "How can I be broke, I still have checks."

Lamar really likes to spend your money

2006-07-01T10:05:00.000-05:00

Even the conservative mouthpiece not so affectionately known on the Left as the Moonie Times objects to Lamar's appetite for spending your money:

Some well-known conservative Republicans -- including Reps. Dana Rohrabacher of California, Mike Pence of Indiana, Lamar Smith of Texas and J.D. Hayworth of Arizona -- were nearly twice as extravagant as the typical House member. What part of "conservative" do they not understand?

Apparently, the part about not making checks you can't cash completely escaped them.

Lamar Smith Wants to Gag Your Police Dept

2006-07-01T08:54:00.000-05:00

Unbelievable as this is, according to the Ft Morgan Times , Lamar Smith is the chief sponsor of a bill that will prevent gun trace information from being shared.

While it's probably aimed at studies showing the effects of current lax enforcement of gun laws there are some additional consequences:

The proposal also handicaps law enforcement by putting blinders on the police. It would keep the police from seeing a big picture that gun trace information may paint. Police would only be allowed to view the information that relates to their own jurisdiction, as if crime stopped at city borders. Worse, cops who violated that ban could be subject to prosecution. That's crazy.
Oh, and the bill hampers law enforcement in another way -- eliminating a current requirement that dealers alert authorities when they sell more than two guns in five days to the same person. The purpose is to check whether buyers are gun traffickers, from whom outlaws often purchase guns. This provision handcuffs the police and aids criminals.

This is an editorial piece, and doesn't include the bill number. If any of you all know more about it, I'd love to have a look at it. Use the comments, or email me at TX21blog using gmail's domain.

(This is a reprinted from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. I've linked both sources, since the FMT is where I found it.)

More Momentum for Courage

2006-06-30T12:11:00.000-05:00

Tracy Joan has a Q&A up at the DNC blog.

Here's a taste:

What are you hearing from people on the ground?
They are ready for a change. They are tired of the culture of corruption in Washington and the cost of corruption in Congress, the no bid contracts, the tax breaks for companies making huge profits, the earmarks, the lack of meaningful legislation on education, healthcare, the economy, the rising deficit, a war with no end in sight etc. etc. etc. They want a government that works! In a recent poll we conducted only 31% of the voters in my district would vote to reelect Smith if the election were held tomorrow. 69% would vote for a new representative who will serve the public interest, not the private and special interests. I am that representative.

What has the campaign been like so far?

We launched our field program on Memorial Day. We have hundreds of volunteers committed to walking calling and mailing. We are energizing our base and identifying committed Democratic voters and likely ones as well and we are planning on informing independent and disaffected Republican voters (of which there are many, with the numbers growing daily) about what I stand for as a person and what I will do in Congress on their behalf. We also are preparing our media campaign which will kickoff this summer and we will be using all forms of media, mail, newspapers, radio, television and the internet. We have a comprehensive media program going. We are also holding a series of Town Hall style meetings in every county in the district to communicate with voters on a personal basis.

Help send Congress desperately needed Courage.

No Oil Offshore of Cape Cod

2006-06-30T11:08:00.000-05:00

Or this bill might not have met with Bacardi Lamar's approval.

The U.S. House voted 232-187 Thursday to permit new oil and natural gas exploration off the nation's coastlines in swaths that have been off-limits since 1981 because of environmental concerns.
The vote, in which 40 Democrats voted with the Republicans, reflected the political pressures of soaring fuel prices and a desire to reduce the nation's dependence on foreign oil, especially from the volatile Middle East. Supporters argued that expanded offshore drilling would lower natural gas prices, help farmers and manufacturers, bolster national security and bring back jobs.

And he thought a solar powered daisy would make everybody forget that he's been AWOL for years on environmental issues.

To contrast, John Courage is an advocate of renewable energy.

This leadership has paid only token attention to safe and clean renewable alternatives to fossil fuels most probably because of their alignment with the oil and coal industries. The fact is that renewables have been around for well over twenty years and have come of age; they need to be a large part of the twenty-first century mix of energies that keeps our country fueled and helps combat the urgent threat of global warming.

When most people think of renewables they think of solar power. This energy source has great potential, especially for Texas, which could lead the nation in its implementation. At this time solar water heating is the most cost-effective solar technology, but if some of the subsidies for oil and coal were transferred to solar, other solar uses would flourish at reasonable cost. These include solar air-conditioning, now on the market, and solar powered cars, still being developed.

Texas likewise is well positioned to be in a major wind power center for the U.S. In fact, it is predicted that Texas will soon surpass California in megawatts generated by wind. There are now over 1,000 wind generators in west Texas, and more windmills will soon appear near and off the Texas coast.

Think of that. Oil and Gas are not the future of energy. Solar and wind are.

Just another reason we need Courage in Congress.

Donate here today, and your generosity will help John make a strong showing in the critical 2nd Qtr reports.

Great News and End of 2nd Quarter Finance NAG!!!

2006-06-30T10:35:00.000-05:00

Update: Glenn Smith's writeup on John is now posted over at Dkos as well.

Things are really heating up for Team Courage. John made it into the next round of the Mapchangers Contest, as did Gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell. We almost had a hat trick, but a last minute surge from those pesky Coloradans and Californians slipped Barbara Radnofsky just under the cutoff point.

Many thanks to all who supported the Texas Ticket in this contest. We're really showing them what Texans are made of-and it's not designer brush wranglers and Delay sockpuppets.

More good news for Team Courage is that the national netroots page now includes JOHN COURAGE!

The combined efforts of a strong candidate, a dedicated campaign team, and fired up texblogistan made this possible. Thank you all, once again.

Now, on to the next challenge.

This is it, people. June 30 is the cutoff for fundraising reports for the last quarter.

If you're supporting any candidates financially, help them make a good showing on this report. As Chris Bowers explains:

These are the final days where fundraising totals matter to the overall narrative. The Q2 fundraising deadline ends at midnight on Friday. ...The next quarter will end on September 30th, and the reports on that quarter won't be out until mid-October. Buy then, all targeting and media attention will already be in place. That makes this the final deadline where totals will signal to the media and to the political establishment that a candidate is for real. To make that national difference, you need to donate now.

Whether you have $5 to send to one candidate or $5000 to divvy out amongst your favorites, please get that money to them by midnight.

It'll make a world of difference right here in Texas.

Yo, Come Help a Warrior Queen in Purple TX-21

2006-06-26T23:40:00.000-05:00

Gentle readers and casual passers by, I need your help to turn my purple congressional district a bluer shade of violet. Texans have a champion they don't know about yet. We need to get the word out. John Courage is running to unseat Bacardi Lamar Smith.

I had a busy weekend (though not as busy as John Courage and his hard working staff). If you're close by the district, drop in and see if you can give his volunteer coordinator, Teri a hand.

Join me and get chance to flip the Tx GOP the bird. Come on, you know you want to.

First of all, Saturday in Austin, and Sunday in San Antonio (the two biggest cities in TX21) there were volunteer trainings.

I saw a room full of ordinary Texans with passion to change their congressional district, their state, and from there our nation. Hesitant at first, these folks, whether young, middle-aged, or Greatest Generation found their voices, and found their courage. Now, we're going to go out to our friends and neighbors to tell them they have a choice.

They don't have to settle for bad government that has one hand in their wallet and one eye peeking in their bedrooms.

They can send John Courage to Congress, and lord knows, Congress needs Courage.

Speaking of Courage, have you voted for MapChangers yet? If not, please consider John high on the list. Because his campaign is coordinating with all the downticket races in the district, that $5000 will have maximum impact in a purplish district of Texas.

Saw some of those folks at the Austin Kossacks meet up at Texas Chili Parlor on Sunday, where we talked about YearlyKos, our candidates, and our commitment to not just blog our convictions but act on them. Fine group of people to while away an afternoon with plotting the restoration of democracy. And sooooooo good looking, too.

I don't doubt you'll be hearing more about what they're doing to change Texas.

Then, on to a fundraiser for John Courage. This was the first time I'd actually met the candidate, though I've been on conference calls with him, and exchanged an email or two.

Ladies and gentleman, this candidate is the real deal.

He's a veteran, and a special education teacher who runs into the limitations of our unfunded educational mandates every day of his professional life. He's well-spoken and passionate. A genuine populist who's put himself on the line to stand up for the veterans, families, and future of TX-21.

He's the kind of opponent Lamar Smith dreads.

Polling shows that Lamar is amazingly weak for an 20-year incumbent. Though Lamar probably had an inkling even without the polling.

Back in September, right after Katrina and Rita came to visit, a few constituents politely took him out behind the woodshed during his town hall.

At this point, a man with silver hair stood up. "Representative Smith," he said firmly, "I have been a Republican since the early 1960's." Oh, no, I thought, here it comes - shill time. This guy had to be part of the crowd called in by the Travis County Republican Party this morning to give Smith some cover.

"I pay a lot for taxes," he continued, "and I consider it a social investment. I am outraged! When this catastrophe hit, the president's response was that we should 'give to private charity.' I am outraged that this party can't support our country. We can't deal with our own self-defense. You need to fire Chertoff and these FEMA clowns. What are you doing with our tax dollars?!"

At this point, the audience broke into applause.

That had to leave a mark.

I don't think he's had a town hall back here since, though he did do a nervous impression of an environmental advocate complete with (I kid you not) a solar powered daisy in front of Austin City Hall. He was met by the Courage Truth Squad, and they turned Lamar's event into their story. They have the media coverage to prove it.

These people are fighters. They are champions.

I know how Kossacks love their polling results, so here's a little taste.

Only 31% of those polled would return him to Washington today. We just need to let them know they have a real alternative in John Courage.

Someone at last night's fundraiser asked what the major obstacle was to defeat Lamar Smith. John was forthright.

"Money."

That's where you come in.

Donate to Team Courage. We're coming up on the quarter's end reporting, so it's important to make as strong a showing as possible. Ironically, funding begets more funding.

Make John Courage a Map Changer.

Help a warrior queen with a worthy champion out. I've been itching to send Bacardi Lamar home to his Cape Cod mansion in retirement ever since the TX GOP Gerrymandering Boondoggle of '03 dragged me out of Lloyd Doggett's district and under the representation of a congresscritter who thinks more of Mickey Mouse than he does of our veterans and their families, or our healthcare crisis, or our college students.

Yep, I said Cape Cod, even if he's got a legal address in Texas. It's like Ricky Santorum with a Texas twang and not quite as shiny hair.

I know many of you blame Texas for the predicament America is in right now. Inasmuch as the rot started here, we have true Yellow Dog Democrats who are working hard to rid ourselves of every bit of it.

Including Lamar Smith.

Please, help us turn TX-21 a bluer shade of violet.

Donate to Team Courage.

Make John Courage a Map Changer.

Come on, Lamar, smile for the birdie.

50 Votes to Change a Map

2006-06-23T22:18:00.000-05:00

As reported by a commenter at BOR, John is 50 votes away from the top 5 in Forward Together PAC's Map Changer Contest.

Those 50 votes could bring $5000 into the campaign. Team Courage is working closely with all the downticket candidates as well, which would magnify the benefits of the cash influx.

50 votes.

What if he got 49, and yours was the one that would put him over the top for the Texas Ticket?

You never know which one vote is THE vote.

So go vote.

If you can vote for the Texas Ticket, all 5 of the Texas candidates would appreciate it.

But John's the closest to cracking the top 5 at this point.

He needs your vote.

Map Changing-Round 2- The All Texas Ticket

2006-06-13T22:30:00.001-05:00

I'm pleased to announce that John Courage made it into Round 2 of Forward Together PACs Map Changer contest. I'll turn the mike over to Nick Lawrie, from Team Courage for the details:

Dear Team Courage,
Thank you! Because of you, John Courage is now in the secondary phase of the MapChanger race. The top 5 vote-getters in a field of 20 receive $5,000 per campaign, and then compete for the grand prize of a fundraiser with Governor Mark Warner.

While we ask for you to go vote (http://www.forwardtogetherpac.com/mapchangers) for John Courage, there are four other Texan candidates in the race, more from a single state than any other in the competition. By voting “Straight Ticket Texan,” you can help not only bring $5,000 to Team Courage, but you can also send $5,000 to other Texas races, which in turn help candidates on the statewide level due to money being spent locally.

The Straight Ticket Texan lineup:

TX CD 21 – John Courage
TX GOV – Chris Bell
TX SEN – Barbara Ann Radnofsky
TX CD 10 – Ted Ankrum
TX CD 31 – Mary Beth Harrell

Many people have commented on the amount of strong Democratic support in the state of Texas, and it is generally with a vibe of surprise. Now, once again, we have an opportunity to speak loudly and clearly to our nation.

Please join us in voting Straight Ticket Texan, and help us bring $25,000 to Texas.

I did it. There's also an option to publish your ballot with comments in support of your selections.

Go. Vote. Support.

It's fun!

Change the Map in Tx-21

2006-06-13T22:30:00.000-05:00

Just a few more hours to make sure John Courage gets into Round 2 of Forward Together PAC's Map Changer's contest.

This just in my email box from John Courage:

Friends and supporters,
This is the final opportunity for you to vote for me on the MapChanger on line Poll. Please vote today and mail your friends to do the same. We have 3 hours and 5 hours for West Coast voters.

You've already helped me become the first Democracy for America Grassroots All-Star and Russ Feingold's first Progressive Patriot. Now, I need your help again.

I would like to ask for your help in making me the first Mark Warner "MapChanger." I know many of you have already voted—if you have already voted, please round up your friends and ask them to vote as well. If you have not voted yet, the deadline is TODAY! You can vote by clicking here: http://www.forwardtogetherpac.com/mapchangers

You've already helped me become the first Democracy for America Grassroots All-Star and Russ Feingold's first Progressive Patriot. Now, I need your help again.

I would like to ask for your help in making me the first Mark Warner "MapChanger." I know many of you have already voted—if you have already voted, please round up your friends and ask them to vote as well. If you have not voted yet, the deadline is TODAY! You can vote by clicking here: http://www.forwardtogetherpac.com/mapchangers

At times like this, Congress needs Courage. Let's make sure it gets some.

TX-21 Saturday Roundup

2006-06-03T16:05:00.000-05:00

In the interest of keeping content coming on this previously neglected little blog I offer these tidbits.

Kuff muses on his Chron blog, Kuff's World about the Texas congressional races this November, and what it would in terms of Bush's cratering approvals to fuel Democratic congressional gains.

On both Burnt Orange Report and Texas Kos there's been some vigorous discussion about scheduling the TDP Convention. We had some success in getting the schedule revised to allow the candidates for statewide offices (other than Chris Bell and Barbara Radnofsky, who were confirmed in prominent time slots) to speak to the convention-and communicated to the candidates who have other things they need to accomplish during the convention. Shocking, I know.

Though it's slightly out of this blog's mission, please allow me to present, in addition to the above, the Texas Democratic Party's nominees for statewide offices:

Lieutenant Governor
Maria Luisa Alvarado
www.onetexasforall.com

Attorney General
David Van Os
www.vanosfortexasag.com

Comptroller of Public Accounts
Fred Head
P.O. Box 312
Athens, TX 75751
(903) 675-5111
(No candidate website)

Agriculture Commissioner
Hank Gilbert
www.hankgilbert.com

Land Commissioner
VaLinda Hathcox
www.valindahathcox.com

Railroad Commissioner
Dale Henry
3578 Hwy 183 South
Lampasas, TX 76550
(512) 564-1448
(No candidate website)

Justice, Texas Supreme Court, Pl. 2
William E. "Bill" Moody
285 Puesta Del Sol
El Paso, TX 79912
(915) 546-2101
(No candidate website)

Presiding Judge, Court of Criminal Appeals
J.R. Molina
1301 North Houston St.
Fort Worth, TX 76106
(817) 624-4700
(No candidate website)

50 State Campaigns in our nation.

254 County Campaigns in our state.

Democrats must fight everywhere. These people, and their families, have answered that call. They have put their lives on hold and their finances on the line to wage an uphill battle for the people of Texas. They deserve the respect and support of the Democratic Party.

Back to TX-21 news, I hope to be on a blogger conference call with Team Courage tomorrow night, so expect a report after that.

Does Net Neutrality Make a Hypocrite of Lamar Smith?

2006-05-31T00:03:00.000-05:00

In the recent geekroots victory in the Net Neutrality War (and you better believe there will be more battles to be fought) TX-21's own representative was not pleased with the result.

The most pointed opposition to the Judiciary bill came from Texas Republican Lamar Smith, who said he would prefer "to leave these decisions to the courts to work out on a case-by-case basis under the antitrust law." The existing bill is far too regulatory and could "put a straitjacket on this important sector of the economy," Smith warned.

Suddenly, Lamar Smith trusts the judiciary. Just three short years ago, he was so alarmed by judicial "activism" that he was one of the founding co-chairs of the Tom Delay pet project, the House Working Group on Judicial Accountability. In the announcement of its formation, Rep. Smith cited the groups goals:

First, we want to educate Members and the public about judicial abuse. Second, we will try to prevent judicial abuse and third, we will support the nomination process for judges who will not substitute their own policy views for the law,” said Rep. Smith.

“The fact remains that the judiciary is a co-equal branch of the federal government. They are subject to checks and balances. Congress is right to evaluate them when they behave like un-elected super-legislators,” added Smith.

(Emphasis added.)

Apparently, there are some policy views Rep Smith is willing to have these judicial activists build up on a "case by case basis". The ones that could choke your freedom on the internet as surely as the Supreme Court gagged whistleblowers today.

Not only is Rep Smith on the wrong side of the Net Neutrality issue, he had to perform a bit of political gymnastics to walk back his previous position on those flaky judges.

Unless, of course, he's come to the conclusion in the intervening three years the HWGJA has stamped out all that nasty judicial activism.

NAH, that couldn't be it... We would have heard about it if the Judicial War on Faith was over.

Three weeks ago, religious conservatives angry about rulings that have limited public displays of religion assembled in Washington for a conference titled, "Confronting the Judicial War on Faith."

San Antonio's Republican Rep. Lamar Smith addressed an audience there in place of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, who was attending the Pope John Paul II's funeral.

"While judicial activism has existed from the founding of our nation, it seems to have reached a crisis," Smith told the audience. "Judges routinely overrule the will of the people, invent new 'rights' and ignore traditional morality."

At the conference's end, many attendees signed a declaration calling on Congress to restrain and discipline federal judges who distort the original meaning of the U.S. Constitution.

I mean, wouldn't we have heard if the judicial activism crisis was over? Right along with all the good news coming out of Iraq?

Special Election in TX-22?

2006-04-05T10:04:00.000-05:00

DavidNYC at SwingStateProject has an interesting take on the possibilities.

Fortunately, Texas law recognizes that not all vacancies are created equal. The governor may choose whether or not to call a special election - holding one is not mandatory. Gov. Rick Perry must now exercise his discretion wisely and refuse to squander taxpayers' dollars on such a wasteful exercise. To do otherwise would be to blatantly serve the naked partisan purpose of forcing Nick Lampson, the Democrat, through two elections - and possibly three, since a special might require a run-off - in just a few months time.

Of course, I'm not naive - Perry will do whatever his Republican overlords tell him to do. Therefore, if he does call a special election, I think all Democrats - including Lampson - should boycott it completely. Don't run in it, don't vote in it, don't even talk about it. If the TX GOP wants to waste time and money on a special election, then we shouldn't accord the "winner" any legitimacy whatsoever. The real election - as it has been all along - is still in November, regardless of what the Texas Republicans try to do.

Not so sure Perry will hand over the ammunition.

Bell already gets a boost to his "ethics" profile as the one who started the ball rolling on Delay. (BTW, if you didn't catch Chris on the Ed Schultz Show yesterday, the campaign site has a podcast available. Good times.)

And whatever the party, the redistricting fight made it clear the Repubs would do anything to win. Up to and including ignoring vital issues to the state like education finance reform (How many special sessions on this question are we at now?) and gutting the Tx Congressional delegation of it's seniority. Another Delay-Craddick-Perry gift to the citizens of Texas.

If Perry does call for this special ed election, he strengthens One-Many-Surnamed Grandma's position as the "independent" conservative candidate as well as brings Bell's ethics plank into even stronger focus (if the campaign plays it right.)

I think she's the only candidate Perry's really afraid of (the cordial mutual loathing doesn't hurt either), and I'm not sure he'll eagerly load the guns that could shoot his ambitions dead.

But we shall see...

X-posted at Come And Take It and We Are the Resistance.

Interesting Doings in the District Next Door

2006-04-03T22:40:00.000-05:00

Reported at BOR and DailyKos among others:

Chris Matthews just came onto Scarborough Country over the phone to report that Rep. Tom Delay will be announcing tomorrow that he is not going to run for re-election in his Congressional District.

See, go out for a pancake dinner and you miss all manner of big doings. But mmmmmm, pancakes...

Who will poor Lamar follow around like a puppy now?

Not sure what this will mean for the Smith/Courage race, but I'm guessing it's going to come up in conversation...

Also, just ran across a spiffy new blog run by Precinct 326. I'll be adding them to the blogroll, but in the meantime, go pay them a little visit. It's great to see the technology of the internets used to get the Democratic message out.

Kudos to Precinct 326 Chair Bill Morrow.

End of Quarter Money Nag.

2006-03-31T10:28:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know. NAG NAG NAG. (Okay, that last one's not a nag, it's a tool.)

But it's important. It's one of the significant measurements the DCCC and other sources of campaign money.

So go show Team Courage a little love, using the vehicle of your choice. (I'm partial to ActBlue, myself, but the site seems to be down at the moment. If you do use them, please include a little tip. These guys are doing the Dems a great service by making it much easier to contribute to candidates at every level.)

And don't forget Team Courage houseparties tonight. I'm hoping to make the one just around the corner from me. As a bonus, I think the hostess is my precinct chair, and I've not had a chance to meet her before.

John Courage posts on BOR about Immigration

2006-03-30T20:27:00.000-06:00

Matt seems to be the go to guy on the heating up immigration issues, and he's posted the entry on BOR.

Party2win has a Calendar for Team Courage Parties

2006-03-30T13:42:00.000-06:00

Check it.

If anyone would like to publish a report of how one of the Team Courage Parties went, please feel free to contact tx21blog@gmail.com.

You can send us a link to your blog if you have it, or I'll be happy to have it here on TX21 Blog with your preferred attribution.

Senator Russ Feingold Coming to lend a hand to Candidate Courage

2006-03-30T12:44:00.000-06:00

No published schedule for the events that I could find as yet, however, this from Democracy for Texas via email:

Democracy for Texas is proud to welcome Senator Russ Feingold to Austin! Senator Feingold will be here on April 18 for a variety of events for John Courage (www.courageforcongress.com).

When: Tuesday, April 18, 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Where: The historic Travis Heights home of Susan Frost, 806 Rosedale Terrace

A limited number of $50 tickets are available, as well as sponsorships at the $100, $250, $500, $1,000, and $2,100 levels. For more information and to buy tickets, please send a note to Fran@DemocracyforTexas.org.

You may recall that John Courage was selected as the first Progressive Patriot to receive support from Senator Feingold's leadership PAC.

Make sure y'all try some authentic barbecue while you're here, Senator.

A Veteran Feels a little Testy about Lamar

2006-03-29T22:08:00.000-06:00

See the fourth letter down, entitled "Veterans Deserve Better".

It's a short letter, as most successful LTEs are, but here's the money shot:

Congressman Lamar Smith has stated the cost of health care for the military is comparable to or lower than that of federal employees and others. What an ignoble comparison! "Others" do not risk and lose their lives in the defense of our country. Smith is on his way out.

Well said, Chief Master Sargent, and thank you for your service to our country.

Detailed Profile of TX 21 Congressional District

2006-01-11T17:04:00.000-06:00

Sometimes being ~~busy~~ lazy comes in handy.

Like when somebody else takes the time to research and compose a profile of the district that I have been wanting to do since before Fitzmas.

I'm ashamed to admit it, but relieved not to have to do it myself. It's complicated inside my head.

Hat Tip to Abram over at Casual Soapbox. Go check out his blog, he's got some interesting insights for fellow political junkies.

Bexar County -John Courage Appearance Jan 7, 2006

2006-01-05T12:27:00.000-06:00

Back to TX-21 Business.

Busy Saturday? How about starting the day out with a Congressional candidate?

NORTH EAST BEXAR COUNTY DEMOCRATS

14215 Jones Maltsberger Road

San Antonio, TX 78247

You Are Invited !

What: North East Bexar County Democrats Meeting

When: Saturday, January 7, 2006, 8:30 a.m.

Where: Luby’s Cafeteria, 8511 Tesoro

(at I-410, between Broadway & Nacogdoches Rd.)

Guest Speaker:

John Courage

Candidate - U.S. Congress

District 21

I don't think I'll be able to make it down from Austin, but if anyone who attends would like to share a report, please send me a link at tx21blog on the gmail system. (If you don't have your own site to post it on, I'll be happy to publish it here.)

Found: More Republican Congressional Candidates

2006-01-04T19:10:00.000-06:00

I knew it was too good to be true.

Via the Harris County GOP site, we now know:

CD 7- Incumbent John Culberson is defending his Congressional seat after all. Democratic candidate Jim Henley has his uphill battle. Hopefully his well-honed debate skills and experience as a pastor will serve him and the Fightin' Democrats of Texas well.

Update 1/5/06 12:10 p.m.: Many thanks to Kuff, who pointed out my omission of another Democratic challenger to Culberson, David Murff. My apologies to the Murff campaign, and if you're in CD 7, join them at their kickoff dinner Jan 11.

Best of luck to both candidates, and I look forward to a primary with two very well-qualified candidates..

CD 18 - Democratic incumbent Sheila Jackson Lee will have a Republican challenger, Ahmad Hassan-whose website is still under construction.

CD 29 - Democratic incumbent Gene Green also has another opponent. Eric Story has filed for CD 29's seat. His website also is clearly a work in progess-but hang on to that photo editor...

Bexar County may have a similar list, but I'll be darned if I can find it. Even their elections page is-bet you can guess- under construction.

So, it still looks like Congressmen Al Green, Charles A. Gonzalez, and Lloyd Doggett are likely to be going back for more fun and games in the halls of Congress.

Hopefully, with a stronger Democratic Congressional Caucus alongside them.

30 out of 32 CDs To be Contested

2006-01-03T19:03:00.000-06:00

According to the Tx Democratic Party website, thirty-one of the thirty-two Congressional Districts in Texas will have a Democratic candidate.

*Note: the maps and the GOP candidate list are both .pdf files, so may take a little extra time to open.

The exception is CD-11, which is very deep Red country indeed. So by all indications, freshman Congressman Mike Conaway will be headed back to the Beltway, as the Libertarian Party of Texas is not fielding a candidate in that district either.

The Republican Party seems to be shy in eight CDs*:

CD 7- Incumbent John Culberson's welcome message is all about the last election. It remains to be seen if Democratic candidate Jim Henley is facing an uphill battle against an incumbent or a relative cakewalk against Libertarian Drew Parks.
CD 9 - Democratic incumbent Al Green (who defeated current gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell in the post-redistricting primary) appears to be unopposed at this time.
CD 16 - has no Republican candidate listed, but Democratic incumbent Sylvestre Reyes does have a primary challenger, Jorge Artalejo . The winner of that contest will face Libertarian Gordon Strickland in the general election.
CD 18 - Democratic incumbent Sheila Jackson Lee has no signficant opposition, though Libertarian Patrick Warren has filed his candidacy for the seat as well.
CD 20, Democratic incumbent Charles A. Gonzalez also faces an opponent- whichever Libertarian emerges victorious from one of the few contested primaries, Jessie A Bouley or Michael Idrogo. Candidate Idrogo is one of the few Libertarians who has his own campaign website at this stage- offering more rant than policy to be sure, but there you are.
CD 25, Democratic incumbent Lloyd Doggett has no GOP opponent. Candidate of many professions (computer programmer, chiropracter, etc.) Grant Rostig is his Libertarian opposition. Though a self-described writer who can't even spell his opponent's name correctly may suffer from a serious style handicap.
CD 28 - Democratic incumbent Henry R. Cuellar faces not one but two primary challengers, former Congressman Ciro D. Rodriguez and off-again on again Democrat Victor Morales. The winner (or survivor) will face Libertarian Glenda B. Moyes in the general.

and

CD 29 - Democratic incumbent Gene Green runs unopposed in the primary, and faces Clifford Lee Messina in the general as the Libertarian candidate.

Let the games begin.

(*This seems low to me, but it is from the TX GOP's own site. If there are corrections I'll post them as they come in).

Update 1/4/06-8:27 a.m.: It's been pointed out elsewhere that districts lying entirely within one county file with their county party, which could explain why the TX GOP site doesn't have all the districts listed. I'll update the list as I get more info.

Later Update 1/4/06-7:51 p.m.: Found a few more candidates wandering on the internets (ironically, the state GOP site still doesn't list these gentlemen.)

Ah well, c'est la guerre. (For those of you munching on your Congressionally sanctioned Freedom Fries, that translates to "War is hell.")

Something Overdue but Welcome from the DCCC

2005-11-23T13:14:00.000-06:00

The blogosphere's been pushing for some time to have a complete list of Congressional districts and announced candidates.

Well, the DCCC has finally rolled one out.

And yes, John Courage is listed in TX-21. But either Rahm Emanuel knows something that hasn't yet been announced, or there's a little typo because it's listed as an open seat.

I know Lamar Smith is not the most colorful of congresscritters-he might as well be covered in Delay stamped cellophane-but I haven't seen any announcement that he's retiring from Congress.

Though the idea does tickle me. Perhaps we can generate a little more prickly heat for Bacardi Lamar.

Any ideas?

2006 Starts Now

2005-09-22T16:04:00.000-05:00

Democracy for America is asking for input on their first endorsement for the 2006 Congressional elections. At the time of this posting, John leads the field.

Let's keep him there.

The field has been narrowed, and Texas 21 candidate John Courage has made the cut. Please take a moment to go vote for him. (The poll is being run by Instant Runoff Voting. You can vote for up to three-designating your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices.)

A brief bio supplied by the Courage Campaign's website:

John is running in the 21st Congressional District in central Texas. He has
served in the U.S. Air Force, as a teacher in inner-city public schools,
and as a member of the San Antonio Teacher's Council Board. He is dedicated
to providing affordable health care for all, preserving and strengthening
Social Security, and the U.S. withdrawal from Iraq. He also seeks to
strengthen public schools and to reduce our dependency on foreign oil
through the development of alternative energy sources.

Want to know more about why you should support John Courage as a Grassroots All-Star? Here's an excerpt from his Blog For America posting after making the finalist cut:

I can win this race and send Lamar Smith packing, and send a message to the Republican leadership in Washington that the Democratic Party is alive and well, but I will need help.

While Smith's campaign relies on large corporate donations and the support of his mentor Tom Delay, my campaign relies on the support of everyday people. I am fielding a large team of enthusiastic volunteer supporters to reach-out to Democrats, Republicans and independents throughout my district. Democracy for America supporters can provide a big boost to this effort and help put right-wing Lamar Smith on the defensive by backing my campaign.

As I understand it, the candidate with the most votes will be the subject of an endorsement email from DFA that can bring a very helpful influx of cash early in the campaign season.

Wouldn't that be a nice way to start a long Congressional campaign?

Scheduled Courage Appearances for Sept 17 Launch Tour

2005-09-15T16:37:00.000-05:00

From Courage for Congress website:

Saturday September 17, 2005 - Austin through San Antonio, TX
John Courage Announces Congressional Campaign Launch
Promises to Represent Central Texans' Values, Not Tom DeLay's

"I keep hearing from the residents of Travis, Bexar, Comal, Hays and Blanco counties that they are fed up with their leaders in Washington. Lamar Smith and the Republican-controlled government have failed the American people in too many ways, We need ethical leadership, security and preparedness here at home and a budget that reflects the needs of middle class families instead of millionaires. It's time to bring this nation together and start solving the challenges we face. It's time for a change!"
- John Courage

September 17, 2005 - Democrat John Courage is publicly launching his campaign to represent the voters of Central Texas' 21st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Courage is expected to face incumbent Lamar Smith in the November 2006 election.

For over thirty years Courage has served his state and his country as a member of the U.S. Air Force, as an educator and as a community leader. He and his supporters are boarding a school bus on September 17th and traveling throughout the District to announce his campaign in the following locations:

10:00 am - Texas State Capital, Austin (east gate)

11:30 am - Veterans Memorial Park, Dripping Springs

1:00 pm - Old Blanco County Courthouse, Blanco

2:30 pm - Bulverde Senior Center, Comal County

4:00 pm - Bradley Middle School, North Central San Antonio

Please join us; everyone is welcome. Bring your families, friends and neighbors and let's start working together to take our country back.

For more information contact info@courageforcongress.com

Also, if you're at any of the rallies, and would like to report on your experience, please let me know at tx21blog@gmail.com.

Help John Courage win a DFA Endorsement

2005-09-15T16:15:00.000-05:00

John Courage is the only Texan on the list of possible "Grassroots All-Stars" for Democracy For America.

The idea behind the Grassroots All-Star Competition is this:

People can only hear us if they can see us, so we have to stop abandoning entire states—and the Americans who live there—as lost causes. Why? Because if politics is the art of the possible, Hackett proved that the red-versus-blue divide doesn't really matter—that progressives can fight, and win elections, by convincing people one at a time.

Want more progressive victories? Then we have to fight. Our money and energy made the difference in Ohio, and that model can make waves—and win elections all over the country.

DFA gives you a chance to help decide who they'll focus on. You could pick someone for New Jersey, or Arizona. But how about Courage for Congress? Heaven knows that's in short supply under the big dome...

Here's how to participate:

This week, Democracy for America is hosting an online vote to determine which congressional candidate will receive our first DFA-List endorsement of 2006. The vote is open to all challengers and open seat candidates. The candidate with the most votes at the end of balloting will receive a DFA-List endorsement and a national e-mail from DFA's Chair Jim Dean.

The voting will take place in two stages. First, we will hold an online vote ending on Saturday, 9/17 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time to narrow the field of candidates down to the top ten. For the second round, we will hold an Instant Run-off Vote among the top ten candidates to determine our first endorsement of 2006.

Cowboy/girl up!

Courage for Congress Campaign Kick Off-Bus Tour

2005-09-11T18:35:00.000-05:00

This isn't on John Courage's official campaign website calendar, but it was mentioned by some posters over at Dkos:

Come with us on John Courage's Congressional
District 21 Election Kick-off Announcement Tour!

When: Saturday Sept 17th Leave 7:30am Return 4:30pm
Where: Bradley Middle School,14819 Heimer Road,San Antonio 78232

Bus leaves at 8AM for our kick off in Austin.
Then to Dripping Springs, Blanco, Bulverde,
and finally back to Bradley Middle School in San Antonio!

You'll get a free lunch.

For those of you who want to help,
this is a really good way to do it!

Let no voter be left behind!
With the way things are going, it takes Courage!
Congress Needs Courage, don't you agree?

Sign up for a seat on the bus at People Powered Politics

As I see more information on when the tour is stopping at rallies in TX21, I'll post further.

Lamar Smith Gets Schooled by Sensible Constituents

2005-09-10T21:16:00.000-05:00

As reported by TXTiger, over at Dkos, Rep. Smith had a town hall meeting today. It didn't go like he expected.

Excerpts below (with emphasis as in the original), but I recommend following the above link for the whole report, and some very interesting Kossakian commentary.

The Response to Hurricane Katrina

Asked how Hurricane Katrina will affect the Congress' legislative priorities, and whether this should require a shift away from tax cuts, Smith said, "Yes, mostly." He said he believes that tax cuts do (or can) spike the economy, but remarked, "Realistically, the estate tax will not be repealed this year."

At this point, a man with silver hair stood up. "Representative Smith," he said firmly, "I have been a Republican since the early 1960's." Oh, no, I thought, here it comes - shill time. This guy had to be part of the crowd called in by the Travis County Republican Party this morning to give Smith some cover.

"I pay a lot for taxes," he continued, "and I consider it a social investment. I am outraged! When this catastrophe hit, the president's response was that we should 'give to private charity.' I am outraged that this party can't support our country. We can't deal with our own self-defense. You need to fire Chertoff and these FEMA clowns. What are you doing with our tax dollars?!"

At this point, the audience broke into applause.

Not an auspicious beginning. Let's move on to a more reliable talking point. How about "support the troops"?

Iraq and Support for the Troops

A young woman stood up and introduced herself as a small business owner and from a family of veterans. "The Republican party claims to support our troops," she said, "but a bill providing medical care for veterans missed by one vote, and you voted 'No' on that bill. How do you defend your vote?"

Smith said that veterans received an 8% increase this past year, and "any more would have broken the budget and the general agreement." This excuse was received with hisses.

She followed up asking about a bill to increase health insurance rates for Guard and Reserve troops to the same level as Tricare which regular troops receive, which missed by 7 votes and for which Smith voted 'No.' She said service people are losing their businesses because they have been called up for so long.

Smith said, "We have to do more and do better, but at some point we have to say that 8% is enough."

But to applause, this young woman said, "I don't think you've done as much for our servicemen as you've done for the top 1% in our country."

I love the way he spoke about the budget as if it hadn't been broken beyond most powers of calculation by this Republican controlled Congress.

There was more lively discussion. On the subject of Tom Delay, TRMPAC and the mugging of Congressional districts in the off cycle redistricting, Rep Smith played dumb. At least I don't think he's that dumb, though I'd not hazard a guess as to how much wattage there actually is under the hood.

Another questioner stood up later and thanked Smith for coming out to meet with his constiuents. Playing off Smith's opening assertion that only 20% of his colleagues hold town meetings, the man said, "The reason they don't go meet their constituents is because they don't have competitive districts due to gerrymandering. When will congress pass laws requiring independently-drawn districts?"

Smith said, "That's up to the states to do."

"Then why was Tom DeLay involved here in Texas?" shouted someone.

"He wasn't, the state legislature - "

"Oh, c'mon, Lamar!"

"The legislature - "

"Everyone knows DeLay was running it!"

The shouting and hisses continued for a few moments. Smith pretended not to understand what redistricting people were talking about (he "thought" they meant Texas house districts, not Congressional). He complained that he had been a victim of redistricting in the Texas House back in 1981. And he denied that Tom DeLay had any hand in the matter at all. "Redistricting is up to the states," he said.

"It was wrong split Austin into three districts," said the original questioner.

There's more, and TxTiger reports it well, but this last excerpt is irresistible.

And when asking about his votes against stem cell research and for extending Terry Schiavo's life, the questioner remarked, "If you spent so much effort on living people as on these issues, New Orleans would never have happened."

May she rest in peace, Terri Schiavo is the gift that keeps backfiring on the Mullahs of Congress.

By the last ten minutes, Smith was looking at the clock pretty regularly.

Well, I would imagine so. This must have been one of the 10 longest hours Rep Smith has ever had in his life.

At least to date.

One thing has become crystal clear about this Republican leadership. They will expend the very minimum of effort to keep embarassment off their backs. Preferrably PR effort, but if pushed they will resort to more substantial efforts.

Our job as constituents is to keep flipping over the rock, and pelting them with enough pebbles to keep them moving in the right direction.

Crossposted at Come and Take It.

Lamar Smith on Judicial Activisim

2005-08-17T23:35:00.000-05:00

The Liberal Lone Ranger was kind enough to crosspost this in a comment. If you're a progressive and have any questions that Lamar Smith doesn't represent your values, go take a gander at the whole thing. And if you've a really strong stomach, hazard a look at the full text of the speech.

I particularly like this point LLR makes:

Mr. Smith apparently doesn't understand what Baptists have understood since before Thomas Jefferson's letter to Connecticut -- it is wrong for the power of the government, in any form, at any level, to be used to force a religious view on the people. One only has to apply the "walk a mile in another's shoes" test to see the problem: What if all of the teachers in a San Antonio public school were Muslim and had the authority to require students to pray to Allah five times a day? What if Hindus became the majority in Congress and changed the Pledge of Allegiance to be "under Vishnu"?

Has an interesting ring to it, "under Vishnu". Though, as a Buddhist, I'd still be considering it metaphor rather than theological....

Just what Texas Needs: More Armed Lunatics at the Border

2005-08-15T20:04:00.000-05:00

Well, that didn't take long. Various political sites have been discussion Howard Dean's prediction that immigration will be the wedge issue of choice in 2006 (assuming gay-bashing loses its potency which seems unlikely.)

Reported on Statesman.com :

Frustrated by a government that seems unable to stanch the flow of illegal immigrants, a Houston Republican has introduced legislation creating a civilian volunteer militia to patrol the nation's borders, armed with arrest power, guns and the approval to use "any force necessary."

Commanded by Gov. Rick Perry and other border-state governors, the Border Protection Corps would add another line of defense against terrorists, smugglers and gangs eager to prey upon the United States, U.S. Rep. John Culberson said.

Critics accused Culberson of fueling anti-immigrant attitudes with an impractical and potentially dangerous idea, but the three-term congressman said national security trumps all other concerns.

"My constituents and I are just flat fed up, and we need action immediately to prevent terrorists and other criminals from crossing over to the United States," Culberson said.

Emphasis added. Just as with the PATRIOT act, national security is being used as a beard to hide a police state agenda that guts Constitutional protections.

Guess who signed up as a co-sponsor of the monstrosity in question?

Though critics dismiss Culberson's numbers as unrealistic, 47 Republicans have signed on as co-sponsors, including U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul of Austin, John Carter of Round Rock and Lamar Smith of San Antonio, whose district includes most of downtown Austin.

"There is a growing concern in America over how porous the borders are," Smith said. "Clearly, there is a need for this. Clearly, the government is unable or unwilling to devote the personnel and resources necessary to secure the borders."

So, who's less than thrilled with the idea of a vigilante force patrolling the border?

Among others, Governor Goodhair, who doesn't want to be responsible for, well, anything, but certainly not for the impossible task of sealing the porous Tex-Mex border (with all the cultural implications thereof).

Perry, who thinks that border security is a federal, not a state, responsibility, issued a lukewarm statement on Culberson's bill (HR 3622).

"I welcome federal efforts to protect our borders from illegal immigration and threats from terrorists," Perry said. "Regardless of the mechanism, the federal government must provide a stronger presence along the border."

Those with actual Border Patrol experience (as opposed to study-flapping wonkery) show a cool reception to this idea as well:

"The border is way too dangerous to leave it to amateurs," said U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso, former chief of the U.S. Border Patrol in the McAllen and El Paso sectors.

"The atmosphere it would create, the potential for violating people's civil rights, the fact that these individuals . . . may not understand the culture, the areas, the overall challenge that they're facing — I don't think it's anything you want to even entertain at this point," he said.

Reyes advocates hiring more Border Patrol agents, who are trained in the complexities of immigration law and required to speak Spanish, stipulations not included in the militia bill.

Emphasis again added. What a novel idea. Communication that's not conveyed by the barrel of a gun.

Perish the thought.

Courage for Congress

2005-08-14T12:45:00.000-05:00

At this point, I don't know much about John Courage. He's got a website and I'll be keeping an eye out.

Three things I do know that make me very pleased about this development:

1. He's run before (2002), though in 2004 the Democratic nominee was ghost candidate Rhett Smith.

2. He's RUNNING now. The website shows serious intent and heaven knows Sockpuppet Lamar Smith has been hiding under Tom Delay's shadow for far too long.

3. You've gotta love the beauty of "Congressman Courage". Well, at least if you're a metaphor geek like me you do.

50 States, 435 Seats

2005-08-12T18:03:00.000-05:00

One of which is squatted in by Tom DeLay's Sockpuppet, Lamar Smith.

Let's see what we can do about that in 2006, shall we?