The View From 22

Back to say I told you so...

2007-01-08T20:14:00.000-08:00

Why don't you people listen to me?

You might have heard the news about Nick Lampson pushing through a disgusting Tom DeLay-created earkmark that creates a $1.5 billion oil slush fund. And doing so after slamming the program during his campaign, with me and other Fort Bend Democrat volunteers at his side. He argued that the program "should be required to be debated publicly," and condemned DeLay's dirty tactics. Two months later, in the middle of the campaign, Nick snuck off to D.C. to help kill any public debate on the program.

I'll spare you my serious outrage for the moment - You can read about my feelings of betrayal on Fort Bend Now if you are so inclined, including my rather hillarious smackdowns of not only the corrupt former Sugar Land councilman Brian Gaston, but also the grown man who takes kickbacks and co-habitates with Mr. Gaston, as well as a very confused and bitter oil man.

But I did want to revive this little diary for a moment and point out that if you had listened to me and elected Giannibicego Hoa Tran to Congress, we could have had a $1.5 billion earmark to subsidize herbal remedies for "bird flu anthrax heart attacks from nuclear bomb pollutions air ingested poisons."

Seriously, it's like Nick Lampson WANTS me to die of bird flu anthrax heart attacks...

School starts in ten days, but I'll try my best not to be a stranger.

The View From 22 Wrap Up

2006-11-13T18:09:00.000-08:00

Nick Lampson : Despite all the hell I gave him, he's gonna
be a great congressman for Fort Bend...

Sorry I've been so late at providing a post-election wrap up. I had a Title VII brief due the week of the election, and this week I have oral arguments. In addition, I've had a bit of a tragic week - Our cat Gonzo passed away after a short struggle with leukemia.

But at least the election provided me with some happiness. First and most obviously, I will now have a Democratic congressman. Secondly, the nation followed suit and elected Democrats across the board. Lastly, local elections provided me with the statistical proof to know our efforts are working. I now know that in my adult life, Fort Bend County will not be ruled by Republicans. 2004 was not a fluke - This county, recently a 60%+ GOP fortress, is becoming Democratic. November 7th was a watershed day for our county and our nation. And given the news of the imminent redeployment from Iraq, it was also a watershed day for the planet.

Veronica Torres, Farhan Shamsi, and Rudy Velasquez, three
of the many admirable candidates I had the chance to work with
this year.

I had been hopeful that the Democratic tidal wave might be enough to push one of our candidates into county-wide office. It was a total long-shot, especially in a non-presidential year - the numbers aren't quite there yet - but now I can confirm that it is in the realm of realism.

You may have noticed that you don't see much bragging from the other side. And that's because they are looking at the same numbers I am. And it's not a pretty sight for local Republicans. Check out the results for statewide races (in Fort Bend) versus countywide races:

STATE-WIDE RACES:

Huchison........57,523
Radnofsky.......37,590

Dewhurst........55,129
Alvarado.........38,778

Abbot..............56,946
Van Os............37,717

Combs.............55,408
Head...............38,748

COUNTY-WIDE RACES:

Elliot..............51,197
Torres............43,534

Council..........52,149
Sane...............42,997

Childers.........52,146
Velasquez......42,477

Elliot..............51,960
Hollan............42,265

So what do we see? Local Republicans under-performed their state-wide ballotmates by between 6,000-3,000 votes (around 5%). Conversely, we picked up those votes. Republican votes. A 3,500 vote swing is now all that stands between victory or defeat in Fort Bend County.

And while we were wildly successful at persuading Republicans to split their ticket on these downballot races, we also continue to be one of the only counties in Texas where new Democratic votes are outpacing new Republican votes. Furthermore, straight ticket Democrat votes increased by 7,000 from 2002!

In traditionally GOP Precinct 1, Fort Bend Democrats were able to raise Democratic performance to over 47% of the vote! By '08, we will easily have Pct 1 back in blue. I hope Tom Stavinoha has a good retirement package...Or take a look at Sugar Land - Our candidates got 40% in Sugar Creek! Yes, this Sugar Creek. I made a prediction back in August after seeing the dynamics of this election season take shape - "This county will home to some of the most competitive and interesting races of the next decade of Texas politics."

I also remain stunned at just how effective and influential our blogs became, much to the chagrin of the local GOP. It all started as mere campaign diaries and reading fodder for our activists. But before we knew it, our most faithful readers were our Republican opponents, who were all too willing to allow us to frame the local debate and dictate the content of their messages. In the end, my blog gave me daily access to the mind of every local Republican from Shelley Sekula Gibbs on down to Mrs. Sex on the Beach. And it was fun. It was an odd felling to have TV and newspaper reporters say "Oh, you're Mark from The View From 22!" or to have politicians ask me if Robert Talton really brought cookies.

Now the bad news: How did we fall short this year? Well, lets look at turnout by Commissioner's precinct:

Pct 1 (Votes about even GOP-DEM) - 21,815

Pct 2 (Votes 80%+ DEM) - 19,644

Pct 3 (Votes 70% GOP) - 32,970

Pct 4 (Votes 55% GOP) - 26,082

And that's the election, folks.

It has been common knowledge for years that the "official" Fort Bend Democratic Party is severely dysfunctional. Yet this year's turnout shows the depth of the problem. The Fort Bend Democrats Club is mainly a Pct 1 & 4 organization. Pct 2 leaders are extremely territorial. As such, we tend to leave Pct 2 operations to the "official" party.

We thought we could count on increased turnout this year in Pct 2. After all, Commissioner Prestage and Representative Olivio were finally in contested races. We were dead wrong. While Pct 2 turnout is slightly up compared to 2002, this is due to realignment and new voting precincts being added to Prestage's territory. On a voting precinct by precinct basis, every key precinct in Pct 2 saw DECREASED turnout compared to 2002. In other words, the local party under Felicia Farrar accomplished a better turnout than this year's effort. Anyone vaguely familiar with the recent history of the Fort Bend Democratic Party knows exactly how shameful that is.

Had Pct 2 experienced a healthy increase in turnout instead of a shocking decrease, we might be closing in on recount territory right now.

In my future as an activist, I will not make the same mistake again by assuming the "official" party will do something (anything!) in Pct 2. And on a similar note, never let anyone tell you that you aren't an "official" Democrat. If you put a sign in your yard, or told a neighbor to vote blue, than you are an official Democrat. If you believe in the principles of progressivism, than you are an official Democrat. And if you worked your butt off for Democratic candidates this year, you are an official Democrat.

I want to thank all of the Democrats that did work their butts off. There are too many fair-weather Democrats in this county, too many "official" folks who show up at our events when Chris Bell or Paul Begala have been invited, but are nowhere to be found when real work needs to be done. But there are so many of you out there who poured your heart and soul into this campaign, and you are the official Democrats.

You know who you are, and I have one more message for you: Your party still needs you, because your party needs leaders.

Also, I want to thank local weirdo Greg Aydt for everything he did to help Nick Lampson achieve a slim majority in CD22. You see, turnout of Asian and especially Muslim voters in Pct 3 went through the roof this year. What was usually a 75% GOP area was knocked down to 69% this year. Without Mr. Aydt's efforts to energize the Muslim vote, Nick Lampson might have finished below 50%.

Some labeled Farhan Shamsi's campaign in Pct 3 a fool's errand, but his efforts tore away at a piece of the GOP fortress. He gave his voice to the maligned, and emerged as one of the true heroes of this campaign. His efforts, along with those of the grassroots activists of the Katy New Area Democrats Organization (KANDO), are true expressions of Howard Dean's 50-State strategy. As Democrats, we need to fight for every vote in every precinct. Using smarter databasing (and lasers!), we can finally do productive work in a 20-15% Democrat neighborhood.

Carmen and Rhonda of KANDO

Thinking back, it's funny how this all began with the struggle to rid ourselves of Tom DeLay and the stink of corruption. In that fight, we won victory back in August. And if that victory wasn't amazing enough, we can now take back DeLay's home county with a swing of 3,500 votes. It boggles the mind.

In the fall of 2008, I will be finishing my final semester at STCL. I can think of no better graduation present than a Blue Fort Bend.

Osama has his eye on Fort Bend's District Clerk Race...

2006-11-05T12:01:00.000-08:00

Despite claiming he was too busy, Andy Meyers must have found some cheap labor or something, because the weird signs went up everywhere last night:

I didn't know Annie Elliot was so key to the war on terror...And why does she hate the color blue? Probably because Republicans hate the troops. And puppies. Your puppies.

Apparently some of our members added decoration:

If you can, go chip a few bucks here at the last minute to help counter these hate signs. A few hundred more robocalls may make the difference.

****************************************************

Bill Maher laid out how Democrats should respond to Andy Meyers:

1. When they say Democrats will raise taxes, you say, "We have to, because someone spent all the money in the world cutting Paris Hilton's taxes and not killing Osama bin Laden." In just six years, the national debt has doubled. You can't keep spending money you don't take in; that's not even elementary economics, it's just called "Don't be Michael Jackson."

2. When they say the terrorists want the Democrats to win, you say, "Are you insane?" George Bush has been a terrorist's wet dream. He inflames radical hatred against America, and then runs on offering to protect us from it. It's like a guy throwing shit on you and then selling you relief from the flies.

3. When they say "Cut and Run" or "Defeat-ocrat," you say, "Bush lost the war, period." All this nonsense about, "The violence is getting worse over there because they're trying to influence the election," no, it's getting worse because you drew up the postwar plans on the back of a cocktail napkin at Applebee's. And of course Democrats want to win, but that's impossible now that you've ethnically cleansed the place by making it unlivable — just like you did with New Orleans.

When it comes to slogans, the only one I'm prepared to accept from the opposition is, "The Republican Party: We're sorry."

****************************************************

GOP Newspaper Endorses our Clerk Candidate

2006-11-04T15:24:00.000-08:00

So I began my morning by hanging out with Chris Bell and a packed house full of Democrats eating hamburgers. We had a quick pep rally, and then sent our soldiers out with phone and walking lists. I spent the last four hours walking the streets of North Richmond talking to people about hometown "It"-Girl Veronica Torres and her campaign for District Clerk.

Well, I return to our office to find out that Veronica has been endorsed today by the Fort Bend Herald, the stridently pro-Republican newspaper on the west side of county. This is HUGE. In fact, our campaign director made the comment, "This will be the first time I vote for a candidate endorsed by the Herald!"

I now hear that Annie Elliot is offering a reward to "anyone who can document who is stealing her endorsements."

Me Say War...

2006-11-02T14:38:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit busy today, so I'll let the late Robert Nesta Marley speak for me:

Until the philosophy which holds one race superior
And another
Inferior
Is finally
And permanently
Discredited
And abandoned
Everywhere is war
This is war.

That until there is no longer
First class and second class citizens of any nation
Until the colour of a man's skin
Is of no more significance than the colour of his eyes
I've got to say war.

That until the basic human rights
Are equally guaranteed to all,
Without regard to race
Me say war.

That until that day
The dream of lasting peace,
World citizenship
Rule of international morality
Will remain in but a fleeting illusion to be pursued,
But never attained
Now everywhere is war - This a war!

Of good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah!
Good over evil -
Good over evil, yeah!
Good over evil.

Ugly Signs of the Time (Metaphorically and Otherwise)

2006-11-01T22:48:00.000-08:00

First of all, read up on the disgusting signs paid for Fort Bend Commissioner Andy Meyers. They are simply unreal. Also, read his pathetic defense on the local news site. Pictured above is one of the least offensive versions. Meyers also bought some signs that said: "Encourage Terrorists - Vote Democrat."

While he claimed to be acting for the benefit of the local county-wide candidates, he has yet to properly explain what a county treasurer, a local judge, a district clerk, or a JP have to do with terrorism or border patrol.

And to show that his hate of civil conduct knows no bounds, signs were placed on T-posts bought and installed by Bob Smither. Bob's signs were ripped off the posts, thrown the ground, and replaced with these 4x8 hate signs:

Mr. Smither has already responded. He didn't waste time addressing Meyers, who is so low to the ground, snakes glide over him like ice. Instead, he wrote a letter to Shelley Sekula Gibbs, calling her to denounce the vandalism of his signs by her campaign activists.

Meyers, loathsome goon

It's hard to keep my cool in the face of this kind of inflamatory sickness. Mr. Meyer's attempt at civil discourse is toxic; he fouls my air simply by breathing. And Andy, if you're reading this, know that you and your buddy Hebert are next on the Had Enough Hit List.

**********************************************************

Markum, self-righteous
fear-mongerer

Speaking of things that are foul, my friend Hal was recently mentioned on a blog run by a Republican consultant and activist in Galveston county named Onzelo Markum. This closed-minded Islamophobe cites one of Hal's recent posts as a reason not to vote for Democrats. His rationale? Nick Lampson greeted the crowd at South Asian political forum with the traditional greeting "God be with you" in Arabic. For this reason, he says "we can't afford to put Nick Lampson back in Congress."

Yes folks, it has gotten THAT bad.

**********************************************************

And on the subject of rabid Islamophobia, I have some news on the Greg Aydt saga, the GOP elected official and Sekula Gibbs activist who routinely publishes hate speech. Many of you have written me expressing bewilderment at Mr. Aydt's hateful racist rants, and also mentioned how you wished that we could get these words in front of every Muslim voter.

Well, Farhan Shamsi, Muslim-American Democrat, community activist, and candidate for JP, decided to make it happen. I am proud to announce that this mailer is being sent to every registered Muslim voter in CD22. Farhan was deeply shaken by Mr. Aydt's rants. Feeling that the Democratic leaders have a duty to stand up and expose racism in our public officials, Farhan took action.

FRONT:

BACK:

Weekend Report: Bush, Pencils, Polls, Cave Trolls

2006-10-30T22:33:00.000-08:00

Bush comes to Sugar Land, messes up...

Bush speaks in Sugar Land, tells the crowd to bring pencils into the voting booth with them to write-in Shelley. And he's dead serious. Nobody told him about eSlates. You could hear murmurs of uncomfortable laughter, and the look on Shelley's face was priceless. When Bush screwed up the guy's name in Iowa a couple of days ago, I was wondering how he would embarrass himself here. Bravo, George. I salute your ability to defy the pundits and screw up in ways we could never imagine.

***********************************

Why Not: "WriteIn-
ShelleySekula-Gibbs-
ForUnitedStatesCongress-
InTexas22.com???"

Funny story - Someone I know owns "www.WriteInShelley.com." That's why Shelley's site is "writeshelly.com." We never did come up with anything to do with it, and just parked it on that Landover Baptist Church parody site. But my brother suggested that we do an instructional write-in video: We'd get an eSlate, put clear contact paper on it, and then film a voter with a magic marker writing Shelley's name on the face of the eSlate. It would've been brilliant, but there's never enough time, and plenty more to do.

************************************

BE AFRAID! IT'S THE NEW CD22 POLL!

Calm the villagers: I think it's mostly overblown. Here's the Chronicle story. I got a PDF of the full thing. Crunch the numbers down and ID'd Shelley support is around 28% to Lampson's 35%. Lots of declared undecideds. The poll also slightly oversamples Republicans, and any lengthy poll of this nature skews a bit GOP in these parts. But there is one number you cannot ignore, and I'm furious about it:

QUESTION: Can you name any of the candidates for CD22?

Shelley's name ID is at 44%. Lampson's is at 40%.

Hmmm, I wonder why that is? Maybe because in every Republican home in CD22 sits a large pile of tacky dishonest mailers with Shelley's name on them, paid for by Nick Lampson and the DCCC. $3 million dollars, and your name ID is lower than your Write-In opponent.

I covered the terrible immigration and medicare mailers. But there have been at least four more different mailers, and one weird one for Don Richardson that hit the same houses. One of the new ads accuses Shelley of "raising your water rates." This was sent all over Fort Bend County, where Shelley and City Council have nothing to do with water rates. Then of course there's the recent conservative chest thumping by Lampson, talking about the NRA, sending troops to the border, and staying the course in Iraq.

Have we not learned the lesson? When given a choice between a Republican and someone who talks like a Republican, voters pick the Republican every time. I cannot abide a campaign that runs against it's base.

But at least we have some good news locally: Our previous District Clerk, Republican Glory Hopkins, has endorsed Veronica Torres for Clerk.

************************************

I can sue a GOP elected official? Yes, Virigina, there is a Santa Claus...

So Greg Aydt, racial slur-lobbing Islamophobic GOP elected official, has been trying for weeks to get his photo off of my website. Play catch up on this hysterical story by clicking here.

He's been sending "cease and desist" requests all over the tubes of the internets. And finally I hear from my hosts here at Blogger. Anyway, after some discussion with the Google/Blogger team, they felt that even though the picture was not on their server, they would rather I not show the picture until I can send them a 512(g)(2) form asserting my rights under fair use. Which seems kinda pointless since this blog is going dark for good in about eight days. In the meantime, I won't be showing the picture, just linking to it on a external (non-Blogger) server. So for a visual on this page, I've substituted this picture:

Not a picture of Greg Aydt, GOP elected official. This is actually
a cave troll from Lord of the Rings. Unlike Aydt, cave trolls
are totally awesome, as you see in this short clip. Mr. Aydt's
photo can be found on the FortBendPolitics.com server.

One especially helpful guy, who had read the posts and found Aydt both hilarious and disgusting, suggested I look at the following provision in the Blogger copyright regulations, telling me it was the method Aydt used to make his request to remove the picture:

"To file a notice of infringement with us, you must provide a written communication that sets forth the items specified below. Please note that you will be liable for damages (including costs and attorneys' fees) if you materially misrepresent that a product or activity is infringing your copyrights. Indeed, in a recent case (please see Online Policy Group v. Diebold, Inc. for more information), a company that sent an infringement notification seeking removal of online materials that were protected by the fair use doctrine was ordered to pay such costs and attorneys fees. The company agreed to pay over $100,000. Accordingly, if you are not sure whether material available online infringes your copyright, we suggest that you first contact an attorney."

Maybe he should've taken their advice. The OPG suit was a test case for the new Digital Copyright Act: Diebold sent out "ceast and desist" requests to various blog ISPs requesting removal of photos of Diebold documents relating to voting machines. However, since their publication was made by non-profit blogs engaged in public political debate, the use of the pictures was allowed by fair use. For attempting to disrupt this protected speech, Diebold was hit with punative damages and forced to pay attorney's fees.

Mr. Aydt has been informed repeatedly that I am asserting the right to publish his photo under fair use. He cannot make a good faith representation that he was unaware of my claim. In short, I have a valid cause of action against a GOP elected official!

Alas, I have no special damages to claim...And while the comedic and ironic value of the posts are lessened by the photo's absence, I've always been told my sense of humor is priceless - i.e. - Nobody would give me a dime for it. But I do know some attorneys well versed in fair use doctrine that could sure use some fees for helping me secure a nominal judgment. Especially for a lawsuit involving a photo used in the outing of a GOP official publishing racist rants.

I'm going to do a story a day or two before Election Day about another big development in my quest to expose this hateful man in the midst of the local GOP leadership. I was thinking it would conclude the Aydt story nicely, but who knows now? You could be reading about us in Federal Court next spring...Stranger things have happened!

Sekula Gibbs: When you gotta go, you gotta go...

2006-10-27T19:20:00.000-07:00

Poor Shelley has a very small bladder. But does that give her an exemption from election laws?

She walked past a distance marker and illegally entered an early voting location. To use the restroom. And then decided to hang around a bit. She walked into the voting area, introduced herself to election judges, and spoke to them about turnout. Then she walked over towards the E-Slate machines and took a peek at some people voting.

And now here's the important part: Shelley is the only candidate who can tell if you're voting for her by watching you vote from a distance. And she just couldn't help herself. She just had to see if Republicans were spinning that wheel and dialing her name in.

Bless her heart, she is such a walking faux paus...

******************************

On the subject of another embarrassing candidate in the CD22 race, I got a few weird hits today: Four separate users from the Disney.com server searching for Dr. Giannibicego Hoa Tran. They hit my recent post about Dr. Tran's incredibly wacky platform.

And the folks at Disney aren't the only ones interested in Dr. Tran. Apparently "Le Groupe Videotron" in Quebec are also researching the good doctor.

Could it have anything to do with "cured danger disease attack from NUCLEAR toxics chemicals in airborn Anthrax, Bird Flu, Heart Cancers, Lung flu?" Your guess is as good as mine...

But you might want to start your research here.

Shelley Sekula Gibbs, the NRCC, and Stevie Wonder

2006-10-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

So I know an audio guy named David who has made it his special project to record all the political calls he gets during this election cycle. His recording of the bizarre Gibb's push poll made the rounds a few weeks back, even finding its way onto Bob Smither's website. But now he's got a new one, and it's amazingly strange.

This week, he recorded another extremely bizarre call he received on behalf of Shelley Sekula Gibbs. The call features a young out-of-state telemarketer fumbling her way through instructions on how to vote for Gibbs. But when she's done, my friend David starts hitting her with questions she can't answer. The call is filled with insanely long awkward pauses, shifting excuses, and strange background noises of people screaming. My theory is that the call company is using a cheap VOIP system, and that if you don't hang up, they can't move on to the next call. Their only option is to pull the plug on the system and do a full reset, which is a last resort.

The caller tries to do everything to cover up who is funding the calls, but finally admits that it is the Nat'l Republican Congressional Committee, after first claiming she works for "Independant Research Firm." And there's the rub - If the NRCC is calling, they can't legally ask you to support any specific candidate. This call skates the very edge of campaign finance laws, and when the GOP caller is pressed on details, signs of panic emerge (like the screaming), and towards the end, a supervisor obviously throws a short script with a legal disclaimer in front of her.

Anyway, the call is very weird and uncomfortable, and filled with huge silences.

The Republican party could save their volunteers a lot of awkward moments if they would just pony up and buy some Hold Muzak(TM). So I did it for them. Look how much more professional the call sounds when you fill the silences with a tranquil instrumental version of Stevie Wonder's 1984 smash hit, "I Just Called to Say I Love You." Click here to hear the new and improved version. It's about three minutes long. The first minute is the RCCC script being read, but the fun begins when David starts asking questions...

Or click here to hear the original with long awkward periods of silence.

Annie Elliot, the Hamburglar, Mayor Adam West, and the Bard of Stratford-on-Avon

2006-10-25T21:04:00.000-07:00

Drop a dime, get a dime.

That's right...A little ring-ring can score you some bling-bling. And you better believe I'm about to cash in, because I have exclusive photographic evidence of the sign thief in action:

I didn't get his name, but I do believe he called out the words "Robble, robble!"

(pause satire)

I just want to take this opportunity to point out that this is the same Annie Elliot who was named in a recent lawsuit as taking illegal campaign contributions in return for prosecutorial favors given by her husband. The next day, the office of one of the attorneys who filed the brief was maliciously vandalized, including the destruction of political signs and the desecration of a memorial.

So there's irony here as well.

(resume satire)

I can't help but being reminded of a scene from Family Guy:

Mayor Adam West: MY GOD! Somebody's stealing my water!

Meg: It just went down the drain.

Mayor Adam West: They're crafty I tell you. It happens when you least expect it.

[Waters plant.]

Mayor Adam West: SHOW YOURSELVES, DAMN YOU! I've been investigating them for months. It has cost $150,000 dollars of the taxpayers' money, but I'll find the culprits if it costs me a million.

Meg: You know, I think I have my story.

Mayor Adam West: You can't print that! It'll compromise my entire investigation! Thank God she's just a figment of my imagination...

And for those that don't watch TV, there's a bit of Shakespeare with a similar message:

"Oh God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains!"

Cassio was speaking of liquor, but there's nothing like a good double entendre to brighten my day...And yes, I've read Othello. Don't look so shocked.

Sekula Gibbs: View From 22 Reader

2006-10-22T21:48:00.000-07:00

I'm getting tongue-tied from these Get out the Vote calls, so I thought I'd take a break and tell you a story...

So my brother traded some favors to get the sweet job of "Faijta Judge" at the Needville Harvest Fesitival this weekend. His fellow judges? Shelley Sekula Gibbs, Nick Lampson, John Zerwas, and Annie Elliot. Funniest moment - The whole affair is delayed because a woman near the entrance passed out from heat exhaustion. When informed of this, Dr. Zerwas spoke up: "Do they need Shelley and I to go help?" My brother's response: "No John, I think unless she's a got a sun-burn that requires sedation, the EMT's probably have it under control..."

Anyway, I found out that Shelley is a View From 22 reader. She briefly mistook my brother for me, and asked him if he was the blogger that wrote View From 22.

I always sorta figured she was a reader, but her confirmation made everything fall into place. Politicians love instant feedback, and it seems like Shelley may have reacted to the some of the stories on this website.

For instance, I recently highlighted the hysterical cut-and-paste job on Shelley's website to give her the appearence of supporters. Her web consultants found a picture of protesters, and then photoshoped Sekula Gibbs signs into their hands:

The next day, the picture and link were gone.

But perhaps more telling is the sudden change of the "Supporters" section on her website. You may remember that Shelley listed the "Grassroots Republican Leaders" who supported her campaign. Listed first was Greg Aydt, a GOP precinct chair and all-around angry hate-bag. Well, I recently wrote a story about Mr. Aydt and his insanely racist public rants, and I gotta figure that Shelley saw it:

Click for full size image

Look! Now Mr. Aydt is second on the list! So now the joke going around Democratic circles is that delivering public racist rants gets you demoted one slot in the Shelley Sekula Gibbs campaign...

Allright. Enough of that. Back to the phones. And if you need something to do to help Democrats this week, shoot me an email or call our office - 281-238-9006.

Giannibicego Hoa Tran - Another CD22 Candidate Goes on the Record

2006-10-21T12:59:00.000-07:00

For so long, we knew next to nothing about her. But now Giannibicego Hoa Tran, the mystery woman who entered the CD22 special election, has filled out a 2006 Congressional National Political Awareness Test. You can find it at sites like Project Vote Smart.

In the CD22 special election, which is being called to fill a two month vacancy left by Tom DeLay, voters must choose between Shelley Sekula Gibbs, Bob Smither, Don Richardson, Steve Stockman, and Ms. Hoa Tran. I've been conflicted on who I should cast my vote for. But now that I have the results of Ms. Hoa Tran's CNPAT, I enthusiastically throw my support behind this major GOP donor and herbalist inventor. Check out these responses:

**************************

HOA TRAN ON BUDGET AND TAXING ISSUES:

My proposal plans will increase millions home/business home/office job to helping our lowincome citizens that is increase in millions dollars taxapayers budget on every year. that budget pay for Nutrition Supplement healthcare for the prevention/cured danger disease attack from NUCLEAR toxics chemicals in airborn/ingested poisons Anthrax, Bird Flu, Heart Cancers, Lung flu, Alzheimer Substance Abuse & HIV/Aids will decrease 70% crimes to protects school/public.

HOA TRAN ON DRUG ISSUES:

1. The drug talk program was not effective for cure.
2. Develop 100% safe Nutrition Supplement healthcare (life time not side effect) have effectives to save life Substance Abuse, ANTHRAX, BIRD FLU. (more for cured danger diseases OF MY INVENTION Please to contact me Thank)

HOA TRAN ON DEFENSE SPENDING:

VA/Troops need my My Nutrition for cured/prevent Anthrax, Bird Flu, Heart attacks Cancers: lung, brain caused from NUCLEAR toxics chemicals in Airborne/Ingested poison.

HOA TRAN ON ENERGY ISSUES:

NUCLEAR BOMB NUCLEAR Pollutions and POISONS chemicals (Gas) in the atmospheres in Airborne Ingested poisons, caused Cancers of Lung (Lung Flu) Brain, Heart paralysis, For Cure and Preventions danger disease of BIRD FLU, ANTHRAX, Embryonic/Adult Stem Cells please review on my web: www.DrTran Health Herbs.com (will online after Oct 15, 2006.

HOA TRAN ON IMMIGRATION:

My plans in 1 month to give 20 millions SS# Card will increase billions dollars (Federal/State) Taxes in every year to use that money to build Jobs in Mexico, Mexican people can go back home to work next with their family2. Who are Substance Abuse victims Please don't care gun please volunteer to contact President Bush for Nutrition treatment program for prevention Brain diseases.

HOA TRAN ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND AID:

I am The First Inventor/Inventions safe Medicine of the world of the prevention CURED in the early stages danger disease BIRD FLU, ANTHRAX heart attacks from NUCLEAR BOMB Pollutions air ingested poisons Enemies are Substance Abuse victims. I can save their life make peaceful world with human being with Iraq, Middle Eastern, North Korea Nuclear Threate, and to save life our Troops to WITHDRAW from IRAQ back USA..Decrease GASOLINE price, Rebuild New Orleand.

**************************

Wow. I didn't think I would be able to vote for anyone crazier than Steve Stockman, but I guess Ms. Hoa Tran proved me wrong. And Shelley has been a doctor for years, but did she cure bird flu, anthrax, and heart attacks from nuclear bomb air ingested poisons? No. She didn't. Ms. Hoa Tran did.

Racist GOP Elected Official Threatens Me with Libel Lawsuit!

2006-10-18T18:59:00.000-07:00

(WARNING: This post contains quotations of extremely offensive public comments from a GOP official, including racial slurs, bizarre hate speech, and some coarse language.)

So I just wrote a post about the role of blogs in local politics. As the epilogue, in a section entitled "What Not to Do," I quoted an ugly article written by Gred Aydt, the elected Republican Harris County Precinct Chairman who blogs as "Rhymes With Right." You can find his picture on an external server by following this link.

The article has the quaint title: “Sekula-Gibbs Supports Public Safety – Pro-Wetback Council Members Play Politics.” He then goes on to accuse Councilwoman Ada Edwards of "scrambling for a few more Hispanic votes like they were crack rocks." I used it as example of what not to do on a blog. Also, I pointed out that we really shouldn't worry too much about right-wing bloggers, because undecided voters looking for campaign information are usually not frustrated racists, so they won't be swayed by filth masquerading as political discourse.

Well, poor Chairman Aydt got really upset.

So upset that it knocked out him out of his angry bigot vernacular and caused to him to attempt an embarrassingly hysterical immitation of how he thinks lawyers talk. Soon after posting, I received this urget communication from Chairman Aydt:

"You are hereby directed to remove my personal photo from your website as a violation of my copyright. Appropriate action will be forthcoming if you do not comply.

And given that there was no racist statement at all, I suggest you remove your defamatory statement about me as well. I did refer to individuals present in this country in violation of American law with a derogatory term regarding their immigration status, but made no comment whatsoever about their race or ethnicity. As such, your statement is clearly libelous. So consider this to be your notice of potential action on my part in that regard as well.

Your immediate compliance is demanded."

Well, my compliance may have been demanded, but I did not deliver. As far as the photo, I'm a non-profit site using a copyrighted image for public comment or criticism of a public official, so I'm immune under Fair Use (Copyright Act, Section 107).

And as far as his "potential action" for libel, I offered that if he emailed me, I would be more than happy than to provide him with an address where he can have the papers served to me. After all, I can think of few greater joys in my life than causing a GOP elected official to launch a very public frivolous lawsuit where he must defend his use of the term "wetback."

Unfortunately, he hastily retracted his threat of legal action after being chastised both in pubic comments here and on a local news site. Or maybe it's because I only implied that his intended audience was racist. Well, I'll clear up that detail right now: As you'll see from my further research, it is my opinion that Chairman Aydt is a disgusting racist.

But now, Aydt says he didn't know the term "wetback" was racially offensive (He claims he calls illegal Canadian immigrants wetbacks!), and that he will never use that term again. And, he assures us, he is sensitive to the issue of race, and like the good little GOP official he is, he would NEVER express racist views. He may attack of a group of people for breaking the law, but he would NEVER slur or disrespect an entire group of people based on their race or ethnicity...

Think again. Prepare yourself for a small sampling of public racist statements from the mind of a Republican elected official:

"That's one more dead terrorist in Hell with Allah."
http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/189500.php

"In return, we will ship the Arab Muslims in the United States -- regardless of their citizenship -- back to the Middle East...They and their relatives back in their homelands have shown their utter inablility to live at peace with neighbors who are different from themselves....After all, if the Jews are not a good fit in the Middle East, why should the unassimilable Muslims be welcome in America?"
http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/193181.php

"Where are the peacemakers from the Religion of Peace? All I see are jihadi swine."
http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/194046.php

"Sorry, no respect for any ethnicity or religion with this scumbag...Just following the example of Muhammad, I guess. I recall that he liked sex with little girls, too. Would somebody please remind me what is there in Islam that is good and noble?"
http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/194551.php

"Israel has the capability to nuke your camel-humping ass."
http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/194045.php

"In other words, fundamental human rights are anathema to Islam."
http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/193770.php

I've provided links in case you want to see these quotes in context, even though there is obviously no context in which these hateful remarks are acceptable. I should add that the preceeding six quotes were all made in August of this year, and four of the quotes are from the same week. I did not cherry pick his entire blog looking for the occasional racist statement. One month was the most I could read without wanting to stab my own eyes out, and I still found all of this hateful garbage. One single month, and Aydt managed to repeatedly slur an entire ethnicity and religion, insinuate their God lives in Hell, suggest forced deportation of American Muslims, claim their holy prophet was a pedophile, and use a sadly common racial slur for West Asians that involves bestiality. Imagine what futher horrors might lurk in the archives of Chairman Aydt's public rants.

And consider the irony of Chairman Aydt speaking in one breath about "fundamental human rights," while then turning around and delivering this gem:

Under no circumstances should any alien not yet legally admitted to the United States be held to have any rights beyond the right to continue breathing.
http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/193230.php

And it's not just racist attitudes and heartless indignities...A quick look back around the time of Katrina, there's plenty of simply digustingly inhumane statements like these as well:

"Why are we sending one thin dime to a backwater, Third World hell-hole like New Orleans?"
http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/193933.php

"What needs to happen is that those caught looting especially those armed thugs we have all been hearing about simply need to be shot on sight."
http://rhymeswithright.mu.nu/archives/115495.php

There's one final point worth mentioning. Examine this screenshot from the website of Shelley Sekula Gibbs (click for a larger version):

A lot of us have read Aydt talk about his influence in the Sekula Gibbs campaign. And what do you know: There's his name! He's listed prominently as a member of the Republican leadership supporting Shelley Sekula Gibbs!

I would have to assume that at some point in the last few months, someone working for Shelley Sekula Gibbs would've done a Google search for "sekula gibbs" just to see what is popping up. And right there on the first page is Aydt's article about Sekula Gibbs and the "Pro-Wetback City Council." Maybe they didn't tell her about it.

Because I have to assume that Shelley Sekula Gibbs does not support hate speech, and would not cherish the endorsement of those engaged in it.

UPDATE: A reader emails to tell me that Aydt is still at it, and yesterday called Islam "the religion of barbarism."

The Role of Blogs in Local Politics

2006-10-16T13:36:00.000-07:00

Until very recently, I was a new media skeptic. I never would have imagined that blogs could be all that useful to local political campaigns.

The conventional wisdom went something like this: If you're reading a political blog, especially one concerned with local issues, than you must be a political junkie, and thus your mind is made up. You are not persuadable. So I figured that blogs were little more than campaign diaries. I felt their main function was to provide reading material to the party activists - Keep them informed of campaign news, supply them with talking points, etc. And that's exactly what a lot of blogs do, and that's fine. There's a lot of value in that.

But this campaign season, we tapped into something deeper. Something more fundemental...It's now 20 days until the election, and the messaging phase is over. What have we learned?

1. Local blogs can influence local media coverage.

I'll give you a couple of examples: Some of you may remember this post on Muse Musings about the fishy campaign finance reports of State Rep John Davis. After some more digging, Muse and company found enough evidence to prompt a KHOU Investigative Report. And then of course there was the Bob Hebert endorsement fiasco. Blog coverage here disseminated on Fort Bend Now led Hebert to contact local press and give an interview denying any wrong-doing while simultaneously editing his campaign website to eliminate the incriminating evidence.

2. Local blogs can raise money.

As anyone who has driven practically anywhere in Fort Bend in the last two months can tell you, the online Adopt-A-Sign program exceeded the club's wildest expectations.

3. Local blogs provide candidate information for undecided voters.

Candidate websites are all about credibility. Every candidate has one, but they have a very low persuasion factor. Research has shown that when a wired voter wants to find out about a candidate, they overwhelmingly start at one place: Google.

Now let me give you an example...Google search for "Brady Elliot" -

First two hits are mine. A fellow Democrat blog, Half Empty, has the next hit. The next hit is a family tree for a different Brady Elliot. The next hit is Elliot's campaign site, and the next two hits lead to local Democrat blogs: Bryan's Blog and Off the Kuff. And that's it. Go a few more pages, and you begin hitting some more Democrat blogs. Long story short - Undecided voter finds out Brady Elliot has been censured by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct for “failing to act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”

Google "Bud Childers", and you get a lot of hits about some basketball coach, but this post of mine is on the first page. And the only relevant hits on the next few pages come from Democrat blogs. Thus, our voter discovers Bud has no courtroom experience.

Annie Elliot's name is too common (you get results for actresses and lacrosse players), but try searching "Annie Elliot clerk." First three hits are articles from local papers about the controverisal contributions and political favors given to Mrs. Elliot. Next hit is my Election Guide. The only two other relevant hits on the page are also both Democrat blogs. It goes on and on. Voters searching for "Jeff Council treasurer" will find out that he knows how to handle the ladies...A "Ken Cannata" search produces three different Dem blogs on the first page.

Now go try searching our candidates...

Albert Hollan
Rudy Velasquez
Neeta Sane
Veronica Torres
Farhan Shamsi

4. Local blogs can exert influence on the opposition.

First off, continued reporting on our efforts, complete with photos, has helped seriously demoralize the local GOP. Long gone is the idea that local Democrats are unorganized and lacking support. The local GOP has now seen pictures of phonebanks, lasers, volunteer blockwalks and jam-packed events. And they are afraid. They even admit it in the press, reinforcing the idea to voters that they are loosing their grip on power.

Second, and even more importantly, our blogs have successfully framed the local campaigns. Indeed, they have been so effective in this regard that they have begun to exert control over the content of our opponent's messages.

Depending on how much of a political junkie you are, you may have heard of this book. It spawned the term "framing," one of the most commonly used and misused buzzwords in politics. To nutshell it for you, framing is about setting up the model to be used in any conversation, and we invoke frames with our language. Once an argument is made within a certain frame, the counter-argument also invokes the frame.

Thus when I tell you "Don't think of an elephant," you instantly think of an elephant.

I had been hearing rumors for some time that local GOP candidates were attempting to respond to our blogs in their stump speeches. Yet it really didn't sink in until one recent candidate's forum...

Brady Elliot began his speech with a series of long and awkward excuses for not being AV rated and being censured for improper judicial conduct. Bud Childers followed with a series of equally long and perhaps more awkward excuses for having zero experience in the courtroom. (BTW - His most recent defense is that when he resigned his job, he was given a secretary's position in the County Court so he could learn how it operates.)

Annie Elliot tried to cover for her lack of clerical or supervisory experience by citing her "good Texas values" and a mysterious Bachelor's degree "from somewhere in Tampico." Ken Cannata reinforced the fact that he has no experience with the juvenile justice system. And Jeff Council didn't even try to dispute our frame: We tell you he's a greedy insurance salesmen and good buddies with the guys on Commissioner's Court, and he bragged about it.

It makes you wonder who is consulting these guys...Or has the local GOP apparatus fallen into outright disrepair? Did they just get used to a system in which any crony in a bad suit with a GOP nomination could win in November? Think about it: Grassroots activists used blogs to control the content of their opponent's message. It is a watershed event.

I don't know what's going to happen on election day. But I do know that the prospect of a Democrat winning a county-wide office used to be unthinkable. And now, for the first time in over a decade, all of the county-wide Republican candidates are genuinely frightened. I'd like to think that no-cost online messaging was a small part of that.

In two years, I think it will be fair to say that any credible campaign for a county-wide office or higher will include a network of supporter blogs.

MY TIPS FOR THE LOCAL CAMPAIGN BLOGGER:

1. Local blogs are most effective with local content! Nobody cares what you think about Rick Perry or the Dubai ports deal. Get connected into your local party, get to know your candidates, and get to know the gossips on the other side. Get someone to every local political event, preferably with an audio or video recorder.

2. Learn how Google works and manipulate it.

3. Be active in local online media. Local news sites like Fort Bend Now will continue to increase in popularity and importance. Participatory news presents interesting new dynamics, and activists must explore this territory.

4. Member blogs are better than party blogs. Get a blog ring together. Here in CD22, I have a fairly big concentration of fellow Democrat blogs dealing with local politics, including:

Muse Musings
Juanita's
Off the Kuff
Half Empty
Truth Serum
Bryan in 22
Bay Area Houston Blog
Greg's Opinion
Brians and Eggs
Dos Centavos
Fort Bend Democrats
Houston Democrats

Distribute a list of blogs and news sites at your club and party meetings. Tell your members to email their friends and family about where to get local info online.

5. Most importantly, facts are better than opinions. An undecided voter will usually dismiss the opinions of a party activist, but facts are more difficult to ignore.

EPILOGUE: WHAT NOT TO DO (Or Why We Shouldn't Worry About the Other Side)

Some might worry that I'm giving away too much to our opposition...And in the next few days some GOP blogger will spike Google with information on GOP candidates. Well, the good news is that there really isn't a right-wing blogosphere covering the local campaigns. There are a few here and there, mostly talking about the Governor's race or Mark Foley or something they heard on Sean Hannity.

But one GOP CD22 blog has been extremely active during the campaign season - It's called Rhymes with Right. In fact, during the DeLay replacement fight between David Wallace and Shelley Sekula Gibbs, this blog suddenly published a boatload of meticulously researched negative material on David Wallace. And to this day, he continues to be a vocal activist for Sekula Gibbs - Some of you may be familar with his rants on Fort Bend Now.

And he knows his Google. Go search "Sekula Gibbs." I'll wait...

Did you see it? Fifth hit, right after her campaign sites. A little article titled: “Sekula-Gibbs Supports Public Safety – Pro-Wetback Council Members Play Politics.” And as if that wasn't enough, his article goes on to accuse Councilwoman Ada Edwards of "scrambling for a few more Hispanic votes like they were crack rocks."

And as if THAT wasn't enough, this isn't just some loner nut:

He is Greg Aydt, Republican Party Precinct Chair. And this is why we shouldn't worry about the other side. Frustrated racists are rarely undecided voters. So let GOP officials like Greg get all worked up and spill their hateful bile in public view. In fact, we should consider paying him for it.

George Lucas now working for Shelley Sekula Gibbs

2006-10-14T10:56:00.000-07:00

That's right, George Lucas has completed his path to the dark side. The bearded one and his army of geeky computer animators have apparently joined the campaign of Shelley Sekula Sith.

You see, Shelley had a problem only Lucas could fix. When creating her website, her consultants asked her for a picture of some campaign volunteers looking excited and holding signs. They needed it for the section of her website for "Volunteer Opportunities."

But alas, no such photo existed! It seemed that no more than two to three Gibbs volunteers were ever in the same place at the same time. What do you do to create the impression of support where there is none? (Short of going to Kamino to buy a clone army, of course...)

George Lucas had the solution. He calls it CGI - Computer generated imagery:

Click it for a blow up and marvel at this cut and paste job. I love how the crowd looks like an angry group of protesting radicals, not supporters of a far-right conservative. But if you think that's bad, you should seen the original version George Lucas pitched:

Sure, the man made six of the top 20 grossing films of all time, but he doesn't the first thing about subtlety...

*********************

One other quick note: I ruffled a few feathers with my last post on Lampson's attack mailers. Quite a few readers emailed and let me know that Shelley started the mudslinging with a dishonest ad.

I know. I got it. On the death tax (aka Paris Hilton tax). And yes, it's a terribly dishonest ad too. It uses some appropriation and procedural votes to make it look like Lampson opposes ending the death tax - You know the drill, Lampson votes against a terrible bill that coincidentally includes an amendment with language on the death tax...Typical congressional race fare.

You can see his actual record on taxes here. The fact is that Lampson not only voted to repeal the death tax every time it came to the floor, but AUTHORED the "Death Tax Elimination Act." So yes, the Gibbs attack ad is completely dishonest trash. One of the small ironies is that Nick's actual record makes me less likely to support him. In fact, if Shelley were smart, she would've sent mailers to every Democrat household telling them Lampson supports tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy. At least then she wouldn't be a liar.

I'd really hate to imagine how nasty this campaign would be if it were actually competitive...

Mud Wrestling with Nick Lampson and Shelley Sekula Gibbs

2006-10-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

I wish I had positive news for you today. And yellow-doggers, forgive me for being critical of a Democrat...But recently I expended no small effort criticizing local Libertarians on Fort Bend Now for distorting Lampson's record and slinging some fairly nasty mud. Well, I want everyone to know that this is not a partisan issue for me - And what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

Lampson's mail campaign has begun, and it ain't exactly pretty. Basically, instead of mailers talking about Lampson's record, or his fight for economic discipline, or his campaign finance reform credentials, or the need to end the culture of corruption, the consultants running the Lampson campaign decided to spend a boat-load of money giving name ID and credibility to Shelley Sekula Gibbs.

He sent two (and these are just the ones I got) attack mail pieces on Shelley. The only place it says Lampson is a tiny disclosure box on the back. Imagine average voters who are only vaguely aware of the personalities involved in this circus. In their minds, a write-in is a crazy person not to be taken seriously. Gibbs will only be able to spend a modest amount of money dispelling this idea. But now that Lampson is paying for attack ads against her, she gains legitimacy. And a ton of name ID.

As if that wasn't bad enough, take a look at the ads:

FIRST AD - DR. SHELLEY DOESN'T TAKE MEDICARE

Click on the thumbnail for a large version. This ad, attacking an upscale GOP dermatologist for choosing not to take Medicare patients, borders on ridiculous. I mean, how is this a shock to anyone? For an attack, this piece has all teeth and no weight.

Gibbs' likely reply: "I refused to work any longer with a broken bloated bureaucracy created by Nick Lampson and his liberal allies in congress. As a doctor, I know what's wrong, and when elected, I pledge to fix it."

I mean, c'mon, this dumb drivel writes itself...

In addition, a lot of people are really upset about the stupid tag-line: "Whatever her name is, one thing is clear - We can't afford her in Congress." Some people think it's sexist, which it is. Some people also think it's childish, which it is. More importantly, some think it's dumb, and they're right.

SECOND AD - SHELLEY'S FLIP-FLOP ON IMMIGRATION (A Hyperbole in F Sharp)

Ok, first off, I've said some mean things about Shelley when it comes to this issue. But I attempted to be fair, cite my sources accurately, and leave it at that. In Shelley's defense, Lampson's ad goes too far and plays loose with the facts.

This attack piece accuses Shelley of calling for the end to the city's sanctuary policy while voting for the policy the previous year. It cites the Houston Chronicle on July 24, 2006. First problem: That didn't actually happen. Second problem: They cited the wrong article, so there's no way a voter can verify this.

Ok, I'll explain. It took me a bit to figure this one out. Examine this piece from the Online News Station. It's a press release from the Lampson campaign. It cites two different Houston Chronicle articles, one from July 21 and another from July 24:

****************************

The July 21st article:

"At the time, Sekula-Gibbs called Ellis’ proposal, which would also required people to show proof of

U.S.

citizenship to get social services,“a political stunt.” According to the Houston Chronicle, “Sekula-Gibbs said it would be impossible to verify someone’s immigration status before, for example, putting out a fire. She said she also disapproved of Ellis’ tactic of trying to force a council vote on a nonbinding resolution.”

The July 24th article:

And in June 2006, the Houston Chronicle reported that The Metropolitan Organization said that Shelley Sekula-Gibbs pledged to them that she would maintain the city’s current policy on dealing with illegal immigrants. When the Chronicle pushed her on this group’s claim Sekula-Gibbs, “declined to discuss the pledge specifically.”

****************************

So first of all, Gibbs never voted for the city's policy. It's pretty dishonest to say she did. She cast a vote to refuse to entertain a vote on the Ellis proposal, which was a poorly worded non-binding resolution that if followed, would've resulted in firemen checking immigration status.

Second, I hope to God they meant to cite the first article and just made a mistake. I hope it wasn't on purpose...Because the July 24th article cited in the attack piece makes no mention of the Ellis proposal or any council vote at all. Instead, it talks briefly about a pledge made to TMO, a special interest group. So not only are they slinging mud and distorting their opponent's record, but they're being sloppy about it. And it makes the rest of us look bad.

Ok, moving on. Assuming you agree with the strategy of the Lampson attack ads, then it's enough to simply say that Shelley is weak on immigration. The idea is to supress GOP voter turn-out. You don't have to convince them that Lampson is the answer - You just have to destroy their enthusiasm for Gibbs. So, you might think, it is quite unnecessary to go on a chest-thumping hard-line rampage on the subject of immigration that will alienate your base...

Think again:

Good grief...Lampson himself recently declared that it's time to "get serious" on immigration by sending troops to the border. Do you have any idea how much harder it is to energize our base for local races when we have a congressional candidate talking this way? I spend so much time trying to convince fellow Democrats that Lampson is on our side, and so much time trying to convince Republicans that he is not. All this triangulation is making me dizzy.

Finally, let us pause and trace back to consider one detail: I got these mailers. They arrived at MY house. Now you're a reader of my blog - Do I look like a swing voter to you?

These mailers are persuasion pieces. They are meant to target likely Gibbs voters. Yet they arrived at the homes of Democrat activists all over the county. My guess - It was sent to any household where at least one person voted in at least one GOP primary. But these out of district mail consultants were ignorant of one anomaly - The 2000 primary, which had no contested Democrat races, but several contested GOP races with "shadow Democrats" like Sandy Bielstein. It's the only way I can account for it. And the failure to screen out hard core Democrats was a major mistake.

One of many in this debacle, I'm afraid.

How much naked kleptocracy can one county government stand?

2006-10-04T14:01:00.000-07:00

Answer - A lot.

The short version: County commissioners just agreed to lease Judge Cliff Vacek's old law office in a deal that in three years pays more than the property's total appraised value. Vacek also claims an agricultural tax exemption on the land (because he keeps a few head of cattle there, whose drinking water tax payers must also cover under the lease). It's a $168,000 sweetheart deal.

It is as unbelievable as it sounds. Read more about it here.

**************************

So I was reading news on the MSNBC website, and I run across this sign post of the zeitgeist that I had to share:

I was going to fill out the form with a long story about my paging days with Tom DeLay...He may have been able to resign, but I wish I could quit him...

But Venture Brothers was on:

**************************

Finally, here is a random sampling of terms entered into search engines that led people to this site over the past week:

"texas code of judicial conduct" - Our county officials seem to have a problem with this one...

"mike elliot fort bend" - Well, he has been in the news...

"tom delay brahma" - Your guess is as good as mine.

"troy nehls safari ranch" - Footprint tracks of an elusive Saber-Toothed Scandal-Hunter...

"larry blackmon democrat" - This person apparently didn't get the memo.

"bob hebert pbs&j" - A pretty common variant among the PBS&J searches.

"john zerwas lobbyist" - Duh. Don't need a Google search to know which way the wind blows.

Some Shelley searches:

"shelley sekula gibbs with delay" - Image search. Hit this pic.

"shelley sekula gibbs port security" - Not gonna find much on that search...

"shelley sekula gibbs racist" - Probably got a few more hits with that one. This person hit my page here.

"shelley sekula gibbs sex on the beach" - I'm still averaging as many as 5 hits a day from this search. Maybe there's more to this than just a tank top:

Actually, speaking of the tank top, the woman in question approached some local Democrats at a recent event inquiring if I was there. She wanted to make it clear that although she is a friend and big supporter of Tom DeLay, she does not work for Shelley Sekula-Gibbs. Which is odd, because this woman was whispering in Shelley's ear throughout the GOP Executive Committe meeting I attended. Maybe Robert Talton put something in the cookies.

But regardless, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs has even now lost the support of the sex on the beach demographic.

Incompetence, Thuggery, and Other Odds and Ends...

2006-10-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

Albert Hollan tells voters why he is right choice for District Judge
while Brady Elliot waits patiently to confirm this.

First of all, Bryan checks in with a really good report of the local candidates forum that I missed. The good news is that the GOP is doing our job for us. Each of their candidates made sure to confirm everything in my popular Election Guide:

1. Judge Brady Elliot's speech outlined the fact that he is not Bar certified, not AV rated, and has been censured for the state bar for "failing to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary."

2. Bud Childers, candidate for County Court Judge, confirmed the fact that he has no trial experience. In his defense, he argues that the previous judge, Judge Wagenbach, was also a county attorney with no trial experience. This is only half true. Wagenbach was county attorney, but he had at least SOME experience in the courtroom. Regardless, it's a dumb argument - "I'm unqualified, but so was the last guy."

3. Annie Elliot, candidate for District Clerk, had some difficulty recalling what job she held previously, and claimed to have a bachelor's degree. Afterward, when asked where her degree was from, she said she did not remember, and that it was "somewhere in Tampico."

4. Jeff Council, candidate for County Treasurer, talked about how good he is at selling insurance. He bragged endlessly about the huge profits he reaped, but then changed his tune when he saw all the frowns in the crowd. Apparently, being an insurance profiteer does not go over as well with regular voters as it does as Chamber of Commerce luncheons. Finally, he managed to offend the rest of the crowd by claiming that "he knew how to handle the ladies in the County Treasurer's office." And yes, it's on tape.

5. Ken Cannata, candidate for JP, countered charges that he has no experience with juvenile justice by saying he has raised three children.

****************************

Second, I've gotten a lot of emails curious to know what I thought of this ugliness from last week, and if I had anything to say. Well, I think it's sad but sadly predictable.

GOP thugs are a tradition around here. In the past, they've left dead animals on doorsteps. They spray-painted "FAG" on John Kerry signs. In the spring, they were sent on orders "to wreck" a Lampson press conference, and wreck it they did, assaulting an elderly woman in the process.

I've seen a lot of passion in Democrat volunteers too. I guess we just have a different way of showing it.

****************************

Third, this ad buy is about the dumbest thing I've ever seen:

At least they don't have any real competition...They have actually been phone banking to voters with this message for a while now. Not Lampson's fiscal responsibility credentials. Not Lampson's campaign finance reform credentials. Nothing about the economy or corruption. Nope. Instead: "Nick is supported by TV's John Walsh!"

This whole strategy is ridiculous for so many reasons, primarily because it's a cowardly and foolish evasion away from the issues most on the mind of CD22 voters, but also:

First, who bases their vote on this issue?
Second, now Lampson is using the same celebrity endorser and campaign centerpiece as Mark Foley.
Third, ....oh nevermind, I don't even want to get started on this.

And just think of it...Instead of throwing away money on "the John Walsh strategy," those campaign resources could've gone towards identifying and exciting minority turnout by synergizing with some of these local party nominees. People like Rudy Velasquez and Neta Sane can engergize some voters more with one contact than Lampson could with six. And trust me, these people could care less about John Walsh.

And I just saw Bell's worthless new ad. Thank God for the local candidates, or I might truly go insane.

Lobbyist vs. Teacher

2006-09-25T09:40:00.001-07:00

This blog covers Congressional District 22, but it's primary focus is Fort Bend County. And while not in CD22, there is a rather important State Representative race that reaches into our county. This November, while I cast my vote for Dora Olivo, my neighbors to the North and West will have to choose between a career teacher and a medical lobbyist to represent them in the State House. As such, I've added another entry to my popular Election Guide:

A teacher or a medical lobbyist...Hmmm, what a decision. In this race, I think that if voters take a look at rising insurance premiums and failing schools, the choice is simple. Unfortunately, not every voter will see a picture of Dr. John smiling in a group photo with all his lobbyist buddies. Voter education is critical in this race, so if you live in District 28, you need to tell everyone you know about what John Zerwas really is and what he will do for the Texas medical industry.

Which is why I would support Dorothy even if I didn't know her. But I do. My fiancé was born and raised in the Waller County Democratic Party which Dorothy has led for the past decade. She has been a dedicated community leader and a tireless advocate for education and health care issues. She will be an outstanding State legislator.

View From 22 Fun With Photoshop

2006-09-23T12:45:00.000-07:00

Proof positive that at least one person in the Fort Bend Republican Party can use Adobe products: Jeff Council has a new online ad. Apparently in response to Neeta's ad on Fort Bend Now, Council posted his own sidebar pitch:

I felt the original lacked a certain je ne sais quois, so I helpfully edited the ad to more properly reflect the nuances of this candidate:

In Contracts II, I sit next to a local Republican. He moved into Richmond a couple years back, and he's getting active in the party. He told me we would be putting out signs today for Shelley Sekula Gibbs. He was only vaguely aware of any other candidates: He has heard of Bud Childers, but got his name wrong. So here we are, a month and a half from E-Day, and even the GOP activists don't know squat about the GOP nominees.

I'll admit it's a smart campaign strategy for flawed candidates. It's best to fly under the radar. An informed comparison does not benefit local Republicans. Nonetheless, it's time to have these discussions.

Local media, I'm looking in your direction...

Depressed local GOP holds depressing meeting full of depression.

2006-09-17T09:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry guys - I've been buried in school and a bit out of the loop over the past week. This PBS&J stuff has been fascinating (if less than shocking), and like Alice, we're all peering over the edge wondering just how far this rabbit hole goes.

But today, I really wanted to share a great news article from a couple of days ago. It seems the local Republicans finally got around to opening a headquarters. They even managed to get a few people to actually show up. Local media says 50, but a local GOP'er in one of my classes said that number was false, and they had about 80. Go figure - Typical liberal media lies.

Well, as someone who just helped arranged a rally of 400 Democrats, I think that's just adorable. Remind me to swing by and see if they have a laser.

I wanted some of you guys to see what the current GOP attitude is, so here are a few quotes from the local GOP nominees:

Unqualified GOP District Clerk candidate Annie Elliot: "The Democrats are working hard - extremely hard - and it's scary."

Glad you noticed Annie. But what's really scary is that you have no experience in the county's clerical offices and no supervisory experience whatsoever, and yet you want to be the registrar of our court system. What's even scarier is that even with your total lack of relevant experience, you are still one of the most qualified GOP candidates in a pack of hideously unqualified loons...

Terrifyingly incompetent GOP judicial candidate Bud Childers: "We need to uniformly get together and we need to need your help."

Poor Bud. He's so needy. And even if you forget that he has no courtroom experience, it's hard not to notice that he has a problem with split infinitives. He really needs to speak uniformly. And I love the Cheap Trick reference:

I want you to want me.
I need you to need me.
I'd love you to love me.
I'm beggin you to beg me.

Didnt I, didnt I, didnt I see you cryin?
Oh, didnt I, didnt I, didnt I see you cryin?
Feelin all alone without a friend, you know you feel like dyin.
Oh, didnt I, didnt I, didnt I see you cryin?

State Rep. District 28 candidate John Zerwas, meanwhile, said his biggest concern with the race is his own party.

My biggest concern with your race, good Doctor, is the fact that you're firmly in the pocket of the big pharma and insurance lobby, but hey, we have different priorities. Believe me, I understand the man's concern...I wouldn't want to be associated with a bloated system of corruption and plutocracy either. So I imagine Dr. John will just keep putting his campaign signs edged right up against our "Had Enough? Vote Democratic!" signs. Typical "cut-and-run-as-a -Democrat" strategy.

Long story short, things are a mess on the other side. It really couldn't be worse to be a Republican these days...Unless of course you're a woefully unqualified Fort Bend County Republican. Seriously, take a look at the current slate of candidates we're being offered by the GOP:

A clerk candidate who has no clerking experience.
A county treasurer candidate who plays golf with the guys he will be charged with watch-dogging.
A JP candidate with no experience with youthful offenders or the criminal justice system.
One judicial candidate who has never seen the inside of a courtroom.
Another judicial candidate who has been reprimanded by the State Bar for "failing to act in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary."

For months now, this seriously-below-average group of candidates have had the good fortune of a bizarre congressional race that dominated local media coverage. Their only hope is to remain anonymous, because once a voter learns ANYTHING about them, they are significantly less likely to support them. That's enough to give any crony the blues.

Labor Day with Lampson, Bell, Radnofsky, Sklar, Gilbert, Sharp and many, many more...

2006-09-04T12:48:00.000-07:00

What an amazing event! Nearly 400 local Democrats filled the Sugar Land Community Center to capacity to hear from 14 local and statewide candidates. Never before have Fort Bend Democrats hosted a more impressive group:

Nick Lampson - Shane Sklar - Al Green
Chris Bell - Barbara Radnofsky - Hank Gilbert
Jim Sharp - Grady Prestage - Dora Olivo
Albert Hollan - Rudy Velasquez - Neeta Sane
Veronica Torres - Sherrie Matula - Dorothy Bottos
Joel Clouser - Farhan Shamsi

The momentum of this year's campaign is incredible. Our supporters are excited and motivated. Everyone can sense the change in the air. We now know 2004 was not a fluke for us - Fort Bend is genuinely turning into a Democratic county. It is becoming clear that 2006 will be a watershed year in local politics.

Yours truly with Richard Morrison and Hank Gilbert.

District Judge candidate Albert Hollan with Union
leader and Fort Bend legend Bobby Davis, the event's
guest of honor.

Chris Bell had the crowd in the palm of his hand...

Dorothy Bottos, running for State Rep, and Veronica
Torres, running for District Clerk.

Congressman Al Green was the keynote speaker. He spoke about
his recent visits to Iraq and Darfur and delivered a rousing critique
of failed GOP leadership.

Neeta Sane, candidate for County Treasurer.

Barbara Ann Radnofsky greets supporters.

I think that says it all...

Judge Hebert alters his website in attempt to escape criminal liability

2006-08-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

So back to the Hebert Scandal. I knew it was a good idea to take a screenshot of his campaign website...

Examine this picture of what Bob Hebert's website said until last night. Now check out the revised version he uploaded yesterday. Thanks for validating my point for me, Bob. But let me ask you something - Do you think editing out your claims makes them look legal or illegal?

Apparently Bob Hebert does not know much about the internet. I'll let my good friend Ted Stevens, the senior senator from Alaska, explain it in really big red letters so he understands:

The internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck.

It's a series of tubes.

And if you don't understand those tubes can be filled and if they are filled, when you put your message in, it gets in line.

And then it's all out there in the tubes. You cannot take it back. Again Bob, I will repeat my friendly advice: When you find yourself in a hole, for God's sake, STOP DIGGING!

Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids...

What To Do And Do It Right!

2006-08-29T14:06:00.000-07:00

As you probably guessed by looking around at the page, I'm hip to graphic design. I'm no professional, but I know my way around photoshop. I've had a hand in some of the local Democrat literature that many of you will begin seeing in your mailbox soon. And a couple of weeks ago, I sat down with JP candidate Farhan Shamsi and crafted his nifty pushcard.

I thought our work would have to compete with incredibly professional campaign materials put together by big-shot Republican campaign consultants. Turns out the bar is quite a bit lower than that. I was recently shown this mailer which was used in the March primary by GOP lackey Bud Childers:

Whatever it is that Bud knows how to do, it's sure not grammar: He doesn't know what a sentence is, or how to form it right.

And I know he can't be referring to the practice of trial law considering he is a complete stranger to the inside of a courtroom and has never tried a case himself. But the man still wants to be your next County Court at Law Judge. Because he "knows what to do, and do it right."

I did not edit that pic in any way. Seriously - It was mailed out to thousands and thousands of households. And he probably paid someone a fair chunk of money to design and print that glossy embarrassment.

UPDATE: Ahhh, Juanita reminded me what Bud knows how to do: Hang signs in every illegal and inappropriate place he can think of...

Yes, that is nailed to a public utility pole and tacked into the trunk of tree. But wait, it gets so much better. How about covering up a community service sign that happens to be near a polling place? Yep. Bud knows what to do, and do it right. Juanita suggests reading the next one top to bottom:

OMG that is so freakin' sweet. I love local politics.

One Last Word on the Bob Hebert Endorsement Scandal

2006-08-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

If it looks like a duck and
quacks like a duck...

If you need to catch up on the details of this scandal, start here. In a nutshell, Hebert made endorsements in violation of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct. After being called out by Muse and myself, Hebert felt compelled to make a statement to the local online press that he really wasn't a judge under the code, despite his earlier (and possibly criminal) representations.

But after all that, there is still one vital point to be made. Even if Hebert is misrepresenting himself on his website and has no current judicial duties, he is still under the code. Check it out:

1. According to this article, the County Judge will begin holding probate hearings at the start of next term, and according to Hebert, will be “operating under terms of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct.”

2. Hebert is a candidate for the County Judge position which starts next term.

3. According to Canon 6 of the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct, candidates for a judicial office are held to the same standards as office-holders.

4. Ergo, Hebert falls under the jurisdiction of the code.

Judge Hebert, I am awaiting your retraction and a public apology for your ethical lapse.

The View From 22 Election Guide

2006-08-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

Those who stay away from the election think that one vote will do no good: 'Tis but one step more to think one vote will do no harm.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

With so much publicity over the dramatic withdrawal of Tom DeLay from the race for Congressional District 22 that it's easy to forget that there are seven other important offices up for election in Fort Bend County this November. With that in mind, I present the following analysis of Fort Bend's contested downballot races:

This critically important judicial seat is the only race in 2006 with a Republican incumbent. This incumbent, Judge Brady Elliot, is also the only Fort Bend Judge to be publicly censured by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. A public censure is a drastic step - just short of removal from office. Elliot was censured for “failing to act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”

Judge Elliot has grown weary. In recent years, he has shown an increasingly irritable and eratic attitude on the bench, and his mistakes cost us money. A murder indictment in Elliot's court was quashed because Elliot was found to have excluded certain racial groups from the indiciting grand jury. In his most recent case that the Court of Appeals overturned based on error, Judge Elliot failed to add a lesser included charge despite the fact that both the defense counsel and prosecutor instructed Elliot it was necessary. Even GOP District Attorney John Healy came to Elliot's court to plead with the judge to include the correct jury charge, warning that the case would be reversed. Elliot ignored them. The case was reversed, and once again the taxpayers were stuck with the bill.

Albert Hollan would provide a much needed change of direction in the 268th District Court. Albert is an accomplished attorney with 18 years of courtroom experience. His knowledge of legal theory and practical judicial issues is impressive. I've had many fascinating conversations with Albert, and I'm always amazed at how much more effective he is at explaining complex issues than my some of my stuffy law professors. I would describe his judicial philosophy as "traditionalist". He believes in a restrained judicial branch that strives to apply the law as it is written. With Albert Hollan on the bench, we could have a District Judge we could all be proud of.

This one is a no-brainer: Longtime GOP crony with no courtroom experience versus an accomplished litigator and former prosecutor with 22 years of trial experience. This race has no incumbent. The former County Court Judge Larry Wagenbach retired this term.

Childers may be the County Attorney, but he is a complete stranger to a courtroom. And since the County Attorney's office is filled with his cronies (like former County Judge Roy Cordes, who is now sliding into Childers' job), the county is frequently billed for outside legal representation.

On the other hand, Velasquez is a true Fort Bend legal heavy-weight. He served for years as a hard-nosed prosecutor in the Fort Bend District Attorney's office, and he currently handles complex litigation for the City of Houston.

The choice is obvious.

This is yet another race with no incumbent. The former Republican County Treasurer was convicted of embezzlement and tampering with government records and resigned from office in disgrace. Now, another longtime GOP crony, insurance salesmen Jeff Council, has been offered up to the voters. But after all the fiascos in county government, do we really want a treasurer who is so openly chummy with Commissioner's Court?

The other option is to restore some badly needed checks and balances to county government. Neeta Sane is truly an amazing woman - a successful entrepeneur, an innovator in the field of financial management and security, a brilliant computer scientist, and a dedicated community leader. She is deeply committed to ensuring that our money is safe and our county finances are handled efficiently and with integrity.

The District Clerk's race also has no incumbent. Annie Elliot filed a lawsuit to have popular incumbent Glory Hopkins removed from the ballot. Because of incorrect mailing information provided by GOP party chair Eric Thode, Hopkin's application for candidacy arrived late. After she was kicked off the ballot, Thode openly gloated.

Annie Elliot, wife of Assistant District Attorney Mike Elliot, but no relation to Judge Brady Elliot, is massively underqualified for the job of District Clerk. She has never held a supervisory role, and has no experience at all in the county's clerical offices.

However, Veronica Torres has all the right qualifications. And unlike Elliot, Torres is not a bitter partisan. She works on the staff of Republican County Clerk Dianne Wilson, and has learned how to run a county office effectively. Torres has a proven track record of outstanding performance, and she will maintain the high standards of efficency set by Glory Hopkins.

Nobody really thinks this is a competitive race. Commissioner Prestage is immensely popular among his constituents. His opponent, Larry Blackmon, used to be a Democrat, or at least claimed to be a Democrat. Blackmon faced Prestage in the 2002 Democratic primary, but was soundly beaten. Now he is running as a Republican. The only question in this race is how big of a landslide victory Prestage will produce.

This is another less-than-competitive race. Olivo is another immensely popular Democrat incumbent. Her opponent, Ken Bryant, was discouraged from running by the GOP leadership. Olivo is an experienced campaigner with an extremely loyal base of support. She will have no trouble holding on her seat.

A teacher or a medical lobbyist...Hmmm, what a decision. In this race, I think that if voters take a look at rising insurance premiums and failing schools, the choice is simple. Unfortunately, not every voter will see a picture of Dr. John smiling in a group photo with all his lobbyist buddies. Voter education is critical in this race, so if you live in District 28, you need to tell everyone you know about what John Zerwas really is and what he will do for the Texas medical industry.

Which is why I would support Dorothy even if I didn't know her. But I do. My fiancé was born and raised in the Waller County Democratic Party which Dorothy has led for the past decade. She has been a dedicated community leader and a tireless advocate for education and health care issues. She will be an outstanding State legislator.

Like so many other races this fall, the race for Justice of the Peace in Precinct 3 has no incumbent. Farhan Shamsi and Ken Cannata will face off for the open seat in November. The JP's court is a community court - It is responsible for minor disputes and traffic offenses, but most importantly, it handles minor juvenile offenses.

Ken Cannata is the Republican nominee, and he has no experience with juvenile offenders. He is a personal injury lawyer. In his campaign materials, he promises not to be an "activist judge who legislates from the bench." Statements like this show Cannata lacks a basic understanding of the JP court. It is not a court of record - It does not issue opinions, and JP's decisions do not have the force of law. In short, it is impossible for a JP to "legislate from the bench."

Farhan Shamsi would make an outstanding JP. His career in the field of substance abuse treatment and youth intervention make him perfectly suited to get involved in the lives of our at-risk kids. In addition, his background in cutting-edge management systems will help bring the JP's office into the 21st century, increasing efficency while reducing unnecessary bureacracy. Shamsi is also committed to making the JP's court more accessible to all residents of Precinct 3. As Farhan often says, "You won't need a lawyer to get justice in my court."

Early voting starts October 23. Make sure to check the website for the Fort Bend County Elections Department for more information regarding the election.

County Judge Bob Hebert responds to our charges: "I was lying."

2006-08-26T13:47:00.000-07:00

An artist's impression of Hebert and the current state of his pants.

That's right. Because of a certain pair of blog posts, Bob Hebert felt obliged to emerge from his undiclosed location and tell the whole world he is a liar.

The problem was that if Hebert is the kind of the County Judge that has judicial duties, he cannot legally endorse candidates. Which he did. Twice. In the same race. In under 2 weeks. But even though he brags on his own campaign website about having "numerous judicial duties," don't worry, says Hebert: He was just lying. See? No more problem, right?

Seriously. That's the bulk of his explaination -"I may have listed all those judicial duties, but I was lying. I don't actually perform them. And some of them aren't, in my opinion, judicial duties. I just called them that to look cool."

So ends the tale of Fort Bend County (Not a) Judge Bob Hebert: A man truly unafraid to have his judicial ethics and eat them too. Or does it? Click here for a full text copy of my complaint letter to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct, one of many being sent, I am told.

UPDATE: It looks like Judge Hebert committed a felony. Consider this law from Title 8 of the Texas Penal Code, Offenses Against Public Administration:

§ 37.11. IMPERSONATING PUBLIC SERVANT.
(a) A person commits an offense if he:

(2)  knowingly purports to exercise any function of a
public servant or of a public office, including that of a judge and
court, and the position or office through which he purports to
exercise a function of a public servant or public office has no
lawful existence under the constitution or laws of this state or of
the United States.

(b)  An offense under this section is a felony of the third
degree.

Hebert claims on his website to currently exercise judicial functions, namely, that he handles contested probate matters. But according to Mr. Hebert's statements today, that is a function of judgeship that has no current lawful existence - It will not exist until January or February of 2007. His misrepresentations are therefore in violation of 37.11, and constitute a third degree felony. And in any case, as he indicated in today's statements, he will never handle "contested probate cases," despite purporting to do so on his website.

Insteading of being in danger of a private slap on the wrist from the SCOJC, Hebert has now thrown himself into the chasm of criminal liability. Judge Hebert, allow me to give you some friendly advice a good lawyer once gave me: "When you find yourself in a hole, stop digging."

Bob Hebert, Shelley Sekula-Gibbs and a little thing called the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct

2006-08-23T18:27:00.001-07:00

Well, I told you all that you would be hearing from me only once a week, but alas, here I am. I really thought my posting would slow down, but it seems the local GOP cannot go two days without doing something illegal. Monday, it was bribery. Today, it's illegal use of office.

Well, first I suggest you check out this post by Muse, but for the lazy and those with too many Explorer windows open, I will summarize. In Texas, the conduct of judges and judicial candidates are policed by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct. The Commission established the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct, laid out in a series of Canons. Consider this provision from Canon 5:

Pretty clear right? This applies to all municipal, district and county court judges, as well as certain county judges, namely "consitutional county judges who perform judicial duties." Judicial duties include presiding over a court, but also more mundane things like signing birth and death certificates and performing weddings. Fort Bend has a such county judge. From the county judge FAQ on the county website:

"[T]he County Judge oversees all county government departments through the court's responsibility for approving annual budgets for the entire county. The County Judge, as an agent of the state, approves applications for beer, wine, and mixed beverage licenses. The County Judge also signs delayed birth and death certificates and may perform wedding ceremonies."

Mr. and Mrs. Bob Hebert, surviving an encounter
with infamous gunman Richard Cheney.

Our county judge is Bob Hebert. Apparently, Bob could care less about the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct. In under two weeks, he has violated Canon 5 twice. First, he endorsed a David Wallace write-in campaign, and now that Wallace has left the race, he is using his name and office to endorse Shelley Sekula-Gibbs.

So WTF? Why is Bob flagrantly ignoring the Texas Code on Judicial Conduct?

Possiblity 1: Maybe Bob just feels bad for cranky coot and District Judge Brady Elliot. After all, Brady Elliot has the lonely distinction of being the only Fort Bend judge to be censured by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct for "failing to act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary." Perhaps Bob justs want to give Elliot some company.

Possibility the 2nd: Bob Hebert has never heard of, much less read, the Texas Code of Judicial Conduct. Or perhaps he naively believes that he is a purely administrative county judge, and is exempt from the code, despite the fact that he performs judicial duties. In he really wanted us to buy this argument, maybe he shouldn't have specifically requested the ability to hear probate matters in exchange for a pay raise...

Hebert, shown here looking
suspiciously like a judge...

UPDATE: Or maybe he shouldn't have specificially claimed a boatload of judicial duties on his own campaign website! (And yes, I have a screenshot in case he changes it...Double update: He changed it like a moron.) Hebert claims that he performs "numerous other judicial duties" including (but not limited to) handling contested probate cases, setting and recieving bonds and sureties, performing medical committments, and more.

Possiblity v3.0: Bob Hebert simply doesn't care. He is used to Fort Bend County being a GOP stronghold with no checks and balances on county government.

But if you care, you can file a complaint against Bob.

New Possibility, 4th Edition: Bob is emulating one of his heroes, Iran-Contra scoundrel Oliver North. Seriously, you have to wonder how many other enemies of American democracy Mr. and Mrs. Hebert have gleefully posed with...

LAST UPDATE: Judge Hebert responds to our charges!

Wallace, Benkiser, and a little thing called bribery....

2006-08-21T12:19:00.000-07:00

A week ago, David Wallace could not be stopped. After all, he couldn't stand by and watch the GOP trample on Democracy. He decried the annoiting of Shelley Gibbs as "the way they do things in Moscow." He told ABC 13 that it was "undemocratic to let about 100 precinct chairs decide the GOP's preferred write-in candidate." And to top it all off, David "has a database of voters across the district." But today Wallace withdrew from the race. My theory - He has a database, but no laser.

That must be the reason. Because otherwise, we have just witnessed something very illegal.

There's this little case called Kaisner v. State (772 S.W.2d 528)......In Kaisner, a County Sheriff offered a deputy job to a political opponent in exchange for withdrawing from a run-off. This was found to be a violation of Penal Code § 36.01, which is a bribery statute. From the opinion:

Wallace was almost certainly promised SOMETHING directly. But that doesn't even matter. A benefit made to a third party is still bribery. Benkiser's promise of $3,000,000 for the GOP campaign was an illegal pecuniary benefit bestowed on a third party (the local GOP) in which Wallace is a member with substantial interest. From P.C. 36.01:

So no, it has to be the lasers. Because otherwise, some people need to go to freakin' jail.

State GOP chair Tina Benkiser, who
has a history of ignoring Texas law.
Perhaps a year or two in TDC would
enlighten her...

BTW, on the subject of lasers and what not: I remember several months ago I pondered the state of affairs in the local GOP's hide-out, which I theorized was undoubtedly carved into the interior of a volcano. Well, I was wrong. The GOP has no headquarters. Which is understandable - How are you going to get this pack of infighting jackals into the same room without bloodshed?

But now they plan on opening one up real soon...$3,000,000 can buy quite a few lasers, but I'm sure they'll just spend it all on glossy mailers of dudes making out and immigrants stealing your I-Pod. And all you homo/xeonophobes can all thank David Wallace, who happily took a bribe for the team...

Except that nobody actually believes this $3 million promise is true. Which raises the question: Is it bribery if you never intend to pay up? Mark it on your scorecards: The answer is yes. From American Jurisprudence:

Where a corrupt agreement is the essence of the offense, it is immaterial whether anything is actually done in furtherance of the agreement.

UPDATE:

Our friend Juanita thinks that Wallace "may not have crossed the line of Kaisner v. State, but he sure edged up close enough for some stench to get on him." Wrong, honey-chile. With a conditional promise by Benkiser of $3,000,000 towards securing the goals of an organization of which Wallace is a member and has substantial interest, they didn't just cross the line - They launched themselves over it with a howitzer.

Gary Gillen will not be bringing cookies...

2006-08-17T14:59:00.000-07:00

It's been an interesting few days, so I'm betting some of you were wondering where I've been. If this week doesn't make me post, than something's up. Well, school is back in, and I'm trying to juggle work with Fort Bend Democrats with Property, Torts II, Contracts II, and Constitutional Law. And a LRW section.

So from now on, expect to hear from me about once a week.

G.G. Fresh, aka G-Diddy, aka Don Magic Gillen

Today, allow me to take a few seconds out of my day to laugh at Gary Gillen, the pasty plutocrat chairchild of the Fort Bend Republican Party. Some of you may remember that I recently attended and reported on a meeting conducted by Mr. Gillen. At this meeting, a group of Fort Bend precinct chairs voted to select one of their own to represent Fort Bend at another even more exclusive (and closed door) meeting. This so-called Meeting of Four would then select a candidate to illegally replace Tom DeLay as the GOP nominee for CD22. At the conclusion of this meeting, Gary announced the results of a poll among these precinct chairs which favored David Wallace, noted arms dealer, mayor of Sugar Land, and all around shady mofo.

That process was derailed by American patriot Antonin Scalia.

So now a new meeting has been called for the purpose of agreeing on a write-in candidate to unite behind. Others can debate the essential pointlessness of that enterprise (for I think even such a debate IS a pointless enterprise), but my point here is that another meeting of precinct chairs is being called to find a new GOP replacement (even though he won't have a big R after his name on the e-Slate, or even be on the e-Slate in any way, but again, let's stay on track).

Gillen has now done a complete 180, and is calling for all candidates and precinct chairs to boycott the event. His reason?

Gillen said he believes “that voters should choose our candidates, not some secret, closed meeting of less than one-tenth of 1% of the voters in Congressional District 22.”

Fine. But does somone want to explain to me why the Meeting of Four, which was to be a secret closed meeting of .013333% of the above mentioned less than one-tenth of 1% of the voters in CD22, WAS a valid way to choose a candidate?

{dramatic pause to shake head in awe at bold, transparent, DeLay-flavored hypocrisy}

1......2......3......

{end dramatic pause}

Wait, there's more:

Gillen said there isn’t a connection between his stance toward Thursday’s meeting, Wallace’s apparent unwillingness to back down from his candidacy at the GOP’s request, and the fact Gillen thinks Wallace “would be an outstanding candidate.”

So what made Gary have a change of heart about the way the GOP is approaching the CD22 race? I mean seriously, who WOULDN'T want to go to this shin-dig? It's gonna be wall-to-wall with dirty-minded women and balding men. I've seen worse odds at Studio 54.

Wait a minute.....Oh snap! I answered my own question! Gary Gillen is a homosexual! There's no other explaination. None. Don't even say David Wallace. That's so petty. Only a dishonest political opportunist who is bankrupt on principles and integrity would screw his own party in favor of a crony, lie about it, and then hypocritically invoke the spirit of Democracy to defend himself. And Gary Gillen is not a dishonest political opportunist.

So that must mean he likes to hold hands with dudes, and that's A-OK with me.

I've also heard that Gary is having his own private, invitation only meeting at Pecan Grove Country Club. Sounds fun. And super-kinky. All the best Big Gay Gary! Keep reaching for that rainbow, buddy!

He's super, thanks for asking...

TX22 WARS - Episode VII: Return of the Wannabes

2006-08-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

What has happened since we spoke last -
(In three words, total freakin' anarchy)

1. Tom DeLay, Texas Republican Party Chairman Tina Benkiser, and some unnamed members of the state GOP executive committee met Wednesday to pick a single write-in candidate to run for the congressional seat DeLay just vacated. Later we discover they were less than successful.

2. Hearing that this meeting is taking place, David Wollaccee suddenly proclaims himself as the write-in candidate before the meeting is over.

3. Likely out of sheer confusion and panic, Sally Sekkollia-Gibbons also declares herself as a write-in candidate.

4. After the unspeakably spooky meeting mentioned above adjourned, Benkiser hints that other candidates may be emerging, and when pressed, she names Saul Bettendorf, Tax Accessor-Collector of Harris County.

5. Any other person who pays $3125 or gets 500 signatures from non-primary voters can also be a declared write-in. Their names will all be on a piece of paper that will be taped inside the voting booth.

CONCLUSIONS:

A. The 2006 CD22 congressional race is no longer competitive.

It's strange, because you see GOP'ers online talking about how to best unite behind a candidate to beat Lampson. It's delusional....It would be delusional even without a significant number of GOP precinct chairs pushing to support the Libertarian candidate. All this circus sideshow write-in drama has nothing to do with the election in November, and I'm shocked these GOP activists don't realize it yet. What we are watching is the very beginnings of the 2008 GOP primary, and wouldn't you know it, it's already a pathetic mess.

B. However, the 2006 CD22 congressional race remains CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.

Let me use a military analogy. A space military analogy.

Remember when Han and Chewbacca's commando team brought down the energy shield on Endor, and Lando Calrissian lead a daring raid on the second Death Star, and the Emperor was defeated and the Ewoks danced and played xylophone on stormtrooper helmets?

A painstakingly sculptured recreation of the above event

Well, that's not the end of the story. Yes, the evil Emperor had been defeated, and yes there was a brief party, but there was still work to be done. A significant victory had been made, but you don't dismantle a galactic apparatus of intolerance by dethroning a crazy old man and his half-robot laser ninja. I mean, there are all manner of uptight chicken hawk bureaucrats with British accents spread across thousands of star systems, still stubbornly holding onto some Tibana gas mining colony or Durasteel consortium with accompanying kickbacks from less than savory Hutts.

The County Commisioners of the Nar Shadda System

Yes, a crushing defeat left the forces of evil in disarray, but they were still dangerous. And they would not hesitate to take the first available opportunity to shatter the fragile peace. Contenders began lining up to replace the Emperor, they stabbed each other in the back in countless tales of manipulation and betrayal. The machinations of the dark side were at work behind closed doors on hidden star systems. Though the galaxy appeared safe for progressive and enlightened thought, a new phantom menace was lurking...

...

Are you starting to get the picture? Reduce that galaxy far, far away by a factor of a trillion, and you have Fort Bend County politics. Nobody doubts Nick Lampwalker, I mean Lampson, will win in November. But with that victory comes an opportunity to send Nick to Congress with a massive mandate for change.

May the force be with us.

If I show up late for work tomorrow, you only have Tom DeLay to blame...

2006-08-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

It's over. It's really over. Nick Lampson is going to be my congressman.

You might hear some GOP whispers of "$3,125" or "500 signatures"....but trust me, that's just the dizzy talking.

In some ways, it would've been nice to have DeLay's name on the e-slate just for sentimental reasons. But now I am looking at a Fort Bend GOP in total freakin' disarray, with no flagship multimillion congressional campaign to scare voters with glossy mailers of dudes making out and immigrants murdering your grandmother. And all the time they waste scurrying to salvage Tom's narcissistic implosion will only complicate their woeful situation.

So after years of heard work, allow this Democrat one day to gloat. And then, in the words of Chuck D :

Lets get this party started right,
Right on, c'mon
What we got to say
Power to the people no delay
To make everybody see
In order to fight the powers that be...

-Public Enemy, Fight the Power

Scalia rejects GOP appeal on DeLay suit.

2006-08-07T14:35:00.000-07:00

A little birdie told me. May or may not be true. Just wanted to tell you. UPDATE: No longer unconfirmed. Click here for the story.

DE NOVO = IT'S OVER.

Precinct 1013 persuadables love Fort Bend Democrats!

2006-08-07T13:55:00.000-07:00

This is what a swing precinct looks like:

1013 is literally a gold mine of swing voters. Only Needville rivals this area in terms of persuadabilty. I've been really looking forward to blockwalking this neighborhood.

Janie and I plot our route through the precinct.

Technology has changed the traditional blockwalk. In most precincts, there is very little walking involved. It is not a door-to-door operation. A great many voters are already ID'ed. We know how they vote and how often they vote.

There is no reason to knock on loyal Democrat doors in a walk like this. We call these homes "GOTV (Get Out the Vote) households." There is also no reason to contact loyal GOP voters. It's simply a waste of time. Anyone who has ever expressed strong GOP loyalty to a canvasser is knocked off our list, as well as those who consistently vote in the GOP primary.

So usually you are only knocking on 3 out of every 10 doors.

As if by Providence, the sun hid behind the clouds
for a few hours over South Rosenberg...

However, there is one feature of 1013 that makes it unique among Rosenberg precincts. It is one of the few precincts that contain a sizeable number of persuadable voters and a large sample of Hispanic voters who consistently vote in presidential elections but frequently skip mid-term voting. We add those names using voter history tracking in the VAN, and it bumps the contact rate up to 5 out of 10 houses.

The response was fantastic. The targeting system is dead-on: I only talked to one voter who identified himself as a solid Republican. I did encounter many, many voters who said something along the lines of "Well, I used to be a Republican, but ever since (insert straw on camel's back here), I just don't know..." We came armed with information and literature on all our candidates, and people were showing more interest in the issues that I've seen in the past.

Our group arrived back to a jammed pack office. Volunteers were everywhere. All of my Skype and Vonage lines were in use, all the scanners were beeping away, and the sign crews were loading up the 4x4's. The packed parking lot brought a lot of interested visitors, and the interested visitors brought checkbooks, which is good, because the phones aren't free. Oh wait, snap, half of them are! That means more money for superfly glossy mailers! Suck on that AT&T! Serves you right for handing over my phone records to the NSA!

And today I find out that next time I go out walking for the coordinated campaign, all of our candidates will finally have opponents.

I am drowning in good news.

Fifth Circuit Rules on Tom DeLay Residency Case

2006-08-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

The panel rules 3-0 that DeLay stays on the ballot. You can get the opinion, written by Judge Pete Benavides, at Lone Star Project. The court held that:

1. Benkiser's declaration did create an unconstitutional pre-election day residency requirement.

AND

2. Even if it did not, DeLay's future residence was not "conclusively established" by public record as required by the Texas Election Code.

One the first issue, Benavides presents a strict constructionalist view of the plain language of the residency requirement of "on election day". In this section, he underscores the intentional flexibility of congressional eligibility by citing an exhaustive list of legal authority including Texas state law cases, Madison's Federalist 52, the Sundry Electors case, and even the Records of the Federal Convention of 1787. Sorry David Wallace...It looks like you wasted 10 grand having attorneys scour those 200 year old documents. That's what you get when you use an an art and tax lawyer to write an election law brief.

Our forefathers, who naively thought "on election day" would be clear enough to everybody. In their defense, Texas Republicans did not yet exist.

Benavides also addresses the "Time, Manner, Place" argument, which is a favorite among right wing online drones. He acknowledges that state has this regulatory power over their elections, but reminds Ms. Benkiser that this power must be exercised "in a reasonable, non-discriminatory, politically neutral fashion." There is ample evidence in the record, including DeLay and Benkisers exchange of letters, that make a joke out of any claim Benkiser could have to neutrality.

Furthermore, federal case law holds that the "manner" of elections "encompasses matters like notices, registration, supervision of voting, protection of voters, prevention of fraud and corrupt practices, counting of votes, etc." Benkiser's declaration does not fall under this definition.

But to even further bury this sham of a switch-er-roo, the court rules that even if the declaration was constitutional, the records Benkiser relied on do not "conclusively establish" DeLay's residence on election day. Benevides offers this definition:

"Something is 'conclusive' when, by virtue of 'reason', it 'puts an end to debate or question', usually because of it's 'irrefutability.'"

Now consider this cited exchange from the District Court trial record:

Q: Nothing that you have in these public documents indicates to you where Mr. DeLay will be on election day, does it?
A [Benkiser]: No, it's doesn't.

The RPT made two main arguments on this issue, and the court rejected both of them. First, the RPT tried to rely on Nixon V. Slagle, a 1994 Texas case, to show that a voter registration could prove residency. The problem is that the Nixon case was about a State Senate race which required residence for a year preceding an election. The issue was not a future residence but a current residence.

Second, the court rejected the arguments based on the Jones v. Bush case I discussed last week from the amicus briefs. The problem here of course is that Jones does not have to meet the "conclusively established" standard of Texas law. And like Nixon, Jones was based on current inhabitancy. They also dismissed DeLay's supposed intent, noting that a candidate's desire or lack thereof to compete for political office does not speak to his eligibility for that office.

Incompetent wastrel Greg Abbott, sharing his love of Jewish literature

Finally, try to remember that SoS Roger Adams and AG Greg Abbott wasted your money writing an wholly irrelevant amicus brief that was so outside the scope of procedural inquiry that it was laughed out of the opinion in a brief section entitled "We Will Not Consider Whether the District Erred by Enjoining the Secretary of State."

You see, even the most average of law students knows that an amicus brief cannot raise issues in an appeal that have not been presented by the parties to the appeal. But Greg Abbott, your attorney general, does not.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Well, James Bopp, lawyer from the RPT, says to expect a statement on the issue of an appeal sometime today. I am hearing that they can request an en banc panel of all 14 judges of the Fifth Circuit and request that Scalia consider the case for the Supreme Court at the same time. I don't see either option being very fruitful. Both venues will be reluctant to hear the case. The RPT would have a better shot if they had won at any stage in the litigation, or if the decision here wasn't 3-0.

Any appeal will take time, and would probably push us right up to the September 1 deadline. My feeling is that the RPT will appeal because they have no other option. There is no way on Brahma's blue ball that DeLay is running. His campaign account is dry, and if he did run, he would have to disclose the sources of his legal defense money. Not to mention that he's a fundraising lightning rod. Oh yeah, one other small detail - He would get positively creamed. Which is how we got in this mess to begin with. And personally, I think he cut a deal to exit stage right...Maybe so Dani "Lobbyists Pour Champagne on My Nubile Body in Hot Tubs" DeLay doesn't go to jail.

Ok, that wasn't in the Fifth Circuit opinion. Just a ViewFrom22 opinion.

Overturning Elliot

2006-07-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

From the Federal Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to a court a little closer to home...

I want to talk for a second about the 268th District Court in Richmond. The 268th is one of our five district courts in Fort Bend County. Two of the courts of are family law courts, but the 268th is one of three courts of general jurisdiction that handle all the serious criminal and civil cases in our community.

So we're eating shrimp the other day at Pier 62 in Rosenberg, and out of sheer boredom, our club president Tony Crabs is reading the Herald Coaster. Nobody reads the Coaster because they want to, but sometimes it's just sitting in front of you, and you're sick of reading the sugar packets.

Well, he comes across a story about 268th District Judge Brady Elliot. Apparently, Judge Elliot was given a commendation of excellence by the State Bar. Why? Because he paid money to take a class and receive a commendation and some free election season press. Tit. For. Tat. Don't blame the guy too much - If your judicial reputation was as bad as Elliot's, you'd take whatever good press you could buy.

Judge Elliot

Instead, blame the State Bar for handing out glowing press releases that wax poetic on the virtues of a judge like Elliot without bothering to find out if he is a giant cranky embarrassment. Which he is. So Tony wrote up a letter to the new president of the State Bar and the Hearld Coaster. Basically, he asks the State Bar the following question:

Would you have given Judge Elliot an award for excellence had you known that:

-he is the most reversed judge in the county? In his most recent case that the Court of Appeals overturned based on error, Judge Elliot failed to add a lesser included charge despite the fact that the defense counsel and prosecutor both instructed Elliot it was necessary. Even District Attorney John Healy came to Elliot's court to plead with the judge to include the correct jury charge, warning that the case would be reversed. Elliot ignored them. The case was reversed, and once again the taxpayers were stuck with the bill.

-his mistakes cost us money? For instance, a murder indictment in Elliot's court was quashed because Elliot was found to have excluded certain racial groups from the indiciting grand jury.

-he shows open hostility to the Spanish speaking community? In a recent case involving a drunk driving fatality, the victim's mother, who spoke almost no English whatsoever, was denied the use of translator by Elliot during her testimony on the death of her son. This case was also reversed, and the mother will have to endure the experience twice. Lawyers in Elliot's court have grown accustomed to the judge's frequent outbursts at Hispanics. Recently, a Hispanic defendant who spoke only Spanish was brought before Judge Elliot. Upon discovering that the man could not understand him, he angrily instructed his bailiff to "Go lose him in the jail until he learns to speak some English!"

-he has been publically censured by the State Commission on Judicial Conduct? Elliot was given the highest level of punishment short of removal from office for willfully “failing to act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary.”

THERE IS A BETTER CHOICE FOR THE 268th - A JUDGE WE CAN BE PROUD OF!

Albert Hollan has trained his whole career to advance to the bench. He has 18 years of experience handling and trying cases in State and Federal courts. He is Board Certified in Personal Injury Trial Law (1992 to present) and in Civil Trial Law (1993 to present), and is active in Continuing Legal Education (CLE). Albert will bring his expertise to the court to ensure that the embarassingly high reversal rate is reduced and that more convictions stick. In addition, Albert is patient, polite, curious and courteous. He carries the proper judicial temperament and will treat all who appear in the court with respect and dignity.

Find out more about Albert and what you can do to help at http://hollanforjudge.org

Update on Tom DeLay / Benkiser Residency Suit

2006-07-25T14:06:00.000-07:00

The panel has been announced for the Tom DeLay residency case. It is composed of two Clinton appointees and a George W. Bush appointee. Here is a bit about each of the three justices:

Judge Fortunato "Pete" Benavides

Judging moot court finals, second from left

Benavides is known more for his community service than for his judicial decisions. He has poured much of his heart into many projects outside the courtroom, most notably the Ramiro H. Guerra Youth Village, a residential facility in Weslaco with 52 beds for male juvenile offenders. Benavides, who has been praised by both prosecutors and defense attorneys for his work in Texas, is often applauded for his compassion and fair-mindedness. A senior official of the Hispanic National Bar Association said recently of Benavides, "You will never find a person with a bigger heart."

Benavides, whose middle name is Pedro, got his nickname of "Pete" because a nun from Indiana could not pronounce his first name, Fortunato. He warned members of two Hispanic groups not to forget their heritage as they move closer to the center of American life. As a youth, he said, he went through a period where he tried to forget he was Hispanic. Asked after his speech for an example, Benavides laughed and said that as young boy his mother often made him tacos for lunch, but at school he would trade them as quickly as possible for ham sandwiches. In that case, he said, the Anglo kids got the better deal."

Judge Benavides is a strong defender of the preeminence of the U.S. constitution, and most observers agree that he will uphold Judge Sparks ruling.

Judge Edith Clement

Edith Clement keeps a low profile. She has a reputation as a conservative jurist, but has written very few notable decisions. Among those were Vogler v. Blackmore, 352 F.3d 150, reducing pain and suffering damages in a vehicular tort, and United States v. Harris, 408 F.3d 186, reinstating the sentence of a police captain convicted for violation of federal civil rights laws in using excessive force.

While a strong advocate of federalism, she is also a quintessential strict constructionalist, which is bad news for the GOP, whose briefs rely too heavily on the phrase "de facto."

Edith Clement wants to be on the Supreme Court. She's been on the short list for some time now. She has spent the last few years trying to stay under the radar. The last thing she wants is this kind of exposure.

Judge James Dennis

Clinton nominated this fiery Cajun with the help of Orin Hatch. Judge Dennis, while a wild-eyed liberal on criminal law issues, is a strict constructionalist on consitutional issues like Justice Clement. He is also the only justice on the panel who has recently ruled on federalism and preemption in election law.

In Love v. Foster 90 F.3d 1026, the Fifth Circuit ruled that Louisiana cannot continue to hold congressional elections in October, since Congress passed a law back in 1872 that congressional elections must be in November. The U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 4, gives Congress the power to regulate congressional elections, and is the basis for the 1872 law. It reads:

The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as the Places of choosing Senators.

Louisiana, since 1978, had been holding congressional elections in October. All candidates ran on the same ballot, and all voters received that ballot. If anyone polled at least 50% of the vote, that person was elected in October; otherwise there was a run-off between the top two vote-getters in November, even if they were members of the same party.

The court ruled that the federal law (setting a November election date) pre-empted the state law. The decision was written by Judge W. Eugene Davis, a Reagan appointee, and co-signed by Judge Eldon Fallon, another Clinton appointee. Judge James Dennis was actually the lone dissenter, but not in the way you might think. He viewed the state primary system as compatible with the federal statute's intent of providing "a center of gravity to prevent the calendrical dispersion of independent state congressional elections." Long story short, if Judge Dennis doesn't think Love v. Foster is a pre-emption moment, than there is no way on Brahma's blue ball that he will think the TEC is pre-empted in TDP v. Benkiser. He will probably view TEC 145 as compatible with the Constitution and accept Judge Sparks findings of fact, ruling that no evidence in the public record exists to prove DeLay is ineligible for office.

It is also worth noting that Judge Dennis tosses out a criticism of the state lawyer's bizarre hypotheticals:

In order to demonstrate that it is impossible to harmonize or to comply with both the state and federal laws the plaintiffs advance an esoteric interpretation of the federal statutes that is not supported by either the scant legislative history or the previous judicial understanding of the those laws and the Constitution.

Given the weird hypos in the Abbot and Wallace briefs, I take this as another bad omen for the GOP.

Oral arguments are set for the 31st.

Amicus Lunacy IV: Legerdemain

2006-07-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

Got a copy of the Abbott brief in the Tom DeLay residency case today. It makes the following arguments:

1. The first argument concerns itself with the rather technical issue of the cannons of statutory construction. The cannons are a set of guidelines on how to read a statute (since most are written by failed lawyers who decided to run for the state house, and thus make no actual sense). In this case, the cannons are employed to justify reading a statute in a way contrary to it's obvious meaning. Abbott argues that the residency determination in TEC 145 is a valid exercise of the state's power, and that if you read it in a certain kind of light, it almost seems compatible with the U.S. Constitution.

2. Second, it addresses the constitutionality directly.

3. Third, it argues the federal court has no authority to enjoin the Secretary of State's office. (A wholly specious argument)

Greg Abbott, tireless defender of electoral chaos

So really, this is only one issue at play here. Let's start by giving Abbott's summary of the lower court order:

1. The exclusive requirements for eligibility
to the U.S. House are provided by the U.S.
Constitution.

2. They require a candidate to be an
inhabitant of the state "when elected."

3. It is impossible to make any determination
of residency until election day.

4. Therefore, the TEC provision for determining
eligiblity amounts to a de facto residence
requirement before the election, which is an
unconstitutional attempt to add to the exclusive
eligibility requirements of the U.S. House.

Judge Sparks did not declare the TEC statute unconstituonal, but Abbott must portray the ruling in that fashion in order to file an amicus curiae brief. The argument is more of a entry ticket to the circus that a genuine claim. Abbott is correct on points 1-3 above, but the ruling does not strike down 145.003. The State chair is still authorized to declare a candidate ineligible if facts from a public record conclusively prove they do not meet one of the requirements of office. But no such facts exist that can conclusively prove where DeLay will reside on election day. Any such determination would be predicitive.

Abbott's brief cites Jones v. Bush, 122 F.Supp.2d 713, as it's primary source to support such a predictive judgment. That case involved a 12th amendment issue: The constitution requires that the president and vice president be inhabitants of different states. A Texas voter brought suit arguing Cheney was an inhabitant of Texas. Abbott cites the definition of "inhabitant" in this case to emphasize the importance of DeLay's "intent to remain" in Virigina as being key to the content of the word.

However, there are a couple of big holes in the Jones v. Bush case. First, the court made no ruling on the issue of when the question inhabitance is to be decided:

This is not true in the pending DeLay case. The date is the justiciable issue, and the Consitution gives explicit direction on the matter. But the real joy of the Jones v. Bush case comes in this concluding remark from Justice Fitzwater:

"It is evident from the preliminary injunction record that Secretary Cheney intended by his conduct to comply with the Twelfth Amendment, not to debase it through legerdemain."

legerdemain \lej-ur-duh-MAIN\, noun:
1. Sleight of hand.
2. A display of skill, trickery, or artful deception.
3. Tom DeLay

More naked lobbying in the Tom DeLay residency lawsuit circus...

2006-07-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Amicus Lunacy Part Deux

Greg Abbott with his sidekick, The Ten Commandments

So Attorney General Greg Abbott will also petition the Fifth Circuit. At least he will do so using a legal document, unlike Jared Woodfill...

Democratic super-lawyer Chad Dunn summed it up best: "It's going to be interesting if the attorney general files a brief with the 5th Circuit saying, 'We encourage candidates to manipulate the election law."

Secretary of State Roger Williams initially filed a brief with Sparks' court outlining the time line for when the Republican Party could replace DeLay, but he did not take a position on which way the court should rule. So why is Greg Abbott using his office to help the GOP avoid the mess DeLay made? Why is the AG writing that Tom DeLay should be allowed to manipulate the law and parties should be allowed to switch out an unpopular candidate in the middle of a race? Why is Abbott is cow-towing to lawlessness and electoral chaos?

I bet you David Van Os could tell you why....

ANOTHER UPDATE: Amicus Lunacy Part The Third

David cuts a ribbon for some happy rich folks

Well, now Tom DeLay isn't the only CD22 candidate paying for legal expenses with campaign contributions. Sugar Land Mayor and nominee wannabe David Wallace has hired a law firm to file an amicus brief, and has paid them $10,000 to "research 200 year old documents" to determine "the framer's intent" on whether he gets to pretend to be a serious candidate with no ethical problems. That's $50 per year!

I can't wait to see the final product, especially since as we all know, the Wallace campaign employs the eloquent skills of the Microsoft Paperclip.

Lampson - DeLay update: Amicus Lunacy

2006-07-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

A plausible, if somewhat horrifying
despiction of what "Jared Woodfill"
might look like...

Ok, Jared Woodfill (if that is his real name), chairman of the Harris County Republican Party (assuming such a position actually exists), has released an online petition. He asserts that "Nick Lampson" (this guy) and "his liberal allies" (that's me, Babs Streisand, and Hugo Chavez) are tying to "keep our Republican candidate" (and I don't think he means the one who won the primary) off "the ballot" (actually a small tablet computer with secret proprietary software).

Who is this petition addressed to?

The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.

Give it a second, and let the moist irony soak in.

Now while I have full confidence in the discerning legal minds of the Fifth Circuit, my friend Dr. Elvis Delicious Funkenstein could not resist the opportunity to address the justices directly, with frantic non-sequiturs and AIM txt talk, just like the founding fathers intended:

Dear Sirs,

I am signing this petition because as a DaDaist funk maven, I like to sign things that are totally absurd. And submitting an online petition in an attempt to politically lobby a federal appellate court is out-of-this-galaxy absurd! Work that funky rump GOP!

Also, I hope you continue to stand strong against activist judges who follow opinion polls instead of the law. Oh wait, I just realized what a MASSIVE BURN that was! OMG LOL WTF!!! U = pwned!!!!1111

By the way, esteemed impartial justices of the 5th circuit, can you also outlaw the gay stuff? Not like the Girls Gone Wild commercials I see late night on cable, but you know, the really GAY stuff...

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Dr. Elvis Delicious Funkenstein
YouAreTotalHypocrites@wtf.com

¿Me puede oír usted ahora? ¡Bueno!

2006-07-14T19:01:00.000-07:00

The Fort Bend Democratic headquarters is getting a bit crowded. It the base of operations for five county campaigns: Neeta Sane for County Treasurer, Albert Hollan for District Judge, Rudy Velasquez for County Court at Law, Veronica Torres for District Clerk, and Farhan Shamsi for JP.

In addition, we share the office with Lampson's Fort Bend staff, plus their amazing army of interns made up of CD-22 area college kids on summer vacation. About a month and a half ago, we set up a multi-line Vonage phone bank system and found an awesome closeout deal on headset phones for $9.99. Now we have interns on headsets tucked into every quiet area we can find, forming a soft multi-tonal chorus of young chipper voices talking about the federal budget. And on the computers, you hear the persistent beeps of the laser bar code readers, the printing of more call and walk lists...Every now and then, I have to step outside to avoid being lulled into a hypnotic trance. It's like some weird Nick Lampson siren song: Suddenly I am uncontrollably hungry for sound fiscal policy.

If we added Spanish to the air, the noise would be dizzying. That's one of the reasons I have launched a phone-at-home program with Spanish speakers aimed into Richmond / Rosenberg. This will be the first time local Democrats have ever made targeted bilingual calls to Hispanic voters. Using the VAN database, I first generate a list of Democratic primary voters in a certain precinct. These folks are contacted, and we solicit them to make a few calls for us, usually between 20-50.

I can then generate a list of registered Hispanic voters in that precinct. I then subtract any voters who voted in the '06 primary or '04 general election. I am left with a list of approximately 100-300 Hispanic voters per precinct who are not going to the polls. In most election cycles, this list would be unimportant. The CW is that if they didn't vote in the previous election, it will be difficult to get them to vote in this election. However, the GOP has launched a more-than-rhetorical attack on the Hispanic community this year, making these voters unusually ripe for "activation."

The bar codes keep all our efforts coordinated, and each series of voter contacts in a precinct becomes a smaller net with each cast. We will be ending July with more data than we've been used to having in October.

If you are or you know a Spanish speaker willing to make a few calls, please get in touch with me. Our office number is 281-238-9006. I can email as big or small a list as you can handle, as well as the script and candidate info.

Mythbusting CD22

2006-07-10T13:09:00.000-07:00

MYTH #1: "Tom DeLay could beat Nick Lampson."

I'm not sure if I should chalk this one up to delusion, denial or being just plain dumb.

MYTH #2 - "Fort Bend County is a GOP strong-hold."

I see this myth all over the national media and blogosphere. And it's just wrong. The numbers from 2004 in Fort Bend - 55% across the board, trending rapidly Democrat:

The 2004 county-wide races

Add a few more factors:

1. Demographic shifts - Exploding Asian community, middle class growth in Precinct 3.

2. New democrat votes are outpacing new GOP votes. Fort Bend is one of the few counties in Texas where this is true. And those new votes pre-date the shifts in the public opinion of the GOP during the last 2 years.

3. The taint of corruption and cronyism haunts the local GOP. From Tom DeLay to Jeanie Parr, voters have been reminded of the problems inherent in one-party rule.

4. The local GOP is torn by factionalism and in-fighting, and is dangerously underfunded.

5. The national and local GOP have launched an ugly attack on the Hispanic community, feeling immigration is "an invasion" that is a threat to "their way of life." They're right: There will be an invasion...It will take place at the polls.

With all this in mind, it's obvious that Red Fort Bend is on the verge on turning some serious Purple...The age of GOP domination of county-wide offices is coming to an end. I've said it before, and I expect to say it again: Fort Bend will the site of some of the most competitive and interesting campaigns of the next decade.

MYTH 3 - "Lampson is a liberal."

Been there, done that. Go check it out:

Is Lampson a Liberal?

MYTH 4 - "Republicans have fashion sense."

As promised last week, here is a picture from inside the last Fort Bend GOP meeting, featuring the hopelessly inappropriate attire of Shelley Sekula Gibbs' point-woman:

Now I'm not Mr. Blackwell, but there are limits people. Yes, it says "Sex on the Beach!" Even bigger on the reverse side. Notice that the other pictured Gibbs worker is wearing a sports jacket with a bizarre crest on the breast. I was almost shocked not to see an ascot. Another oddity: This is what passes for a sexy woman at a GOP meeting. You should've seen the pack of balding 30-ish men in Aggie golf shirts throwing smiles her way and attempting to sidle up to her.

MYTH 5 - "Clapton is God."

Wrong.

But Hendrix is Vishnu:

Benkiser to Bring Battle to Big Easy?

2006-07-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

Judge Sparks ruled as expected today: Either DeLay runs, or the GOP gets no candidate. So there's a few possibilities for the next couple of weeks:

1. The lawsuit ends, and DeLay starts his campaign sometime this next week. Astronomically unlikely.

2. The GOP appeals to the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans, and lucks out with enough activist GOP judges to overturn Spark's opinion. This process will take at least a week and a half. Presumably, the precinct chair election process will cease during this time, but I wouldn't be shocked if Brazoria and Galveston counties thumb their noses at Sparks. But if they halt the process as instructed, add another week to have those meetings.

3. The GOP appeals and loses. The lawsuit would die. It is highly unlikely the Supreme Court will step in and grant certiorari to fix DeLay's mess. In addition, it would eat up more precious time. DeLay would begin a campaign around 2-3 weeks from today.

Here is a breakdown of the judges currently serving on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, including their district duty station and the president who appointed them:

The appeal would be heard by a three judge panel. We have 2 Carter appointees, 7 from Reagan, 4 from Bush Sr., 3 from Clinton, and 3 from Bush II -- so 14 of 19 are GOP picks. The list includes some dedicated partisans, like the infamous Priscilla Owen.

However, keep in mind that as a high court of appellate jurisdiction, they will not be re-examining the factual record or hearing witnesses. Judge Sparks is to be given deference as the fact-finder, and the court should only examine issues of law. In order to overturn Spark's decision, they must cite "an abuse of discretion." However, if the GOP gets the right three judges, you can forget all that. They will overturn Sparks with no hesitation.

As to the exact mechanics of which judges are assigned to the case, let me get back to you. None of the lawyers I talked to do much federal appellate work, and I only got a C+ in Federal Civil Procedure. (Before you say anything, why don't you try explaining theories of supplemental jurisdiction with a dying pen in an 85 degree room!) My thinking is that judges are assigned to a rotating panel for a short period of time, and thus, the make-up of the panel who will hear the appeal has already been selected.

Now keep in mind that after all this drama is played out, we may still have more lawsuits. If Sparks is reversed and a replacement is named, any of the other hopefuls can potentially file suit. I know it sounds positively suicidal, but trust me, they ARE talking about it. Potential targets of the suit include the unbalanced proportionality of the four counties, or even Gillen's surprise announcement of the straw poll. I've even heard that holding a vote at all, even after the meeting, puts the process in legal peril.

In other news, Nick has some cool new commercials. One of them even features a couple of our members. I think they form a nice contrast to the recent Wallace radio attack ads.

Robert Talton brought cookies!

2006-07-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

I am extremely disappointed. My computer and camera refuse to communicate, or else I would share with you actual photographs from inside tonight's Fort Bend Republican Party meeting, including me and my pal David Wallace. Check back tomorrow, and they should be up.

First I will give you the results of the two big votes tonight. With 56 of 64 precinct chairs present, Terese Raia defeated Pat Hebert with a 37-19 vote for the right to represent Fort Bend on the 4 person committee who will name DeLay's replacement.

The other vote was post-meeting straw poll of the declared candidates, which was a bit of a shock since Harris held a vote but withheld the results to prevent influencing other counties. The vote broke down as follows, with 12 chairs not voting:

But before you jump to any conclusions, remember that Terese is in no way bound by that vote, and in fact, handed out a lengthy questionnaire asking what they were looking for in a congressional candidate. Precinct chairs were queried on a broad range of ideological standards and Terese will presumably match these responses to the perfect candidate. It was like eHarmony.com, but for evil.

An artist's impression of the precinct chair questionaire

When we arrived, volunteers handed us Official David Wallace Water Bottles. But as I walk around the corner, I am greeted by a long table with a Sekula-Gibbs banner and box after box of pizza. I began to wonder if they were running for congress or student council president. As the meeting began, Chair Gary Gillen thanked Wallace and Gibbs for providing refreshments. Suddenly, in a moment of truly wacky surrealism, Robert Talton leaps to his feet, exclaiming "I brought cookies!"

Another reason I wish my camera was more cooperative: Sekula-Gibbs was accompanied by volunteers led by who I can only assume to be her point-woman. (Or else this person spent an inordinate amount of her time whispering into Shelley's ear...) Continuing the theme of insane fashion in the Sekula-Gibbs campaign, the woman was dressed in jean cut offs and a white tank top emblazoned on both sides in huge neon letters: "SEX ON THE BEACH!" No, that is not a joke. UPDATE: Click here for photo.

Not to digress, but I forgot how genuinely terrifying Charlie Howard is in person. I mean, he's spooky in photos, but up close, he chills the bones. How did this man become a politician? He personifies a void in the English language - An antonym for "charisma." It's like some half-crazed voodoo necromancer created him out of animal bones, a hair piece and an off-the-rack suit.

I also found the opening prayer rather odd. It began with a strange ritual of self-flagellation (Woe, be it that we are soooo unworthy onto you our Lord! kind-of-stuff) that you rarely hear in Democrat prayers. We're much more of the "and we know how precious we are in your sight o' Lord!" type. Also, the cult of personality is still alive and well, as we all prayed for our great president, and "to give him strength against those would attack him, and let him carry forth the great struggle against those who seek to do wrong, etc. etc." Increasingly, it has become difficult to know if they are referring to the president's enemies abroad or at home.

A couple of summarizing thoughts:

1. Although a flop among the right-wing netroots, Wallace has aparently secured a lot of support among precinct chairs. Yet it still seems unclear whether he will get the vote out of his home county, which was a must have. As I said before, don't count on Terese to support him. Considering the strong showing he made, I believe she will initially lobby for Andy Meyers, who is her former boss. If she has a dog, it's Andy.

And I also think she is well aware of Wallace's less-than-squeaky clean image, as evidenced by the following actual question in her survey:

I think it's entirely possible that she may be drawn into a consensus vote for Talton by the Harris County crowd, even though he didn't get a single vote tonight. Terese is from the Christian Coalition wing of the party, and she will be impressed by Talton's culture warrior credentials.

2. Sekula-Gibbs is done.

3rd of July with Nick Lampson, Neeta Sane, Veronica Torres and the Fort Bend Democrats

2006-07-04T14:07:00.000-07:00

We came out in force for Stafford's parade with four vehicles and an army of supporters. Neeta Sane, Veronica Torres, Fort Bend Democrats and the Asian Americans for Lampson Committee joined Nick. Once again, I chipped in my jeep for the event. It was at last year's parade that I met Nick Lampson, and he was so impressed with my ability to traverse flat terrain at 5 miles per hour that he asked if I could do it again.

Veronica, Neeta and Deepak, putting their zero combined years of
meteorological experience to good use...

The weather remained a question mark right up until the end, but God must love Democrats and firemen. Conspicuously absent were any representatives of the Republican party.

Now, Stafford is Democrat territory, and has naturally always been friendly to Nick. The Lampson family is well known there - We met one elderly woman along the route who had been friends with Nick's uncle Tony Lampson.

But we were blown away with how enthusiatic the crowds were about all of our candidates. No matter where you are, some people will always be indifferent to politics. But those people must have stayed home on Monday. The energy was positively huge.

Mackenzie and her friend Nick

There is something shifting in the winds that all the precious data only hints at. You can cite trend lines or demographic changes, but nothing quite explains it like the ineffable change in mood among the voters we encounter. This county used to a GOP fortress, a 60% safety zone where any goof in a suit and a GOP nomination could count on straight ticket vote to spare him the tedium of a campaign.

Today, it is a genuine battleground. Mark my words, Fort Bend will be the site of some of the most interesting and competitive races of the next decade of Texas politics.

What is the fewest number of pejoratives needed to accurately describe Shelley Sekula Gibbs?

2006-06-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm going with four: Unprincipled sycophantic flip-flopping race-baiter.

You may have heard the news. Shelley Gibbs has jumped on the immigrant bashing bandwagon, joining up the terrifying extremists known as Protect Our Citizens. The group seeks to end the Houston police department's "sanctuary policy," a 16 year-old HPD order that commands local cops not to inquire about immigration status or enforce federal immigration laws. The policy is aimed at making sure Houston's 250,000 undocumented aliens are not afraid to call 911 or cooperate with police investigations:

But as I am sure Poetess Shelley would tell us, "Who knows what tomorrow may bring?"

Now, when you're an opportunistic puppet (ok, 6 pejoratives) looking to impress right-wing precinct chairs on a deadline, you don't have time to shop around for the perfect extremists. I mean, it's go-time. You just gotta latch onto the first collection of hate-mongers with a working knowledge of basic HTML and a possible a photo op.

And Shelley has found some particularly nasty hate-mongers. Their thesis? That Mexican drug cartels will take over the city by electing Democratic candidates. Seriously. It's the first article on their website. Citing incendiary rhetoric from Tom Tancredo, P.O.C. warns us that Mexican cartels will begin buying small restaurants, used-car lots and auto body shops, and then run Mexican candidates for city and county government who will let the drug cartels operate with impunity. I would reprint the article, but I am afraid my blog may catch intellectual chlamydia...

The POC website is a hodge-podge of error laden rants, bizarrely formatted with long, seemingly random sections of bold and underscore. Real excerpt: "Not only does this don’t ask policy act as a magnate (sic) for criminal illegal aliens but also for terrorist (double-sic). A terrorist attack in Houston could threaten the nations (trifecta-sic) energy supply."

My first thought upon seeing it was how much it reminded me of the infamous Timecube page. For those not famillar, timecube.com contains the schizophrenic pseudo-scientific rantings of a bizarre cook. The page's formatting has become iconic in internet humor. Compare:

www.timecube.com

www.protectourcitizens.com

So update your bios, people:

1. Shelley Gibbs is not a moderate.
2. Shelley Gibbs is an unprincpled hack.
3. Shelley Gibbs is dumb enough to hitch her train to the Nutball Express.

Choo-choo!

Sparks orders another halt to GOP's effort to replace Delay

2006-06-26T15:28:00.000-07:00

No official ruling on the merrits yet, but the mercurial Sparks orders the GOP to cease the process the replace DeLay, at least until the end of the week.

Kronberg:

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks made it clear Monday afternoon that he considered former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay’s maneuvering to get off the ticket a "withdrawal" by the candidate and the Sugar Land Republican’s subsequent moves to be declared ineligible a way to game the system.
....
Sparks gave attorneys for the Democrats until the end of the week to file additional papers. He promised a judgment as soon as possible but acknowledged his decision would likely be appealed. "Nothing as important as this stops at my door," he said.

You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows...

UPDATE: Getting conflicting reports on whether Sparks has ordered that local executive committies take not action. It seems his prohibition probably just applies to Bensiker, preventing her from taking steps to replace DeLay on the ballot. So the local groups are likely free to meet.

THIS JUST IN: DeLay takes the stand .... Robert Talton loves lobbyists and food ... Beyonce is freakin' hot ... More to come ...

2006-06-26T12:50:00.000-07:00

1. DELAY TESTIFIES ON THE RESIDENCY SUIT

And it does not look good for the GOP. Judge Sparks asks about the draft letter, advises DeLay to "run like a rabbit."

By Laylan Copelin
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Monday, June 26, 2006

Former U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay testified in federal court here today that he intends to live and work indefinitely in Virginia even as his wife continues to reside in Texas. The Texas Democratic Party is suing to keep DeLay's name on the November ballot, claiming that Republicans can't replace the Sugar Land Republican because he withdrew from the race.

Under the state election code there is a crucial difference between a candidate being ruled ineligible or simply withdrawing. In the first situation, the party can replace the candidate on the ballot. In the second situation, it cannot.

State Republican Chairwoman Tina Benkiser has ruled DeLay ineligible because of his move to Virginia, setting in motion a procedure for party officials to name a successor for the November ballot. DeLay won the March Republican primary, but then announced April 3 that he would resign from Congress and move to Virginia to pursue new opportunities. Benkiser said she declared DeLay ineligible in April based on DeLay's new driver's license, voter registration and state income tax documents in Virginia.

Lawyers for the Democrats are arguing the move is a sham to allow Republicans to replace DeLay, who faces money-laundering charges in Travis County in connection with the 2002 elections.

Under cross-examination, DeLay, who resigned from Congress on June 9, said he served his southeast Texas district for more than a month after he became a resident of Virginia. He said his wife continues to reside at that Sugar Land residence to oversee their charity work for foster children.

DeLay testified that he didn't have to hire movers because his Virginia condo was already furnished. He said his only belonging he moved was a car. He testified that he has leased office space in Washington D.C. and has obtained hunting and fishing licenses in Virginia.

Judge Sam Sparks questioned both DeLay and Benkiser about letters that DeLay sent to the chairwoman about his plans. He quizzed both about why a draft of the letter was sent before a final version was delivered days later.

Neither could answer why.

DeLay testified that he understood before he made his decision the consequences of withdrawing from the race as opposed to being declared ineligible. Once DeLay finished testifying, Sparks explained he could either leave or stay for the rest of the proceedings.

"My recommendation is to run like a rabbit," Sparks quipped.

2. HOW BAD IS ROBERT TALTON?

God I love this picture...

We all know he's an out of the closet homophobe. But he's also a slimly influence-peddling lobbyist-lover. It has become common practice for lobbying groups to ask lawmakers to reserve a room in the Capitol to meet (and often feed) legislators while they lobby. And Robert Talton is quite open about how you get access to Robert Talton:

The influential lobbying firm Hillco Partners twice asked lawmakers to reserve the room, on one occasion for MD Anderson Cancer Center and another for an Arlington company that makes flu vaccines.

Rep. Robert Talton, R-Pasadena, sponsored the reservation so lobbyists could discuss biomedical issues with Harris County lawmakers. Mr. Talton serves as the chairman of the House's Houston-area delegation.

"I told them when I was elected [chairman] that the only time I was going to meet was if somebody fed us and talked to us," Mr. Talton said Friday.

Wow. To get access to DeLay, you had to take him golfing at St. Andrews or give him a humidor or buy his wife's house. With Talton, a BLT and chips will do the trick.

3. BEYONCE IS HOT

Not really breaking news, but I polled like 8 or 9 people, and they all agree she's still hot.

David Wallace and The Microsoft Paperclip

2006-06-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

For weeks now, David Wallace has been bragging. To GOP precinct chairs. To local media types. To city hall employees. To his dry cleaner. To squirrels.

"I have already raised a million dollars." Even the squirrels were in awe.

Well, it turns out that $800,000 of that money is, like Wallace's professional and ethical fitness for Congress, quite completely imaginary.

Reality-check time, Mayor Wallace. You're not the front runner. You want to know how bad things are? You're losing to this guy:

Pychologically unbalanced State Rep. Bob
Talton, in a cheery mood.

I'm viewing this as the first official sign that David Wallace has given up on winning the Vote of 4, and is now courting the Republican State Executive Committee. A SD from Lubbock may not know what the heck is going on down here, and thus might trust a press release that says Wallace is the mack daddy of all things CD22.

But Republican State Chair Benkiser has already sent out instructions to convene meetings to elect the Super-Special-4 now that the TRO has expired. So if Wallace is gunning for the other statutory process, he must also de-rail the current process, which of course draws this out even longer. Which means more pretend fundraising by everyone except Lampson.

In any case, this is the longest and most entertaining GOP primary I've ever seen...

Lasers

2006-06-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

Light amplified by stimulated emissions of radiation.

That's right.

Be afraid.

Fort Bend Democrats are now armed with lasers.

Utilizing advanced technology rarely glimsped outside supermarkets and gas stations, we are finally to integrate phone banking, block-walking, volunteer recruitment, voter ID and so much more into one seamless module.

It's called the VAN, short for Voter Activation Network. And if you're a Texas Democrat organization, you need it. At our fingertips is an interactive database of every registered voter in all of CD22 and Fort Bend County. From this database, I can create a list and cast as wide or narrow a net as I like. Want every registered voter in precinct? Done. Want everyone on a certain street in Simonton who voted in the 2004 Democratic primary? Easy. Asian females making over $65,000/yr in New Territory? Piece of cake. Nurses who voted in the last three general elections but never in a primary? Oh snap, we've got that too. There are profession, issue and activist codes that can be assigned to any voter. Interns all over the state have been pouring through AMA guides, union roll calls, school district materials, and assigning professions to voters. All using lasers.

I can print a walk list (ordered by street, even addresses first, then odds), a mailing label list (by unique households) or a call list. And they print with bar codes. For every question or piece of information I'm asking a canvasser to solicit, I print an answer key, which has bar codes for each answer. When the lists come back, we scan the answers back in. You can update 900 voters in 15 minutes.

A longtime Democrat and former candidate was in the office watching the new system recently. He was telling me how back when he was blockwalking a decade ago, they would just a pick a street and start knocking on doors. Even our techniques in 2004, which were a quantum leap at the time, now seem stone age compared to what we can do with minimal labor using the VAN. Add that to the ability to deliver highly targeted messages to key demographic groups, and you have a genuine godsend.

I actually don't know if the Fort Bend Republican party has a laser...But I still imagine the scene inside their smoky volcano hide-out:

Latest on DeLay residency lawsuit

2006-06-19T00:27:00.000-07:00

Kronberg is reporting that Federal Judge Sam Sparks will hear arguments on June 26, 2006 in the preliminary injunction hearing regarding the pending lawsuit filed by the Texas Democratic Party to prevent the Republican Party of Texas from improperly replacing Tom DeLay on the ballot. Judge Sparks refused to quash the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued in State Court against the Republican Party of Texas, meaning the TRO remains in effect through June 22, 2006.

A couple of points:

1. Despite the legal cheerleading of some enthusiatic local Republicans, don't expect the GOP to make a quick run for the endzone by naming a candidate June 23-25.

2. While it's nothing to get overly optimistic about, the fact that Sparks refused to kill the TRO is a good sign. At least we now have confirmation that he is not a monstrous partisan, which is about the best you can hope for on the Fifth Circuit.

Breaking News on DeLay Suit

2006-06-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

Nothing more than rumors at this point, but it is possible that the Richie suit on DeLay's residency has been removed to federal court. You'll know more when I know more.

UPDATE: Looks like more than mere possibility:

On Thursday, Margaret Wilson of Austin’s Potts &
Reilly law firm filed a notice of removal, seeking to
have the case moved to U.S. District Court in the
Western District of Texas.

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks will rule on the removal motion. UPDATE: A little conflicting info here - Margaret Wilson, who filed the motion, has indicated no ruling has been made and Sparks will hold a hearing on the issue. Another RPT lawyer, James Bopp, has been quoted as saying the relocation into federal court was automatic and required no hearing. Either way, as a removal hearing or on the merits, this case is going to Judge Sparks.

Though Sparks is a GOP appointee, he is not a hard-core partisan. He is mainly known for presiding over the sentencing of former Texas Attorney General Dan Morales. But he is also a maverick of the most eccentric kind. He performs Shakespeare in community theater, and ruled entirely in rhyme and meter on the Barton Springs clean-up case, opening with:

"Barton Springs is a true Austin shrine,
A hundred years of swimming sublime.
Now the plaintiffs say swimmers must go
'Cause of "stress" to critters, fifty or so.

He is also remembered for his 2000 decision that aggravated many in the GOP in which he ruled that Ford cannot sell vehicles over the internet in Texas and that state regulators did not violate Ford's consitutional rights by prohibiting such sales.

What is removal jurisidiction? Basically, a plaintiff has a choice of forum. If he brings a lawsuit with mixed claims of federal and state law, he is allowed to file in either forum. Removal is device meant to balance the forum choice flexibility of the plaintiff. If the defendant is being sued in state court, he may remove to federal court in the same district if any claims in the suit, and the relief sought, falls into the original jurisdiction of the federal court.

The GOP contends removal is an option in this case because one of the arguments advanced in the Richie suit is that elgibility is controlled by U.S. Consitution and is thus a federal question. But removal requires a novel question of federal law forming "one consitutional case." Just like Bush V. Gore, this suit does not belong in federal court - There are not mixed claims, only mixed questions of law. The Richie suit simply requires interpretation of a federal law to decide a state claim, and that's not enough for removal. But just like Bush v. Gore, don't expect black-letter law to matter much...

Why remove? After all, isn't the Texas Court of Appeals just as conservative as the Federal Fifth Circuit? Well, federal courts have a reputation for having more competent jurists who are more attentive to the law, but that's not really the idea here.

I've been talking with a lot of folks in the legal field, and there is genuine mystery as to the strategy here. It would seem that this move is aimed mainly at escaping the grips of the temporary restraining order. This isn't a question of vertical stare decisis, but of horizontal transfer. In other words, the whole thing starts over, and we have no TRO. But it seriously delays the litigation, drawing this mess out even longer. This is a tradeoff the GOP is willing to make in order to start the process of picking a replacement.

And now a word from our sponsor

2006-06-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

BIG RED: WINNING ELECTIONS SINCE 1937

In 1937, Perfection Barber and Beauty Supply in Waco began making flavoring extracts under the name Sun Tang. Inventors Grover Thomsen and R.H. Roark develop a unique red drink, Sun Tang Red Cream Soda. They change the company name to Perfection Co. Ltd. to be more in line with a flavoring extract business, and in 1959, change the soda's name to Big Red. In the late fifties Harold Jansing, then president of the San Antonio bottling plant, was playing golf when he overheard some caddies refer to a Sun Tang as a "big red." After a few years of hearing that, and eager to speak the lingo, he asked a caddy to bring him four big reds. The caddy returned with another brand. "That's when I decided to change the name," Jansing says.

Today, they are the 6th largest carbonated beverage company in the U.S.

Unlike Coca Cola, who is widely criticized for its abuse of workers around the world, Big Red acquires its corn syrup from fair-trade sources, and is known for its generous pension and health care packages. Founder M.L. Saunders had the following Henry Ford quote inscribed at corporate HQ in Waco, slightly modified for his product:

There is one rule for the industrialist and that is: Make the highest quality beverage possible at the lowest cost possible, paying the highest wages possible.

1 Liter. Nearly 100g of sugar. It's jet fuel for the Leftist on the go.

I told you so...

2006-06-15T13:42:00.000-07:00

SugarBabe, a regular GOP commenter at local sites like Fort Bend Now, has confirmed for me here that "a well-known Fort Bend elected official" will indeed challenge the proportionality of the 4 Horsechairs of the Apocolypse. But alas, I never said "elected official". So the the circles on our ven diagram have contracted quite a bit.

So let's take a look at the big board! Which one of these handsome fellas is gonna file suit?

ANDY MEYERS, Commissioner Pct 3,
trying his best to look like a mammal.

Already a declared candidate, already a flop.
He scares small children. There's really nothing
more to say.

Probability/GetTheHellOuttaHere Ratio - 5:3

CHARLIE HOWARD, State Rep District 26,
trying his best to look like a eukaryote.

Another declared candidate, slightly less flopish,
slightly more frightening to children. My sources
say he feels confident, but for no apparent reason.
So a suit seems unlikely, but my man in Vegas
is still calling it even.

Probability/GetTheHellOuttaHere Ratio - 5:5

BOB HEBERT, PhD, County Judge,
surviving an encounter with infamous gunman
Richard Cheney.

Not nearly as jolly as he appears. In fact,
he's a terrifyingly cronyistic reactionary.
He has not declared himself a candidate,
which makes him a strong spoiler suspect.

Probability/GetTheHellOuttaHere Ratio - 6:3

DAVID WALLACE, Mayor of Sugar Land
taking a very temporary break from
doing some seriously shady stuff.

Bob Perry's ethically challenged cabana boy
wants the seat so bad that I believe he might
literally kill for it. So yes, another strong
suspect. His goal is to put the race in the hands
of the Republican State Executive Committee,
knowing he has lost the war for the cold dead
hearts and twisted minds of CD22 GOP precinct
chairs.

Probability/GetTheHellOuttaHere Ratio - 6:4

MILTON WRIGHT, Sheriff,
currently on tour with Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg.

On the plus side, he was a former Texas Ranger.
On the con side, he's Milton Wright.

Probability/GetTheHellOuttaHere Ratio - 1:999 multiplied
by the atomic weight of titanium

JAMES PATTERSON, Commissioner Pct 4,
emerging briefly from his Magic Cloak of Invisibility

Don't even pretend like you know James
Patterson. Two words - Bench warmer.
He ain't the guy.

Probability/GetTheHellOuttaHere Ratio - 1:9

TOM STAVINOHA, Commissioner Pct 1,
having a fantastic hair day.

Some day, the Fort Bend GOP will wise up
and run a Needville politican district-wide.
And the name Stavinoha is like Kennedy on
the west side. But make no mistake, the
Fort Bend contender will come from the Sugar
Land area. Gillen and co. think those of us
on this side of the Brazos River smell funny.
And we do. It's called Old Spice and pork ribs.

Probability/GetTheHellOuttaHere Ratio - 1:7

ALSO RANS -

JPs:

Gary Fredrickson
Gary Geick
Jim Richard

Probability/GetTheHellOuttaHere Ratio - 1:20

Constables:

A.J. Dorr
Rob Cook
Troy Nehls

Probability/GetTheHellOuttaHere Ratio - 1:30

*******************************************************

And on the Subject of Redistricting:

Over the past few days rumors circulated rapidly and broadly that the U.S. Supreme Court would issue its decision on the Texas re- districting case this morning. So far, an opinion has not been issued and is no longer expected today.

Looking forward, the Supreme Court is expected to release opinions on pending cases each Monday and Thursday of this month. So, before rumors begin flying again, keep in mind that he decision on Texas redistricting could be released on any of the following dates: June 19, June 22, June 26 or June 29. U.S. Supreme Court opinions are typically released at 10:00 a.m. and can be checked at the Supreme Court website.

VIA http://www.lonestarproject.net

This Post is Brought to You by the Letter S

2006-06-14T20:52:00.000-07:00

Sorry to stray off topic, but permit me to bathe
in the sweet cooling waters of irony:

Many thanks to Fred of Truth-Serum for this little piece
of our messed up Zeitgheist. Like these Republican activists,
I am against any form of amnesty that does not contain the
letter S.

They are also against guy marriage and gin control.

Whispers

2006-06-14T14:13:00.000-07:00

Nick with the Fort Bend ticket

Busy as a bee today, but here's a few rumors in the wind:

1. Will the high court address redistricting before the session ends in a week and a half? Imagine for a moment the possible remedies...What if the court returned district lines to their former boundaries? Answer: Pure unadulterated chaos.

2. There may be a new entry into the twisted beauty pageant to replace DeLay on the ballot. The consensus among a lot of GOP big-shots is that none of the currently declared clowns look promising.

3. Ergo, there may be one more lawsuit in this mess - A challenge to the gang of four based on the proportionality argument. The claim is this: Since Brazoria and Galveston counties have far fewer residents in CD22 than Fort Bend and Harris, they should not have an equal say in picking the nominee. However, TEC designates another way to pick a candidate: Selection by the Executive Committee of the Texas Republican Party. But long story short, this race could be in the courthouse until August.

4. Not really a rumor, but more of a fact: It is impossible to raise $2 million in three months.

Back in Business

2006-06-12T13:15:00.000-07:00

Law school is hard.

I mean, seriously, that whole scene is filled with crazy-smart people who talk in riddles sprinkled with Latin.

But finals are over and I emerge from my hermitage. And back into the breach I go. I am now working as the office manager in the headquarters of Fort Bend Democrats. No more ramen noodles for a while - I can probably afford a few Lunchables every now and then.

So the presses will be hot once again here at ViewFrom22. I'll be giving updates on the latest developments in what has quickly become one of the most interesting congressional races in 2006. And with any luck, I may be still working to defeat DeLay in November.

Stay tuned...

Taking a Break

2006-04-11T17:58:00.000-07:00

Finals are approaching, and I need some time to properly understand theories of supplemental jurisidiction.

Like a month or two... :)

So I'm closing shop for a bit. Expect extremely sporadic posting until the end of May.

QUESTION:

2006-03-20T19:39:00.000-08:00

You may have heard the sound-bite from DeLay:

"Liberal activists like Barbra Streisand, financier George Soros
and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi all have a dog in this
fight, and his name is Nick Lampson."

Be still my bleeding heart! Too bad it isn't true...I was hoping George Clooney would get a cabinet appoinment! Consider this: James Dobson and the John Birch Society have a dog in this fight too, but does that mean Tom DeLay is a dangerous extremist? On second thought, don't think too hard on that one.

Instead, let's take a look at Lampson's record.

Figures from http://www.vote-smart.org

Not exactly the numbers of a wild-eyed pinko.
Or consider this laundy list of Lampson votes
that, given my status as a wacky leftist,
fall well short of liberal in my eyes:

As reported by http://www.govote.com

How about Nick on taxes? Well, it turns
out Nick has a moderate, fiscally responsible
record on tax issues. He consistently supports
tax relief for middle class families, farmers,
and small business, while voting against tax
breaks that the mega-rich lobby for, like capital
gains tax cuts. So when some GOP drone tells
you Nick is for higher taxes, show him his voting
record:

And though I'm sure there will be glossy attack
mailers with pictures of dudes making out,
Lampson is defintely not a culture warrior:

That quote is a tough one for my fiance and me. We are 20-something militants. We were out there registering voters and trying to get the base out last November to defeat HJR6, the constitutional amendment that denies marriage rights to homosexuals.

We met Democrats who, in the comfort of private conversation, would freely express their strong opposition to the amendment, but would never dare to say so publicly. They would say things like "It's not the right time yet," or "We can't let them distract us from more important issues." We found them to be spineless, fair-weather friends to the cause.

But Nick Lampson is not one these Democrats. He honestly disagrees with us. While he has been constant in his desire to end discrimination and promote tolerance of ALL Americans, he has traditional Texas ideas about family. And these ideas are probably more in sync with the voters of CD22 than Tom DeLay's far-right puritanicalism.

I also feel like a bit of hypocrite, because I routinely criticize Barbara Ann Radnofsky for saying the same thing at one of our meetings. The only answer I can give you is that if we are going to lose, I would rather be running a liberal in that hopeless senate race, just so more important issues can enter the dialogue.

Plus, it's my job as a young liberal to poke and prod the moderates of the party. But unlike the GOP, our moderates don't give us the keys the candy-store when they come to office. Trust me, Nick Lampson will ignore me when I tell him to support Bono for Secretary of State.

Now don't let me scare you...Lampson is NOT Lieberman. He has a proven progressive voting record of supporting working families, defending labor rights, and fighting for equitable and transparent government. But to call him a lap-dog of the far-left borders on lunacy.

Lampson will win or lose in Fort Bend County...

2006-03-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

and that is very good news.

The bulk of the grassroots movement of CD22 is aimed like a dagger right into heart of DeLay's home county. Clear signs of panic are already begining to emerge...Desperation, thy name is Streisand.

Lampson X-Factor #2 - Farhan Shamsi

2006-03-10T15:13:00.000-08:00

Farhan Shamsi was born on October 9, 1965, in Walsall, England, and his family moved to the United States in 1970. His father is a board certified Psychiatrist, specializing in Substance Abuse treatment, and is recognized as a Fellow by the American Psychiatric Association. Farhan’s mother holds a Master of Arts in Persian and is a Real Estate Broker.

With an interest in helping the community, Farhan joined his father in managing a substance abuse treatment clinic. As Executive Director, Farhan led the clinic and staff to a three-year accreditation, which is the highest level awarded. In the 30 years that Farhan has lived in the Greater Houston area, he has been involved in countless community, social and school activities.

Farhan talks with fellow Democrats at Nick Lampson's
birthday party

Farhan is running for Justice of the Peace in Precinct Three of Fort Bend County. He hopes to make the J.P. court more involved with the community, and bring his common sense approach to make the juvenille court a place where kids are put on the right track, and not simply given an introduction to a lifetime in and out of the criminal justice system.

Farhan is also deeply committed to bringing the exploding Asian community of Fort Bend into the fellowship of the Democratic Party. He sees the Democratic Party as a microcosm of the American melting pot, where different back grounds, experiences and perspectives combine to create unique solutions to our shared problems.

You can read more about Farhan and contribute to his campaign at: http://www.farhanshamsi.com/

Primary Night

2006-03-08T21:59:00.000-08:00

Primary results didn't pack too many surprises. The strength of Bell's victory was a bit unexpected, but the night was otherwise predictable. On the local level, a promising young progressive lost to our incumbant state represenative, a conservative anti-choice Democrat who is also opposed to embryonic stem cell research.

Gordon Quan introduced Nick. As you may remember, he was considering running for this seat last summer. I wrote him at that time encouraging him to get into this race. Gordon is a family friend and an alumni of my law school. I've always liked his politics; he was a consistently progressive voice in Houston City Council. In the end, he decided Nick should the party's nominee for this district. Yet he is still very determined to vote Tom DeLay out of Congress. He assures my brother and me that his cadre of youthful volunteers will be on the streets in the east side of CD22 this fall.

Gordon tells the crowd why we're going to win.

Nick gave a terrific fire-bellied speech and had some excellent press converage. An unopposed candidate isn't normally granted air-time on primary night, but this race is an obvious exception. The Lampson staff and the volunteers of Fort Bend Democrats did a fantastic job setting up this event. This campagin is being run by some surperbly talented inviduals.

Lampson gives an interview to ABC 13

So, where do we stand?

1. Cambell and company proved unable to push DeLay into a run-off, but the good news is that among GOP primary voters, 40% voted for somebody other than Delay. This a group of voters who we would normally write off completely.

2. You can bet good money that Steve Stockman will enter the race as an indepedant, and he will be knocking on those doors.

3. Today, the Lampson campaign passed the $2 million mark. As of February 15th, the last FEC reporting date, DeLay was trailing Lampson by $122,000 in cash on hand.

Election Day Tomorrow

2006-03-07T14:27:00.000-08:00

Nick will be gathering with supporters tonight at Cliff's Bar-B-Q in Sugar Land. I will have pictures and reaction from Nick and his staff sometime tomorrow.

My Complaint Letter to the SCOJC

2006-03-01T18:26:00.000-08:00

For your viewing pleasure, here is the full text of the my complaint letter to the State Commission on Judicial Conduct concerning his illegal endorsements:

Page One

Page Two

Harris County Dems at Drexler's Bar-B-Q

2006-02-26T18:54:00.000-08:00

Last night, over 500 Houston-area Democrats met downtown at Clyde Drexler's Bar-B-Q Restaraunt for event hosted by the Harris County Democratic Party with help from Bay Area New Democrats and Fort Bend Democrats. We were able to raise a few bucks for the fight in CD22 hawking various swag.

Those with contested primaries were out in full force. Gammage's people made sure to cover the interior in literature before anyone else arrived. It was clear the gloves had come off in this race: Gammage's pamphlet attacked Bell for never "adequately explaining his support for the devastating Bush tax cuts, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and a bank and credit card sponsored bankruptcy bill aimed like an arrow at the heart of struggling working families." Oh my...

Bell fires back - His volunteers arrive with an attractive glossy mailer, complete with pictures of Chris in a classroom reading to minority children. Gag factor aside, it is an effective little piece of advocacy, and it comes with pre-packaged attacks on Bob, charmingly entitled "Gammage: Dammage to Texas". The sidebar alleges that Gammage "opposed finacial aid for students from poor families", "opposed increasing the minimum wage for working families", "helped lead efforts to weaken the Clean Air act, and tried to suspend it in Houston", and "opposed affirmative action and fought against funding for school desegregation".

My dad and Chris Bell talking a little shop

With all the mudslinging, most of the other candidates kept a low profile. Radnofsky made the rounds, robotically repeating her typically un-Leftist fare, making sure to remind everyone she believes, among other things, that marriage is between a man and a woman. Well Babs, I believe my vote is between me and a real Democrat.

I also got the chance to meet Jim Henley, a charismatic school teacher who wants Culberson's seat. He came with a large following of energetic young volunteers and some extremely sharp-looking campaign materials. More important, Mr. Henley himself is sharp.

And of course, Nick was there, with that same goofy smile on his face, looking once again like the cat who swallowed the canary. At this point, it's gotta feel good just to be Nick Lampson.

Lampson X-Factor #1: Neeta Sane

2006-01-15T19:47:00.000-08:00

Sane with Lampson

One of the reasons I began this diary was that very few bloggers covering this race are doing so from inside the district. A quick Technorati search on this race turns up commentary from all across the nation, and in the proud blog tradition, most are poorly researched and usually ill-informed about our area.

You can find analysis of "the Abramoff effect" anywhere. Instead I want to tell you what the grassroots of District 22 is up to, and why it may have an important impact on the race that most national commentators may ignore.

So today I bring you Lampson X-Factor #1: Neeta Sane

Neeta Sane was born on July 30, 1963, in Bombay, India. Her father is an architect and an engineer; her mother holds a Master of Arts and a Bachelor of Education degree that she earned in her late 40’s. Neeta was raised in the cosmopolitan culture of Bombay, and graduated with a Master of Science degree in 1986 from University of Bombay.

Neeta entered University of Houston-Clear Lake (UHCL) in 1995 to carry out research work in Chemistry. After graduating with a Master of Science with a GPA of 3.97, she and her team at UHCL carried out computational research in collaboration with the Center of Research in Parallel Computing.

Her computer expertise and success in independent research inspired her to start her own software development business. Since 1997, she has formed two companies, GND Systems and Positronic Systems LC. Neeta is currently the managing partner of Positronic Systems LC, a software development and consulting firm.

Neeta devotes her time to several community organizations as well. She is a Director of Vote-Texas, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, which is committed to acquiring transparency in electronic voting systems. She is also the Vice-President of the Texas Democratic Women of Fort Bend and a secretary of the Fort Bend County Democratic Party.

Neeta is the Democratic nominee for Fort Bend Country Treasurer. The position has no incumbent. Republican Treasurer Jeannie Parr left office in disgrace after she was caught misappropriating funds. Neeta will most likely face Republican insurance salesman Jeff Council in November.

Neeta is a fantastically charismatic candidate. Although standing a mere 4'10'' (on a tall day), she possess the Clinton-esque ability to seize the attention of her listener during one-to-one contacts. Neeta is also a leader in the Indian-American community of the county, and carries a broad base of moderate support. Neeta, along with downballot Democratic candidate Farhan Shamsi, will also fight to turn out the rapidly growing Asian-American vote, a veritable "sleeping tiger" of Fort Bend County politics. Others have been more explicit in their metaphors, claiming the Asian vote is a demographic time-bomb waiting to go off in the GOP's face. Remember back to October, when activists were attempting to draft Houston city councilman Gordon Quan into running against DeLay for this very reason.

Neeta Sane talks to Houston councilman M.J. Khan

To get Neeta elected, we must do one thing: Put her face to face with as many independent / swing voters as possible. And you know what that means: Buying lists, updating the voter IDs, and filling up gas tank after countless gas tank. Let me put it this way: If you've given your maximum allowable donation to Lampson, you might want to throw a few bucks Neeta's way as well. Downballot campaigns like Netta's will be a key component in a Lampson victory.

The Chronicle Survey

2006-01-14T21:12:00.000-08:00

Ok, so let's talk about the Chronicle Survey.

"Frontrunner Nick Lampson" sounds real nice, don't it?

Let's cover some basic numbers on DeLay first:

As far as the makeup of the poll, that's even better news. It is skewed GOP, skewed white, grossly under-represents hispanics, and it is skewed towards high-income. Check the Chronicle for more on the poll's methodology and makeup, but the short version is that this poll may very well underestimate Lampson's already impressive lead.

Update: Or not. There is some debate on the sample demo...

But by far my favorite number is this: Only half of those polled who voted for DeLay is 2004 said they will do so again. Read that again if you have to.

BEFORE YOU GLOAT:

Lamspon is polling no higher than his base (30%)
This survey cames at a terrible time for DeLay. These are basement numbers for him.
It's a long way to November. If DeLay walks on Earle's indictments, these numbers will soften. The race may not hinge on the outcome of the case, but they are inexorably linked.

UNRESOLVED QUESTIONS:

1. Will DeLay survive the primary? My instincts tell me yes. The three way split on the anti-DeLay vote will cripple anyone's chance to beat him. There is simply not enough time to organize support behind one candidate. Bet on Cambell to pick up a good number of those undecideds, but probably not enough. And we're already hearing about the beginings of a whisper smear campaign against Cambell among DeLay loyalists and the far right.

2. Will DeLay stay out of jail, off suicide watch, and on the ballot until November? Let's hope so.

3. Can Stockman keep the interest of moderate Republicans who would never dream of voting for Lampson? Keep your fingers crossed on this one too.

4. Will any of this hurt Lampson's ability to fundraise? Well, it always cuts both ways, doesn't it? Some people will jump on the bandwagon now that the wagon is polling in the lead, while others will figure Nick's got it in the bag and will give money elsewhere. Personally, I'm not worried. Lampson is running out in front, sitting on a million dollars, and has yet to spend a dime.

Fundraiser in Galveston

2006-01-12T21:58:00.000-08:00

Lampson's in the groove...

Galveston County Democrats put on a top notch fundraiser last weekend featuring Nick Lampson and District 14 candidate Shane Sklar. Held at the Moody Garden's Hotel (Hightower noted they were probably spinning in their graves), nearly 500 Democrats took one for the team and dined on rubbery chicken so that Nick and Shane can put a few thousand glossy mailers in the homes of swing voters.

We saw more refinement of Lampson's stump speech, along with a little impromptu riffing on the day's Abramoff headlines.

AG candidate David VanOs

David VanOs provided the leftist viewpoint, delivering an impassioned critique of the Conservative brand of justice. He rattled the tables and essentially called for Alberto Gonzales's head on a platter.

Shane Sklar

Shane Sklar is running in the 14th, taking on the infamous Ron Paul (Dr. No). Shane is the head of the Cattlemen's Association, and if elected, would be the only House member who makes his living off of agricultural production. Though young, Shane is well connected and highly charismatic. Expect him to give Paul a tough race, and a possible upset.

Left to Right: County Treasurer candidate Neta Sane, Congressman Al
Green, JP Candidate Farhan Shamsi, and Fort Bend Democrats President
Tony Crabbs

Fort Bend Democrats sponsored a table for the event, and a large contingent of our local candidates represented us well. In Fort Bend County, we have 11 candidates running in downballot races, 8 of which are contested. This is by far the most Democratic activity this area has seen in my political lifetime. It is also the most diverse ticket in county history: 3 White males, 3 African-American males, 2 Hispanic females, 1 Hispanic male, 1 Pakistani male, 1 Indian female. We can proud our ticket actually looks like the county.

Sweet...

2006-01-09T18:09:00.000-08:00

Looking better every day...

The Lampson Announcement

2006-01-07T21:00:00.000-08:00

Lampson giving his prepared remarks

Nick Lampson formally announced his run for CD22 in Clear Lake on January 4th, in an event put together by Bay Area New Democrats and Fort Bend Democrats, and I was lucky enough to be there with my digital camera. It was an impressive event with a large amount of supporters from all over the district. I think even Nick was a bit surprised by the turnout. It's great to see Democrats excited again.

Answering questions

Lampson gave a terrific stump speech, in which he covered issues close to his heart: Fiscal responsibility, a commitment to quality education, social secuirty, mobility, emergecy preparedness, and port security. Waxing metaphorical on his view of pragmatism, Lampson said he wasn't concerned with moving the district to the right or left, but moving it forward.

Lampson greeting supporters

And for the first time, Lampson was not shy in his harsh words for Tom DeLay. Waving a copy of the recent Washington Post article on Russian influence peddling, Lampson shamed DeLay for a career of corruption that has now spilled over into his charitable activities. He introduced a meme that will undoubtedly be a cornerstone of his campaign: "I make this promise to you: You will never have to be embarassed to have me as your Congressman."

News coverage of the event was fanastic, and I even found myself on the fuzzy end of a reporter's microphone. I was quoted extensively along with other members of FBD in an article in the Pasadena Citizen, which can also be found on Lampson.com. I even got some hat tips in the democratic blogosphere, like this nod from Preemptive Karma.

Nick Lampson with JP Candidate Farhan Shamsi, District Clerk Candidate Veronica Torres,
and County Judge Candidate Prescott Small

About The View From 22

2006-01-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

I created The View From 22 to give a foot-soldier's perspective in the fight to regain a democratic majority in Fort Bend County and CD22.

I a partisian activist and a member of Fort Bend Democrats. I was employed by the organization over the summer to help manage office operations. I have been involved in grassroots organizations since I could walk, and have worked in every major campaign since Clinton's 92 presidential bid.

With SDEC member Rodney Griffith at a Ron Kirk fundraiser

A little about me personally: I am 27 year old student at South Texas College of Law. I have resided in District 22 since the age of 4. I live with my fiancee Elizabeth, our dogs Gizmo and Guillermo, our cat Gonzo, and our fire-bellied toads: Cobweb, Peaseblossom, Mustard Seed, and Mote.

Guillermo and Gizmo, yellow dogs