The Fighting Dems Project, Part 3: Conclusion (sighs of relief all around)

After discussion, debate, and hopefully, voting, the Texas Roots Project is going to adopt some kind of plan for collective action (I hope). That collective action may be adopting my plan to support one or more Fighting Dems, or it may be something else. If the TRP does decide to act, in whatever fashion, then I will be very glad that I joined this online group, and I will look forward to forging friendships and discussing issues that I hope will endure over many years.

Whatever strategy for collective action the TRP adopts, I will be there with you. If you reject my plan and wish to adopt another, that is fine by me. I just want to see action. In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say this (I may be an idiot, I may even be a jerk, but I’m not a Republican, therefore, I tend to tell the truth as a matter of personal policy), I have already made financial commitments to two Fighting Dem candidates, David Harris (CD 6) and Ted Ankrum (CD 10). If the TRP decides to support someone else, I will support them also, but perhaps not with money. I will write, blog, brainstorm and whatever else I can do, but I have promised these two candidates my financial support through election day, and I will not break my promises to them, and I don’t know if I can afford to take on a third (or more) financial commitment. Having said that, here are the Fighting Dems in Texas:

Dan Dodd, TX district 3
Current incumbent is Sam Johnson (R)

Charlie Thompson, TX district 5
Current incumbent is Jeb Hensarling (R)

David Harris, TX district 6
Current incumbent is Joe Barton (R)

David Murff, TX district 7
Current incumbent is John Culberson (R)

Ted Ankrum, TX district 10
Current incumbent is Michael McCaul (R)

John Courage, TX district 21
Current incumbent is Lamar Smith (R)

Rick Bolanos, TX district 23
Current incumbent is Henry Bonilla (R)

If I have missed anyone, please let me know and I will add them to the list.

My personal choice for this group to adopt is Ted Ankrum. They are all worthy. I am also supporting David Harris, another excellent candidate. So why Ted Ankrum? I don’t want to go on too long about this, but he is a class act, a real old fashioned gentleman with a distinguished military career and a very progressive political outlook. Plus, he has sent me no fewer than three thank you notes for my contributions to his campaign fund. Does this matter in the long run? No, not really, rather it is personal, and touching. I never promised you that I was going to be objective about this. It is also the case that he is running a very low key, below the radar campaign on a shoestring budget, and he is doing it very intelligently. And everyone loves rooting for an underdog, and Ted is very much an underdog in his race. His opponent is a well funded Tom DeLay clone. But if you think that someone else would make a better candidate for the TRP to support, then say so, and let the debate begin!
Come on, TRP, if you have a better plan we all want to hear it. I have no ego wrapped up in this. I want to be part of a group that is willing to fight and struggle to take back our country from the criminals and religious zealots that want to run this country into the ground. Isn’t that why you are here? I have put forward a plan. Debate it. Adopt it. Or put forward something else. But whatever the case, let’s thrash it out and then vote on something and get moving. It’s time to fight.

The Fighting Dems Project, Part 2: the Diabolical Plan

The Diabolical Plan is actually quite simple (what?!? You thought it was going to be genius? pish). We have seen how the netroots is beginning to have an effect in political races around the country, for example, in the Senate race in Connecticut. While not always successful, we are witnessing the emergence of a genuine “people powered” politics that has both the Democratic establishment and the MSM howling, barking, wailing and gnashing their teeth. How dare these angry ragamuffins (I’ve always been partial to Edmund Burke’s description of us as “the swinish multitude”) demand a seat at the table? We talk a lot on the blogs and elsewhere about “taking back our country” and I am definitely down with that. But I think it’s important to start with “taking back our party,” which is why I am proposing that the Texas Roots Project adopt some kind of plan, strategy or project to begin that process. I’m not so naïve to think that it will be easy or that it will happen overnight, but I also think that a good time to start this process would be, um, right now.

I would like to start by stressing that I have no wish, absolutely no wish, to become a “player” in the sense that Kos and a few other major bloggers are, or are becoming, major players, both in the party and in the country as a whole. Rather, I would like to see the Texas Roots Project (TRP) become a player, here in Texas and especially within the Texas Democratic party. Which means that I don’t care if you decide to adopt my plan or some other plan. I joined this online community because I am desperate to become part of a group that is dedicated to taking back our party, and then our country. I am putting forth a plan of my own because I think it might be a pretty good plan, but also to serve as a launching pad, a way to get us talking about all kinds of plans and then maybe settling on one and getting busy implementing that plan. So, if this online community decides that adopting a plan is a good idea, but the plan adopted is not my plan, that’s perfectly OK with me. Just something, anything, because it is time to fight.

So, here is my plan. It is a plan for immediate action, and it has a short term goal. The short term goal is to help the Democratic party retake control of the U.S. House of Representatives by electing one or more Fighting Dems to the House here in Texas. In the future, if the Texas Roots Project survives, grows and prospers, it may be the case that we would want to pursue a different project, such as environmentalism, or retaking the state house, or electing a Democratic governor, or any number of other things. But right now, today, I believe that retaking one or both houses of the U.S. Congress is probably the most important project we could take on, and I think our prospects are better to retake the House than the Senate. Please feel free to disagree and argue otherwise.

To that end, I propose that this group “adopt” one or more Fighting Dems, and begin funneling money and any other support we can provide. Of course there are many other Democratic candidates running for House seats that are worthy of support. Nick Lampson, running for Tom DeLay’s seat (CD 22) comes to mind. Another favorite of mine is Mary Beth Harrell, TX district 31 who is kind of an “honorary Fighting Dem” because, while not a veteran herself, she is the daughter, wife, and mother of veterans (one of her sons is serving in Iraq right now). But Texas is a state in which the military is very prominent. Fort Hood is, it is often said, the largest military base in the world. Texans, of whatever political stripe, strongly support the U.S. military. How much of an impact would it make, if we helped retake the U.S. House of Representatives for the Democratic party if we elected Fighting Dems? I think it might be huge.

Finally, I want to revisit the idea of making the Texas Roots Project a player in Texas politics. Let’s just say, for example, that this group adopts my plan or some other plan. Let’s say that we adopt a candidate, a Fighting Dem or not, it doesn’t matter. Let’s say 50 people in this group, as individuals, started sending money to a certain candidate or candidates. Let’s say that each of these 50 people sent an average of $50 a month to that candidate (totaling $2,500/month). What kind of clout do you have? None. But if each of those 50 people sent their money and told the candidate that they were part of the Texas Roots Project, what kind of clout would the TRP have? Well, I don’t know, but I expect that there would be some clout. Maybe not a lot, but at least some. And as the TRP grows, its clout grows. And ultimately, that is my point. I want to take back the U.S. House of Representatives from the Republicans. And I want to take back the Democratic party from the DLC, the consultants and other “inside the beltway” idiots, and return it to the people. We know what the Republican party stands for, and what it exists to do, and it is not about We, the People.

If you are still reading this post, you are either a glutton for punishment or you have at least some sympathy with what I am (however clumsily) trying to say. If the latter, please read the third (and last, I promise) installment of my post on The Fighting Dems Project.

The Fighting Dems Project, Part 1: The Fighting Dems

First, thanks to everyone for the comments and suggestions in my earlier post. Like many of you, I’ve always been keenly interested in politics, but I’ve never been what you would call an “activist.” In fact, for a variety of reasons I have never even given money to a candidate or campaign before this year. But this year, for the first time in a very long time, I have a little extra money every month and for all the reasons I don’t need to list (reasons you already know), I believe that this election could be vital for the future of our country and the survival of our democratic republic.

So, back at the first of the year I was wondering how and where I would direct these spare dollars. There are so many choices, so many worthy candidates. And then the Fighting Dems appeared on my radar, and this group of veterans struck me profoundly for a number of reasons. There is a widespread perception that the military is inherently “conservative” and that military personnel tend to vote Republican. This may well be true, although I have read a couple of scholarly studies debunking this as a myth. But whether the perception is true or not is really irrelevant. One thing is true, and that is that this administration has made a concerted effort to politicize the military, an effort almost unprecedented in our history, and is yet another despicable act by an administration that seems to know no shame or responsibility.

It is interesting that Al Franken has risked his life several times to travel to Iraq to entertain the troops, but I am not aware that Rush Limbaugh has ever done so. But can the troops hear Air America radio on the Armed Forces Network? No, but they can listen to all the Rush Limbaugh they can stomach. And of course, that is only a minor part of the Republican initiative to politicize the military. If you want more evidence, Google the Air Force Academy and religion, among many other examples.

After World War II the Congress was filled with veterans of both major parties, a situation that lasted well into the 80s, when the numbers began to drop. Today there are probably fewer veterans serving in Congress than at any time since before that war (and most of those are Democrats). This is not necessarily good or bad for the country, people (like myself) that have never served in uniform are not second class citizens nor are they inherently incapable of being good public servants, just as veterans are not inherently better Congresspersons or Senators than non-veterans. But common senses dictates that some direct knowledge of military life and duty, and especially of war and combat, might better prepare a man or woman for deliberating on military issues, and especially whether or not to send our troops into harm’s way. I do not believe that it is entirely coincidental that an administration staffed with so many chickenhawks, draft dodgers and deserters was so blithe, not to mention cynical, about entering into this disastrous Iraq adventure. Nor is it a coincidence that those leading the fight to bring the troops home are veterans like Jack Murtha and John Kerry.

Another thing that struck me about these Fighting Dems is that there are so many of them. I should probably define “Fighting Dem.” If I am not mistaken, all of these men and women are running for Congress for the first time. A few of them have held other political offices but most of them are political neophytes. And of course, they are all veterans and all Democrats. Some have seen combat, some have not. Some were career military, some served a hitch or two and then returned to civilian life. Some were regulars, some Reserves (and some both). They come from every branch of the service. Some are fairly conservative, like Jim Webb, who is running for the Senate in Virginia. I believe he served in Reagan’s administration as Secretary of the Navy. So why is he running as a Democrat? I can’t read his mind but I expect that he is furious about many of the blunders for which this administration is responsible (e.g., Katrina), but especially they are furious about the war in Iraq. Its legitimacy, its rationale, but most of all about the callous and cavalier treatment of the troops and the veterans.

The Republicans howl and howl about supporting the troops, but there is no plan for either success or exit, there is not enough body armor, the water they drink is tainted, their souls are being tainted by torture and war crimes, their veterans benefits are under constant assault and the troops are being worn out with repeated deployments and the lack of a clear mission.

All of this outrages us all, but I imagine it is especially galling for the men and women who have been there and done that, to see how these criminals are wrecking our military to no good end.

Finally, the phenomenon of the Fighting Dems is the fact that they are Democrats. The last time I checked there were over 50 veterans, men and women, running for Congress for the first time as Democrats, and only two men running for Congress for the first time as Republicans. Of course, the corporate media, er, I mean the mainstream media, are doing a dandy and perfectly predictable job of avoiding covering this sensational story. And it is a sensational story. It completely blows up the idea that the military is inherently conservative and a wholly owned subsidiary of the Republican party. And it demonstrates quite publicly and very graphically, that on vital issues of war and peace, and particularly on the issue of the conduct of the Iraqi catastrophe, thoughtful veterans willing to undergo the strains and rigors of campaigning that are necessary to winning a seat in the U.S. House or Senate are overwhelmingly Democrats, if not always progressive liberals. In other words, there are not many things out there in the public domain today that demonstrate how mainstream America and the majority of Americans are more in tune with Democratic values and policies than the phenomenon of the Fighting Dems.

If you are still interested in this Project, please go on to read to The Fighting Dems Project, Part 2: the Diabolical Plan.

Register now for Camp Wellstone Houston!

Camp Wellstone is coming to Houston August 18-20!

Camp Wellstone is coming to Houston, Texas for the first time!  Register today for Camp Wellstone Houston on the weekend of August 18-20, 2006.   Click here to register!    

Camp Wellstone is a training program that teaches progressives how to win on issues and elect good candidates. We use a distinctive approach to politics, based on Paul Wellstone's success at integrating grassroots organizing, electoral organizing, progressive public policy and ethical leadership.

The training is highly interactive, combining exercises, lectures, and simulations over the course of 2.5 days.  Camp runs Friday from 2:30pm-9:00pm, Saturday from 9:00am-6:00pm, and Sunday from 9:00am-3:00pm.  We keep you busy the whole time!  The exact location of the camp will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Camp Wellstone is divided into three tracks:

• Candidate track.   This is for people who have made the decision to run for office.
• Campaign track.   This track focuses on how to be an effective staff or volunteer member of a winning progressive campaign.
• Citizen activist track.   For people interested in citizen lobbying, issue advocacy, and community organizing, this track provides skills in how to win on issues. 

For more information about Camp Wellstone or to see which track is right for you, click here.

Camp Wellstone fills very quickly. If you are interested, sign up online by following the link above or visit www.wellstone.org

The cost is $75 or just $35 for students, low-income, or unemployed participants. We are not able to guarantee your space for the the camp unless payment is received 2 weeks prior to the starting date.  Camp participants are responsible for their own accommodations.

If you have questions about the training, contact Cietta Kiandoli: cietta@grassrootssolutionscom or  202-419-3077.

Click here to sign-up for Camp Wellstone

Learn More about Camp Wellstone!

• What is Camp Wellstone?
• Sample Camp Wellstone Lectures and Activities
• What people are saying about Camp Wellstone
• A profile of Camp Wellstone Grads in Action
• Photos from Camp Wellstone

 

Chili, Ice Cream, Barbecue, or Phone-banking?

In just about three weeks you will have the opportunity to come together with Democrats in your community to meet, greet and organize as we get ready for elections this fall.

Saturday, July 29th will mark 100 days until Election Day, and Democrats will be celebrating the occasion and making their commitment to work hard until November in a series of events called the Democratic Reunion.

They've captured the spirit perfectly in Oklahoma, where you'll find an "Oklahoma Democratic Party Family Reunion" where Democrats young and old will join others who have left politics or never participated before. All of them will be committing to give their all for the last 100 days.

And in Washington, they've worked to coordinate their events with campaigns from across the state - ensuring that come Election Day, there's a network of dedicated volunteers to help get out the vote.

Find a Democratic Reunion event near you -- just follow this link and plug in your zip code:

http://www.democrats.org/thedemocraticreunion/find

All kinds of events are happening as part of the Democratic Reunion. Social events, canvasses and phone-banks, candidate meet-and-greets -- whatever your comfort level, whatever your community wants, the important thing is that Democrats come together.

A few of the other kinds of events:

• Casper, Wyoming: Casper Canvass and Barbecue
• Eugene, Oregon: Lane County Democratic Party Chili Cook-off
• Biloxi, Mississippi: Picnic for Democracy
• Tucson, Arizona: Ice Cream Social
• Nampa, Idaho: Meet Your Local Democratic Candidates

That's only a few -- not to mention the 31 events in Georgia, the 42 events in Ohio, or the event in Fairbanks, Alaska being put together by a candidate for the state legislature.

Can't find an event near you? There are so many options, and planning your event is so easy with our online events center, why not create your own? We'll provide tips and support to make your event a success, and we'll even make sure you get materials like doorhangers and postcards to help spread the word in your community.

Plan your own Democratic Reunion event now:

http://www.democrats.org/thedemocraticreunion/create

It's an exciting time to be a Democrat, and the Democratic Reunion is the next big step in our drive to build our party everywhere and win this November.

We have a lot to do, but we have to remember that there's nothing we can't do together.

Thank you for getting involved.

Sincerely,
Tom

Tom McMahon
Executive Director
Democratic National Committee

 

Sen. Hutchison voted against Internet freedom

Dear MoveOn member,

Your senator, Kay Bailey Hutchison, was the deciding vote AGAINST Internet freedom during a key vote yesterday in the Senate Commerce Committee.

The committee voted 11 to 11 on the Snowe/Dorgan proposal to preserve Net Neutrality—one vote shy of passage. Your senator voted to let companies like AT&T put tollbooths on the Internet and gain more control over what you see and do online. The fight to preserve the free and open Internet now moves to the full Senate.

Please call Sen. Hutchison today and say "shame on you" for opposing the Snowe-Dorgan Internet freedom proposal. Tell her to oppose any bill in the full Senate that doesn't protect Net Neutrality. Here is the number:

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison
Phone: 202-224-5922

Please click here to let us know you called and to share how it went:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1885&tg=FSTX_1&cp_id=344&id=8146-3497923-o._6zH5OsYkMcDbLkSx7pQ&t=2

After you call your senator's Washington, D.C. office, you can also call your local district office by clicking the above link. If you get voicemail, you can leave a message—they will get it.

Senator Hutchison took $13,250 in contributions this election cycle from big telecommunications companies, according to www.opensecrets.org, and then sided with them in yesterday's vote.

Senators who voted yesterday had a clear choice between siding with big money or siding with their constitutents. While 1 million everyday people petitioned Congress to save Net Neutrality, big telecommunications companies like AT&T gave nearly 1 million dollars in campaign contributions to members of the Senate Commerce Committee this election cycle. Politicians need to be held accountable for making the wrong choice.

Thanks for keeping the pressure on Congress as we fight to save the Internet.

–Eli Pariser, Adam Green, Noah T. Winer, and the MoveOn.org Civic Action team
Thursday, June 29th, 2006


Sources:

1. Links pertaining to yesterday's vote:
"'Net neutrality' battle may sink sweeping telecommunications reform bill," USA Today, July 29, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1911&id=8146-3497923-o._6zH5OsYkMcDbLkSx7pQ&t=3

"Net Neutrality Issue Holding Back Broad Telecom Legislation," Investor's Business Daily, June 28, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1912&id=8146-3497923-o._6zH5OsYkMcDbLkSx7pQ&t=4

Video: Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) threatens to "block" anti-Net Neutraity legislation on Senate floor, June 28, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1913&id=8146-3497923-o._6zH5OsYkMcDbLkSx7pQ&t=5

2. Articles about the Net Neutrality issue:

1. "Net Losses," New Yorker, March 20, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1646 ;

2. "Why You Should Care About Net Neutrality," Slate—Prof. Tim Wu Guest Column, May 1, 2006
http://www.slate.com/id/2140850/ ;

3. "Executive Wants to Charge for Web Speed," Washington Post, December 1, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1902&id=8146-3497923-o._6zH5OsYkMcDbLkSx7pQ&t=6

4. How Net Neutrality affects you
http://www.savetheinternet.com/=threat

Stop Offshore Drilling

A message from Environment Texas

When Americans head to the beach this summer, we expect
fun and sun. However, if the oil and gas industry get
their way, we may soon find something else: oil rigs,
oil spills, and air pollution. America needs to take
action to break our dependence on oil, not feed that
dependence further.

When I wrote to you about this issue in May, over 600
of you called your representatives to stop off-shore
oil and gas drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. And it made
a huge difference--on May 16 the House of
Representatives voted to block new drilling.

However, now the oil and gas industry are back with a
new bill to repeal the 25-year ban on off-shore oil and
gas drilling.

Please tell your representative to oppose H.R. 4761.
You can reach your representative at 202-224-3121. If
you don't know who your representative is, that's OK.
Just tell the operator your zip code, and they will
connect you.

Here's a message you can leave: "Hello, my name is
_________, and I live in _________. I am calling to
urge Rep. _________ to oppose H.R. 4761 and protect our
coasts from off-shore drilling."

After you call, please report your call to us so we can
keep track of how many people are talking to their
representatives. Then ask your friends and family
members to help out too by forwarding this message to
them.

To report your call, click here or paste this link in
your web browser:

https://www.environmenttexas.org/action/offshore-drilling-call

BACKGROUND:

Our coasts and marine waters are destinations for
thousands of vacationing families each year, sanctuary
for fish and wildlife and a critical part of America's
"sea to shining sea" natural heritage. They are the
economic lifeblood for thousands of tourism and fishing
communities, providing billions of dollars of economic
activity and millions of jobs.

Oil and gas drilling would ruin our coasts and beaches.
From 1990-1999, 1.8 million gallons of oil were spilled
from offshore drilling platforms and pipelines in U.S.
waters--an average of almost 500 gallons a day.

Additionally, each offshore operation produces 214,000
pounds of air pollutants each year, and tens of
thousands of pounds of mercury have been dumped around
Gulf oil rigs.

There are cheaper, cleaner, faster, and longer-term
energy solutions like efficiency and renewables that
will start saving consumers and businesses money today
and protect our coastal waters, beaches, and economies.

Adopting both energy efficiency and renewable energy
programs would decrease natural gas prices by $2.05 per
million cubic feet, or 37%, in the first year.

Meanwhile, offshore oil and gas would typically not be
available for at least seven years. But we can
immediately start saving money and energy by increasing
the efficiency of our cars, appliances and buildings,
and growing the amount of energy we generate from
renewable energy sources like wind and solar power.

Unfortunately, legislation (H.R. 4761) has been
introduced that would repeal the 25-year ban on new
off-shore drilling and lead to new drilling off our
coasts.

Please call your representative and urge him or her to
oppose H.R. 4761. You can reach your representative at
202-224-3121. If you don't know who your representative
is, that's OK. Just tell the operator your zip code,
and they will connect you.

Here's a message you can leave: "Hello, my name is
_________, and I live in _________. I am calling to
urge Rep. _________ to oppose H.R. 4761 and protect our
coasts from off-shore drilling."

After you call, please report your call to us so we can
keep track of how many people are talking to their
representatives. Then ask your friends and family
members to help out too by forwarding this message to
them.

To report your call, click here or paste this link in
your web browser:

https://www.environmenttexas.org/action/offshore-drilling-call

Sincerely,

Luke Metzger Environment Texas Advocate
LukeM@environmenttexas.org
Environment Texas

P.S. Thanks again for your support. Please feel free
to share this e-mail with your family and friends.