Edwards, Noriega, Franken & William Henry Harrison—The Texas Liberal Victory Team
For 2008, I support John Edwards for President, Rick Noriega for the U.S. Senate from Texas and Al Franken for the U.S. Senate from Minnesota.
Some say I’ve endorsed what can now be termed the Texas Liberal Victory Team only in the hope that one of them will be willing to name a post office after me or, maybe even better, after my blog.
There is a measure of truth in that assertion. Yet it’s also true I have kicked in $75 to the Noriega campaign and $20 to the Edwards campaign. I gave $20 to the Edwards people when I saw him speak at a BBQ restaurant in Houston earlier this year.
I will make further donations to my Victory Team.
Regretfully, no type of bar ticket was offered in exchange for my donation at the Edwards rally and I had to pay for my own beer. I’d note that the 1840 Log Cabin Campaign of my fellow Ohioan William Henry Harrison remains a model of how to dispense alcohol to the public in exchange for votes.
Since no endorsement of Senator Edwards is complete without a picture of President Harrison, I have included one above.
I’ve also added President Harrison to the Victory Team. While it could be argued that Harrison is dead, it is also so that he is a proven vote-winner. It’s something of a trade off.
I reserve the right to rescind my endorsement if I am offered hard cider.
At the risk of sincerity, I support Senator Edwards because of his focus on issues of poverty and class in our country. These are the core issues behind my personal commitment to liberalism. I believe that Senator Edwards is willing and able to address these concerns with optimism for the future and without immigrant-bashing.
Having made this public endorsement, I await offers of patronage. Anyone who has read Robert Remini’s Martin Van Buren And The Making Of The Democratic Party,— And to serve my vanity let me be clear, I’ve read it— will tell you that to the victors go the spoils.
That primaries have not yet begun for any victories to be won does not diminish my expectations.
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Welcome To Texas Liberal
Texas Liberal is a blog of politics and political history.
My name is Neil Aquino. Here is my profile.
I can be reached at naa618@att.net.
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( The picture above is of the Houston Ship Channel. A narrow channel can lead to a wide sea.)
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Another good post is my reciting the words to the Shaker hymn Simple Gifts on Galveston Island, Texas as a ship passes behind.
I live in Houston, Texas and I do sometimes write about political issues in Houston and in Texas.
I also often write about my former hometown of Cincinnati, and about the great beach city of Galveston, Texas.
I define liberalism as a role for government in the economy to help make life more fair, and a broad acceptance of people regardless of who they are.
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Texas Liberal began regular posting on July 25, 2006.
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Pingback by Capitol Annex » Bloggers Supporting John Edwards | September 4, 2007
Uh. I dont think Rick could be considered liberal. Same with Edwards. Al, I dont know enough about him.
All are probably liberal in some areas, and conservative on other issues.
That’s fine. I’m not looking for full agreement. I’m not the only person in the world. It’s a big tent.
Everybody is conflicted in a variety of ways. Maybe contradictions reign us in from becoming nut jobs certain that we are always correct.
W.H. Harrison was a Whig. He’s on the Victory Team as well.
I agree with John Cobarruvias. Noriega isn’t very liberal except on financial aid and in-state tuition for college applicants who are in Texas without legal resident status. Yet even Noriega’s open border views are bad for labor and undercut the market forces which would otherwise raise wages in Texas (which is one reason big business types like Bob Perry and Dick Weekley and Texans for Lawsuit Reform are Noriega’s top financial patrons).
Noriega has gone along with just about every big business tax loophole that Centerpoint Energy and Bob Perry have supported.
When Centerpoint Energy and Reliant Energy asked Noriega for contributions to their political action committees which support 95% Republicans including DeLay, Craddick, Cornyn, Chisum, Abbott, Perry, etc. Noriega willingly gave his personal contributions to those PACs.
Back in 2003, the Texas Legislature passed a law that life begins at conception for the purposes of criminal and civil law in Texas. True liberal Rep. Jessica Farrar proposed an amendment to change the law so that life would begin at fetal viability instead of at the moment of conception, but Noriega didn’t support Farrar’s bill. That’s certainly not liberal.
Noriega supported the war in Iraq at least as recently as 2005 when most people had backed away from supporting the war.
Noriega voted in the past legislative session (1) to add “under God” to the Texas pledge of allegiance, (2) to stop the HPV vaccinations, (3) to make it more difficult for children of people without legal resident status to seek CHIP care for their children, (4) to require people to to take a class on traditional marriage or pay a tax for their marriage license.
Even in the presidential election, Noriega endorsed Bill Richardson who braggs about being the least liberal Democrat running for president.
I like Noriega, and I’ll support him if he’s the nominee, but he’s basically Hillary but more liberal on border security issues and less liberal on social issues.
Thanks for the comment. The primary will decide.
Primary? Not for me — I’m voting the straight party Whig ticket.
In 1848 I would have voted Free Soil.
Neil:
Some good choices you have there. Although I’m not sure about Noriega yet. He is a bit conservative for me, especially on his recent votes in Texas. He does have much better name recognition that Watts but Watts has the money. I will vote for Noriega if he is nominated. I will say this, Rick will do a far better job than Sen. do nothing Cornyn.
BTW: I like the new site.
Nytexan–Thanks for the comment and for the compliment on the format change. I’m sorry I’ve not updated your address as you request on your other post. I’ve seen your new shop and you folks are doing a great job. I’ll be certain to fix the link.