Democrats, Liberals & Others Have The Right And The Obligation To Ask More Of Annise Parker

According the Facebook of Republican Texas State Senator Dan Patrick, Houston Mayor Annise Parker was the only Democrat to attend the Lincoln-Reagan Day fundraiser of the Harris County Republican Party.

How you view this fact could be a kind of Rorschach Test.

(Above–Rorschach Test. I see a polar bear climbing Mt. Everest.)

It could be that Mayor Parker was conning Republicans as she works to fend off possible challengers in the 2011 election.

It could that Mayor Parker is a political moderate and that she is reaching out to voters of all parties.

It could be that Mayor Parker is deserting Democratic voters for political reasons even though she was elected Mayor in 2009 as a Democrat.

In any case, Democrats, progressives and liberals have the right to ask more of the Mayor in what was a  61% Obama city in the 2008 election.

How is that Mayor Parker can attend a Republican fundraiser where Senator Patrick and Mike Huckabee took the stage to play a tune, but she could not attend the rally outside Houston City Hall last week to address the sharp cuts to vital public services being considered in the ongoing session of the Texas legislature.

Democrats, progressives, liberals, and others who would reliably vote for Democrats, merit a Mayor who consistently addresses basic questions of economic fairness and opportunity in Houston.

Given the wide  divide between the two major  parties at the moment, and given the strong divisions between the parties on civil rights questions that Mayor Parker has championed in the past, you have to wonder what the Mayor is sacrificing for the rest of us as she seeks the political support of the Republican far-right in Houston.

(Below–Senator Patrick (left) and Mike Huckabee (right) jamming at the Lincoln-Reagan Day Harris County Republican Fundraiser.)

I Apologize For Ever Having Voted For Houston Councilmember C.O. Bradford—Bradford Merits No Support From Voters Of Either Major Party

I apologize for ever having voted for Houston City Councilmember C.O Bradford.

(Above–Councilmember Bradford.)

I made this error when I voted for Mr. Bradford in 2008 to be Harris County District Attorney.

Mr. Bradford, a former Houston Police Chief, was the Democratic nominee for District Attorney.

I voted based on party when I should have simply not voted in the D.A. race. Neither candidate was worthy of support in that race.

While he did sound like a Democrat in 2008, Chief Bradford admitted at the time that he did not do all he could have done as Chief to deal with the deeply-flawed Houston crime lab.

As a current member of Houston City Council, Mr. Bradford often makes little effort to sound like a Democrat anymore.  This despite the fact he was happy to take Democratic votes in 2008.

From Councilmember Bradford’s web page—

‘The City of Houston tends to over regulate. Understandably, the City must regulate from time to time for health and safety reasons. Even these interventions should be a limited, measured approach with broad substantive input from the citizens and businesses being impacted. Today, businesses and citizens are strapped with too many taxes, fees, and permitting requirements. Why is this so? Well, the answer can be found in one word – “spending. …”

I’m certain many would agree with this statement. Fine. But Democrats believe government has a role in making our communities better, and in making the lives of our citizens better. I’m sure folks who agree with Mr. Bradford’s minimal government views can find a real Republican to support.

You can be a Democrat and favor fiscal restraint. Nobody is in favor of waste. We do not have unlimited cash to run government. Yet what Mr. Bradford is doing here is identifying himself with the extreme and harmful budget cutting advocated by many in the current political climate, and offering nothing constructive for Democrats looking for fiscal moderation, but not looking to be Republicans. If given the choice between a Republican and a Republican—People will pick a Republican.

Mr. Bradford, as a Democrat, has the obligation to offer more than just a reflexive opposition to spending.

Now Mr. Bradford is teaming up with Republicans and others to attack the storm water drainage fee that Houston voters passed at the ballot box last November.

Some are upset that churches will have to pay a fair share of the fees required to address chronic flooding in Houston.

Councilman Bradford will be appearing with conservative Houston Councilmember Mike Sullivan and conservative Paul Bettencourt as panelists at a Houston Area Pastor Council meeting about the storm water fee.

This meeting will be held at Houston’s First Baptist Church. According to the Houston Chronicle, First Baptist is currently spending $12.6 million to renovate a Worship Center and $3 million to upgrade other facilities.

Mr. Bettencourt is best known for being reelected as Harris County Tax-Assessor Collector in 2008, and then quitting the post just a few weeks after the election.

That is some company Democrat C.O. Bradford keeps.

It is not  clear why Mr. Bradford opposes the storm water fee given that he said the following on his campaign page—

“…. Let’s get back to a commitment to basic sanitation (garbage & water), infrastructure issues, police and fire. Core services are the City of Houston’s business!”

What is more basic to a hurricane -prone semi-tropical place like Houston than addressing flooding with new storm water infrastructure?

There has been speculation that Councilmember Bradford may run for Mayor.

Mr. Bradford is not saying one way or another.

Which political party does Mr. Bradford truly support? Which city services does he see as essential? What are his political motives?

The only thing you can be certain of is that Councilman Bradford does not merit the support of any principled voter.