Lissa Squires For The Democratic Nomination In Texas U.S. House District 7

In the ongoing Texas Democratic primary runoff voting, I’m support Lissa Squiers in the 7th Congressional district.

(Above is a photo of Ms. Squiers noting something that I’m certain was important.)

The incumbent in this race is Republican right-wing extremist John Culberson. Ms. Squiers’ opponent in the runoff is energy attorney James Cargas.

Ms. Squiers is an energetic and progressive local Democratic leader who will work hard to win a Republican-leaning district.

When no Democrat challenged Mr. Culberson in 2010, Ms. Squiers took up the fight as a write-in.

Ms. Squiers can always be counted on for leadership and for hard work in the service of others.

I know Lissa and I trust her to advocate for all people in the 7th district with consistently progressive views, and, also, to give Mr. Culberson a strong challenge.

Here is the Squiers website.

Here is the Facebook page for Ms. Squiers.

While almost all of the Democratic establishment  has supported other candidates in the nominating process for the 7th Texas U.S. House district, Ms. Squiers finished a strong first in the multi-candidate first round of the vote with 40%. This good showing was due to the fact that Ms. Squires works hard and is able to connect with voters.

Please consider helping Ms. Squiers get to 50% in the runoff.

Top Texas blogger and longtime political activist Perry Dorrell supports Ms. Squires. 

Primary Runoff Day is Tuesday, July 31.  Early voting ends on Friday, July 27.

Lissa Squiers For The Democratic Nomination In The 7th Congressional District Of Texas

In the upcoming Texas Democratic primary, I’m voting for Lissa Squiers in the 7th Congressional district.

(Above is a photo of Ms. Squiers noting something that I’m certain was important.)

The incumbent in this race is Republican right-wing extremist John Culberson.

Ms. Squiers is an energetic and progressive local Democratic leader who will work hard to win a Republican-leaning district.

When no Democrat challenged Mr. Culberson in 2010, Ms. Squiers took up the fight as a write-in.

Ms. Squiers can always be counted on for leadership and for hard work in the service of others.

I know Lissa and I trust her to advocate for all people in the 7th district with consistently progressive views,–I live in the 7th–and to give Mr. Culberson a strong challenge.

Here is the Facebook page for Ms. Squiers.

Primary Day is Tuesday, May 29. Early voting runs May 14-May 25.

Fellow Houston and Texas blogger Charles Kuffner has the best rundown of the Democratic primary candidates here in Harris County, and about other contested Texas Democratic primary fights as well. 

Fellow Houston and Texas blogger Perry Dorrell has written about the Green Party slate in Harris County and in Texas at his blog Brains & Eggs.

Should Abe Lincoln Have Given Jefferson Davis Everything He Wanted?—The Work Of Freedom Is Up To Us

Should Abe Lincoln have given into everything that Jefferson Davis and the South wanted in order to solve a great national problem?

President Obama has likely compromised more than he should on the debt ceiling debate. And yet still it is not enough for Republicans.

Mr. Obama may not be another Lincoln, but today’s Republican Party of States Rights and mindless government bashing would have fit in just fine with the Confederacy.

Just how far backwards are we going to go in this country?

President Obama got it right tonight that we as citizens need to take action ourselves.

Call your U.S. Representative and your two U.S. Senators and demand a solution that involves sacrifice by all and that does not exempt the most wealthy from having to pay a fair share.

But don’t stop there.

Every American has the ability to attend a public meeting, attend or organize a protest, write or call an elected official, talk to friends and family, start a blog, donate money, write a letter to the editor, volunteer for candidates and causes, engage in acts of civil disobedience, and even run for public office.

President Obama’s call for citizen-action  may be the most important thing he said in his debt ceiling speech.

Take up the President on his suggestion of getting involved, and keep up the involvement for the fights ahead.

The work of freedom is up to each of us.

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Here is the message I have sent to my terrible Congressperson John Culberson-–

Rep. Culberson: God Bless President Obama and freedom. You states rights extremists have always been about obstruction and treason. Stop holding our nation hostage for the benefit of the rich, and out of hatred for the multicultural future of our great nation as represented by Barack Obama. Thank you.

U.S. Rep. John Culberson Sends Taxpayer-Funded Mail That Ignores The Views Of The People—Dancing Duck-Chicken

Above you see a taxpayer-funded mailer I got from my terrible Congressman John Culberson.

Mr. Culberson “represents” the 7th district of Texas here in Houston.

I know that what you see in the picture looks like a campaign mailing.

Yet it says on this piece of mail that it is “official business” and that it was “prepared, published, and mailed at taxpayer expense.”

This junk mail is about criticizing President Obama.  There is nothing else here other than criticism of the President.

Rep. Culberson said the stimulus package was a Trojan Horse to make America more like France, yet at the same time he is big time  in requesting earmark funds for his district.

At no point in this mailing does Mr. Culberson ask for the the views of people in his district. At no point does Mr. Culberson give an address where one can solicit constituent services.

This is how Mr. Culberson spends our taxpayer dollars.

He gives his views, but does not ask our views.

Mr. Culberson does not care what you and I think.

Why would anybody listen to Mr. Culberson on any matter?

In the picture above you see my duck-chicken—That dances the Chicken Dance when you press down on the left-wing—reading Mr. Culberson’s mail.

He is reading it so that you do not have to do so.

Please click here to see my video of reading St. Francis of Assisi with the help of the duck-chicken.

Texas Republicans Love Earmarks As Much As Liberals Like Myself Love Big Government—The Yang Of Truth And The Yin Of Hypocrisy

Despite all the talk we hear about Texans not wanting the federal government in their lives, Texas gets a great deal of money in federal earmarks. Many of these earmarks are sought by Republicans.

From the Houston Chronicle—

“Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s status as a Washington insider proved politically toxic in her bid for governor — but those same skills reaped more than a billion dollars this year for Texas cities, universities, medical centers and military installations. Hutchison’s prolific use of earmarks placed her third among the Senate’s 100 members, behind only California Democrats Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. ..A 17-year Senate veteran who serves on the powerful Senate Committee on Appropriations, Hutchison continues to capitalize on her capital connections by inserting 166 special spending requests worth more than $1.2 billion into the federal government’s 2010 budget, which runs through Sept. 30, according to data collected by the nonpartisan watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense.. Overall, Texas raked in $1.6 billion for projects sought by its members of Congress. That total swells to $1.8 billion when earmarks requested solely by the White House, mostly for military projects, are added. Houston-area lawmakers are among the most prolific fans of the earmark in the Texas delegation, totaling about $322 million in this year’s budget. They sponsored or co-sponsored 85 of the 573 Texas earmarks. Five of the top seven Texas earmarkers come from Houston, led by Democratic Rep. Gene Green and Republican Rep. John Culberson.”

This is all good to hear. As a liberal, I support the use of government funds to benefit the lives of our people. It is reassuring to know that this common sense position is one held by office holders and citizens across the political spectrum.

As has been reported before, so-called libertarian Congressman Ron Paul of Texas loves earmarks. Mr. Paul goes on about not wanting federal dollars, but he goes after the money just like a liberal.

Congressperson John Culberson, who I’m sorry to report is my own Representative, once said the stimulus package was meant to turn America into France.

Yet based on the article above, Mr Culberson, just like Mr. Paul, loves to bring federal dollars to Texas.

What is behind this apparent duality?

Below are examples of dualities.

I think that for Senator Hutchinson, Rep. Paul and Rep. Culberson, the chart should be updated to show the Yang of a truthful person and Yin of a hypocrite.

The same can be said of all Republicans in Texas who take the money from Washington.

These Republicans may win elections in Texas for the time-being, but it is big government liberals like myself who enjoy the ongoing role of the federal government in the lives of Texans and in the lives of people all across our great federal union.

Congressman Culberson Says Stimulus Package Is Trojan Horse Meant To Turn America Into France

My Congressman here in Houston, John Culberson, has said the following about the proposed government stimulus package that will soon be passed in Congress and signed by President Barack H. Obama—

“Redistributing hard-earned tax dollars will do far more to expand the power of the federal government than it will to stimulate the economy,” said Rep. John Culberson, R-Houston. “This legislation is a Trojan horse that liberals are using to ultimately turn America into France, because it contains massive expansion of multiple federal programs that are utterly unrelated to stimulating the economy.”

Well, I sure hope all this is true.

I hope stimulus package dollars are used to build a Trojan Horse such as you see below….

( Here is a history of the Trojan War and the Trojan Horse.) 

…..And that this horse is filled up with liberals. I hope the commander of the horse is the late House Speaker Tip O’Neill (below) who is brought back to life by Wiccan socialists in a pagan rite also funded by stimulus dollars. It’s time for everybody to get a fair share of the faith-based dollars.

(Here is information about the best biography of Tip O’Neill. It is called Tip O’ Neill and the Democratic Century and was written by John Farrell.)

(Below are Wiccans chanting and casting spells for federal dollars and to bring Tip back to command the liberals in the Trojan Horse. Here is information about the Wicca religion. If you want to join up with them I say more power to you.)

And I hope that the liberals come out of the horse and help turn America into France.

Below is the French city of Calvi. Can we please make America look like this?

The new President and the increased Democratic majorities in Congress are working out even better than I had imagined.

Could anyone in Washington be more useless than my Congressman? So much is going on and going wrong and what he has to offer is liberals turning America into France.

U.S House Candidate Michael Skelly—Use When Needed

Texas U.S. House Candidate Michael Skelly issued a statement today suggesting MoveOn.org should “move out of Texas.” (Clever, huh?) This was in response to a MoveOn event at Congressman John Culberson’s office yesterday asking Mr. Culberson to look for solutions to our energy needs beyond offshore drilling.     

Because, whatever you may think, offshore drilling is not going to lower your gas prices. 

Mr. Skelly, a Democrat, is seeking to unseat Mr. Culberson, a Republican, in the November election.

This race is being contested in the 7th U.S House district in Texas. This has been a strong Republican district, but Mr. Skelly is given a chance of winning.

One can understand if Mr. Skelly does not want to be identified with MoveOn in a Republican-leaning district. Winning elections is a practical concern. 

What should not be forgotten though, is that MoveOn consists mostly of average folks who are getting involved for no return but the chance to work for what they believe. I’m certain that on Election Day, Mr. Skelly will take the votes of MoveOn members in the 7th district.

There’s nothing more important someone can give than time. Time is the most important thing we have in life. 20 people stood out in the heat yesterday at Mr. Culberson’s office. Most people do nothing.

Politicians are inherently users. ( As are many of us.) This does not mean they are all without beliefs. You can be a user and have beliefs at the same time. In fact, some politicians are principled.

But when you tell folks working for you to “move out”, you’d might as well be telling them to go to hell. It’s a reaction that strikes of panic by his campaign and of disdain for his active supporters.

Mr. Skelly has the right to conduct his effort as he sees best. And Democrats and progressives in the 7th district have the right to view Mr. Skelly in a guarded fashion.

I see Mr. Skelly as he sees me—As somebody to use to reach a goal. If he seems viable on Election Day and if he can resist telling people who feel as I do to take a hike, I’ll vote for him. It’s one thing to not agree with me on all the issues. I’m not the only person in the world. It’s another thing not to want my support.

If on Election Day he fades away, I’ll just wait two years for the next user to come along.

(This is also posted at the Houston Chronicle where I’m one of seven featured political reader-bloggers.)

Lose The Election Is What John Culberson Can Do For Me

My terrible Congressman, the far-right John Culberson, sent me some taxpayer financed junk mail.

It’s a multi-colored circular with attacks on the “Democrat-led Congress.” Would not black-and-white printing been the more frugal course with taxpayer money?

On the mailing it says–“If there is anything John Culberson can do for you…please contact him at the Houston or Washington offices.”

What John Culberson can do for me is lose the election.

Mr. Culberson’s opponent in the 7th U.S. House district of Texas is Michael Skelly. Mr. Skelly has raised more money than Mr. Culberson to this point and he is going to win in November.

Mr. Skelly is going to win despite his tiny little square “bumper stickers” you can hardly see unless you are tailgating.

Please click here for my post on why you should volunteer for Mr. Skelly.

Here is the web page for Mr. Skelly.

Houston/Galveston County Notes

 

Here are some Houston and Galveston County notes.

Above is the pink dolphin spotted in Galveston Bay last year.

Skelly On The Move

Texas political blog Capitol Annex posts that Democratic Texas U.S. House District 7 candidate Michael Skelly is on the radar of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. Mr. Skelly is going to defeat incumbent John Culberson in this Houston-area district. Watch for this race to get more attention as Election Day nears.

Please here click for my post on why you should volunteer for Mr. Skelly. I say in the post that the Skelly race is an uphill race. I’m glad to say I will be adjusting my thinking on that matter.   

TexBlog Pac To Hold Houston Fundraiser

TexBlog pac will be holding a fundraiser in Houston on June 26.

The goal is to raise money to help elect a Democratic majority in the Texas House.

The event will be at the Rice Lofts located at 909 Texas Avenue in Downtown Houston.

It starts at 6:30 PM.

Houston blogger Charles Kuffner has more details. 

State Representative Garnet Coleman will be there as will a number of other local office holders and candidates.

Vo Fixes Apartments

Democratic State Representative Hubert Vo has brought apartments he owns up to building codes.

Well….That’s good. But why does a urban Democratic officeholder run a slum operation to start? People deserve forgiveness. I make mistakes all the time. Still, I find this frustrating on many levels. 

Voters in Mr. Vo’s district can decide this November how they feel about the issue.   

Galveston County Reconstruction-Era Black Settlement Marked

The black run town of Our Settlement, the only all black town in Galveston County in the years right after the Civil War, now has a Texas historical marker.  

First Woman Elected In Galveston Dies

From the Galveston County Daily News ( Here is the full obit)—

Ruth Levy Kempner, the trailblazing, outspoken lover of Galveston politics who was the city’s first female elected official, died Monday in her home at the age of 90. A self-described “civic busybody,” Kempner influenced Galveston politics for decades and kept up with city council antics until her death.              

Kempner and her best friend of 80 years, Frances Kay Harris, lobbied for a change in the form of city government to “anyone who would listen” in the late 1950s, Harris said.

When the city adopted the council-manager form of government, Kempner ran for council and became the first woman elected to city office. As a councilwoman, she was a sharp-witted, well-spoken fighter for her cause, said Bob Albright, who served on the council with Kempner from 1961 to 1963.

Why You Should Volunteer For Michael Skelly For Congress Or In Some Other Uphill Race

Michael Skelly is running for Congress as a Democrat from the 7th Congressional District of Texas. ( Please click the link for the Skelly campaign.)

This district includes portions of Houston and areas around Houston. It has been a Republican district in recent years.

The incumbent is the terrible John Culberson.

You should volunteer for Michael Skelly and for other candidates facing an uphill race.

(Though this race may not be uphill as it seems at first look.) 

Let me tell you why.

When I was 23, I volunteered for a man named Tyrone Yates who was running as a Democrat in the very Republican 2nd congressional district of Ohio. This was in 1990.

This Cincinnati-area district now elects the terrible Jean Schmidt.

Tyrone had, at best, a small chance of winning.

In the other Cincinnati-area district, the 1st, there was a tight and high profile race for an open seat.

That campaign had many volunteers. Most of them were forgotten by the campaigns when the race was over. 

Mr. Yates did not have many volunteers.   

I called Tyrone one day out of the blue and he told me to come to a campaign meeting.

I was soon part of the campaign core.

There were maybe 8 of us.

We went to campaign appearances and had a good time. I learned things. I made some friends.

We lost the race, but it was a great experience and fun.

In 1991, Tyrone became a member of the Cincinnati City Council.

In 1992, he gave me a job in his office. Tyrone gave me the job in part because I had been on-board with him when others had not.

While working at Cincinnati City Hall, I met my future wife. 

Also, even though we lost our race in 1990, we served the cause of democracy.

Mr. Skelly will likely have a larger campaign than we did—I hope he does—But I bet he will appreciate each and every person who offers help. The same can be said of challengers like Mr. Skelly running across the nation. 

This story from the Houston Chronicle talks about a quick fundraising start for Mr. Skelly.

Here’s a recap of why you should volunteer for Micheal Skelly for Congress in Houston, or in some other challenging race where you live—      

1. You will learn about politics— 

2. You might meet new friends—

3. If you are loyal and lucky, you might end up with a job–

4. You will be serving democracy–

5. Maybe you will meet your future spouse—

Ron Paul To The Left Of Three Texas U.S House Democrats?—Rating Texas U.S. House Delegation From Right To Left

I recently bought a copy of the 2008 The Almanac of American Politics.

It’s a big book. It has information about politics in Texas and across the nation. If you follow politics, this book is well worth the $74.95 cover price. 

What better way to spend your time than reading about Ron Paul, Pete Sessions and Sheila Jackson Lee?  

The Almanac profiles each member of the U.S House, Senate and all the Governors. For members of Congress, a rating computed by the National Journal magazine is used to rank each member on a liberal to conservative scale relative to other members of Congress. 

The ratings in the 2008 Almanac take into consideration votes from the Congressional session of 2005-2006. Each member is rated between 0 and 99 on economic, social and foreign votes for both years. This is a total of six ratings from these three categories over a two year period.   

I took the ratings, added them up and divided them by six to come up with an overall liberal rating for each U.S House member from Texas. It is somewhat depressing.  

For example, my U.S Representative, John Culberson, voted on the liberal side of economic questions 26% of the time and 2005 and 32% in 2006. That might seem high and I wonder if some of it comes from protectionist votes from this immigrant basher. (Though I see he voted for the Central American Free Trade Agreement.)  

Mr. Culberson was at 0% on social issues for both ’05 and ’06 and at 11% on foreign issues in ’05 and 0% in ’06.

Add up these percentages, 26, 32, 0, 0, 11, and 0, and you get 69. Divide that by the six categories and you get a dismal 11.5%. 

Here are the ratings for each member of the House from Texas along with their district, party affiliation and hometown as listed in The Almanac. The last number is the percentage of voters in 2004 who voted for John Kerry. 

I have a few thoughts on Rep. Paul and a few others at the bottom of this post.

The list goes from right to left. (The left being such as it is in Texas.) 

( Nick Lampson and Ciro Rodriquez, both Democrats, were not part of the last session and are not rated.)

30. Pete Sessions 3.5%—32, R, Dallas, Kerry 40%

30. Randy Neugebauer 3.5%—19, R, Lubbock, Kerry 23% 

28. Sam Johnson 4.6%—3, R, Dallas, Kerry 33%

27. Kenny Marchant 8.3%—24, R, Cappell, Kerry 35% 

26. John Carter 11.0%—11, R, Round Rock, Kerry 33%

25. John Culberson 11.5%—7, R, Houston, Kerry 36%

24. Lamar Smith 13.3%—21, R, San Antonio, Kerry 34%

23. Kevin Brady 14.3%—8, R, The Woodlands, Kerry 28%

22. Jeb Hensarling 14.7%—5, R, Dallas, Kerry 33%

22. Michael Burgess 14.7%—26, R, Highland Village, Kerry 35%

20. Joe Barton 15.6%—6, R, Ennis, Kerry 34%  

19. Mike Conaway 17.0%—11, R, Midland, Kerry 22%

18. Mac Thornberry 17.5%—13, R, Clarendon, Kerry 22%

17. Louie Gohmert 19.3%—1, R, Tyler, Kerry 31% 

16. Mike McCaul 19.7%—10, R, Austin, Kerry 38%

15. Kay Granger 21.8%–12, R, Fort Worth, Kerry 33% 

14. Ralph Hall 22.0%—3, R, Rockwell, Kerry 30%

13. Ted Poe 25.0%—2, R, Humble, Kerry 37%

12. Henry Cuellar 53.3%—28, D, Laredo, Kerry 46% 

11. Chet Edwards 56.0%—17, D, Waco, Kerry 30%

10. Solomon Ortiz 58.7%—27, D, Corpus Christi, Kerry 45%

9. Ron Paul 60.3%—14, R, Surfside, Kerry 33%

8. Silvestre Reyes 63.2%—16, D, El Paso, Kerry 56%

7. Gene Green 63.3%—29, D, Houston, Kerry 56%

6. Ruben Hinjosa 63.8%—15, D, Mercedes, Kerry 49%

5. Charles Gonzalez 68.7%—20, D, San Antonio, Kerry 55% 

4. Al Green 76.3%—9, D, Houston, Kerry 70%

3. Sheila Jackson Lee 77.3%—18, D, Houston, Kerry 72%

2. Eddie Bernice Johnson 80.3%—30, D, Dallas, Kerry 75%

1. Lloyd Doggett 85.2%—25, D, Austin, Kerry 54%      

Just a few observations—-

These ratings, a rough but accurate enough measure, do not really capture what Ron Paul is about. The economic Darwinism of libertarianism is right out of the jungle. Yet you see how Mr. Paul’s views on social issues and opposition to the Iraq War are fooling some on the left.

In a 30% Kerry district, I’d say Chet Edwards is doing his best.

It seems to me Gene Green, Al Green and Shelia Jackson Lee could move just a bit more to the left.

Pete Sessions seems somewhat out of step for even a 60% Bush district.  

I know better days are ahead for Texas and for our U.S. House delegation.