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June 29, 2005
Candidates, Anyone?
Though Houston is just cranking up its campaign season for the 2005 City elections, there is already considerable buzz about who is running for what in next year's midterms.
Houtopia is working with two City Council candidates, and though we live and die with day-to-day workings of the campaigns, occasionally we remember that, for most of the public, the election this November 8th will be a bit of a snoozer. The addition of the marriage amendment will no doubt create additional interest, both in the city and across the state. But it is the lack of a competitive Mayoral campaign -- the Mayor's race drives the turnout and intensity of City elections -- that is keeping interest low.
As we've written previously, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's decision not to challenge Rick Perry in next spring's gubernatorial primary has largely stopped the jockeying on the Republican side. County-wide officials like Robert Eckels and Paul Bettencourt are likely to stay put for now, stopping other ambitious local polls from moving up.
On the Democratic side, there is gun-shyness among potential candidates. Can I really win the seat? -- is the question we often hear. Our answer is, in several cases, yes.
While the GOP currently controls all county-wide offices, its hold on them grows more tenuous by the day. Good candidates should file and run on the Democratic side in 2006. We sense a climate for political change out there, and you've gotta have people running for offices to take advantage of the situation.
In coming posts, we will explore in a bit more detail some possibilities for next year. To have a shot, the work must start now.
Posted by houtopia at 07:05 PM
June 28, 2005
Hochberg Shows His Quality, and Loses to Partisans
Today comes word that Texas House Democrats' plan to reform public school finance -- a plan authored by Houston State Representative Scott Hochberg -- fell just one vote short of passing.
The plan garnered every Democratic vote and the support of 12 brave Republicans. It was left to House Speaker Tom Craddick, that champion of public education, to cast the deciding vote to kill it.
The plan cut property taxes across the board, tripled the property tax homestead exemption, and gave teachers a meaningful pay raise. Hochberg said the plan would benefit the average homeowner in 144 of 150 State House districts, and raise funding for three-fourths of Texas school districts.
But the GOP would sooner shut the schools down this fall than see any "Democrat" plan become law. We especially enjoyed the quote from Pampa Representative Chisum -- whose sole effort to improve the everyday lives of Texas families this session has been to introduce a constitutional amendment making already illegal same-sex marriage more illegal -- now he's a legislator we can all be proud of.
House Democrats offer a real, substantive plan to fund public schools. The GOP -- Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker et al? They're looking for the next "wedge" issue to divide Texans and pick up a few votes. This is leadership, ladies and gentlemen, brought to you by the Texas Republican Party.
Posted by houtopia at 11:24 PM
June 23, 2005
Raving Rove
Today comes word that White House svengali Karl Rove was firing up the faithful last night in Manhattan, at a fundraiser for the Conservative Party of New York State.
In an era where Republicans and conservatives control every lever of the federal government, Mr. Rove blames all our post-9/11 ills on Democrats and liberals -- a neat trick, considering Democrats have no power these days.
Rove's words instead remind us that he is essentially a one-trick pony -- politically at sea when there's nobody to demonize. After eking out a victory in November by trashing John Kerry, Rove sought to burnish his battered image by moving into more of a statesman-like policy role at the White House. Judging by the President's sinking poll numbers and stalled agenda, Rove may be a bit out of his element.
Rove's behavior is a microcosm of where the GOP is these days -- in power, but still acting like wannabes. They don't know how to govern, how to actually tackle the tough problems facing our nation today, so they revert to the only thing they know -- attacking Democrats and liberals.
Conservatives love to pillory the Democrats as being devoid of ideas, and a party that stands for nothing. Time to take a look in the mirror, my pachyderm pals. You've got all of the power, but neither the maturity to face real problems, nor the stones to act and solve them. It's a lot easier to lob bombs from the sidelines than govern, isn't it? Time to grow up.
Posted by houtopia at 02:55 PM
June 20, 2005
And His Star Keeps Rising
Thanks to Greg for the tip on this remarkable commencement speech given by freshman Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois.)
The speech is a bit of a long read, but well worth it. Houtopia had a chance to see Obama up close at an Austin fundraiser last summer. Quite simply, the guy's got it. The "it" that doesn't come around very often in politics -- an exceptional ability to connect with and captivate people. Call it a bit of the Clinton touch.
We expect great things of the junior Senator from Illinois.
Posted by houtopia at 10:53 PM
June 19, 2005
Kay Stops the Muscial Chairs
On Friday afternoon at 6 p.m. (known as "taking out the trash" time in terms of getting information to the media), U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison made an announcement with profound implications for the 2006 midterm election in Texas -- she will run for re-election to the Senate, and not for Governor, as many had speculated she would.
We were surprised, but not shocked by her decision. No doubt the primary would have been bloody, with no guarantee she would win -- Perry has the support of the critical social conservative wing of the GOP. Still, having her on the ballot for Governor -- the race that drives the flavor and intensity of the election in Texas -- would have been disastrous for Democrats. And as bad as things have gone for Texas Democrats recently, we just figured it would happen.
So now we will watch an entirely different showdown in next year's GOP gubenatorial primary -- one that is likely to be more entertaining but less suspensful -- Perry vs. Strayhorn. She announced her candidacy yesterday in Austin, and while she is not likely to win, she almost certainly will make Rick Perry's life miserable for the next 10 months.
The feisty "one tough grandma" wasted little time setting the tone for the race, referring to the incumbent Governor as a "do-nothing drugstore cowboy." This oughta be fun.
Of course, Hutchison's decision not to run for Governor affects a number of other Texas political aspirants. On the GOP side, Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, who coveted the U.S. Senate seat, will now have to wait his turn, as will Congressman Henry Bonilla from San Antonio. Attorney General Greg Abbott, and others possibly looking to move up, have also been slowed down.
On the Democratic side, this is bad news for Barbara Radnofsky, the political newcomer who has campaigned hard to be the nominee for the Hutchison Senate seat. While she certianly can still run, a race against the incumbent is almost certainly unwinnable. Barbara may be persuaded to consider another race, either statewide or in the Houston area.
Democrats can take some hope from likely facing Perry next year -- having him as the nominee is the only chance for them to win the Governor's mansion. Chris Bell is campaigning hard, but look for others to look very seriously at this race, especially John Sharp.
It's going to be a helluva year.
Posted by houtopia at 04:03 PM
June 17, 2005
Down, Down, Down...
The latest CBS News/NY Times poll reveals shockingly low approval levels for President Bush and the GOP-controlled Congress.
Just 42% of those surveyed approve of Mr. Bush's overall job performance -- Clinton and Reagan were both at about 60% at this point in their second terms -- and they rate him low on issue after issue. Just 39% approve of his handling of foreign policy; 39% approve of his economic stewardship; 37% approve of his handling of Iraq; and just 25% give him a positive rating on Social Security.
Americans hold a troublingly dim view about the direction of the country, with just 33% saying it's on the right track. 60% believe things in Iraq are going badly, and 51% now say the U.S. never should have gone there in the first place.
Congress fares even worse than the president, garnering only 33% approval, and appears out of touch with the American public -- just 19% say Congress shares their priorities.
What do these numbers mean politically? 16+ months from the Congressional midterm elections, not much. As we have written, current conditions support a classic "six year itch" election next fall, where voters rebel against the party in power.
But much can happen between now and November 2006. Democratic candidates should begin now making the case for change, and offering solutions to the litany of public policy problems we face. Persuasion should start now.
Posted by houtopia at 09:02 AM
June 15, 2005
Let the Fun Begin
This morning, via Quorum Report, comes word that State Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn will announce her candidacy for Governor this weekend, challenging incumbent Rick Perry in the GOP primary.
Victory for Strayhorn -- a moderate and a former Democrat -- in a low-voting Republican primary dominated by ideological conservatives is not likely, but we expect "one tough grandma" to give Perry -- another former Democrat -- plenty of whacks with her cane. She would almost certainly weaken him for the general election.
The elephant in the room (no pun intended), of course, is U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. Strayhorn's entry into the race puts pressure on the Senator to make a decision regarding her own intentions, since she is widely rumored to throw her hat in the ring against Perry as well.
Hutchison has a real shot at beating Perry -- she is the most popular politician in the state -- but two moderate women in the race is one too many. Hutchison apparently wanted to wait and see what happens with public school finance before making a decision, but Strayhorn's announcement makes that strategy more risky.
One question mark concerning Hutchison, who has never had to run a tough race, is can she take a punch? The Perry folks are wasting no time finding out. Check out this story in today's Chronicle. It looks like it came straight out of the Perry campaign opposition research office.
We suspect it's the first light slap in what will be a bruising flurry of punches to knock Kay Bailey Hutchison out of the race before she ever gets in. Get a ringside seat to this one -- it's going to be fun.
Posted by houtopia at 09:48 AM
June 12, 2005
Berg's Blast -- Barbara's Olive Branch
A rather incendiary op-ed in today's Houston Chronicle by local attorney (and Democratic Party donor) David Berg, criticizing Dem Party Chair Howard Dean has set off quite an online buzz. Not surprisingly, response from Dean-backers and some other progressives has been swift and angry.
Berg's argument, essentially, is that Dean damages Democrats with Independents and "soft" Republicans by using inflammatory rhetoric. For example, he thinks Dean saying many Republicans have never made an honest living sends the wrong message to folks in the middle Democrats would like to reach.
Dean-backers respond that trying to appease the center -- Republican lite -- hasn't worked since Bill Clinton left office, and it's time to reinvigorate and expand the base on the left, swing voters be damned.
Houtopia is no oracle -- it's simply not possible to know right now which course is the right one -- so we'll see. We frankly agreed with some of Berg's points, though his tone was strident to the point of being counter-productive. Democrats need a broad appeal to win nationally, and most definitely in Texas. We have always been, and should continue to be a "big tent" party that welcomes, not discourages diverse views. It's what we're all about.
On the other hand, what's wrong with a party chair being vociferously partisan? Nobody seemed to mind Ed Gillespie's strident rhetoric during the last election cycle. Governor Dean is not a publicly elected official, and says he has no plans to run for president again. For all the gloom and doom about fundraising being poor during his young chairmanship, in fact, donations to the Democratic Party are up significantly compared to this time in 2003. We think he deserves some latitude to do his job.
We also, however, take to heart something Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee said at a recent Harris County Democratic Party event. Right now, more than ever, the Democratic Party needs a united public front. These kinds of disputes should be resolved "inside the family" -- not on the pages of our national newspapers and on cable news shows. Combatting the GOP extremist agenda is enough to tackle without fighting each other in public to boot.
In that spirit, we refer reader's to U.S. Senate Democratic hopeful Barbara Radnofsky's message of this afternoon. She strikes exactly the right tone in striving to bring people together, both within and outside the Democratic Party. It is a message worthy of someone with her wealth of mediation experience. (Once reaching her site, scroll down past the pictures to "Barbara's Letter to the Houston-area DNC Members.")
Brava Barbara!
Posted by houtopia at 07:10 PM
June 11, 2005
TAB Must Talk
Texas Republicans suffered another setback Friday, as the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court ruled that the Texas Association of Business (TAB) must reveal how it raised $2 million spent in the 2002 GOP takeover of the Texas House of Representatives.
This ruling follows last month's finding by a state district judge in Austin that the Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee (TRMPAC) violated state campaign laws -- there are very few -- by failing to report over $500,000 in corporate money used in 2002 for the same purpose.
Friday's setback represents a bit of a losing streak for state GOP election lawyer Andy Taylor, who also lost Talmadge Heflin's election challenge against District 149 Representative Hubert Vo. Losing is not something these guys have been doing much of lately, so it's got to sting a bit.
We were particularly amused by Taylor's statement after Friday's ruling, refusing to name TAB donors to protect them from "vilification and frivolous litigation." At least these guys are consistent. They make no apologies for their belief that is the rich and powerful who need to be protected in our society from the unwashed masses and those dirty plaintiff's lawyers. To hell with good government.
Looks like the Texas GOP could use another "wedge issue" right about now -- the spotlight's getting a bit hot. Any more gay foster parents or illegal voters they can round up?
Posted by houtopia at 04:18 PM
June 08, 2005
Reality Check
Today's Washington Post summarizes its recent national poll results. In short, they are very bad news for the folks running the country.
Attitudes about the Iraq War, in particular, have steadily eroded, with now nearly 6 in 10 surveyed saying the war hasn't been worth it, and a majority now believe the war has not furthered the United States' long-term security interests.
6 in 10 surveyed also believe the President and GOP leaders are not making good progress on the nation's problems, and two-thirds blame Congressional Republicans and the President for this lack of success. A few blame the Democrats, but it's hard to make bogeymen out of those with no power.
There is a sense nationally that those in charge are simply not addressing the most important problems facing the country. We might say the same here in Texas.
After all, we just completed a legislative session in Austin where critical issues such as public school finance, the tax bill and children's health insurance were left unresolved. Our Republican leaders crow about parental notification for abortion, a same-sex marriage amendment, and asbestos litigation reform -- such accomplishments.
Meanwhile, without a finance plan, the public schools will close in October, we have a state budget but no approved revenue plan, and hundreds of thousands of kids cut off CHIP still have no healthcare.
Perhaps folks here and nationally are finally realizing that the Republicans in charge just use one wedge issue after another to hide the fact that they're not doing their jobs. Perhaps the American people will voice their displeasure at the ballot box in 2006.
One can hope, but don't bet the farm on it just yet.
Posted by houtopia at 10:11 AM
June 07, 2005
I Double Dog Dare You!
Sounding more like a Democrat than a GOP candidate for Governor, U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has challenged Governor Rick Perry to call a special legislative session on school finance.
Perry has been talking out of both sides of his mouth on this issue over the last several days, saying both that he expected lawmakers to be back in session by the end of the month, and that he won't call a special session unless there is already an agreement on public school finance. Well, it's clear there's no agreement, and Speaker Craddick seems content to wait for the Texas Supreme Court to take up this issue next month. So which is it, Governor Perry?
Hutchison's strategy is interesting if she does plan to run against Perry -- interesting, but not without risk.
In the short-term it is effective for her to put pressure on Perry to solve this enormously important issue -- highlighting his inaction does little to improve his already low standing with most Texans.
On the other hand, standing up for teacher pay raises is not likely to help her much in a GOP primary. (Note to the Senator: most hardcore conservatives think teachers are blood-sucking leeches and the root of the problem with public education -- hardcore conservatives make up the bulk of the GOP primary electorate.)
Many Hutchison backers tout her ability to woo Independents and some Democrats to vote in the Republican primary -- we are dubious. In November 2004, George W. Bush received 4.5 million votes in Texas. How many voted in the GOP primary of March 2004 -- a primary where, thanks to redistricting, there were numerous contested Congressional races across the state? Fewer than 700,000 people.
The simple, sad truth is that no one but hardcore partisans votes in primaries anymore. And since right now the GOP primary is the de-facto general election for statewide offices in Texas, that means the far right runs the show. This explains state leadership that is far more conservative than most Texans.
It's also bad news for Senator Hutchison, but offers Democrats a glimmer of hope. As we have written, the Dems' only chance of winning the governorship next year is a weakened Rick Perry as the GOP nominee. Senator Hutchison is the state's most popular politician and would easily win the general election in 2006. Perry, however, has enough stink on him that a credible Democratic nominee would have a shot at him. A shot these days is all Texas Democrats can ask.
So, should the much anticipated Perry-Hutchison showdown materialize next Spring, Democrats considering crossing over to vote in the GOP primary may want to rethink their choice of candidate. How does Democrats for Perry sound?
Posted by houtopia at 08:22 AM
June 04, 2005
A Study in Contrast
AP writer April Castro covers the conflict between the Texas Legislature's two most powerful men -- Lt. Governor David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick -- in today's Statesman.
Veteran Lege-watcher Harvey Kronberg of Quorum Report describes a once amicable relationship that has turned "poisonous." Word is they are not speaking these days.
The article describes the two men's very different tastes, styles and M.O.s. One tall, the other short; one gregarious, the other a loner; one an appreciator of fine wine, the other a teetotaler. The piece leaves out the obvious -- both are Republicans, both are in charge of their respective bodies, and neither can put aside their differences to address the state's major problems.
So, while these two overgrown children square off in a political pissing contest, the people of Texas are getting hosed down. Craddick has, after a long, slow climb, achieved the pinnacle of his political career. And by most accounts he is more interested in wielding power than working to solve problems. By contrast, Dewhurst, a political newcomer, is already running for his next office -- The United States Senate -- so what does he care about fixing public school finance?
Such leadership is inspirational, isn't it? Throw in our beloved Governor Rick Perry, and you have a real Texas triumvirate. Apparently, the Guv won't even bother to call a special session on education, so he can blame the Legislature for the problem in his reelection campaign next year. These guys really step up to the plate and make the tough decisions, don't they?
Posted by houtopia at 03:53 PM
June 01, 2005
Our Big DA
The HPD crime lab is a story that just keeps on giving. Several weeks after the City hired former U.S. Justice Department official Michael Bromwich to lead an internal investigation, the Chronicle has this latest confidence-inspiring piece -- the lab faked results.
Roma Khanna and Steve McVicker's story documents at least 4 instances between 1998 and 2000 where "drylabbing" occurred -- basically, lab results were created without tests ever being done. For an outfit with a bit of a credibility problem, that's gotta make you feel good.
The story reminds us of another player in this drama. Doesn't it also make you feel good that our dear District Attorney, Chuck Rosenthal, has consistently pooh-poohed the importance of the investigation and the shoddy procedures it has uncovered, some of which may have led to wrongful convictions?
Ah, but remember, this is the same DA Rosenthal who, by all accounts, embarassed himself arguing the State of Texas' unsuccessful sodomy case before the U.S. Supreme Court -- and was even rebuked by friendly justice Scalia on his courtroom strategy.
The very same DA Rosenthal, who flouted state law and refused to reimburse the exonerated and pardoned Josiah Sutton, who had the temerity to seek restitution after being wrongly imprisoned for years for a rape he did not commit.
Where is our great District Attorney, now that evidence of crime lab incompetence and dereliction of duty mounts -- evidence that may affect many of his office's prosecutions?
Maybe he's taking the year off, like his fellow Republicans in the State Legislature.
Posted by houtopia at 11:39 PM