VoteVets Support Rick Noriega

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:

Thursday, September 27^th, 2007 James Aldrete, 512-751-3448

Leading Veteran political organization for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans endorses Rick Noriega for Senate

VoteVets.org makes Texas the battleground on ending the War in Iraq

(Houston, TX) — VoteVets.org, the leading political organization for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, today endorsed the U.S. Senate candidacy of Rick Noriega in his effort to unseat incumbent Republican John Cornyn.

Founded in 2006 by Iraq War Veterans Jon Soltz and Jeremy Broussard, VoteVets.org has endorsed eight candidates, both Democrats and Republicans, and held 11 Members of Congress accountable for failing to provide body armor and health care to active service members. The organization’s Board of Advisors includes respected veterans who speak from experience, including General Wesley K. Clark (ret.) and former Senator Bob Kerrey.

“As an Afghanistan veteran, you are keenly aware that the current course we are on has not only brought our fine Army and Marine Corps to the breaking point, but has endangered our security,” Soltz wrote in his letter to Noriega, noting the growing threat of al Qaeda once again in Afghanistan and Pakistan. “The dose of reality you will bring to the floor of the Senate couldn’t come at a more important time.”

Noriega, who serves as a Lt. Col. in the National Guard, has been an outspoken critic of the Administration’s policies in Iraq, and John Cornyn’s failed leadership. “The problem is, we hold a private in the US Army to a higher level of accountability than the junior Senator from the state of Texas,” Noriega stated. “Real Texans don't vote against giving troops time home with their families. I've had the privilege of serving shoulder-to-shoulder with our men and women in uniform, and I'm ready to lead the fight in the US Senate to end this war."

Soltz, in his letter, called John Cornyn “one of the weakest voices on troops’ and veterans’ issues,” and noting his refusal to allow our military to refit and rearm along with his votes against care for veterans, he added “Texans have little to be proud of when it comes to John Cornyn’s record on veterans and troops.” The endorsement from VoteVets.org follows on the heels of the endorsement by the State Association of Fire Fighters, and a growing number of Democratic leaders supporting Noriega’s candidacy to represent the State of Texas in the United States Senate.

— 30 —

September 27, 2007

State Rep. Rick Noriega
Rick Noriega for US Senate Campaign
PO Box 231163
Houston, TX 77223

Dear Representative Noriega,

I am writing to inform you that VoteVets.org PAC has decided to endorse your campaign for the United States Senate. Congratulations! As you know, VoteVets.org PAC is the leading political organization of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, representing the voices of thousands who served with us in Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

At this crucial time in the course of our nation, the Senate is in dire need of a new voice from the Afghanistan and Iraq veterans’ community. We believe, as Senator from Texas, you will not just represent your state well, but will stand out as one of the strongest and most credible voices in support of our fellow troops and veterans, and the military.

As an Afghanistan veteran, you are keenly and personally aware that the current course we are on has not only brought our fine Army and Marine Corp to the breaking point, but has endangered our security, as al Qaeda has been able to reconstitute and strengthen itself in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The dose of reality that you will bring to the floor of the Senate couldn’t come at a more important time.

Unfortunately for Texans, one of the weakest voices on troops’ and veterans’ issues has been John Cornyn. Whether it’s his steadfast refusal to allow our military time to refit and rearm for the long fight against terror ahead, or his votes against care for veterans, Texas has little to be proud of when it comes to John Cornyn’s record on the veterans and troops. We know, however, you will be our champion.

We firmly believe that Texas, our military, our veterans, and the nation will be strongly served by having you on the floor of the United States Senate. We’re pleased, therefore, to offer you our enthusiastic endorsement.

Best of luck in your campaign!

Sincerely,


Jon Soltz
Iraq War Veteran
Chairman, VoteVets.org

Mikal Watts Buys Google

No, not really. But imagine my surprise when I was checking out my blog today and I saw an ad for Mikal Watts. Ironic, ya think?

He probably can't actually buy Google, but he's definitely supported it well, being plastered up on every single major blog and website I go to. It seems that he's tacking himself up next to every time Rick Noriega is mentioned anywhere. It's almost creepy.

Here are just a few examples I've rounded up today:
LeftyBlogs (Red background)
Google Search for "Rick Noriega" (White background)
Daily Kos (Orange Writing)
Burnt Orange Report (Orange Background)
MY OWN BLOG! (Bluish background)

For the purposes of humor, I'll leave up the Mikal Watts ads. It costs him money every time you see one!

New Poll: Noriega Takes All That Want Cornyn Replaced

Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 9/24-26. Likely voters. MoE 4%

If the 2008 election for U.S. Senate were held today, would you to reelect John Cornyn, would you consider voting for another candidate, or would you vote to replace Cornyn?

Reelect 40
Consider 15
Replace 35

If 2008 election for U.S. Senate were held today, for whom would you vote for if the choices were between Rick Noriega, the Democrat, and John Cornyn, the Republican?

Cornyn (R) 51
Noriega (D) 35

So we're taking the same percentage that want change in Washington for Texas. The difference falls in that fact that middle ground where most are still leaning towards Cornyn.

Also, Cornyn polls poorly among senior citizens - a strong voting population. We'll have to keep an eye on this, and swing more of the "cosnder" and "reelect" votes over to our side.

Note that in January 2006, a Rasmussen poll said this:

TEXAS SURVEY of 500 likely voters

Thursday, January 5, 2006

1* Now... If the election for Senator were held today, would you vote for Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison or for Democrat Barbara Ann Radnofsky?

65% Hutchison
24% Radnofsky
4% some other candidate
6% not sure

So we're 11 points up with three months to get to that same point in the election cycle. Let's keep that momentum!

You're Invited! Rick Noriega Reception in San Antonio

Please Join

Eddie Alderete
Hon. Joe Bernal
Gina Castenaeda
Hon. Joaquin Castro
Hon. Henry Cisneros
Hon. Mary Alice Cisneros
Hon. Trey Martinez Fischer
Hon. Pete Gallego
Dr. Cha Guzman
Andy Hernandez
Hon. Charlie Urbina Jones
Ernest J. Martinez
Gerardo Menchaca
Henry R. Munoz III
Gilberto Ocañas
Hon. Justin Rodriguez
Hon. Sylvia Romo
Hon. Elliot Shapleigh
Hon. Mike Villarreal
Hon. Leticia Van De Putte

For a reception in support of
State Rep. &

Army Lt. Col. Rick Noriega
and his exploratory campaign for US Senate

Friday, September 28th
Noon-1:30 p.m.

La Margarita Restaurant
120 Produce Row
San Antonio Texas

$2,300 ~ Patron
$1000 ~ Host
$500 ~ Sponsor
$250 ~ Friend

Please make checks payable to “Rick Noriega for Senate”

For more information or to RSVP,

please contact Cathy Rivera at 713-337-0068 or email rsvp@landslidevictories.net

(h/t Walker Report)

Navy To Spend $600K to Cover-Up Swastika-Shaped Buildings

From the New York Times, an aerial view of these Navy Barracks near San Diego, California show the shape without question. The resemblance went unnoticed for decades, as the area was off-limits to commercial aircraft, and was only recently noticed with the assistance of Google Earth.

The Navy became aware of the situation after the groundbreaking, butPublish Post decided not to do anything about it, as they thought it wouldn't be noticed.

The Anti-Defamation League in San Diego has objected to the shape of the buildings.

“We told the Navy this was an incredibly inappropriate shape for a structure on a military installation,” said Morris S. Casuto, regional director of the organization. He added, however, that his group “never ascribed evil intent to the structures’ design.”

Mr. Casuto praised the Navy for recognizing the problem and “doing the right thing.”

The $600,000 for the changes is included in the Navy’s approved 2008 budget.

70 Mile Border Wall: Bad for Environment!

This Brownsville Herald photo shows a palm in the Sabal Palm Audubon Center and Sanctuary (from Audubon Texas):

This 557-acre sanctuary lies approximately ten miles south of Brownsville, along the southern most bend of the Rio Grande. The sanctuary contains the largest remaining tract of Sabal Palm forest that once blanketed the Rio Grande Delta. Two hundred and eighty-nine species of birds have been recorded at the site, and diversity of species using the area is high in all seasons of the year.

Sabal Palm is one of six breeding area for the highly threatened Brownsville Common Yellowthroat. The sanctuary provides stop-over habitat for a variety of circum-gulf neotropical-nearctic migratory songbirds including Bell’s Vireo, Golden-winged Warbler, Cerulean Warbler, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Wood Thrush, Painted Bunting and Dickcissel.

And according to the Brownsville Herald, as much as 75% of the protected lands in the Rio Grande could see a direct impact from the wall. Migratory birds flight patterns would be disrupted, and animals access to the water could be impeded.

“The fence is going to be bad for the refuge and for wildlife,” said Jim Chapman, president of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Group of the Sierra Club. “Our biggest concern is that it’s a barrier to animals, keeping them from crossing to the river. It’s likely to impact endangered and non-endangered species.”

The US Customs and Border Control is seeking public comments for the assessment until Oct. 15. Comments can be submitted by mail, e-mail, fax or on the Web until that date.

(a) Electronically through the website at: www.BorderFenceNEPA.com;
(b) By email to: RGVcomments@BorderFenceNEPA.com;
(c) By mail to: Rio Grande Valley Tactical Infrastructure EIS, c/o e²M, 2751 Prosperity Avenue, Suite 200, Fairfax, Virginia 22031; or
(d) By fax to: (757) 282-7697.

Rick Noriega Takes $100K on ActBlue

With nearly 1,000 contributors, Rick has garnered over $100K in contributions on ActBlue, with all but 15% from Netroots for Noriega.

In fact, I'm so excited, any word you click in this post will bring you to the ActBlue contribution page.

Make your contribution today!

Mikal Watts: So Rich, He Redefines Rich!

This from a Wall Street Journal piece about Watts and Bayer:

Midway through the trial, Mr. Watts e-mailed Bayer lawyers suggesting they fly to his Texas ranch over a weekend. He provided the coordinates of his airstrip. Bayer's Mr. Lykos says he was dumbfounded, telling Mr. Beck: "I've just changed my definition of rich. It's not just having your own airplane but having your own airport."

For the record, Mikal has two airplanes.

Lawyers Weigh In in Watts' Judge-Buying

Originally posted over at overlawyered, lawyers and the law community are now weighing in about Mikal Watts' judge-buying scandal.

Invoking these comments:

If I ever received a letter like that, invoking either friendship or donations, it would go straight to the disciplinary committee. (Eric @ New York Personal Injury Law Blog)

My first stop would be every newspaper office I could think of. Then the disciplinary committee. (John Burgess)

But with a letter making such threats, to actually leave written eveidence of such things: could you give Mr. Watts a poke from something beyond the (in Texas, completely useless, see previous post) disciplinary comittee? Is there no "judge tampering" equivalent of the jury tampering charge? (Griffin3)

This strikes me as a fairly clear violation of the Texas Disciplinary Rules of Professional Conduct. See Rule 8.04(a)(5) (prohibiting lawyers from "stat[ing] or imply[ing] an ability to influence improperly a government agency or official"). Watts's comments concerning his firm's contributions to the justices logically could serve no other purpose than to imply improper influence. (The Curmudgeonly Ex-Clerk)

It's also since been picked up by other law blogs:
Another reason not to popularly elect judges--ever, anywhere. - What About Clients
If you're not reading Overlawyered... - Point of Law

(GASP!) Texas is Above Average...in Education!

According to the Statesman:

Texas fourth- and eighth-grade students have made large gains in math in the past 15 years, but more moderate progress in reading, according to federal test results released Tuesday.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation's Report Card, offers a state-by-state view of fourth- and eighth-grade student performance in the two core subject areas.

On average, students in Texas performed as well or better than their peers across the nation. The average Texas eighth-grade math score this year was 286 on a scale of 500, up 28 points since 1990 and six points higher than this year's national average. The eighth-grade reading score this year was 261, not significantly different from the 1998 score and the same as the national average.

Critics of No Child Left Behind, including Monty Neill, co-executive director of the nonprofit National Center for Fair and Open Testing in Cambridge, Mass., said the test results show that progress has slowed since the 2001 law took effect.

"This happened despite the fact that curriculum narrowed in many schools to little more than test preparation in reading and math," Neill said.

Rick Noriega: A+ on Environmental Record

The Texas League of Conservation Voters has just released their Legislative Scorecard for 2007 which ranks my favorite Texas House of Representatives member, Rick Noriega, with an A+ on environmental issues.

The league works to "preserve and enhance the quality of life of Texans by making conservation a top priority with Texas elected officials, political candidates, and voters," and lists its recommendations and observations of state legislators by voting record in each legislative session. Melissa Noriega, my second favorite member of the Texas House, also scored an A+ for her work in 2005.

A look at the scores:
Average House score: 56% (C)
Avg. Republican score: 32% (F)
Avg. Democratic score: 84% (A)

Perfect 100s: 11
Overachievers (A+): 36 - includes Rick
Failures (F): 56

House Republicans over 50%: 2
House Democrats below 50%: 3

Highest Republican score: Kirk England (69%)
Lowest Democratic Score: Joe Pickett: (37%)

Is This Mikal Watts Photo Racially Insensitive?

Fifty years ago yesterday, the Little Rock Nine bravely marched into a previously all-white schoolhouse, demanding equality for themselves, and blacks across America. They stood proudly, and showed us that those kids had the power and determination to stand up for what's right, but after five decades, what are the results?

Last week, tens of thousands of supporters rallied around the Jena-6, a group of six black teens that were involved in a fight after another sat under the "white tree" at their high school campus. Nooses were hung from that tree, which led to tensions at the school, erupting in a fight where one white student was injured. The black teens were charged with attempted second-degree murder.

This week, a black-faced lawn ornament that was tied by a noose to a mailbox with a chain around its ankle made news in Toledo, Ohio for being racist. The homeowner claims it had been there for years without causing a disturbance, but Lefty Blogs has a Glass City Jungle post ranked at #1 for the week.

Tomorrow, The "All American Presidential Forum" will air on PBS focusing on minority issues and hosted by black talk show host Tavis Smiley. None of the top republican presidential candidates planned to attend. It seems like republicans want to have black votes, but aren't actually exerting any effort to get them. (TxSharon: We don't have time for your black ass but we'd appreciate your vote)

Locally, although not nearly as serious as The Little Rock Nine, The Jena-6, the black-face lawn ornament or even the republicans opting out of discussions about black issues is Mikal Watts' unveiling of his new website which features a link to his flickr account with the photo below:When there was a brief discussion about the photo last week among the Texas blogosphere, one of the bloggers printed out a screenshot and took it into a meeting he was conducting. By chance, it was made up of 21 black people--all factory workers.

He says:

The response was, "ok," when I just held it up and passed it around (a copy without the caption) and said, "I'm doing a little personal test. Tell me what you think of this picture." Then I told them who it was, as nobody knew.

Then the response was, "oh" and "oh, really?" and one, "interesting." Then I passed around one that showed them the caption, and the response ranged from "what an idiot to call us 'last'," to "yeah, blacks are ALWAYS last to politicians, tell me who that is again because I'm not voting for him."

Black voters often look for it [racism] when it's not [overtly] there. I was astounded by the results of my little "focus group," which ranged in age from about 29 to about 68.

Maybe that's East Texas black people, maybe it's not. Maybe it's factory workers, maybe it's union people...Maybe to the rest of us, we say "huh," but I believe that black voters--the not overly-political, average voters, who might know how/why politics is done, see something different than we do.

I feel like Watts really shows us how carelessly he expresses how he considers us minorities: "Meeting every last voter" - as if we stand out on the periphery of society where we lack wealth and education. Perhaps we're the last voters, because we're less likely to show up, and Mikal is making an "extra effort" to find us where we may lurk and extend us that handshake to pull us back into civilized voting society?

It's like you're showing off that you delved into our picnics and really got to know us. It almost reminds me of Steven Colbert's black friend, or when George Costanza realized he didn't have any black friends, and solicited his exterminator to dinner with him, just to show that he had at least one, except Mikal, this is far less funny.

If it's a serious effort to come out to understand us, it's appreciated. Attend a forum, really listen to what we have to say. Better yet, don't even realize that we're different, because we're really not. We have mothers and fathers that are looking to retire, sons and daughters planning for college. We pay taxes. We're actually a lot like you.

You and your staff might not have intended it to be taken this way, but such a fleeting carelessness, to those of us who may be less fortunate and "different from you", truly shows how you feel about us in your possible future constituency. If that's the case, count me out. I'm voting for Rick - he's one of us.

Just so you know, like my photo of Joe Lieberman doesn't mean he hates handicapped people, I'm sure you're not really a racist. Just be more careful, please?
View the original flickr photo | Learn about Lieberman's parking job

Patriot Guard Rides in Honor of Sgt. Omar Mora

From The Lone Star Times:

There were around 160 motorcycles, trikes and support vehicles that assembled at the football stadium in Texas City Saturday to honor Sgt. Omar Mora, who was killed in a vehicle accident in Baghdad on September 10, 2007. It was a cool, crisp morning with clear skies. The cool breeze did not last long.

...

The non-flag bikes led the way to the church, arriving at 9 am as planned. We set up flag lines in front of and to the south of the church, near the parking area. As always in Texas City, there was a large LEO presence, including two fire engines.

...

There were more media at this funeral than most I’ve been too, probably because of his participation in the Op-Ed in the NY Times and the possibility of protesters showing up. Since the Patriot Guard was formed, the protests are rare and when they do come, they are minimized by the overwhelming presence of men and women standing silently, blocking the family’s view of them. No protesters came.

...

During the funeral the non-flag bikes proceeded to Forest Park Cemetery to set up the flag line. After the funeral was complete, we led the way to the cemetery, following one of the fire engines and several LEO’s. We left the church and turned on 9^th Ave, the main street through Texas City. We passed many businesses on the way and hundreds of people lined the streets to honor Sgt. Mora’s sacrifice.

We then proceeded up I-45 and once again, cars were pulled over on the opposite side of the freeway and the occupants standing outside their vehicles in honor. Every overpass was filled with people silently holding flags or signs in support of Sgt. Mora.

...

Regardless of your politics or your position on our occupation of Iraq, when one of our soldiers dies in the line of duty, we should honor them. The Patriot Guard always obtains the permission of the families, we never just show up. As Johnny D says, we are not the focus of the day; we are simply there to honor the soldier.

Texas Rep. Rick Noriega (D) and his wife Melissa released a tribute to Sgt. Mora that included these words:

The rising number of casualties strike a chord in even the most hardened among us, and the loss felt as each soldier passes does not diminish. Omar and his brothers in uniform will be missed, and must be remembered.

Voicing one’s opinion, especially from a soldier, is very difficult when ‘management’ is wrong. Omar, and his fellow soldiers had a better understanding of the cultural matrix in Iraq than what gets reported by the media, he had walked the walk. He spoke from experience when they said “we operate in a bewildering context of determined enemies and questionable allies, one where the balance of forces on the ground remains entirely unclear.”

There is another manifestation of bravery that for those in uniform is a matter of course, but takes on special meaning among civilians who do not have to follow a chain of command … the courage to listen. It’s time our political leaders listen to the insights of Sergeant Mora, his fellow soldiers, and the reality in Iraq reported by every objective analysis from the bi-partisan Iraq Study Group to the recent GAO reports.

There are those that were angry that Sgt. Mora dared to speak out against the occupation. They miss the point. If anyone should have a voice, not the only voice but a loud voice, it should be the men and women that we, as a country, put in harm’s way. Having an opinion contrary to the policy that sent them to a foreign land doesn’t mean that they are less worthy or unpatriotic. If anyone thinks that the men and women that had the courage to put their names on this Op-Ed were not and are not true to their mission, here is the last line of that piece.

“We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through.”

And see it through he did. Thank you, Sgt. Omar Mora, for your service and your sacrifice.

Read The Full Post

NoriegaBlog Poll: 66% Won't Consider Anti-Choice Candidate

In our not-so-scientific poll of 36 readers of NoriegaBlog, fully 66% (24) of them would not even consider endorsing a candidate that was pro-life. Of the remaining 12 voters, six said it depends on who the candidate was, and the other six didn't care either way. Knowing that Cornyn and Watts staff regularly check this blog, that's not so surprising, but I digress...

Of course the results of this poll could be an unwelcome wake up call to Mikal Watts who recently told Democracy for Texas in a questionnaire, "my position is that I’m opposed to abortion except in cases of rape and incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk," which is almost the exact phrasing of Bush, McCain, Romney, Giuliani, Cornyn and Abbott, among others.

Rick Noriega at The University of North Texas TONIGHT!

(via WhosPlayin)

State Rep. Rick Noriega, Candidate for United States Senate, is coming to the University of North Texas on Tuesday, September 25 in an event co-hosted by The College Democrats and UNT LULAC council #4789. The event will start at 7:00 in the Lyceum with a presentation on the Dream Act, a bill that State Rep. Noriega wrote while he was in the the Texas House.

At 8:00, Noriega will begin his speech, informing campus students as to why he should be the next senator from the state of Texas. A Question and Answer session will follow, so you can find out his position on almost any issue.

This will be a hot race next fall, so use this opportunity to learn about the candidate so you can have an informed voice when you vote.

*LULAC is a non-partisan organization that has not endorsed any candidate for political office
Sincerely,
Joseph Vogus
President of the College Democrats of North Texas

Rick Thanks YOU... the Netroots!

"Now with this new dimension in American politics, netroots, it allows for regular folks like myself, who have devoted their lives to public service to step forward and offer themselves up for higher office.

"No longer do you have to be a celebrity or a self-financed millionaire to offer yourself up for higher office.

"The netroots in large part has leveled the playing field."

"The netroots component is going to be a critical piece of us defeating John Cornyn and getting the state and nation back on track after this administration has so misled us."

Rick Noriega Takes 78.4% In Poll

Democracy for America poll last week was completely and unquestionably pwned by Rick Noriega.

This week, democrats from across Texas joined the members of Democracy for Texas in their first endorsement poll in the organization's history.

Here's an email from Democracy for Texas:

Subject line: And the DFT endorsement goes to….

You have spoken loud and clear. With overwhelming support from all over the State, Rick Noriega is the stand-out choice of the grassroots to face John Cornyn in the race for the U.S. Senate. The final results are:

All Voters DFT Members Before Poll
Noriega 78.4% 86.2%
Watts 21.6 13.8

Total votes cast: 1,931 *

We're excited that our first endorsement is for such a terrific candidate, one who drew comments such as these:

"I am extremely impressed with Rick Noriega's clarity of thought and purpose as well as his passion and organization."

"Rick is the right man at the right time."

"Rick Noriega is the candidate supported by grassroots Texans all across our State because he is the candidate who has the integrity to represent all Texans…"

"…Rick is tough enough to stand toe to toe with any Republican…"

"Rick Noriega has "walked the walk" and has a progressive voting record to show for it!"

Over the coming months, we'll give you ideas of how you can help Rick in his campaign. Right now, the best way you can help is to sign up on his website and make a contribution before the end of the quarter on September 30.

Join the Noriega for Senate campaign here.

Make a donation here.

We appreciate the thoughtful answers of both candidates to our questionnaire. And many thanks to all of you who took the time to read their answers and vote, especially those who made a contribution to help us defray the cost of the poll.

We look forward to an exciting primary season and to sending John Cornyn home in November!

Your DFT Steering Committee –

Erik Azulay, Glen Maxey, Mark McCulloch, Karl-Thomas Musselman, and Fran Vincent

P.S. Marla Camp, one of the founders of Democracy for Texas, is on sabbatical from the Steering Committee while she focuses on her successful new magazine, Edible Austin. Marla will continue to be involved in DFT, and we look forward to having her back in a leadership position as soon as possible.

* In order to address concerns expressed by some participants about the elimination of questionable votes, we have counted all (including those in question) votes except those that were clearly duplicates, those cast after the deadline, and a handful from out of state.

Noriega Expected To Win DFT Poll

Formal results won't be released until Monday (here), but with the trends that have been released, NoriegaBlog is confident in calling this poll for Rick Noriega, who has had a significant lead over Mikal Watts since the polling began. Here are the official tallies (percents only, to avoid ballot stuffing).

Wednesday Noon Update:
Rick Noriega- 78%
Mikal Watts- 22%

Thursday Noon Update:
Rick Noriega- 82%
Mikal Watts- 18%

Friday Noon Update:
Rick Noriega- 74%
Mikal Watts- 26%

Saturday Noon Update:
Rick Noriega- 77%
Mikal Watts- 23%

We'll wait for the official word Monday! Thanks Democracy for Texas!

Melissa Explains Perry Contributions

In post last week from Hugh at Brazos Democrat, he talks about meeting Rick:

I asked him what, if anything , he planned to do about the problem with the Bob Perry money. “What problem?” he said with a feigned look of surprise on his face, as if I were asking him about a five dollar donation from the little old lady down the street. I have little patience for this kind of passive aggressive indirectness. He wanted to pretend that there was no reason for anyone to question him about this money...

Melissa on the other hand spent much more time speaking to me. She listened and explained how they came about getting money from Perry.

In a letter, Melissa elaborates:

Dear Hugh,

May I clarify just a little? The donation from Perry I was referring to was in Fall 2004, which was not my Council race. Rick was in Afghanistan and didn't know about any donations.

I was alone, running back and forth between Austin and Houston, going into Rick's district office after a full day at work, and trying to raise money.

Rick had left for A-stan fairly abruptly, and our campaign dollars had been exhausted in a ugly fight over Alma Allen's seat--Rick had been involved in that race quite heavily, and we had no money. Normally a rep would recharge his campaign funds with a few fundraisers and move on, but I was left alone with this as just one of several challenges.

I did several fundraisers in Houston and in Austin, with the help of some of the state senators. During that time, a check came from Mr. Perry.

I asked the senators what I should do with it--I was surprised, because he did not normally give to D's, best I knew. I might also remind you that the Kerry/Perry swiftboat relationship was not particularly clear at this point. Mr. Perry is a businessman in Houston, and most electeds probably have a relationship of some kind with him.

I don't think I even asked Rick about it. I was truly petrified that if he got distracted by anything, he would die. That sounds melodramatic, but I don't know how to say it any other way. Folks applaud my performance in Austin, and my time there did give me the courage to run for city council, but my motivation was pretty basic--if Rick was worried about his House seat, he could make a mistake in some split second and die.

I have been astounded by all the Perry stuff--if we had a check from him any earlier than 2004, I don't remember it--because it was a time folks were really trying to help us; the Ausin lobby, both R and D were rousting money up, both R and D reps were calling and offering help.

We were in the news a lot; it was a tough time, and it was different than any other political experience I have ever had. It showed me what Texans are made of.

Bless you, Hugh, you got up in my husband's face, whether you meant to or not. Would he say to you (or to the bloggers as a group?) that his wife made the decision to keep whatever contributions were sent to us at a difficult, difficult time? I think not...

It is a shame ya'll had a tough interaction. Rick is a rock, and honorable warrior. I know him when he is sick, cranky, sad or any other way, and I would trust him with my life. He is strong and tough and in the fight of his life, and you are asking him about something that went on while he was gone. Something I am responsible for, not him.

My first personal interaction with Mr. Perry was at the GRB during Katrina: he kissed my hand and told me and my son that "Daddy was a hero" and he admired him. He refused to support at least one R that I know of against me, and he contributed to my campaign. City Council in Houston is a nonpartisan race, and I was in a special election that NO one thought a Democrat could win at Christmas, and I won.

Rick has a voting record, and I do, too. We have done our best to serve honorably and feel priviliged to have done so. We have worked hard and supported things we believe in, sacrificed family time and been terrified for weeks on end that we would never see each other again.

Mikal Watts has sued people.

Repectfully submitted,

Melissa Noriega

Watts Supporters Caught Stuffing Ballot Box

That's right. Over 100 Mikal Watts' votes from two IP addresses, one of them verified to be from the San Antonio area, has been stuffing the Democracy For America Senate Endorsement Poll. None of them had physical addresses (respondents are required to live in Texas), or comments to verify they were actual people.

From Karl-Thomas Musselman, DFT Webguru on BOR:

I don't know who you are but you are doing a disservice to your candidate and the integrity of the poll. All of your votes will be thrown out. As the operator of the poll (in my role as DFT's webmaster), I've implemented additional measures on our recently upgraded account to preemptively block this behavior on behalf of either candidate.

The Democracy for Texas steering committee is taking this poll seriously and we have been impressed by the response to date- both in number and in the passion of the canddiates' supporters. We look forward to hearing from more of our members and other legitimate Texas voters.

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