Emil Reichstadt May Bow Out of Race

The first to announce candidacy for the Democratic nod to run against John Cornyn, may also be the first to bow out. Emil Reichstadt, a Dallas-area private practice attorney and former Army JAG officer could announce as early as this week whether he may be ending his campaign bid, leaving the remaining two candidates San Antonio Millionaire Mikal Watts, and Texas Representative Lt. Col. Rick Noriega.

A visit to his website, http://www.emil2008.com/, shows that it's down for maintenance.

[More from BOR]

OMFG! Rick Noriega Reads My Blog!

Last month, I was absolutely thrilled when I heard that Melissa Noriega READS THIS BLOG! Today, Rick left me this lovely message on my facebook wall. ^

I think you're amazing Rick.. Thanks for keeping up the good fight. It's going to be a long and difficult road, we know you're the right man for the job. We'll be standing behind and alongside you the entire way.

Thanks for your service, and for giving our state a chance at children's healthcare, for championing education, for supporting our troops, and for all your hard work you've put in for Houston, for Texas, for our New Orleans neighbors and for our great country.

It really is about service, and we appreciate everything you've done, everything you're doing, and everything you're going to be able to do in the future to bring the message in the Senate back to "We The People," instead of "We, Bush and chummies.."

Rick, you're my hero.

Rick Needs YOU!

Many of Lt. Col. Rick Noriega's supporters have asked how they can show the overwhelming support for his nomination to be our Democratic candidate against Texas' Junior Senator John Cornyn.

Today, grassroots activists across Texas are launching a petition to put Rick on the March 2008 Democratic Primary Ballot. The election code gives candidates the option of obtaining signatures or paying $5,000 to qualify a candidate for the ballot. Many candidates opt to just pay the fee because it's the "easy" way to go.

Rick Noriega is building a grassroots campaign, and here's our chance to show the strength of the Noriega grassroots. Texas requires a candidate to obtain 5,000 signatures. We want to blow that number away, so we've set an ambitious goal: 25,000 signatures!

Ballot Petition (pdf)
Petition to get Rick's name on the primary election ballot. Please print one up and get your friends and family to sign! If you're really ambitious, take a few to a local concert, festival, or event! Check for ID's and make sure all required information is filled out. Please use legal size paper when printing them! Mail in completed sheets as you get them done to the address on the bottom of the form.

Rick Noriega is a HIT in Tarrant County

In one of his first appearances, a group of about 50 welcomed Rick Noriega to Dallas, where he grabbed even more endorsements: Tarrant County State Representatives Lon Burnam, Paula Hightower Pierson and Marc Veasey before heading up to North Dallas for event at the home of Lenna Webb and Bob Franklin.

This comes on the heels of a week of powerful endorsements from Governor Dolph Briscoe, Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby and State Senator Rodney Ellis, and the Texas State Association of Firefighters. An endorsment from Daily Kos appears to be forthcoming next week.

Rick speaks with two decades of military experience under his belt:
"I just got back from two weeks of training at Fort Benning, and when you look at these 18- and 19-year-old kids who will do anything their country asks them to do, you realize they deserve better. They need leadership that is willing to be held accountable."

"Are we as Texans ready to take a step forward? Our state is off track and if we are going to set things right, we must be ready for the campaign of misinformation that John Cornyn and the Republicans are ready to unleash. They'll use this to divide us so they can maintain power. We have to reject that, but it will be a tough fight."

Read the full post from Steve-O at Caravan of Dreams.

2008 will be a great election for Democrats in the Senate.

(I love it when Howie smiles..)

"2008 will be a great election for Democrats in the Senate." That's according to The New Republic: "In Texas, Republican incumbent John Cornyn is unpopular, and state representative and Lt. Col. Rick Noriega could pose problems for him."

That follows suit with the MSNBC: "Senate prospects seem brighter for Democrats: Craig incident adds to GOP woes with 22 seats to defend in 2008...it now looks possible that in next year’s elections the Democrats just might attain the 60 seats they need to foil Republican filibusters. "

Over at Booman, they're adding up the Democratic seats, and agree that we may be able to pull a fillabuster-proof majority in the Senate in 08, "I haven't even mentioned the most unpopular senator of all...John Cornyn of Texas. He is facing two formidable candidates in attorney Mikal Watts and State Senator (sic) Rick Noriega. This race is insurance on that 62 mark."

Kos has another article considering Texas a contestable race, raking us a "2nd-Tier" race, meaning that we're not quite a shoo-in by any means. That just means we need to work harder!

Skulnik over at kos also agrees, ranking the Texas race as #8 of 34 most likely seats to change party affiliation, placing our race in the top quarter.

If I recall in "mainstream journalism", three sources makes a credible story, and all of these guys seem to agree that the Texas race will play a major role in the direction our Senate will be headed. It's amazing that all over the Internets, Rick Noriega is getting noticed, kicking ass and taking names!

UPDATE: CBS News jumps on the bandwagon, "It is very likely that Republicans will pick up no more than one seat, while Democrats may pick up as many as seven seats."

Meet Rick... TONIGHT in Dallas!

Rick Noriega will be in Dallas tonight for an meet and greet:

6:00-8:00 PM

Home of Lenna Webb and Bob Franklin
17201 Hidden Glen Drive
Dallas, TX 75248


View Larger Map

Contact Deputy Campaign Manager for Details
at (512) 771-6266 or rick@rickcofer.com

Campaign contributions will be accepted and appreciated.
Please come out and meet the next Senator from the State of Texas.

(h/t to The Caravan of Dreams)

Have You Had Enough?

Here's a lovely song that came out...
http://movies.crooksandliars.com/HYHEMix.mp3

And here's it adapted for Joe Lieberman:

The Lovely Mrs. Melissa Noriega Appears at Houston's 171st Birthday Party

Melissa Noriega (pictured here with Texas State Senator Mario Gallegos) attended Houston's 171st Birthday Party at the George R. Brown Convention Center last night. Although she was unable to attend the Harris County Young Democrats meeting, she was still able to win the endorsement of the organization.

Mayor Bill White and Former mayor Bob Lanier were in attendance, as well as many of our local representatives. James Rodriguez (candidate for City Council District I), and wife Wendy Montoya also made an appearance after stopping by the Young Dems Meeting. Astros Star Jeff Bagwell there, and ABC-13's Shara Fryer served as Mistress of ceremonies.

(h/t to The Insite)

So Who All Reads This Blog Anyways??

Well, I was going over my lovely little SiteMeter account today, and saw these:
(Don't worry, I'm not "warrantless wiretapping" you or anything I don't even know who you are, just where you read the blog from..!)

Thanks to all my lovely readers!

senate.gov - US Senate!
house.gov - US House of Representatives
nasa.gov - A little "spacey" but I'll take it..!
state.tx.us - Texas State Capitol, and several of them
cityofhouston.net - Houston City Hall members
(see Melissa Noriega READS THIS BLOG!)

utdallas.edu - Students? Educators?
harvard.edu - The Ivy League!
rutgers.edu - More friends from the Northeast

nytimes.com - The freakin New York Times!

telepac.pt - Portugese readers!
tiscali.be - Belgian readers!
Also From the UK and Canada,

We've also logged readers from AR, CT, DC, GA, HI, IL, MA, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, UT, TN, TX, VA, VT. We've even had quite a few from San Antonio and Corpus Christi. Thanks for reading Mr. Watts! ::waves::

"I Am Not Gay" Craig May Spell Fillibuster-Proof Senate after 2008

The wavering of the "I am not gay" Larry Craig Idaho seat adds to the 22 Republican seats that must be defend in the 2008 Election Cycle. Democrats now hold 51 seats, including Independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont and "Connecticut For Lieberman" Party Member Joe Lieberman. Of the 22 Republican seats to be upheld, six of them seem to be "in jeopardy," bringing the total possible Democratic seat count to 57 or 58 seats.

Booman:

So...how do we get 4-5 more senate seats?First...let me say that we are not there yet. We still need to do a little more recruitment.

Nebraska... Oklahoma...Kentucky...Idaho

I haven't even mentioned the most unpopular senator of all...John Cornyn of Texas. He is facing two formidable candidates in attorney Mikal Watts and State Senator Rick Noriega. This race is insurance on that 62 mark.

MSNBC:
The financial momentum also is with the Democrats.
As of the end of June, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, which finds and funds Senate contenders had:
More than $31 million in receipts
More than $20 million in cash on hand

By contrast, the National Republican Senatorial Committee had only:
$15.8 million in receipts
$5.7 in cash on hand

Friends, 2008 is our year.

Texas Much More PURPLE Than Most People Expect...

From a Texas Lyceum Poll conducted June 13, 2007, an "overwhelming majority" of Texans believe that the War in Iraq is the most important issue facing our country.

“Nationally, the Iraq War dominates all other issues; nothing else comes close. As for issues facing the state, Texans are most concerned about education and illegal immigration,” said Daron Shaw, a pollster and associate professor at the University of Texas who conducted the poll for the Texas Lyceum, a non-partisan non-profit statewide leadership group focused on public policy affecting Texas and the United States.

It also found that Texans favor funding of embryonic stem cell research, and believe that abortion should be allowed in some cases. We even prefer a nondenominational moment of silence as opposed to prayer in public schools.

“Skepticism about the progress of the U.S. venture in Iraq and the evidence of moderation on many key issues suggests that Texas is becoming a much more “purple” state that it has been in recent elections,” said Professor Jim Henson, Director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas. "The poll’s results are clearly another shot across the bow of incumbents in all institutions at all levels,“ said Henson.

So as it turns out, we might be just a little more purple than we used to be, that we won't just follow along with what Bush says, and that we might be wising up on a few issues. Good job Texas!

A USA Today Article based on the same poll shows McCain essentially tied with Clinton with McCain at 36% and Clinton at 35%. Giuliani and Clinton also are essentially tied, at 32%-31%.

So Texas, the 2008 Swing State? We'll have to wait and see on that one.

Poll Taxes? Literacy Test? Nope, just HCYD signature forms!

I'm liveblogging in the middle of voting with the HCYD endorsement meeting. I have plenty of time to blog, because i was, along with about a dozen other members were held up waiting for our memberships to be verified, including several candidates themselves.

James Rodriguez's campaign would have been allowed to have a proxy vote, but his membership was unverifiable as his membership dated from 1999. HCYD President Max Cardenas III said that was another organization. The current HCYD was chartered in 2001. A representative from the Rodriguez campaign said she would have appreciated some notification as to what was required to be able to vote. The same held true for Jolanda Jones and her campaign--unable to vote. When asked how he felt, Nick H. (red cap pictured) said he was, "livid." Save the hate for the Republicans, Nick!

Heated discussion ensued, and after a half hour of debate, only 18 voting memberships were confirmed, meaning the 12 of us who were denied voting rights may very well have easily had the ability to sway the endorsement proceedings. Cardenas declined postponing the vote, and the vote whether to accept the recommendations of the Steering Committee were passed with little discussion.

The membership forms were verified by the highly secure method of... Three ring binder.

Stay tuned for more.

Texas Democratic icons endorse Rick Noriega’s exploratory bid for US Senate

Texas Democratic icons — Governor Dolph Briscoe, Lt. Governor Bill Hobby and State Senator Rodney Ellis — endorse Rick Noriega’s exploratory bid for US Senate

(Houston, TX) — Texas Democratic icons Governor Dolph Briscoe, Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby and State Senator Rodney Ellis, who briefly served as Lt. Governor as well, today joined Houston’s Paul Hobby in endorsing Rick Noriega as the next United States Senator from Texas.

Standing together at the George R. Brown Convention Center, where Noriega served as Incident Commander when the facility was turned into a shelter and emergency support network in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, these icons that represent over three decades of Texas leadership called for a restoration of forward looking leadership that responds to the needs of the people.

“What we have here today is more than a list of endorsements,” Noriega declared. "It is a history lesson that teaches us that Texas stands at its greatest when we plan for the future, bring people together, and hold our government accountable.”

Under the weather with a fever, Governor Dolph Briscoe, who occupied the Governor’s Mansion from 1973 – 1979, sent a written statement that paid tribute to Noriega’s service in the military and humanitarian leadership in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. “These times call for a leader like Rick Noriega, a leader with character, a leader who understands Texans are not afraid of the future, and we’re not followers.”

State Senator Rodney Ellis recalled how Noriega has lived out the warrior’s ethos — leave no man behind — from the battlefield to the legislature and in the community. “In the legislature, Rick fought to all Texas children had health insurance. And here in this very building, the George R. Brown Convention Center, he proved that compassion is not a weakness, but part of the very fabric of who we are as Texans,” Ellis explained. “That’s the type of leadership we need in the United States Senate.”

Lt. Governor Bill Hobby, who served Texas from 1973 to 1991, spoke directly to Noriega’s appeal statewide, “It’s time for a US Senator who can bring Texans together,” Governor Hobby declared. “Rick Noriega earns respect for the strength of his convictions, for rejecting the politics of personal destruction, and for his courage to speak to a higher calling in all of us, “Hobby added.

Noriega openly questioned whether John Cornyn’s voting record reflects the values of ordinary Texans, noting that the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) rated Cornyn 85th out of 100 Senators in support for veterans and their families.

“The standard for leadership and service has been set by the gentlemen behind me; not by the man who occupies one of Texas’ two US Senate seats,” Noriega concluded.

Noriega promised that as his exploratory campaign continues to gain momentum, “Texans will get a chance to see the many faces and many perspectives that our campaign represents.”

BREAKING NEWS! Statements from John Cornyn and Rick Noriega on Alberto Gonzales

"Alberto Gonzales, the highest ranking Hispanic to serve in a President's Administration, is a decent and honorable man...His resignation marks another casualty of the hyper-partisan atmosphere in Washington that does not serve the best interests of the American People"
John Cornyn

"It's about time. Our country's interest should come first. This appears to be a political decision. Hopefully this can put an end to the politicization of the Justice Department."
Rick Noriega

Noriega, Watts, Cornyn website comparison...

So there really a lot that you can tell from a candidate from their website. Just by how it's maintained, how it's designed, you can see what's really important to the candidate. I.E. When, on the day of the primary, Joe Lieberman claimed his website was hacked by bloggers. (more from kos). Of course, after the investigation, the State Attorney General's office, and even supposedly the FBI found no involvement from outside sources.

Even Republican Mark Kennedy's website claimed to have had a "security breach," although their contribution page was still up and running. From ConnecticutBob , "The best part is, if you click on the link to Kennedy's website above and quickly hit the Stop button, it catches it before it redirects from the original webpage. I captured the code below, and there is an obvious line edited into it from their web designer, which says this: '...remove refresh when kennedy wants to get site back'!"

So let's take a look at the three frontrunners for the Texas 08 Senate election, starting with John Cornyn (http://www.johncornyn.com/). There's a great picture of Cornyn and Bush schmoozing it up. In fact, he'll be supporting the Bush "the troop surge is working, even though I'm going to compare Iraq to Vietnam" rhetoric... See it this Sunday on This Week with George Stephanopoulos.

Next to Mikal Watts' website at (http://www.wattsforsenate.com/). Fairly well designed, nice colors, but the bulk of the website is Mike's video talking about... himself. He really likes noting that he graduated school early.

More from Stuart Rothenberg:

The first half of the four-minute, 15 second video is straightforward enough. Watts introduces himself and talks about his education, his parents, his own family and his interest in public service. He's a trial lawyer, so it's not surprising that he's poised, articulate and polished.

The second half of the video probably is the silliest, most transparent attempt to deliver a message I have ever seen.

Watts wants us to know that he is a "fighter" and a "leader," and he apparently thinks that viewers of his video are a little dense. You'd either have to be in a coma or not understand English to miss Watts' message. The Democratic hopeful uses a form of the word "fight" 11 times in the last two minutes and 15 seconds of the video. And he uses a form of the word "leader" another eight times during that same period.

In one section of the video lasting 37 seconds, Watts uses the word "fighter" six times -- an average of once every 6.17 seconds:

"I have been a fighter my entire career, fighting for the rights of average, working families here in Texas. And I have proven that I will stay in that fight and give it my all until we win. Texans are looking for a Senator who is a leader, who will fight for them. Someone who will fight for families here in Texas rather than special interests there in Washington. I am certain that as we travel around the state and see more and more good Texans, that my message of real leadership and real change in Washington is a message that is going to hit home here in Texas. I am confident that Texans will join me in this fight."

There are plenty of attributes that voters want in their candidates. They certainly want leaders and, at least now, forces for change. I certainly wouldn't criticize Watts or any candidate for mentioning them. It's the way he talks about them that is so aggravating. It sounds as if he thinks he's the first guy to run on those buzzwords.

Now to Rick's website. (http://www.ricknoriega.com/) It isn't quite as polished as the other two, but it has a message. It shows Rick serving our country in Afghanistan, and being sworn in for his 5th term while on active duty outside Kabul. "I wanted my 'family' here in Afghanistan to swear me in," said Noriega. Shortly afterward, he emailed his docunments to Austin, where his wife was able to serve in his absence.

His website shows his dedication to us, his future constitutents, and shows that through his history of service for us in Houston, for Hurricane Katrina, and as he served in Afghanistan. Rick truly is a regular guy, and his website truly reflects that!

$20K Goal Reached... SHOOT FOR $25K!

It's amazing that ActBlue considers Texas an active state, but that's what you get when your explatory committee brings in a third as much as a Presidential Candidate! (12K Rick, $37k Edwards).

Let's keep this momentum going, and bring in that $5K before Rick gets back from training and show him what kind of support he has from all of us.

CONTRIBUTE NOW

Rick Makes a Big Splash on ActBlue

From the ActBlue Blog:

Total Contributions last week: $226,262.30
Total Donors: 1794
Avg. Contribution size: $128.33

Here are the Top 5 Recipients on ActBlue last week by number of donors.
1. John Edwards President 520
2. Rick Noriega TX-Sen 154
3. Steven L. Beshear KY-Gov 106
4. Democracy for America Organization 88
5. Tom Allen ME-Sen 84

Here are the Top 5 Candidate Recipients on ActBlue last week by total amount raised.
1. John Edwards President $36,870.80
2. Rick Noriega TX-Sen $12,332.61
3. Gary Trauner WY-AL $11,200.00
4. Jamie Eldridge MA-05 $10,004.61
5. Russ Warner CA-26 $9,196.60

Here are the Top 5 ActBlue Fundraising Pages last week by number of donors.
1. John Edwards 494 $36,031.66 $72.93
2. DFA for Steve Beshear 132 $4,135.65 $21.42
3. Blue America '08 127 $11,533.12 $32.30
4. Netroots for Rick Noriega 91 $10,444.00 $114.76
5. SoCal Grassroots 42 $1,095.00 $26.07

So what does this mean? Rick is definitely getting some momentum! Here's more from the campaign:

This campaign is going to be tough. Rick is a regular Texan who has devoted himself to public service, not personal wealth. Meanwhile, John Cornyn's war chest is being filled by the corporate special interests who owe him for putting their personal agendas ahead of what's right for Texas.

But this campaign isn't going to be won by simply throwing money at the Texas voters. Some candidates have tried that in the past, without much success.

We're going to win because we have the right candidate, the right message, and the grassroots support. But make no mistake, we have to grow our grassroots base to win. To grow our support, we're going to need the funds to get our message out.

Let's show Rick he has the support to win! Please make a contribution, and "Fill Rick's Boots" today.

http://www.actblue.com/page/netrootsfornoriega

Rick Gets Blogosphere Blessing

From The S.A. Current:

"In 2006 I was primarily focused on getting John Tester elected in Montana,” said Markos Moulitsas, founder of DailyKos, a progressive political blog that boasts over a million visitors a day. “This year, I am going to do everything I can to elect Rick Noriega in Texas.”

It wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration to say that Moulitsas’s ringing endorsement is the political equivalent of a Bill Gates letter of recommendation. His site — Daily Kos — worked with other leading progressive sites such as MyDD.com and the Swing State Project to raise more than $1.5 million for 17 candidates in the 2006 election cycle.

The 2006 elections were the tipping point for successful online political organization. The people-powered movement was able to propel its own brand of candidates to high political offices. Their successes include U.S. Senators Jon Tester (Montana) and Jim Webb (Virginia). Many at the convention are hoping to send a third people-powered candidate to the U.S. Senate — Rick Noriega.

Immediately after the convention, an article in the Washington Post conveyed the level of support Noriega developed in Chicago, saying that “many at the YearlyKos convention cared more about Democrat Rick Noriega than Sen. Barack Obama. They hoped Mr. Noriega will unseat Sen. John Cornyn, Texas Republican … ”

Cornyn’s low approval ratings — which have stagnated around 31 percent according to the latest polls — have given Democrats across the country hope for an upset. Nationally, another Democrat in the U.S. Senate would mean wonders for the agenda of the Democratic Party, but if it’s possible, the implications of a Cornyn defeat are even more meaningful here in Texas.

Planned Parenthood Party Like a Rock Star! (and Mikal Watts Pro-Life Stance)

(L to R) "Old Elvis" Rick Cofer, deputy campaign manager for Rick Noriega for Texas, and "Asian Elvis" Ramey Ko, chairman for Asian Americans for Obama and volunteer for Rick Noriega, (and unknown) all appear as Elvises for the annual "Party like a Rock Star" Planned Parenthood fundraiser on Saturday held this year at the House of Dereon.

This is in sharp contrast to democratic primary challenger and millionaire San Antonio trial lawyer Mikal Watts, who probably wouldn't only avoid such events, but even told R.G. Ratcliffe “I personally have the view: I hold the pro-life position with three exceptions: one for rape, one for incest, one for the life of the mother.”

Let's see how these compare with others' views from across the political spectrum...

George W. Bush from CNS News: "Bush has clearly stated, on several occasions, that the circumstances when abortion should be allowed are limited to protect the life of the mother, rape or incest."

John McCain on Meet The Press: McCain said he had “come to the conclusion that the exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother are legitimate exceptions” to an outright ban on abortions.

Mitt Romney from AmericansForMitt.com: "Governor Romney has declared that he is pro-life with exceptions for rape, incest, and to save the life of the mother. This position is identical to that of President George W. Bush, the most pro-life president we’ve ever had."

Rudy Giuliani from MediaMatters: "Giuliani's position is that he would not change current law on abortion funding, which prohibits federal funding except in cases of incest, rape, or life endangerment."

I could go on, but I think you get the point. Watts holds the same pro-life position as Bush, McCain, Romney, and Giuliani. We've discovered his PAC making contributions to republican candidates. What else are you hiding Mike?

ADDITION: I almost forgot..
John Cornyn and Greg Abbott from Texas Eagle Forum: "John Cornyn, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, and Judge Greg Abbott, Republican candidate for Texas Attorney General, recently rescinded their opposition to abortion under all circumstances. Cornyn now justifies abortion in cases of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother, while Abbott says consideration should be given to protect a woman's life."

And... thre you have it.

Melissa Noriega READS THIS BLOG!

That's right! I met the Houston Councilwoman, and wife of Lt. Col. Rick Noriega tonight. I introduced myself, and she says, "Oh, I know you, you do the blog!"

I'm still smiling..!