Senator Sparkle Pony insists that even though she's been hankering after the Governor's Mansion for years she's really, REALLY focused on being a whizz bang Senator despite any lack of legislative initiative on display- all my Latino constituents forget all about that Sotomayor vote by the time I run, pretty, pretty please but you immigrant bashing teabaggers remember I was on your side...
In the meantime, Bill White has been impressively pro-active in building on his crossover appeal from his successful terms as Houston's mayor.
My father always told me-"when people tell you who they are-BELIEVE THEM."
Kay Bailey Hutchison is touted as a "moderate" Republican despite her voting records on immigration or reproductive health or, well honestly, I don't know why anyone thinks she's moderate except that she doesn't appear to be a secessionist like Governor Perry.
But when she really has a chance to be moderate-to demonstrate for all to see that she has the chops for leadership of a soon-if-not-now majority minority state, here's what she REALLY thinks of her Latino constituents.
That no matter how qualified they are, or what she may have said about how she WOULD judge a Supreme Court nominee, they are to be used to demonstrate fidelity to the racist base of the Republican Party.
Cornyn's decision to prioritize donor outreach over Senate business is a pretty stunning display of chutzpah. Here's why ...
Cornyn rarely misses a chance to blast Democrats for mixing politics with policy-making. During the U.S. attorneys scandal, he took the lead in lambasting Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) for participating in the investigation while serving as the Democratic campaigns chief.
When then-Sen. Obama skipped a vote two years ago on a Cornyn resolution criticizing MoveOn.org, the Texas Republican clucked judgmentally that it had been a chance "for every senator to declare, with not only their voices but also with their votes, that they fully support our troops." So what was the stimulus vote that Cornyn missed? An opportunity for every senator to declare their beliefs on how to fix the economy ... unless there was a previous engagement?
I know some people think that I'm too angry about Texas Republicans. They chide me that Texas has a long history of "bipartisan comity", and that lovely old chestnut "Texas is a conservative state" as if I just couldn't possibly understand.
I even called Senator "Big Bad John" a "squatter".
As the Republican Party leaders do their damndest to reduce their relevance and constituency by being institutional assholes, John Cornyn's ambition and true nature assert themselves.
By voting against confirmation for Hillary Clinton on the day of President Barack Obama's inauguration he proved that the only thing Big about "Big John" is his pettiness.
Oh, and his ego. With John McCain back to his "I'm not any Republican, I'm a MAVERICK" schtick, and Sarah Palin back in Alaska, John figures he's the next up for a national profile, and he used his vote in the Foreign Relations committee to get him some face time with reporters.
Expert economists and Texas families know that we're living through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Cornyn's out of touch comments echo the words of former Senator and current Cornyn contributor Phil Gramm, who stated this summer that "we have sort of become a nation of whiners" and called our nation's current economic hardships a "mental depression."
Despite what Cornyn and Gramm may believe, Texans' economic fears are not "overblown." Our medical bills are more expensive, college tuition is skyrocketing, and people are worried about losing their jobs. Thousands of Texans are already heading to the polls to cast their ballots in early voting, and it's critical that they see John Cornyn for who he really is.
Time for a Texas earthquake to shake Cornyn out of his cushy seat.
"Some of the 'Chicken Little' comments about the sky falling, this is unprecedented, I mean it's really overblown...the fact of the matter is we've been through some tough times before undoubtedly we are going to be in a recession. The question is how long it lasts and how deep it is."
I don't want to wake up Nov 5, and still have John Cornyn as a Senator from the state of Texas.
There are a lot of things I can't do right now due to health issues, and I already early voted for Rick.
But if Rick and Melissa and the rest of Team Noriega can keep running through the finish line.
WHAT: Rick Noriega to speak at El Paso Get Out the Vote Unity Rally. From Early Vote through Election Day, Rick Noriega, candidate for US Senate, will be traveling Texas on The Road to Victory Tour, meeting Texans and talking about his plan to get the economy back on track, to tackle rising costs of college tuition and to make sure all Texans have access to quality, affordable health care.
WHO: US Senate Candidate Rick Noriega and other Democratic candidates
It will be especially important for Texans to have a strong, respected voice inside the expected Democratic majority in the Senate. Rick Noriega offers such a voice, with a distinctive Lone Star tone and perspective. The Chronicle endorses Noriega for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Republican John Cornyn.
Noriega, a Houstonian, describes himself as a Texas Democrat. That term, once common currency in the state's political conversation, seems to have fallen out of favor over the past several Republican-dominated years. But it resonates once more in this season of voter discontent with partisanship uber alles. Some old-fashioned moderate bipartisanship, Texas style, should be much welcomed in the Washington debate, particularly on overheated topics such as energy and immigration. Rick Noriega can provide it.
Rick Noriega, TX-Sen: KTinTX summarizes the reason for Noriega's inclusion:
A week after being called "Manual" Noriega by a Cornyn Campaign surrogate at a voter registration rally in Austin, John Cornyn says Rick Noriega was a "Cut and Run" Democrat. But not just for opposing the war, no, for being one of 100 Texas House members who crossed state lines to Ardmore, OK in 2003 to stop Tom DeLay's redistricting plan that decimated Texas' Democratic seniority in the Congress.
Those trendlines are deceiving. They are from May, but Noriega's campaign headed south soon afterward. Rasmussen has been one of the few pollsters surveying this race. On August 21, they had the race at 52-38. Then in late September, it had closed to 50-43. This poll confirms that the race remains close, within single digits. Cornyn is at 50 percent, so he's where he needs to be. It's up to Noriega to knock Cornyn off that perch.
Cornyn didn't help himself at the debates by his "less than Senatorial" lying about Rick's legislative record. (See Vince at Capitol Annex for more on that.)
We're in single digits, but it'll take a lot of work to close the gap.
One of the things I find most despicable about John Cornyn (and it's not a short list, I'll grant) is his careless assumption that his constituents are simply too dumb to know when they're being lied to.
Despite his sudden embrace (when the debate cameras were on) of renewable energy, his Senate record tells a completely different story.
No matter what happy talk John Cornyn offers when his re-election nears, the record of his actions shows his preference is to keep education harder to achieve.
Makes the lies easier to float as we keep leaving our children behind.
In 2007 Cornyn received a grade of F from the National Education Association.
Follow me on the flip for a few of the reasons why.
I had to work late, so missed the Senate debate last night. (Check out the great liveblogging done by SCCS, Citizenx, and Liberal Texan or Texas Debates for the archived footage.)
I did see last week's though, and it struck me that the only real achievement Junior John could point to in that entire debate was the size of his campaign warchest.
Looks like a big chunk of that change came from the buddies he voted to bail out-the latest in a long line of "scratch my back, I'll look out for that itch of yours" that's marked Cornyn's career.
If you're in Houston, drop by the studio and give our next Senator from Texas a boost:
If you can make it out to the studio to greet the Future Senator of the United States Rick Noriega as he arrives for the debate at
KHOU Studios
1945 Allen Pkwy
Houston, TX 77027
6:45 PM
After, greeting the Future Senator Rick Noriega the Debate Watch Party will start at 7:30pm at 3200 Kirby Drive, Suite. There will be food, drinks, prizes, and fun. The debate starts at 8pm.
Make sure to tune in to your local PBS station tomorrow night for the debate between Rick Noriega and John Cornyn for the Senate race.
U.S. Senatorial Candidates
John Cornyn and Rick Noriega Debate <#>
Texas AARP, along with the League of Women Voters Texas, is sponsoring a
televised debate between US Senate candidates John Cornyn and Rick Noriega.
The debate will be tomorrow evening at 8pm on PBS stations across the
state. We urge you to tune in and learn where the candidates stand in this
important race.
