Texas Progressive Alliance Announces First Slate of TexRoots 2008 Endorsed Candidates

AUSTIN—The Texas Progressive Alliance today announced it first slate of endorsed candidates for the 2008 election cycle. The six candidates endorsed today will become the first TexRoots candidates to benefit from the Alliance’s endorsement and online fund-raising efforts for 2008.

“This is a slate of true progressive candidates,” said Texas Progressive Alliance Chairman Vince Leibowitz. The list of six candidates includes both incumbents and challengers in Democratic Primary races ranging from Texas House of Representatives to United States Senate.

“We believe that these men and women will best represent the interest of Texans and will take the lead on progressive issues,” Leibowitz continued.

The TPA’s first slate of 2008 TexRoots Candidates is as follows:

Rick Noriega, United States Senate. On March 4, Texas Democrats have a clear choice for their nominee for U.S. Senate: Rick Noriega. Noriega has the experience necessary to serve as a United States Senator and to take on Bush lap-dog U.S. Sen. John Cornyn in the fall. Faced with three token primary opponents, only one of whom is even running what could be called a “legitimate campaign,” Noriega is the clear choice not only because he is right on important issues such as the war and CHIP, but because he is a true progressive who has a proven record of accomplishment for the people of Texas.

Joe Jaworski, State Senate, District 11. Joe Jaworski (D-Galveston), a former Galveston City Councilman, has taken a very strong stance on environmental issues which are especially important in Senate District 11 and statewide. Jaworski faces token primary opposition and will likely face State Sen. Mike Jackson (R-LaPorte) in the 2008 General Election. Jackson has one of the worst environmental records of any legislator in the entire Texas Legislature and has failed for several sessions to make any meaningful legislative headway on issues important to his constituents.

State Rep. Garnet Coleman, State House, District 147. Coleman (D-Houston), is one of the leading progressives in the Texas House of Representatives, and has been at the forefront of important progressive issues including the Children’s Health Insurance Program, reproductive freedom, and gay rights. A member of the House Democratic Leadership, re-electing Coleman is key to ensuring that the 81st Session of the Texas Legislature has a strong, progressive voice. Coleman faces a primary opponent.

State Rep. Jessica Farrar, State House, District 148. Farrar (D-Houston), is another strong progressive voice in the Texas House. Farrar was a leading voice in the 80th Texas Legislature on issues including the HPV vaccine, stem cell research, and against Governor Rick Perry’s arrogant Homeland Security power-grab. Farrar is one of a handful of Democrats who voted against Craddick in 2005 and, as a result, was relegated to the Agriculture Committee for taking her stand. Farrar faces a former staffer from her office who is believed to be supported by anti-progressive forces in Austin. Farrar is a progressive leader and Texans across the state need her back in the Texas House in 2009.

State Rep. Paul Moreno, State House, District 77. Moreno (D-El Paso), is the Dean of the Texas House of Representatives and one of the House’s strongest voices on civil rights issues. Moreno, a seasoned veteran of many progressive struggles, faces an unknown opponent with no experience in government. Moreno deserves re-election, and Texas needs Moreno’s leadership on civil rights and progressive issues in the 81st Session of the Texas Legislature.

Armando Walle, State House, District 140. Walle (D-Houston), is seeking to unseat Rep. Kevin Bailey (D-Houston), who has been ineffective for his district on progressive issues. Unseating Bailey is a necessary step toward a new Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives. Walle has worked for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee and Congressman Gene Green, and has strong ties to his district and, we believe, will be a better voice for District 140 than its existing representation.

Brian Thompson, State House, District 46. Thompson (D-Houston), faces State Rep. Dawnna Dukes (D-Austin) who has cast a number of votes which are against the interest of her district. A win in this district is yet another step toward electing a new Speaker of the Texas House in 2009. Thompson, an attorney, has strong ties to his district and will be a much needed progressive voice in a district which, for too long, has been governed by a member who consistently votes against the interests of her constituents.

“We strongly believe these candidates are the best men and women to shape the future of Texas,” said Charles Kuffner, Vice Chair of the Texas Progressive Alliance. “These men and women are ready to fight for the interests of ordinary Texans in Washington, D.C., and in Austin,” Kuffner said.

“As progressive activists, we believe it is important to support those who will, when elected, work to further the progressive cause and fight the Republican machine tooth and nail to do what is best for the people of Texas and not the special interests,” Leibowitz noted. “We must continue to elect not only more, but better Democrats to office in Texas,” he concluded.

To view the 2008 TexRoots slate, or to make an online contribution, please visit http://www.actblue.com/page/texroots08-p1.

Texan of the Year 2007

[Today, the Texas Progressive Alliance honors its 2007 Texan of the Year. This year, the Alliance elected to recognize a number of other Texans who have contributed to Texas politics and the Progressive cause during 2007. This week, leading up to the TOY announcement, we brought you our Texas Progressive Alliance Gold Stars. Thursday, we recognized State Sen. Mario Gallegos. Wednesday, we recognized Molly Ivins. Tuesday, we recognized Denise Davis. Monday, it was Rick & Melissa Noriega. Our Silver Stars, announced last week, may be found here.]

The Texas Progressive Alliance is proud to announce the House Leadership team of State Rep. Jim Dunnam, State Rep. Garnet Coleman, and State Rep. Pete Gallego as our 2007 recipients of the Texan of the Year award.

There may not be another three individuals who have done more for Democrats in the state of Texas over the past four years than Rep. Jim Dunnam, Rep. Pete Gallego. Together, they have led the fight for the resurgence of the Texas Democratic Party. Every day is another story. They fought through the 2006 elections, and then they fought for the months leading up to the first day of session. They led the fight against Speaker Craddick in the final days of the session, and are now poised to add to the Democratic gains in the House as they continue their roles as Co-Chairs of the House Democratic Campaign Committee.

Their work together is imperative to the continued progress of Democrats in Texas, but it's their individual efforts that really demonstrate how this leadership team makes the best of one another for the good of all Texans. Here is a brief highlight of what each of these leaders did over the past year:

State Rep. Jim Dunnam

When we had a mere 62 members in the House in 2003. Today, there are 70, including State Rep. Kirk England who announced his intentions to switch parties and run as a Democrat next cycle. In only 5 years, there was full frontal attack on Speaker Craddick's ability to lead, launched by one question by the Waco Democrat: "Mr. Speaker, what is the process of removing the Speaker of the Texas House?" His mastery of the House rules is incredible to watch.

During the 80th Regular Session, Rep. Jim Dunnam led efforts to clean up the mess Governor Perry and the Republican leadership made at the Texas Youth Commission. He worked with Rep. Coleman and Rep. Gallego to lead the fight against expanding new tax cuts for the richest 10% of Texans at the expense of health care and education opportunities for Texas families. He passed numerous bills for his district, but he will forever be remembered for the efforts he made on the House floor, challenging the absolute power of Speaker Craddick.

State Rep. Garnet Coleman

Rep. Garnet Coleman is one of the most progressive members of the Texas House. Rep. Coleman filed over sixty piece of legislation, including (1) legislation end tuition deregulation, (2) legislation to overturn the ban on gay marriage, (3) legislation to prevent the construction of any new toll roads anywhere in the state of Texas. But beyond these strong policy positions, he successfully passed legislation to expand health care opportunities for former foster children and double the funding for cancer research. He continued his fight to fully restore CHIP -- an effort he's worked for ever since Speaker Craddick and his allies cut hundreds of thousands of kids off of health care since 2003.

Beyond his legislative work, Rep. Coleman is the top fundraiser for Texas Democrats, and is well-known for his non-stop efforts in supporting House Democrats across the state. He chairs the Legislative Study Group, which received a Silver Star award from the TPA for its incredible policy work.

State Rep. Pete Gallego

Rep. Pete Gallego is the chair of of the largest bipartisan legislative caucus in the Texas House-- the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. He also sits on the national board of NALEO. He was a top lieutenant for Speaker Pete Laney, and his trust from that better time in the Texas House allows him to remain as one of the most trusted members in the Texas House.

His policy issues are far-reaching, and can range from helping protect our state's natural resources to preventing those horrid voter ID bills behind the scenes. Rep. Gallego also helped temper some of the more controversial issues of the session, including immigration and security.

Rep. Gallego often makes waves quietly inside the Capitol, but his efforts help thousands of Texans from all walks of life. Together, Rep. Gallego, Rep. Dunnam, and Rep. Coleman are extremely deserving for our 2007 Texan of the Year award.

Toll Road Arguments Fall Flat

The debate over Texas' plans for toll roads has some recurring themes. In his rebuttal of a recent Don Erler commentary, McBlogger takes on a few of these arguments.

One argument Erler makes is how much the gas tax would need to increase to pay for the needed services.

.....as Star-Telegram reporter Gordon Dickson wrote last month, state transportation officials reject as absurd the claim of some toll critics that an 8-cent-per-gallon increase in the gas tax could finance regional transportation needs. The actual number, according to state officials paid to calculate these costs, is $1.40 per gallon, which would increase the price of gasoline to more than $3.70 per gallon today. How could this help the poor?

[McBlogger responds,] "Oh, yes... tolls are cheaper. This is an outright lie. For one thing, the tolls are going to run at least 12 cents per mile (as we've seen in Austin, sometimes they are MUCH more expensive). At 20 miles per gallon, that's a gas tax
equivalent of $2.40 per gallon. Even if the State's ridiculous estimate were correct, a gas tax would STILL be CHEAPER than tolls, by at least $1.00 per gallon. That's reality, and I'd like to see Mr. Erler deny that.

However, we all know that the state's estimate is way off and completely meaningless. Why? Because, unlike Mr. Erler, we actually did some research. Bottom line, tolls are ALWAYS going to be more expensive than a gas tax. Period. The State's numbers are 'engineered' to come to a preconceived conclusion. Instead of just blindly accepting them, Mr. Erler, why not actually investigate the assumptions used? Those assumptions include a PROFIT for a private contractor that is paid EVEN UNDER A GAS TAX MODEL. Why would we be paying for that if we shift gears and ditch the tolls and the CDA's?

Read the rest of McBlogger's rebuttal here. And while you're at it, check out the great links, including this one at Eye on Williamson County, which reminds us how we got here.

By our state government’s neglect of our highways a privatization scheme was concocted to save us from ourselves. Our highways have been held hostage by Republican politicians and corporations for several decades by their no-tax, free-market rhetoric. They’ve been telling us that taxes, no matter how justifiable the reason, are bad. That argument, essentially, defunded our transportation infrastructure in Texas. But whether it’s our highways, education, health care, children’s health care, or any other project that is for the publics good, that will further the “Pursuit of Happiness”, the plan in recent years has been to privatize it. But these privatization plans never turn out the way we are told and most times wind up costing much more than we were initially told. The TTC is no different.

It's obviously time to talk about increasing the gas tax. In the meantime, you can encourage your legislator to support H.B. 998, sponsored by Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, to put a moratorium on toll roads.

States Introduce Resolutions on Iraq

The news from the Senate floor today wasn't good, even though it played out as expected. The Democrats lost the cloture vote to end debate over troop escalation, which in turn prevented a vote on the Warner-Levin resolution. Whether that comes as a relief or frustration depends on your theory of how the vote will play out in the political arena. Sen. Harry Reid certainly viewed it as a setback.

But there is some encouraging news regarding resolutions in another political theater - state legislatures. David Sirota, a co-chair of Progressive States Network, has a post listing 22 states that now have introduced resolutions condemning the troop escalation in Iraq.

On the eve of critical U.S. Senate votes this week on President Bush's Iraq escalation plan, the Progressive States Network announced today that over 20 state legislatures so far have introduced resolutions opposing the President's move and demanding Congress use its power to stop the so-called "surge......

"States have the power and authority to speak out on issues that will impact them and their citizens," said Joel Barkin, executive director of the Progressive States Network. "An escalation in Iraq would cripple our already over-extended guard units, threatening readiness at home."

And in case you missed it, number nineteen on the list is Texas. Rep. Garnet Coleman, D-Houston, filed a resolution (HR 184) last week condemning the troop surge. Here is Coleman's statement from his press release.

"Our troops in Iraq have performed exceedingly well under difficult and dire circumstances, but the reality is that previous increases of troop strength haven't improved things in Iraq. We cannot send more troops into harm's way, and if the only way to keep that from happening is for Congress to block funding for escalating the war, then that's what I hope they will do."

"Here in Texas, we have shouldered much of the burden of the war in Iraq's consequences. Extended tours-of-duty in Iraq have put a significant strain on the Texas National Guard. Our state alone has lost two hundred and seventy nine brave men and women serving in our armed forces since the start of the war. The war has cost Texans tens of billions of dollars that could have been better spent on other domestic or humanitarian efforts. I hope our leaders in Washington DC recognize the cost of the war and do not escalate our involvement in Iraq."

Those of you in North Texas who want to urge your legislators to support Rep. Coleman's resolution can click here.