Obama Endorses Sheila Jackson Lee for Congressional District 18

Oh, well. There goes Jarvis Johnson's whole reason for running - to tap into the backlash against Sheila for her very public support for Hillary. Jarvis recently sent out an email with a picture of him and Obama, with the following message:

Two years ago at this time, you, I and many other Houstonians put forward a herculean effort to help Barack Obama overwhelmingly carry the 18^th Congressional District and Harris County during Presidential Primary. We were driven to victory then because of our desire to see dramatic change in the leadership of our great nation. My candidacy offers a new direction for the people of the 18th Congressional District.

Here's Jackson Lee's powerful knockdown of that:

President Barack Obama Endorses

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee

President Barack Obama has endorsed Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee of the 18^th Congressional District for her re-election.

“Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee is a tireless champion for Houston’s working families,” said President Obama. “That’s why we need her back in Congress to help my efforts to bring real jobs back to Houston and the nation. I need you to cast your vote for Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.”

“I am grateful and humbled to receive this endorsement from President Obama,” said Jackson Lee. “When he asked me to campaign for him, I found it so rewarding to see the outpouring of support for the change he represented and now he is the change agent that America and Houston needs today. I am proud to be working with President Barack Obama as we work to change lives for the better.

“Now that he is in office, it is exciting to work with President Obama on the many important issues facing our country,” the Congresswoman continued. “Now more than ever, I am grateful for the President’s trust and confidence in me.”

President Obama joins a long list of individuals and organizations endorsing Congresswoman Jackson Lee for re-election. A complete list is attached.

I don't see how Johnson can counter this without calling out the President for being wrong. This seems like a very muscular move from Jackson Lee and it makes me wonder if the rumors I heard about her getting bad polling news recently are true. She's brought in the big guy for a reason, and perhaps it's because this race is closer than people might assume. On the other hand, a political buddy of mine doesn't think the President would have stepped in unless polling clearly indicated a Jackson Lee victory. I don't know. I'm thinking of Obama lurching into action to help Martha Coakley at the last minute when her polling went south.

Spending Campaign Cash: Rodriguez vs. Munoz in HD36

There's a hot Democratic Primary House race in the Valley - Hidalgo County - that I'm watching, between Sandra Rodriguez and Sergio Munoz, Jr. for HD 36, the seat that the indicted Kino Flores held.

Rodriguez ran against Flores in 2008 and lost by 928 votes (results here). I remember on election day, reading about the frantic work at the polls for both candidates - vote counters who were checking off names of voters as they entered the polls and then doing a knock and drag program on supporters who had not voted yet. There was a report of a fight between Rodriguez and Flores at a polling location. This year's race sounds just as heated (the Texas Trib's Julian Aguilar has a good write up of the state of the race.)

Texans for Public Justice provided data on the contributions, donations and cash on hand for this race through the 8-day out report:

District

Candidate

Party

Status*

Total Raised

Total Spent

Cash On Hand

36	Munoz, Jr., Sergio	DEM	O	$109,050	$415,775	$25,789
36	Rodriguez, Sandra	DEM	O	$321,761	$264,012	$2,211

There's a requirement that for each day after the 8-day out that candidates receive additional donations, they must submit to the Texas Ethics Commission a telegram report, listing those donations. On February 22nd, Rodriguez listed some biggies:

Joe LaMantia, III $5000

James McAllen $2000

James McAllen, Jr. $2000

Texans for Insurance Reform, $52,500 media buy (in-kind)

Texans for Insurance Reform is the powerful trial lawyer group that is the answer to Texans for Lawsuit Reform (Republican tort reformers). The LaMantia family, who owns a Budweiser distributorship, gives hundreds of thousands of dollars to candidates who are pro-gambling. The LaMantias were Flores supporters and were involved in an investigation of flying Flores illegally around the state in 2007. So, it's interesting that Joe III is giving to Rodriguez, while at the same time, she is accusing Munoz of being Flores' hand picked successor.

As of today, Munoz does not have any telegram reports, indicating no additional donations since the 8-day out.

I got an email from Annie's List this morning, decrying this Munoz ad:

I would agree with Annie's List's characterization of the ad - despicable. Annie's List requires that their endorsed candidates be pro-choice, so that's the point Munoz is making. In Rodriguez' reports, you'll find lots of donations from individual Annie's List's supporters. The donations directly from Annie's List includes:

$12,500 for TV ad production and a media buy on 2-19-10

$10,000 donation on 12-23-09

Looking at Munoz' campaign finance reports, I see a couple of interesting things on his his 8-day out:

$1000 paid to David Diaz for media consulting. He's the one who was involved in the Shami press release debacle that caused Shami's professional campaign staff to resign on Feb. 17.

$50,000 loan from Munoz to his campaign

From Munoz' 30-day out report:

$2000 to David Diaz

$4750 to Jason Stanford for opposition research (Stanford is running the non-Democrat Kinky Friedman's campaign for Ag Commisioner)

$125,000 in loans from Munoz to his campaign

From Munoz' January report:

$4500 to David Diaz

$19,500 to Johnston Campaigns (Kyle Johnston out of Houston)

$100,000 in loans from Munoz to his campaign.

Also lots of money on that report for ads, signs and contract labor

From Rodriguez' 8-day out report:

MANY thousands of dollar for literature distribution (signifying a robust door-to-door campaign)

$2500 donation from Greg LaMantia

$2500 from Texans for Economic Development (LaMantia racing money)

$97,500 from Texans for Insurance Reform for TV ad production and buy

From Rodriguez' 30-day out report:

Again, many thousands on canvassing and lit distribution

From Rodriguez' January report:

$5000 donation from Joe LaMantia

$5000 from Texans for Economic Development (LaMantia racing money)

Tens of thousands of dollars in donations from attorneys

Campaign start up costs

This race is one to watch next Tuesday night. Here's a map of this border district, for your reference. There's no Republican candidate, so whoever wins on Tuesday, is the House member for District 36.

Spending Campaign Cash: Olivo vs. Reynolds in HD27

Here's a followup to my earlier post on donations, expenditures and cash on hand in Democratic Primary races, with numbers provided by Texans for Public Justice. The totals for the Texas House District 27 race (Fort Bend County) between the incumbent Dora Olivo and the challenger Ron Reynolds, through the 8-day out report were:

District

Candidate

Party

Status*

Total Raised

Total Spent

Cash On Hand

27	Olivo, Dora	DEM	I	$67,100	$57,155	$39,321
27	Reynolds, Ron	DEM	C	$64,440	$85,599	$2,357

Olivo has received additional donations since that report (according to telegram reports filed with the Texas Ethics Commission):

Act for Classroom Teachers Association $2000

Texas AFT COPE fund $1000

Coats Rose Ryman & Lee P.C. $1000

Hillco PAC $1000

Jennifer Shelley Rodriguez $1000

Marc Rodriguez $1000

Texas Association of Realtors TREPAC $1000

That's a total of $8000 in donations to Olivo since the 8-day out, for a total raised of $75,100.

There are no new donations for the Reynolds campaign, but looking at his 8-day out report I see that Houston City Council Member C.O. Bradford gave him $250 and Reynolds loaned his campaign $27,475. There's also a $3500 donation to the campaign from Brown's law firm for copies, supplies and phones. Reynolds has $10,000 in expenditures to "My Campaign Staff", 123 Main Street in Houston. What the heck is that? On his 30-day out report, Reynolds shows loans from himself to his campaign in the amount of $14,100. On his January 15 report, there are $30,300 in loans from himself to his campaign.

That's a total of $71,875 that Reynolds has loaned his campaign. After a cursory glance, I don't see anything unusual on Olivo's reports. It looks like both she and Reynolds are spending money on campaign workers, push cards and door hangers. I don't see any mail costs on Olivo's reports. My assumption is that she would send out mail nailing Reynolds on his seven Bar suspensions. Maybe she did just that after the 8-day out report. I see about $15,000 for printing and postage for mail on Reynold's 8-day out report.

This is going to be a race to watch on Tuesday night. I live in Fort Bend County, but not in District 27. Unfortunately, I'm represented by Charlie Howard. I'm rooting for Olivo, although I like Reynolds. Olivo has been a big help to candidates I've worked for, and has earned my loyalty.

Looking at their supporter lists, Olivo has the vast majority of local elected officials on her side, as well as all of the pro-education groups. Reynolds has a couple of surprising names on his endorsement list including Chris Bell whom Olivo supported (and made robo calls for) in his Senate runoff in 2008. He's also got "Controller Annise Parker" on his supporter list.

Spending Campaign Cash: Miles vs. Edwards in HD146

I posted these numbers earlier, from the Texans for Public Justice numbers on the HD146 Democratic Primary race between Borris Miles and Al Edwards (the incumbent). These totals were through the 8-day out report:

District

Candidate

Party

Status*

Total Raised

Total Spent

Cash On Hand

146	Edwards, Al	DEM	I	$97,224	$95,673	$24,736
146	Miles, Borris L.	DEM	C	$12,425	$207,107	$50,417

Since then, Edwards has received the following donations:

$2500 from Charles Butts

$1000 from Rep. Craig Eiland

$1000 from Eli Lilly & Company PAC

Charles Butts is a prolific giver to pro-education candidates. Eiland was Speaker Pro Tempore in the last legislative session.

You can see that Miles has largely self-funded his race to regain the 146 seat. He loaned his campaign $150,000 on November 2nd. This has allowed him to outspend Edwards two to one.

The Houston Chronicle endorsed Miles, saying, "Based on their comparative records over the past two legislative sessions, we believe Miles would better deal with the enormous social service and infrastructure needs of the district." and "Miles' proven business acumen and leadership abilities make him the better-qualified candidate of the two. We urge Democratic primary voters to return him to the Legislature."

Spending Campaign Cash: Rios Ybarra vs. Lozano in HD43

Earlier today, I posted the Texans for Public Justice chart on donations, expenditures and cash on hand in the HD43 Democratic Primary race between the incumbent Tara Rios Ybarra and J.M. Lozano, through the 8-day out report. Here are those numbers:

District

Candidate

Party

Status*

Total Raised

Total Spent

Cash On Han

43	Lozano, Jose Manuel	DEM	C	$277,769	$154,471	$39,084
43	Rios Ybarra, Tara	DEM	I	$425,000	$263,893	$23,057

Since the 8-day out report, Rios Ybarra has received the following additional donations:

$2000 from Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC (in-kind radio)

$2322.73 from Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC (in-kind travel)

$1500 Chesapeake Energy for Texans PAC

$5000 Texas Oil and Gas PAC

$9579.61 Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC (in-kind newspaper advertising)

$5000 Texas Association of Realtors TREPAC

Lozano has not reported additional donations.

The Texas Tribune's Jose Aguilar has a great post on this race. Check it out. There are some who question if Rios Ybarra is a Democratic enough, having taken money from Republicans - for example, Texans for Lawsuit Reform, the tort reformer bad guys.

Spending Campaign Cash: 2010 Democratic Primary

Texans for Public Justice has a great resource for fundraising, spending and cash on hand totals for statewide, Texas House and Texas Senate races in the 2010 elections - both Democrats and Republicans. In contested Primary races, the totals are through the 8-day out reports. Here's the data on the contested D races I'm interested in, with some comments from me:

Governor:

Office Sought	Candidate	Party	Status*	Total Raised	Total Spent	Cash On Hand
G	Aguado, Alma Ludivina	DEM	C	$0	$0	$0
G	Alvarado, Felix	DEM	C	$550	$10,076	$0
G	Dear, Bill	DEM	C	$100	$4,915	$0
G	Glenn, Clement	DEM	C	$7,746	$14,137	$1,502
G	Locke, Star	DEM	C	$0	$3,300	$0
G	Shami, Farouk	DEM	C	$1,178,308	$11,777,964	$1,017,011
G	White, Bill	DEM	C	$9,193,667	$3,082,696	$5,446,564

Comment: White should win without a runoff. I wasn't convinced that would happen, until Shami imploded, with his "day without Mexicans" comment and the recent mass exodus of his campaign staff. Shami self funded nearly all of the $12 million he spent. Must be nice to have that kind of cash to throw away on stroking your own ego.

Lt. Governor:

Office Sought

Candidate

Party

Status*

Total Raised

Total Spent

Cash On Hand

LG	Chavez-Thompson, Linda	DEM	C	$194,914	$143,928	$39,097
LG	Earle, Ronnie	DEM	C	$36,940	$33,196	$35,141

Comment: I'm a little surprised to see that LCT has far outraised and spent Earle. I voted for her, but would be pleased to see Earle on the Democratic ticket for November, as well.

Land Commissioner:

Office Sought

Candidate

Party

Status*

Total Raised

Total Spent

Cash On Han

LC	Burton, Bill	DEM	C	$2,195	$6,612	$0
LC	Uribe, Hector	DEM	C	$14,084	$19,016	$4,620

Comment: I voted for Uribe. He has the name recognition, and is an accomplished state senator, but you never know what can happen when the Democratic Primary voters crank up the E-Slate.

Agriculture Commissioner:

Office Sought

Candidate

Party

Status*

Total Raised

Total Spent

Cash On Hand

AGC	Friedman, Kinky	DEM	C	$241,301	$218,352	$16,600
AGC	Gilbert, Hank	DEM	C	$240,249	$131,248	$71,632

Comment: These two are even on fundraising. It's not going to help Kinky. The numbers are just not there for him to get a win on March 2nd. He's not a Democrat. We are not blind to the fact he voted for Bush for President. He's another one stroking his ego, as well as his cigars.

House District 146 (Houston):

District

Candidate

Party

Status*

Total Raised

Total Spent

Cash On Hand

146	Edwards, Al	DEM	I	$97,224	$95,673	$24,736
146	Miles, Borris L.	DEM	C	$12,425	$207,107	$50,417

Comment: I'm hoping for a Miles win, and also hoping that if and when he wins, we won't have the sort of distracting entertainment (censoring art, shooting people, waving guns around) we saw from him when he last served in the Lege. UPDATE: Here's a follow up post I wrote on cash in this race, with donations after the 8-day out report.

House District 27 (Rosenberg/Fort Bend County):

District

Candidate

Party

Status*

Total Raised

Total Spent

Cash On Hand

27	Olivo, Dora	DEM	I	$67,100	$57,155	$39,321
27	Reynolds, Ron	DEM	C	$64,440	$85,599	$2,357

Comment: Olivo has staunch supporters, so she needs to get her vote out. There has been some press about Reynolds seven suspensions with the State Bar of Texas, which I think will hurt him. Reynolds got 49.68% of the vote in a close loss to Olivo in 2008. Can he turn out the African American vote in large enough numbers to beat the incumbent? I'm predicting an Olivo win, but this will be one to watch. UPDATE: Here's a follow up post I wrote on this race, with donations made after the 8-day out report.

House District 43 (Harlingen area):

District

Candidate

Party

Status*

Total Raised

Total Spent

Cash On Han

43	Lozano, Jose Manuel	DEM	C	$277,769	$154,471	$39,084
43	Rios Ybarra, Tara	DEM	I	$425,000	$263,893	$23,057

Comment: I'm rooting for Rios Ybarra (Harlingen/Valley). She's a friend of a friend here in Fort Bend, and we need to keep our women in the House. UPDATE: I've examined the spending and donations in this race more closely, in this post, which includes donations after the 8-day out report.

House District 76 (El Paso)

District

Candidate

Party

Status*

Total Raised

Total Spent

Cash On Hand

76	Chavez, Norma	DEM	I	$217,796	$113,165	$37,918
76	Gonzalez, Naomi R.	DEM	C	$145,609	$10,845	$13,255
76	San Roman, Antonio	DEM	C	$1,714	$1,217	$0

Comment: I haven't been following this race closely, other than to note that Annie's List endorsed Chavez. That caught my attention, since Chavez was once considered a Craddick D. It seems like she's changed her ways, and Naomi Gonzalez has the Texans for Lawsuit Reform contributions hanging around her neck. UPDATE: I took a look at Chavez' and Gonzalez' donations and spending since the 8-day outs and each got around $45,000 in donations . . . and all of Gonzalez' money came from one special interest. Read about it here.

UPDATE: I've also examined the money in the HD 36 race in Hidalgo County between Sandra Rodriguez and Sergio Munoz. Check it out.

Texans for Public Justice doesn't have the totals for the Congressional races (I'm interested in Jackson Lee vs. Johnson) or the State Board of Education races. I'll poke around for that info for a future post. If you have good links for those, please leave them in the comments. Are there Democratic races besides these that you are watching closely?

Rep. Pete Olson: I'm Against Earmarks Except When I'm For Them

Oh, this is rich. In the middle of Republican Representative Pete Olson's plea for big government to continue its jobs program in Clear Lake (NASA), Olson steps in pro-earmark doodoo regarding the Houston Bay Area's need for infrastructure improvements (emphasis mine):

Additional transportation facilities soon will be needed at the Port of Houston, Olson said, pointing out that the Panama Canal is being widened, which will mean greatly increased traffic at the port. “The Port of Houston is one of the key economic drivers in the United States — not just in Texas but the entire country. The Port has to have the ability to move the goods, so we’ll have to take a look at this next term. There is no bigger transportation hub than Texas.” Later, when questioned about earmarks to possibly fund some of the transportation problems, Olson said “I am not opposed to earmarks — just specific ones like funding for a museum or a ‘bridge to nowhere.’”

Funny. The other doodoo he stepped in is revealing he wants more traffic through the streets of the bedroom community of Clear Lake. Does he realize this means more heavy trucks, more pollution, as well as damage to streets, and that homeowners won't be happy?

Uh oh. Environmental activists, activate!

The Wheels On The Shredder Go Round and Round

Houston Metro has been caught shredding documents. The first reports on this point to the shredding coming after an open records request by an attorney for Metro records regarding the Metro board chair, president and a contractor.

At a crucial moment in the development of its light rail system, Metro confronted accusations Wednesday that it shredded documents sought in an open-records request, then fired two attorneys who objected to its handling of the request. State District Judge Robert Shaffer signed a temporary restraining order forbidding the Metropolitan Transit Authority from destroying records requested by former City Controller Lloyd Kelley.

More on a whistleblower being fired:

Sources tells FOX 26 News METRO's top attorney, Pauline Higgins, was terminated Tuesday after trying to warn city leaders about an alleged document destruction campaign at the agency. This comes after Houston Attorney Lloyd Kelley filed court papers demanding METRO's CEO turn over e-mails that may have pointed to questionable deals at the company.

This comes right in the big middle of the Metro transition teams doing their work, and federal money coming in to start the new rail lines. There has got to be more to this story. The shredding was done in secret and was only brought to light by a whistleblower? What documents? What could be going on that would be bad enough to fire up the shredder? Metro controls an enormous amount of money. Have we got the age old tale going on here of money corrupting those in power? Trite.

It's hard not to skip ahead and visualize not only some folks getting thrown under the bus, but perhaps thrown in jail. Mayor Parker has multiple transition teams dealing with Metro issues, and she's promised to fire the board chair and clean house. Sounds like it's time (or past time) for that.

Rick Molina for HD144

Long time attorney and Pasadena resident. Worked as prosecutor under
Johnny Holmes in District Attorney's office.

Joel Redmond, who ran for 144 in 08, is his campaign treasurer.

"This area should be electing a Democrat."

I had a good talk with Molina. He's done his homework on education -
and he's making it a priority issue. He told me he is eager to talk to
voters at their doors.

Labor leaders are here as well as grassroots folks, politicos,
bloggers and Molina family members.

Nick Lampson at Rick Molina Kickoff

I miss Congressman Lampson! He's talking about how he won TX-22 by the
hard work of his volunteers and his talented staff.

He's here because we need to change the Texas House by electing
Democrats like Rick Molina. He's reminding the crowd about Tom DeLay
and Karl Rove and redistricting. We need to elect three more Democrats
in order to control that process.

Introducing Molina now - he's committed to improving the Pasadena
education system and economy.

Here we go. Nick making the money pitch! He's persuasive. Give $1000
if you can. :)

Now the Lampson volunteer pitch! House parties.

Vote and bring your friends to the polls.

Marching orders from Nick!!

NEWS: Lampson said twice that he wants to run again for Congress. This
is one reason he's supporting Molina - to get Democrats in control of
redistricting.

Rick Molina for HD144 Kicks It Off Tonight!

I'm going to try and drop by this kick off event tonight. In 2008, Democrat Joel Redmond lost to Republican Ken Legler by just a few percentage points. Redmond ran a great campaign, and I was hoping he would run again. I don't know much about Rick Molina, and am eager to learn more. The district is still prime for Democratic takeover in November. Molina is running unopposed in the March Primary. He's put a great campaign team together, including two of my favorite political consultants - Mike and Mike (Malaise and Lykes).

Note the special guest - Congressman Nick Lampson, who we greatly miss in TX-22!

Save The Date!

Rick Molina

Announces Campaign for

House District 144

Please join Rick at his campaign kickoff! Surrounded by friends and family, Rick will announce his candidacy, meet supporters, and articulate why he is the best choice for Pasadena.

Show your support by joining Rick, former Congressman Nick Lampson, friends and family on this exciting occasion!

Suggested min. contribution: $25

Please make checks payable to Rick Molina Campaign and mail to P.O. Box 5773, Pasadena, TX 77508

What: Rick Molina Campaign Kickoff

When: Tuesday, February 23^rd at 6:00pm

Where: Red Lobster, 4002 Spencer Hwy, Pasadena, TX 77504

Please RSVP to Mili Gosar at 832-640-7570, or mili@terlinguagroup.com

Still Not Sure Who To Vote For? Here's Another Resource

I saw some Fort Bend folks last night who were stumped as to who to vote for in the Primary, to the point of not knowing who was running. I can't blame them - it's confusing! It's not like there has been a ton of mail dropped or other outreach to voters.

The League of Women Voters in the Houston Area puts out voting guides that are non-partisan in nature, and they have one for Fort Bend. Check it out at this link. It's amazing to me when candidates in contested races don't turn their responses into the League, but that happened in the HD27 race where incumbent Rep. Dora Olivo got hers in, and her opponent Ron Reynolds did not.

My strongest recommendations for Fort Bend Democratic Primary voters is to vote for Philip Aitsebaomo in the County Judge race (compare his LWV answers to his opponent, and you'll see why - there really should be no contest here, but you never know what will happen when voters start randomly voting due to lack of information) and for Steve Brown (whose name is misspelled in the League document) for Democratic Party Chair.

I've been out of town and was surprised to find out Fort Bend had my voting location open from 10 AM to 7 PM all week this week. That's a much better time frame for suburban commuters than the usual 8 AM to 4 PM in the first week. I'll be able to vote today after work, which makes me happy. I always want to get my vote in early in case I get hit by the proverbial beer truck tomorrow (inside joke between me and one of my best friends). Here's a map of all early voting locations in Fort Bend, along with the times all locations are open.

The Harris County League of Women Voters guide is here, and early voting locations and times are here.

You can vote early through Friday, Feb. 26th, so get on it in case that beer truck takes you out!

(Here's another post of mine where I gave a link to a very helpful voting resource - plus some of my recommendations, in case you need more info.)

Help! Who Do I Vote For?

I've been getting that question a lot lately from Democrats, particularly regarding the long list of contested judicial races in Harris County. I always point people to one resource - Kuff's google spreadsheet. Click on the link. You'll be glad you did. He's got a list of candidates, links to their websites and interviews, and a checklist of their endorsements. Click on the abbreviation of each endorsing group - it takes you to their full list of endorsements. Charles has the endorsements of my friend and fellow blogger, Stace Medellin of Dos Centavos. I recommend you check those out.

I have a few personal favorites in the Harris County judicial races - Shawn Thierry for the 157th Civil District Court, Tanner Garth for the 234th Civil District Court (avoid one of his opponents like the plague - Jim Peacock, who is really a Republican), and Paul Simon for the 295th Civil District Court.

There has been some endorsement mayhem that has gotten some ink. The Houston Chronicle reported on the Houston Black American Democrats requesting up to $3500 of candidates to be included in their get out the vote efforts. In the same article, the Coalition of Harris County Elected Officials endorsement process was questioned, with one candidate calling it a "smoke filled, back room, old boy styled type thing." Blogger John Cobarruvias exposed the Greater Harris County Democrats as basically a non-entity - one political consultant raising money from candidates (I heard it was $2000 from each), and putting out an endorsement list, and sending out a mailer. Chuck Silverman (running against Shawn Thierry for the 157th Civil District Court) got caught claiming on a mailer to targeted Democratic Primary voters that he had the endorsements of Representative Sylvester Turner and Controller Ronald Green. He does not, in fact, have their endorsements.

A sample ballot for the Harris County Democratic Primary can be found here, with more information about each candidate here.

In statewide races, I am not amused by the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth Star Telegram endorsing Kinky Friedman for Agriculture Commissioner (and no, I'm not going to link to those endorsements). Kinky is a joke and is not a real Democrat. On the other hand, the other candidate in the race, Hank Gilbert, is the real deal - a real, live Democrat - and I urge you to vote for him. I've also been clear that I support Bill White for Governor and Linda Chavez-Thompson for Lt. Governor.

Who is running in the Democratic Primary in Fort Bend County? Click on this link for a full list. Find a sample ballot here. I am enthusiastically supporting Philip Aitsebaomo for County Judge. He is far and away the most qualified candidate in that race (I really cannot emphasize this strongly enough). For Fort Bend Democratic Party Chair, I am voting for Steve Brown for reasons I blogged about previously. In the TX-22 race, avoid the fakers Kesha Rogers (A La Rouche follower who has called for the impeachment of Obama) and John Wieder (who is just plain crazy and not a Democrat. Here's what he lists on his website as his hobby: Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves and later someone killed him, but I want to free the unborn Americans from murder inside the womb.) I guess that leaves Dave Blatt.

What are the particulars for when and where to early vote in Harris County? Click here. For Fort Bend, click here.

Good luck to you as you make your decisions! If you have opinions on candidates that you would like to share, please leave a comment.

UPDATE: Here's another resource that will help you learn more about the candidates in the Primary.

Bolden's Comments to NASA JSC Employees

I found this on NASA Watch - a link to tweets from a NASA employee at an event at JSC with NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. @Astro_Sugar was live tweeting what Bolden was saying. It's interesting to read the whole thread, but here are some highlights. NASA Watch was asked to remove the link to these tweets, and @Astro_Sugar has since made his or her tweets private, but the archive on Twitter remains.

Astro_Sugar #JSCBolden As long as I'm here, the new program is going to be international in nature. It's easy 4 admin to back out if it is just US

Astro_Sugar #JSCBolden A: NASA is trying to help with STEM education but we will not become the Dept of Education.

Astro_Sugar #JSCBolden We may not be the 1st nation to go back to the moon but we were the first to get there.

Astro_Sugar #JSCBolden We will remain the leader. We will go to the moon, Mars, and asteroids.

Astro_Sugar #JSCBolden The Japanese want to put a 2-legged robot on the moon by 2020.

Astro_Sugar #JSCBolden I would love to fly a winged vehicle. I am told that it is not smart to come back from the Moon or Mars using winged vehicle.

Astro_Sugar #JSCBolden NASA didn't build the Shuttle and NASA does not operate the Shuttle. United Space Alliance is an example.

Astro_Sugar #JSCBolden We will establish criteria to make sure the vehicle is safe for humans. A lot of oversight will be needed for those companies.

Astro_Sugar #JSCBolden Just coming to work and collecting a paycheck is not right. WANT to come to work is desirable.

Astro_Sugar #JSCBolden I do fight for you. I don't win every day. That's the way our system of gov't works. The Pres doesn't win every day either.

Rick Perry: Texas Has Right to Secede From Space Industry

Texas Governor Rick Perry on Obama's plan to cancel Constellation, and the possible job losses at the Johnson Space Center:

Texas has the right to secede from the Union, from the truck production company in Sealy, and from the space industry. How many times do I have to tell Obama that we don't want his stinkin' government money or his government jobs? Texas is a unique place and we can create our own jobs. My friend Farouk Shami is a good example - he can create jobs by the tens of thousands, more than enough to replace any job losses at JSC.

Texans are tired of government intrusion. I say this to the President: No bailouts for the Johnson Space Center. Give those jobs to private contractors in California, that sissy state where they lap up government handouts.

We've got the lowest rate of unemployment rate in the U.S. and the loss of a couple of jobs at JSC, won't change that. I want to be sure NASA and their government jobs program hears me loud and clear . . . . Adios, Mofo!

Counting Perry and Dewhurst? Eleven Zeros

I'm supporting Linda Chavez-Thomspon for Lt. Governor of Texas, in the March 2nd Democratic Primary. Here's a video of her giving a fiery speech. My favorite line, referencing the $19 billion deficit in the Texas budget: "You know how many zeros there are in 19 billion? Eleven, when you count Perry and Dewhurst."

Gotta love it! Vote early for her beginning next Tuesday.

Live Shami-White Debate Coverage

(Red) Bootie Call

Hey, kids, it's less than an hour until the big show. Shami vs. White. We have the flamboyant, red bootie clad Shami in one corner and the white guy in the other.

Watch the Democratic gubernatorial debate on a channel near you (media outlets broadcasting it at this link) or live on your computer.

Shami has inserted his red clad foot in his mouth and has committed (in my opinion) the impardonable sin of calling the Democratic Party the "Democrat" Party. This is Shami quoted in the Texas Tribune:

"I've been faced with this — you know, going to the Democrat chairs and interviewing with them. They give you two minutes. That is not enough time to know a candidate and the plans of the candidate. And Democrats are blinded. They don't check records or the truth."

Ugh. Make him stop. Why would Democrats vote for someone who acts like he wishes he didn't have to run in our Primary?

We'll hear from him and Bill White soon enough - 7 PM tonight. I think I'm going to try and participate in a live chat thing the Shami campaign has put together. I'll post that once the debate starts.

Shami vs. White Tonight

The Texas Observer did a head to head comparison of White and Shami, along with the super cool mugshots you see to your right.

They interviewed both candidates, and I would bet money these are basically the talking points we will hear from them at tonight's Democratic gubernatorial debate.

Some highlights from the Shami interview:

On stimulating the economy (jobs, jobs, jobs as an anti-poverty program):

I’ve been to El Paso, and I visited the colonias. I understand there are thousands of these. In Houston, I see the Fifth Ward, Third Ward, Sunnyside, Acres Homes. Such poor people. As long as those people are poor and having no jobs ... so my concept is to start with these people and create jobs. Bring factories to these communities.

[---]

So that’s where I say stimulate the economy starting from the bottom. Those people, when they get a check, they spend it the next day. It goes back to the economy. And that keeps the money in the state. That’s how you stimulate the economy.

[---]

Plant roses, plant flowers, and do agriculture. That’s what stimulates the economy—find a job for everybody. We need jobs for everybody.Those are the people who need the jobs, the poor people. So those are the people who are the priority.

[---]

We should not have poor people in the United States of America. Because with poverty comes lots of disasters. Lack of education, crime, drugs, all of that stems from no hope and no jobs.

On Bill White:

I think the person who has the least chance of winning is Bill White. The people who want a change, they’re going to choose Farouk Shami. The people who want to stay with the status quo, they’re going to stay with Rick Perry.

[---]

Well, one of the most polluted cities in the United States of America is still Houston. OK? So he talks. People are tired of talk. People want action, and he’s definitely not a man of action.

[---]

Why didn’t he do something about it as mayor? He’s talking about jobs. Why didn’t he create jobs as mayor? Talking about health care. Why didn’t he do something about that? Energy—why didn’t he do something about it? He had an opportunity of six years, so on his report card, he gets an “F” on almost everything. And I’m speaking as a citizen of Houston myself.

There's much more Shami at the link (including how he thinks he is more well known than White across the state), plus an interview with Bill White. It's all worth a read as part of your debate prep.

Here's your link if you are trying to figure out what channel you are going to watch the debate on tonight. In Houston, it's PBS, Channel 8.

Shami And His Beefy Aides!

And, the beefy aides are well dressed! That's one fun tidbit from this KTRK story on Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Farouk Shami. Here's that part:

What Shami apparently hasn't bought with his deep-pockets campaign budget is an organization and planning. He traveled around San Antonio on a recent campaign swing in a black Cadillac Escalade with dark-tinted windows, accompanied by a couple of beefy well-dressed aides and his press secretary.

And, then there is this part about the new age-y, Rielle Hunter-ish start to his day:

Farouk Shami likes to start his day meditating in a pool."Then I look in the mirror and say: 'Good morning, Mr. Governor,"

Well, and what is he trying to say here? "I'm going to get to kill people and I can hardly believe it!" or "I don't believe I have it in me to kill people"?

He's not thrilled with capital punishment, which Texas carries out more than any other state. "I just can't believe I can kill people," he says.

Shall I go on? OK, if you make me. Let's read about the black snakeskin boots, which are more demure than the red boots he usually favors:

He dresses impeccably, never loosens his tie or removes a suit coat that carries a "Texas Proud" lapel pin. He favors cowboy boots -- red ones account for about half of the 50 or 60 pair he owns -- but defers to advisers who think the boots he wears campaigning should be less noticeable. On this trip, they were black snakeskin.

He'll make you an offer you can refuse:

On the San Antonio campaign trip, a community activist suggested he take a look at a crumbling, vacant refrigeration manufacturing plant just east of downtown. Within moments, he offered to buy the place for $5 million. "Will you take a check" he asked one of the building's owners, Eugene Simor. Hours later, though, when his people followed up, the price had gone up to $8 million.

"I'll make him an offer," he said, sounding a bit like Vito Corleone.

What fun. Tomorrow we get the man-to-man coverage of Bill White vs. Farouk Shami in the Democratic debate for Texas Governor. I'm just hoping the camera pans to his sure-to-be-present beefy aides.

TX-22 Candidate Calls for Obama's Impeachment or Resignation

Kesha Rogers is a follower of Lyndon LaRouche, but she's running in the Democratic Primary for TX-22, for the seat currently held by Republican Pete Olson. She's got a video up on her website, filmed in front of the Johnson Space Center, where she calls for the "impeachment or resignation" of President Obama. Warning: lots of car noise. Plus, it's two minutes of your life you will never get back.

Let's be very clear, Kesha Rogers is no Democrat, no matter how many John F. Kennedy references she makes in this video:

Kesha Rogers Speaks on the Impeachment of President Barack Obama from Kesha for Congress on Vimeo.

It's going to be a real shame if she fools the Democratic Primary voters in TX-22 into making her the Democratic candidate on the November ballot. She's been a frequent critic of Obama, so this is really nothing new, but slamming him in front of JSC is an interesting twist, considering those employees are not happy with Obama right now. I guess this is the candidate disgruntled Democratic JSC employees can embrace . . . maybe Kesha is the Change They Can Believe In?

Mystery Solved: What Bill White Looked Like As A Child

Not sure why there's not embed code, but Bill White's second ad is up on YouTube and you can watch it at this link. In sort of a stalkerish way, I watched it twice, totally fixated on the Bill White As A Boy photos. Clue: He looked exactly the same as he does now. I had seen some of these photos at an outgoing Houston City Council Member lunch, and if you had asked me to bet on if these photos would have ever seen the light of day, I would have said, "no."

The message of the ad seems to be: Bill White had a supportive family and that's what made him what he is today. Did I miss anything?

I'm not nearly as big a fan of this ad, as I am of his first ad which focused on education. But, maybe this one is not aimed at me? I'd love to know what you think of this ad, so leave me a comment, please!

NASA JSC Video: The Not So Secret Project M

Mysteriously, this morning's post disappeared from my blog. So let's try this again.

NASA has a not so stealth project called Project M (reported on back in November of 2009 on AmericaSpace). Here's a video rendition of the project by NASA JSC engineers, "the best engineers in the world to get the job done on time."

It's a project to get a lander and a robot on the moon in 1000 days, entirely designed and built at JSC, using no private contractors.

I thought this was interesting on the heels of NASA's announcement this morning that they had developed R2 with General Motors (the other best engineers in the world?) Here's a photo of R2. Sort of Project M-like, but minus the legs:

Of course, it's also interesting on the heels of NASA's moon program - Constellation - getting cut by Obama and farmed out to private contractors. Will the Manned Space Station, JSC in Clear Lake, start sending robots to near Earth objects instead of humans? It's not a bad idea, if it is faster and cheaper. That's part of the directive to NASA from Obama, anyway - find efficiencies.

This animated dancing sad faced NASA robot is probably not Project M, but if it is, perhaps M stands for "morose."

NASA Watch and Universe Today are reporting on this project today, also. The comments on both are well worth a read.