The Old Eighteen

Sniveling coward Dan Boren won't endorse his party's presidential candidate

Note to Oklahoma Congressman Dan Boren: if you'e not going to endorse Barack Obama, even though you plan on voting for him at both the convention and the general election, that's all fine and good - I'm sure you must be frightened out of your mind at the prospect of hurting the tender feelings of your mostly conservative constituents.  But you're certainly not required to make a full-throated pronouncement of the fact that you're not endorsing him to the nearest guy with a microphone or tape recorder.  And you may want to consider the possibility that declining to endorse someone right after you've stated your intention of voting for them, twice, at best makes you look like a huge coward, and at worst makes you look like a huge hypocrite and an even bigger idiot.  In other words, Danny boy, please do yourself, and the rest of us, a favor, and shut your fucking piehole:

Democratic Rep. Dan Boren of Oklahoma said Tuesday Barack Obama is "the most liberal senator" in Congress and he has no intention of endorsing him for the White House.

However, Boren will vote for Obama at the Democratic National Convention in Denver in August and will vote Democratic on Nov. 4.

"I think this is an important time for our country," Boren said in a telephone interview. "We're facing a terrible economic downturn. We have high gasoline prices. We have problems in our foreign policy. That's why I think it's important."

Boren, the lone Democrat in Oklahoma's congressional delegate, said that while Obama has talked about working with Republicans, "unfortunately, his record does not reflect working in a bipartisan fashion."

Boren, a self-described centrist, is seeking a third term this year in a mostly rural district that stretches across eastern Oklahoma.

"We're much more conservative," Boren said of district. "I've got to reflect my district. No one means more to me than the people who elected me. I have to listen them." He called Obama "the most liberal senator in the U.S. Senate."

Exxon Mobil Über Alles

During debate on a suspension bill to designate a new federal wilderness area in New Mexico, Georgia Republican Congressman Lynn Westmoreland hijacked the proceedings with a discussion of his party's (ahem) final solution to the rising cost of gasoline:

I think the people that elect us deserve to know what our plan is. The Republican side has come out with a plan. They say, "Look, we're gonna take advantage of our natural resources. We're gonna take advantage of the things that we were God-given in this land. We're gonna take advantage of our oil reserves, of our natural gas, of our abundance of coal." We're gonna take advantage of those things, and we're gonna use the technology that we've been so good about coming up with. We're gonna take and convert this shale to oil, which Hitler did in the late '20s. In the late '20s. And we don't think that we can do that today?

Putting aside the fact that Hitler didn't actually take power until 1933, a statement like this kinda makes you wonder what the Republicans would be proposing if this country ever developed a serious shortage of bath soap or lamp shades.  And to think that these people have controlled all three branches of our government for the past seven years -  we're immensely lucky that things aren't even worse than they currently are.

Fun with poll numbers: Doherty, Dems polling well in TX-10

If you're looking for a sign that Democratic prospects in Texas are looking up, look no forther than the 10th Congressional District, where a recent IVR poll is showing Democratic challenger Larry Joe Doherty within striking distance of Republican incumbent Michael McCaul in a district that went heavily for Bush in 2004:

In 2004, George Bush took 62% of the vote in Texas' 10th Congressional District. In 2006, Michael McCaul was held to 55% by a poorly funded Democrat and a relatively well funded Libertarian. My own polling a week before the election found 7% undecided, but the challengers had no funds to close the deal and undecided stayed with the incumbent. [...]

For the 2008 race, in polling on June 2, 528 likely voters gave McCaul a 5.4% lead over Democratic challenger Larry Joe Doherty. McCaul received 51.7% to Doherty's 46.3%, with 2.0% undecided.

IVR also polled for both the presidential and senatorial elections in this district, and while both Dems are behind, the numbers show growth in a heavily Republican district: Cornyn leads Noriega by only 10 points, 54%-44%, and McCain leads Obama 55%-41%.  And if Obama and Noriega increase turnout among African-American, Latino, and young voters, the numbers get better for all three candidates:

Historically, turnout in this district doesn't include large numbers of Latinos or African-Americans. In this poll, both groups went with Doherty, Latinos by 2-1 and African-Americans by 7-1. If Obama at the top of the ticket increases African-American general election turnout as he has in the primary, and these additional voters follow through on the down-ballot races, Doherty could close the gap even further. Increased Latino turnout in the primary was mainly a reflection of Clinton's popularity, but there is a possibility that Noriega could also increase Latino turnout for the general, further benefitting Doherty.

There is no significant gender gap in these results, but age is a factor. Voters under 40 go with the Democrat in each race. Voters from 40-59 go with the Republican by small margins. Voters over 60 go Republican in all cases, but margin is much larger in races for President and Senator.

Without knowing the demographics in this congressional district, it would be presumptious to see it as a microcosm of the state.  But if we're doing better in a red district like this one, it stands to reason that our prospects are looking up elswhere in the state as well.  The political environment is certainly favorable: this fall the GOP isn't going to have a Texan in the top slot on its presidential line on the ballot, and they probably won't have a Texan as McCain's running mate either.  Meanwhile, we're going to have two strong statewide candidates who will probably increase minority turnout, and Obama's presence on the ballot will also energize younger voters, who are trending Democratic.  The competitive primary in the state this election cycle, along with Howard Dean's 50-state strategy, has improved Democratic organization in the state, and our candidates are going to be buoyed even further by the Obama fundraising juggernaut and a new model for tapping into the grassroots for financial support.  People are wildly unhappy with their governent and with the Republican party, and Republicans are beginning to show signs of factional infighting at both the state and national level. 

The polling for Obama and Noriega may not look great at this point, but it's better than it probably should be in a red state like Texas.  Once Obama begins consolidating his leadership and making progress on unifying the party, his numbers will improve.  And as Noriega becomes a better-known commodity with Texas voters, his numbers will get better too.  Have faith, Texas Democrats, our long journey in the wilderness may be coming to an end!

Cheney coming to Houston to help a desperate Pete Olson raise money

If you live in Houston, those strains of the Imperial Death March you hear in the background aren't coming from a local screening of one of the Star Wars films - Dick Cheney is headed to town (hopefully not armed) to help out Pete Olson, the GOP nominee running against incumbent Democratic congressman Nick Lampson in a bid for Tom Delay's old seat.  Yes, apparently he is that desperate - Olson's campaign is $50,000 in the red, while Lampson has a cool million in the bank.  So Cheney is heading to Houston on Friday to attract flies donors on Petey's behalf.  He may want to reconsider - Republicans who call on the Sith Lord for help have a bad habit of losing their elections.  Just ask Shelley Sekula Gibbs, who lost to Lampson during the last election cycle despite getting a $200,000 boost from Cheney.  Maybe it's because people who stand too close to Cheney or any of the other criminals associated with the Bush administration tend to pick up that rancid stench of failure and corruption that permeates everything they touch.

Doobie-doobie-douchebags

Yeah, I know, there are much more important things for members of Congress to be voting on than a resolution honoring the late Frank Sinatra.  But as they should have learned with the recent Mother's Day vote fiasco, if the vote's been scheduled anyway, not voting for it just makes you look like a dick:

Is the Chairman of the Board too debonair?

The three Texas congressmen who voted against this week’s Frank Sinatra resolution — spearheaded by Democratic Rep. Jose Serrano, of course — are drawing some curiosity as to why they’d vote no on such a relatively inoffensive, innocuous declaration. But it wasn’t so innocent to Texas Republican Reps. Mike Conaway, Ted Poe and Randy Neugebauer.

What’s the matter with having May 13 become Sinatra’s official day?

Poe’s office says: “It was nothing against Ol’ Blue Eyes, rather the hardheads in Congress that refuse to deal with the energy crisis.” (However, word is Poe’s still sore over his own Jimmy Stewart resolution stalling.)

For Neugebauer, it’s also a matter of principle. His communications director declared: “It has nothing to do with Frank Sinatra and everything to do with the priorities that Congress should be handling at the moment. With record-high energy prices [and] turmoil in the housing market, the American people need solutions, and Congress needs to come together and fix it instead of voting on small resolutions. We should straighten our priorities, and the American people expect more from their elected officials.”

It's awfully funny to hear House Republicans talk about dealing with other priorities at the same time that they're maneuvering to slow down the progress of the Democratic majority in Congress while they try to deal with these other priorities, using tactics like the ones they used in voting down the Mother's Day resolution.

Karl Rove Subpoenaed by House Judiciary Committee

It's about time.  And if he doesn't show, he should have his worthless, traitorous, CIA-operative exposing ass thrown in jail until he cracks:

The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday subpoenaed President Bush's former chief political adviser, Karl Rove, to testify about whether the White House improperly meddled with the Justice Department.

[...] It's unclear whether Rove will ever be forced to testify. The White House refuses to let him or other top aides testify about private conversations with Bush, citing executive privilege to block Congress' demands.

The subpoena orders Rove to appear before the House panel on July 10. Lawmakers want to ask him about the White House's role in firing nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 and the prosecution of former Gov. Don Siegelman of Alabama, a Democrat.

House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers had negotiated with Rove's attorneys for more than a year over whether he would testify voluntarily.

"It is unfortunate that Mr. Rove has failed to cooperate with our requests," Conyers, D-Mich., said in a statement. "Although he does not seem the least bit hesitant to discuss these very issues weekly on cable television and in the print news media, Mr. Rove and his attorney have apparently concluded that a public hearing room would not be appropriate."

Conyers added: "Unfortunately, I have no choice today but to compel his testimony on these very important matters."

Both Rove and his attorney, Robert Luskin, declined to comment.

The Senate Judiciary Committee also authorized subpoenaing Rove, who did not show up to testify. Senate Democratic leaders, not anxious to pick a difficult political fight in an election year, didn't plan to seek a vote on whether to hold Rove in contempt of Congress, which is a criminal offense.

[...] In announcing the subpoena, Conyers released a May 5 letter showing that the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility is investigating whether Siegelman was the target of "selective, politically motivated prosecutions."

The office, which is the department's internal ethics board, also has been investigating whether politics played a part in the firing of the nine U.S. attorneys. Results of the joint inquiry into the fired prosecutors, which has been ongoing for more than a year with the department's inspector general, are expected to be released in coming months.

Missouri GOP rep's hilariously bad attack ad

Missouri Republican congressman Sam Graves must be feeling the heat from his Democratic opponent, former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes, if he's running the attack ad below.  This hilariously awful ad has it all: the attempt to tie Barnes to "West Coast liberal" Nancy Pelosi and her "San Francisco style values"; the right-wing hot-button issue trifecta: "abortion on demand," same-sex marriage, and "amnesty for illegal immigrants"; the reference to Barnes as a "big city mayor," because as we all know every city with a population of more than 10,000 people is a modern-day Sodom and Gomorrah; and to top it all off, disco music in the background and a flamboyantly dressed multiethnic group of people dancing together at a pool party.  He didn't include footage from a Gay Pride parade or an animal sacrifice, but that was probably just an oversight:

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(via The New Republic)

The circular firing squad takes aim again

Vince Leibowitz at Capitol Annex reports that rumors are circulating of a $200,000 “bounty” being offered to solicit a write-in candidate to oppose Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee.  This is ostensibly being done as punishment for her support of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, in an attempt to make her vulnerable to a primary challenge in 2010.  However, the rumors also indicate that Harris County Republicans are involved in the campaign, so if there is any truth to this at all I suspect it has more to do with this election cycle and helping out Lee's Republican challenger, John Faulk.  In any event, since it probably needs to be said anyway, this is the kind of foolishness that we don't need happening at a time when the party needs to be coming together after an acrimonious battle for the presidential nomination.  If people want to support a primary challenge against Lee in 2010, or against any other officeholder that they're annoyed with for backing the wrong presidential candidate, that's all fine and good.  But Democrats don't help Republicans by knifing fellow Democrats in the back.  That's bullet point #1 on Big Tex's List of Things Democrats Are Not Allowed To Do.  Bullet point #2: No line-dancing.

Obey drinks Culberson's milkshake

David Obey lays the smackdown on Texas congressman and colossal tool John Culberson, after he attempted to claim that an "emergency" suplemental spending bill for Iraq was laden with pork:

John Culberson (R-TX):  ...it contains provisions that have nothing to do with our troop's survival and safety in the field.  To burden our troops with pork, with tax increases, with special provisions that have nothing to do with the war, adds to, I think, the obvious misuse of the process and I urge members to vote against the pork and support our troops.

Obey:  I yield myself 30 seconds...I'd like the gentleman from Texas to point out a single piece of member pork in this bill.

Culberson:  Does the gentleman yield?

Obey:  Yes.

Culberson:  Mr., Mr. Chairman, there's a number of un-un-unnecessary provisions in this...

Obey:  Name one.

Culberson:  Well, why are we separating out, sir, why aren't we just passing...

Obey:  (nearly yelling)  Name one.

Culberson:  Why are we...

Obey:  (yelling, finger pointing)  Can you name one or can't you?  The fact is there is not a single piece of member pork in this bill.  You ought to...

(pounding gavel, "time expired")

Culberson:  (inaudible)...why are we passing provisions in this bill with tax increases?

(pounding gavel)

"The gentlemen will cease their conversation.  The time of 30 seconds has expired.  All members are asked to address their remarks through the chair."

Obey:  I yield myself one additional minute....and through the chair, I would invite the member to name a specific piece of congressional pork in this bill.  He cannot because there is none.  He's at least had enough time to read the bill to know that.

Culberson is an embarrassment to the state of Texas.  Fortunately, we have a strong Democratic candidate in Michael Skelly who is running against Culberson this fall, and stands a strong chance of knocking him off.  You can contribute to his campaign here.

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(via BarbinMD at Daily Kos)

Tom Love fundraiser planned for June 12

Tom Love is the Democratic candidate for the US House in District 24, which is my district:

We are very pleased to announce today that the Tom Love for Texas 24 Campaign has scheduled a fundraiser for June 12th in Grand Prairie.

We have contracted with nationally known C&W performer and star Sherrill Douglas to perform her "Crazy 'bout Patsy", Musical Tribute to Patsy Cline.  The performance will be at the 700 seat ballroom of the Ruthe Jackson Center, 3113 S Carrier Parkway, Grand Prairie starting at 7:00 PM.

The ticket price is $25.00.  Ticket sales are being offered via Brown Paper Tickets at http://www.brownpapertickets.com.  A Cash bar will also be available.

We will be promoting this fund-raising event via various Democratic Party organizations. newsletter, web sites, clubs etc as well as select radio and TV with an interest in Patsy Cline music.  Patsy Cline remains one of the most popular singers and Sherrill Douglas is without a doubt the best Patsy Cline impersonator in the country.

This will be a unique opportunity for Grand Prairie and North Texas in general to hear Sherrill Douglas sing and listen to Tom Love for a few minutes.  We also have arranged time for private meetings with Tom and for political merchandise sales by local Democratic clubs and organizations.

Contact George Chamberlain at 214-677-0922 or gchamberlain4801@sbcglobal.net for more information on the fundraiser and potential candidates and clubs who may wish to display information or political merchandise in the lobby.

If you can't attend the fundraiser, you can also make contributions to Tom's campaign here.

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(via Whosplayin)