Hersh busts Cheney and Co., again

Seymour Hersh, whose dispassionate, perfectly sourced stories have been exposing U.S. administrations' covert and corrupt activities since My Lai, has again pushed back the curtain to reveal President Bush and Vice President Cheney maneuvering the country into war. And he has exposed Congress' weak-kneed, lily-livered attitude toward oversight in matters most vital to the nation's security and interests of peace.

It probably comes as little surprise to those who read this blog that Cheney and Bush would be finagling a way to involve the U.S. in a shooting war with Iran. And it's not even past belief that some on the blue side of the aisle would be complicit in an election year. Most disappointing is that Democrats at the top, those assured of being re-elected, not only have reneged on promises to end the war in Iraq, but refused to close the door on what surely will be an even more tragic showdown with Iran. Hersh points out that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi single-handedly ended a previous attempt by refusing to agree to funding a secret war appropriations request.

Can we believe in the possibility that the Democrats in Congress will grow a spine? In the past weeks, they have agreed to hold telecoms blameless for spying on us and to funding, without conditions, the war they promised to end. And they have taken impeachment of Bush off the table. Perhaps they should stay out of session until after the election. Haven't any of them learned a thing from the Iraq mire? Why are they not falling over each other to block funding for anything that contains the words "regime change" and "fatal defensive tactic?"

McCain is moving ever toward Bush-Cheney, keeping his ties to the Ollie North-reminiscent National Endowment for Democracy, bringing on Phil Gramm as his economic guru. It should send a shiver up all our spines that Democrats, whose ability to lose elections can't be exaggerated, could open a door through which McCain could follow Cheney and Bush, dragging us all into disaster.

Presidential war strategy

Barack Obama and John McCain each are engaged in a charge of the light brigade. Cannons to the left of the Cannons to the right, volley and thunder.

In predictable moves, both are maneuvering toward the middle. If both are successful, McCain will win the war of the General Election ballot box.

Obama's phenomenal success in the Democratic Primary was due to two factors: First, his ability to uplift the hearts and spirits of old political soldiers grown weary of the same old same old. They were profoundly disillusioned that Bill Clinton had spent their political capital to pass George H.W. Bush's political agenda of NAFTA and welfare reform without bothering to reinforce the social safety net. They were disgusted by Gore's twisting like a tortured wonk on lances of coziness with Chinese bankrollers and political consultants' admonitions to stop debating like Gore. And John Kerry knocked the rest of us out after he became John Kerry v.2004 when it came to everything progressives considered important and not the Kerry v. 1969, railing against the war in which he had been some heavy dues.

Second, Obama excited a tidal wave of fresh recruits who not only enjoined the battle of the Internet but actually showed up at the polls and beat the masters of insider politics in the caucus battles. This is a test run for them. They likely won't stay around to be fooled a second time if they feel their trust is wasted.

Ralph Nader's once again crowding the Democratic candidate on the left, might prove a plus for Obama and he should take advantage of that. He can push back without adopting any stances he hasn't already announced and still look more centrists. If Obama does in fact reach further right to emphasize the difference, again he will deflate support he already has won.

McCain must satisfy party die-hard social conservative that he is better than the alternatives (Barack and Libertarian Bob Barr.) And he must reach out to grab some of the so-called Reagan Democrats. That might be a reach, but Republicans have humongous financial resources, are practical, and most likely will show up to vote even if they have to hold their noses. And he doesn't have the kind of following that will be disheartened if he turns out to be just like other Republican candidates of years past, they've served the party interests pretty darned well. The religious right might abandon him, unsure of his commitment to their dearest principles. However, he retains that club of Supreme Court justice appointments to hold over them, a weapon they're not likely to beat into plowshares for the culture wars.

So all in all, Obama better stay audacious and lead a brave-hearted charge that moves boldly straight ahead without testing political winds.

The oil crisis

The national conversation we are having 35 years after the Arab Oil Embargo is disappointingly shallow and limited on all sides. Why is it not apparent that the solutionto the energy crisis must include a totally different concept of how people move around their neighborhoods, cities and states and how we build communities? Much like the corporate "solution" to long lines at the gas pump in the 1970s being to build bigger gas tanks on cars instead of cars that used dramatically less gasoline, the current thinking of drilling our way out of the high cost of gasoline or finding a silver bullet crop to produce ethanol only delays the solution and increases the repercussions. Other "fuels" have trade-offs as well.

No matter how we power cars, they are still capsules containing one or two people. And no matter what the power source, they will require ever-increasing miles of roadway. That roadway requires all manner of natural and financial resources to build and maintain. And the problem gets greater all the time. By looking only at greater production and alternative fuels, we continue to encourage urban sprawl and discourage lifestyle changes that would make our world a more pleasant place to live. We can cover the earth with pavement and send connecting ramps high into the sky. We can put so many holes in the earth, the whole world looks likeKilgore in the 1950s. But none of this deals with the problems of huge costs to the economy, the disparities in income, and the damage to the environment inherent in our current thinking about transportation.

We must develop communities that connect nearly self-sustaining neighborhoods with each other. Neighborhoods must be designed so residents can get to schools, stores, church, restaurants and jobs by walking, biking or using, non-polluting vehicles. We must connect those neighborhoods with convenient, safe and welcoming public transit. We must connect cities with high-speed, affordable mass transit. That all will involve a lot of planning and will not come quickly. So far, no one has really proposed any solutions that will fix anything quickly, and arguably nothing that addresses the problems of the way we think about getting from one point to another.

Democrats in the U.S. House did appropriate $1.7 billion for grants to cities to expand public transit and decrease fares. That's a baby step in the right direction. But that isn't even enough to help cities with the kind of planning necessary to devise alternate transportation let alone implement it.

Blogging v column writing, a demonstration

For any who might be interested in an example of the off-the-cuff, freewheeling type of writing that goes into a blog versus that which is constrained by necessities of a newspaper column, here is a second version of earlier commentary. The constraints are more in the nature of space and a general audience. The advantage of writing to fit a space is that working the writing probably improves it. However, my daughter Laurel said of the blog that it was nice to read my writing that was more conversational than usual.


Sometimes a single, extraordinary experience gives us a new lens through which to view the realities of our lives.
On a recent trip to Haiti, our lenses captured life in cities built to contain a tenth of the population they now hold. Day and night people crowded onto narrow streets, mostly dirt, few named or addressed. Joining pedestrians were scooters and small motorcycles with whole families aboard, bicycles, delivery trucks, buses and tap-taps filled to overflowing with people and livestock covering the roofs, cars, trucks, pickups and UN military vehicles.
Roadsides brought more culture shock. Trash piled in every space between houses. People combed through the mess, looking for bits of metal to turn into art for the now infrequent tourists. Atop mounds of trash, tethered pigs and chickens picked at bits of food and I shudder to imagine what else. Beside the streets, between houses, ran concrete gutters or dirt trenches. They flowed into the bays or just disappeared into the streets. This, I realized, was the sewer “system.” Running water connected to wealthy homes and some businesses. Even in those places, we could not drink the water or bathe with mouth or eyes open.
In every possible space, men and women crouch beside tiny markets selling items like fake Crocs, stale cheese and crackers, cookies and water packets. Some set up little shops to crack open motors, extract the tiniest pieces of wire. Others spend the day hammering out bent bicycle rims and chains and selling them. Haitians personify industriousness; movement everywhere; use, reuse everything.
Traffic kicks dust into houses built right up to the edges of streets. Women fight an endless battle of sweeping it back into the street. Many have precious little than roof and broom, and we heard true horror stories behind the snapshots of life we could see.
The dust that came off the tires of trucks, off the feet of livestock living on trash heaps, mixed with soot from charcoal fires and the overflowing sewers became “food” for human beings. Kneaded with sugar and oil and baked, dust became cookies to staunch the burning hunger in their children’s bellies.
As the images settled into my brain, I realized I was looking at a preview of our future if we don’t make big changes fast. Two qualities missing from Haiti are rapidly declining here: Infrastructure and a middle class. And the reasons for the destruction in Haiti and the decline here are the same: United States’ policy and the homage it pays to the interests of mega corporations.
Fifty or more years of meddling in Haitian politics and imposing our markets on them have made them dependent on others for almost everything. Once cheap American food came into their country, farmers could not compete. They left their farms for the city where they found no work. Now there are not enough farmers left to feed the people of Haiti.
A small island, Haiti doesn’t have raw materials to produce consumer goods. European colonials clear-cut Haiti’s great mahogany forests. Having no fossil fuels on the island, Haitians have nearly completed the deforestation to make charcoal for their traditional cook stoves.
Corrupt governments have left streets, water and sewer treatment to fall into ruin. Each failing resource makes recovery from another less likely.
They must import everything. Thus, as soon as world fuel prices soared, the cost of almost everything zoomed out of Haitians’ reach. Even the wealthy found depleted choices because retailers couldn’t afford to restock.
Isn’t that a complete metaphor for the position we find ourselves in today? We no longer make things, we import them. Subsidized industrial giants have forced out family farmers and replaced food crops with fuel crops. We are spoiling our environment to cook our food and heat our homes. Our infrastructure is falling into ruin — bridges, roads, levees, rail beds no longer are serviceable. Our people, no longer employed to make things, fall ever more often into low-paying service and retail work.
Our common investment through tax dollars does not address these issues. So far, the political conversations only graze issues of the urgent need to strengthen the middle class and the infrastructure that made this country the mightiest on earth. Our so-called solutions are pitifully shallow, narrow, short-ranged and insufficient.
In the upcoming elections, we should demand candidates at all levels detail plans to solve complex problems. We should let them know we will not vote for anyone who cannot articulate a plan for alternative transportation, not just alternative energy. We must require plans to put Americans to work rebuilding our infrastructure; developing green technology; making things ourselves.
We must challenge the notion that public works projects are welfare. And we must reject as ridiculous the idea that tax cuts are patriotic, realistic or acceptable. The next few years will bring gigantic economic and social challenges and we are trillions of dollars in debt.
We must elect and then support people at all levels of government willing to make hard and necessary choices. We must get beyond the reality game show we have made of politics, and seriously assess how we direct common resources for the common good. Otherwise, we will live as Haitians, struggling to stay alive.

Moon Prayer

From my sister Susie Fowler, shadetreepotter.com, with her permission and blessing. The picture is Susie beach combing at dawn in Port Aransas June 11.

Moon Prayer

Awake at 3am,
the full moon is a spotlight,
me the deer,
frozen
in that column of light.

Alone, in my bed,
my troubled dreaming
ceases
and I look
towards the deep space
around the white orb
and find
that we are all
waiting together
for a new day,
when peace calms our hears
and people share their talents
to cure the earth
so all can breathe
a long sigh
of relief.

May the moon
illuminate our souls
and encourage us
to look within
and find the heart
that connects us all
under the great white light.

May we come to feel
the connection,
the one pulse which
unites all living beings
and creates an ever widening
circle of understanding.

As the moon
reflects the sun's rays
so can your heart shine light
for those
who are only now awakening
to the power we can learn from
the eternal communion
of sun and moon.


with love and summer dreams,
susie

Harbingers — a long commentary

Sometimes a single experience can produce a cluster of realizations.

On a recent trip to Haiti, in Cap Haitien and Port-au-Prince, I witnessed people constantly in motion. Narrow streets, mostly dirt, only one marked in a city of two million, all impossibly crowded with traffic. How anyone navigated and survived a venture into those streets confounded me. Children darted in and out of a flow of pedestrians who filled what might have been shoulders if roads there had such. Into that same space crowded scooters and small motorcycles with whole families aboard, bicycles, delivery trucks, buses filled to overflowing with people and livestock covering the roofs, tap-taps also brimming with life, cars, trucks, pickups, white UN military vehicles. Only one traffic law seemed to apply: When someone honks, pay attention.

The sides of the road brought more culture shock. Trash was piled everywhere space existed between houses. People combed through the mess, looking for bits of metal. Atop the mounds of trash, pigs and chickens were tethered, picking away at bits of food and I shudder to imagine what else they found there to eat. Alongside the streets, between houses, ran concrete gutters or trenches dug into the dirt. They flowed into the bays or just disappeared into the streets. This I realized was the sewer "system." I never saw what passed for a water system, but there might have been such, at least something that connected to businesses and wealthy homes. Even in those places, we could not drink the water and I had to think hard about bathing in it, remembering to keep my eyes and mouth closed.

Along sidewalks and what would have been sidewalks if they had been there, were vendors and even industry. Those who had gleaned metal or wire sold it from the side of the road. There they set up little shops to crack open motors, extract the tiniest pieces of wire and splice them together to make coils. Next door, others spent the day hammering out bent bicycle rims and chains and selling them. With so much traffic and so few consumer goods, there's a big market in bicycle and other vehicle repair. These people are industrious to the max. In every possible space, men and women crouch beside tiny markets selling items like fake Crocs, stale cheese and crackers, cookies and water packets. Movement everywhere. Use, reuse everything.

Dust traffic kicks up traveled into houses built right up to the edges of streets. A peek into doorways brought views of women fighting the endless battle of sweeping the dust back into the street. Those with homes to sweep out had precious little else, and hearing the stories behind the snapshots of life we could see revealed some true horrors. That dust, that dust that came off the tires of trucks, off the feet of livestock living on trash heaps, that mixed with soot from ever-present charcoal fires and the overflowing sewers became "food" for human beings at the bottom of the heap. The women who swept the dust from their homes resorted to mixing it with sugar and oil and baking it into cookies to staunch the burning hunger in their children's bellies.

As the meaning of what I was seeing settled into my brain, I realized I was looking at a preview of our future if we don't' make some big changes fast. Two qualities missing from Haiti are rapidly declining here: Infrastructure and a middle class.

United States' policy and industry are largely responsible for what exists and does not exist in Haiti. Fifty or more years of meddling in their politics and imposing our markets on them have made them dependent on others for everything new and extra in their lives, and most of the basics. Once cheap American food came into their country, the farmers could not compete and left their farms for the city where they found no work. Now there are not enough farmers left to grow sufficient food to feed the people of Haiti and they must buy everything imported. A small island, they don't have raw materials to produce many consumer goods, so all those things are imported as well. European colonials clear-cut their great mahogany forests. Having no fossil fuels on the island, the people have nearly completed the deforestation to make charcoal for their traditional cook stoves. Corrupt governments have left the streets, water and sewer treatment to fall into ruin. Each failing resource makes recovery from another less likely. And as soon as world fuel prices soared, the cost of almost everything zoomed out of the reach of almost everyone in Haiti, including the few wealthy because the retailers couldn't afford to buy their supplies.

Isn't that a complete metaphor for the position we find ourselves in today in these United States? We no longer make things, we import them. Industrial giants have forced out the family farmers and replaced food crops with fuel crops. We are spoiling our environment to cook our food and heat our homes. Our infrastructure is falling into ruin — bridges, roads, levees, rail beds no longer are serviceable. Our people, no longer employed to make things, fall ever more often into low-paying service and retail work. Our common investment through tax dollars does not address these issues. So far, the political conversations only touch on the urgent need to attend to maintaining a middle class and the infrastructure that made this country the mightiest on earth. Our so-called solutions are pitifully shallow, narrow, shortranged and insufficient.

So think about that as your considering whom to vote for in the upcoming elections. Is there a vision and an action plan to create a future for America that strengthens the systems that are vital to our independence and our common well-being? Barack Obama is beginning to outline such a plan. But he needs support from a broad spectrum of folks to enlarge that vision. And he needs people elected at all levels of government who care more about making hard choices and honestly communicating what kinds of sacrifices we need to make now to ensure the future than they are in re-election. We really must get beyond the reality show mentality, the game that we have made of politics and seriously assess how we direct our common resources for the common good. Otherwise, we will be engaged in that daily struggle Haitians live to just stay alive.

Retro blogging

This is a little odd, coming as it is from a blog that calls itself progressive, but I must regress a bit to explain the sharp end to convention coverage and the long silence since.
It's easy to explain, I went on vacation. And I had little access to Internet services at Port Aransas to finish the stories I had started during the convention.
So here's kind of a rapid-fire wrap-up. And I hope to follow it with a longer discussion in the Herald Democrat Sunday, and more updates as time goes on.
Congrats to the three local folks who will be going to the National Convention. I will print your names as soon as I unpack my notebooks at home. And I'd like to talk to each of you right before the convention so we can set something up during the convention to let your home peeps know what's happening.
Also, to our great superdelegate and DNC Committeemember Bob Slagle, who also served as parliamentarian of the state convention.
Boyd Richie survived the challenge by David Van Os and Texas Democratic Party Vice Chair Roy Laverne Brooks.
The Resolutions, Platform, Rules and Nominations Committees survived, after many, many hours of debate in the grandest Democratic style and eventually all reported to the convention. After many challenges, points of order, roll call votes (all involving much higher math than many of us were comfortable with) the convention concluded with a truly wonderful platform and many fine delegates headed for Denver. The biggest accomplishments, from my perspective, was a nearly unified convention and the drawing together of 15,000 Democrats who wanted to be there badly enough to fight for their right to be seated. And bonus points to the Texas Democratic Party whose conventioneers appeared to be about 90 percent newbies and even more diversified than in former years.
I hope when Democrats meet Tuesday in Denison they will form a circle, raise their right hands and pat each other on the back. Then, stop gloating and get on to the hard and costly work of winning this nation back.

Nominations

Bob Slagle from Sherman, former chairman of the Texas Democratic Party, won election as the state's at-large delegate to the Democratic National Committee, during the non-contentious part of the Nomination's Committee Report.
The big story was the fight for chairmanship of the party. Two candidates challenged incumbent Boyd Richie. In the last few minutes before the Nominations Committee reported to the convention, members of the state staff hurriedly cranked out former Dallas Mayor and Austin College graduate Ron Kirk's speech in support of Richie, the speechwriter saying out loud as he typed the words into a laptop computer, "Ah, something like, this election is all about change and that's what Boyd Richie has been doing since he became chairman of the Texas Democratic Party... OK, this is going to have to be it. I understand what he's (Kirk's ) saying, I understand his concern. If we make any more changes they're going to have to be written on the hard copy.
At the same time, floor whips for Progressive Populists Co-Founder David Van Os and those for Roy Laverne Brooks, current vice chair of the party, worked the crowd, handing out stickers and talking up their candidates. The nominations made, Convention Chairman Kirk Watson announced the vote would be by Senate District delegation and would be a roll call vote, and thus would be delayed until a vote on the non-contested portion of the slate of statewide officers was complete.
Another challenge to the Nominations Committee came up for National Delegate.
Sue Lozell, the Nominations Committee's selection, and Rosalyn Shorter, of District 25, faced off for one of the female positions for at large member of the Democratic National Committee. The crowd got a little rowdy when Watson declared Lozell had won the voice vote and someone shouted "Division!" from the floor. Watson banged his gavel and tried to soothe the crowd in his characteristically jovial manner. However,
Here's what has been agreed to: Three candidates for Party chair; David Van Os, Roy Laverne Brooks and Boyd Richie. They will each have 10 minutes. They can split it up however they want to, with seconding speeches or speaking themselves.

Star stymied in Convention unity

The Texas Democratic Party's State Convention announced theme was "Moving Texas Forward" but the subtext of most every aspect of the program was unity. The star of that event was supposed to be Sen. Hillary Clinton, however, the live feed scheduled to be viewed on the convention floor sputtered, then failed due to technical difficulties.

There were a few moments that allowed Clinton delegates a few moments to savor what might have been. During the first, long interruption in the CNN broadcast, a chant went up O-ba-ma, O-ba-ma that soon became United We Stand.

Some Clinton supporters were reluctant to give up the fight and defiantly held up Clinton signs. Others joined in the chant, enthusiastically poking Obama signs into the air
.
A parade of Democratic elected officials crossed the stage, urging party unity. The party seemed to especially lean on Hispanic lawmakers who had heavily favored Clinton in the dais appearances. Each exhorted delegates to captialize on the historic circumstances of the party's success for both women, African American and Hispanic candidates and the largest turnout of primary voters ever for either party.

"To my disappointed supporters, every moment spent looking back is time wasted when we could be moving forward."

Then State Sen. Royce West took the stage, and anyone who has ever seen this giant of a man knows that's the correct verb. State Chairman Boyd Richie has asked West to lead a committee to scrutinize the party's primary caucus system that suffered so tremendously from growth pains in March. After a rousing recitation of the list of Republican's grievous acts, West asked everyone in the room, delegates, VIPs guests, to joing hands in a massive show of unity.

One woman in the SD 30 delegation reached out to an Obama supporter and said, "This is really hard, but I guess I have to do it. SD 30 appeared to be totally linked in unity.

Pictures from the first day of the convention

Tony Beaverson prepares for the gavel to fall convening the 2008 Texas Democratic Party State Convention. Killer Ds take to the stage during the convention, joining hands in unity and vowing to turn Texas Blue in November 2008. Matt Krov and Heather Molsbee, Obama and Clinton supporters respectively, show off the much-sought party unity as delegates in Senate District 30. Democrats respond during their convention to Rick Noriega speech. An interpreter "signs" the National Anthem. Cindy Cain of Collin County becomes the first female veteran Texas elector during the SD 30 caucus Friday.

Chelsea Clinton brings greeting from her Mom

Those who rushed the stage in anticipation for Chelsea Clinton's appearance on behalf of her mother, listened to the first of three of Clinton's Texas campaign leaders with some patience, then less and then none as they screamed for the former "First Daughter" to speak.
Chelsea looked a bit overwhelmed at first, but obviously is warming to her life on the hustings. As she spoke and urged the unity her mother has said she wants to bring to the remainder of the presidential campaign.
"She will of course be doing what she always has done: Work to support Democrats across the country. And she will work to support and elect Obama in November. And secondly, she just wanted to make sure I just gave a great Texas size thank you."
Chelsea Clinton's face bore expressions from both her famous parents.
She bit her bottom lip as her father always did when a bit of sincerity was called for. And she nodded her head in agreement with herself in the manner of her mother.
"Thank you to everyone who has supported her campaign; who has knocked on doors; made phone calls, showed up and voted early; showed up and voted on March 4 and attended precinct caucuses on March 4, attended county conventions. I heard earlier that one of my Mother's supporters drove 650 miles to get here today. Thank you all so much for your support and your love and your enthusiasm," Chelsea Clinton said in thanking her mother's campaign workers. "As a daughter, it was so inspiring for me to be here in Texas, where my mother's political began registering people to vote in the Valley. And I just had the best time, so a very personal and heartfelt thank you to all of you who made me feel so welcome.
"But, we know our work has just begun. We know we need to be reaching out and registering more voters, for November, more Democrat voters. We all know what's at stake, whatever brought us here today; whether you were inspired by fixing No Child Left Behind or ending the war, or getting the economy back on track. We have to just keep reaching out to Democrats across Texas, like Rick Noreiga and why we have to elect Democrats across the country and turn Texas Blue.
Chelsea enjoyed her own moments of Rock Stardom, as she ended her talk, the crowd that had surged forward caught her attention and she walked to the skirt of the stage and leaned over, shaking hands to wild applause for about 10 minutes.

Excerpts from Rick Noriega's Speech 1

This past week I’ve had the privilege of training with the best soldiers in Texas, the1-141 Infantry Battalion, the Alamo Battalion.

As you know I’ve been entrusted with the honor of commanding this unit which is the direct descendant of William B. Travis’ company and the battle at the Alamo…
This time…I’m counting on a different outcome.

Several weeks ago, our unit was alerted that they are to be deployed again to the middle-east. k
As the commanding officer, in that uniform, I have a sworn duty and obligation to take care of my soldiers so they are trained to perform their mission.

But at the same time when I’m in this uniform, as a citizen, as a citizen soldier, I have a duty and obligation to take care of the people, the families, of Texas.

To paraphrase our first President, George Washington, “When I picked up the sword I did not lay aside the citizen.”

And that is why I’m running for the United States Senate - to change the direction of this state and our country.
great state, is that Texans want change.

And we’re gathered here tonight to offer Texas new leadership.

A few years ago, everyone said Texas would be a Republican state as far into the future as anyone could imagine. You stood up and spoke out for change –more than 2.8 million Democrats voted this past spring and returned to caucus to express their support for a new leader and a new direction for our country.
Leadership is not about telling people what they want to hear, it’s about solving tough problems.
The way of life we once took for granted has become threatened because of the poor leadership of this administration.

We are facing some tough problems as a state and nation, and the politics of special interests must stop. You see, I believe that it is time we had a Senator that worked for Texas families for a change.
Texans are fed up with government that stands aside while hardworking families fall behind.

While my opponent and this administration have been in office, gas prices have skyrocketed, from $1.35 a gallon to $4.00 a gallon.

Kirk Watson

Kirk Watson, former mayor of Austin, thanked the crowd for their hard work to send thousands of people to the convention "of the party of diversity , responsibility, opportunity and investment. ... Republicans are damaging the future by refusing to invest alternative energy, health care, education. The democratically elected Speaker of the House has no right to autocratically run the Legislature.

He had choice words to say about the attorney general and the Lt. Governor as well, but his dig at Gov. Perry for his awarding the TTC contract and the national Republicans for the war in Iraq drew a larger response, with shouts and boos.

"Democrats have come together because we must," drew some reaction but not as much as he evidently expected, but the roar began to build as he talked about the differences among Democratic candidates fading in comparison with those with Republicans.

"We come together to this fan this ember of energy into a spotlight. At this place and this moment let us reject the poison politics of Karl Rove in the past, reject the politics of cynicism and let us rally for change. This is our time and this is our cause. Our cause is open and accountable government; our cause is education ; our cause is protection of the air we breath and the water we drink, honoring our military with the equipment they need and the care they deserve when they come home. Freedom and a hopeful future for our children. Our cause is the worker, the senior, and the child that can't get health care. Our state has the highest number of people without health care in the nation. That child denied the opportunity to realize whatever potential they have. In Texas more than in any other state, a child is most likely to suffer the steep incline to the future than any in the nation.

"That kid, any kid is out cause.... We pursue our cause with optimism, but a cautious optimism not as those who forecast a bright future without investing in it. Your optimism joins hope and action, faith that isn't idle, work that isn't selfish and debate that doesn't destroy. It benefits all, it rejects the cynicism that we can't do better. The Democratic Party has always had real optimism. It fires our cause and inspires our vision... it will create the world our seniors deserve and out children will inherit.

Then he introduced a video Lt. Rick Noreiga of Houston, candidate for the U.S. Senate.

State Rep. Al Green of Houston, introduced Noriega.

Boyd Richie Opens Convention

"Hardworking Man" played as State Democratic Chairman Boyd Richie took to the podium and welcomed the crowd Moving Texas Forward. In a ceremony that moved many to tears, a color guard, the National Anthem and an invocation evoking grace on the party as it works to end the war, promote health care and clean the environment,

This year you made history and we're just getting started.
"It's about we, not me. ... We won two congressional seats that helped the; We're ready to take back a Texas House majority this year. We worked with party leaders to turn Dallas County blue in 2006 and by the way, Harris County, you're next. And we just had a historic primary between two of the best candidates that have run for president in our lifetime.

We are a lean mean campaign machine.

New video on how you and we have been "Moving Texas Forward by the Numbers. The film outlined the numbers, more about this next.
Bob Slagle, former state party president, will serve as one of the parliamentarians for the conventions.

Van Os addresses Progressive Populists

AUSTIN — His voice quavering with anger and resolve, former Judge David Van OS, who ran for Texas attorney general in 2006 and chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court twice, announced during the Progressive Populist Caucus Friday morning that he will fight Boyd Richie for the chairmanship of the Texas Democratic Party.

Van Os said in an interview after his announcement, which might have been made throughout the morning at various caucuses, that for the past eight or nine days, people across the state approached him to run because they are tired of the party leadership’s insider decision-making, limited vision and defeatist attitude. He said he decided Thursday to take on that leadership, because their handling of state party business has led to a steady decline in votes for the party.

“(T)he thousands and thousands of people who have come here to this great convention, not because they want more of these minimalist goals, not because they want more of this defeatist strategy, but they come here because they believe in themselves, you come here because you believe in yourself, and because you want to carry Texas.”
The job of leadership is to project the vision and the winning attitude.”

The caucus broke into chants, “David, David” standing and clapping.

Hector Nieto, press director for the Texas Democratic Party said that Richie was engaged in running a successful convention and probably had not commented on Van Os’ announcement.
“As you know this is a record-breaking convention and he is heavily focused on running the convention impartially and making sure that all Texas Democrats are having a good time,” Nieto said.

Van Os told the Progressive Populist Caucus, which he co-founded in 2002k he had received a conference call from activist Democrats May 22, asking him to run for state party chair.

“The insiders and the defenders of the status quo and highly paid insider consultants don’t like me at all because I’ve run for statewide office three times in the last 10 year … and they don’t like me because every time I told them, ‘No! I’m not interested in all your maps and your pretty charts where you exclude 90 percent of the people of the state from your campaign. … and this philosophy of ‘Oh No, we can’t carry the whole state of Texas; our goal is to pick up six seats in the Texas House of Representatives’. We can try to target and pick up about six seats. That’s defeatism and that defeatism started about 14 years ago. And the end result is that the Democratic percentage in the statewide vote has gone downward, every election.”

He laughed at the Richie and other leaders’ notion that they should be proud of picking up five legislative seats in the last election.

“They don’t want to mention that we are 0 for 29 in statewide executive and judicial offices. Now I’m glad that we picked up those five seats and I’ll be mighty glad is we pick up six more …

He decried Richie’s statement to the State Democratic Executive Committee that Texans should concentrate on down-ballot races “and let the presidential race take care of itself.”
“That’s not good enough, not just because it’s bad political strategy, but because it’s not enough. We are in a crisis in America. The people of America are struggling under the corporate jack boot, and the jack boot of the Constitution thieves and the robber barons and their greedy profiteers. The people need a fighting Democratic Party that will fight back for them, and not just in a few districts but for all the people in Texas in 234 counties.”

Van Os to challenge Richie

Bulletin:
His voice quavering with anger and resolve, former Judge David Van OS, former candidate for chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court and other positions, announced during the Progressive Populist Caucus Friday morning that he will fight Boyd Richie for the chairmanship of the Texas Democratic Party.

Texas Democratic Party Convention

With Barack Obama the presumed nominee of their national party, Texas Democrats are heading for Austin Thursday to begin deciding who really won all the state's delegates. I'll be right there as the party, bulging with neophyte delegates, learns the Texas Two-Step actually is a waltz across Texas, 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3.

Our focus will be on the Senate District 30 delegates, particularly those with a hankerin' to travel to Denver for the big shindig in September and on party Progressives as they work toward building a new coalition and take back the state.

Press Progress also will bring you teeny videos, pictures of the delegates and reflections on the usually high hat fun, intense resolutions debate, and glorious politicking that mark the Texas Democratic Convention.
Remember folks, hospitality suites generally are the first room to the left of the elevators on any floor of the convention hotel. Austin has a great taxi service, so have safe fun in the capital.

SD 30 delegates will gather to get credentials at 9:30 a.m. Friday.

This convention coverage is dedicated to Molly, Ann and Lady Bird. I bet they're laughin' hard with John Ferguson and John Henry Faulk and advising Billie Carr to enjoy it all a little more. So here's to you great women, progressives, journalists and die-hard patriots.

Check back frequently, at least by Friday, for updates. Also, if you're at the convention and know of an event, caucus or any kind of shenanigans that Press Progress should cover, just shoot me an e-mail at kismetacres@msn.com