According to the DCCC there are 67 House Republicans who voted against the stimulus package. But when these no voters are back in their home states they like to brag and swagger about bringing home the bacon. On a different level, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison joins these ranks. She voted against the stimulus bill and yet she criticized Rick Perry for turning down federal funding for extended unemployment benefits.
Texas has its fair share of outstanding hypocrites. Check the list below to see if your U.S. House Rep. is included in the GOP Hall of Hypocrites. I am not shocked to admit that my Rep. is among them. I betcha your's are too.
(Not just "No", but "Hell NO!" - promoted by boadicea)
Time and time again Ralph Hall tells voters that American soldiers will have to "fight a war and take some energy away from someone." Does this represent your values? It doesn't represent mine. I believe it's time to stop talking about stealing and to start investing in America.
My campaign has produced a short video using Hall's own words to expose his values. Please circulate it to your family and friends.
We have twelve days left to spread the word and fight for change in Texas. Donate today and help put this commercial on the air: https://secure.actblue.com/con...
(Last day of the month-kick in a little cash for Glenn if you can, and definitely help put him over the top in PE's poll. - promoted by boadicea)
It's time to change fundamentally the dynamics of the energy industry. America's future depends on clean, affordable energy from a variety of sources. In the 1970s America faced a similar challenge to today's energy crisis. A small group of countries had threatened the prosperity of the entire world. The United States Congress led the way to reducing our nation's reliance on foreign oil, requiring new technologies to reduce home and automobile energy use. Instead of the disaster the doomsayers predicted, consumption fell and the economy bounced back. A wise energy policy makes a stronger America.
Have you seen the "new, upgraded" Rockwall County News? If not, you should pick one up because it is one of the finest examples of a far right-wing rag as I have ever seen. Just take a look at the editorial page. Before, they actually printed letters to the editor, even ones that were hostile to the status quo in Rockwall. But, now that it is time to get on the bandwagon to get Ralph Hall re-elected, they can't have any rational debate on important issues or disagreement with his umbilical attachment to anything King George wanted to do. And you won't read about Jodie Laubenberg and Bob Deuell's subservience to Tom Craddick's agenda. That agenda would be a carbon copy of the one pushed by governor Rick "Big-hair" Perry. You know, the kind of things like taking away from poor kids by cutting CHIP and leaving a million dollars in federal money on the table or giving the saved money to rich peoples kids as school vouchers, or best of all, giving our highways away to a company in Spain.
Debate or commentary on such vital issues to Rockwall citizens has been replaced by commentaries from three wing-nuts: Bill O'Reilly specializing in hate speech, Walter Williams spouting race-baiting nonsense and Congressman Ron Paul off in the ozone of no laws. But of course this is balanced with....no, not Frank Rich, no, not Paul Krugman, in fact you are not even close. Instead the page is filled with four right wing reactionary political cartoons. Keep leafing through and you come to page 6 where the top article is a column in large letters entitled "On Gods Word". Keep going and all you get to read about is Rockwall kids, more Rockwall kids and Rockwall kids and sports.
I do not object to Born-again Christian theology, the right of right-wing commentators to spout nonsense or Rockwall's great kids. What I do object to is a lack of fairness or anything remotely resembling objectivity. In other words if you want to see a pitiful rehashing of the worst of the mainstream media mixed with support of Rockwall's kids, it is great. However, if you want to see a discussion of why Ralph Hall voted against sCHIP, or Veteran's or restraining domestic spying you won't find it in the Rockwall County News? You won't find any questions asking when the county commissioners knew Ray Sumrow was stealing county funds.
You won't find any debate about why the county commissioners couldn't convince voters to back the bonds for the fancy new courthouse located on the area's most expensive real estate either. I could go on, but we all know what is going on in this town and county and it isn't pretty. Too bad we have no local published news sources to defend us. I guess we will just have to do it ourselves person to person and on the internet.
(Glenn is taking on one of the Abramoff tinged congresscritters from Texas. - promoted by boadicea)
Just like in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq, a local TV station is pushing Republican propaganda on energy. How many times do Ralph Hall and his corporate cronies have to be wrong before the media question their judgment? Is Tokyo Rose a professor in American journalism schools?
A perfect case in point is this KXII's story, "Texas-born petition supports fight against high gas prices in Washington." Reporter Emi FitzGerald simply repeated Hall's false assertions without ever reading the details of his proposal. FitzGerald also neglected to report any counter arguments or explain how this plan offers more of Hall's same tired proposals. During a heated national election you would think FitzGerald might call Hall's opponent. You would be wrong
I had the great honor of winning the Democratic nomination for the Texas Fourth Congressional District. The bigger story, however, is the growing bipartisan dissatisfaction with Ralph Hall. He received only 42,212 of 57,530 Republican votes. If you add those who voted against Ralph in both parties' primaries, almost twice as many voters - Republican and Democratic - want a new Congressman!
"new direction"
"stay the course"
with Hall
80,479 votes
42,212 votes
The tide continued to move forward four weeks later as Democrats packed precinct and county conventions. Particularly, impressive were the crowded conventions that I attended in Grayson, Hunt, Rockwall and Collin Counties. If Democrat are going to win a state-wide races, we have to do better in these "Republican strongholds.
The History News Network published the following article by me on September 23, 2002. As my oldest son approaches eighteen, I still don't want him to die in an unjust quagmire. It's wrong for Washington politicians to continue using our brave men and women as political props. It's up to us to lead them home with honor.
--------
Every school child can recite the value of history: those that ignore the past are doomed to repeat it. What lessons can we learn about the present Iraqi crisis from the Vietnam experience?
(Rubber, meet road, Ralphie... - promoted by boadicea)
"I accept Ralph Hall's offer to debate the issues," said Glenn Melancon, Democratic Candidate for US Congress in Texas' Fourth Congressional District. "The voters need and want to know what the candidates stand for."
According to the Dallas Morning News (Thursday, March 6, 2008), Hall said he's ready to debate the issues. Both Republican and Democratic primary candidates had highlighted Congressman Hall's absence from local town hall meetings. Hall justified his absence by the need to spend his time at fundraisers.
"A Congressman should demonstrate to the public he can debate," said Melancon. "It will be good for the voters to see their candidates in action."
Melancon proposed a series of six debates around the district. He pointed out several local organizations all have experience hosting political forums. These groups include Sherman's KXII and Herald Democrat, Greenville's Herald Banner, Mount Pleasant's Daily Tribune, Paris' Chamber of Commerce and Paris News, and New Boston's Chamber of Commerce and Bowie County Citizen's Tribune. Melancon said setting the schedule now is important in light of Mr. Hall's busy schedule.
"These debates would be great for our democracy," Melancon said. "Traditional public debates have been pushed aside in recent years by 30 sec TV ads. It would be wonderful to restore the debating tradition in our District."
Why I'm in this race: My roots in this district go back generations. My mother's family settled in Collin County in the 1800s. My parents settled in Wood and Hopkins Counties. I was born, educated, have lived and worked in the Texas 4th District all my life (except when in Law School in Austin or working for the people of Texas in as Deputy Attorney General and Director of Public Affairs, at the Texas Land Commission, or as Director of Legislative Affairs for the State Bar of Texas and for the Texas Association of Counties.
VaLinda on the family's ranches (Hathcox Farms and Big H Ranch) with part of their herd of Texas Longhorns.
VaLinda's parents inherited only 20 acres of their 1000 acres. They worked and paid for what they acquired, but want to pass it on to their children.
For me, my family and most of my neighbors, Texas is more than just a state or an address -- it is part of us and we are intrinsically tied to it through more than just the land or where we work.
· Texas is a culture where we carve better opportunities and more just, fairer practices for successive generations.
· Texas is a culture where folks don't expect better to be easy.
· Texas is a place where hard work and diligence means incremental advancement for most folks, incredible success for some and where we work together to help prevent others from falling through the cracks.
· Texas is where we look at what we have realistically, face what got us where we are while figuring out better, more just, fairer laws, regulations and "ways of doing things" for the future.
Texas families deserve a Congressman who fights for their interests, not for corporate special interests. Today I'm officially announcing my candidacy for the United States Congress, Texas Fourth District. I'll work for Texas families. I need your support. Together we can change Washington one incumbent at a time.
You deserve a representative who knows the needs of working families. I live in Sherman with my wife Jackie and two sons, Chris and Alex. I'm a history professor, Boy Scout leader and church volunteer. Unlike like many Washington politicians, I'm not a banker or a lawyer. I'm running for Congress to fight for the average American.
As a child I was raised to believe that Christmas is a time of comfort and joy. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, arrived in the world preaching a gospel of love.
It's time for us to stop this childish behavior. Our children will NOT be used to steal oil.
We can do better. We must do better.
Please join me this holiday season and renew the true meaning of Christmas. No more wars for oil. No more torture. No more worshiping at the altar of crony capitalism. America has always been stronger, prouder and more secure when we've exported hope and inspiration.
As Americans we have many reasons to give thanks this Thanksgiving Holiday. We've benefited from a country built upon shared prosperity and the courage to face our problems head-on. The story of the first Thanksgiving celebration reminds us why we must act now to preserve and protect our quality of life.
In November 1620 the pilgrims arrived in a new world confident of their success. Believing God had blessed them, they thought that they couldn't fail. But the pilgrims soon discovered that they didn't know how to survive in this new environment.
Humbled, they turned to their neighbors, a people that the pilgrims considered heathens and savages. The Wampanoag taught the pilgrims how to change direction and survive. The Native Americans taught the pilgrims how to grow corn and hunt local game. In November 1621 these two peoples sat down together and broke bread, celebrating the pilgrims' first successful harvest.
Bountiful harvests became the foundation for America's shared prosperity. Today climate change threatens our quality of life. Rising temperatures, caused by greenhouse gases, could devastate Texas agriculture. If carbon emissions remain unchecked we could see Texas agriculture decline by more than 25%.
We must learn the lesson of that first Thanksgiving celebration and change our direction.
Washington politicians like Ralph Hall have been promising fiscal responsibility for the 30 years. They've failed to deliver. One of their favorite schemes is privatization.
It sounds so good-all you have to do is follow three simple steps: (1) cut a public service, (2) pay a private business to deliver the service, and (3) you'll save taxpayers' money. Unfortunately this fairytale ends badly.
Privatization forces you to pay more, and you get less.
Most of the recent national scandals involve private contractors. Walter Reed, Blackwater, Halliburton, and the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast after Katrina and Rita have cost taxpayers more money than promised. Just as important, privatization has failed to deliver the much needed results.
Veterans suffer from substandard health care. America's brave fighting men and women pay the ultimate price after mercenaries destabilize Iraq. The hardworking families of the Gulf Coast remain homeless and without jobs even after Washington threw billions of dollars at private contractors.
Right here in North Texas we're preparing a well-rounded campaign. I don't expect change from Washington any time soon. The Democrats in Washington won’t change until we send new Democrats to Washington.
The American people demand job and retirement security, affordable healthcare, clean energy and an effective foreign policy.
No more failed free trade deals that cost
American jobs and threaten your safety.
No more sweetheart legislation that pays
off big drug companies.
No more tax subsidies for dirty energy
giants.
No more fruitless wars that enrich
multinational corporations while killing our brave men and women.
Ralph Hall has been a cheerleader for every betrayal of the American people. We won't remain silent.
Living in a "Red" state, I'm often asked, "Why are you a Democrat?" or "Wouldn't it be easier to win if you were a Republican?" For me the answer is easy. I'm a Democrat because I believe in "we," not "me."
Our founding fathers started the Constitution with the word "We" for a purpose. Our individual liberty rests upon how justly we treat those around us. As Martin Luther King said in his Letter from the Birmingham Jail, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
On July 24, I wrote about the Texas Congressional races in West Texas. Tonight, I'm covering the North. TX-3, TX-4, TX-13, and TX-19. The Panhandle and surrounding districts are pretty red, but we have some great races shaping up, and need to find people willing to take on a challenge.
Two of the four districts have Democratic challengers. The other two...not so much. The north is the north, of course, of course. And who ever heard of a Liberal North? Make the jump to see who...
(Privitization , or the crony reward and graft distribution system, as I like to call it, is VERY important. This is a good update on that issue and a call for change! - promoted by lightseeker)
A bipartisan group in the House of Representatives took an important step on March 15, 2007. They decided to change the way the federal government conducts business, passing the “Accountability in Contracting Act" (Vote 156: H R 1362). Ralph Hall was one of a small minority of Congressional dead enders to vote against accountability.
Please help me send a message to Washington. The people of the Texas Fourth District want results, not empty rhetoric. We demand an end to the practice of borrow and waste.
Look out, Ralph Hall! Glenn Melancon has just announced that he will once again run for the seat in TX-04. Last time around Glenn ran a grassroots campaign that relied on small donations, and he increased the Democratic vote in TX-04 by almost 4%. It's time to take back Sam Rayburn's seat.
Glenn's already launched his 2008 campaign site. I suggest yall visit it and sign up for his updates. I had the pleasure of meeting Glenn a few times during the 2006 election cycle, and I happen to think very highly of him. He was also endorsed by WesPAC in 2006:
"Texans deserve a partner in Washington who will do more to secure jobs and a strong economy at home. That partner is Glenn Melançon whose informed and honest approach to pubic service is needed in Washington now more than ever.
"Glenn Melançon is just the kind of leader Texas deserves to have in Washington, DC. As a college professor, family man, and man of faith, Glenn has the perspective we need on Capitol Hill in these trying times at home and abroad. With a commitment to bringing new jobs to the district, providing adequate healthcare to more Texans, and investing in sustainable energy, Glenn knows what it takes to get this country back on track.
"That's why I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with him in this campaign. He will be part of Texas's team in Washington to stand up and give people the peace of mind of knowing that government is doing its work while they are doing theirs. "
Click beneath the fold for a district map, historical info, and more on the race for TX-04.
If one didn't know that Rep. Pete Sessions (R-CD 32) has a habit of putting the political interests of George W. Bush above the interests of the nation and his district, you'd sure know where his heart was when he voted against repealing the Patriot Act provision allowing the president to appoint interim U.S. attorneys without Senate confirmation.
The vote (see http://clerk.house.g... ) was 329-78, with 113 Republicans joining 216 Democrats in approving the measure.
Sessions was one of 78 Republicans who voted against the bill.
More below.
Today the house passed a bill (H.R. 6) which would impose a "conservation" fee on gas and oil extracted from the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico, reverse $6 billion of oil industry tax breaks and try to recoup royalties lost because of an Interior Department mistake a decade ago.
Democrats said that most of the $15 billion collected woul pay to promote renewable and alternative fuel sources and provide incentives for conservation.
Among those voting no were these Texas Republicans: Barton, Brady, Conaway Hall, McCaul, Neugebauer, Paul, Sessions, Smith, and Thornberry. (List is not be complete. See roll call vote 40 for complete voting at http://clerk.house.g...
