Fascinating: Martin Frost says the Clintons don't understand TX

[cali]

2008 and that they're judging TX as it was 20+ years ago. I don't know if anyone else just listened to his analysis of the TX race on NPR, but it was really interesting.

In case you don't know, Frost was a dem rep from TX until a few years ago. I believe he ran against Howard for DNC chair. In any case, he said the Clintons don't get how much the TX dem electorate has changed in recent years. He stressed the many new Texans there are from the Northeast and elsewhere, and he pointed out that Texas dems are "very, very liberal". He thinks the Clintons are appealing to a more conservative type of dem who isn't as prevailent anymore.

I'm not from TX so I don't know that his analysis is right on, but I've always thought Frost is a sharp guy. Sounds like he thinks Obama will take it.

[SoFlaJet]

1. Martin Frost was one of our best congressman

until Tom DeLay played with the state by gerrymandering and cut his district right up and cost him the seat- I've always thought of all the people who have to be sitting back watching with glee what has happened to delay it's Martin Frost

[Cha]

7. Right..I hope Martin Frost

is doing well and maybe all that gerrymandering by delay will have some unintended consequences. We're gonna see.

[ananda]

2. Texas is NOT liberal..

.. by any standard you care to apply.

[cali]

4. He was not talking about TX as a whole. Perhaps I didn't make that

clear enough. He was talking about TX dems and how they'd grown more liberal. Somehow I think Martin Frost's word is worth more than YOURS.

[Perky]

5. I think you made it abundantly clear,,,,,maybe the fog will lift from some others on Tuesday.

[CreekDog]

12. You made it clear unless someone didn't read what you said (ahem!)

:hi:

[SoFlaJet]

13. Sorry Cali

don't you know that ANYBODY who supports Obama is flawed in the minds of the Hill-bots here-doesn't matter WHAT they have accomplished prior to this primary season-if they don't support Hillary they are terrorists I guess

[blogslut]

9. No

But Texas is turning a nice shade of violet.

Have you been paying attention to the Democratic turnout for this year's primary?

[theboss]

25. There are pockets of Texas as liberal as anyplace in Massachusetts

Austin and Houston Heights immediately spring to mind. However, Austin is really the only truly "liberal college town." College Station, Waco, and Lubbock are pretty conservative places so I'm not sure how that will work for Obama. He's typically gotten huge victories in college towns.

[cooolandrew]

3. WTG Texas. You guys rock!

[DFW]

6. Martin was MY rep until Delay gerrymandered him out of a job

Now, instead of an inspiring, dedicated representative like Martin,
we have a right-wing parrot-like Bush-kissing hack, Pete Sessions.
Our area of Dallas is quite progressive, indeed, and only by including
a large swath of bible-belt countryside having nothing to do with north
Dallas was DeLay able to turn our district red. Martin represented our
district for 26 years, brought plenty to the area. Sessions has brought
shame, and little else.

Martin probably was the wrong man for the DNC job in 2004, as I think the
times called for someone as activist and outspoken as Howard is. Maybe if we
take the White House and increase our holds on both houses of Congress,
then the time will be ripe for someone like Martin. He and Howard are
two very different kinds of leaders, although I like both men personally.
Martin has had a rough time personally of late. His wife lost a very long
and excruciating battle with cancer not too long ago, and the ordeal left
him pretty down, not surprisingly. I met his wife a couple of times (a high-
ranking member of the military, by the way), and can imagine how devastated
he was to lose her. The last time I saw him was just before she died, and he
was a mess, although putting up a brave front not trying to show it.

He remains one very sharp guy. Whether or not his assessment of the Texas
primary was accurate, at least we won't have to wait much longer to find out.

[cali]

10. Oh man, I'm sorry to hear about Frost's wife.

I've always really liked him. I did hear the NPR host say that he's running a voters rights organization- at least I think that's what she said.

[TexasObserver]

11. Yep, Marty was one of the good Dems they gerrymandered out of existence.

Tom Fucking DeLay.

[senseandsensibility]

27. Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that

I always liked and respected Martin Frost. He used to appear on shows like Crossfire quite often and he was a great representative for our side. I'm so sorry about his wife. At this point he probably isn't interested, but I'd love to see him run again.

[TexasObserver]

8. Marty Frost is a helluva guy and helluva Democrat. He's right.

The Clinton are stuck in the early 90s.

[Trajan]

14. As a New Yorker ....

I find it fascinating that Texas, which harbors a great many of the nation's greedy corporate predators, finds a great deal of joy in insulting New Yorkers ..... I think it is a bit of cultural envy, but that is my own opinion ....

Having said that: Texas is hardly in play for the GE, and while Rep Frost has his points about Clinton, Texas voter proclivities, et al, ... Texas will disappear from any electoral play once this tuesday passes ....

THEN it can get back to what it does best: ripping off poor families and casting insults about New Yorkers and other 'Yankees' ....

(NOTE: Told with some Tongue-In-Cheek, but only some)

[crispini]

15. Where in the OP did it insult New Yorkers?

:shrug:

[Trajan]

20. It insulted no one ...

The original post is a message in a forum : There are facts about Texas that transcend a mere post in a forum - I was obviously relating my own feelings about Texas, and what it means to me ....

I LOVE Texas liberals .... and I wish them the best of luck, but in the end; Texas is the home of today's greatest gougers of american families; specifically a number of multinational petroleum conglomerates ... They have free reign in Texas (with the help of Texas Democrats in the past), and Texas had become there greedy little laboratory of malicious wealth accumulation .... as much as I love our Texas Liberal brothers and sisters, I cannot get past the overall negative impact that is promulgated in Texas.

The OP didnt insult New Yorkers (nor did I accuse the OP of doing so), but it is part of the culture there to do so .... There is no doubt about that ....

[crispini]

22. Wait til we Democrats take it back, you'll like it a lot more then. ;)

We certainly have our share of dipshits, but nobody I know hates New Yorkers. I love New Yorkers :hi:

[Trajan]

24. Awww ....

Let's have a party : You bring the Bar BQ and I will bring the Lasagna ....

:grouphug:

[lostnotforgotten]

16. As A Texan Transplanted To UpState NY All I Can Say Is That NY

State has its own equal share of problems.

Living in Onondaga county has the feel of Central Texas with all of the Freepers I have met here.

Further, the upstate Tax system has some of the highest property taxes to be found in the country.

So, all-in-all, I have not seen NY as a state that anyone could envy.

PS - I campaigned heavily for MF during his 2004 run against Pete Sessions.

[Trajan]

21. I agree with NY having it's problems ....

And one can find assholes everywhere, no doubt ....

But slamming Northerners, and New Yorkers in particular, is a Texas tradition ....

In the end: I spoke only 1) My own opinion, and 2) The fact that Texas will be a Red State in November and is therefore out of play ....

After tuesday (which will be a rare moment of Texas Democratic party significance), Texas will provide no forward motion for Democrats as a whole ....

[cali]

18. um, I thought I made it clear that

I was talking about Texas dems and NOT about the GE. Obviously, TX is not in play in the GE, but their primary is rather important.

[Trajan]

23. Their primary is important to those who strongly advocate a preference ...

Between Clinton or Obama .... I do not ...

It is a moot point for me ..... I only hope the internecine warfare will soon end ....

[DFW]

29. As a Southern-born whose parents were both New Yorkers

I don't get any hostility between the two. There sure isn't any
in my circle of friends or co-workers. I always thought insulting
New Yorkers was pretty much the legal domain of Red Sox fans, but
maybe perception has changed. My two German-born (but Texas resident)
daughters are now living in New York, and would be very surprised
if someone were to suddenly accuse them of insulting anyone other
than an Austrian.

Speak for yourself, but this is one Dallas resident who reserves his
insults for Republicans, not people of one geographical region or another.

As an aside: Martin Frost, though he served my area of Dallas in the House
for decades, is a native of the Bay Area of California. He never showed,
to my knowledge, any interesting in insulting Californians, New Yorkers,
Texans, Mexicans, or any one else.

[crispini]

17. I think you can tell this simply by looking at the Texas Democratic Party Platform

It's super, super liberal. :D I love it.

[IDemo]

19. I heard it said a couple of months ago that a Texas Democrat living north of the Red River

would be called a Republican in any other state. I don't recall who made the remark.

[lostnotforgotten]

26. Native Texan Living In Upstate NY - Definately Not Republican!

eom

[MagickMuffin]

28. Martin was also my Representative in Ft. Worth

Frost was reelected 12 times without serious opposition. He served as chairman of the House Democratic Caucus from 1999 to 2003. However, he was one of the targets of a controversial redistricting engineered by then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

His district, which included portions of Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington was redrawn to be much more Republican. It was an open secret that the new 24th was redrawn for State Representative Kenny Marchant. Moreover, his home in Arlington was shifted into the heavily Republican 6th District, represented by 10-term incumbent Joe Barton.

Frost decided to seek re-election in the newly redrawn 32nd District, which included a considerable amount of territory that he had represented from 1979 until 1993. He lost by 10 points to Republican Pete Sessions. Since Ralph Hall's party switch earlier in 2004, Frost had been the only white Democrat to represent a significant portion of the Metroplex.

America Votes is a liberal leaning 527 group political organization formed in July 2003 made up of a coalition of grassroots political groups to coordinate their work in the swing states in the Congressional and Presidential elections. It works to 'increase voter registration, education and participation in electoral politics'. Martin Frost serves as President.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/America_Votes


I think Texas is more liberal than people give us credit for since a lot of people don't even participate in the political process. It's starting to turn around.

I attended an Obama training seminar yesterday. One of our State Representatives was present, he told us he had been involved in the TDP since '72. He explained how back then the Democratic Party didn't want new members, he mentioned how the older members would fight the newer members. He was part of the anti-war movement, and that frightened the old guard.



An interesting story I have to relate about a phone call I placed to Martin's office shortly after 9-11.

Our cable provider, provides us with several music channels. I would sometimes listen to the eclectic music channel, and I turned over there one day to get away from the tragedy of that awful day. I couldn't believe it when I heard this Naziesque/Military (( it is hard to describe )) type music blaring from the speakers. It was very upsetting to me.

I phoned Martin's office to inform them of the situation, knowing that he might have some power to do something about it. Within 24 hours the station went back to playing the eclectic music that I needed during that time of crisis.

I don't know if he had anything to do with it, but I know that after I called his office the awful music went away.

[oasis]

30. If Martin Frost was such an expert on Texas he'd still be in office. (eom)

[cali]

31. That makes no sense whatsofuckingever.

Wonderful example of a logical fallacy though. Martin Frost's district was gerrymandered out of existance by Delay, but beyond that even if he had lost fair and square, what the fuck does that have to do with his knowledge of TX dems?

Not that I expect an intelligent response from you.