Report. Democratic Rally in Houston

[johncoby2]

Standing room only. The place holds 575. We had well over 400 attend the rally in Houston last night at Drexlers BarBQ. 22 Different clubs in the area sponsored the event. They did a absolutely fantastic job of rallying the troops.

You could feel the excitement and energy in the room. We had Hank Gilbert running for Agriculture Commissioner speak for a few minutes and he absolutely ROCKED the room! Great speaker. Just absolutely great. (Hell if I known he was that good, he would have been the MC!)

We showed a DVD on Nick Lampson (www.lampson.com) and he also spoke. Bob Gammage gave a great speech also, and Barbara Radnofsky started us off with a speech in English and Spanish! This lady is GOOD! REAL GOOD!

Sheila Jackson Lee ended the evening with a GREAT rally speech. She was absolutely great!

Then we ended the night with "I'm Takin my country back" http://www.bayareanewdemocrats.org/files/tmcb.mp3

Not a bad night for only $5 a person. Pictures coming soon.

[robbzipp]

1. it was GREAT!

I wasn't feeling well, but made myself go any way and I'm glad that I did! Thanks to everyone who put this together!

[sonias]

5. Welcome to DU robbzipp!

Make yourself at home. You're among friends.
:hi:

Sonia

[robbzipp]

19. re: Welcome to DU robbzipp!

Thanks! I promise to play nice. :-D I hope to see you all at the Democracy for Houston meeting Wednesday night. I'll be moderating it!

[newyawker99]

34. Hi robbzipp!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[muse]

2. Totally fun

I got to finally meet some DU-ers in person - johncoby, westhoustondem, lisa0825 and pdittie and mrs. pdittie! Great people!

All of the speakers were fired up and I'm sure they lit a fire under everyone in the room to get busy working for our candidates from now through November.

Thanks to johncoby and everyone else for putting this great event together!

[WestHoustonDem]

3. It was a great event! Welcome to DU Robb! Great to see

you muse!

[robbzipp]

20. thanks!

It's always nice to feel welcome. :-D

[sonias]

4. Totally agree on Hank Gilbert, I saw him yesterday too

I've posted my report on Gilbert on the TDW thread.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=180x26995#27090

He even made the local newspaper. Here's the quote from the AAS article about the convention

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/02/26debate.html
"Hank Gilbert, a straight-talking candidate for agriculture commissioner sporting a black cowboy hat, drew a standing ovation after criticizing the state's Republican leadership. Gilbert, a rancher, said he would prevent mad cow disease in the state by tightening slaughterhouse regulations."
Text

Glad you had a great turnout and the event went well. Barbara did impress me with her Spanish too. I didn't even know she spoke it.

Sonia

[merci_me]

6. Fantastic job!!

I told you, if you were too sucessful, you'd have to do this over and over.

You and Kellen and everyone who put this together deserve a heaping ton of praise.

So what's the "save the date"?

[PDittie]

7. Stace Medellin's wrap-up:

http://dos-centavos.blogspot.com/2006/02/kick-off.html

Who knew John Coby was a "burb-tino"? Heh.

[sonias]

8. We need burb-tinos and burb-tinas to win this state back

I'm not a burb-tina, I'm a cuidad-tina, but we're all in this together.

And yes a big round of applause to our John Coby who is one hell of an organizer, to BAND and all the other sponsors. I've heard nothing but good reviews of the event.
:applause::applause::applause:

How do we convince John Coby to run for something. He's just a natural.
:yourock: John Coby!

Sonia

[johncoby2]

9. I am blushing. Thanks for the comments.

I got to give LOTS of credit to the clubs for turning out their members and getting people fired up! And to Meyerland Democrats and Kellen Wilson and Melissa Taylor. These girls are on FIRE!

I sure was. What a great great crowd!

Now running for something.......Im a civil service employee so I cant run for any partisian position. But...in 9 years I might! Maybe then I can clean my act up a bit. Learn spanish. Stop drinking. (OK cut down on my drinking) :-)

Maybe an office in the party?

[sonias]

10. John Coby, you should run for State Party Chair

But if we have to wait for 9 years, we're not sure we can make it that long.

Aren't your city council elections non-partisan? You have to start somewhere.
Sonia

[Baby Snooks]

11. Where was Chris Bell?

I was told he "cut and ran" after being greeted by one too many Gammage supporters.

[johncoby2]

12. That is so not true. Come on now.

I doubt seriously the Gammage folks would do that. I know many of them and they are always cordial. And as a Chris supporter, I wouldnt do that to Bob either or to his staff.

Chris had a party to go to. His sons birthday party. He stopped to say hello to the organizers and it was greatly appreciated.

I am real glad Bob came to the event. He got to meet LOTS of people and everyone seemed very happy to see him.

[merci_me]

13. I have to agree with John

There were LOTS of Gammage lapel stickers, but I seriously doubt if anyone "greeted" Chris, in that they were flaunting their support of Bob. Sure, there may have been many who said a "hi, Chris" or whatever. This is Houston and everyone here knows Chris, at least by sight, so they would have been cordial.

The turn out was so huge (thanks again to all who pulled off an amazing event), and people were still pouring in after Chris left and I really don't think many people even realized Chris wasn't still there until the program got started. I didn't realize Chris was there, until he was leaving as I was at the door waiting for Gammage and Gilbert's car to pull up, from the Austin convention.

Unfortunately, Chris also had to miss the Texas Democratic Women's convention in Austin earlier in the day.

We also missed seeing David VanOs, who had to miss both events due to a bad bout with the flu. Hopefully he'll be feeling all better by next Saturday. You have to wonder how any of them stay healthy, with flu season and them having to shake so many hands, day in and day out.

[Baby Snooks]

14. He stopped to say hello?

I would imagine quite a few would have liked to hear him speak - it was, after all, a rally. And he is, after all, a candidate.

Or did he just assume everyone there already supported him so it didn't matter? I meant "greeted" in terms of the number of Gammage signs and buttons and obvious public support of his challenger. Which would indicate he obviously couldn't have assumed everyone there already supported him. So maybe he just assumed they didn't matter because he had been told the Houston Chronicle would be endorsing him, which they did, and so he assumed enough people would vote for him on that basis so again everyone at the rally just didn't matter?

Very serious questions have been raised the past couple of months about him. One of the questions raised has to do with his attitude and in particular with his refusal to answer the questions raised which he instead ignores.

Did he ever file his personal financial disclosure with Texas Ethics Commission?

[Lisa0825]

15. .

:eyes:

[muse]

21. Oh, Lisa, I am so with you on this.

Yawn.

[WestHoustonDem]

22. Yawn and ignore n/t

[muse]

23. And a clink of the beer glasses as we yawn together, ladies. n/t

[johncoby2]

24. How can I get in on this yawning and beer drinking?

[WestHoustonDem]

25. It's margaritas, but consider yourself invited to

the yawning, drinking and ignoring party. (Not necessarily in that order)

[muse]

26. I will happily switch to margaritas. :) And yes, John, you are invited.

[Baby Snooks]

31. Indicative of a Bell Supporter

Yawn and ignore the question. Sort of like follow the leader.

[crispini]

17. Wow, talk about your one-note poster.

You don't do yourself or your candidate any favors when you come on a message board, pretty much harp on one issue all of the time, and don't participate in the community otherwise. It makes you look like a disrupter with an axe to grind.

And before you attack me as a Bell apologist, I have not made up my mind yet about who I will be supporting in the gubernatorial race, but I have actually been leaning Gammage, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.

[Baby Snooks]

18. Just asking a question about the questions

If asking a question about the questions raised about a candidate for governor makes me a disrupter, then so be it. Still waiting for the answers. Along with others. And snappy responses instead of answers do make you look like a Bell apologist.

[johncoby2]

27. but we answered the question that prompted yet another question and answer

So. What was the point of the post anyway?

I am confused.

[crispini]

28. Bwahahahahaha!

Way to prove my point. :toast:

[Lisa0825]

16. You apparently know other ones than me.

just sayin'... :shrug:

[PDittie]

29. It makes a lot more sense

when it's on 'ignore'.

[muse]

30. I just tried that

and, you know what, you are right!

Come have margaritas and yawn with us!

[WestHoustonDem]

32. Ignore works for me!

:boring: :toast:

[Catherine Vincent]

33. Oh phooey!

I haven't been in the Texas forum in a while and I missed this.

Go Lampson! (or whoever is running against Delay!):-)