*** 60,000 Post Milestone for TX DU Forum!!!! ***

[sonias]

Congratulations Texans!!!

It's been a while since we celebrated the 50,000 post mark back on March 6, 2008.

:toast: :party: :bounce: :woohoo: :thumbsup: :toast:

Keep it going folks. Texas is alive and kicking and turning blue!

:dem:

Sonia

[NoPasaran]

1. Woo Hoo!

Or should I say Yeee Hah!

:dem:

[sonias]

3. Yee haw and hot damn!

Texas will rise again - as a new blue leaning state.

I can't wait - then we can really throw our weight around here.

:kick:


Sonia

[Stevepol]

19. You sure it's not already blue?

Ever since 2002, votes in TX and elsewhere have been counted in un-audited electronic voting machines and those machines can be easily rigged or fraudulently programmed. I think they have been but of course there's no way to know that since the elections aren't audited.

TX has perhaps more well-heeled Repubs than any other state and they have extensive networks of political hacks and lackeys and will pretty much stop at nothing.

If you were offered the opportunity to switch an election to your candidate and you knew there was no way anybody could find out, what would you do? That's basically the situation in TX and many other places in the country because of the voting machines.

[sonias]

33. I hear you - I'm involved in a lawsuit on paperless e-voting in Texas

And no we can't be sure. Texas is a cheap ass state and they are not going to force counties to switch to another voting system unless the Feds mandate it, or they get forced to do it in a lawsuit.

Case has been in the courts since 2006. Moving slower than molasses. Texas AG and the SoS keep filing motions to dismiss and appeals to the appeals we win!!!

It's really frustrating. As long as the Rs control the Legislature we can't get anything positive out of the Elections Committee. All the Rs want is damned photo ID. :puke:

:hi:

Sonia

[WolverineDG]

40. Bruni is running again

as an R down here, but I´m glad because he´s the one who keeps filing lawsuits & getting restraining orders against the damn machines in our elections!

dg

[sonias]

45. Good for him and for you

I know he's not a D, but I mean he does keep your elections honest and auditable at least.

Sonia

[hobbit709]

2. We're getting there

[sonias]

4. And every bit counts - every state - no exceptions

"Bless the World - No Exceptions"

:P

"Bless America - No State Excluded!"

Sonia

[Manifestor_of_Light]

5. Checking in as a Proud Third Generation Harris County Democrat.

Yes, I knew the bombthrowing Billie Carr back when I was a kid.

My folks campaigned for Henry B. Gonzalez for governor back in 1958!!


Walkouts, fist fights, and rump conventions! the good old days! Some old bag whacked Dad over the head with her purse..... :D
:rofl:

[texanwitch]

7. I heard about those old county conventions..

I remember Billie Carr.

I went to a few county conventions myself back in the 70's.

[sonias]

12. I loved Henry B!

He was the first Congressman I ever paid attention to and he wasn't even my Congressman.

Sonia

[Melissa G]

23. I grew up in San Antonio, down the street from Henry B. Our 'hood was thick

with those kind of activist Dems. Matt Garcia, our state rep, lived around the corner. All these folks kids were friends who my sibs and I hung out with. LBJ was president right after Kennedy. Foolish young me thought these were examples of what most politicians were like. My family was very active in Hispanic South Texas politics. You can imagine what a shock Nixon and Reagan were to me! Ah, youth...

[texanwitch]

6. Just got home from a lunch with my State Rep.

Yea Texas forum.

The best state forum on DU.


:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :applause: :applause: :applause: :kick:

[sonias]

20. Good for you!

I imagine that they are running again, right?

We are so close to taking control of the Texas House. 2010 could be the year!

:applause:


Sonia

[Why Syzygy]

8. Yippee-Hoo!

:bounce: Let's hear it for Texas! :applause:

[tammywammy]

9. Sweet!!!

By far the busiest state forum on this board, and by a long shot.

:woohoo:

[sonias]

13. We passed the competition a long time ago

I think MN is the closest one to us nearing about 38,000.

:yourock:

Sonia

[av8rdave]

10. Yippee! Guess I'd better start posting here!

[tammywammy]

11. Yes, the Texas forum is full of good information

I see from your profile you're in Dallas, I'm just over in Arlington. :hi:

[av8rdave]

24. Actually, I'm right up the road in Grapevine

[tammywammy]

38. I love Grapevine

I work every other weekend at a real estate office in Grapevine. I love this wine bar, Tastings, on Main Street.

[av8rdave]

50. Not a bad little town

Love Grapefest...never miss it. There are some great places to eat there too! Have lived here temporarily all these years (20+) and then one day you realize it's actually your hometown.

[tammywammy]

67. The weather perked up just in time for Grapefest this year

I was working at the real estate office, it's right on Main, so I saw the traffic. I like their Christmas parade as well, Willhoites makes a darn good Irish Coffee. :)

[Aragorn]

28. me too

the best educated city in the state - maybe the country.

UTA! UTA! UTA!

[tammywammy]

37. Ehh, I'm transferring to UTA for next fall

I was going to Northwood in Cedar Hill and I LOVED it there. LOVED IT. But I got a new job with an employer that will pay for my education, and unfortunately won't pay for Northwood (basically, since it's a private school), so I'm taking a few classes at TCC this term and next and then off to UTA. I don't like TCC very much and only going to UTA since I won't have to pay for it, but wish I could go to Northwood still.

I like Arlington though. I grew up here, I did my travel around the Metroplex for a few years and ended up buying a house in Arlington still. :)

[sonias]

14. Welcome to the Texas DU forum av8rdave!

You are always welcomed to contribute.

:hi:

Sonia

[Lisa0825]

36. I love your sig pic! LOL! nt

[av8rdave]

51. Thanks! Yours is good also

[onestepforward]

15. Congratulations to the Texas Forum!

60,000 post!!! Yea!!!!! Big thanks to all the Texans who help me to stay informed with great posts and who have inspired me to get active with Texas politics!


:toast:



:bounce: :fistbump: :yourock: :woohoo: :bounce:

[redqueen]

16. Congrats fellow Texans!

:toast:

[AllenVanAllen]

17. Congratulations Texas DU Forum!

Here's to a Blue Texas dawn! :toast: :applause::bounce: :applause:

[sonias]

21. Blue Dawn - I like that

Red Dawn was so last century. Time for a Blue Dawn!

:bounce:

Sonia

[babylonsister]

18. Yay! Congrats! nt

[Melissa G]

22. Texas Forum Rocks! A great place to get info on what's happening

With turning Texas Blue again! :woohoo: Congrats! :bounce:
:kick:

[TX Screwball]

25. WOOT!!!

I promise I will post more and be less negative in the future. I really dig you cats!

Cheers,

Rick

[kentauros]

26. Thar ya go!

Checking in with rec #13 :D
Congrats Texas Forum!!!

Woo Hoo!!!!
Hoo Hah!!!


Oh, and there are still brawls in Texas over elections. I remember one that happened in Dripping Springs a few years ago. My father is conservative while my mother is semi-liberal. However both voted for the Dem, Rose, and thought Green was "a jerk" :D

Some of y'all may remember it. Here's the story from the Austin Chronicle:

War of the Roses (and Greens)
A midday scuffle at a polling site in Dripping Springs between Democratic District 45 Rep. Patrick Rose and the man he defeated four years ago, Republican Rick Green, was Election Day fodder for the media. The Hays Co. Sheriff's Department was called to the scene of the scuffle, Sunset Canyon Baptist Church, just before noon on Election Day. Rose says that Green shoved, then hit, him. Witnesses say the two had to be separated. Rose downplayed the incident, calling it unfortunate. The injuries weren't major for either one of the men, but Green was charged with assault with bodily injury, a class A misdemeanor. Some blamed the scuffle on Green's unhappiness over Rose's recent campaign fliers, which compared his challenger Jim Neuhaus to Green. The tight Rose-Green race four years ago was highly contentious, with Rose winning by only 335 votes. After the incident, Rose went back to campaigning and went on to beat Neuhaus, 60%-36%. – Kimberly Reeves

[sonias]

30. Who can forget that nutcase Rick Green

What a whiner! That creep actually won his first race in a manual recount (i.e. back when we had verifiable paper ballots). But when the bushies were all about shutting down the Florida recount in 2000 - he was putting down recounts. Typical "I got mine, you don't get any" attitude Republican.

Oh and then there was that little Metabolife scandal that he and Jeff Wentworth were involved in.

Lobby Watch 10/21/2002
How Politicians Got Fat On A
Risky Weight-Loss Stimulant

(snip)

Fat lobby
Since 1997, herbal supplement trade groups and ephedra industry leader Metabolife International have reported 28 Texas lobby contracts with a total value of between $870,000 and $1.3 million (lobbyists report their incomes in ranges). Metabolife lobbyists who were at Arter & Hadden before forming Loeffler Jonas & Tuggey in 2001 have dominated this lobbying since 1999.

Absent from these lobby lists are Sen. Jeff Wentworth and Rep. Rick Green. As they oversaw TDH's budget as legislators, Wentworth and Green drew Loeffler Jonas & Tuggey paychecks to privately lobby TDH on Metabolife's behalf (Wentworth separately disclosed representing Metabolife before TDH; Green did not.). The Travis County Attorney is investigating if this conflict broke state law.

Sonia

[MagickMuffin]

27. Here's to ALL Texas DUers: Great Job Y'ALL

And here's a visualization for us to focus on. Seeing Texas in the next few Election Cycles!


GO TEXAS.... GO BLUE

:kick: :applause::kick: :applause::kick: :applause::kick: :applause::kick: :applause::kick: :applause::kick: :applause::kick: :applause::kick: :applause::kick: :applause::kick: :applause::kick: :applause:

[Why Syzygy]

32. Yoohoo!

Was just about to PM you to come over and party :party: Feels good to celebrate our state for a change.

:patriot:

:smoke:

[sonias]

34. Beautiful Magic

I dream of blue Texas too!

:kick:


Sonia

[GOPisEvil]

29. Congratulations former neighbors!

:toast::party::woohoo:

[sonias]

31. Hey you know you're a Texan at heart

You can take the Texan out of Texas, but ... oh well. You're always welcome back.

You gotta visit the folks sometime.

:hi:


Sonia

[Lisa0825]

35. Who was # 60K?

I think I was # 59,998.

[sonias]

44. How can you tell?

I know I was 60,001 because I checked before I posted this thread.

We could figure it out by time stamp, unless there are two posts with the same minute.


Sonia

[sonias]

46. I'm going to guess EndersDame

This post came in at 3:07 and this thread was posted at 3:09 It's just my best guess.

We shall proclaim EngersDame winner of the 60,000 post on the Texas DU forum, unless someone else comes forward with a closer time to 3:09.

:toast:


Sonia

[WolverineDG]

39. Hooray for everybody!!

:bounce: :party: :bounce:

Congratulations to everyone for making this the best forum on DU!!!!!

Keep up the good work & let´s turn Texas blue in 2010!!

dg

[tanyev]

41. Awww, it doesn't look a day over 40,000.

WTG! :applause:

[sonias]

58. And sometimes we act like we're just 10,000

Like smart ass teenagers! :evilgrin:

:hi:

Sonia

[crispini]

42. Yay Texas forum!

We have the hardest workers on DU right here!

[PDittie]

43. Congratulations everyone

It was through DU and the Texas forum that I met some of my best friends in the whole world (I'm lookin' at you, Lisa0825 and WestHoustonDem) and we had offline meetups here in H-Town where I met johncoby and merci me and Gothmog and many others.

We've been to the famous Austin brunches with GOPisE, and sonia, and NoPasa, as well as the infamous VelmaD. At state conventions (and Camp Casey) we met WolverineDG, who came up one fall to go to the Renaissance Festival with us. And we reconnoitered with the DFW contingent of crispini and derby and the rest. And the now transplanted Texans -- fudge striped cookays and reprehensor -- who came to Houston and paid us a call before they moved to Wisconsin.

Please don't be offended if I forgot to post your name, because I certainly haven't forgotten all that this forum has meant to the cause of advancing the election of Democrats in Texas, and your participation in that endeavor. Look who far we have come, after all.

:toast: :dem: :yourock: :applause: :woohoo:

[WestHoustonDem]

47. Wow. It seems like just yesterday....

Here's to the best Democrats in Texas! :toast:

[sonias]

49. Hey you - welcome home!

Seems like a family reunion.

:hug: :hi:

Sonia

[WestHoustonDem]

57. Hey Sonia!

:hug:

[derby378]

62. Where have you been, young lady?

Haven't seen you since the state convention in Austin last year. How are you?

:hug::bounce::hug:

[Lisa0825]

52. Back atcha Dittie :-) nt

[sonias]

48. Celebration of other good Texans who have gone before us

One of our most beloved members on DU, not just the Texas forum, longtime DU moderator - Longhorn (Kendra)
Farewell, Longhorn 2/2/09



Lithos post on Kendra's memorial:
I just got back from the memorial

To hobbit709's wife Donna
The love of my life is gone 7/29/09

To NoPasaran's father that passed away in July as well.

To PDittie's Mother-in-Law
My wife's mother passed early this morning 8/22/09

Feel free to add others that you know about. We celebrate all their lives. Hope they can see us smile about their wonderful lives. We miss you all.

:grouphug: :loveya:

Sonia

[Melissa G]

53. Andy was a Texan. I think he was born here.

I know he lived here for a while. I'm wanna say he was born in El Paso. Anyone else remember?

[NoPasaran]

54. I think Andy's family lived up around Belton or Killeen

You might be right that he was from El Paso.

[Lithos]

55. Was out of town this weekend

Wish I hadn't as I would have nagged everyone I knew to get in here to post.

But congrats to each and everyone of you. Ya'll rock!

:toast:

[kjackson227]

56. We're getting the job done!!! Can't wait until 2010 so that we can seal the deal!

[Melissa G]

59. Sealing the deal may get a little challenging if we wait until 2010

We need to take the Senate and some state wide offices now!

This from today's Quorum Report news clips.

Houston Chronicle - September 28, 2009
FIKAC: AFTER THE CENSUS, NEW BATTLE BEGINS

The coming months will tell whether Democrats can influence redistricting and, thus, policy-making for the next decade — or if they'll blow it. The state House, with a 76-74 GOP majority that could go either way in 2010, is key. But it's only part of the story, because the GOP is expected to keep a state Senate majority. If senators and House members don't agree on legislative redistricting in 2011 to reflect the census — or if the governor vetoes a plan — the Legislative Redistricting Board steps in. And that's a big rub for Democrats. The board includes the lieutenant governor, House speaker, attorney general, comptroller and land commissioner — all GOP now.

[sonias]

60. That is depressing

There are not many Senate seats that are ripe for the taking by Democrats. Ogden is the only Senator that has announced he's not running and that seat is very red. I'm sure we'll have someone announce that they are running on our side, but I haven't heard of anyone yet.

The only good Senate seat I know we should be able to win is SD25 - the race John Courage is running for against Jeff Wentworth. That district is winnable by a good Democrat.


Sonia

[Melissa G]

61. I am happy to work for Courage against Wentworth again

That is my district and I am so ready to have John as my senator! Is there some legal challenge we can mount to that crappy redistricting board? Paging legal eagles!

[NoPasaran]

64. SD 25, some cold hard numbers

2006 Results

Bexar
Wentworth 60,621
Thomas 29,463
GOP Margin 31,000

Comal
Wentworth 19,224
Thomas 7,240
GOP Margin 12,000

Guadalupe
Wentworth 15,434
Thomas 7,764
GOP Margin 8,000

Kendall
Wentworth 7,441
Thomas 2,102
GOP Margin 5,000

Hays
Wentworth 15,037
Thomas 13,527
GOP Margin 1,500

Travis
Wentworth 15,115
Thomas 24,720
DEM Margin 9,500

Now as many of you know I live in 25 too and I like and respect John Courage. But the Travis County part of the district was easily outvoted by the middle counties... and how many more Democratic voters are there to be found in Travis? Now, I know that Hays is becoming more and more Democratic, so we could expect to do better there in 2010. But then there's the huge Republican advantage in Bexar which is certainly not going to change without a lot of work by the BCDP.

[Melissa G]

65. Those Bexar County numbers are grim. It will certainly be tough going.

Any hope for a legal challenge to the redistricting board?

[sonias]

66. Thanks for the facts NoPasaran

John knows Bexar is going to be tough to deal with and he's not counting on just Travis to carry him over. He's been working on CD25 since the primary from last year. We did a lot of organizing for Obama in 2008. So he's met a lot of people in those middle counties. Good leaders. There will be a big ground game plan.

And we know that 2010 will be different. It's not a presidential election so the turnout drops off. Part of the plan is to get all or as many of the Obama voters out again. If we can do that and the R turnout drops for lack of a presidential candidate we have a good chance.

I'm happy we have someone who has run a race before running.

Sonia

[yellowdogintexas]

63. awesome! This is a great Forum!

[ceile]

68. Excellent!!

[jeffweemsforRRC]

69. Been campaigning and in trial

Let's hear it for winning some statewides in 2010!

[Sailing]

70. Well, I can't say that...

my 150-some posts since 2004 have helped much in this regard. :D

[sonias]

71. Hey every little bit counts

If not for your 150 some posts we wouldn't be celebrating this until next month.

:)

Sonia