Lampson Opts for Re-Election in TX-22

The Austin American Statesman is reporting on their blog that Nick Lampson will NOT run for Senate in 2008 as has been speculated, but has decided to defend his seat in TX-22.

A Senate bid is "not going to happen," Tameez said. "It sounds goofy, but he feels like he made a commitment to the people of Congressional District 22." Tameez said Lampson feels a Senate try would be "disingenuous."

Tameez aired Lampson's decision to stamp out speculation regarding a Senate bid. "We just want it to stop," he said (unwittingly the desire of some observers of this legislative session).

Doesn't sound goofy to me. (Perhaps Nick needs a better consultant for the next election cycle if he can't control his mouth better than that.) Sounds like great news for TX-22.

It is going to be a hard fought battle for re-election. Of that there is no doubt.

I look forward to supporting Rep. Lampson in that fight. As soon as the filing's official, I'll be sending him some cash, and I hope you all will join me.

Rick's Comments on Memorial Day and the Legislature

Must read over at Muse's place. An excerpt below to help us all keep perspective this Memorial Day weekend.

One of the things this holiday may represent is that people have died for our right to disagree. In the face of such service and sacrifice, using overheated, incendiary language normally used to typify armed conflict to describe divisions in the Texas House of Representatives is not helpful and possibly irresponsible. "Insurgents," "rebels," "storming," "charged," "anarchy" are not appropriate terms to describe the occurrences in the Texas House this weekend. It is dramatic to use such over-the-top expressions, but it is not accurate or appropriate.

Genuine differences in opinion, concern about appropriate use of Texas House rules to stifle debate and disagreement, fundamental discussions of the use of this great state's resources to meet the needs of its citizens--all are in play at the Texas Capitol this holiday. In the face of such drama, it is tempting to go over the top to try and convey the intensity of the discussion and the strong differences in opinion of the members of the Texas House. For the sake of accurate reporting and the gravity of the discussion, it might be more responsible to take the language down a little and leave the war analogies to CNN and Fox News.

Democracy is messy. Democracy at its best is not everyone agreeing, of not knowing the answer to every question. Democracy is hashing out all the sides and listening to all the voices, and bringing forth the common ground for the common good. We would challenge you to not silence the voices of discontent, but instead embrace the fundamental tenet of democracy, that of listening to a different view.

Amen.

McCraw's Slow Dinghy Springs a Leak

One thing you can say for the Republicans of Texas, when a tactic works, they’ll keep running it till it runs aground-and never was a metaphor more apt than for for Steve McCraw’s attempted swiftboating of Rick Noriega.

Rick has been in the forefront of the fight to make HB-13* a responsible piece of legislation instead of a power grab by the Executive branch of Texas government. (Looks like Governor 39% has been taking notes on that whole “unitary executive” concept.)

That has drawn the tiny, foot-stamping ire of McCraw, who decided to up the ante by sending a letter on the Governor’s official letterhead questioning Rick’s commitment to border security.

The swiftboat turned into a rubber dinghy somewhere in the three pages (plus enclosures)** McCraw took to explain to a Lt. Colonel in the Texas Army National Guard who has served in Afghanistan and as a sector commander in Operation Jump Start how important it was to secure the Texas border from possible terrorist infiltration.

Then the dinghy sprung a leak, as Rick fired back his response.

There is too much at stake here to play politics. Further, these irresponsible statements contribute to concerns that the state has placed the trust of our homeland security in the hands of staff in a political office, without the accountability and supervision we require of law enforcement agencies. The letter was written on official Office of the Governor letterhead, but I am going to assume that this letter went out without your knowledge or approval. The purpose of this letter is to ask that your office retract this statement immediately.

You will recall that when the President of the United States announced last spring that he would send 6,000 National Guard soldiers to the border, I volunteered. I served as the Laredo Border Sector Commander for over 300 Texas Military Forces. We assisted in the seizure of thousands of pounds of drugs, while working jointly with federal, state, and local law enforcement officials to secure our border. Along with our fellow officers and airmen, we once again spent months away from family because of our belief that it was our duty to protect our state and our homeland.

The Guard worked hand-in-hand with U.S. Border Patrol and the local law enforcement because securing our borders requires cooperation between all levels of government. Equally important is the disciplined adherence to tight security protocols. Lack of cooperation with the Texas Department of Public Safety on the part of your political security entity, as well as documented security leaks and lack of consistent procedure, has contributed to the concern of some in the legislature about the command and control of this entity.

This is the kind of fighter Texas needs to take the Senate seat squatted in by John Cornyn in 2008. Help us draft him by signing up for our email list (see form in the left column), or blogging about the upcoming Texas Senate race, and why you think Rick Noriega is the guy to be the next Democratic Senator from the great state of Texas.

*In case you haven’t been following the travails of HB 13, Jake Bernstein has been following the doings in detail on the TO blog. Kuff also has a succinct writeup on the latest pothole the bill hit last Friday.

** The Texas Observer, which broke the story on its blog has copies of the letter, which must be read to be believed, as well as Rep. Noriega’s full response.