Monthly Archives: December 2011

The End Is Near!

Wow! What a year 2011 has been, and I’m quite happy it will be over in just over a day. Don’t get me wrong; personally, I’ve had my own ups and downs, but I’m happy for others who have had a great year. After “retiring” from campaign work and the end of Stipeche 2010, I did a few odd political jobs (including a victory in New York), a lot of corporate communications jobs, and I even helped launch SomosTejanos.org. On top of that, I also re-started DosCentavos.net because, ultimately, it’s hard to abandon that first love.

No doubt, there were bumps along the 2011 Highway, but around the end of October, things started smoothing out. And the closer the end of the year got, the more clearer my purpose for 2012 became. Needless to say, the end of the year has been one where I’ve reflected on the past and re-committed to my goals, and it is one where I have re-connected with good people–and for the better.

So far, 2012 is looking like my year in so many ways. Will there be bumps and course corrections along the way? Sure! That’s what life is all about it. The key is not to lose hope and not to run away from the scary. At least, that’s the plan.

I wish you all an amazing 2012 filled with Democratic victories!

Cargas Launches Campaign

My friend, James Cargas, is off and running for Congressional District 7. He’s aiming for Tea Party darling Culberson, but he has to work his way through the Democratic Primary from now until April.

Unlike his filed opponent and the one that missed the first filing deadline, James offers public service and campaign experience that is unequaled.  As he told CD-7 precinct chairs in an e-mail today:

I know it will not be easy.  Very qualified and well-funded Democratic candidates have come up short in the past.  But, to paraphrase Wayne Gretzky, I plan to skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.

Yes, he’s the real deal in CD-7, and we need James to be one of our catalysts on the November ballot. You can follow the James Cargas Campaign on Twitter and on Facebook.

What? Not Anastacio?

This article caught my eye regarding baby names. Looks like Jose got knocked out as the #1 name. Does that mean more gringo Anglo babies??? No, Latinos are probably looking for more gringo-ized names. Good for them. Still, Anastacio is pretty cool name. And if you want to gringo-ize, you can always call him…well, you know.

And with that, Happy 2012! Thank you for being loyal readers. You don’t know how much I appreciate you!

Live Music Break

Here’s one of my recent faves from Raul Malo. The Rodney Crowell classic, “Til I Gain Control Again”

Slow Week…

No it’s wasn’t a slow news week, but fighting a cold while trying to work sorta took my inner bloguero out of me. Thanks for sticking around, though. With the end of the year coming, I’m hoping to do a little bit of “Best of…” as well as a bit of “What’s next…” Stay connected!

Save the Date:  Youth of the Union Conference, 2/4/12

That’s right, the University of Houston will be the site of the Youth of the Union Conference in February featuring some great presentations on political engagement and empowerment of our youth. 2008 showed that when we engage young people, they vote–in numbers. And in 2012, we must do the same, and this conference is exactly about that.

I’m equally excited to participate in the conference, along with “the smart one in the family,” Toni Medellin, to present on the issue of the photo ID and how it affects young voters. So, sign up. If you’re a college professor, send your students. If you’re a ground activist, send your youth activists. You get the picture.

The New UH Coach, Me and SWT

That’s right, the new UH Coach, Tony Levine, was a young assistant coach at SWT (Texas State) during the same time that yours truly worked with his student-athletes at the Athletic Academic Center. Congrats to Coach Levine on the new job. This will definitely make me pay more attention to U of H now, and not just Texas State.

In fact, TXST and UH play here in Houston in 2012–that should be an experience!

Here’s some trivia. Coach Levine worked for then-Bobcat Coach Bob DeBesse, who is now the offensive coordinator at Sam Houston State, who will be playing in the Division I Football National Championship on Jan. 7. And Coby is a fan of Sam Houston for some reason.

Just In:  DC Court Slams Texas Republicans on Redraw

Check out the latest in the Texas redistricting battle. Apparently, 2 Republican appointees and 1 Democratic appointee have called out the Republican Texas Lege for their redraw formula.

“Texas perceives “ability” and “opportunity” as interchangeable, but they represent different concepts that serve different purposes,” the judges wrote in their order.

They also found that standard used by the state to determine if a district could elect a minority candidate was overly simplistic.

“…Historical discrimination against Hispanics in Texas has, in some areas of the State [sic], continued to depress their educational and economic conditions such that the mere attainment of citizen voting-age status might have no real effect on their ability to elect representatives of choice,” the judges wrote, citing a legal brief filed by Latino Redistricting Task Force, which is represented by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund.

They continued: ” Such a background requires a more complicated retrogression analysis than Texas wants this Court to approve, but it is part and parcel of discerning whether minority voters will be effective in their exercise of the electoral franchise.”

Filing Frenzy

Kuff has a lengthy post on the current state of filings. Of course, things changed regarding filing deadlines and the Primary election date. Obviously, the important ones include James Cargas for Congress, Silvia Mintz for HCDE #4, Nile Copeland for Justice, Erica Lee for HCDE, Jamaal Smith for HD137 and David Rosen for HCDE, among others.

It is getting really interesting, primary-wise. We have yet begun to blog about it!

Was He Even Running?

So, El General bowed out of the Senate race?

dropping out of the Texas race because of “pressing personal challenges” and a lack of funds.

Frankly, I wasn’t all too excited about him getting the early anointing from folks in Washington, DC, but no one else in the “major” category was stepping up either. I think we care too much about the top of the ballot most times. Even with President Obama at the top this time around, would resources even end up here in Texas?

Democrats who give need to make sure they give their scarce dollars to LOCAL campaigns and/or local efforts to GOTV. We have some real opportunities to pursue locally and sending Democratic dollars to other states will not benefit our efforts.  GIVE LOCALLY!

LUCKY!!

That’s all I got for this evening. But enjoy this video of Raul Malo performing at our own Discovery Green for my b-day this past summer.