Houston Political Blog

Images from the Convention... !

I snapped some photos using my brand new camera in the last 24 hours or so in Austin.  I've made a little slideshow... see if you see yourself, or someone you know.  So far, the convention has been a fast paced, go there, dash here, sort of thing for the media.  I've been interested in seeing all the Hillary and Obama supporters still so passionate about both candidates.  Chelsea Clinton is making an appearance tonight, so that should be very interesting!  How will the rest of the convention go? I can't wait to find out who from our area will be heading to Denver.

Want the high quality picture of your smiling face? Leave me a comment with email info. Enjoy!

Images from the Convention... !

I snapped some photos using my brand new camera in the last 24 hours or so in Austin.  I've made a little slideshow... see if you see yourself, or someone you know.  So far, the convention has been a fast paced, go there, dash here, sort of thing for the media.  I've been interested in seeing all the Hillary and Obama supporters still so passionate about both candidates.  Chelsea Clinton is making an appearance tonight, so that should be very interesting!  How will the rest of the convention go? I can't wait to find out who from our area will be heading to Denver.

Want the high quality picture of your smiling face? Leave me a comment with email info. Enjoy!

Borris Miles Indicted!

Update: 5:00 pm Responding to commenters as to why I didn't cover the Hubert Vo controversy, and now covering this one.. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I was in China all last week, kind of hard to cover an elected official when I'm on the other side of the world (and my blog's being blocked by the Chinese censors.)  And yes, Borris Miles is a Democrat.. I thought everyone knew that.  Now, back to the issue at hand.  No, Miles has not turned himself in yet.  And despite the fact that he's been shopping for a big name criminal defense attorney in the past few months (serious, serious shopping), he hasn't hired one yet, as far as we know. 

Update: 4:00 pm  We hear arrest warrent has been issued for Miles.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- State Representative Borris Miles has been indicted on two counts of deadly conduct. The indictments stem from two different incidents on the same day back in December. The first incident happened during a Rockets/Mavericks game at Toyota Center. At a facility lounge, Miles allegedly pulled a gun on TSU regent Willard Jackson's wife. The second incident took place at a party thrown by businessman David Harris later that same night. At the party, Miles allegedly pulled a gun on Harris.

Apparently, Miles alledgedly pulled the gun inside the swanky Lexus Lounge at the Toyota Center.  They then moved on to the St. Regis hotel, where the alledged incidents there have been well documented. Stay Tuned!

Borris Miles Indicted!

Update: 5:00 pm Responding to commenters as to why I didn't cover the Hubert Vo controversy, and now covering this one.. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I was in China all last week, kind of hard to cover an elected official when I'm on the other side of the world (and my blog's being blocked by the Chinese censors.)  And yes, Borris Miles is a Democrat.. I thought everyone knew that.  Now, back to the issue at hand.  No, Miles has not turned himself in yet.  And despite the fact that he's been shopping for a big name criminal defense attorney in the past few months (serious, serious shopping), he hasn't hired one yet, as far as we know. 

Update: 4:00 pm  We hear arrest warrent has been issued for Miles.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- State Representative Borris Miles has been indicted on two counts of deadly conduct. The indictments stem from two different incidents on the same day back in December. The first incident happened during a Rockets/Mavericks game at Toyota Center. At a facility lounge, Miles allegedly pulled a gun on TSU regent Willard Jackson's wife. The second incident took place at a party thrown by businessman David Harris later that same night. At the party, Miles allegedly pulled a gun on Harris.

Apparently, Miles alledgedly pulled the gun inside the swanky Lexus Lounge at the Toyota Center.  They then moved on to the St. Regis hotel, where the alledged incidents there have been well documented. Stay Tuned!

Borris Miles Indicted!

Update: 5:00 pm Responding to commenters as to why I didn't cover the Hubert Vo controversy, and now covering this one.. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I was in China all last week, kind of hard to cover an elected official when I'm on the other side of the world (and my blog's being blocked by the Chinese censors.)  And yes, Borris Miles is a Democrat.. I thought everyone knew that.  Now, back to the issue at hand.  No, Miles has not turned himself in yet.  And despite the fact that he's been shopping for a big name criminal defense attorney in the past few months (serious, serious shopping), he hasn't hired one yet, as far as we know. 

Update: 4:00 pm  We hear arrest warrent has been issued for Miles.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- State Representative Borris Miles has been indicted on two counts of deadly conduct. The indictments stem from two different incidents on the same day back in December. The first incident happened during a Rockets/Mavericks game at Toyota Center. At a facility lounge, Miles allegedly pulled a gun on TSU regent Willard Jackson's wife. The second incident took place at a party thrown by businessman David Harris later that same night. At the party, Miles allegedly pulled a gun on Harris.

Apparently, Miles alledgedly pulled the gun inside the swanky Lexus Lounge at the Toyota Center.  They then moved on to the St. Regis hotel, where the alledged incidents there have been well documented. Stay Tuned!

Borris Miles Indicted!

Update: 5:00 pm Responding to commenters as to why I didn't cover the Hubert Vo controversy, and now covering this one.. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know I was in China all last week, kind of hard to cover an elected official when I'm on the other side of the world (and my blog's being blocked by the Chinese censors.)  And yes, Borris Miles is a Democrat.. I thought everyone knew that.  Now, back to the issue at hand.  No, Miles has not turned himself in yet.  And despite the fact that he's been shopping for a big name criminal defense attorney in the past few months (serious, serious shopping), he hasn't hired one yet, as far as we know. 

Update: 4:00 pm  We hear arrest warrent has been issued for Miles.

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- State Representative Borris Miles has been indicted on two counts of deadly conduct. The indictments stem from two different incidents on the same day back in December. The first incident happened during a Rockets/Mavericks game at Toyota Center. At a facility lounge, Miles allegedly pulled a gun on TSU regent Willard Jackson's wife. The second incident took place at a party thrown by businessman David Harris later that same night. At the party, Miles allegedly pulled a gun on Harris.

Apparently, Miles alledgedly pulled the gun inside the swanky Lexus Lounge at the Toyota Center.  They then moved on to the St. Regis hotel, where the alledged incidents there have been well documented. Stay Tuned!

The Penn Drops

After a long stretch of unhappy Clinton supporters grumbling about chief strategist Mark Penn, this from ABC news:

Mark Penn has been pushed out as chief strategist of Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign after his work on a Colombian free-trade agreement that Clinton opposes, sources tell ABC News.

Sources said that the Clintons were angry to learn about Penn's work, especially because they had been told that Penn had recused himself from controversial clients and would restrict his private work.

Though Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams said, "After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as chief strategist of the Clinton campaign," sources told ABC News Penn was pushed.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Friday that Penn, who also is chief executive of the lobbying and public relations firm Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, had been hired by the Colombian government to help secure a trade deal.

On Saturday, the Colombian government said it was firing Penn's firm after he said through the Clinton campaign that his consultations with Colombian officials were "an error in judgment that will not be repeated, and I am sorry for it."

The Penn Drops

After a long stretch of unhappy Clinton supporters grumbling about chief strategist Mark Penn, this from ABC news:

Mark Penn has been pushed out as chief strategist of Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign after his work on a Colombian free-trade agreement that Clinton opposes, sources tell ABC News.

Sources said that the Clintons were angry to learn about Penn's work, especially because they had been told that Penn had recused himself from controversial clients and would restrict his private work.

Though Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams said, "After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as chief strategist of the Clinton campaign," sources told ABC News Penn was pushed.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Friday that Penn, who also is chief executive of the lobbying and public relations firm Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, had been hired by the Colombian government to help secure a trade deal.

On Saturday, the Colombian government said it was firing Penn's firm after he said through the Clinton campaign that his consultations with Colombian officials were "an error in judgment that will not be repeated, and I am sorry for it."

The Penn Drops

After a long stretch of unhappy Clinton supporters grumbling about chief strategist Mark Penn, this from ABC news:

Mark Penn has been pushed out as chief strategist of Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign after his work on a Colombian free-trade agreement that Clinton opposes, sources tell ABC News.

Sources said that the Clintons were angry to learn about Penn's work, especially because they had been told that Penn had recused himself from controversial clients and would restrict his private work.

Though Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams said, "After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as chief strategist of the Clinton campaign," sources told ABC News Penn was pushed.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Friday that Penn, who also is chief executive of the lobbying and public relations firm Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, had been hired by the Colombian government to help secure a trade deal.

On Saturday, the Colombian government said it was firing Penn's firm after he said through the Clinton campaign that his consultations with Colombian officials were "an error in judgment that will not be repeated, and I am sorry for it."

The Penn Drops

After a long stretch of unhappy Clinton supporters grumbling about chief strategist Mark Penn, this from ABC news:

Mark Penn has been pushed out as chief strategist of Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign after his work on a Colombian free-trade agreement that Clinton opposes, sources tell ABC News.

Sources said that the Clintons were angry to learn about Penn's work, especially because they had been told that Penn had recused himself from controversial clients and would restrict his private work.

Though Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams said, "After the events of the last few days, Mark Penn has asked to give up his role as chief strategist of the Clinton campaign," sources told ABC News Penn was pushed.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on Friday that Penn, who also is chief executive of the lobbying and public relations firm Burson-Marsteller Worldwide, had been hired by the Colombian government to help secure a trade deal.

On Saturday, the Colombian government said it was firing Penn's firm after he said through the Clinton campaign that his consultations with Colombian officials were "an error in judgment that will not be repeated, and I am sorry for it."

LULAC thinking about filing lawsuit against TDP

Austin-- Update:  You can see the video of the story on the ABC13 website.

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) told me today that it's considering filing a lawsuit against the Texas Democratic Party.   LULAC's national general counsel Louis Vera told me that he believes the caucus process disenfranchises the state's Latino voters.  Although the caucus numbers between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are not final yet, LULAC has been contemplating the lawsuit for a few weeks.

"We had reports all night long and this morning of many, many people who couldn’t stay there anymore," says Vera.  "It was 9:30, 10 o'clock and they haven’t even begun to vote."

Vera is also concerned that because the Primary allocates delegates based on turnout of the previous election, a vote for delegates  in San Antonio or south Texas is actually worth less than a vote out of Houston or Dallas. LULAC isn't officially allowed to endorse anyone, but Vera and a number of high ranking officials within the organization support Clinton.

Vera says a decision will be made about the lawsuit when all the caucus numbers roll in, which could take a few weeks.  "What we are considering is whether or not there are violations of the Voting Rights Act, " he says. "I’m not sure if all the changes in the caucus system has been pre-cleared by the Justice Department."

I called the Texas Democratic Party today, and spokesperson Hector Nieto says he did not hear about the rumblings of a lawsuit until I called him.  "When you put a million people across the state in a caucus, off course you’re going to have problems," says Nieto.  "there will be people waiting, there will be people crammed into small rooms... All I can say is that this system was put into place for participation by all, and judging by the turnout, we  had an equal opportunity for people to participate."

Vera says if they are filing a lawsuit, it will be done before the state Democratic Convention.  He also says this is not about Clinton or Obama. It's about whether or not the voices of Latino voters are heard.

LULAC thinking about filing lawsuit against TDP

Austin-- Update:  You can see the video of the story on the ABC13 website.

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) told me today that it's considering filing a lawsuit against the Texas Democratic Party.   LULAC's national general counsel Louis Vera told me that he believes the caucus process disenfranchises the state's Latino voters.  Although the caucus numbers between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are not final yet, LULAC has been contemplating the lawsuit for a few weeks.

"We had reports all night long and this morning of many, many people who couldn’t stay there anymore," says Vera.  "It was 9:30, 10 o'clock and they haven’t even begun to vote."

Vera is also concerned that because the Primary allocates delegates based on turnout of the previous election, a vote for delegates  in San Antonio or south Texas is actually worth less than a vote out of Houston or Dallas. LULAC isn't officially allowed to endorse anyone, but Vera and a number of high ranking officials within the organization support Clinton.

Vera says a decision will be made about the lawsuit when all the caucus numbers roll in, which could take a few weeks.  "What we are considering is whether or not there are violations of the Voting Rights Act, " he says. "I’m not sure if all the changes in the caucus system has been pre-cleared by the Justice Department."

I called the Texas Democratic Party today, and spokesperson Hector Nieto says he did not hear about the rumblings of a lawsuit until I called him.  "When you put a million people across the state in a caucus, off course you’re going to have problems," says Nieto.  "there will be people waiting, there will be people crammed into small rooms... All I can say is that this system was put into place for participation by all, and judging by the turnout, we  had an equal opportunity for people to participate."

Vera says if they are filing a lawsuit, it will be done before the state Democratic Convention.  He also says this is not about Clinton or Obama. It's about whether or not the voices of Latino voters are heard.

LULAC thinking about filing lawsuit against TDP

Austin-- Update:  You can see the video of the story on the ABC13 website.

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) told me today that it's considering filing a lawsuit against the Texas Democratic Party.   LULAC's national general counsel Louis Vera told me that he believes the caucus process disenfranchises the state's Latino voters.  Although the caucus numbers between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are not final yet, LULAC has been contemplating the lawsuit for a few weeks.

"We had reports all night long and this morning of many, many people who couldn’t stay there anymore," says Vera.  "It was 9:30, 10 o'clock and they haven’t even begun to vote."

Vera is also concerned that because the Primary allocates delegates based on turnout of the previous election, a vote for delegates  in San Antonio or south Texas is actually worth less than a vote out of Houston or Dallas. LULAC isn't officially allowed to endorse anyone, but Vera and a number of high ranking officials within the organization support Clinton.

Vera says a decision will be made about the lawsuit when all the caucus numbers roll in, which could take a few weeks.  "What we are considering is whether or not there are violations of the Voting Rights Act, " he says. "I’m not sure if all the changes in the caucus system has been pre-cleared by the Justice Department."

I called the Texas Democratic Party today, and spokesperson Hector Nieto says he did not hear about the rumblings of a lawsuit until I called him.  "When you put a million people across the state in a caucus, off course you’re going to have problems," says Nieto.  "there will be people waiting, there will be people crammed into small rooms... All I can say is that this system was put into place for participation by all, and judging by the turnout, we  had an equal opportunity for people to participate."

Vera says if they are filing a lawsuit, it will be done before the state Democratic Convention.  He also says this is not about Clinton or Obama. It's about whether or not the voices of Latino voters are heard.

LULAC thinking about filing lawsuit against TDP

Austin-- Update:  You can see the video of the story on the ABC13 website.

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) told me today that it's considering filing a lawsuit against the Texas Democratic Party.   LULAC's national general counsel Louis Vera told me that he believes the caucus process disenfranchises the state's Latino voters.  Although the caucus numbers between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton are not final yet, LULAC has been contemplating the lawsuit for a few weeks.

"We had reports all night long and this morning of many, many people who couldn’t stay there anymore," says Vera.  "It was 9:30, 10 o'clock and they haven’t even begun to vote."

Vera is also concerned that because the Primary allocates delegates based on turnout of the previous election, a vote for delegates  in San Antonio or south Texas is actually worth less than a vote out of Houston or Dallas. LULAC isn't officially allowed to endorse anyone, but Vera and a number of high ranking officials within the organization support Clinton.

Vera says a decision will be made about the lawsuit when all the caucus numbers roll in, which could take a few weeks.  "What we are considering is whether or not there are violations of the Voting Rights Act, " he says. "I’m not sure if all the changes in the caucus system has been pre-cleared by the Justice Department."

I called the Texas Democratic Party today, and spokesperson Hector Nieto says he did not hear about the rumblings of a lawsuit until I called him.  "When you put a million people across the state in a caucus, off course you’re going to have problems," says Nieto.  "there will be people waiting, there will be people crammed into small rooms... All I can say is that this system was put into place for participation by all, and judging by the turnout, we  had an equal opportunity for people to participate."

Vera says if they are filing a lawsuit, it will be done before the state Democratic Convention.  He also says this is not about Clinton or Obama. It's about whether or not the voices of Latino voters are heard.

Chelsea Clinton hangs out in Midtown

Last night, about 150 people crammed into a still open Cyclone Anaya's in Midtown to hear Chelsea Clinton.  The low dollar fundraiser was aimed at the youngish crowd, with 25 bucks being the entrance fee.   Actually, since the restaurant was open the whole time, you could have just shown up, and nobody would've cared.  Former City Council member Carol Alvarado introduced her protege, current council member James Rodriguez.  Rodriguez then proceeded to introduce Chelsea.  The younger Clinton was  about an hour late, arriving around 9pm.  Considering her dad  Bill was more than an hour late to his own rally at UH, the crowd didn't seem to mind.  Chelsea spoke for about 5 minutes about the virutes of voting for her mother, and then mingled with the crowd for about 45 minutes, even stopping to pose for pictures.  Her handlers didn't let her talk to the media, however, and she quickly left after talking to supporters.  And no, she didn't have one of the famous 'ritas from Cyclone.

Chelsea Clinton hangs out in Midtown

Last night, about 150 people crammed into a still open Cyclone Anaya's in Midtown to hear Chelsea Clinton.  The low dollar fundraiser was aimed at the youngish crowd, with 25 bucks being the entrance fee.   Actually, since the restaurant was open the whole time, you could have just shown up, and nobody would've cared.  Former City Council member Carol Alvarado introduced her protege, current council member James Rodriguez.  Rodriguez then proceeded to introduce Chelsea.  The younger Clinton was  about an hour late, arriving around 9pm.  Considering her dad  Bill was more than an hour late to his own rally at UH, the crowd didn't seem to mind.  Chelsea spoke for about 5 minutes about the virutes of voting for her mother, and then mingled with the crowd for about 45 minutes, even stopping to pose for pictures.  Her handlers didn't let her talk to the media, however, and she quickly left after talking to supporters.  And no, she didn't have one of the famous 'ritas from Cyclone.

Chelsea Clinton hangs out in Midtown

Last night, about 150 people crammed into a still open Cyclone Anaya's in Midtown to hear Chelsea Clinton.  The low dollar fundraiser was aimed at the youngish crowd, with 25 bucks being the entrance fee.   Actually, since the restaurant was open the whole time, you could have just shown up, and nobody would've cared.  Former City Council member Carol Alvarado introduced her protege, current council member James Rodriguez.  Rodriguez then proceeded to introduce Chelsea.  The younger Clinton was  about an hour late, arriving around 9pm.  Considering her dad  Bill was more than an hour late to his own rally at UH, the crowd didn't seem to mind.  Chelsea spoke for about 5 minutes about the virutes of voting for her mother, and then mingled with the crowd for about 45 minutes, even stopping to pose for pictures.  Her handlers didn't let her talk to the media, however, and she quickly left after talking to supporters.  And no, she didn't have one of the famous 'ritas from Cyclone.

Chelsea Clinton hangs out in Midtown

Last night, about 150 people crammed into a still open Cyclone Anaya's in Midtown to hear Chelsea Clinton.  The low dollar fundraiser was aimed at the youngish crowd, with 25 bucks being the entrance fee.   Actually, since the restaurant was open the whole time, you could have just shown up, and nobody would've cared.  Former City Council member Carol Alvarado introduced her protege, current council member James Rodriguez.  Rodriguez then proceeded to introduce Chelsea.  The younger Clinton was  about an hour late, arriving around 9pm.  Considering her dad  Bill was more than an hour late to his own rally at UH, the crowd didn't seem to mind.  Chelsea spoke for about 5 minutes about the virutes of voting for her mother, and then mingled with the crowd for about 45 minutes, even stopping to pose for pictures.  Her handlers didn't let her talk to the media, however, and she quickly left after talking to supporters.  And no, she didn't have one of the famous 'ritas from Cyclone.

Bush arrives at Hobby with McCain

Former President George Bush arrives at Hobby Airport early this morning.  He is endorsing Sen. John McCain.  Mrs. Bush is here as well, it's a small, quick event.  It is the first event of a  busy campaign Monday!  McCain is answering a few questions, including whether Bush has any advice for McCain.  Responding to a question of if the former President thought McCain was being fairly criticized by conservatives, Bush responded:  "You know, you've been around the track, you hear those criticisms, and I think that's grossly unfair."

Stay tuned.... Clinton, Obama, and Huckabee people all have events today!

Bush arrives at Hobby with McCain

Former President George Bush arrives at Hobby Airport early this morning.  He is endorsing Sen. John McCain.  Mrs. Bush is here as well, it's a small, quick event.  It is the first event of a  busy campaign Monday!  McCain is answering a few questions, including whether Bush has any advice for McCain.  Responding to a question of if the former President thought McCain was being fairly criticized by conservatives, Bush responded:  "You know, you've been around the track, you hear those criticisms, and I think that's grossly unfair."

Stay tuned.... Clinton, Obama, and Huckabee people all have events today!

Bush arrives at Hobby with McCain

Former President George Bush arrives at Hobby Airport early this morning.  He is endorsing Sen. John McCain.  Mrs. Bush is here as well, it's a small, quick event.  It is the first event of a  busy campaign Monday!  McCain is answering a few questions, including whether Bush has any advice for McCain.  Responding to a question of if the former President thought McCain was being fairly criticized by conservatives, Bush responded:  "You know, you've been around the track, you hear those criticisms, and I think that's grossly unfair."

Stay tuned.... Clinton, Obama, and Huckabee people all have events today!

Bush arrives at Hobby with McCain

Former President George Bush arrives at Hobby Airport early this morning.  He is endorsing Sen. John McCain.  Mrs. Bush is here as well, it's a small, quick event.  It is the first event of a  busy campaign Monday!  McCain is answering a few questions, including whether Bush has any advice for McCain.  Responding to a question of if the former President thought McCain was being fairly criticized by conservatives, Bush responded:  "You know, you've been around the track, you hear those criticisms, and I think that's grossly unfair."

Stay tuned.... Clinton, Obama, and Huckabee people all have events today!