Houston Blogs: Houston Political Blog

Bill White Announces for Governor: The Video

Here's the full video, if you haven't seen it.

For Bill White's staffers, a sigh of relief

There was a collective sigh of relief among Bill White staffers and supporters last week.  You could almost hear it echo from City Hall to the campaign headquarters at the Galleria.

 

“Finally,” they murmured to themselves, “he’s come to his senses!”

 

What we’re talking about, of course, is Mayor White’s impending announcement to switch from the Senate campaign to run for the Governor of Texas.  Who knows if he’ll make a decent run or not, it’s too early for that.  What we do know is that just about everyone who works with him and talks to him have been trying to get him to run for Governor for years.

 

The buzz, albeit local, first began to build way back in 2006.  Mayor White had just come off a widely lauded, bipartisan handling of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.  He was enjoying some national publicity.  Kinky Friedman was running as an Independent, and so was Carole Strayhorn.  The thinking behind the scenes went something like this:  Perry’s not that popular, you got two independents to siphon off votes, so a strong Democrat can make a run for it.

 

Mayor White, though, wouldn’t budge.  He told me then that he wanted to “finish the job” as Mayor.  Some of his political staffers were not too pleased.  As it turns out, a much underfunded Chris Bell got 30 percent of the vote, and Governor Perry got just 39 percent.  There are lots of people who wondered if a well funded Bill White could have nudged the numbers just enough that he would have already be in the Governor’s Mansion.

 

Two years later, as Mayor White embarked on his third and final term, the big question was:  What’s next?  After much handwringing, Mayor Bill White announced that he would run for Senate in an underwhelming online video.  And off he went. For much of 2009, White would spend his weekends in towns of the Rio Grande Valley, at county fairs in East Texas, or even a few pancake breakfasts far out West.  But no matter how far away from Houston he strayed, the question of running for Governor always followed him.

 

White, who likes to say he’s a man of his word, never changed his tune.  “I’m running for Senate,” he would say.  Privately, many of his supporters and advisors were still murmuring Governor; they just wanted White to listen.

 

Finally, last week, he did.  With non-resignation of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, the prospect of a special election seemed uncertain.  Then, after a weekend meeting, then Democratic candidate for Governor Tom Schieffer withdrew.  Attention turned to White.  On cue, he announced he was actually going to “think about it.”

 

And with that, the people who have worked behind the scenes for White rejoiced.  They haven’t won a single vote, and the official announcement isn’t until Friday.  However, win or lose the people who have helped White achieve his status as a popular Mayor felt great.  That’s because after three years of talking, cajoling, arguing, and convincing, they felt Bill White would finally be in the right race.  Or at least, he finally listened to them.  Time will tell if they were right.

Bill White for Governor?

Well, anyone who thought Thanksgiving week was going to be a slow one politically would be wrong, very wrong.

 

It all started Monday morning, when news surfaced that Tom Schieffer, the former Ambassador, will soon announce that he is quitting the race for the Democratic nominee of Texas Governor.  Then, the attention turned to Mayor Bill White, who has been consistently asked whether he was running for Governor for.. well.. years.

 

Then, at 4:15 in the afternoon, Mayor Bill White made the announcement that yes, he is thinking of switching from the Senate race to the Governor's race.  However, he wanted to take 10 days to listen to Texans, and decide.

 

That being said, he’s already sounding like a candidate for the state’s highest office.

"What I tend to hear, since a week ago Friday, is that people think if I don’t step up and do this, that Texas faces more years of politics and highly charged partisan politics," said White, "and texas can’t afford to do that."

 

Our political consultant says switching from the Senate to the Governor’s race is the politically savvy thing to do for a Democrat in a Republican state.

 

"Historically is much more easier for a minority candidate to win the Governor, then the Senate," said Dr. Richard Murray.

 

Elected democrats are already lining up to support white’s not-yet-official campaign.  "He has the best credentials out of anyone who wants to run the Governor’s race," says State Rep. Garnet Coleman.  "He’s not afraid, he’s smart. Those are the kind of people we have to have, running for Governor."

 

Other candidates in the Democratic primary include humorist Kinky Friedman and hair mogul Farouk Shami, among others.  However, Mayor White is the obvious choice of establishment Democrats in Texas, and White is sounding like their man.

 

"Governor Perry got 39 percent in his last election, many of us are disappointed," said White. "Now it’s time to make new leadership in Austin."  Will that mean White will be jumping into the race?  It sounds very likely, but the official word will come December 4th.

 

 

Sullivan to Brown: hands off my NASA!

Here in Houston, politicians are all very supportive of NASA, the astronauts, and NASA’s thousands of employees.  Year after year, we’ve heard Mayors council members, and every elected official in between talk about the importance of the space agency.  Now, it seems one local council member is getting a bit

agitated with another council member’s support of NASA.

It all started late last week, when Council member Peter Brown sent the following letter Download CM BROWN - NASA Support (2) to the Mayor and other council members.  In it, asked the Mayor to consider a resolution saying that the City of Houston acknowledges the economic benefit of NASA, and its employees. He said in the letter that he thought a unified voice from Council members saying how great NASA is would only help the space agency.  The Mayor’s office replied that it does not in general issue resolutions on issues, but that it will discuss it in its weekly meetings.

Every other council member seemed to be content with that answer, except for Council Member Mike

Sullivan. He fired off an email, basically, being upset that Council member Peter Brown was on his turf. In the following email, Mike Sullivan asked his colleagues not to act on Brown’s suggestion:

From: Sullivan, Mike - CNL

To: Fiederlein, Robert - CNL; Mayor Bill White
Cc:
Sent: Fri Sep 18 15:20:16 2009
Subject: RE: Support for NASA

Mayor White and Colleagues:

Please do NOT act on Peter Brown's email to you regarding NASA and writing a resolution.  NASA is in my council district, and I am absolutely all over this issue.  Brown is not in the loop, has no idea what is going on behind the scenes, who is involved already, and what our strategy is. 

I will compose a letter this afternoon that addresses what I have done over the course of the last few weeks.  (...)

Please look for my update to be delivered to Mayor White and all council offices by the end of the day today.

Thank you.
Mike Sullivan

Council Member Mike Sullivan then followed up an hour later with an email that included a list of various meetings he’s had with the Greater Houston Partnership, Sen. John Cornyn, and other individuals.  He ended the second email with this:

(...) This is an important issue. This is a council district issue, although it affects our entire region, but I am absolutely on top of it. I do not need an at large member making decisions about what needs to be done on this issue. No other council member needs to be involved at this time, as we have a very specific plan that we are following. If anyone goes haywire and tries to run things themselves, it would be a terrible distraction and would take us off of our game plan. 

Election Day is only 6 weeks away. Everyone needs to put their own personal agendas aside and let me run with this. I have served NASA/JSC well, will continue to do so, and have done it with the Mayor's and NASA/JSC's support.

Thank you.
Mike Sullivan

It is very common for At Large council members to defer to District Council Members on issues in their district.  That goes for unsafe buildings, crime issues, all sorts of things.  It is obvious that Council Member Mike Sullivan feels that way about NASA.  He told me over the phone that he views Brown as meddling in his neighborhood, something he feels passionate about.  He told me he's worked hard at the NASA issue, and he's the one point man at City Hall, not Brown.

Some council members told me privately that they thought NASA was everyone’s concern.  In addition, Peter Brown’s request probably would have gone largely un-noticed by other council members had Sullivan not pointed it out.  On other hand, NASA employees should feel better knowing that Sullivan, as well as other Council Members, are going the extra step to fight for them!  Whether they get any results from our Washington, D.C. lawmakers, we’ll be waiting and watching..

The political fallout of the Jackson indictment

Yesterday, Harris County Judge Donald Jackson was indicted for official oppression.  You can see my colleague Gene Apodaca's story here. It includes an interview I did with the judge a few weeks ago.

It didn't take long for the criminal justice system and politics to collide.  Judge Jackson is innocent until proven guilty, but that's not stopping people from lining up for an appointment.

It all began a few weeks ago, when rumors began being floated around that Judge Jackson was being investigated for some sort of alleged misconduct.  Hearing from sources that the judge may eventually have to step aside, we hunted down Commissioner Steve Radack, who would be one of the people responsible for appointing a new judge.  Radack, played it cool, talking only in the third person case of "if" something would happen.

Figuring we'd get the best information from the judge himself, I went looking for him.  Surprisingly, he gave me an interview.  During our 10 minute conversation, he admitted that the District Attorney's office had visited him, but denied any wrong doing.

Fast forward two weeks, and Judge Jackson is indicted on a Thursday.  Almost immediately, the Harris County Democratic Party issued a statement, saying in part:

Today's indictment of Harris County Criminal Court Judge Don Jackson is another shocking and disappointing example of the citizens of Harris County being terribly let down by another Republican official in a county controlled by Republican officeholders.  

After that, the Harris County Republican Party is now saying it will also investigate the case.  In the meantime, several attorneys and former judges have voiced publicly and privately that they want the job.  It will be up to Harris County Commissioners Court to appoint someone, should that time come.  Since the Court is majority Republican, we can expect a Republican appointment. 

I don't want everyone to get ahead of themselves.  The judge has not had a trial, and at this point, it's just an indictment.  But wow, I've heard from several people who say they want the job, and right now.. there's not even technically a job opening!

The Great Country of Texas!

“We’re fed up in Texas, fed up in America!” 

That’s how Governor Rick Perry began his day on Wednesday, during all the Austin area Tea Parties.  Gov. Perry certainly rallied the Republican base on Wednesday, so much so that when someone in the crowd yelled “Secede!”  The governor didn’t seem to mind.

Just minutes later on Wednesday, when questioned by a reporter, Perry replied:  “We got a great Union, there’s absolutely no reason to dissolve it.  But, if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, who knows what may come out of that.”

Those words reverberated around Austin, and in less than 24 hours, it sent shockwaves across the Country.  Locally, Democratic legislators pounced.

“That kind of language at this time, brings up images of an era that isn’t where we want to go,” remarked State Sen. Rodney Ellis.  “The Governor of a Southern state, it just brings up an era we’d like to leave behind us.”

Houston area Representative Carol Alvarado called the idea of succession “crazy,” and says the governor was simply playing politics.

“We always like to say that Texas is God’s country,” she said.  “But, we’re happy to be part of the United States, and this is strictly political pandering.”

Republicans, as you might expect, had a different reaction.  Freshman Representative Allen Fletcher says what Perry meant to say is that he just wanted the rest of the country to be more like Texas.”

“If the people of the United States were more like us, they might be doing a little better,” remarked Fletcher, a fan of Perry.  “We’re setting an example for the rest of the country.”

That brings us back to Perry.  On Thursday, after signing his first bill, Perry was pummeled with secession questions.  Fortunately for Texans, he reaffirmed his love for the country as a whole.

“Texas is part of a great Union and I see no reason for that to change.”

You’ll notice the Governor didn’t exactly back down from his initial statements, however, it’s nice to know we won’t have to get new Texas passports soon just to visit relatives in other states.

It's tea time!

If you have filed your taxes already or have filed an extension, maybe you will find the time to attend one of the hundreds of "Tea Parties" around the country.  The Tea Parties are organized by conservatives who say they're tired of the way the Government is taxing their income.

Governor Rick Perry will be making his tea party rounds, and we're sure he won't be sipping any tea from a ceramic cup.  His first stop will be in Austin, before heading to Arlington and Forth Worth.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Perry will be in Houston, she's the headline speaker at the Greater Houston Women's Chamber of Commerce Conference.  I hope they don't serve any tea during the luncheon.  I'm the MC for the event, so I'll let you know what the State's First Lady has to say.

This is not the first Tea Party. A few months ago, a smaller scale event was held around the country.  I remember the Houston event being held at Discovery Green, the downtown park.  There were a few hundred people who showed up for the mid-afternoon event, It was fairly mild, but today's event is destined for much bigger attention. 

In a related note, I'll be heading to Austin to cover the Legislature for a few days. So, stay tuned!

Lawmaker suggests Asians change their names to "easier" ones

Update, this aftenoon, several Asian American advocacy organizations issued a joint press release. It reads in part:

OCA, Asian American Justice Center (AAJC) and the Asian American Legal Defense Fund (AALDEF) express disappointment over Texas Representative Betty Brown’s suggestion at a hearing on April 7 that Asian Americans adopt “names that are easier for Americans to deal with.”   ...
 
“Representative Brown’s comments made clear that she lacks an understanding of Asian American cultures and that she in fact undervalues other cultures,” said OCA Executive Director George Wu.
 
"It is unacceptable that Representative Brown believes that the burden should be placed upon individual voters to make it easier on poll workers to ensure that the voters get to exercise their right to vote, rather than expecting that the burden lay with the government to do its job correctly," said Terry Ao, director of Census & Voting Programs at the Asian American Justice Center.  "Participation in the democratic process should unite all Americans; we should be seeking ways to encourage more voters, not inventing excuses to deny citizens their constitutional right to vote."
--

I wonder if State Rep. Betty Brown has ever hung out with State Rep. Hubert Vo, one of the few Asian Americans in the Texas Legislature.  But anyway, Rep. Brown is raising eyebrows after suggesting that Asian American should change their names to make it easier for Americans to deal with.  The Associated Press reports the following:

The Texas Democratic Party is demanding an apology from Republican state Rep. Betty Brown , of Terrell, for suggesting Asian-descent voters should adopt names that are "easier for Americans to deal with."

Brown made the comments Tuesday night as the House Elections Committee discussed voter identification legislation. Brown spokesman Jordan Berry said Brown was not making a racially motivated comment but was trying to resolve an identification problem.

The comments came after a representative of the Organization of Chinese Americans , told the committee that people of Asian descent often have problems voting and with forms of identification because of differences in their legal transliterated name and a common English name used on their driver's license.

It will be interesting to see how this filters out.  Depending on how aggressively OCA's national chapter goes after this issue, it could make national headlines.  Locally, the Voter ID bill has been voted out of Committee.  However, whether this will eventually make it out of Calendars, remains to be seen.  Democrats in the State House has been actively trying to block this.  The comments for Rep. Brown, nomatter what the intentions, will complicate things. 

In reality, this really hits a nerve among Asian Americans, who take pride in their family names, just like everyone else.  Imagine telling a Polish American that his name needs a few extra vowels, just to make it easier to pronounce.

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!