Fellow Nacogdcoches County Democrats,
Happy New Year to all! 2011 will be an important year as we prepare for the 2012 elections. Our party faces deficits in the U.S. House, our state legislature and county government, but we still hold a majority in the U.S. Senate and most importantly, The Presidency! It’s time to prepare to re-elect our President and make gains in other areas.
First, a sad news update. By now, many of you are aware of the terrible event in Arizona. It’s a sad day in our nation when a public official is threatened and when violence occurs, it is tragic. The shooting of Democratic Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Federal Judge John Roll, and all of the other victims in Tucson was a senseless act of violence that can only be condemned in the strongest terms. Once more details surface, justice will follow. Our Nacogdoches County Democrats are hoping and praying for a speedy recovery for Ms. Giffords and our thoughts are with Mr. Roll’s family as they mourn his death, as well as with the families of the the other five fatalities and 11 wounded. For news updates, check cnn.com.
Despite the fact that November’s elections didn’t turn out as we hoped, December’s Congressional session proved to be victorious. Our Congress and President passed the following items: A repeal of the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy, an important START treaty that will further reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles, a good Food Safety bill, a much-needed measure to provide health care to 9-11 first-responders, and an extension of tax cuts and unemployment assistance. For a wrap-up of the productive December session, check out the following links:
http://www.npr.org/2010/12/25/132324254/Obama-Closes-Lame-Duck-Session-With-Victories
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/12/why_has_the_lame-duck_session.html and
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1210/46731.html
2011 promises to be more challenging at all levels: Our national government will suffer from the gridlock of a divided Congress (House Republicans have already scheduled a vote on a repeal of last year’s Health Care Reform bill, one which promises to be defeated in the Senate or vetoed by President Obama). Our Texas House of Representatives includes a 2/3 majority of Republicans (thanks to the post-election switching of parties by former Democratic State Representatives Allan Ritter and Aaron Pena) which can essentially pass anything they want if unified. The Texas House is also currently facing a battle between Democrats and moderate Republicans who support current House speaker Joe Strauss against conservative Republicans who favor challengers Ken Paxton or Warren Chisum. This election for Speaker will take place on January 11th, the opening day of the legislative session, and will shape the direction of the state House. The Texas Senate contains a 19-12 GOP advantage, one not big enough to provide the 2/3 vote required on many issues.
We also still have Mr. Perry as our Governor and his agenda has not changed. Perry continues to support policies that benefit big business and has not ceased to rail against Washington, sometimes sacrificing much-needed help from the Federal Government in order to score political points for a potential run at the Presidency. Our own County Commissioners Court is now dominated by five Republicans as well. To say that being a Democrat in East Texas is difficult is an understatement. Still, we have an obligation to continue fighting the good fight, widening our base of voters and promoting candidates who support policies which help the middle-class and working poor, strengthen public education, recognize good environmental standards, and stand up for true equality. We also have an obligation to educate ourselves on local events that might have a direct impact on our region, such as the building of the well-noted TransCanada Keystone XL Pipeline on the western side of our county. The Nacogdoches STOP group has done an excellent job at keeping us educated on this issue and mobilizing our residents to appeal to the U.S. State Department and other elected officials in order to raise awareness about this important issue.
To that end, we need your help this year. We encourage you to come to our Thursday meeting (5:30 at the County Courthouse Annex) and help us plan. I am extremely optimistic that we can get off to a better start this year, which will in turn, help us next election year. In order to do that, we will need all of the help we can get. We need your involvement, your time, your support, and/or your financial contribution (which you can send to P.O. Box 633961, Nacogdoches, TX 75963). You can also follow us on our soon-to-be updated website (www.nacdemocrats.org) or on our Facebook page (search “Nacogdoches County Democrats” and then fan our page!).
Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or ideas. Calling all Nacogdoches Democrats-we need you in 2011!
Progressively Yours,
Stephen Wright, Chairman
Nacogdoches County Democratic Party
stephen.wright15@gmail.com
(936) 560-0781
1/13 (Thurs) — Executive Committee meeting @ County Courthouse Annex, 5:30. All are invited to attend and help us plan out the year!
1/17 (Mon) — Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration-More details TBA soon!
1/20 (Thurs) — January luncheon at The Cotton Patch Cafe (3117 North St.) at Noon. Everyone is invited, but it’s helpful to call Elaine Sanders (560-6436) to RSVP so she can have a good head count.
