Texas Democratic Party: Moving Texas Forward

We have had this fight too many times and I have repeatedly asked why responsible lawmakers would want to make it harder for Texans to vote. There is no evidence of voter impersonation, which is the only type of voter fraud this Voter ID legislation would address. The only rationale, then, is that this is a desperate attempt to try and keep failed Republican leaders in office by suppressing the vote of groups that tend to vote Democratic. The harder it is to vote, the harder it is for Texans to demand and get the change we need.

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Who or what is infallible? If you asked most people this question, you would probably get a lot of answers that reference their religious beliefs. If you ask GOP Rep. Leo Berman…you would come to learn that his view of the Internet is highly… reverent.

Check out this story from Reeve Hamilton of the Texas Tribune:

Though the Obama campaign produced a certificate of live birth from Hawaii, Mr. Berman was not swayed. “The latest rumor I hear, and I don’t know if this is true or not,” he said, “is that he’s used about 25 different Social Security numbers.”

Mr. Berman said he got his information from e-mail and online video clips. “YouTubes are infallible,” he said.

Does Leo Berman really consider web videos an unfailing source of truth? He seriously thinks President Obama is not a citizen because he saw some random YouTube video? I just checked out the top videos on YouTube and I’m seeing Lady Gaga videos, “Fail Compilation”, “Be Part of Snoop Dogg’s Doggumentary” and something called “Line Dancing for Charity.” Is this really where a state lawmaker turns for information he trusts without question?

If Rep. Berman’s grip on reality is truly this tenuous, it would certainly explain the legislation he files. But what’s even crazier, the Republican Party of Texas is on board with Berman’s agenda:

The party’s platform supports many of Mr. Berman’s bills. “He’s not swinging by himself,” said Chris Elam, a spokesman for the Republican Party of Texas. “There’s a platform plank out there.”

Folks, this pretty well sums up why we need to keep up our work to elect Democrats. It’s a jungle out there.

Will HRC Support Constituents or Partisan Vote Suppression?

The Hispanic Republican Conference (HRC) claims they will steer Texas Republicans to take less extreme positions on issues of particular importance to Latinos. Today, two Hispanic Republicans have an opportunity to speak out against SB14, when the “Voter ID” bill, a Republican partisan “emergency” is considered by the Select Committee on Voter Identification and Voter Fraud.

State Representatives Aaron Peña and Jose Aliseda both sit on the committee and the bill cannot pass out of committee without one of their votes. Both have gone on the record regarding Voter ID.

When asked about the intent of the Voter ID Bill, Aliseda told Al Dia in a Spanish language interview that “the intention of the Voter ID Law is not to suppress minorities, but to prevent “invented” fraud by voters or campaign workers and mail ballots.” Aliseda’s rationale flunks the truth test because SB 14 contains no provisions related to campaign workers or mail ballots.

Aaron Peña, HRC founder, stated to a media source that the Voter ID bill “will have little effect on ending voter fraud. If it makes us feel good to pass it, okay…(but)it’s not the solution to the voter fraud that is out there.”

“Representatives Aliseda and Peña refuse to even fire a warning shot at the extreme elements of their Party that champion this vote suppression agenda,” said Anthony Gutierrez, Texas Democratic Party Deputy Executive Director. “While education cuts could cost 189 thousand Texans their jobs, Republicans have invented a non-existent voter fraud problem to pass a purely political bill that threatens the voting rights of Texas Hispanics.”

After today’s hearing on Voter ID, tomorrow the House State Affairs Committee will take up the sanctuary city bills. Republican legislators have also introduced legislation that would:
• Eliminate birthright citizenship
• Make English the official language for all state business
• Bring Arizona-style immigrations laws to Texas
• Crack down on employers who hire undocumented workers with the exception of one worker per household who does “domestic services”

“For Hispanic Republicans, this is a moment of truth. Will they stand up for Latino voters, or will they shrink from this moment?” Gutierrez concluded.

(Edinburg, TX) – When State Representative Aaron Peña chose to abandon the voters who elected him to become a Rick Perry Republican, he told the press he would steer his new Party away from their anti-Latino rhetoric because his district is overwhelmingly Latino.

Peña is a member of the Select Committee on Voter Identification and Voter Fraud, which will be hearing SB 14, the Voter ID Bill, today. Despite voting against a less restrictive Voter ID Bill in the House Elections Committee during the 2009 legislative session, the new Republican Aaron Peña recently said in an interview that the Voter ID bill “will have little effect on ending voter fraud. If it makes us feel good to pass it, okay…(but) it’s not the solution to the voter fraud that is out there.”

“For Aaron Peña, becoming a Republican apparently means it’s okay to pass a partisan bill that he admits is useless, even though it could prove harmful to Latino voting rights,” said Texas Democratic Party Deputy Executive Director Anthony Gutierrez. “Although 9,000 South Texas educators could lose their jobs due to Republican state budget cuts, Aaron Peña is still pandering to Tea Party Republican extremists.”

After today’s hearing on Voter ID, tomorrow the House State Affairs Committee will take up the sanctuary city bills. Republican legislators have also introduced legislation that would:

• Eliminate birthright citizenship
• Make English the official language for all state business
• Bring Arizona-style immigrations laws to Texas
• Crack down on employers who hire undocumented workers with the exception of one worker per household who does “domestic services”

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(Beeville, TX) – Rep. Jose Aliseda told Al Dia that “the intention of the Voter ID Law is not to suppress minorities, but to prevent “invented” fraud by voters or campaign workers and mail ballots.” Senate Bill 14, the Voter ID bill, has no provisions whatsoever regarding the conduct of campaign workers or the handling of mail ballots. Aliseda also promised to introduce legislation addressing mail ballot fraud but he has not yet introduced such legislation.

“Aliseda flat-out lied to his constituents about what he would do in Austin and then lied to Latinos about Voter ID,” said Texas Democratic Party Deputy Executive Director Anthony Gutierrez. “Aliseda’s comments about this Voter ID bill are the real fraud in this debate, because they are nothing more than excuses for a partisan vote suppression agenda that threatens Latino voting rights.”

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Will HRC Support Constituents or Partisan Vote Suppression?

(Austin, TX) - The Hispanic Republican Conference (HRC) claims they will steer Texas Republicans to take less extreme positions on issues of particular importance to Latinos. Today, two Hispanic Republicans have an opportunity to speak out against SB14, when the “Voter ID” bill, a Republican partisan “emergency,” is considered by the Select Committee on Voter Identification and Voter Fraud.

State Representatives Aaron Peña and Jose Aliseda both sit on the committee and the bill cannot pass out of committee without one of their votes. Both have gone on the record regarding Voter ID.

When asked about the intent of the Voter ID bill, Aliseda told Al Dia in a Spanish language interview that “the intention of the Voter ID Law is not to suppress minorities, but to prevent “invented” fraud by voters or campaign workers and mail ballots.” Aliseda’s rationale flunks the truth test because SB 14 contains no provisions related to campaign workers or mail ballots.

Aaron Peña, HRC founder, stated to a media source that the Voter ID bill “will have little effect on ending voter fraud. If it makes us feel good to pass it, okay…(but)it’s not the solution to the voter fraud that is out there.”

(more…)