Texas Democrats

It has been a years-long journey for our Gold Star Family that began when our Army Reservist son was buried at Houston National Cemetery. It was early on in an illegal and unnecessary war we never felt was right and the country was all Gung-Ho about at the time.

For several years now we've fought to open the eyes of an American public determined NOT to see the truth about W's little war. We've paid a price with our families, our jobs, our privacy and our feeling of safety but it has been worth it if for no other reason, that now the Iraq war is looked at as the disaster it is.

In June, I will be carrying the torch for our fallen son to Austin as an alternate for Obama...the ONLY Presidential candidate that did NOT vote for this war and the ONLY Presidential candidate in the race to speak out against it from the beginning.

From the very first day that my courageous Gold Star Mom wife stood in a Crawford ditch along side another Gold Star Mom (Cindy Sheehan) surrounded by news crews and law enforcement, she has been blogging for change and her work can be viewed at: http://amybranham.blogspot.com/

Maxx Branham
Gold Star Father
Obama Alternate

I think he has a clear picture of what needs to be done and some great ideas about how to achieve it. He's an eloquent speaker, intelligent, and he seems to genuinely CARE about this country and Americans. Many Americans have lost trust in the current administration and the traditional ways of government operations, and when people's trusts are compromised it is difficult to restore. I think Obama's plan to revamp what is possible in Washington is commendable. The derailment and abuse of power by the current administration, and the unprecedented unpopular results it is still producing will take many years of labor to mend. The Senator's aim to work on policy reform while honoring our constitution versus catering to lobbyists and special interest groups stands to reshape the Capital and it stands to trickle down to my home town. I believe Obama is the only candidate that genuinely speaks to the possibility of change in government. I believe he can make a difference.


Vote Barack Oboma March 4,2008

Jodie Evans
Don't Buy Bush's War
Posted December 14, 2007 | 04:17 PM (EST)


How much of your tax payment this year would you like to allocate for waterboarding in Iraq or an invasion of Iran?

Around the world, people are puzzled as to why the U.S. public allows the Bush administration to wage illegal wars and usurp our power. Why do we tolerate it and continue to pay for it?   Read More »

Senator Joe Biden's description of President George W. Bush was right on target! Today, Bush's own administration disclosed that there was a National Intelligence Estimate that told the world that all 17 intelligence agencies of the United States Government say that Iran stopped its attempts to create nuclear weapons 4 years ago. Bush claims, of course, that while for the last several weeks he has been beating the drums of war based on Iran's efforts to get nuclear weapons, that he DIDN'T KNOW about the NIE until last week!

Biden said today, "If that's true, he has the most incompetent staff in modern American history, and he's one of the most incompetent presidents in modern American history". He couldn't be anymore on target!

Those of us who looked at George W. Bush within Texas politics without the rose-colored glasses back in the 90's, KNEW he was an idiot. With his "experience", IQ level, history of drugs and booze....if he had possessed ANY name except "George Bush", he couldn't have been elected DOG CATCHER in this State! (Yet he went on Oprah and told the world that the biggest misconception about his was that he was running on his father's name).

He was a drugged-out fool who BOUGHT both the governorship and the presidency with money from Big Oil. I am not convinced that when he leaves the White House that a HAZ-MAT crew to look for the meth lab he is leaving behind. Anyway, I digress.

Anyone who has paid any attention to his career, up and including the presidency, can see he is no where NEAR as intelligent as his administration, his party and his family would like us to believe. He was the perfect DUPE for Dick Cheney. Too idiotic to realize what he is saying, and too stupid to know that the vice-president's office has been the direct connection to Bush's speech writers!

I have always known that Joe Biden is one of the smartest politicians in American history, and he showed today what a good judge of character he is!

The Democratic Party is, most likely, the biggest tent political organization on the face of the Earth. We have straights, gays, men, women, whites, blacks, latinos, rich, poor, old, young, liberal and conservative.

I have been reading, with much interest, over the past several months at the many differences among us. And it would seem to me that there are numerous reasons for our diversity, especially in the realm of liberal and conservative.

What is liberal to me, may be moderate to others. What is conservative to others may be moderate to me. My point is this. I believe that, like many things in our lives, our politics is based upon such things as upbringing and geographic location. I consider myself, for example, as a moderate Democrat. Sometimes, even to me, that means the ability to accept compromises on some issues. But most times, to me, it means that I am more liberal on some issues, and more conservative on others.

For instance, I used to be in favor of the death penalty....that is until "Governor" Bush turned it into a spectator sport in Texas.....so not anymore. I don't like abortion, but I don't think the government has any business telling a woman what she can and can't do with her own body....so pro-choice. I am all for a vigorous immigration policy, because immigration is what built this country. However, my opinion about illegal immigration is affected by my living in a State that borders Mexico and with the issues that come from it. However, I don't believe that everyone in Texas feels as I do either.

I am just saying that our life experiences bring us to our personal belief systems whether that be political or otherwise. The Democratic Party is the lifeblood of the poor, the unemployed, the under-employed, the average guy on the streets and those of us who don't make $500,000 a year in salary.

We cannot let the things that differentiate us to divide us. With so many Democrats going over to Nader in the last two elections, the one thing that we know for sure is this. THE LAST EIGHT YEARS HAVE BEEN HORRIBLE FOR MOST OF US!

My best years, financially especially, were the eight years under Bill Clinton. He proved that "trickle-up" beats "trickle-down" any day! I come from a lower-middle income Democratic family. I am a lower-middle income Democrat today.

That is why this Native Texan will support whomever we choose as a party to represent us in the November elections!

And that is why I AM PROUD TO BE A DEMOCRAT!!

Tonight, the County Executive Committee of the Travis County Democratic Party approved a resolution urging the State Democratic Executive Committee to put a referendum on Iraq on the March 2008 primary ballot.

Only one person voted against the proposal. There was a quorum at the meeting for the first time in a while. I think some people might have come to the meeting just to vote for the referendum, which is the same effect I think putting the referendum on the primary ballot will have. People will go to the polls to vote against the war.

The CEC is going to send a letter to State Chair Boyd Richie telling him of their endorsement of putting the referendum on the ballot.

I hope that I can get other county CECs in November and December to approve the resolution before I take it to the SDEC for their approval in January. The SDEC has the power to put the referendum on the ballot; so if you know anyone on the SDEC, urge them to vote to put the referendum on the ballot. In November, I will start calling all the SDEC members to find out if they will vote to put the referendum on the ballot. If anyone wants to help call, just let me know.

Anyone can sign the online petition for the Vote Us Out of Iraq referendum.

The proposed language reads, "Shall President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress, in support of the men and women serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, end the U.S. occupation of Iraq and immediately begin the safe and orderly withdrawal of all United States forces."

Meanwhile, the big national news today on the war concerned the cost of the war. Back in 2003, Bush said the war in Iraq would cost between 50 and 60 billion dollars. As it turns out, the war has cost about 40 times more than Bush said it would.

More on today's war cost news from the Toronto Star:

WASHINGTON-George W. Bush has asked the U.S. Congress to approve another $45.9 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, bringing the 2008 tab to almost $200 billion and making it the most expensive year of military combat in his so-called "war on terror.''

...

According to the independent Congressional Research Service, the $196.1 billion request by Bush for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 would bring the total cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and counterterrorism operations to more than $800 billion since terrorists struck the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.

Even with an optimistic projection of half as many American troops in Iraq by 2017, the research service said spending on the wars would hit $1.45 trillion by then.

The Iraq war alone is costing U.S. taxpayers about $10 billion per month, or $330 million each day.

"The Iraq war is leaving us less secure, unprepared to fight an effective war on terror or respond to the unexpected. President Bush should not expect the Congress to rubber stamp this,'' said Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

I am going to present the Vote US Out of Iraq resolution to the Travis County Executive Committee on Wednesday, Oct 24.

It should be a well-attended meeting, because the expected agenda will include presentations by those who have indicated they will be filing for office of County Chair.

In the beginning, I think our president had plans to breeze into Iraq, kill Saddam, install a puppet government and take control of the second-largest oil field on the planet. President Bush ignored the comparison of Iraq and Vietnam. He ignored those that stated that Iraq could become a quagmire just like Vietnam.

Now, several thousand troops are dead. More than 100,000 Iraqi citizens are dead. And the dead are growing every single day. This administration has failed in this war. There is no way to win this war because there is no trust or respect held for this administration by the Iraqi people. The troops we are sending are no more than placing a Band-Aid on an ax wound, and giving the bombers more U.S. targets to shoot at and blow up.

It's time to back off and let the Iraqi people work out their own differences and work for peace. The Sunni and Shiite factions hold a difference of opinions that go back more than 1,000 years. No one but themselves will ever be able to resolve this matter: It's time to get our troops out. It's time for them to come home. Thank you.

Robert Stephenson

(What is this?) Senior American intelligence and defence officials believe that President George W Bush and his inner circle are taking steps to place America on the path to war with Iran, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.

Pentagon planners have developed a list of up to 2,000 bombing targets in Iran, amid growing fears among serving officers that diplomatic efforts to slow Iran's nuclear weapons programme are doomed to fail.

Pentagon and CIA officers say they believe that the White House has begun a carefully calibrated programme of escalation that could lead to a military showdown with Iran.

Now it has emerged that Condoleezza Rice, the secretary of state, who has been pushing for a diplomatic solution, is prepared to settle her differences with Vice-President Dick Cheney and sanction military action.

In a chilling scenario of how war might come, a senior intelligence officer warned that public denunciation of Iranian meddling in Iraq - arming and training militants - would lead to cross border raids on Iranian training camps and bomb factories.   Read More »

Last night, I attended the meeting of the North by Northwest Democrats in Austin. They had a professor of government from UT-Austin speaking about Iraq. After his talk, I presented the Iraq resolution and they voted to approve it. There were no votes against and only a couple of abstentions.

Here is the list of Democratic clubs that have endorsed putting the referendum on the primary ballot.

* South Austin Democrats
* Central Austin Democrats
* Lake Travis Democrats
* Capital Area Progressive Democrats
* West Austin Democrats
* North by Northwest Democrats

Last night, I spoke at the West Austin Democrats and they endorsed a resolution asking the State Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC) to put the Iraq referendum on the TDP primary ballot. Other clubs that have passed endorsements of the proposal are the South Austin Democrats, Central Austin Democrats, Lake Travis Democrats, and Capital Area Progressive Democrats.

On Monday, Sept 17, I will speak at the North by Northwest Democrats. They are having a forum on Iraq. I will ask them to endorse the proposal also. The meeting is Monday, September 17th, at 6:00 pm at La Madeleine, 3418 N. Lamar, in Austin.

http://voteusoutofiraq.org

Texas Democratic Party rules and state law allow the party to hold non-binding referendums on issues placed on the primary ballot either directly by the SDEC.

The proposed ballot language is:

"Shall President George W. Bush, in support of the men and women serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, end the United States occupation of Iraq and immediately begin the safe and orderly withdrawal of all United States forces?"

Turnout will already be high for the primary because of the intense interest in the presidential candidates. Adding a referendum on Iraq would probably raise interest and turnout in the primary even higher. Some people may even turn out to vote just so they can explicitly vote for bringing the troops home.

Posted by Michael Link on August 22, 2007 at 10:05 AM

Yes, this appears to be his message in a speech later today, in which he will defend his handling of the war in preparation of the September White House report by comparing it to the Vietnam War. It's an odd message for the White House, given the history. For that Josh Marshall has the details.

But even more, it's such a reversal from everything this administration has ever said about the subject. My favorite example, in April 2004 at a press conference:

Q Thank you, Mr. President. Mr. President, April is turning into the deadliest month in Iraq since the fall of Baghdad, and some people are comparing Iraq to Vietnam and talking about a quagmire. Polls show that support for your policy is declining and that fewer than half Americans now support it. What does that say to you and how do you answer the Vietnam comparison?   Read More »