Texas Democratic Party: Moving Texas Forward

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        CONTACT: Tanene Allison

15 May 2013                                                512-591-8247

TDP Opposes Maneuver To Increase School Violence

Austin, Texas – on Tuesday, HB 972 – the Campus Carry bill – passed out of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee. At the start of the year, the Texas Democratic Party convened a Task Force for Common Sense on Gun Violence. The Task Force collaborated with community leaders, mental health experts, gun owners, hunters and educators in order to arrive at their findings.

Among their recommendations was the strong opposition to any law that allows any firearm to be possessed or carried on a college campus, except those firearms possessed or carried by certified peace officers.  Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa released the follow statement:

“We need fewer guns on campus, not more. The Senate yesterday pushed forward their political agenda, putting at harm students and faculty across the state. Many of those members of university communities came out to testify against the bill. Our schools need to be safe places for learning and not some Wild West throw back. Enough is enough. We need more common sense in our gun policies, not more extremism.”

##

Dear Democrats -

I write to you today with news of a transition.

At the end of April the Texas Democratic Party will welcome Will Hailer as the new Executive Director.

Will comes to Texas from Minnesota where he served as Campaign Manager and later District Director for Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-05).  Prior to that he served as Director of Development for the Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus, where he raised millions of dollars for the caucus and their candidates and he has worked in various leadership positions for the Democratic House Caucus in Minnesota.

Will got his political start doing grassroots community organizing with the late Senator Paul Wellstone.  From that beginning he has been active in the campaigns of hundreds of Democratic candidates in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and Virginia.  He is a veteran of recounts of Al Franken and Mark Dayton among others and has done caucus organizing work for the Dean, Edwards, and Clinton campaigns as well as several gubernatorial and congressional candidates.

Will has the experience, energy and ideas to help turn Texas Blue and the TDP looks forward to his leadership.  His start date with the Party will be April 25 but he will be around this weekend at the Equality Forward Summit, so those of you in attendance take the time to meet him and welcome him to Texas.

But enough about Will.

I will be staying with the Party and transitioning into the position of Senior Advisor.  In that role I will still be in the Party office—but a lot less.  While providing the necessary support for the Chair and the ED, the position will give me much more time to concentrate on doing what we all participate for, helping elect Democratic candidates.  It will also allow me to return to rural organizing, which I have really missed, and to pursue some additional personal projects as well as to spend more time at home.  My wife Vali and my family have been incredibly understanding and supportive, but my dogs are a bit grumpy.  I very much look forward to Will’s arrival and my new status.

The last nearly two years have been really rewarding for me personally.  I want to thank Chairman Hinojosa and Chairman Richie for giving me this wonderful opportunity.  I’ve had the privilege of working with many amazingly talented staffers, Party leaders, elected officials and dedicated Party activists.  And I want to thank all Texas Democrats who help our Party and our candidates.

Just one more thing:  If you want to make both the new ED and the old one happy, go to the button below and make a small donation.  Better yet go to the website and become a Sustaining Member.  Let’s keep working together for a better Bluer Texas.

Sincerely

Bill Brannon

Fellow Democrats,

Today Gov. Perry and Senators Cruz and Cornyn stood up before Texans and said that they don’t give a damn if your grandmother, or if your child, has access to health insurance. They said that they want to keep 6.2 million Texans uninsured, and that they want to turn down nearly $100 billion in funding. These were not declarations made in secret or hidden from the public. They weren’t made as some sort of sick April Fool’s joke. No, Texan Republicans are so proud of these insane decisions that they announced them in a press conference about their refusal to expand Medicaid.

Texas has more uninsured people than any other state in the nation, and Gov. Perry plans to keep it that way.

Representative Trey Martinez Fischer puts this failure of leadership into perspective, “One man’s politics should not stand in the way of quality, affordable healthcare for millions of Texans. When business, faith leaders, health professionals, and elected officials all agree, the decision to expand Medicaid in Texas becomes incredibly clear. This is the right thing to do.”

Expanding Medicaid is simply the right thing to do.

Check out the below video and share it with your networks to educate Texans about the need to expand Medicaid.

We have the opportunity to strengthen Texas’ health care system and to provide quality care to our children, seniors and other Texans in need. This is not a time to play politics. This is a time for action.

U.S. Representative Joaquin Castro wrote a recent op-ed in which he pointed out to Perry that, “Being tough on people with no health insurance won’t win you the Republican presidential primary in 2016. It definitely won’t win you the presidency.”

We agree. Texas deserves better than this. We deserve political leaders who care about our health. And we deserve, and demand, Medicaid expansion now.

Let’s get this done,

Gilberto Hinojosa

Dear Democrats,

We know that we have a great battle on our hands with this legislative session. In 2011, Republicans pushed drastic cuts to public education and gutted the Women’s Health Program and other preventative health care for women.  They don’t care about women, they don’t care about children, and they’re not done trying to harm all of our families.

Governor Perry is fighting to keep 1.5 million Texans uninsured, and to deny the over $100 billion Texas would receive for expanding Medicaid. The Republican crazy has gone so far that they think such outrageous policy decisions make sense. That insanity makes about as much sense as Republican’s fight to continue underfunding our schools, despite a Judge calling such action unconstitutional.

When the attacks on our values are so extreme, we’ve got to fight with everything we’ve got.

Leading the fight in this legislative session is a coalition of Democratic women throughout the state. On April 9^th these women will storm the Capitol to make all of our voices heard, and I invite you to join them!

Blue Ribbon Lobby Day is the first such day organized by and for Democratic women in Texas in a generation. The good news is that men are invited too. I’ll be there, along with my wife, and hundreds of other great Texas Democrats. We are gathering to stand up for Texas women and our families, and to remind lawmakers that educating our kids and keeping our citizens healthy should be top priorities.

Our families and the women we love are too important for us to sit by without a fight. So come join us. Let’s turn the Capitol into a sea of Blue, and show our legislators what the future of Texas will look like.

Sincerely,

Gilberto Hinojosa

PS: If you can’t make it to Austin on April 9th, you can join our action from home or online. Find out how on the Blue Ribbon Lobby Day website.

Dear Democrats,

This is a historic and momentous week for our nation. Today and tomorrow the Supreme Court will hear two cases regarding the right of our LGBT brothers and sisters to be treated equally under the law. The outcome of these court cases will go down in history.

We have seen a massive sea change in public opinion on this issue. A majority of Americans now support marriage equality. As a country, and as a state, we have learned more about the importance of equality. We have witnessed friends and family members who are in loving, committed relationships, and yet are not treated as equal in their love. And while so many of us have come to embrace marriage equality, our children are likely to always wonder what the big deal was. 81% of adults under 30 now support marriage equality.

It is wonderful that polling now supports marriage equality. But even more important than polling is the Constitution. And the Constitution of the United States dictates that marriage is a fundamental right, and that same-sex couples must be allowed equal protection under the law.

The Texas Democratic Party was the first Southern political Party to endorse marriage equality in our platform. We are proud of that leadership. We understand that Texas is a stronger state when we are all supported and treated as equal under the law. But despite increased acceptance and support for LGBT rights, there is still so much more work to be done. In Texas, our LGBT friends and family can be fired from a job, or denied housing, simply because of who they are. This just isn’t right. And we must continue to push for progress and equality.

As a part of doing this necessary work, the Texas Democratic Party and Texas Stonewall Democrats are hosting an Equality Forward Summit April 5^th-7^th. We invite you to attend this summit to learn how we can continue the push for full equality in Texas.

Click here for more information about the Summit, including schedule and registration details. And if you will be in Austin, but unable to attend the whole Summit, please join us on Saturday the 6^th for a special reception with former Congressman Barney Frank, the first out member in Congressional history.

This is a momentous week in our nation’s history. A week to celebrate how far we have come, and to remember how much more work we still need to do.

Let’s bend that arc of a moral universe further towards justice!

Sincerely,

Gilberto Hinojosa

Dear Democrats,

Last week we emailed you about the mess of an embarrassment Ted Cruz has shown himself to be. Senator McCain is even calling him a “wacko bird,” and the Washington Post said he’s like an inmate running an insane asylum.

One good thing about Cruz is that he reminds us daily about how important it is that we work to get ready for the next election, and to return Democrats to power in Texas.

We know that you’re a partner in that work, and so we want to let you in on an exciting new program the TDP is to launch.

Can You Give Today To Support Our Work To Turn Texas Blue?

The way we Turn Texas Blue is by building a grassroots infrastructure that can turn out votes and convince our best candidates to run for office. The Texas Democratic Party is going to lead in this work by sending organizers out across our state, to build up local parties and to create a winning program from the ground up.

We know that there are numerous counties in Texas that are full of eager Democrats, but they haven’t had the support needed to turn out the vote. We’re about to get out on the road and give them that support.

Our twenty field organizers will work with twenty counties at a time, spending four months in each county. While visiting a county, grassroots organizers will lead intense trainings with local leaders, create long term organizing plans focused on voter registration and turnout, and build up the local communications infrastructure.

Wherever you live in Texas, the TDP will be closer to you than we’ve ever been!

Give Today To Support Our Field Organizing Work

We can’t just campaign during election season. Turning Texas Blue requires a full time focus every day of every year. You and your communities have the power to Turn Texas Blue, and our new field program will give you the tools to lead in this work.

This is how we win. This is how we make Cruz a footnote in history. This is how we protect women’s rights, fund public education and give more Texans healthcare.

And this is how you play a role in making history. You can say that you were there. That you supported the work back when it first started. That you were one of the Texans who returned our state to Democratic power!

But we need your help to fund this program. We’re asking that you give what you can so that we can hire our organizers and get them started on this work.

Click Here to Help Create A Permanent Field Effort In Texas!

Thank you for all that you do. Long before others believed we could Turn Texas Blue, you knew it was possible. Now is the time for us to lead in that work!

Please donate today.

Sincerely,

Gilberto Hinojosa

Dear Democrats –

Every single week, Republican Senator Ted Cruz takes his crazy up to a new level.

Rep. Joaquin Castro put it well: “Republicans in Texas have gone off the rails. More folks are waking up and realizing these folks have gone too far.”

Donate today to fight back against extremist Republicans!

Every time you look at the news, Cruz is embarrassing Texas in new ways. When he’s not hanging out with his friends Sarah Palin and Donald Trump at CPAC, Cruz is acting crazy in the Senate.

In a recent debate about assault weapons, Cruz got into a fight with Senator Feinstein. Senator Feinstein became mayor of San Francisco after Harvey Milk and Mayor Moscone were shot and killed in City Hall. She saw their bullet-riddled bodies. She broke the news to the public. She has sat on the Senate Judiciary Committee for twenty years. Cruz decided he needed to give her a lecture to explain the Constitution and guns. Republican Joe Scarborough gave a fierce and impassioned response to Cruz’s lecture, calling it, among other things, “complete and utter ignorance.”

“I am not a sixth grader,” Senator Dianne Feinstein replied. “I am reasonably well-educated, and I thank you for the lecture.” As one news outlet put it: She looked, really, like she might throw some water in his face

Don’t us Texans know that feeling!

Cruz is setting new records for crazy. Yesterday Dana Milbank wrote in the Washington Post that Cruz’s actions in the Senate are essentially the same as inmates running an insane asylum. And when Senator John McCain recently referring to Cruz as a “wacko bird,” you know we’ve crossed into some seriously crazy territory!

That’s our representation in the Senate.

It doesn’t have to always be this way. We have an upcoming Senate race in 2014, and then we can replace Cruz in 2018. But there’s a lot of work we need to do first.

Donate Today to support our efforts to elect strong Democrats!

We need to build a field infrastructure throughout the state to organize Democrats. We need to educate more Texans about the harm Republicans are causing. We need to recruit strong candidates. And we need to talk to our friends and neighbors about how we’re going to Turn Texas Blue!

But we can’t do this without you.

If Cruz and his crazy don’t represent you, DONATE TODAY to support our efforts.

We’ll keep working hard on your behalf until Texas is represented by those who share Texas Values. But we need you to join our efforts.

Can we count on your help?

Thank you for giving what you can, and for fighting to make Texas a state represented by elected officials who actually represent us!

Sincerely,

Gilberto Hinojosa

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        CONTACT: Tanene Allison

          March 14th, 2013                                          CELL: 512-591-8247

TDP Stands With Hyatt Housekeepers

Encourages Democrats to Learn about and Support the Boycott

Austin – The Texas Democratic Party stands in solidarity with UNITE HERE’s 250,000 members and the Hyatt Housekeepers. The TDP joins progressives groups such as the AFL-CIO, the SEIU, the National Stonewall Democrats, the NOW, MALDEF and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in this effort.

Statement from TDP Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa:

The Hyatt Housekeepers have been courageous in their efforts to create change in their working circumstances. In July of 2012, the Hyatt workers launched a global boycott of Hyatt hotels, and they have gone on strike, testified before state commissions and the Congressional Working Families Caucus.

All workers deserve respect and fair treatment in their place of work, not just the 1%. The Texas Democratic Party has long stood on the side of justice and worker’s rights and we stand with the Hyatt Housekeepers in this fight.

###

Dear Democrat,

We are at a historic moment regarding Equal Rights. But even with all the progress made for equality, there is still a lot of work to be done. In Texas, it is still legal for our gay and lesbian neighbors and family members to be kicked out of a restaurant, or even fired from their jobs, just because of who they are.

As Texans, we know that just isn’t right!

The Texas Democratic Party was the first Southern Party to endorse marriage equality on our platform. We know that discrimination against the LGBT community has no place in our great state.

As a part of our continuing work on this issue, the TDP has joined with the Texas Stonewall Democratic Caucus (TSDC) to hold an Equality Forward Summit in Austin from April 5th to the 7th. This Summit will give an opportunity to hear from experts in the field and to hone all of our skills around the work we need to accomplish. Workshops and panels include topics such as: Turning Texas Blue, LGBT Candidates and How the TX Democratic Party Works For Them, Marriage Equality and the Supreme Court, How to Pass Municipal Non-Discrimination Ordinances, and Campaign Finance Tips for PACs.  For a complete listing of workshops and schedule of events Click HERE.

In addition to the sessions throughout the Summit, former U.S. Representative Barney Frank will keynote the Summit’s Saturday evening event.

This is an event you won’t want to miss. We invite all those interested to come join us for this important weekend.

For additional information about the Summit, including registration information, CLICK HERE.

In Texas, we know that discrimination just isn’t right. Come join us to do something about it.

Sincerely,

Gilberto Hinojosa

Dear Democrats,

Democratic women from across Texas have banded together to hold a blue ribbon lobby day to stand up for Texas children and families. I support the efforts of these women to literally turn the Texas Capitol blue on April 9th. I hope you join me in attending the Blue Ribbon Lobby Day.

Now that we’re nearing two months into the legislative session, Republicans have clearly set their priorities.

Texas Republicans are against restoring the 5 billion in funding cuts for public education, resulting in an average of $500 less per child for school. Democrats must stand up and stand with us April 9th to support our children, teachers and schools.

Governor Rick Perry has confirmed that he will not accept federal funds to expand the state Medicaid program – a decision which leaves over 120,000 Texans without health insurance, of which 40,000 are children.  Democrats will stand up April 9th to bring federal dollars to Texas and health care coverage to families.

Texas Republicans declared war on Texas women and families in 2011 when they cut 72 million in funding for the Women’s Health Program. As a result, hundreds of women’s health clinics across Texas have closed and thousands of women cannot afford basic female health care. Democrats will stand up for fully restoring cuts to adequately fund the Women’s Health Program.

As Texas Democrats, we cannot allow the Republicans in the Texas Legislature to claim they have the best interest of Texans at heart.

I invite you to join me April 9th at 9:30AM for the Blue Ribbon Lobby Day — a day of legislative action for Democratic and progressive women in Austin and across the state.

Date: April 9th

Time: 9:30AM to 4:00PM

Location: Texas Capitol

Click Here To RSVP

Have Questions? Email: Info@BlueRibbonLobbyDay.com

Unlike most lobby days that are organized in support of specific issues, at the Blue Ribbon Lobby Day, we’ll raise our voices in support of our Democratic values. We’ll stand up for fundamental issues such as educating all our children, providing access for all to quality healthcare and recognizing the many ways Texas women deserve respect.

Reading this, some of you might be thinking, “This sounds great but I can’t make it to Austin.” Well, the women behind Blue Ribbon Lobby Day are encouraging visits to district offices located near you.

Wear blue, bring passion and see you April 9th in Austin.

Sincerely,

Gilberto Hinojosa