Houston Mayoral candidate State Senator John Whitmire keeps saying he won't shrink back from accepting bipartisan support in his campaign. I've heard him say it many times.
But the issue isn't bipartisanship. It is that the Senator takes support from officials such as Dan Patrick and so many other Republicans who clearly are not committed to democracy. That's the real concern. Senator Whitmire seems very comfortable with people trying to undo elections in Harris County. From the Houston Chronicle: "Most of the Republican donors maxed out the city’s campaign contribution limit of $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for political action committees. A number of GOP donors have also contributed to a pro-Whitmire group, Protect and Serve Texas PAC....." The Senator along with a number of other Democrats running for Houston municipal office have accepted the endorsement of the Houston Police Officers Union. The police union has not stepped back from support of election deniers and officials calling for our elections to be redone in Harris County. There is no public safety without democracy. Senator Whitmire & Democrats accepting law enforcement union endorsements must ask those unions to step back from candidates or official who don't accept election results. There is nothing wrong with bipartisanship in normal political circumstances. We are not in normal political circumstances. The Republican Party is not committed to multiracial democracy. The Republican Speaker of the U.S. House and also the leading candidate for the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination are not committed to multiracial democracy. John Whitmire has given over his 50 year political career to systems that lost Roe, lost most of the Voting Rights Act, messed up the weather and left Texas in control of authoritarians. How can he know right from wrong after a lifetime spent in that rot? A life in privilege in a Texas Legislature that so often prioritizes causing harm and doing cruel things surely has left a strong imprint on the Senator. He has the wrong person to protect Houstonians from growing anti-democratic threats. Here are the Project's 2023 Houston election recommendations. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to make democracy an issue in 2023 Houston politics and to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. The Project will continue through 2024. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected].
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The Houston Democracy Project looks to keep the focus on local officials, but Donald Trump's visit to Houston this upcoming Thursday, November 2 merits comment.
As Trump details the nightmares he intends in a second term, talks about leaving NATO & says he will indict political opponents, there should be 100,000 people in a county this big out peacefully protesting his appearance. From KHOU Channel 11- The event will be held on November 2 at Trendsetter Engineering, Inc., which is located at 10430 Rodgers Road. Doors open at 1 p.m. and it's scheduled to start at 4 p.m. Attendees must register for tickets in order to go. You can register online on a first-come-first-served basis. There are a lot of us who won't get through a second Trump term. The physical and mental stress of it will be toxic. Many people will be under direct threat from the forces a second Trump term will empower and unleash. The country won't likely get past it with much left of our already deeply-flawed democracy. Where are the law enforcement unions and the tough on crime folks in Harris County speaking up against this four time indicted threat to democracy appearing in our community? Former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger told National Public Radio that he will vote for Joe Biden in '24 because democracy is on the line. "But I also know that if everything kind of tracks the way it is in 2024, I won't be voting Republican because, again, I think it's a simple question of democracy or no democracy. And the Republican Party represents right now a real slide to authoritarianism ... If it was Joe Biden and Donald Trump, I don't think there's any question I would vote for Joe Biden." This is the right course from Republicans who say they care about democracy. Our lives and futures are on the line. We should act like it. Trump is going around working up the structures, and lawlessness he needs to take so much from us. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to make democracy an issue in 2023 Houston politics and to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. The Project will continue through 2024. Here are the Project's 2023 Houston election recommendations. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. I voted today. Early voting extends through November 3. General Election Day is November 7. Here are the Houston Democracy Project's 2023 Houston election recommendations. Houston Mayoral candidate Shelia Jackson Lee was at the West Gray Multi-Service Center today. That's where I voted. Above is a picture of Rep. Jackson Lee today in a circle of people with a big cloud overhead. I see the cloud as a metaphor for anything. It's just a cloud. Below is a picture of Houston Mayoral candidate Lee Kaplan a few days ago at West Gray. Mr. Kaplan had just early voted and asked a staffer to take a picture of him. The Houston Democracy Project has a section of photography. Please check it out. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to make democracy an issue in 2023 Houston politics and to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. The Project will continue through 2024. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. The ad above from the Texas Realtors Pac says Houston Mayoral candidate John Whitmire will "Put Houston First."
Just like Trump's America First assertions. There is an ugly history behind such assertions. The ad says "John Whitmire is one of us." Who are us? It seems some people are "us" and others are somebody else. Senator Whitmire has a lot of support from police unions who won't step away from politicians engaged in election denial. The somebody else here might be folks who get their votes tossed out by the right. Senator Whitmire lets his surrogates say and do bad things. Senator Whitmire keeps telling us he is a good Democrat. Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo disagrees. She says Senator Whitmire did not support her reelection bid last year. Which John Whitmire would we get as Mayor of Houston? The one who tells us his relationships with authoritarians will benefit Houston even as "The Dean" is powerless to stop the cruel excesses of the Texas Legislature? Or the one who just sits back and lets the nastiest folks do the talking and set the agenda? How about we just not find out? The Houston Democracy Project works daily to make democracy an issue in 2023 Houston politics and to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. The Project will continue through 2024. Here are the Project's 2023 Houston election recommendations. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. Whitmire Says He Is Good Democrat, But Hidalgo Strongly Disagrees-Not Reliable On Democracy10/27/2023 The Houston Democracy Project attended the Shelia Jackson Lee for Mayor rally today which featured Hillary Clinton. (Above is a picture of Secretary Clinton and the Congresswoman. Sorry it is not a better picture. I was in the back. Judge Lina Hidalgo is sitting to the right of Rep. Jackson Lee.) Most noteworthy at the event were the comments of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. From the Houston Chronicle: "The county judge also took aim at Jackson Lee’s main opponent, state Sen. John Whitmire, during her speech. She said he is not a real Democrat, pointing out that he shares some of the same conservative donors as Alexandra del Moral Mealer, the Republican candidate who unsuccessfully challenged Hidalgo in last year’s election." That account doesn't do the Judge's remarks justice though. She took after Senator Whitmire calling him "spineless" and a "puppet" of the right. She made it clear Senator Whitmire was not supportive of her re-election race in 2022. Senator Whitmire keeps saying he is a good Democrat. Lina Hidalgo sure does not think so. And given his many relationships with far-right Republicans, it's difficult to trust Senator Whitmire as a strong or brave defender of democracy in the current political climate. It's a shame that we put so much effort in beating Mealer and Republicans in Harris County in 2022, only to have the same crew back in force with John Whitmire. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to make democracy an issue in 2023 Houston politics and to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. The Project will continue through 2024. Here are the Project's 2023 Houston election recommendations. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. Harsh immigration enforcement bills have been passed in the Texas House. These bills will go to the Senate and then to Governor Abbott.
From the Houston Chronicle: "Texas House Republicans passed a bill that would allow police officers anywhere in the state to remove migrants who lack legal immigration status, with stiff penalties for those who refuse to leave....Under the bill, officers would be able to charge anyone who unlawfully enters or tries to enter Texas from Mexico with a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail. In lieu of arrest, police could opt to drop migrants off at ports of entry and order their return back across the border. Those who refuse could be charged with a second-degree felony and face up to 20 years in prison....Democrats say Spiller’s bill would sow widespread distrust between law enforcement and people of color, lead to racial profiling and perhaps even cause the errant removal of citizens who happened to leave their proof of ID at home." Here in Houston, this legislation will be enforced in part by Greg Abbott's Texas Department of Public Safety troopers if John Whitmire is elected Mayor. Senator Whitmire intends to invite 200 DPS troops to police Houston. DPS troops conducting city police work in Austin earlier this year arrested an outsized share of Latinos for minor offenses. This legislation passed in the Texas House is what made State Rep. Armando Walle of Houston so mad in a widely shared video recording. Rep. Walle has endorsed Senator Whitmire for Mayor of Houston. I'm not aware of a statement from the Senator backing up Rep. Walle on a matter that caused him to say this to Republican House colleagues: “It hurts us to our fucking core”...And you don’t understand that, you don't live in our skin. And that’s what pisses me off.” John Whitmire hasn't tried or is not able to mitigate what Republicans are doing. Senator Whitmire says his relationships with anti-democratic and authoritarian Republicans will benefit Houston. But he seems powerless to exert influence on Texas legislative Republicans as they do one lousy thing after another. At the moment, it appears Rep. Walle's support of Senator Whitmire for Mayor will be of assistance to Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick and Texas legislative Republicans as they work to enable police to turn traffic stops into deportations. (Here is a link to Senator Whitmire's endorsement page on his website to see which elected officials are supporting the Senator.) The Houston Democracy Project works daily to make democracy an issue in 2023 Houston politics and to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. The Project will continue through 2024. Here are the Project's 2023 Houston election recommendations. Please share word of the Houston Democracy Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. I spent a three hour volunteer shift at the West Gray Multi Service Center today handing out the 2023 endorsement card for the Houston LGBTQ+ Political Caucus. Here is who the Caucus endorsed. Above is the card, my hand and some political signs. I'm a member of the Caucus. I attend and participate in the monthly meetings and have signed up for two volunteer shifts to hand out the card. The meetings are well-run and the leadership of the group is thoughtful and inclusive. The Caucus has strong relationships with candidates and elected officials. My thoughts tend more to the view that candidates and elected officials come and go. If we get a second Trump term and have Ken Paxton as Texas Attorney General, the Caucus might need resources for legal fees, bail funds, self-defense and getting people out of Texas. I try to be active in the organization so I can have a voice in debates ahead and so my voice is heard. What's important to you as we face all the troubles ahead? Be part of the things you value and want to protect. Let's build coalitions of people who show up. Let's look out for each other. The Houston Democracy Project works daily to make democracy a top issue in 2023 Houston politics and to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. The Houston Democracy Project will be ongoing through 2024 if not longer. Please share word of the Project and support the effort with your contribution. If you have a question about the Project or a suggestion, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. Here are 2023 Houston Democracy Project Houston city election recommendations. Tough On Crime Crew In Harris County Loves Ken Paxton More Than They Care About Democracy10/24/2023 Above is a picture of Mattress Mack with corrupt Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton at the Astros playoff game last night. What type of person would want to sit with Ken Paxton? Or with Mattress Mack? It is good to see pictures like this because they serve as a strong reminder that the tough on crime folks, law enforcement unions and right-wingers here in Harris County don't care about election denial, anti-democratic actions and hateful laws from the Texas Legislature. You can say you know that. But the tough on crime narrative never lets up. It is good politics for the anti-democratic right. It goes on and on and on with the intent to wear people down and to keep people scared all the time. These folks are looking to take over our elections and take our rights. We must be ready for them. Below are Houston Democracy Project recommendations for 2023 Houston municipal elections. The Houston Democracy Project works to inspire, organize and strengthen pro-democracy coalitions in Houston and Harris County. The focus is promotion and protection of democracy. This endorsement slate is for Houston municipal races and the two city propositions, and concerned only on how these campaigns and issues impact the fight for democracy in Houston. It's clear freedom is on the line, and that Houston and Harris County are at the center of the fight: *Houston has lost its elected school board in what just 60 years ago was a Jim Crow City. *Defeated Republicans from 2022 Harris County elections are STILL in court trying to undo election results. *The far-right Texas legislature has taken over Harris County elections. *Far-right corrupt Ken Paxton is Attorney General of Texas. *Donald Trump is easily the leading candidate for the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination and his second term plans are a nightmare. Before I get to the ballot, I want to discuss ideas. Ideas translate into action. Candidates and elected officials come and go. Our need and our opportunity to be free, to make use of our power as citizens and to work with one another is constant. Each link in the three paragraphs below is to a Houston Democracy Blog post. Each paragraph relates a theme of the Project. Houston city elections are not in reality non-partisan. Party identification of candidates matters and should be discussed. Houston municipal candidates put us at risk when they ignore threats to democracy. It is like ignoring a hurricane warning in the hope the storm will just dissipate. It's also so that Houston voters could be more kind to themselves and each other. Houston municipal candidates saying we should reach out to Republicans must make the case it is safe and pragmatic to do so. Shouldn't we at the least ask that people we talk to respect election results? Even elected officials with strong establishment connections are not safe from Republican intimidation. Sometimes there is no common ground between opposing viewpoints and we must be ready to protect our rights on those terms. One way to protect ourselves is to not give up our rights in advance. We can't allow the threat of violence and acts of violence from the right force us from political activity. The people of Houston deserve protection from the right. There is no public safety without democracy. It's an attack on democracy for law enforcement unions to seek removal of elected judges. It is one thing to call for defeat at the polls or for a judge to resign. It is another thing to appeal to a far right state government for removal. Democratic candidates who receive police union endorsements should ask those unions to step back from election deniers. Four candidates so far have added pro-democracy language to their websites after talking to the Houston Democracy Project. They are Conchita Reyes in At-Large #1, Obes Nwabara for At-Large #2, Donnell Cooper for At-Large #3 and Ivan Sanchez in District J. Ethan Michelle Ganz for At-Large #3 and Travis McGee in District D also have strong pro-democracy language on their campaign websites. I'm proud of the impact the Project is having. Recommendations for 2023 Houston city elections: City Propositions: Both city propositions A and B expand democracy. Prop A would allow three council members to bring an agenda item before City Council. Currently, only the Mayor can do so. Prop B looks to extend greater and more fair representation to the City of Houston on our regional transportation council. Vote Yes on A and B. Controller: Chris Hollins was running for Mayor and then shifted to the Controller's race when Rep. Shelia Jackson Lee got in the race. Mr. Hollins talks about his time as county election administrator and his fights with Greg Abbott and far-right Republicans. This is good because all elected positions must be involved in protecting our rights. You don't know who will show up or be brave in the face of an ever-growing authoritarian threat. Mr. Hollins is off to a good start. At-Large #1: Conchita Reyes is the certain pick. Ms. Reyes has made clear her concern about anti-democratic trends locally and in the nation. She's pragmatic and sees the full picture at the same time. It's important to note that Ms. Reyes is a moderate Democrat with plenty of support from established local political leaders. The issue here is democracy. Not ideology. Ms. Reyes is also one of the few 2023 candidates who was active for the Harris County Democratic ticket in 2022 when so much was at stake. Leah Wolfthal has centered her campaign on talking to all sides. I've never heard her say that acceptance of democratic norms be a condition of such discussions. In minute 11 of her interview with blogger Charles Kuffner, Ms. Wolfthal appears to place equal blame between the city and the state regarding the Texas General Land Office refusing to give the city needed Hurricane Harvey relief funds. If Houston was a Republican-voting city, we would have gotten that money right away. She pitches unconditional talk with extremists as moderation or pragmatism. In so doing, she defines the democracy advocate who establishes even the low bar of acceptance of election results as rigid and unreasonable. Ms. Wolfthal has it upside down. Melanie Miles is a Democrat now. Up until 2018, she was a Republican. She previously lost a race for judge running as a Republican. The party shift is fine. Every day is a new day to do right. But Ms. Miles has never made fully clear the reason for her shift. It feels to me opportunistic. Her many endorsements from law enforcement unions heighten my wariness. Julian Ramirez is a Republican. I had a conversation with him where he told me he'd been a Harris County judicial candidate in 2022 who lost by a small margin. He said he refused to join the Harris County election redo lawsuits because he didn't think they were valid. That's good. But he wouldn't distance himself from Trump. I don't have a problem with bipartisanship. But bipartisanship must be contingent on full commitment to democracy. At-Large #2: Obes Nwabara has worked hard over the past three years to establish his name. He was a consistent presence on the 2022 Harris County Democratic campaign trail volunteering to elect Democrats against Republicans with little regard for democracy. He was the first candidate to add democracy to his campaign website after talking to the Project. As a Council Member, Mr. Nwabara's strong belief in freedom for all will help keep Houstonians safe from the right. Danielle Bess is aware of the anti-democratic challenges confronting Houston. She's been open and accessible in talking to the Houston Democracy Project. She could do more to focus on these issues as a candidate. I'm hopeful this focus will emerge more clearly as we confront the 2024 elections. Holly Flynn Vilaseca has run an uninspiring and overly-cautious campaign that offers little hope she would act with imagination and energy in a circumstance where her voice and courage was required. Nick Hellyar is essentially a Republican though he still claims to be a Democrat. He's the first Democrat I've seen in a long time to send a mailer out that did not include a label showing use of a union printer. His campaign rests on relationships with Republicans and law enforcement unions with no indication that he cares if these folks accept election results or not. It's a reckless approach to public safety. Please don't vote for him. At-Large #3: Donnell Cooper is mindful of the extreme nature of the political right and has no illusions about its intent in this political climate. He has commitment to democracy on his list of campaign issues. I believe he'll be willing to confront the anti-democratic challenges ahead. Richard Cantu is a decent and thoughtful person. I had a good conversation with about democracy issues in Houston. I believe as an elected official he would take risks for the rights of others. Ethan Michelle Ganz is a dedicated community advocate with a strong record of showing up for others. They have an aggressive defense of democracy on their website and have acted as an activist and a citizen with a concern and care for all people of Houston. It is good there are three candidates meriting support in this race. At-Large #4: Incumbent Letitia Plummer made an effort to address police reform issues at the time of the murder of George Floyd. She got a lot of blowback from fellow Democrats on Council, and the reality is that there is not a sufficient progressive or reform-minded community in Houston willing to take those issues on. Councilwoman Plummer has since taken up the issue of improving conditions in the large number of Houston apartments that are not up to acceptable standards. She merits your vote. At-Large #5: Incumbent Democrat Sallie Alcorn is disappointing. She is an energetic member of Council, but with focus on everything but the fires burning around us. Her emphasis on the nuts and bolts of city issues is fine, but in this political climate leads to short-sighted and constricted judgment like valuing relationships with Republicans more so than strongly advocating for Houstonians made most vulnerable by relentless attacks on our rights. I've seen Councilwoman Alcorn at Democratic Party meetings asking for Democratic support. But she was invisible on the 2022 Harris County Democratic campaign trail and her only apparent endorsement of a fellow Democrat in 2023 is of Nick Hellyar in At-Large #2. Again, poor and narrow judgment. Councilwoman Alcorn doesn't have strong opposition and doesn't need my vote. District C: This is my district. Incumbent Abbie Kamin is the likely Election Day winner. If you talk to her she says the right things about threats to democracy. But as Chair of the Council Public Safety committee, she looked the other way at police excesses against George Floyd marchers in Houston. Would she take career and personal risks to protect democracy? I hope so. District D: Travis McGee has a long record of strong involvement in his community and advocacy on behalf of Houston public schools. His commitment to democracy is front and center on his campaign website. District H: I've spoken to both Cynthia Reyes-Revilla and Mario Castillo about the Houston Democracy Project. Ms. Reyes-Revilla expressed interest and asked questions. Mr. Castillo listened politely. Ms. Reyes-Revilla has my support. District J: Ivan Sanchez is running hard and gets the seriousness of the political situation in Texas. His opponent is a political-shape shifter who raises an awful lot of money. Please vote for Mr. Sanchez. Council Districts A, E & G are all likely to be won by Republicans with no hopeful opposition to choose at the ballot box. Council Districts B, F, & K are represented by Democratic incumbents seeking a new term. District I will likely be represented by a current staffer of the term-limited incumbent. Those districts and all people would benefit from an aggressive focus on voter turnout in 2024 and an active voice on matters of democratic freedom going forward by the Councilpersons from B, F, I, & K. District B is Tarsha Jackson, F is Tiffany Thomas, I is Joaquin Martinez and K is Martha Castex-Tatum. Here is a map of Houston City Council districts. Mayor: I'm voting for Shelia Jackson Lee as the best chance to stop John Whitmire. Rep. Jackson Lee, like many longtime elected officials in safe districts in Houston and Harris County, has had years to build a voter turnout operation and promote a culture of voting in every election. She hasn't done so. (Nor has Senator Whitmire in his safe Democratic district.) Now Rep. Jackson Lee needs voters and so do people worried about the future of democracy. Rep. Jackson Lee has often spoken up for good and just causes. As our institutions strain to preserve an already flawed democracy, Congresswoman Jackson Lee must see that the logical extension of her consistent positions in favor of social justice is empowerment of people beyond the advice of consultants, insider politics and big name endorsements. Hopefully it is not too late in this race for the Congresswoman to undo years of neglect by our local leaders in building a strong and healthy culture of voting and engagement in Houston. Senator Whitmire has spent his 50 year political career part of systems that have lost Roe, lost most of the Voting Rights Act, messed up the weather and left Texas in the control of authoritarians. Surrounded by his right-wing friends and having spent a lifetime in this rot, how can he even know right from wrong at this point? Senator Whitmire tells us his connections to Republicans will benefit Houston. But he has proven powerless to stop the cruel excesses of Texas legislative Republicans. He's the wrong person to help democracy-loving Houstonians stand up to Republicans and their anti-democratic allies. Gilbert Garcia had the opportunity to add something new to our politics as a fresh face with a lot of money. Instead his campaign has often been the same old crime narrative. Early voting is October 23-November 3. General Election Day is November 7. An additional resource for the election is Daniel Cohen's endorsement list. Daniel runs Indivisible Houston and does a lot of good work. And here is the Eric Manning spreadsheet to help you figure out what political party Council candidates support. The Houston Democracy Project offers an autonomous voice for freedom in Houston and Harris County. I have no connection to any campaign, elected official, non-profit or union. The Project will extend at the least through Election Day 2024. A goal of the Project in 2024, will be to insist that Harris County elected Democrats in safe seats take an active role in supporting the full 2024 Harris County and Texas Democratic ticket. The Project consists of the following: *This website with its blog. You are reading the blog. Please check out the front page of the website as well. *Numerous and ongoing one-on-one conversations in-person and otherwise with candidates and officials, opinion leaders & rank and file Houstonians. *A weekly Thursday morning segment on the Egberto Willies Politics Done Right broadcast and webcast on Houston station KPFT. *My attendance and participation at local Democratic Party meetings, human rights groups meetings and other political events. *Weekly participation in the John Cornyn Houston Office Protest. Now at 350 weeks and going strong, the Cornyn Protest sets the essential example in Houston of advocating for democracy in a confident manner and in a visible place no matter the weather. *A section of photography. *My consistent study and reading about attacks on democracy in Houston and in Texas. This effort in combination with my strong commitment to autonomy from politicians and local institutions, makes me a creative and effective advocate. This work relies on your contributions to keep it going. Please support and share word of the Project. It is our work together. All people need to be free. I'm happy to answer any questions about the Project at [email protected]. Houston and Harris County Democrats have had enough of Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg. DA Ogg is a Democrat. She seems more at ease with Republicans than with Democrats.
The Houston Democracy Project will begin focus on county elections after we get past municipal elections. But DA Ogg's bad conduct is a direct matter of democracy because she is working with Republicans and other retrograde elements to go after political opponents and promote efforts intended to diminish confidence in elections. Below is the entire well-detailed press release as sent out by Indivisible Houston President Daniel Cohen: (Houston, TX) - Today, a large group of elected Democratic Precinct Chairs formally submitted a resolution to party officials calling on the Harris County Democratic Party to admonish District Attorney Kim Ogg. The 60 signatories of the resolution include three senate district chairs and comprise a diverse array of races, ethnicities, ideologies, religions, and age groups. They also represent virtually every geographic area of Harris County. The resolution, which may be viewed here along with the names of all signing members, cites a long list of actions taken by Ogg over the past several years that run counter to the interests, values, and agenda of the Democratic Party and the people of Harris County. The resolution also cites a bombshell Houston Chronicle investigation which exposed a campaign driven by Ogg to abuse the power of her office to target, intimidate, and prosecute her political opponents. Specifically, the resolution cites the following reasons for seeking admonishment:
“Kim Ogg has emerged as one of the greatest obstacles to successful democratic governance in Harris County,” said Rebecca Shukla, Chair of Precinct 183. “She has proven over and over again that she would rather stand with Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, and Ken Paxton, than with Democrats from her own party who are working to enact the will of our voters. We’re proud to be a big tent party with people who should a wide-array of ideas and ideologies, but Ogg’s words and actions cross a line. She’s burning our big tent down by advancing Republican policies that undermine confidence in our elections, and abusing her power as District Attorney to intimidate anyone who stands in her way.” “This resolution says out loud what a majority of Democrats in Harris County have become increasingly alarmed about for the past several years,” said Cameron Campbell, Chair of Precinct 991. “Not only has Kim Ogg broken her campaign promises, she’s actively enabled the worst instincts of the most extreme Republican operatives who are intent on targeting and dismantling our party. Her divisive bullying and appalling abuse endangers our community and undermines our civil rights. ” Precinct chairs co-sponsoring the resolution are seeking a floor vote on the proposal at the Harris County Democratic Party’s upcoming County Executive Committee meeting which will take place on November 14th. The resolution is not sponsored or advanced by any candidate involved in the race for District Attorney. |
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