Texas Democratic Party Platform

I had a whole ten minutes to review the platform before we voted on it at the convention. Juanita Jean herownself was on the platform committee and she told us that it was the most progressive platform that she had seen and I believe her. I trust Juanita Jean on things like this. They worked on the platform for 12 hours on Thursday and started at 8 AM on Saturday and did not finish until 4:30 PM.

I will post a link when the platform is put up but from what I saw, it is a very progressive document that is a stark contrast to the Texas GOP platform. I think that we will be pleased with this document.

I have been rules committee since 8am at the state convention

Please send a rescue party

Greg Abbot is a bad lawyer-Court finds Texas Swagger Costs It Attorneys Fees in Voting Rights Case

Greg is a bad attorney. Wendy Davis won at the trial court level in the first redistricting case and the court awarded her attorney fees. Greg contested these attorney fees and the court was not kind to him http://electionlawblog.org/?p=62537

See this order in State of Texas v. Davis:

This matter presents a case study in how not to respond to a motion for attorney fees and costs. At issue is whether defendant-intervenors, who prevailed in Voting Rights Act litigation before a three-judge panel, may recoup attorney fees and costs even though the Supreme Court vacated that opinion in light of the Supreme Court’s subsequent decision in a different lawsuit that declared a section of the Voting Rights Act unconstitutional. A quick search of the Federal Reporter reveals the complexity of this narrow question. Yet, rather than engage the fee applicants, Plaintiff Texas basically ignores the arguments supporting an award of fees and costs. In a three-page filing entitled “Advisory,” Texas trumpets the Supreme Court’s decision, expresses indignation at having to respond at all, and presumes that the motion for attorney fees is so frivolous that Texas need not provide further briefing in opposition unless requested. Such an opposition is insufficient in this jurisdiction. Circuit precedent and the Local Rules of this Court provide that the failure to respond to an opposing party’s arguments results in waiver as to the unaddressed contentions, and the Court finds that Texas’s “Advisory” presents no opposition on the applicable law. Accordingly, the Court will award the requested fees and costs.

Greg Abbott Uses Private Plane Owned By 'Gay Conversion Therapy' Funders

It is going to be hard for Greg to hide from the GOP party platform on this issue http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/06/16/greg-abbott-gay-therapy_n_5500480.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott (R) dodged the question last week of whether he agrees with his party's support for "reparative therapy," a process purported to change the sexual orientation of gay people. But campaign records show the gubernatorial candidate has been flying around on a private plane donated by two billionaires who help fund the "ex-gay" movement.

Texas fracking tycoons Dan and Farris Wilks have given Abbott a combined total of more than $30,000 worth of in-kind donations this year for the use of a private plane. The Wilks' charitable trust, The Thirteen Foundation, has contributed nearly $3 million to groups that promote gay conversion therapy, a discredited pseudo-medical practice meant to change people's sexual orientation from gay to straight. The foundation also donates millions to anti-abortion and conservative religious groups.

Abbott's campaign did not respond to a request for comment.