This is my first diary, and you know, with polls starting to match people's excitement about Obama and pundits talking about 60 Democratic Senators, sometimes I feel a bit left out because what really gets my political rockets a-burnin' is often overlooked...
Find out what it is, after the jump
Of course, its understandable. Local politics don't have the money or influence as the major leagues. But there is something special about getting out of the retractable roof downtown stadium and heading out to a minor league game (or in Houston, Reckling Park at Rice University), and seeing a game where it feels like you're the only fan in the crowd, where you can talk to the players afterwards, where you feel like you're actually part of the team.
And it looks like Houston Democrats are starting to feel the same way. Just check out this video by the Harris County Democratic Party
donate to my amigos at HCDP
Feeling pumped?!
Who would have thought that some of the deepest blue would be right in the heart of Texas?
Well, how could you blame us? We have some of the awesomest candidates this side of the Rio Grande. But what's best is that I've had the opportunity to hang out with nearly all of them!
Michael Skelly (TX-07)
Skelly doesn't just talk about energy independence, he lives it. Building Horizon Wind Energy from the ground up,
he knows what it will take to eliminate our addiction to Middle Eastern oil, and will fight in Congress to get it done. His common-sense attitude typifies exactly the sort of Business Democrats who can not only run and win in usually Red districts, but make us proud, too.
Donate to Skelly here
Of course, Skelly is at the top of the ticket. He is our Obama. But you only have to look down a few names to find some of my favorites, like...
Larry Joe Doherty (TX-10)
I have never seen a man rile up a unconditioned room in Houston like Judge Larry Joe. Given his horribly gerrymandered district, you would think this guy would have fallen into his Shiner by now. But Larry Joe fights for justice and has fun doing it. He'd better, or else his former TV show TEXAS JUSTICE certainly would not have been nearly as entertaining. If Skelly is our Obama, Larry Joe is our Al Franken.
Donate to Larry Joe here
Chris Bell (Texas Senate District 17 Special Election)
Any Houston Democrat worth his salt knows Chris Bell. He is the go-to guy for the local party. After all, he is the giantslayer who helped bring down Tom DeLay. The victim of gerrymandering, he's looking to prove that all politics is local and take up a seat in the State Senate. Help this political vet show those kids in Austin who is boss.
Jim Henley (Candidate for Department of Education, Position 7 At Large)
Jim is like a Johnny Appleseed for Houston Democrats, helping middle school students make proper arguments as a debate coach. When he ran for the US House in 2006, incumbent John Culberson agreed to one debate, at Rice University, with the student paper the Rice Thresher as the only media allowed. As much as the Thresher would have loved that, Jim refused to anything that would shut out the media, and Culberson ran like a yellow dog. So help put this local education master in a great leadership position to help the kids outside his classroom.
Debra “Debbie” Kerner (Candidate for Department of Education, Position 5 at Large)
I have to admit that I am a bit biased, since Mrs. Kerner drove my Kindergarten carpool at Beth Yeshurun Day School. But I would like to think that her dedication to getting us to class on time, no matter how annoying a station wagon full of kiddies can be, shows that she had what it takes to be in the Department of Education. Of course, the fact that she only actual educator running for the position -- a speech/language pathologist for more than three decades -- has something to do with it, too.
So help me with my passion and work with the Harris County Democrats to elect these amazing candidates!
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