Yes, early voting has officially begun here in Texas and will last until October 31. Have you voted yet? As for myself, I couldn't get to the polls fast enough today to cast my vote for Wendy Davis, Leticia Van de Putte, and other Texas Democrats. I haven't had a fire lit under me like this since I cast my vote for Barack Obama in 2008, and I couldn't stop grinning at the voter booth. I might be worried if so many other Texans didn't share my enthusiasm for this election. It has been said before, but there is something different in the air right now, and it leaves me full of optimism. But it's going to be a
push, which is what this Monday evening October series is all about.
If you haven't gotten out to vote yet, and if you haven't convinced every person you know and love to get out to vote for Texas Democrats, it's GOTV time! Now is the time to ignore the naysayers and those who say it can't be done based on likely voter polls. It comes down to getting those unlikely voters out. And yes, it sucks, sucks, sucks that SCOTUS didn't put a halt on the Texas voter ID law, which means you will have to show your Texas driver license or ID in this election. This is all the more reason to GOTV. Texas Republicans want to keep voter turnout down because they know it is their only chance of holding onto the reins of power. Pick up the phone, make some calls, shoot some texts. This is too important not to pester people you love. And, of course, take part in our TexKos Weekend of Action, which is coming up this weekend, October 25-26. If you missed my diary announcing the Weekend of Action and nomandates' diary last week with action updates, here is the rundown:
The designated TexKos Weekend of Action will be the last weekend of the month: October 25-26. [...] During the Weekend of Action, we strongly encourage every single Texas Kossack to do something with Battleground Texas, whether it is making phone calls or walking door to door. It doesn't have to be all weekend, although the more activism you can do the better. If it's only a few hours, it's still something toward prying Texas out of the grips of Republicans. Then, either nomandates or I will be posting a diary on Monday reporting on our Weekend of Action here in Houston and asking everybody else from around the state to report how it went in their neck of the woods.
Of course, this TexKos Weekend of Action should not be taken to mean that every weekend (and, indeed, every day) should not be action-filled. That's why, leading up to our big Weekend of Action, nomandates and I will be posting diaries every Monday in October asking Texas Kossacks to report back about how their weekends went. But we know people are busy. We know that not everybody can devote every weekend to this election. So we ask that, if you can't do anything the rest of the month, at least try to participate in whatever way you can in our Weekend of Action on October 25-26.
And, of course, while Wendy Davis and Leticia Van de Putte are at the top of the ticket, we know it is going to take more than electing a Governor and Lieutenant Governor to swing the balance of power in this state. So we have modified our call to action as follows:
During the Weekend of Action, we strongly encourage every single Texas Kossack or Wendy Davis supporter to do something with Battleground Texas or with a Texas Democratic candidate's campaign, whether it is making phone calls or walking door to door.
As I said in my announcement diary, I am not a comfortable person on the phone or canvassing. I may come across as a strong voice online, but I am anything but in real life. Many of you reading probably know exactly what I'm talking about, if picking up the phone on behalf of a candidate or (gasp)
knocking on somebody's door makes every inch of your skin crawl. But I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't give it my all during this election, and that means crawling out of my data-entry comfort zone and into the realm of phonebanking and canvassing. I haven't done that since I volunteered for the 2008 campaign.
I'm here to tell you, if you're on the fence about jumping in, it's really not that bad, even for somebody as socially awkward as I am. I spent yesterday afternoon making phone calls to get support and new volunteers for Wendy Davis. That first phone call is always the worst, until the person picks up, you open your mouth, and you realize that you actually have something to say, and that the person on the other end isn't going to chew your head off. It only gets easier. You have a script in front of you if you need it, and you might, but you probably won't by the end of your phonebanking session. You might run into a rude person here and there, but you won't even think about them after you get your first strong Wendy supporter, or better yet, the first person who was on the fence about voting for her but moves over to the "supporter" column by the end of the call.
I talked to so many Wendy supporters yesterday and a few people so enthusiastic that they didn't even have to be persuaded to volunteer--they volunteered themselves and said, "Please let me know about upcoming events!" You will only feel better and more inspired by the end of the day when you make calls or walk door to door. Please consider getting involved if you haven't already, at least for a few hours on the Weekend of Action.
If you want to sign up for an event, go to Battleground Texas or WendyDavisTexas. Remember that events are usually only posted 5-10 days in advance.
And if you live out-of-state or cannot find an event nearby, you can still make calls to help elect Wendy Davis. Or donate here.
We only have a couple of weeks left. Let's make them matter. Be sure to report back here next Monday to let us know what you did on the Weekend of Action. And in the comments below, please let us know how this past weekend went. We're looking forward to hearing your reports from the field!
And now, some Wendy Davis endorsements from major Texas newspapers. Starting with the Houston Chronicle:
The Republican candidate, Attorney General Greg Abbott, 56, has run a strong campaign, but our fear is that, essentially, he will perpetuate the Perry era, with its fealty to the hard-right social conservative wing of his party.
His Democratic opponent, we believe, will do everything possible to sustain the state’s impressive economic growth, but she also will seek to broaden the state’s focus. We’re confident she’ll work to assure that every Texan has an opportunity to share in the state’s prosperity. And, with Republicans still in the majority in the Legislature, she will have no choice but to reach out to the other side in ways that Abbott is less likely to do.
[...]
Whether a Gov. Wendy Davis could get anything done in a state still dominated by a Republican Party fiercely fighting a rear-guard action against social, economic and political change is a question we can’t answer. As a Democrat in this fervid-red state, she faces an uphill battle, to be sure. And yet, there are pivotal moments in political history where the focus shifts and the people decide that enough’s enough. As a senator, Wendy Davis had the courage and strength on more than one occasion not to back down. With challenging times ahead, those same qualities are what we need to lead the state.
The
San Antonio Express-News:
Texas is in need of decisive leadership that will look at lingering problems in new ways. It’s in need of leadership different from the kind the state has had for much of the last 14 years under Gov. Rick Perry.
Something different than: federal government as boogeyman; responsible regulation of Texas resources and its environment deemed anti-business; international border as threat; raising the minimum wage as anti-jobs; and the notion that public education isn’t in dire need of immediate additional investment.
Because she is simply more on target with solutions to the state’s problems, we recommend Wendy Davis to be Texas’ next governor.
And finally, the
Austin American-Statesman:
Davis lists public school education as a priority. She has called for funding full-day pre-kindergarten programs — a proposal that she says would cost about $730 million but could be partially offset by closing corporate tax loopholes. She wants the Legislature to raise teacher pay. She has fought to reduce standardized testing.
Also at the top of Davis’ to-do list: expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Expansion would give hundreds of thousands of Texans health insurance and bring back to the state tax dollars that are being used elsewhere. To reject expanding Medicaid is to posture politically, Davis correctly says, and it comes at great cost to the state and its less-fortunate citizens.
[...]
There was a time we could have assumed Abbott would moderate his party’s worst tendencies on illegal immigration, abortion, same-sex marriage, school choice and other issues, but no more. And recent decisions by his office protecting the source of the state’s execution drugs and clouding information about businesses that store ammonium nitrate and other dangerous chemicals have raised doubts whether he remains an unfailing advocate of open government.
Abbott famously has joked that his typical workday involves going to the office, suing President Barack Obama and the federal government, and going home. Whatever the legal merits of some of Abbott’s lawsuits, he has treated taking on the Obama administration as a game in which political points are scored. The lawsuits symbolize our growing doubts about Abbott.
Now, let's hear from
you! What did you do this past weekend, and what are you planning for the Weekend of Action?