Early voting began yesterday. If you have already decided who you will be voting for please use this opportunity to vote early. I believe early voting is an important because it gives people a chance to get to the polls before Election Day. Early voting benefit those who have not voted in years, because Election Day just never line-up with their busy schedule, whether it be work or school (college or high school if your 18). Early voting also you the opportunity to fix any problems that might arise at the polls before Election Day.

Like the last elections, previous non- and new voters are going to decide to vote in this election and by spreading the word about early voting we can ensure their vote counted. The sooner you vote, the better.

If you haven’t decided and you live in Bexar County, TX, between now and Election Day, I will give you my endorsement based on my rules. If some candidates feel left out, maybe next time they will think about serving the people instead their time in office serving their own interest.

Get your vote in and then get all of your friends and family to vote as well. The more people that vote, the greater chance this state has of electing a leader that is truly is a reflection of its people.

If Democrats learn nothing else from the 2008 election, winning elections and earning the Hispanic vote are one and the same. Failing to change our strategy affects both the national election and down-ballot races. Branding, messaging, and relationship development are cumulative exercises, and for an audience as neglected and segmented as Latinas/os are, the work to register, persuade, mobilize, and turn out these voters should have started the moment the candidates announced. Sadly, only one statewide campaign, Linda Chavez-Thompson, candidate for lieutenant governor, have taken on themselves to take this message to heart.

Democratic leaders and strategists can no long be complacent in investing significant resources in relevant research, effective message development and meaningful civic engagement. Hispanics did not move towards the Democrats as a result of intensive mobilization efforts or through the delivery of a coherent message by the party or progressive organizations. Instead, Hispanics treated the 2006 and 2008 elections as a referendum on the status quo that swept the Democrats to power.

My endorsement will be based on the campaign as a whole, not to candidates who just give lip serve and then never to be heard from again until the next election. Throughout this election I have met a few candidates who are willing to listen and adopted ideas I provided to their campaign. Oftentimes, there are gatekeepers tend to do more harm than good by closing the lines of communication between the politicians/candidates and their constituents. This will be a contributing factor when I make my endorsement. I firmly believe in the principle that, when everyone is given a say, the best ideas ultimately prevail.

Maybe, in some small way, this can serve as an alternative way of endorsing Democrats for other bloggers. I am not saying we should not vote for those who did not get endorsed. I look as this as way of placing elected politicians and future candidates on notice. If they continue in their wayward behavior, they run the risk of losing in the primaries.

I would like to reiterate the reason for these standards. This is the only way that we can put an end to the recycling of a failed strategic framework that has only delayed the branding and civic engagement efforts needed to increase the Latino/a vote.

Hispanic voters are ready for change and the true fire of change burns within us. My endorsement of a candidate should let Hispanic voters feel confident about voting them and a message to other Democratic candidates they must show they have the strength to take the next step forward to accept and cultivate an environment for Latinos/as to achieve political empowerment.

Barton, a former oil company executive, called BP the victim of a “$20 billion shakedown;” he was referring to the $20 billion compensation fund for the victims of the Gulf Coast’s oil-spill. “I apologize,” Barton told BP chief executive Tony Hayward. “I’m ashamed of what happened in the White House yesterday. I think it is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown, in this case a $20 billion shakedown.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

This did not sit well with Republican leaders. GOP leaders summoned Barton to the Capitol and demanded he apologize. House Republican leadership publicly called Barton’s comments “wrong.”

They even went so far to threaten to strip Barton of his position as ranking Republican on the powerful panel. Rep. Jeff Miller even called on Barton to resign as the committee’s ranking member, calling his remarks “reprehensible” and “out of touch with this tragedy.”

As soon as some Republicans tried to distance themselves from him, Barton was forced to retracted his apology. He stated that he was not defending BP – which he condemns for their actions – but it was an attack on the Obama administration for overreaching in forcing BP to put aside $20 billion.

Barton’s view that the White House has overreached is not surprising. Similar concerns has been voiced here in Texas by Texas Governor Rick Perry and among Tea Partiers.

In a piece by Time, titled simply “Texas Governor Perry Declares War On the EPA,” the story highlights Perry’s opposition to federal regulation of Texas’ powerful oil industries, citing states’ rights issues and the health of the oil industry. After the oil rig explosion in the Gulf, Perry defended BP, by questioning whether the spill was “just an act of God that occurred” and that any “politically driven” decisions could put the US in further economic peril.

“Follow the money”
“Follow the money” and inevitably it will lead you to those who pull the strings. A closer look at the money trail reveals the cozy relationship BP has had with Rick Perry and Joe Barton that has gone on for years. The Lone Star Project has produced a video showing BP’s track record in Texas and Rick Perry’s constant apologies for the corporation.

BP donates $250,000 to the Governor’s mansion
When Rick Perry needed to raise money to restore the Governor’s Mansion after a major fire, he turned to his friends at BP. According to the Austin American-Statesman, “The largest donation is $250,000 from energy giant BP America.” (Source: Austin American-Statesman, January 30, 2009)

Perry paid BP for jobs already in Texas
Perry gave BP $750,000 to create 150 jobs in League City, Texas. It was soon revealed that, “50 already work for BP and live in the area.” One expert called it, “a classic case of getting paid for doing what you’re going to do anyway.” (The Houston Chronicle, January 13, 2005)

Perry has been widely criticized for his Texas Enterprise Fund after a report revealed that almost half of the companies that received taxpayer dollars have, “failed or struggled to meet job goals.” The companies, including key player in the subprime mortgage market Countrywide Home Loans, have been given a total of $363 million taxpayer dollars. (Source: Austin American-Statesman, January 28, 2010)

According to Open Secrets, Rep. Joe Barton has received $1.5 million in donations last year from big oil. Barton’s biggest donor is Anadarko Petroleum ($146,500), a company that drills heavily in the deepwater Gulf. According to Business Insider, Anadarko is one of the top 25 Energy Companies that has suffered from the drilling moratorium.

It is ironic Barton called BP the victim of a “$20 billion shakedown” considering BP first quarter profits rose to $6.1 billion from $2.6 billion a year earlier. The truth is, Barton, who holds a safe seat in Texas, is able to say what of tea partyers and conservatives are expressing. In Texas, the Republican Party has not been afraid to take stands that are far outside the mainstream, knowing they will get a slap on the wrist.

A political stand is necessary to shed light on the way the Texas Republicans like the Rep Joe Barton and Gov Rick Perry have not looked favorably on the rights of the poor and people of color, but rather favor corporations over individuals that elected them. “Power concedes nothing without a demand,” said Frederick Douglass.

While Joe Barton may be safe, Gov. Rick Perry is not. A new Rasmussen poll shows Texas Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White is running close to Gov. Perry. I am not under any illusion. I know that Bill White is the underdog in this race. Being outnumbered and outgunned is not new. What gets Bill White motivated is the belief in the power of the people. This election about taking a stand to the unlawful conduct of the Texas Republican Party that takes our resources and disenfranchise us and treats us has second class human beings.

We need a leadership we can be proud of and the time is now.

Along with Tom Schieffer’s move to drop out and White’s move, the dynamics changes dramatically. White will now face Kinky Friedman, business owner Farouk Shami, and little known teacher Felix Alvarado in the primary. During White’s announcement, Hank Gilbert announced he too would drop out, White now has to beat out three contenders. In an interesting move on Gilbert’s part, unlike Schieffer who dropped out for White, Gilbert threw his support for Shami.

Can White win? The answer is yes. Gov. Rick Perry is vulnerable and the Republican Party of Texas knows it. They have already started attacking White the moment he announce he was considering running for governor. They are already using Gilbert’s endorsement against White.

Considering Gilbert the lowest number, .3%, out of all the Democratic candidates in a hypothetical matchup against both GOP in the inaugural University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, the GOP doesn’t have a leg to stand on.

Bill White announcement to run for governor is exciting and I can’t wait to help turn Texas blue.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A week after my post Sen. Hutchison formerly announced she was not resigning her Senate seat.

“I realize this will keep me in the Senate past the primary election,” Hutchison’s speech says. “These issues are too important to leave the fight to a newly appointed freshman senator who will be selected in the midst of a political storm.”

The decision came amid alarm among top Hutchison supporters about the direction of the campaign. As predicted, she did not help herself by shifting back and forth on when she will resign, especially with political figures down the line who are waiting to run for vacancies that would be created by her resignation. The Dallas Morning News’ Wayne Slater reported supporters inside the Hutchison camp were worried “answers about when she might resign made her look indecisive.”

Hutchison along with some of her advisers informed Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Attorney General Greg Abbott to file for re-election, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Not surprisingly, Sen. John Cornyn was pleased Hutchison wasn’t setting down. Sen. Cornyn said Hutchison was “putting Texas first” by staying through March to fight “the Democrats’ out-of-control spending spree and government-run health care proposals.”

The announcement came on the same day as a new Rasmussen Reports poll showing Perry is leading Hutchison 46% to 35%. This is a turn around from an earlier Rasmussen Reports poll showing Hutchison in the lead.

Did I call it or what? Just call me the Oracle of Delphi. I am not bragging, I’m sharing.

War of words: Perry Pulls Another Rove
Within hours of Hutchison’s announcement, Perry began sowing the seeds of division among Hutchison’s supporters about whether her decision not to resign might mean she has given up the governor’s race altogether.

As a sign the campaign has escalated into a war of words, Hutchison took immediate action making robocalls and going on air to assure her supporters she still is in the governor’s race. Her ad focuses on an issue that Republican primary voters are passionate about – government-run health care – and reminding voters that she’s in Washington fighting it. Hutchison says her decision to stay in the US Senate to fight Democrat-backed health care carries a “risk to my political future” but is necessary because she’s fighting for Texans.

Perry countered with his usual anti-federal stimulus, anti-Washington rhetoric. By attacking Washington, he is able to portray Hutchison as a Washington insider. Perry’s commercial casts him as a tax-cutting fiscal conservative in contrast to what his campaign called the “disastrous fiscal policies of Washington.”

The battle lines of the civil war are drawn. I would not be surprised if this election tear the party apart as Gov. Perry and Sen. Hutchison battle for the soul of the Republican Party.

Democrats’ hopes
Sen. Hutchison announcement created speculation that Houston Mayor Bill White might jump from the Senate special election campaign he has been running to get into the Democratic contest for governor. Spokeswoman Katy Bacon denied any switch will occur.

If Mayor White and Former Democratic Comptroller John Sharp are banking that Sen. Hutchison will resign after the primary, they can forget about it. Prior to her announcement she was not resigning, a Hutchison aide “brushed off the question of whether she would quit if she ends up losing the primary to Gov. Rick Perry” when asked by CNN.

As of this writing, there have been a surprising turn of events. The Houston Chronicle reported that Democratic candidate Tom Schieffer announced his withdrawal from the governor’s race to leave clear path for Mayor White to run for governor.

As a result of that Sunday afternoon meeting, Democratic candidate Tom Schieffer — who was a Bush administration ambassador to Australia and Japan — announced Monday that he will withdraw from the race for governor to clear the path for White. Schieffer urged other Democrats in the race to drop out and join him in support of White.

Shortly after Schieffer made his announcement, Mayor White held a City Hall news conference to say he will “agree to consider running for governor,” at the urging of Texans throughout the state. Mayor White said he will make an announcement by Dec. 4.

But there is further evidence Mayor White will run for governor. In a prepared statement, El Paso state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh openly endorsed Bill White for Governor on Monday.

“I am very excited today to endorse Bill White as the next Governor of the great state of Texas,” said Shapleigh, D-El Paso, in a prepared statement.

“Under his proven, responsible leadership, our great state can finally deal with the challenges of our times: better paying jobs, great schools, affordable college, water, real access to healthcare, 21st century infrastructure and sustainable energy.”

This is very significant because it ends speculation that he may run for Governor, According to the Rio Grande Guardian, there is now speculation that Shapleigh might run for Lieutenant Governor or Land Commissioner on a possible statewide Democratic ticket.

I have expressed my views on this matter openly and I do hope Mayor Bill White decides to run for Texas Governor. Not because Bill White was my Mayor when I lived in Houston or that the Democrats are sorely lacking star power. Its because I have witness the kind of leadership Texas sorely needs. I can personally testify his record as Mayor speaks volumes and he truly can be Texas’ Great White Hope.

I rarely make endorsements. If Bill White decided to run for Governor, I will have no problem posting my endorsement.

I don’t know if I want to hang my head in shame or die laughing at the irony of it all. One thing is for sure, I am awarding Marco Rubio the “Crossover King” Award.

What is “Crossover King” Award you ask? The award is inspired from one of the Latino characters John Leguizamo plays in Mambo Mouth. Leguizamo plays the role of the “Crossover King,” a formerly “flamboyant” Latino, “loud and obnoxious, full of street mannerisms,” who has now achieved success in the corporate world. In short, crossing over is “the art of passing for someone that you are not in order to get something that you have not.” For part two click here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Congratulations Marco Rubio, your a crossover success. Let’s face it, it’s tough growing up Latino in this country. We’re a third class citizen from the word go and I applauded you on your success. But there is a reason why John Leguizamo said “Latins for Republicans — it’s like roaches for Raid.”

5 words … Alberto Gonzales and Mel Martinez. And the word is, the wolves are already circling.

Mambo Mouth aired in 1991 on HBO. On the show, Leguizamo also played the role of Pepe, a detained “illegal immigrant.” It seems like nothing has changed since then when it comes to racism and Latinos pulling up that ladder behind them once they succeed.

In the skit, Pepe first denies he is a Latino, and then endeavors to ingratiate himself with the Latino prison guard. When these attempts fail, he denounces the guard as a “coconut – brown on the outside, white on the inside,” and launches into a rant about the plight of undocumented immigrants and American ignorance about their indispensable role in society, asserting, “I’m doing the shit jobs that Americans don’t want.” Something Marco Rubio really take to heart.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In my last post, I mentioned that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison decided to delay her resignation from the Senate as she pursues her gubernatorial campaign against incumbent Gov Rick Perry in the Republican Primary.

When Senator Hutchison formally announced that she was a Republican candidate for Governor of Texas, she said she would resign from her Senate post in October or November. She later decided to delay her resignation until after the health care vote. For right now, all would-be candidates are forced to watch and wait.

What does this mean for Texas and why does it matter. It matters a lot. Political junkies note that her resignation would could set off a political chain reaction that could affect the Republican strong hold regarding statewide offices.

Background Information
If Hutchinson were to resign, Gov. Perry would name an interim senator and then call a special election to fill Hutchison’s term through 2012. The date Hutchinson resigns plays a factor on the date and mechanics of actually filing for office. Usually, there is a 30 day period during which a candidate must file for office in order to have their name on the ballot. For next year’s Democratic or Republican Primary ballot, a candidate must file for office between December 3, 2009 and January 4, 2010.

Since her announcement, several candidates have stated their interest for Hutchison’s seat.Democrats in the race are Houston Mayor Bill White and Former state Comptroller John Sharp.

On the Republican side, it is a different story. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams are considered leading contenders for the appointment. However, other Republicans interested in Hutchison’s seat are former Secretary of State Roger Williams, Texas Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones and state Sen. Florence Shapiro.

Will She or Won’t She
Her wait and see strategy is beginning to frustrate members in her party because they are frozen in place by her non-decision. So what is her strategy?

Before Senator Hutchison officially announced her intentions to run, Texas’ junior US Senator John Cornyn made it known that she not resign her seat. As chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), the political committee dedicated to electing Republicans to the US Senate, Sen Cornyn will have his hands full next year as the NRSC will try to hold onto six seats now held by retiring Republicans.

In July, responding to Senator Hutchison announcement to step down, Sen Cornyn told POLITICO: “I’m not in a position to influence her decision as to time. All I’m in a position to do is to try to do everything that we can to hold onto that seat.”

It is not hard to see that Sen. Hutchison’s strategy is to make sure it is a win-win for her and the GOP. Current election laws in Texas allow her to do so.

In Texas, certain officials are required to resign their post before running for another office. However, Article XVI, Section 65 of the Texas Constitution does not require state and federal legislature to resign their current seat in conjunction with the filing of an application for a place on the ballot. The “resign to run” rule reads:

This section applies to the following offices: District Clerks; County Clerks; County Judges; Judges of County Courts at Law, County Criminal Courts, County Probate Courts and County Domestic Relations Courts; County Treasurers; Criminal District Attorneys; County Surveyors; Inspectors of Hides and Animals; County Commissioners; Justices of the Peace; Sheriffs; Assessors and Collectors of Taxes; District Attorneys; County Attorneys; Public Weighers; and Constables.

Earlier in the year, Attorney General Greg Abbott answered a question submitted by state Rep. Leo Berman, which he wanted to know whether a legislature is required to resign their position after announcing their candidacy for Governor. In response to Rep. Berman’s question, Attorney General Abbott ruled that a “legislator is not required to resign from office upon announcing his or her candidacy for Governor.”

Multiple provisions within the Texas Constitution restrict certain officials from running for one elected office while serving a term in another office. For example, no person holding a “lucrative office” in state or federal government or in a foreign government is eligible for the Legislature during the term for which that person is elected or appointed. Tex. Const. art. III, § 19. Similarly, certain district and county officials, upon announcing their candidacy for any other office, must resign the current office held. Tex. Const. art. XVI, § 65(b). However, we find no constitutional or statutory authority that prohibits a legislator from running for Governor while continuing to serve as a legislator.

It is important to remember that prior to being elected to the Senate, John Cornyn was the Texas Attorney General. Therefore, he is well versed in Texas’ election laws and it would not surprise me if Sen. Cornyn, as head of the NRSC, is playing an important part in Hutchison’s decision to be coy in setting a date to resign her seat.

It is amusing to see the local media around the state trying to speculate what Kay Bailey Hutchison reasoning for being so coy. There really is no reason for her to resign. If she were to lose in the Primary, its not like she will be out of office, she will still keep her Senate seat. Even if she were to win the primary, she is not obligated to resign. Article XVI, Section 65 of the Texas Constitution allows her to remain office until the Nov election. Its a win-win situation for her and the GOP.

I also said in my last post, Hutchison’s indecision could also backfire. It looks like I was correct in my assessment. The latest poll shows Perry retaking the lead. According to the inaugural University of Texas/Texas Tribune poll, Perry now has a 12 point lead over Sen. Hutchison. Unfortunately, with those numbers, there is no reason for her resign now.

There is further evidence Sen Hutchinson will not be resigning. Dan Branch and other state Republicans are now opting to seek re-election instead of seek a higher office. The plan was, Branch run for attorney general, Greg Abbott run for lieutenant governor, and Lt. Gov David Dewhurst would run in a special election to replace Hutchison.

It is obvious Sen. Hutchinson and her inner circle are withholding crucial information from members of her own party. If I am correct that Senator John Cornyn played a major role in Hutchison’s wait-and-see game. This strategy may come back and haunt them.

It is frustrating to see some Democrats spend so much of their resources on a special election that most likely will not happen. The fact is, the Democrats are sorely lacking star power. The latest polls show neither Tom Schieffer, Kinky Friedman and Tyler rancher Hank Gilbert would give either Perry and Hutchinson run for their money.

On the Democratic side, nobody had great numbers. Kinky Friedman leads the pack, with 19 percent, followed by Tom Schieffer, with 10 percent, former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, with 5 percent, Mark Thompson, with 3 percent, Felix Alvarado, with 2 percent, and Hank Gilbert, who got 0.3

I hope Mayor Bill White would reconsider running for Senate and decide to make a run for Texas Governor. Although I believe we would make a great Senator, the writing is on the wall, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison will not resign, making it one less seat the GOP has to worry about as they try to save as many Senate seats as possible.

In a recent interview with the Dallas Observer, Mayor White insist Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison will resign. Maybe he knows something many of us don’t know. But truthfully, I still think it is wishful thinking, I honestly don’t think she will.

This week, it seems like the Republican inner circle is sending Gov. Rick Perry a clear message – he is too much of a liability. This week, former Vice President Dick Cheney has endorsed and will campaign for Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison’s bid to unseat Perry in the Republican Primary. Cheney will officially endorse Hutchison at a Houston fundraiser on Nov. 17.

Cheney’s endorsement comes right after Rick Perry has come under fire for a 2004 execution cover-up that has made national news. The controversy that is now plaguing Perry’s re-election bid is the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham in 2004 after being convicted of setting a house fire in Corsicana that killed his three children.

The Texas Forensic Science Commission hired a nationally recognized arson expert, Craig Beyler, to examine the fire science used to convict Willingham. Just as the commission was set to hear from Beyler’s report, Perry abruptly removed three of its members, including the chairman. The new chairman, Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley and conservative ally of the governor, says he needs time to study the Willingham arson report.

The report that was made public in August found:

The investigators [in Willingham's case] had poor understandings of fire science and failed to acknowledge or apply the contemporaneous understanding of the limitations of fire indicators. Their methodologies did not comport with the scientific method or the process of elimination.

To make matters worse, the Houston Chronicle and Hearst Newspapers are now suing Gov. Rick Perry for not releasing a clemency report that could have stopped the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham. The report was used by Perry to decide whether to give Willingham a 30-day stay of execution.

More evidence the GOP inner circle are cutting their ties with Perry, there are other high profile Republicans – particularly those close to former GOP President George W Bush – who have publicly endorsed Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. A couple of those Republicans have close ties with the Bush family, Karl Rove, Karen Hughes and former Bush fundraiser Jim Francis.

Earlier this month, I mentioned Gov Rick Perry was trying to pull a Rove by trying to get the media to focus on something else – possible hacking of campaign website – other than the 2004 execution cover up. It seems it has backfired.

It would be wise for Hutchison to finally set a date for her resignation is she truly wants to take full advantage of her support. Although she is not required to resign from the Senate to run for governor, she did publicly state she intended to resign in October or November. Now that she has backed out, her creditability certainly can become an issue.

In a statement e-mailed to reporters, Mark Miner, campaign spokesman, said:

“Today’s ‘Talkin’ Texas’ webcast by Gov. Perry was deliberately interrupted by a denial-of-service attack, preventing countless users from logging in to view the Governor’s remarks. This planned and coordinated attack was political sabotage, and we are working to identify those responsible for this illegal activity.”

Over the weekend, the FBI decided to open an inquiry into whether hackers disrupted Gov. Rick Perry’s live webcast. FBI spokesman Erik Vasys told the AP that “The FBI confirms that it is conducting a preliminary inquiry into the possibility that an intentional intrusion was conducted on the governor’s computer from out of state. The FBI considers this a hacking event with unknown origin at this time.”

However, there are more questions than answers. According to KXAN News Austin, the problem didn’t resemble a distributed denial-of-service attack, (DDoS), which causes the server act extremely slow or inaccessible to most visitors. Instead, the site displayed a Drupal, content management platform, generated error message reading “unable to connect to database server.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

Something stinks in the state of Denmark!

Negative campaigning is nothing new. It has become part of the American political process, we have come to accept it. But there is something familiar with the recent news story and how it was played out. Almost Rovian in design – leak, lie, defame, obfuscate, and deny.

Faux Attacks

It will come as no surprise that one of Karl Rove’s most notable tendency in close races is to go negative against his opponent, early and often. One of Rove’s most valuable assets is his knowledge of gaming the media in order to achieve the desired result. He has often relied on the media to cover a controversy because he knew if the story was dynamic enough, even if story was not true, the media would breathe life into it by being caught up in the he said/she said side of the story.

One of the highlights in Rove’s career is the tight 1986 Texas governor’s race, in which Republican oilman Bill Clements, sought to oust the Democratic incumbent Mark White. Just before a debate between the two candidates – which, coincidentally or not, distracted attention from the debate in which Clements was expected to lose – Rove claimed that someone had bugged his office and hinted that Democrats might be responsible.

Another instance occurred in Alabama’s 1996 hard-fought race for a seat on the Supreme Court between Rove’s client, Harold See, and the Democratic incumbent, Kenneth Ingram. In a 2004 edition of the Atlantic Monthly, Joshua Green writes:

According to someone who worked for him, Rove, dissatisfied with the campaign’s progress, had flyers printed up-absent any trace of who was behind them-viciously attacking See and his family. “We were trying to craft a message to reach some of the blue-collar, lower-middle-class people,” the staffer says. “You’d roll it up, put a rubber band around it, and paperboy it at houses late at night. I was told, ‘Do not hand it to anybody, do not tell anybody who you’re with, and if you can, borrow a car that doesn’t have your tags.’ So I borrowed a buddy’s car [and drove] down the middle of the street – I had Hefty bags stuffed full of these rolled-up pamphlets, and I’d cruise the designated neighborhoods, throwing these things out with both hands and literally driving with my knees.” The ploy left Rove’s opponent at a loss. Ingram’s staff realized that it would be fruitless to try to persuade the public that the See campaign was attacking its own candidate in order “to create a backlash against the Democrat,” as Joe Perkins, who worked for Ingram, put it to me. Presumably the public would believe that Democrats were spreading terrible rumors about See and his family. “They just beat you down to your knees,” Ingram said of being on the receiving end of Rove’s attacks. See won the race.

Rove’s finger prints could also be found in the 2002 Iowa Senate race between Tom Harkin and GOP candidate Greg Ganske, just before the election, a story was leaked that the Harkin campaign hired a “mole” to spy on the Ganske campaign. There was no proof of course, and no one was ever actually accused.

Karl Rove’s approach to politics can be found in the strategy memo that Rove wrote for former Texas governor Bill Clements. Quoting Napoleon, the memo says: “The whole art of war consists in a well-reasoned and extremely circumspect defensive, followed by rapid and audacious attack.”

Gov. Perry is no newcomer when it comes to using Rovian “dirty tricks” to win an election. During Perry’s run for agriculture commissioner in 1990 against incumbent Jim Hightower, Perry’s campaign was directed by Karl Rove. During a Washington, D.C., fundraiser, Rove told reporters that Hightower’s office was under investigation by the FBI and that Hightower and several aides “faced the possibility of indictment.”

During the 2002 gubernatorial race against Democrat Tony Sanchez, Perry claimed that Sanchez’s defunct Tesoro Savings and Loan had been used by Mexican drug lords to launder $25 million in drug money, which was used for the murder of a law enforcement agent. Mr. Sanchez was cleared of any wrongdoing, but Perry continued to link Sanchez to Mexican drug lords to instill fear by playing on stereotypes of Mexican-Americans as drug dealers.

Perry, Texas’ longest serving governor, is set to run for an unprecedented third four-year term in 2010. Like the 2002 election, Perry is facing a serious challenger, not from a Democrat, but from somebody in his own party, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. The Texas Democratic Party is such in disarray, Democratic governor hopefuls – former Bush ambassador Tom Schieffer, Smith County rancher Hank Gilbert, entertainer Kinky Friedman – are having a hard time convincing its party base they can win a statewide race. So word on the street, Hutchison is his only real challenger.

According to Rasmussen Reports, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is now leading by 2-points – 40% to 38% – in the volatile 2010 Republican Primary race for governor. This is bad news for Perry, since Perry lost his mid-July 10-point lead over Hutchison.

One does have to wonder if last weeks hacking allegations by Perry was an attempt to pull a Rove on Republican challenger Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Before you dismiss this as the wild ravings of a conspiracy theorist, consider a few points.

Phillip Martin reports that the attack occurred 10 mins before the schedule event. When pressed on whether the campaign thought Kay Bailey Hutchison was behind the “sabotage,” Miner responded: “I hope not. I hope they would not be that stupid.” Miner may not have directly blamed that somebody from Hutchison’s campaign hacked Perry’s website, but is leading the reader to conclude that it is possible.

Another thing to consider, Perry’s website coincidentally was hacked the same week a bombshell that could have been politically damaging. The Houston Chronicle reported that Gov. Rick Perry had canceled a meeting of the Texas Forensic Science Commission because it was sure to produce headlines claiming that in 2004 he authorized the execution of an innocent man.

To make matters worse, Gov. Rick Perry replaced the head as well as two others on the nine-member Texas Forensic Science Commission. Perry said his move was a typical use of his power on appointments, the same argument used by former President George W Bush to replace US Attorneys.

We may never know if the hacking scandal will be traced back to Perry’s campaign, but the real question is, how much longer are we willing to put up with Perry’s win at all cost “dirty tricks?”

Currently, Texas loses more than 10,000 high school graduates per year who leave the state to attend doctoral granting universities in other states, while attracting only about 4,000 students from other states to attend doctoral granting universities in Texas. This brain drain represents a significant loss of critical young talent for Texas.

During the 2009 legislative session, the Texas Legislature passed a bill that proposes a constitutional amendment to take existing funds, Higher Education Fund (HEF), and make them available to institutions designated as emerging research universities. Proposition 4, as it is called, calls for establishing “the National Research University Fund to enable emerging research universities in this state to achieve national prominence as major research universities and transferring the balance of the higher education fund to the national research university fund.”

Texas currently has only three flagship universities that are considered national research universities, otherwise known as Tier One: The University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University and Rice University. Texas lags greatly in this area behind states such as California, which has nine top-tier schools, and New York, which has seven.

If the Prop 4 passes, universities designated as emerging research universities will compete for millions in research dollars that will transform them into national research universities in Texas. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board has designated seven universities as emerging research universities are vying for flagship status: Texas Tech, University of Houston, University of North Texas, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Texas at Dallas, University of Texas at El Paso and University of Texas at San Antonio.

The creation of additional top-tier universities will help in keeping more of our best and brightest students in the state, and help to attract more top students from other states and nations. It will also help attract more top scientists, engineers and scholars, thereby increasing the amount of external research dollars brought into the Texas economy.

If Texas is to thrive in the global economy, more top-tier universities must be developed to spur economic growth, sustain an educated workforce and support innovative research. Top-tier universities create unique opportunities for a highly skilled workforce, particularly in the sciences, engineering and professional fields critical to economic success.

While I support the intentions and purpose of Proposition 4, as the Proposition seeks to increase the number of top-tier universities in Texas. However, my support does come with some reservation.

It is without question that our state is losing high school graduates to other states because this state is limited to two flagship universities, UT-Austin and Texas A&M. However, in a state with only two flagship universities, part of the brain drain problem is the education caste system that goes beyond the gridiron. It is a system that tends to stigmatize students who attend non-flagship schools.

Students and their parents have much to consider when picking a school. The common belief is that those that come from schools with higher rankings are thought to have some type leverage or advantage over those not attending the same type of school. It is this education caste system that has allowed one group (in this case UT-Austin and Texas A&M) to monopolize opportunities by maintaining a social distance order, which now has come back to haunt them.

After a federal court in 1996 struck down the use of race-based affirmative-action policies in higher education admissions, Texas lawmakers established new criteria for policies designed to increase diversity at state colleges and universities without directly basing admissions on the applicant’s race or ethnicity. The “Top 10 Percent Law,” enacted the following year by the 75th Legislature, guarantees admission to any of Texas’ 35 public universities if they graduate in the top 10 percent of their class.

Since the enactment of the Top 10 Percent Law, naturally, those who graduated top 10 percent in their class decided to apply to Texas’ flagship schools. When those institutions turn them down because they did nor do not have room for all the qualified students, they either tried they lucky at an elite private institution, such as Rice University, or to leave Texas to attend a flagship public university in another state – opting out from applying to the so-called “lower level” colleges. Texas’ brain drain is a direct result from this state’s education caste system.

Several other states have done a much better job of providing their populations with the advanced educational opportunities of flagship universities. Comparing Texas with California illuminates why Texas’ university systems is unable to handle the influx of incoming students. In California, a high school has six public schools to choose that, according to the current U.S. News and World Report rankings, rate above UT-Austin (46th) and Texas A&M (61st). Therefore, a California student attending a UC-San Diego is not viewed as settling for less as a Texas student attending UT-San Antonio or El Paso or even the University of Houston.

A major problem of this bill, it is predicted two or three will be able to join the ranks of UT-Austin and Texas A&M. As a result, every community will support the idea of an additional flagship school until one community is selected, and at that point the danger will be that the communities that lost out will lose enthusiasm for the project. Given that, we should not halt progress because only a couple institutions will be considered a flagship. Given the economic reality, progress will be slow we are forced to concentrate a few institutions at a time. So please vote for Prop 4.

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