As I mentioned Monday, I missed the Green Party confab over the weekend, so I didn't have the information who got elected or nominated to do what. But it's available now, if somewhat incomplete:
Our Slate Gubernatorial candidate Janis Richards informed me that she and George Reiter were indeed officially nominated to run for Governor and Railroad Commissioner, respectively. She did not have the information on whether Jamar Osborne got the nomination for Attorney General; however, she did note that Osborne did not receive the Libertarian nomination for which he had filed back in December; that went to Michael Ray Harris. Richards, Reiter, and the other candidates will appear on Texas ballot only if the party manages to acquire the requisite petition signatures, which we have discussed in this space ad nauseam. We have also observed that this slate is considerably smaller than in recent years when the Texas Greens had guaranteed ballot access. State Executive Committee Harris County is well represented on the SEC, with four of the nine members. This is nothing new or unexpected: Even with all the recent rancor, Harris County remains the largest and strongest of the county organizations. Houstonian Joy Davis is the new Co-Chair, starting a two-year term. Long-time Greenie Alfred Molison is taking the fiscal reins; David Wager has tried for some time to find his own replacement as Treasurer, and it took withdrawing entirely from active membership for someone to finally step into his shoes. Like Richards, Davis is a recent arrival, having found the Harris County Greens via the Green Party Black Caucus at the 2016 convention we hosted here. A newly elected member of the Harris County Steering Committee as well, Davis has demonstrated organizational acumen, enthusiasm, and a diplomatic disposition. The GPTX website shows all the At Large SEC members having terms that expire next year. Normally those terms are staggered, just like the co-chair positions. I'll post an update if that turns out to be inaccurate. National Committee The National Committee delegation's terms also universally expire at the 2019 annual meeting, according to the website. Three of the nine NC delegates are from Harris County: Richards, Alán Alán Apurim, and now-former state co-chair Laura Palmer. You might also count Harris County co-chair Valerie Alessi, although she and Remington now dwell in Galveston County. In addition to running for governor, Richards now has a trifecta of responsibilities within the party: She serves on the Harris County Steering Committee, the State Executive Committee, and the National Committee. As I have told her at least once, the line between commitment and overcommitment is indeed a fine one; participating in those three bodies borders on the masochistic. Adrián Boutereira, Jill Stein's 2016 field director, also represents the Lone Star State on the NC. In a recent downsizing at GPUS, Boutereira lost his paid position, but he is still a devoted Green and an avatar of the Party's overtly eco-socialist identity. (Yeah, that's a nifty string of ten-dollar words, innit?) Something I forgot to work into this entry earlier: Sema Hernandez on Redacted Tonight VIP.
Yesterday I did not check my Junk folder, so I missed the other message that I received from Our Revolution. The message contains some the information found in this document, listing state and regional OR endorsements for various races, including Congressional contests in which Gulf Coast residents might vote. Be advised that the hyperlink at the top of each page directs you to a Google documents page containing the candidates' statements. In addition to the lack of an endorsement for US Senate, the document mentions no endorsements for any statewide races. I presume they're holding off on that until after the primaries, but why? If I find out, I'll post something about it here. Also, since Lina Hidalgo is unopposed for the Democratic nomination for Harris County Judge, they have opted to wait on that race as well. Our Revolution Texas had its statewide convention in San Antonio two weekends ago. Just this morning I received the Gulf Coast delegations report via e-mail. As disorganized and as unreliable a correspondent as I tend to be, it would be wrong to give them shit for the long delay. I'm pleased to report that the OR Gulf Coast delegation chose my former fellow First UUer Luigi Bai to be its state Steering Committee representative. The message notes that Luigi also played a major role in drafting the state body's bylaws, which are still subject to revision and approval by regional groups. In addition, seeing that populist firebrands Jim Hightower and David Van Os were not only in attendance but actively participating in this confab fills my heart with light and warmth. Sema Not Endorsed The paragraph below was not the only one in the message containing flagrant use of the passive voice. As for the development in relates, I'm not sure how I feel: The Harris County OR Delegation made their unanimous motion for OR Texas to endorse Sema Hernandez for state senator. There was lengthy debate as to the appropriateness of the motion. It was decided the motion was appropriate and arguments were had for and against the endorsement, and for and against the appropriateness of this particular process for endorsement. After much debate and procedural maneuvering, the motion failed. We hope the new Statewide Steering Committee will work promptly to develop a process for endorsing candidates for state-wide office. This longtime Green apparatchik, who has used some strong and unpleasant language in referring to the US Democratic Party, is strongly considering volunteering for a self-identified progressive Democrat's campaign in 2018. This afternoon I sat down at Brasil with Lina Hidalgo, candidate for Harris County Judge, for a chat & chew. As mentioned previously, I reached out to her campaign after seeing her give a remarkably coherent 90-second get-to-know-me speech at the Gulf Coast Our Revolution meeting two weeks ago. If the Green Party's ballot access drive doesn't pan out, I hope to be able to help kick Hidalgo's campaign into overdrive between June and early November. Hidalgo has no opponents at all, let alone an pro-establishment opponent in the primary race. As far as I'm concerned, that's a plus. Assuming she doesn't pull an Ahmad Hassan and bail out of the race (she assured me that she won't), she will be there and in need of support this summer and fall. Plus, when running against a moderate Republican as well liked as Judge Ed Emmett, you may as well cast yourself as a fire-spitting Progressive. Another quick entry: I clicked the Twitter icon on Sema Hernandez's campaign site, and it took me to this mess. What the actual phuck?
The correct Twitter page for the Hernandez campaign is here. In the absence of evidence, we're not going to blame the O'Rourke campaign for creating the phony page. But it says a lot about his followers and the acolytes of the Democratic Party establishment that certain persons unknown felt compelled to create it. Somebody's getting merit badges in left-punching and underdog-trolling. UPDATE: The link appears to have been fixed. This will be a short entry, I promise. After all, I avoided watching the SOTU Tuesday night and went to a special event at Brash Brewery (try their milk stout, Milk the Venom—it's vicious and delicious), so I'm not still seething with "OMG WTF is he even saying???"
It's time to resort to an Ordered List, which will help me keep this entry tidy and concise, because I need all the help I can get with that.
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