Yep, pretty much. As a former Texas (Collin Co) Democratic precinct chair, I can attest that I had very little support from the TDP or the CCDP for that matter. As to leadership, I 100% agree. The former Chair of the CCDP was a staunch ally of Hinojosa, with similar leadership style (none) and similar results (losses year after year). After the disappointments of 2020, allied precinct chairs organized to force changes we thought would help us to win elections; Rawlins treated our efforts as an attack and fomented civil war that finally ended when we elected someone else to replace him. Outcome: the first Democratic state rep elected from Collin Co in 30 years. But it took tremendous efforts on the part of hundreds of activists to make that happen, there was zero support from the TDP, and the CCDP only changes because activists won the difficult and costly civil war.
The SDEC people all seemingly have close relationships with Hinojosa. Not saying that's a bad thing, but it's definitely clouding their judgement when it comes to ensuring winning elections.
That’s not an accurate statement. Many in the SDEC have been trying to hold the leaders accountable including no-confidence votes and special research investments (ignored by TDP) Hinojosa won because the DELEGATES to the State Convention were recruited, bussed, housed and likely given expense money to vote for him along with long-standing friendships with other activists. He’s a good politician.
I also need to correct something in the article. SDEC members are not elected by precinct chairs. They are elected at the State Convention by the DELEGATES to the convention. Many many of them not precinct chairs but regular voters, and those recruited delegates (who attend the March Senatorial District Conventions) who block vote according to their ‘sponsor’. I agree with much of your take on the lack of infrastructure. In the event of an opening on the SDEC, the nomination comes from the precinct chairs and county chairs in the district then the SDEC votes in the replacement.
I voted for SDEC member at the convention, and recently at SD22 special election. I am a precinct chair and a delegate. Thanks for that clarification. It's only precinct chairs at special elections, then, I am assuming.
Precinct chairs and the county chair make a nomination for the current SDEC members to vote on. Barring any issue, the SDEC usually approved that nomination.
RE: young adult involvement---hell even middle-aged involvement--can be traced back to just about any other club or group that meets at 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon---it caters to retirees and non-working people. So, there may be people interested in attending but they can't do it because there's no zoom option to listen in while they work or no evening or weekend meeting times. I get annoyed for garden and nature events that I would love to attend but yet they are completely inaccessible to me. I took a long lunch to see Beto on a whim in Kingwood/Humble when he came through but most people can't do that.
Completely agree. I live in the metroplex, but the two times I went to see Beto at a time that was convenient for me, I had to drive over an hour away, both times.
In the late 80's, 90's and early 2000's the Texas Dem party was just a hand maiden to trail lawyers. I doubt they have relinquished much control even as we continuely lose. Being a D potentate is good to recruit clients.....
In 1998 Hays County gave the Dem Party Chair to Chas Soecthing.....Chas only claim to fame is that he was an associate of O'Quinn and Laminack , Attorney's at Law , who won the the Texas tobbaco lawsuit. The attorney''s fees were $2B, that's billions. Soeching was supposed to bring some of that money to Hays Dems....He didn;t. He provided zero leadership....He was out of town during most of GOTV. In fact that was why the Democratic party leading lights put me in as ED.........My job was to organize the party around the Chair. We lost Hays County. Election nite we went to the pizza joint to celebrate , mostly GOTV workers, canvasers, letter stuffers, phone bankers. Soeching could be found at the Quail Creek Country with some la de da Hays County aristocrats, party affliation unknown.
By comparison , the R's, who won Hays County., celebrated at the other pizza place.
Here is the big point i want to make. We hired SWT students and homeless people and got Hispanic volunteers and HQ'd in Lulac offices free of charge provided by Lupe Carbohal to work the GOTV. The futured TEXAS DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR didn't invite any of us to the Quail Creek Country Club election nite celebration. It was Chas and alot of Norht Hayes County dems who flipped to R rite after the election> That is who was at the CC. .
For that abysmal performance and noted elistism, he was appointed State Dem Party Chair. Since he filled in for pervious 1/2 termer Molly Beth he was appointed by the SDEC over Gary Mauro, a former statewide office holder and Aggie. AKA a winner. Soecthing later went back to lawyering.0
I assume Hinojosa is worse...
Then came Boyd Richie -Attorney at Law now with Loncar Lion, personal injury lawyers..you've seen the commercials
Next and last , Lawyer, Gilbert Hinojosa
So there you have it ,since early 2000's you have had nothing but lawyers as Texas State Democratic Party Chairs, getting us no where , leading us nowwhere.
I didn't know all of that. A while back, I researched the history of Texas Dem Party leadership to find out why we got where we are. Nothing I discovered shocked me.
back in the 20th....century that is......the last qtr...Texas Dems were run by trial lawyers who made a fortune off lawsuits and Worker's Comp claims. Texas was a notorious destination for venure shopping
the worker's comp thing meant exhorbitant rewards and prohibitive premiums...meanwhile the laziest, sleasietst Tx Attorneys made a good living.
there was a rebellion in the biz community...hence Shrub
lawyers are a different breed and the D party has a bunch of them...think both Clintons and 2 Obama's
having paid alot of money to attorneys i can say with some confidence...occaisionally they represent their clients but mostly they are representing their pockets book. They are a necessary evil in a democracy but in no way should they be in charge of anything....TDP has it upside down.....call em in if you have an election fight other wise thank em for their service and send em back to riding the pine till the next election skirmish.
So much truth. And Texas has been rigged for a long time, as long as Conservatives have been in charge...even when it was Conservative Democrats. But as Texas quickly becoming less white and by sheer demographics, it's only a matter of time before Republicans run out of ways to cheat. (I hope)
Yep, pretty much. As a former Texas (Collin Co) Democratic precinct chair, I can attest that I had very little support from the TDP or the CCDP for that matter. As to leadership, I 100% agree. The former Chair of the CCDP was a staunch ally of Hinojosa, with similar leadership style (none) and similar results (losses year after year). After the disappointments of 2020, allied precinct chairs organized to force changes we thought would help us to win elections; Rawlins treated our efforts as an attack and fomented civil war that finally ended when we elected someone else to replace him. Outcome: the first Democratic state rep elected from Collin Co in 30 years. But it took tremendous efforts on the part of hundreds of activists to make that happen, there was zero support from the TDP, and the CCDP only changes because activists won the difficult and costly civil war.
The SDEC people all seemingly have close relationships with Hinojosa. Not saying that's a bad thing, but it's definitely clouding their judgement when it comes to ensuring winning elections.
That’s not an accurate statement. Many in the SDEC have been trying to hold the leaders accountable including no-confidence votes and special research investments (ignored by TDP) Hinojosa won because the DELEGATES to the State Convention were recruited, bussed, housed and likely given expense money to vote for him along with long-standing friendships with other activists. He’s a good politician.
I also need to correct something in the article. SDEC members are not elected by precinct chairs. They are elected at the State Convention by the DELEGATES to the convention. Many many of them not precinct chairs but regular voters, and those recruited delegates (who attend the March Senatorial District Conventions) who block vote according to their ‘sponsor’. I agree with much of your take on the lack of infrastructure. In the event of an opening on the SDEC, the nomination comes from the precinct chairs and county chairs in the district then the SDEC votes in the replacement.
You're right, I should have said "some, not all." Thank you for the correction.
I voted for SDEC member at the convention, and recently at SD22 special election. I am a precinct chair and a delegate. Thanks for that clarification. It's only precinct chairs at special elections, then, I am assuming.
Precinct chairs and the county chair make a nomination for the current SDEC members to vote on. Barring any issue, the SDEC usually approved that nomination.
RE: young adult involvement---hell even middle-aged involvement--can be traced back to just about any other club or group that meets at 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon---it caters to retirees and non-working people. So, there may be people interested in attending but they can't do it because there's no zoom option to listen in while they work or no evening or weekend meeting times. I get annoyed for garden and nature events that I would love to attend but yet they are completely inaccessible to me. I took a long lunch to see Beto on a whim in Kingwood/Humble when he came through but most people can't do that.
Completely agree. I live in the metroplex, but the two times I went to see Beto at a time that was convenient for me, I had to drive over an hour away, both times.
Oh yeah, I drove an hour, too. I was just surprised he was even coming to this side of Houston so I was gonna go for it.
a little history
In the late 80's, 90's and early 2000's the Texas Dem party was just a hand maiden to trail lawyers. I doubt they have relinquished much control even as we continuely lose. Being a D potentate is good to recruit clients.....
In 1998 Hays County gave the Dem Party Chair to Chas Soecthing.....Chas only claim to fame is that he was an associate of O'Quinn and Laminack , Attorney's at Law , who won the the Texas tobbaco lawsuit. The attorney''s fees were $2B, that's billions. Soeching was supposed to bring some of that money to Hays Dems....He didn;t. He provided zero leadership....He was out of town during most of GOTV. In fact that was why the Democratic party leading lights put me in as ED.........My job was to organize the party around the Chair. We lost Hays County. Election nite we went to the pizza joint to celebrate , mostly GOTV workers, canvasers, letter stuffers, phone bankers. Soeching could be found at the Quail Creek Country with some la de da Hays County aristocrats, party affliation unknown.
By comparison , the R's, who won Hays County., celebrated at the other pizza place.
Here is the big point i want to make. We hired SWT students and homeless people and got Hispanic volunteers and HQ'd in Lulac offices free of charge provided by Lupe Carbohal to work the GOTV. The futured TEXAS DEMOCRATIC PARTY CHAIR didn't invite any of us to the Quail Creek Country Club election nite celebration. It was Chas and alot of Norht Hayes County dems who flipped to R rite after the election> That is who was at the CC. .
For that abysmal performance and noted elistism, he was appointed State Dem Party Chair. Since he filled in for pervious 1/2 termer Molly Beth he was appointed by the SDEC over Gary Mauro, a former statewide office holder and Aggie. AKA a winner. Soecthing later went back to lawyering.0
I assume Hinojosa is worse...
Then came Boyd Richie -Attorney at Law now with Loncar Lion, personal injury lawyers..you've seen the commercials
Next and last , Lawyer, Gilbert Hinojosa
So there you have it ,since early 2000's you have had nothing but lawyers as Texas State Democratic Party Chairs, getting us no where , leading us nowwhere.
And somehow we imagine something will change!!!!
I didn't know all of that. A while back, I researched the history of Texas Dem Party leadership to find out why we got where we are. Nothing I discovered shocked me.
Epic Fail all around...no one posts any Memorial Day Salutations......parties , candidates,both side
what a bunch of narcisstic fuckers
back in the 20th....century that is......the last qtr...Texas Dems were run by trial lawyers who made a fortune off lawsuits and Worker's Comp claims. Texas was a notorious destination for venure shopping
the worker's comp thing meant exhorbitant rewards and prohibitive premiums...meanwhile the laziest, sleasietst Tx Attorneys made a good living.
there was a rebellion in the biz community...hence Shrub
lawyers are a different breed and the D party has a bunch of them...think both Clintons and 2 Obama's
having paid alot of money to attorneys i can say with some confidence...occaisionally they represent their clients but mostly they are representing their pockets book. They are a necessary evil in a democracy but in no way should they be in charge of anything....TDP has it upside down.....call em in if you have an election fight other wise thank em for their service and send em back to riding the pine till the next election skirmish.
So much truth. And Texas has been rigged for a long time, as long as Conservatives have been in charge...even when it was Conservative Democrats. But as Texas quickly becoming less white and by sheer demographics, it's only a matter of time before Republicans run out of ways to cheat. (I hope)
Unfortunately, you're right.