State Rep. Rick Noriega officially kicked off his campaign for for the United States Senate last Saturday. He spoke before the Sun City Democrats, making the case for replacing John Cornyn. Lt. Col. Noriega also laid out the reasons we must withdraw our troops from Iraq.
Three others have filed for the position in the Democratic primary, but only one of them showed up at the event -- teacher Ray McMurrey. McMurrey is trying to paint Noriega as the candidate picked by the "party bosses". He could not be more wrong.
Noriega was not picked by party leadership, but instead was convinced to run by a groundswell of support from the grassroots of the Democratic Party. He has that grassroots support because ordinary Democrats see him as a candidate with enough substance to actually beat Cornyn.
I know that I couldn't care less who the party leaders support. I support Noriega (and have been sending him monthly donations) because I really believe he is the best possible Democratic candidate in 2008. I also think he'll make a great senator. Thousands of others believe the same.
There are two other candidates. One (Rhett Smith) has lost races for governor and mayor of San Antonio when he ran as a Republican. I can't consider his candidacy as a Democrat as anything but a joke.
The same goes for perennial candidate Gene Kelly. The 81 year-old candidate runs in every election, but does no campaigning. He simply relies on having the same name as the famous actor and dancer. Surely, voters have figured out by now that the dancer is dead, and the politician with his name is not serious.
It would be good for Noriega to defeat these opponents in the primary without a runoff. That would show that he is truly the best candidate to oppose (and defeat) Cornyn.
I don't think Lt. Col. Noriega will have much problem in South Texas where he is well known. But I urge my Democratic brethren here in North Texas to climb on board the Noriega Express. Talk to your friends and family, and send a few dollars his way if you can. It's important.
It's important because we must beat Cornyn, and Noriega is the man who can do it.
The Commander of Operation Jumpstart Condones Censorship.
ReplyDeleteThe Commander of Operation Jumpstart is Above Playing by the Rules.
"After five terms in the Texas House, I'm going to take my time. I'm going to practice my filibuster skills," Noriega said, before speaking an extra five minutes.
The Commander of Operation Jumpstart spent most of his speech giving his personal history as a legislator who had served in the National Guard in Afghanistan. He focused his criticisms on Cornyn, ignoring McMurrey.
The Commander of Operation Jumpstart ignored the moderator as well:
He appeared miffed when the moderator tried to limit his speech to the same 10 minutes that McMurrey received.
"After five terms in the Texas House, I'm going to take my time. I'm going to practice my filibuster skills," Noriega said, before speaking an extra five minutes.
"If Noriega has to look seriously at either McMurrey or Kelly, that will be like carrying a sign: 'I got no chance in the general election.' "
Rick Noriega is truly a grassroots candidate. If Democrats wanted the candidate offered up by the party bosses, we'd all be talking about Mikal Watts. Noriega is the candidate that voters want and this state needs. I had the chance to meet him at a small gathering in Dallas last fall, and walked away thinking "This guy is really the man for the moment."
ReplyDeleteNot only does he have the right mix of political and military experience needed in Washington right now, I believe he will truly listen to the people of Texas and represent them well in Washington.
"We do not win by replacing a corporate Republican with a corporate Democrat,".
ReplyDeleteDid you even follow the links?
The Commander of Operation Jumpstart Condones Censorship.
The Commander of Operation Jumpstart is Above Playing by the Rules.
If you did you might find a few things out about The Commander Of Operation Jumpstart Condones Censorship and the statement below says everything about The Commander Of Operation Jumpstart in integrity and in fairness. Many who witnessed the display said it helped them make up their minds who not to vote for.
"After five terms in the Texas House, I'm going to take my time. I'm going to practice my filibuster skills," The Commander Of Operation Jumpstart said, before speaking an extra five minutes.
Who is your alternative PPA?
ReplyDeleteOr do you think we should stick with "Box Turtle" John?
The alternative is Ray McMurrey, who is running a serious, ISSUE ORIENTED campaign, not asking people to vote for him on the basis of military service. Frankly, military service does not mean much if Noriega is not interested in getting out of Iraq quickly. There are plenty of Republicans in Congress who served our country that I would never dream of voting for because they thought this war was a good idea in 2003, they were behind the surge, and they have absolutely no timetable for a drawdown. I'm not sure where Rick Noriega was or is on any of these positions, because he thinks he already has the primary won, and as such is not putting forth his views. But I know exactly where Ray McMurrey stands because he told me so himself, in person - he favors bringing our troops home as fast as possible, using a 6-8 month timetable. If Noriega has all this experience, why is it so hard for him to come up with the goods on his biggest (and only) issue? To be honest, it's insulting to the intelligence of democratic primary voters.
ReplyDeleteSteve-O, jobsanger, why not go check out Ray McMurrey's website, where he's laid out his platform, and see what you think of his stance on the issues? You'll see that he's a real progressive who's looking to make big changes in Washington, not just trying to beat John Cornyn.
You can't change anything in Washington unless you beat Cornyn. Noriega can do that - McMurrey can't.
ReplyDeleteThat statement makes absolutely no sense, and you back it up with absolutely no arguments. If Ray McMurrey was running against John Cornyn, that would mean that he had come out of nowhere and pulled a big upset over Rick Noriega in the primary. A primary win for Ray would be a big news story and would get him a lot of recognition. A primary win for Noriega is the expected outcome, and would be a fairly minor story. Further, Ray would be getting a lot the money and support from rank and file democrats that Noriega is getting, simply by virtue of being the nominee. But the biggest advantage that Ray would have against Cornyn is his politics. He is a real progressive - someone that the democratic base can get excited about, and will turn out for. He's an inspiring figure - a normal guy who knows a lot about public policy who decided to run for Senate, even though he didn't have a pile of money from lobbyists or the backing of the party bosses. And he's already pledged not to take any money from lobbyists, which means he will actually represent his constituents. Who wouldn't get excited about that?
ReplyDeleteRick Noriega likes to say he will challenge John Cornyn on the war in Iraq, because he favors a withdrawal (who knows when?) and Cornyn does not. But what was Rick Noriega saying about the war in 2003, when it was most important to be right about this issue? I don't know if he went on record about the war then, but since he went to fight in Afghanistan (yes, not quite Iraq, but in the same vein), it would be hard for anyone to believe that Noriega did not support invading Iraq in 2003. Ray McMurrey, on the other hand, is ON RECORD in 2003 as saying he would not support invading Iraq. That gives him a much stronger position against the war, and a much firmer (and more consistent) stance from which to criticize John Cornyn. Why should we support Rick Noriega when he has in all likelihood flip-flopped his stance on the Iraq War? How does that help him beat John Cornyn?
Noriega has already raised some pretty big money. He has support from some fund-raising organizations, and if he does well in the primary could receive national party funds and other out-of-state money.
ReplyDeleteMcMurrey has no funds now and no hope of getting much in the future, especially from the national party and out-of-state sources and donors. He has no experience and no backing.
He also has no hope of beating Noriega in the primary.
Noriega has raised some "pretty big money?" He had only raised around $950,000 by the end of the year, and only has about $500,000 left in the bank. Cornyn had $6.6 million in the bank at the end of September. That means, assuming (generously) that Cornyn has not raised a dollar since September, he would still have about THIRTEEN times as much as Rick Noriega. And if national Republicans see Cornyn's seat being threatened, tons of money will start pouring in for him.
ReplyDeleteThe bottom line here is that in terms of fundraising, Rick Noriega and Ray McMurrey are both waaaaaay behind John Cornyn. Noriega has not made nearly enough of a push in terms of fundraising to even come close to competing with Cornyn on funds alone. If you are supporting Noriega solely on the basis of having raised a few hundred thousand bucks for a US Senate race in the second most populous state in the country, then you are setting the bar unbelievably low, which is a huge problem in the Democratic Party. Why do you ask so little of your candidate? If you like money so much, why not support John Cornyn? He has THIRTEEN times as much as Rick Noriega, and by your logic should run away with the election. Can't compete without money, right?
Ray McMurrey is not competing in this election for donations from CEOs and lobbyists. He is not trying to buy his way to the nomination. He is all about issues and a real progressive platform, which is why he threw his hat into the ring in the first place. But I guess talking about the issues and where the candidates stand (or have not taken a stand, in Rick Noriega's case) is a bit too much work for this blog. And now that Noriega keeps backing down from the challenges that Ray McMurrey has issued for a debate, we may NEVER know where Rick Noriega stands on the issues. How can you support this guy?
How's McMurrey going to beat anyone without campaign donations? No one knows who he is!
ReplyDelete"It would be good for Noriega to defeat these opponents in the primary without a runoff. That would show that he is truly the best candidate to oppose (and defeat) Cornyn."
ReplyDeleteWhat would show that he is the best candidate to oppose Cornyn is for him to debate the other Democratic contenders and actually present some thoughtful ideas on policy matters, instead of sharing only personal anecdotes (i.e. military background, etc). In a democracy we have the right to know, and duty to find out, the policy directives of a potential representative. What better time than now before we have an established party candidate? In what better manner than a simultaneous comparison of the candidates with no opportunity for unchecked obfuscation? I will choose the candidate who best reflects my policy stances, and not for something as hollow as how much money they have. Voters should at least be idealistic in the primary; we should not sacrifice our choice for some political calculation. Besides, if Noriega isn't worth his salt in a primary debate wouldn't you like to know now before the actual election is underway (and he has to face Cornyn)?