[NOTE: This is the last in a series of profiles of our  2012 Trio of Stars honorees, whom we will celebrate Saturday, May 19. Previously we featured the Hon. Wilhelmina Delco and Celia Israel.]

Soft-spoken, delicate and impeccably mannered, Carrin Patman may not seem like a steely warrior for Texas Democrats, but that’s exactly what she has been for more than half a century.

“You either have to beat ‘em or outlast ‘em, and I’m very, very persistent,” Patman said with an impish smile in the kitchen of her West Austin home. “That has always made the difference in my success.” Read More »

[NOTE: This is the second in a series of profiles of our  2012 Trio of Stars, honorees, whom we will celebrate May 19. Last week we featured the Hon. Wilhelmina Delco; next week we feature Carrin Patman.]

“For me, all roads go back to Ann Richards,” says community organizer, political activist and multiple-cause advocate Celia Israel. “Political women were my inspiration, but I didn’t really come from a politically active family. The first time my father voted was in 1990, at the age of 65, for Ann Richards — because I told him to.”

The founding owner of Mission Resources, which specializes in community affairs and public involvement projects, Israel also is a realtor, Democratic precinct chair and chair of the advocacy committee of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Read More »

[NOTE: This is the first in a series of profiles of our 2012 Trio of Stars, whom we will honor at a brunch on May 19. Next week we will profile Celia Israel and then Carrin Patman.]

A string of firsts usually comes after Wilhelmina Delco’s name: the first African American elected to public office in Austin, the first African American elected to the Texas House from Travis County and quite possibly (although we’re not certain) the first African-American woman to appear in a swimsuit on a magazine cover at the age of 80.

In the sunny living room of the home she and her husband, Dr. Exalton Alfonso Delco, Jr., have shared on Astor Place since moving to Austin in 1957, the former legislator and lifetime education activist trotted down memory lane, pausing from time to time to smile or frown or hammer home a point. It’s been an eventful journey of highs, lows and passionate activism. Read More »

Before perking up hundreds of delegates in the cold, cavernous Austin Convention Center with a fiery “Texas can do better!” refrain, State Senator Kirk Watson led convention-goers in the Pledge of Allegiance, and Natomi Austin got our patriotic juices flowing with a rousing rendition of the National Anthem.

An oddity for Democratic gatherings, the 2012 Travis County Democratic Party Convention on Saturday started on time and adjourned a bit early. Who knew that was possible? Chairman Andy Brown kept things moving, starting with a tribute by Celia Israel to legendary LGBT rights leader Bettie Naylor, who passed away last week (memorial service is May 5 at 3 p.m. at University Methodist Church).

Before we knew it, Mayor Lee Leffingwell had proclaimed TCDP Convention Day “the official kickoff of the election season,” inspiring speeches had been made, committees had met and reported, precincts had caucused, delegates had been selected, resolutions had been passed and the day was done. Sine die! Read More »

It’s hard to miss Donna Beth McCormick, and it’s impossible to ignore her. A force of nature in the local, state and national Democratic Party, she nurtures dreams and issues commands in equal measure. Her latest command that we dare not defy is this: “If you want to have a voice, you better get your butt to the County Convention!”

The 2012 TCDP Convention is Saturday the 21^st at the Austin Convention Center, and Donna Beth, the accidental owner of nine cats (including an 18-year-old “senior”), will be taking names and keeping track. She will hunt you down if you do not register as a delegate and attend. You will be sorry if you do not obey, so sign up now. Read More »

Say hello and thank you to the TCDP’s Fab Five, an inspiring group of interns who represent much more than free labor — although they certainly do provide us with lots of that!

These young Democrats are the future of our Party, and we are lucky to have them. In addition to answering the phones and even taking out the trash, they are tackling a number of very important projects. If you have not seen their smiling faces at our E. Sixth Street office — or at any number of recent events — here is a quick introduction, along with their answers to a couple of questions. Enjoy!

LAUREN BEDNARSKI — University of Texas freshman from Los Altos, CA

Main duties: Recruiting election judges and election-day volunteers, re-working our precinct numbers and polling places to reflect redistricting. Read More »

Think of him as your Gentleman Enforcer! Crisply attired in a suit and bow tie, Hugh Brady oversees parliamentary procedure at our TCDP Executive Committee meetings and, on April 21st, our County Convention.

Brady, an Austin attorney and devoted Democrat, has been keeping us in line since January 2010, and we’re lucky to have him. Reputed to be one of the best parliamentarians in the state, he also advises the Texas House Democratic Caucus and several non-profit boards.

With our Convention on the horizon, we thought people might be interested in finding out a bit more about Brady and his relationship with Robert’s Rules of Order.

QUESTION: How did you become interested in parliamentary procedure? Read More »

The drumbeat is getting louder … this could be our year. As Republicans and Rick Perry wither, Democrats surge. Political veterans and newbies alike are feeling hopeful, and long-time activists like Lou McCreary are growing more positive by the day.

An attorney and political organizer, McCreary proudly notes that he is a Sustaining Member of the TCDP. He also is a founding member of the Take Back Texas Alliance and an advisory board member of Save Texas Schools. He also advises political campaigns from time to time and preaches grassroots organizing at every turn.

McCreary says his grandparents warned him when he was just a little boy that if he ever voted Republican, it would bring on another Depression. He has never strayed. In 1960, as an undergraduate at UT, he was a precinct captain when John F. Kennedy came to town to campaign. It was a defining moment, and continues to inspire McCreary to keep the faith.

QUESTION: Since his disastrous run for President, Governor Perry’s popularity has collapsed, and a majority of Texans now oppose him running again. Those polls were conducted before he attacked women’s health care. This is a good sign for us, right? Read More »

The proud owner of a large pet pig named Prince, Fred Cantu has been a Democratic activist since graduating from the University of Texas more than three decades ago. He shares his name with a popular TV anchor in Austin, but this Cantu steers clear of the spotlight.

“I’ve always been a grunt, working in the background, and I’m happy with that,” says the soft-spoken chair of the Austin Tejano Democrats and Precinct 460 in South Austin.

Now running his own consulting firm (Faraon Consulting), Cantu came of age politically right out of college, working for Lowell Lebermann, and then signing on with Democratic greats such as Bob Krueger, Jim Mattox and Peck Young. He had the good fortune of experiencing the 1982 heyday, when Democrats won all the statewide offices.

The battles in today’s Republican-dominated Texas aren’t quite as uplifting, but Cantu continues to fight the good fight, working for candidates and spearheading campaigns on the grassroots level. And he dreams of the day when the Hispanic vote will fulfill its explosive potential.

QUESTION: Is this going to be the year? Read More »

And now for something different: A political blog about a TV movie!

As some of you know, I spent a huge chunk of my life writing about TV for the Austin American-Statesman. So when the Texas Tribune invited me to a screening of HBO’s “Game Change,” followed by a Q&A with the authors of the juicy best-selling book upon which it is based, I grabbed it. Once a critic, always a critic.

For those of you who somehow missed the red-hot page-turner  by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann about the 2008 presidential campaign, it was a take-no-prisoners expose´ that unleashed the melodrama behind the scenes on both the Republican and the Democratic sides of the 2008 presidential primaries.

The authors divided the book into  chapters dealing with the inner sanctums of Hillary and Bill Clinton, Elizabeth and John Edwards (including those explosive revelations about infidelity), Michelle and Barack Obama on the Democratic side, and John and Cindy McCain and Sarah and Todd Palin on the Republican side. The only political couple in the mix that was not portrayed as totally dysfunctional and desperate turned out to be (no surprise) the Obamas. The third and final chapter of the book focused on the fall smack-down between Obama and McCain. Read More »