“We want to apologize to the American public for recent decisions that cast doubt upon our commitment to our mission of saving women’s lives,” Komen Founder and CEO Nancy Brinker said in a statement released on the organization’s blog. “…We have been distressed at the presumption that the changes made to our funding criteria were done for political reasons or to specifically penalize Planned Parenthood. They were not.”

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A ruling by the District of Columbia court in the complex case was expected to provide guidance to another San Antonio federal panel trying to draw new maps for state House, Senate and congressional elections. (continue reading)

But in Washington, every decision is political — and now the cancer-fighting organization may have turned itself from a “safe” charity into just another political lightning rod.

It may have ruined its fundraising, too, as its Facebook page filled up with messages from Planned Parenthood supporters promising they’ll never give a dime to the charity again.

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But the documents from his now-defunct campaign, filed with the Federal Election Commission on Monday night, show that this advantage eroded after Mr. Perry’s poor debate performances and his uncertain handling of issues like immigration undermined his standing with Republican voters.

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The winding road to our primary elections just keeps turning and twisting. We are still in a holding period, with federal courts in Washington, D.C., and San Antonio ultimately charged with deciding our fate.

One thing we do know for certain is that we need to elect more Democrats in 2012 to prevent the Republicans from disenfranchising our fellow Texas voters. Thanks to all of you, Travis County has been a beacon to Democrats around the state, so I hope you will continue to support us with your time and donations.

As you may know, the three-judge panel in San Antonio met last Friday to wrestle with primary dates, election deadlines and new maps for our legislative and congressional districts. In Travis County, we hope the congressional map going forward will uphold a coalition district anchored in Austin.

There were rumors floating around that Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, in an effort to salvage an April 3^rd unified primary, is willing to compromise with plaintiffs demanding fair representation for minorities, perhaps because he knows the state cannot win. Lawyers on both sides of the San Antonio case continued to meet over the weekend and are expected to report soon.

The judges in San Antonio warned that if an agreement isn’t reached by February 6, the primaries will be delayed again. Dates discussed ranged from April 17 to May 29 to June 26. Further delays will throw our precinct, county (now scheduled for April 21) and state party conventions (scheduled for June 8-9 in Houston) into chaos. Adding to the confusion is the question of whether the San Antonio judges will wait until after a D.C. federal court rules in the pre-clearance case. Closing arguments in D.C. are today.

We are following all of these developments and will keep you up to date on our web site, Facebook and Twitter.

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Be sure to read today’s “On the Record with Diane Holloway” which features an interview with Ramey Ko, president of the Capital Area Asian American Democrats.

With the Asian American population in Travis County growing fast, we look forward to working with CAAAD and joining forces with dynamic young leaders like Judge Ko. I want to personally congratulate CAAAD on its hugely successful Jan. 19 Awards and Lunar New Year Celebration, which raised lots of money and lots of awareness. It’s a great club with great energy.

Sincerely,

Andy Brown

Travis County Democratic Party Chair

Follow us on Twitter:  @tcdp

Join us on Facebook: facebook.com/TraviscountyDemocraticParty

An electric spark of energy and intellect, Ko is active in about a dozen progressive groups, but he is perhaps most focused on the Capital Area Asian American Democrats, of which he is president. Nationally he works with Asian Pacific Americans for Progress and is one of only 20 people in the country appointed by President Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. And yes, he has met with the President in that capacity.

The young judge’s road to Asian American advocacy had a few right-hand turns along the way, but he has now firmly established himself in the Democratic Party. If you don’t know Ko, you’re not paying attention.

QUESTION: Tell us about the Asian American population growth in Travis County and how that impacts elections.

KO: As of 2010, the Asian American population in Austin was at 6.3 percent. That’s a huge increase because Austin has not been one of the heavily Asian American areas in Texas. Houston is No. 1 and Dallas is No. 2. Since 2000, there’s been an explosive growth here, and within the city limits, we are a higher percentage than Dallas.

QUESTION: How is the turnout for Asian-American voters here?

KO: It’s hard to know, because there isn’t good data on a lot of this stuff. The studies tend to be focused on population centers like Houston and Dallas. Over half of Asian Americans are foreign-born, so a significant chunk of them are not citizens yet. Only about half of eligible Asian American voters are registered, although it’s better here because our population is more educated and professional. We do know that registered Asian American voters tend to vote at a very high rate, so it’s undoubtedly true that this growth is having an impact on politics.

QUESTION: This should be a golden opportunity for Democrats, right?

KO: I would like to emphasize that even though Asian Americans have been voting more Democratic than Republican, that allegiance is a soft allegiance. Neither party has successfully captured the imagination and loyalty of Asian Americans. Until the early ‘90s, about a third were Democrats, a third were Republicans and a third were independents. With Clinton’s election, those numbers started to shift, and in the past decade, it has shifted dramatically to the Democratic Party. Democrats really need to take advantage of this chance while Republicans are sleeping at the wheel. The encouraging thing is the young population. In a Gallup Poll last year, Asian Americans were the only group of young adults in which liberals exceed conservatives.

QUESTION: Are there issues that are of particular interest to Asian Americans?

KO: In the ’08 exit polls, the order of priority for issues among Asian Americans was exactly the same as for white voters. The economy and jobs were No. 1, with things like health care and other things next. Immigration rates a little more intensely because it’s been in the forefront in recent years.

QUESTION: How did you become interested in politics?

KO: I always had an interest in politics. My first political act was writing a letter to George H.W. Bush asking him to do more about the environment. I was more interested in issues than electoral things, but I started voting as soon as I could. I was active in party politics in ’04 as a volunteer for Howard Dean’s campaign. That’s when I learned about on-the-ground, grassroots electoral politics. And I volunteered for Obama’s U.S. Senate campaign in ’04.

QUESTION: So, you’ve always been progressive?

KO: (Laughing) In my teens, I would say I was a hard right-winger! I listened to Rush Limbaugh and went to a fundamentalist church. But when I was on the debate team in high school, I changed my mind because I was exposed to more ideas. I credit “Star Trek” for my liberal values!

QUESTION: What are your political goals? Is there a campaign in your future?

KO: I’ll stay in the judicial game for now. Maybe down the line I might want to run for judicial office. But I also recognize the advocate side of me. I won’t be able to sit still forever, so I’d like to consider other positions — maybe the legislature. Attorney General of Texas wouldn’t be bad either!

QUESTION: Sounds like you want to stay in Austin.

KO: Austin is my home. I moved around a lot in my 20s, but I’ve found my soul here.

AUSTIN — Democrats have three top candidates to choose from in the primary race for the U.S. Senate, but their ultimate choice will probably say more about the party’s future in Texas than who goes to Washington next year.

Every candidate says they are running to win the general election, but the odds are long. Former state Rep. Paul Sadler, party activist Sean Hubbard and trial lawyer Jason Gibson all insist they have a fighting chance to replace Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison this November. Those who believe President Barack Obama will win re-election speculate he could carry many down-ballot Democrats on his coattails, even in the red state of Texas.

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Texas taxpayers were billed almost $800,000 in travel costs for a security detail to travel with Gov. Rick Perry largely on out-of-state events tied to his presidential campaign from September through November, state figures show.

Most of Perry’s 48 out-of-state destinations were to the early primary states of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, according to a report released late Thursday by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which provides security when Perry and his wife, Anita, travel.

For security reasons, DPS does not reveal how many troopers accompany the governor or how far in advance they arrive at Perry’s destination. (continue reading)

President Obama: Mr. Speaker, Mr. Vice President, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow Americans:

Last month, I went to Andrews Air Force Base and welcomed home some of our last troops to serve in Iraq. Together, we offered a final, proud salute to the colors under which more than a million of our fellow citizens fought – and several thousand gave their lives.

We gather tonight knowing that this generation of heroes has made the United States safer and more respected around the world. For the first time in nine years, there are no Americans fighting in Iraq. For the first time in two decades, Osama bin Laden is not a threat to this country. Most of al Qaeda’s top lieutenants have been defeated. The Taliban’s momentum has been broken, and some troops in Afghanistan have begun to come home.
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A federal court in San Antonio said Monday that it is “giving serious consideration” to calling for split dates for party primaries with the presidential nominating contests coming earlier than legislative races in which district boundaries have yet to be decided.

The only way to proceed as planned with a single primary date on April 3 would be for the State of Texas and plaintiffs’ groups suing the state to agree upon interim redistricting maps by Feb. 6, said U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia, who is on the three-judge panel in San Antonio that is hearing one of the Texas redistricting cases. (continue reading)