[Tcdp_newsletter] TCDP Weekly Newsletter for August 11-18, 2006

Thu Aug 10 17:06:25 CDT 2006

Travis County Democratic Party Weekly Newsletter 
Friday, August 11 - Friday, August 18, 2006 

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IN THIS ISSUE 

- Message From Chris Elliott, Chair Travis County Democratic Party
- Dead Presidents' Club Fundraiser
- Save the Date: Campaign Kickoff Rally!
- Coordinated Campaign Update
- Your Leadership Needed Now as Precinct Chair!
- Calendar of Upcoming Events 
- In the News 
- Contact Info for TCDP Administrative & Coordinated Campaign Offices
- Become a TCDP Sustaining Member 
- Newsletter: How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe Your E-Mail 
- To Subscribers Who Use AOL

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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

Dear Fellow Democrats:

It is with great pleasure and satisfaction that we learned this week that Tom DeLay has withdrawn from the race for the seat in Congressional District 22.  Thus ends the political career of one of the most disreputable men to ever serve in public office.

The decisions of the various courts on this issue upheld the integrity of the electoral process, thankfully.  Mr. DeLay and the Republican Party of Texas made a concerted and deliberate effort to perpetrate a fraud upon the voters in CD 22 and the courts would have none of it.  We owe our thanks to the lawyers that filed this case and argued it on behalf of the Texas Democratic Party.

While we celebrate the political demise of the "Hammer," I invite you all to join us on August 17 for some political comedy and good Democratic fellowship at the Austin Playhouse.  TCDP, in conjunction with the North by Northwest Democrats, are hosting a showing of "The Dead Presidents Club," a play that is sure to tickle your political funny bone.  All proceeds from tickets sold to the play will go to help the TCDP Coordinated Campaign and the North by Northwest Democrats.  I encourage you all to attend. Information about tickets can be found in this newsletter (below) and at TCDP's website.

Thanks once again to all of you for everything you do.

Democratically yours,

Chris Elliott
TCDP Chair

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DEAD PRESIDENTS' CLUB FUNDRAISER

The Austin Playhouse Theatre is reviving the hit Dead Presidents' Club and has graciously offered the Travis County Democratic Party an evening to raise money for our 2006 Coordinated Campaign "True Blue Travis" in conjunction with the North by Northwest Democrats.  

This will be held Thursday, August 17th.  Happy hour begins at 7:00 p.m. with the curtain rising at 8:00 p.m.  Austin Playhouse Theatre is located at 3601 S. Congress Avenue at Penn Field, where Opal Divine's and Ruta Maya are located.

There will also be a small silent auction. If you have any interesting items that you would like to donate to the cause, please let Sandra Ramos, Coordinator for the 2006 TCDP Coordinated Campaign, know as soon as possible. 
Tickets are $25 each and Sponsor level tickets are $100 for two seats and priority seating (and you also get mentioned on the sponsor board and the gratitude of the Travis County Democratic Party's coordinated campaign!)
Deadline for sponsorships is Tuesday, August 15th - and seating is first-come, first-served.

Online tickets may be purchased by going to the 'Donate' section of TCDP's regular web page. Just click on the bottom link from the menu on the left hand side of the home-page at www.traviscountydemocrats.org. 

Or, if you're on our special July - November True Blue Travis web site (www.truebluetravis.com), simply click on 'Donate' from there and it will take you to the exact same TCDP secure site donate page.

If mailing, please make out your check to:

Travis County Democratic Party and mail to P.O. Box 684263 Austin, TX 78768-4263 

THANK YOU!!!! 

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CAMPAIGN KICKOFF RALLY

*** SAVE THE DATE ***
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Kickoff Rally for the Travis County Democratic Party's 2006 Coordinated Campaign - True Blue Travis!!
Plaza Saltillo -- East 5th and Comal Streets.
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m

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2006 TCDP COORDINATED CAMPAIGN 

This election cycle, our coordinated campaign is called True Blue Travis.  Have you been to this new July - November website yet?  If not, check it out!! You can go straight there by clicking on http://www.truebluetravis.com  or go to our website at http://www.traviscountydemocrats.org/index.php and click on the second item in the menu on the left side of our home-page.

The TBT Campaign Office is at  505 Willow St. (Austin), which is off Red River one block south of Cesar Chavez, directly south of the Convention Center & Iron Works Barbeque.  Our administrative office will stay at 1311-B East 6th Street (477-7500).   
All volunteers, please call or drop by the campaign office.  The number is: *** 476 - 5100 ***

Two new staff members came on this week, Rudy Malveaux and Nick Lawrie.  Coordinated Campaign staff to date are as follows:

Sandra Ramos, Campaign Coordinator
sandra at traviscountydemocrats.org

Glen Maxey, Campaign Field Director
glen at traviscountydemocrats.org

Nick Lawrie, Deputy Field Coordinator
nick at traviscountydemcorats.org

Rudy Malveaux, African-American Outreach
rudy at traviscountydemocrats.org

Karl-Thomas Musselman: Campaign Tech Director
kt at traviscountydemocrats.org 

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YOUR LEADERSHIP IS NEEDED NOW!!

Your leadership is vital to making Travis County completely Democratic.  We are seeking to fill the remaining 65 vacant precinct chair positions.  

If you are a Democrat, who voted in the 2006 Democratic Primary, would like to serve the Travis County Democratic Party and are interested in working with other Democrats in your precinct, please contact TCDP at 477-7500 or info at traviscountydemocrats.org.  You can ask that an appointment be made by the TCDP Executive Committee (which is made up of all the current precinct chairs) to fill an unexpired term; terms are two years from May 2006-May 2008. We promise to put you to work to elect Democrats up and down the ballot in Travis County and make our home even more BLUE!  

The following vacant precincts are divided up by State House district:

If your State House Representative is Dawnna Dukes, District 46- 113  121  122  129  132  139  141  150  164

If your State House Representative candidate is Valinda Bolton, District 47- 301  304  316  318  324  338  350  351  356  360  361  411  412  451

If your State House Representative is Donna Howard, District 48- 163  232  253  279  345  370  371  373  375  376  378

If your State House Representative is Elliott Naishtat, District 49- 137  147  149  239  275  447  454  461

If your State House Representative is Mark Strama, District 50- 107  201  204  205  211  216  254  328  329  331  334  336

If your State House Representative is Eddie Rodriguez, District 51- 123  401  402  403  404  405  407  423  427  442  452

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CALENDAR OF UPCOMING EVENTS

The TCDP Calendar changes almost daily as we receive new information, so we encourage you to check the calendar often.  Go to: http://www.traviscountydemocrats.org/calendar.php 

Saturday, August 12, 2006

Yeller Dawg/Saturday Sages Meeting 
TIME:  Saturday, August 12 at 11:00am-1:00pm
PLACE:  Tres Amigos Restaurant, 1801 S. Capitol of Texas Hwy (AKA 360)
CONTACT:  Bill McAfee at bmcafee at austin.rr.com

Please join the Yeller Dawg/Saturday Sages for their weekly meeting.

Saturday, August 12, 2006
Williamson County Dems Headquarters Grand Opening 
TIME:  Saturday, August 12 at 4:00pm-7:00pm
PLACE:  Williamson County Democratic Party Headquarters, 102 E. Old Bowman Rd., Round Rock
CONTACT:  Williamson County Democratic Party at 671-8683

"Democrats Will WIN in Williamson County!" Join in the FUN as Williamson County Democrats celebrate the Grand Opening of the Williamson County Democratic Party Campaign Headquarters. There will be free drinks and appetizers. Honored guests will include Boyd Richie, Texas Democratic Party Chair, and all the Democratic candidates in Williamson County.

Saturday, August 12, 2006
7870-'4' Bree Family Friendly Fundraiser 
TIME: Saturday, August 12 at 6:00 to 9:00 p.m.
PLACE:  1901 Dexter (south of Zilker Park)
CONTACT:  441-6247

Suggested contribution of $25 per family

Family activities, food and drinks for all! Come support Bree Buchanan, Candidate for 3rd Court of Appeals, Place 6. Bree will speak at 7. Special Guest appearance by State Representative Elliott Naishtat.

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Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Latinos for Texas Meeting 
TIME:  Tuesday, August 15 at 7:00pm
PLACE:  Kerbey Lane Cafe, 2606 Guadalupe
CONTACT:  Sabas at sabas at latinosfortexas.com

Please join Latinos for Texas this month as they finalize plans for their voter-registration event, "Outreach by the Beach," in Corpus Christi on August 19, 2006, to get Juan Garcia elected to the Texas House of Representatives. And as always, they'll be taking suggestions for future voter registration and outreach opportunities.

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Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Central Austin Democrats Meeting 

TIME:  Wednesday, August 16 at 6:15pm
PLACE:  Santa Rita Tex-Mex Cantina, 1206 W. 38th St.
CONTACT:  Velva Price at 476-2291 or velva_p at abcglobal.net

Please join CAD for their monthly meeting.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Keep Austin Blue Meeting 

TIME:  Wednesday, August 16, 6:30pm socialize, 7:15pm speakers begin
PLACE:  Mother Egan's Irish Pub, 715 W. 6th St.
CONTACT:  Sharron at sharron at keepaustinblue.org

Please join KAB for their monthly meeting. Speakers include:
Honorable Jim Coronado, Candidate for Justice, 3rd Court of Appeals, Place 2
Diane Henson, Candidate for Justice, 3rd Court of Appeals, Place 3
Mina Brees, Candidate for Justice, 3rd Court of Appeals, Place 5 (representative)
Bree Buchanan, Candidate for Justice, 3rd Court of Appeals, Place 6
Charlie Baird, Candidate for Judge, 299th District Court
Susan Steeg, Candidate for Justice of the Peace, Precinct 3 

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Southwest Austin Democrats Meeting 

TIME:  Wednesday, August 16 at 6:30pm-8:30pm
PLACE:  Hampton Library, 5125 Convict Hill
CONTACT:  Albert Gonzales at email4agg at yahoo.com 

Please join SWAD for their monthly meeting. The library allows you to bring fast food and drinks. However, they are restricted to the meeting room only.

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Thursday, August 17, 2006 -- DEAD PRESIDENT'S CLUB FUNDRAISER TONIGHT!! (please see above)

Thursday, August 17, 2006
Grassroots Voter Registration Training 
TIME:  Thursday, August 17 at 5:30pm for one session OR 7:30pm for the other session
PLACE:  AFL-CIO, 1106 Lavaca St. # 200
CONTACT:  Ken Flippin at 627-9171 or kflippin at gmail.com 

Help Make The Difference in Valinda Bolton's Race!!

Neighbor2Neighbor is an organization that wants to help Valinda register her district. They are hosting a meeting to get people deputized as voter registrars and then giving them some training on effective ways to register voters. This training session will prepare people for a major voter registration push in South Austin in late August-October 10, but all who would like to be deputized and work in other areas of Travis County are welcome too!

Training should last no more than 45 minutes for each session. Please attend only one as they are exactly the same.

Snacks and refreshments will be served. 

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Black Austin Democrats Meeting 

TIME:  Thursday, August 17 at 6:00pm
PLACE:  Judge Richard Scott's Office, 1811 Springdale Rd.
CONTACT:  Richard Franklin at richardf3rd at yahoo.com

Please join the Black Austin Democrats for their monthly meeting.

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Iraq War Public Forum 

TIME:  Thursday, August 17 at 7:00pm
PLACE:  George Washington Carver Museum, 1161 Angelina St.

CONTACT:  Nikki Merritt at 775-4517 or nikkim79 at gmail.com 

Democracy for Texas is hosting a public forum to discuss the ongoing conflict in Iraq and the future of the US role in the region. An informal screening of invited guests' photos and home movies from Iraq will take place at 6:30 pm, before the panel discussion.

The recent primary loss of Sen. Lieberman (D-CT), a strong advocate of President Bush's policies in Iraq, to anti-war challenger, Ned Lamont, has highlighted the importance of the Iraq issue to the voting public. With an upcoming general election in November, the purpose of the forum is to highlight the ramifications of the Bush administration's policies in Iraq while gathering public input on what should be done there.

The forum's panelists include many who have first-hand experience on the issue of Iraq. They include:
- Alan Pogue, a photojournalist and Texas Observer contributor who has traveled to Iraq five times to document the lives of the Iraqi people;
- Dr. Jason Brownlee, Assistant Professor of Government at the University of Texas at Austin and author of the upcoming book, Authoritarianism in an Age of Democratization;
- Tom Peterson, an Iraqi war vet who has served three tours of duty;
- John Courage, a veteran and candidate for Congress who is making Iraq an important issue in his campaign;
- Charlie Jackson, founding member of Texans for Peace, who was the lead author of the Baghdad Economic Development (BED) Project a tactical plan prepared by the IC2 Institute of the University of Texas and also helped found the Women's Business Center of Baghdad, an ongoing project to assist women business owners and professionals of Iraq. 

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IN THE NEWS 

For up to date political news and commentary, please go to our web site at www.traviscountydemocrats.org and click on "Current News" 

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CONTACT INFORMATION FOR TCDP ADMINISTRATIVE & CAMPAIGN OFFICES

Travis County Democratic Party ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE-- 1311B E. 6th St., Austin, TX  78702

Web:  www.traviscountydemocrats.org 
E-mail:  info at traviscountydemocrats.org 

Chris Elliott - Chair 
chair at traviscountydemocrats.org 

Elizabeth Yevich - Executive Director 
elizabeth at traviscountydemocrats.org 

Garry Brown - Assistant Director 
garry at traviscountydemocrats.org 

Monday - Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 
Ph (512) 477-7500 Fax- (512) 477-7769 

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Travis County Democratic Party 2006 COORDINATED CAMPAIGN OFFICE--505 Willow Street, Austin, TX 78701
(LOCATED one block south of Cesar Chavez off Red River, directly south of the Austin Convention Center)

Ph (512) 476 - 5100
Web: www.truebluetravis.com 

Chris Elliott - Chair 
chair at traviscountydemocrats.org 

Sandra Ramos - Campaign Coordinator
sandra at traviscountydemocrats.org 

Glen Maxey - Campaign Field Director
email: glen at traviscountydemocrats.org 

MAILING ADDRESS FOR BOTH ADMIN. & CAMPAIGN OFFICES: 
P.O. Box 684263 
Austin, TX 78768-4263 

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BECOME A TCDP SUSTAINING MEMBER !

The Travis County Democratic Party is funded and operates by donations of local Democrats and progressives like you.  We are a separate entity from the state and national parties and depend on you to fund this site, our e-mail service, office and staff and coordinated campaigns such as this year's True Blue Travis and much much more! 

We encourage you to support your local Democrats by becoming a sustaining.  You can become a sustaining member for as little as $10.00 per month or $120.00 annually. 

For added recognition, you can join at the Finance Council level at $84.00 per month or $1,000.00 annually. Finance Council members receive: prominent listing in our publications and website (updated list coming soon) as well as at Travis County Democratic Party functions and free general admission to TCDP sponsored events. 

If you are interested in becoming a Sustaining Member or Finance Council Member of the Travis County Democratic Party, you can join online by going to: http://www.traviscountydemocrats.org and click on "Donate" at the bottom of the page.  Or contact us at (512) 477-7500 or info at traviscountydemocrats.org. 

Mailed donations for both the Party and the Coordinated Campaign - True Blue Travis - should be made to "Travis County Democratic Party" and mailed to: 

P.O. Box 684263 
Austin, TX 78768-4263     

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P.O. Box 684263, Austin, TX 78768-4263 
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