Free Republic

WASHINGTON - Texas state Democrats brought President Bush (news - web sites) into their redistricting fight Thursday, accusing him of trampling minority voting rights and being part of a Republican national power grab. Three of the remaining 10 Democratic state senators who fled Texas over the redistricting dispute were in Washington to promote new radio and TV ads that will run in swing presidential states including Florida, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Arizona, New York, Nevada and Texas, along with the District of Columbia. The ads, which will begin running within the next two weeks, were paid for from funds raised by...

The Rise of the Machine How a small group of politicians and corporations bought themselves a legislature BY JAKE BERNSTEIN AND DAVE MANN The facts are widely known. An unprecedented coordination between the Republican administration and big corporate interests held the country tightly in its grip. In most instances, the machine simply enjoyed the exercise of raw power with little effort to justify its actions. Come election time though, the party of privilege and its moneyed patrons drowned out opponents with the sheer volume of their propaganda. Never before had so many dollars been spent to mass-market a political image....

Dewhurst can change Senate's two-thirds rule, Justice Department says Ruling comes day before Republicans and Democrats head to federal court AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Tuesday, August 26, 2003 As the Legislature ended its second special session on congressional redistricting today, all the players in the partisan standoff geared up to take their battle to a Laredo courtroom on Wednesday. But within hours of the session's end, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a ruling that raised new questions about whether the courts will have any authority to settle the dispute. The ruling found that the Senate did not need pre-clearance from the...

`Texas 11' drawing supporters Well-wishers, volunteers throng to Albuquerque By RACHEL GRAVES Aug. 23, 2003, 11:53PM ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Well-wishers have traveled hundreds of miles to see the 11 Texas senators in exile. The most unlikely visitor, though, simply drove across town. Marty the bellhop came by Monday and Wednesday nights for a few cocktails. "These guys are great kibitzers," Marty Lucker said after five hours of sipping Canadian Club and water with some of the senators. Lucker met the Democrats while serving them at the Marriott Pyramid, where they stayed for their first 18 days in Albuquerque, and came...

Dewhurst says he prefers a break after session's end By KELLEY SHANNON Associated Press Writer August 22, 2003 AUSTIN- Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said Friday he would like to see the Legislature take some time off before entering a third special session on congressional redistricting. Dewhurst didn't say how long he thinks the break should be after the second 30-day special session ends Tuesday. But Dewhurst, who presides over the Texas Senate, said his preference would be for lawmakers to have some time to continue working on details of redistricting proposals _ such as the positioning of districts in...