To Bray or Not to Bray?

I'm the last person to support the argument that a person's party affiliation is a primary qualification for office. Particularly in local council elections in Austin - where they are supposedly non-partisan. Candidates don't get the "(D)", "(R)", "(G)", "(L)" or "(I)" after their names on the ballot, and by extension, shouldn't be touting their partisan credentials loud and proud, but that's always been a broad, lax ethical issue that hasn't been sorted out concretely.

So when I saw Randi Shade's full page ad in the Austin Chronicle listing all the Democratic candidates she's given money to at a local and state level, where Kathie Tovo's list was blank (leaving out any local council, non-partisan candidates and federal candidates that she, in fact, HAS given to), I thought, "that makes me just like Tovo more," as I've long-challenged the dual-party stronghold on our democracy.

Big D, little d

Shade's implication is that she's "The Better Democrat" because she's dedicated some of her fat wallet to certain folks over the years. Personally, I support "the better democrat" (little "d"). Tovo, much like myself, has given 100s of hours annually to community organizations, boards and causes. Shade sat on several of the "right boards" (which entails showing up to a meeting once a month) for resume-building for running for office. Shade was never a community activist, she was a party player serving the community at the grasstops level in order to get elected someday.

Who cares how many checks Shade wrote to candidates - especially when she did so for political purposes, not because she believed in them? I live on very little income but give my time to candidates when I believe in them. I support someone because they've been there on the front lines - not because they gave gobs of money to the "right people."

Shade has shown her "committment" to democracy on the dais, casting votes that are purely political v. good policy and in the campaign, making her campaign rife (pun intended, she hired WTP4 consultant Lynda Rife--conflict, perhaps?) with false assertions about water, fire, public safety, etc.

Hypocritical Democrats Hire Republican Operatives

This letter/information was sent from a "FOAF" (a "friend of a friend"), who is a well-known community leader (a moderate, not a radical like myself) who sent it out saying it was composed by a (unnamed) friend of hers "who worked her fanny off for Ted Ankrum, who almost upset Rep. Congressmember Mike McCaul." Again, partisan bickering is not my bag, but calling out HYPOCRISY, however, is.

To wit:

Dear  <Friend> ,

Thought you'd like to know, that Randi Shade may give to Democrats but she HIRES Republicans.  Republicans that work to actively defeat Democrats.

Like Lucas Sheffield, who just got $3,500 from the Shade Campaign. 

Not sure which is my favorite quote from him on Twitter...

"egypt, libya, unions, government shutdown, obama is in way over his head, what we get for having a community organizer guide the ship."

"obama's failures: healthcare and stimulus."

"awesome weekend at red state gathering, just finished opp-research for hd races in texas"

He's active in the American Majority a "political training organization for conservative candidates and activists engaging at the state level."  They're part of the group that went up to Wisconsin trying to bust the unions this years.

Here's the link showing the sources:

Activities:  Getting Republicans Elected

City Council races are non-partisan.  However, when Shade bought a full-page ad in the Chronicle asserting that she was the better Democrat because she contributes more, she inserted partisan politics into the race.  No good Democrat hires Rick Perry's pollster.  No good Democrat hires Rep. McCaul's campaign manager.  She can't have it both ways.

Pass this onto your friends.  Call Shade's campaign and ask her to fire them,  803-1397.  I have no doubt she can find plenty of Democrats she can hire.