Al Edwards (R-Houston)
One of the cuts made last session that was high on the list to be rectified this time around was that which cut the stipend for teachers and school employees to pay for health insurance out of a meager $1000 for full time employees and $500 for part-time employees. San Antonio State Rep, Jose Menendez, put up the amendment for reinstatement, and two votes are worth highlighting:
The motion to table the amendment: 20 Republicans cross the aisle to keep the stipend alive, not the least of which is former HISD principal, Republican State Rep, Martha Wong. ONE ... count em ... ONE Democrat crosses the aisle to kill the amendment in the crib.
You guessed it ... Al Edwards.
Final Passage: The real colors are shown here ... unfortunately, for a few Democrats, the color is yellow. I've got it on good info that while Dora Oliveira was justifiably absent and McReynolds' situation has yet to be determined, there were a few "absences" that were not as they would appear:
Kevin Bailey (D)
Al Edwards (D)
Helen Giddings(D)
Vilma Luna (D)
Sylvester Turner(D)
My kingdom (or a small portion thereof) for anyone who can give me a justifiable reason for any of these members to oppose health insurance for teachers and school employees.
To date, Al Edwards has yet in this session to show any demonstrable support for a single Democratic issue that comes to mind yet he serves on the Democratic National Committee as Co-Chair of the Southern Black Caucus. He deserves to be held accountable for it.
UPDATE: It should be noted that out of the votes I've railed against thus far, Al Edwards did indeed vote FOR a Democratic-endorsed bill or amendement once - and only once. Al Edwards voted for Scott Hochberg's amendment to HB3 to replace the GOP Diaper Tax with a tax on elective cosmetic surgery. So there ya go.
Motion to Table ....
Bill Number: TX79RSB 1
Caption: By Ogden. Relating to the General Appropriations Bill.
Vote: H- 240 Motion to table Amendment #80 by Menendez
Date: 04/06/05AYES - 66
Allen, Ray(R); Anderson(R); Berman(R); Bonnen(R); Branch(R); Brown, Betty(R); Brown, Fred(R); Chisum(R); Cook, Byron(R); Corte(R); Crabb(R); Crownover(R); Davis, John(R); Dawson(R); Delisi(R); Denny(R); Driver(R); Edwards(D); Eissler(R); Elkins(R); Flynn(R); Gattis(R); Geren(R); Goodman(R); Grusendorf(R); Hamric(R); Hardcastle(R); Harper-Brown(R); Hartnett(R); Hegar(R); Hilderbran(R); Hill(R); Hope(R); Howard(R); Hupp(R); Isett(R); Jackson, Jim(R); Keffer, Bill(R); Keffer, Jim(R); King, Phil(R); Kolkhorst(R); Krusee(R); Laubenberg(R); Madden(R); McCall(R); Miller(R); Morrison(R); Mowery(R); Nixon(R); Orr(R); Otto(R); Paxton(R); Pitts(R); Reyna(R); Riddle(R); Smith, Wayne(R); Smithee(R); Solomons(R); Straus(R); Swinford(R); Talton(R); Taylor(R); Truitt(R); West, Buddy(R); Woolley(R); Zedler(R)NAYS - 81
Allen, Alma(D); Alonzo(D); Anchia(D); Bailey(D); Baxter(R); Blake(R); Burnam(D); Callegari(R); Campbell(R); Casteel(R); Castro(D); Chavez(D); Coleman(D); Cook, Robby(D); Davis, Yvonne(D); Deshotel(D); Dukes(D); Dunnam(D); Dutton(D); Eiland(D); Escobar(D); Farabee(D); Farrar(D); Flores(D); Frost(D); Gallego(D); Giddings(D); Gonzales(D); Gonzalez Toureilles(D); Goolsby(R); Griggs(R); Guillen(D); Haggerty(R); Hamilton(R); Herrero(D); Hochberg(D); Hodge(D); Homer(D); Hopson(D); Hughes(R); Hunter(R); Jones, Delwin(R); Jones, Jesse(D); Keel(R); King, Tracy(D); Kuempel(R); Laney(D); Leibowitz(D); Luna(D); Martinez(D); Martinez Fischer(D); McClendon(D); McReynolds(D); Menendez(D); Merritt(R); Moreno, Joe(D); Moreno, Paul(D); Naishtat(D); Noriega(D); Oliveira(D); Olivo(D); Pena(D); Phillips(R); Pickett(D); Quintanilla(D); Raymond(D); Ritter(D); Rodriguez(D); Rose(D); Seaman(R); Smith, Todd(R); Solis(D); Strama(D); Thompson(D); Turner(D); Uresti(D); Van Arsdale(R); Veasey(D); Villarreal(D); Vo(D); Wong(R)
Final Passage ...
Bill Number: TX79RSB 1
Caption: By Ogden. Relating to the General Appropriations Bill.
Vote: H- 241 Motion to adopt Amendment #80 by Menendez
Date: 04/06/05AYES - 70
Allen, Alma(D); Alonzo(D); Anchia(D); Baxter(R); Blake(R); Burnam(D); Casteel(R); Castro(D); Chavez(D); Coleman(D); Cook, Robby(D); Davis, Yvonne(D); Dawson(R); Deshotel(D); Dukes(D); Dunnam(D); Dutton(D); Eiland(D); Escobar(D); Farabee(D); Farrar(D); Flores(D); Frost(D); Gallego(D); Gonzales(D); Gonzalez Toureilles(D); Griggs(R); Guillen(D); Haggerty(R); Hamilton(R); Herrero(D); Hochberg(D); Hodge(D); Homer(D); Hopson(D); Hughes(R); Hunter(R); Jones, Delwin(R); Jones, Jesse(D); Keel(R); King, Tracy(D); Kuempel(R); Laney(D); Leibowitz(D); Martinez(D); Martinez Fischer(D); McClendon(D); Menendez(D); Merritt(R); Moreno, Joe(D); Moreno, Paul(D); Naishtat(D); Noriega(D); Olivo(D); Pena(D); Pickett(D); Puente(D); Quintanilla(D); Raymond(D); Ritter(D); Rodriguez(D); Rose(D); Smith, Todd(R); Solis(D); Strama(D); Thompson(D); Uresti(D); Veasey(D); Villarreal(D); Vo(D)NAYS - 73
Allen, Ray(R); Anderson(R); Berman(R); Bohac(R); Bonnen(R); Branch(R); Brown, Betty(R); Brown, Fred(R); Callegari(R); Campbell(R); Chisum(R); Cook, Byron(R); Corte(R); Crabb(R); Craddick(R); Crownover(R); Davis, John(R); Delisi(R); Denny(R); Driver(R); Eissler(R); Elkins(R); Flynn(R); Gattis(R); Geren(R); Goodman(R); Goolsby(R); Grusendorf(R); Hamric(R); Hardcastle(R); Harper-Brown(R); Hartnett(R); Hegar(R); Hilderbran(R); Hill(R); Hope(R); Howard(R); Hupp(R); Isett(R); Jackson, Jim(R); Keffer, Bill(R); Keffer, Jim(R); King, Phil(R); Kolkhorst(R); Krusee(R); Laubenberg(R); Madden(R); McCall(R); Miller(R); Morrison(R); Mowery(R); Nixon(R); Orr(R); Otto(R); Paxton(R); Phillips(R); Pitts(R); Reyna(R); Riddle(R); Seaman(R); Smith, Wayne(R); Smithee(R); Solomons(R); Straus(R); Swinford(R); Talton(R); Taylor(R); Truitt(R); Van Arsdale(R); West, Buddy(R); Wong(R); Woolley(R); Zedler(R)PRESENT-NOT-VOTING - 0
ABSENT - 7
Bailey(D); Edwards(D); Giddings(D); Luna(D); McReynolds(D); Oliveira(D); Turner(D)
Hey Greg,
That's Dora Olivo. Rene Oliveira is from the valley. Just FYI
Thanks Stace ... way too many names in there to keep everyone straight.
I am heavily conflicted about Houston's black Democratic legislators. They clearly have their own agenda, founded in their own power base, and feel no need to do anything that white Democrats find agreeable. Indeed, at party meetings I often hear black Democrats expressing contempt for their white counterparts. Many of them feel the party has become segregated, but if it is so, they are as much to blame as anyone.
In the end, it appears there is not a damned thing that white Democrats can do to whip black Democrats back into a semblance of party discipline: they may be difficult to work with, but without their votes on Election Day, we would be in trouble, and they know it.
We can't kick them out of the party, so ... has it occurred to anyone that perhaps we should work harder at embracing them, and re-welcoming them in the party? For instance, the president of Meyerland Democrats hates Al Edwards, so he has never been invited to come speak to the club -- even though his district covers a fair share of the club's area, and the club has invited just about every other available Democrat already.
I don't like what Edwards and his ilk have done this session or last ... but communications is the beginning of understanding. Rather than standing back and badmouthing them, I think it is time we try to re-establish some common ground. If we can have a town hall meeting with John Culberson (as Meyerland and Bellaire Democrats did recently), I am certain we can find a way to justify inviting some "wayward" Democrats for a heart-to-heart.
"...there is not a damned thing that white Democrats can do to whip black Democrats back into a semblance of party discipline"...
That's only an incredibly poor choice of words ... right?
Incredibly poor choice of words aside, Dale ... my beef isn't with any ethnic/racial split among grassroots Dems. It's with the elected leaders that think they advance the party by serving as de facto members of the party they just railed against in the last election.
If they don't like the heat, they can get off their butts and make a case for why the hell they call themselves a Democrat. I mean, sheesh. I am the LEAST hidebound of any Democrat I know of, but Al Edwards is just flat-out inexcusable. If he wants to talk, he knows how to do that. Unfortunately, along with a few other Dems, they've taken up lying as their only means of defense. Any Democrat that takes that route, regardless of skin color, regardless of ideology, deserves everything they get in response.
To date, Al Edwards has offered up conflicting reasons for his Republican votes and Sly Turner has offered up a mother in the emergency room when others are claiming he was in right there in the Capital.
In the end, the truth outs. But it doesn't happen on its own. Like I said, if Al Edwards wants to clear his good name ... let him.
"...there is not a damned thing that white Democrats can do to whip black Democrats back into a semblance of party discipline"...
Sounds like a freuding slip that signifies the democratic party attitude towards Black participation in the party. Believe me I know and experienced.