Texas Tuesdays - Van Os and Mark Strama

Democratic Texas Supreme Court candidate David Van Os feels there is a ground swell of change afoot in the political landscape of both Texas and the nation.

"There is a grass roots motivation among the people to take their country back," he said. He eluded to U.S. Rep. Tom Delay, R-Sugarland, and his efforts in realigning congressional districts as one example of the type of politics that the public is sick of.

"There is a tidal wave coming to the ballot box," Van Os said. "People are tired of the Republican political machine taken over by right-wing fanatics."

Van Os cited the First Congressional District, currently held by U.S. Rep. Max Sandlin, D-Marshall, who attended Friday's reception in honor of Van Os, as a prime example. "The newly redrawn District 1 is drawn to be 65 percent Republican on paper," Van Os said. "But in spite of that, Sandlin is running neck-in-neck" with Republican challenger Louie Gohmert of Tyler, he said.

Van Os said the Texas Supreme Court is and has been stacked with Republican judges who as a whole have consistently favored big business, big insurance companies and big banking institutions over the common person.

"The Democratic Party is the party of the people — not of special interest like the other party," he said. "I feel government belongs to the people and not big companies without a heart, without a soul and without compassion."

He said it is common for lawyers in the state to be able to successfully predict the outcome of cases coming before the high court based on who makes up the two sides with big business nearly always winning.

Texas Tuesday's featured candidate is Mark Strama, running in SD 50 against first-term incumbent Jack Stick. This is a race that the state Democratic Party has targeted as winnable (Stick got just over 55% of the vote in 2002, while both John Sharp and Kirk Watson carried the district) and desireable as Stick is just another DeLay clone who owes his political existence to The Hammer.

el - Mark Strema is the smart tough candidate who I met while he was explaining his sucessful fundraising email and internet campaign.

Strama, thanks to his background in voter registration projects online, and Rock the Vote, believes in a different vision of politics that is more optimistic, more truthful, more honest, and held to a higher standard. When consultants tell him that spending time and money on college kids during a summer internship program is a waste of time, Strama ignores it and creates the Strama Campaign Academy because of a belief in something more in politics and in a longer term vision.

From an interview with Mark Strama.

Given the ongoing criminal investigation into the special interest money that financed my opponent’s election two years ago, I think the public recognizes the need for reform of our campaign financing system. And given the total breakdown in the legislature last year over redistricting, I think the public is ready to take the power of redistricting away from the legislature and reclaim it for themselves. And if I’m elected, I believe I can provide the balanced and bipartisan leadership that can get these reforms passed.

Donate to the Strama campaign, please add 0.36 to let him know where it came from. Go here to support David Van Os, Democrat for Texas Supreme Court.