New Year, New Plans for TX-32

Over the holidays, Sessions Watchers couldn't help but discuss the future of our congressional district at various Christmas and New Years' gatherings! Even as we celebrated the holidays, the conversation would turn political. Here's a wrap-up of the season's party talk:

Redistricting: After the 2010 census, Texas is due to gain 3-4 House seats; at a New Year's Day party, State Representative Roberto Alonzo said that two of those seats might be in North Texas. When asked about the future of TX-32, Representative Alonzo said that the lines would most likely be redrawn, and that there would be an effort to make all district lines more compact, less gerrymandered all over the place to create "safe seats." A couple of people proposed the idea of citizen input, giving neighborhood leaders a chance to propose district lines which kept areas with similar interests together. This comment touched off a lively discussion of Pete Sessions' infamous "lost in Oak Cliff" incident, concluding with the wish that any future Congressman should actually be familiar with every part of the Congressional district. Representative Alonzo listened, but remained non-committal to proposed ideas.

(Yesterday, there was a hopeful sign of bi-partisan sensiblity in the Texas House of Representatives as Joe Straus was elected House Speaker, defeating the rabidly right-wing Tom Craddick. With Straus as Speaker, we're unlikely to see any more of the Tom-DeLay-style power grabbing that created this hopelessly gerrymandered 32nd congressional district. Keep your fingers crossed that we've seen the last of that particular brand of right-wing-nuttery).

Republicans: Somewhere around New Year's Eve, a Sessions Watcher identified a prominent North Texas Republican who is interested in running in the existing 32nd District, but who will not run unless Pete Sessions retires, especially now that Sessions is NRCC Chair. The discussion turned to the upcoming census, and the probability of lines being redrawn, which would create opportunities for new candidtates to run for Congress.

Democrats: Although Democrats admit that the current gerrymandered district is pretty much of a lost cause, they will definitely challenge the seat again in 2010. Democrats consider Pete Sessions' new position a NRCC Chair as having made him a target, and hope that the DCCC is thinking along the same lines and will send money their way in 2010.

Pete Sessions taunts protester

Pete Sessions may cut and run from a debate, but he's awfully brave taunting a lone protester in a rally of 100 Republicans, flanked by Kay Bailey Hutchison. From Dallas Morning News:

The diminutive young man clutching a giant Rick Noriega for U.S. Senate sign had some serious pipes.

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison enjoyed support from a crowd at Fretz Park Library in Far North Dallas, where she gave an impromptu speech.

"Change! Change! Change! Change!" he barked endlessly ...Another woman grabbed his sign. "Don't touch me!" the protester screamed back before dialing 911 on his BlackBerry.

Mr. Sessions, R-Dallas, then joined the melee, taunting: "Aren't you glad your mommy and daddy take care of you? You couldn't hold a job if you had to."

Hmmmm...interesting comment by Pete Sessions. The only way for a candidate to know if a single protester is out of work and supported by mom and dad is if the protester was the candidate's own son! But seriously, what an immature comment.

And, really--a "diminutive man" has the lung power to drown out Kay Bailey Hutchison in an open air rally? C'mon, people, how hard is it to set up an amp and a mic for Senator Hutchison? Are Republicans that hard up for cash that they can't spring for a portable sound system for just such an occasion?

One protester at the rally had this to say in the comment section of the story:

I attended the rally at Fretz park yesterday morning and was verbally assaulted by the Republican women. While quietly holding my signs for Noriega and Roberson, one especially loud, angry woman continually shouted at me that I had no right to be there. "Go to your own rally" she said over and over. "We don't go to your rallies." I replied that I had a free speech right to be in a public park and protest and told her that if she did attend a Democratic rally, we would not be rude to her. She continued to shout at me and called me a variety of non complimentary names ... like low class and stupid. This kind of angry aggressive behavior resulted in at least 6 police officers to show up by the end of the event.

While I was quietly discussing free speech rights with one of the officers, this same woman approached, again yelling that we had no right to be there. The officer responded that "you are the one creating a disturbance. You need to move away!"

I can only say that I have NEVER seen this type of behavior at any Democratic rally and I have been to many! Republicans must be really scared for them to resort in this type of behavior!

Wow. "Go to your own rally," huh? Any time any politicians gather, it's our rally. What part of "We, the People" do these Republican women not understand?