November 1, 2023

Newsletter

Please note: our newsletters contain a lot of links to make viewing the source easier - just click on images or linked text to explore

IN THIS ISSUE:

• National Native American Heritage Month
• Veterans Day - November 11
• TDP Talking Points - Vouchers; Article re Matt Rinaldi
• Follow Special Session 3 Legislation
• County Executive Committee Report
• Blue Tide Rising Sustaining Donor Program
• Blue Tide Rising Virtual Auction
• Conroe ISD Bond Proposals
• Be Prepared - Election Information
• Key Voting Dates
• Candidate Recruitment Summit Recap
• Bridge Issues - Perception v. Reality
• Friday Night Football
• Non Profit Spotlight - Lone Star Legal Aid
• Final Friday Takes a Holiday Break
• Democratic Party Events Around the County
• Election Countdown Calendar
• Why is Colony Ridge in Liberty County Such an Issue?
• The Real Reason Biden Isn't Getting Credit
• Joe and Kamala's Corner (click on an image to open)
• Tweets (click on an image to open)
• Links to interviews with Heather Cox Richardson
• Democratic Party Calendar of Upcoming Events
• Other Groups and Community Events

This newsletter is published on or about the 1st and the 15th of every month.

Email content for consideration to communications@mcdptx.org

no later than 3 days before publication.

National Native American Heritage Month is celebrated each year in November. It is a time to celebrate the traditions, languages and stories of Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and affiliated Island communities and ensure their rich histories and contributions continue to thrive with each passing generation. This November and every month, we celebrate the culture and heritage of these remarkable Americans who deeply enrich the quality and character of our Nation. We celebrate Indian Country with its remarkable diversity of American Indian and Alaska Native cultures and peoples while remembering and honoring our veterans who have sacrificed so much to defend our Nation.

This year’s theme at Interior is Celebrating Tribal Sovereignty and Identity.

Read More

Veterans Day

November 11, 2023

On this Veterans' Day, we want to take the time to express our gratitude to all the United States military veterans who have served our country and protected our freedoms.

We are forever grateful for your sacrifice, dedication, and bravery.

Your service has ensured that we continue to live in a free and democratic nation.

At this time, we encourage everyone to take a moment to honor and thank our veterans for their unwavering commitment to our country. Let us never forget the sacrifices they have made and continue to make for our nation.

Lone Star Rising is the Texas Democratic Party’s official, coordinated effort to recruit candidates and county chairs, and provide direct support services to county parties and candidates in all corners of our state.

Click here to learn more and to explore becoming a candidate! Without Dems on the ballot, there is no discussion about issues.

The Texas Tribune’s deep dive into Matt Rinaldi’s dealings with groups and individuals with ties to white supremacy is chilling. The article outlines Rinaldi's close ties with billionaire radicals Tim Dunn and the Wilks brothers, who are leading efforts to defund Texas public schools. It also shines a light on Rinaldi's tumultuous stint as RPT chair, during which he accepted millions from neo-Nazis, disregarded SREC leadership, and cut ties with the Young Republicans of Texas over his own extremist beliefs.

In a state as rich in diversity and culture as Texas, it's downright dangerous to have a white supremacist sympathizer at the helm of the state Republican Party. Add your name NOW denouncing Matt Rinaldi’s ties to white supremacy, and standing FOR equality and inclusion.

Adelante,

Gilberto Hinojosa

Chair, Texas Democratic Party

To follow the legislation being considered during this third special session click here.

The County Executive Committee Report

The October meeting of the County Executive Committee meeting was called to order on Thursday evening, October 19, 2023. The meeting was “hybrid” with some members attending in person and some attending via Zoom. A quorum was established and there were more than 40 members of the Party leadership in attendance.

Two main items of business were discussed.  One, was the successful response by the CEC to an urgent message from the State Democratic Party Chairman, Gilberto Hinojosa, requesting that the Montgomery County CEC adopt a resolution in opposition to the Republican School Voucher scheme that is designed to take money away from the public school system in Texas. The matter is currently being discussed at the 3^rd Special Session of the 88^th Legislature that has been called by Governor Abbot this election cycle.

This type of legislative alert is unusual for the State Democratic Party, and it represents a new step forward in the State Party being more forceful in its response to important sensitive issues that come before the State. The good news is that the Montgomery County Democratic Party was up to challenge. We sent out an email request for a “yes” or “no” vote on passing the resolution to all our precinct chairs as soon as we received the request, and we had a response by a quorum of members in short order. We were able to send our affirmative response to the resolution by noon on October 9^th, the date that the Special Session was called by the Governor.

Not only did we respond to the Governor immediately, but we also sent a copy of the resolution with a cover letter from our Chair to every member of the House and Senate to make sure that every legislator in the State knew that the voucher program has been shown to be particularly detrimental to rural independent school districts and to urban districts across the State.  

This issue is still being discussed at the Special Session, and unfortunately our Montgomery County Republican representatives are authors and strong supporters of the program. If you are interested in receiving legislative alerts and helping us respond quickly to votes that are being taken in Austin, please email us at office@mcdptx.org so we can help keep you informed when phone calls and emails are urgently needed. Watch the newsletter, Facebook, and our other media outlets for more information.

The second issue that was discussed was the need for the Montgomery County Democratic Party to become financially sound. The population has grown, and our activity level has grown as we have worked harder and harder to turn the County “blue”. The difficulty is that our base of sustaining donors has remained the same over time and we are in the position of needing to reduce our programming, etc. or stepping up our game and asking our voters and volunteers to help us by donating more systematically to the Party.

It seems that we are on the cusp of major successes at the same time as we are struggling to keep up.  Our best hope is to call out for help to our faithful Democrats. The precinct chairs will be discussing this issue again at their next meeting in November. Please stand by to help us as we launch a new sustaining donor program and sponsor more fundraisers.  

Please see the information immediately below regarding our new sustaining donor program and the announcement of a fun virtual auction on Cyber Monday, November 27th! 

Please consider reviewing the flyer below and becoming a sustaining donor of MCDPTX and TDP. To incentivize you please watch this video of Diane Whiteley, Social Media Chair, interviewing Wit Forke, a 17 year old volunteer with MCDPTX. Watch the video here.

Cyber Monday Virtual Auction

November 27, 2023

Watch for details about an exciting Virtual Auction we will hold on Cyber Monday! This will be a great opportunity to get some holiday shopping done while supporting MCDPTX!

Vote Yes to Conroe ISD School Bonds

Be a voter. Be a supporter of our public schools. 

GET OUT THE VOTE on November 7^th

For more information go to https://www.conroeisd.net/bond/ 

Be an Informed Voter

Go to montgomeryvotes.org to see the Voting Schedules for early voting and for election day. If you vote on election day, you must vote at your precinct's designated location.

Please take the time to familiarize yourself with what is on your ballot. You may view and download your sample ballot by looking up your registration status and clicking on "Sample Ballot."

What is on the ballot for Texas? Fourteen proposed Constitutional Amendments, and if you live in Conroe ISD, a major school funding bond.

State Constitutional Amendments may be viewed on your sample ballot or on the SOS website here. The Texas League of Women Voters has posted some excellent explainer videos on YouTube - know the pros and cons of each.

For information on the CISD School Bond click here. For information on how you can help get the bond passed go to Community for Conroe ISD’s Future.

Thank you for being an informed Texas Voter. If you need help with voting, want to volunteer, or have any questions, don't hesitate to call the Montgomery County Democratic Party Headquarters at 936-703-5841.

Submitted By Carol Ortiz

Chair, Precinct 86

 Montgomery County Democratic Party Hosts

Northern Gulf Coast Democratic Candidate Recuitment Summit

On Saturday morning, October 28, 2023, the Montgomery County Democratic Party hosted a six-county regional event organized by the Texas State Democratic Party. The purpose of the event was to recruit candidates from across the six-county area to run for positions on the ballot for the November 2024 Primary Election. 

Ryan Garcia, Political Director for the State Democratic Party, was joined at the podium by the founders of the non-profit group “Blue Horizon Texas”, an organization whose mission it is to “recruit, prepare, and support Democratic and progressive candidates running in rural, exurban, and traditionally Republican districts in Texas by improving the support infrastructure, knowledge base, and resources available for non-traditional candidates in underinvested races across the state.”

Ryan presented detailed information on the deadlines to file for office, recruiting a campaign treasurer, and the first things that a future candidate must do to be on the ballot. In addition, the Blue Horizon group suggested low-cost, collaborative ways of running a campaign in the more rural areas of the state. 

In addition to the speakers, past, present, and future candidates formed a panel that discussed the real-life issues that are part of the day-to-day reality of being a candidate for office. They spoke of the need for support, the difficulties of finding a campaign treasurer, and the interesting voters they had encountered along the way. They also discussed their reasons for running for office and those that had inspired them.

Shown here are some of the current and past candidates who shared their stories.

(l-r Nasir Malik, Bob Mabry, Laura Jones, Chris Powell, Mike Midler, Neil Buns, and Michael Hayles, Sr)

(l-r Stephanie Phillips (Co-founder and Executive Director of Blue Horizon Texas; Claire Barnett, Co-founder and Executive Director of Blue Horizon Texas; Ryan Garcia (Political Director - Texas Democratic Party)

Bridge Issues

Remember the days when Democrats and Republicans could agree on issues and have civil discussions?  We do and we miss them. We believe a strong two-party system is critical for Democracy to thrive and even survive. 



We believe there are still issues on which we can agree, and we would like to use the newsletter to talk about them.  We call this Bridge Issues! Let us know if you have ideas about bridge issues that we can talk about here.  

We found this survey that sends a strong message that we all share similar values in reality but our perception of the 'other' is very different from the reality. Food for thought!

Read about the survey

Calling All Friday Night Football Fans!

Are you there for your kids? Are you there for your hometown?

If you firmly believe that school spirit and pride in your local community is good for your children, your family, and your hometown (big or small), then please join us in a show of support for our local schools. We have a plan.

YOU CAN BECOME A FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL SUPER FAN!

YOU DON’T EVEN HAVE TO GET OUT OF YOUR CAR!

Call 936-704-5841, email OFFICE@mcdptx.org

VOTE YES on SCHOOL BONDS and

NO on SCHOOL VOUCHERS!

County

Non-Profit Spotlight

Each month in 2023, we will share information about non-profit resources in Montgomery County in hopes that those in need receive assistance and to make everyone aware of the great resources in our County.

This month we spotlight Lone Star Legal Aid. From their website:

We are the third largest service provider of free legal aid in the United States.

We serve 72 counties in Texas and 4 in Arkansas, an area that covers one-third of the state, including almost 60,000 square miles from Texarkana, down the Louisiana-Texas Gulf Coast state-line, to Matagorda Bay, and into Central Texas, an area with over 2 million Texans eligible for free legal services.

We have 14 offices, and cover many practice areas, including consumer, landlord tenant, foreclosure, public benefits, environmental justice, disaster recovery, tax relief, fair housing, family law, domestic violence, sexual assault, crime victim rights, veterans benefits, and more.



We focus our resources on:

• Maintaining, enhancing, and protecting income and economic stability;
• Preserving housing;
• Improving outcomes for children;
• Establishing and sustaining family safety and stability, health and well‐being; and
• Assisting populations with special vulnerabilities, like those with disabilities, the aging, survivors of crime and disasters, the unemployed and underemployed, the unhoused, those with limited English language skills, and the LGBTQIA+ community.

Click here to contact Lone Star Legal Aid

Final Friday Takes a Holiday Break

Final Friday falls right in the middle of the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays so we will be taking a break for a couple of months. But you can look for us again in January when we will be back and full of energy and information for the New Year. 

But for those of you who missed out on our TxDot presentation on the last Friday of October, we have some helpful links for you to use in following the road construction projects that are happening all over our County. 

Subscribe to the Newsletter

https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXDOT/subscriber/new?topic_id=TXDOT_475

Track the specific project that affects your commute

https://apps3.txdot.gov/apps-cq/project_tracker/

Learn about the wildflower program

https://www.txdot.gov/about/campaigns-outreach/bluebonnets-wildflowers/wildflower-program.html

Find out how to adopt a stretch of highway

https://www.txdot.gov/about/campaigns-outreach/adopt-a-highway.html

Watch a video on what is planned for I-45 North in Montgomery County

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Qnjy9PIHs

See you in January, 2024!

Democratic Party Activities Around the County

psst: you're missing a lot of fun if you aren't joining us!!

Montgomery County Democratic Party Shows its Pride!

Early morning volunteers: Rick Blummer, Michele Lightfield, Laurie McSpadden, Judy Trosvig, David Knight, Christie Moran, and John Moran!  

The Woodlands Pride Festival held its 5^th Annual Pride event in The Woodlands on October 21, 2023, at Town Green Park and it was a resounding success. According to the event sponsors, it is one of the largest free Pride events in Texas and we were there.

The festival hosted more than 100 vendors, food trucks, speakers, live entertainment, and activities for all ages. The booths included local small businesses, churches, non-profit organizations, and voter registrars. An estimated 8,000 were expected on a day that dawned bright and beautiful with mild temperatures for the crowd to enjoy.

A rousing cheer went up when the event founder, Jason Rocha took the stage to celebrate the organization’s participation in the lawsuit that resulted in the successful permanent injunction against Senate Bill 12, which would have restricted drag performances in the State.

How do we judge our success? Participation in the annual Pride Festival is one of our most important outreach programs each year. Thousands of folks walked past our booth to pick up timely get out the vote information and talk politics in a friendly, open setting. We distributed hundreds of pieces of literature and gave away stickers and buttons designed by our Young Democrats, provided an opportunity for our local Candidates to meet their constituents one on one, signed up Democrats to volunteer and join our outreach groups, and registered citizens to vote! We also took the opportunity to sell some of our handcrafted Democratic swag and other seasonal items at our Blue Texas Store. At least twenty-five volunteers helped run the program. 

For proof, check out our YouTube video of the event at _______________ and the happy pictures below!   

Rick Blummer displays some of the items for sale. 

Voter Registrars Jayne McRay and Carol Stromatt with Young Dems David Knight and Ambryn Kroll in the background.

Magnolia ISD School Board Report

Diana Walker, Chair of Precinct 91, attended the October 19th MISD School Board meeting and reports the following:

• MISD has a large ESL population and the students are generally doing well. Studies show that bilingual teaching is superior to teaching in English only. MISD is bilingual.
• Most bilingual students are Spanish speaking but there are actually 30 languages represented in the district. Spanish is the only group taught bilingual. A language must have at least 20 students for there to be a teacher for that language.
• MISD is unclear what funding they will have in the next budget year as Austin has not said.
• The appraisal change has affected the available funding.
• Although the district is budget-wise, there are issues related to post Covid lower attendance. Some students did not return which affects revenue.
• There is concern about losing students if vouchers pass. There are programs they must continue even if attendance is not there.
• Christmas in the Barn will be held this year but a date has not been set.

Blue Magnolia

Another great social with like-minded folks from Magnolia! Our pattern is holding with at least 1-2 new faces each get-together! We find that there are many out there who are seeking friendly groups. Join us on November 8th at 6:00 pm at Magnolia Thai.

Poll Worker Training

On October 26th, Ann Milton, our Elections Coordinator, conducted supplemental training for Democratic Poll Workers at MCDP Headquarters and on Zoom. She provided clarity about the process of selecting and placing poll workers and information essential to successfully working at the polls.

Fourteen attended by Zoom and seven attended in person. The training was recorded so it will be available to anyone needing supplemental training and more information about working the polls!

Thanks, Ann, for your commitment and hard work to help make our elections fair and open to all!

On October 7th Laura Jones, candidate for U.S. House Texas District 8, held a fundraiser featuring country music star Trey Taylor. The music, food and company were amazing and we all had so much fun while supporting this committed candidate. Click here to learn more about Laura

Why is Colony Ridge in Liberty County Such an Issue?

You may have heard about Colony Ridge and Republican concerns about it as a haven for migrants. During the current special session our governor and attorney general included an hearing on the situation. It was held on October 19th, took two hours, included many witnesses and “Why are we even here doing this?” Representative Jay Dean asked at one point. Your taxpayer money paid for this waste of legislative time.

To read a comprehensive article about the situation click here.

To watch the video of the hearing click here.

The Real Reason Biden Isn't Getting Credit

As Republicans squabble, Trump brays, Netanyahu mobilizes a ground invasion of Gaza, and Putin pushes more Russian soldiers to the front lines of Ukraine, President Biden continues to be the one adult in the room. Read article

By Robert Reich

Tweets!

Two Interviews with

Heather Cox Richardson with Information and Hope

On November 2, the livestream of The Progressive Forum program with Heather will launch. Follow this link to register - it's free and well worth your time! (Montgomery County was well represented at the live event!)

Big Tent USA hosted an interview by Katie Couric with Heather on October 27th. Click here to watch the video.

Link to Big Tent USA

Link to The Progressive Forum

Recurring meetings, and related events

TUE, NOV 7 – ELECTION DAY, 7:00am to 7:00pm

TUE, NOV 14 – LS GROUNDWATER CONSERVATION BOARD, 6:00pm, 655 Conroe Park N 77303

TUE, NOV 14 – CONROE ISD BOARD, 6:00pm, 3205 W. Davis Street, Conroe 77304

Democrats and Progressives of Montgomery County

Morning Breakfast MEETUP

Saturday, November 11, 9:00 am

The Whistle Stop Cafe

11133 Interstate 45 S · Conroe, TX

Hosted by Karen Cavanagh

RSVP