For Judge Steven Kirkland and Lane Lewis

Despite not being eligible to vote in the Democratic Party's primary this year -- I was elected an alternate delegate in the spring to the Texas Green Party's state convention -- there are, as I have said before, proud progressive Democrats whom I do heartily support and advance for election in November. Two of these are Judge Steven Kirkland to the Harris County bench, and Lane Lewis as chair of the HCDP. Michelle Risher at OutSmart magazine assembles all the moving pieces of the puzzle to reveal the picture. Emphasis is mine.

(Bethel) Nathan, who has worked for the Republican National Committee, and (Justin) Jordan, who is Republican Precinct 76 Chair, are both African-American, as is Kirkland’s ostensibly Democratic challenger, Elaine Palmer. Palmer has been heavily funded by (attorney George) Fleming and three out-of-state personal injury lawyers who also litigate Fen Phen claims. These out-of-state attorneys have no readily discernible ties to Fleming, Palmer, or the Houston legal community, but have nevertheless contributed $30,000 to Palmer’s campaign out of the goodness of their hearts.

Fleming and his firm contributed a total of $35,000, and his self-funded PAC, Texans for Good Leaders, added another $23,000. Throw in the $2,000 from “Texas Hammer” Jim Adler, $5,000 from Cliff Roberts, and the Holman Law Firm’s attempted initial contribution of $35,000—$30,000 of which had to be returned along with another $2,000 from Fleming—and a cynic might infer they were trying to buy themselves a judge. The most mysterious contribution of all, though, was $5,000 from Republican Tea Party operative Paul Kubosh, who also funded Tea Party councilwoman Helena Brown.

Kubosh is also a major source of funds for Keryl Douglas, who is running against openly gay Lane Lewis for the Harris County Democratic Party (HCDP) Chair. Kubosh has of late been meddling in the affairs of the Harris County Democratic Party even though he is a lifelong Republican whose brothers, Michael and Randy, are the former Harris County Republican Party Finance Committee Chairman and the Precinct 2 Chair and Republican Hispanic Citizens in Action treasurer, respectively.

Miya Shay has more on the latest smear of Kirkland appearing on your radio.

Any questions before the exam, class? The test is open-book and it's pass/fail, and it's going on right now at early voting locations across Harris County until Friday. It will then resume at your precinct's poll for one day only, Tuesday May 29, and be graded shortly after 7 pm.

Good luck.

Previous posts:

That old black magic (4/29/12)

Still on the case of the mysterious rift (4/19/12)

Harris County Democrats' rift between blacks, gays boils over (4/15/12)