Republicans also losing the youth vote

That is, in addition to women, minorities, and those sane Republicans still left out there.  A couple of Texas anecdotes worth repeating.

Just over a month ago C.J. Pearson was a 13-year-old conservative social media sensation, booming support for Sen.Ted Cruz. Now, he has not only disavowed conservatism, he is the new youthful voice of the Sen. Bernie Sanders campaign.

“They used to call me a conservative wunderkind. Now, I’m just CJ. The semi-exciting independent from GA feeling the Bern,” Pearson wrote, in his updated Twitter bio.

Pearson shot to conservative stardom in February with a viral video questioning President Barack Obama’s love for the United States. It gave Pearson a massive social media following, which Cruz targeted in September when he named Pearson the chairman of Teens for Ted.
 
Pearson’s stuck with the Cruz campaign from Sept. 8 to Oct. 31. He abruptly left the position, asserting that Cruz “wasn’t doing enough to address the issues important to young people like student loan debt and youth unemployment.”

And this one.

The Texas state director of Republican presidential hopeful Jeb Bush's young donor program has quit and is planning to join the campaign of Democrat Martin O'Malley.

Shooter Russell, a University of Texas sophomore who since June had held the formal role with Bush's "Mission: NEXT program," told the Houston Chronicle he made the switch because of the GOP's opposition to people fleeing war-torn Syria.

"The final nail in the coffin were Trump's comments on Muslims, the inaction by the party, and our very own state's actions on blocking Syrian refugees," said Russell, who added that he has cousins who do mission work in the Middle East.

As state director, Russell said he oversaw about 80 volunteers at 15 chapters across the state, set up phone-banking plans and helped organize an event featuring Bush's son, Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush. Now, he said, he is planning to travel to Iowa to campaign for O'Malley...

Probably doesn't mean much of anything, a 13-year old high school freshman or a 19-year old college undergrad changing their minds and  switching parties.  After all, they're no Sarah Slamen.

In a related post, Zach Taylor points out that if Bernie Sanders is on the ballot, then so is the minimum wage, and there is evidence demonstrating that issue drives non-voters to the polls.  How many young people of voting age work for minimum wage?  Glad you asked.  Pew Research tells us that the number of Americans aged 21-30 who work for more than the minimum wage but less than $10.10 an hour (which, coincidentally, happens to be very close to what the minimum wage would be if it only kept up with inflation) is 35.2%, using year-old data.

If I were supporting Hillary Clinton, for example, I might concerned about the fact that she supports a minimum wage increase to $12, while Sanders calls for $15, and a productivity adjustment from the late 1960's to 2012 would dictate a minimum wage of nearly $22 dollars an hour.

We're also not going to entertain any whining from the "job creators" when there is proof of prosperity for all when the wage gets raised, and especially not when they're stashing trillions offshore and performing mergers and tax inversions as fast they can.

You paying attention, Democrats?  Here's another clue to electoral victory in 2016.

Since nonvoters tend to be younger, less white, poorer and more mobile than voters, this isn’t entirely surprising. But one reason these findings are so striking is that voters and nonvoters hold broadly similar views on a range of other controversial issues. Christopher Ellis, an assistant professor of political science at Bucknell, tells me that gaps on issues like abortion, immigration, and gun control are comparatively modest (he is supported by Pew research). But economic issues are different.

It's always been the economy, stupids.  People vote their pocketbook, and when nobody's talking about their pocketbook, they don't vote.

Progressive candidates -- from the Democratic or the Green Party -- who can speak with conviction about raising the minimum wage, who can contrast the overwhelming majority of all Americans who support raising it against the corporations who oppose, while renouncing their U.S. "citizenship" and shifting profits offshore to avoid paying their fair share of taxes (a tab the rest of us have to pick up) as deserters, or traitors to America ... win.

That's a campaign platform all by itself.

TX Railroad Commission: Porter out, Patterson in (maybe); Naishtat retires from House

We haven't had any Lege business to blog about since the end of the regular session in the summer, so this filing news today, mostly broken by Harvey Kronberg's Quorum Report, reminds us that a lot of this shuffling is going to happen between now and next Monday's deadline.

-- First: RRC incumbent David Porter, a beancounter by trade and an industry flack by choice, finally realized the jig is up and is sliding out the back door.  He's got an unable and unworthy replacement considering a jump back onto the state's payroll.

Texas Railroad Commission Chairman David Porter on Thursday morning announced he is withdrawing from the race to serve another term at the state’s oil and gas regulator.

Moments after the announcement, former Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson told Quorum Report he is considering a run for the seat.

“This decision was not an easy one, but I feel that all the goals I set out to achieve were accomplished during my tenure,” Porter said. “Now is a good time to focus on my family and my return to the private sector. Effectively managing the agency as Chairman, updating Commission rules and regulations, and continuing the diligent work of the Eagle Ford Shale Task Force will be the top priorities for the remainder of my term,” he said.

Patterson told QR he is making calls and trying to figure out what kind of support he would have if he announced for the seat.

“My experience is deep and wide. I will be able to perform the duties of Railroad Commissioner on day one,” Patterson said.

Patterson was fourth out of four in the running for lieutenant governor in the spring of 2014, and threw barbs at Dan Patrick in the runoff.  He's always been known as a straight shooter, but this is the season of Trump for Texas Republicans, and Patterson hasn't demonstrated enough meanness in the recent past.  Porter already had two low-grade contenders -- see here -- for his seat.

Update: Current GOP state Rep. Jim Keffer and former state rep Wayne Christian -- who mounted a failed bid for the RRC two years ago -- are also reported to be in or close to getting in.

-- The strongest liberal Democrat in the Texas House pulls the chain.

State Rep. Elliott Naishtat won’t run for reelection after all.

After indicating last week that he wouldn’t run and then saying earlier this week that he would, the 70-year-old Austin Democrat said Thursday that he is withdrawing his name from the ballot.

[...]

Naishtat called several local Democrats who may be interested in his seat to tell them about his decision. Potential candidates include: political consultant Katie Naranjo, Austin school board President Gina Hinojosa and legislative aide Huey Rey Fischer. Austin City Council Member Ann Kitchen, who was rumored to be mulling a run, said Thursday she will not get in the race.

Naishtat had a minor health scare in the summer of 2014, so this may have figured into his back-and-forth about serving another two years at 70.  He wasn't one of those Texas House Dems who voted against Denton's fracking ban, nor has he endorsed a Republican for Houston city council.  He was always the guy who could be relied on as a progressive who voted his conscience over political expediency.  Like Lon Burnham, he'll be greatly missed in Austin.  Big shoes to fill for whichever of those challengers emerges from the primary.

Update: Naranjo is out, Fischer is in, and several more ins and outs from Harold Cook.

Some of yesterday's enduring images

Today's "Hillary Clinton is terrible" post

But there is some sunshine at the end for New Democrats.

A couple points to ponder, and a reminder that with the SCOTUS about to decide on one man/one vote, how critical it is for Democrats, new and old and otherwise, to figure out how to motivate non-voters.

Anybody want to answer some questions?

This one will just make you mad.  Maybe as angry as a Trumpublican, I don't know.

Some sharp criticism here and here of how she has conducted herself recently that demonstrate why those two guys who wrote the pieces above are so negative.

Now for the good news, Hillarians.  You can replace every single disgruntled progressive vote with perhaps as many as five or even ten Latino ones, once she taps Julian Castro as running mate and with solid Hispanic candidates downballot, like Ed Gonzalez for Harris County sheriff.  So -- really -- go ahead and tell us 20-25% or so of your former base to pound sand if we don't want to cast a ballot for Clinton.  We're old, white, and in the way.  Isn't this why you call yourselves "New" Democrats?

I think you're safe.  That is, if you can turn out the brown vote the way it needs to, and ought to be, turning out.  Maybe Marc Campos can help with that.  He's going to be a Democrat again after the mayor's race finishes on Saturday, isn't he?