It's time to give the Austin-American Statesman some grief for their spineless politics. From the Travis County Coordinated Campaign:
FOR URGENT AND IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION-PLEASE FORWARD TO ALL OF YOUR LISTS, FRIENDS, FAMILY, ETCBelow is a copy of the email I sent to the Statesman regarding another one of their crappy endorsements - District 10 Congressional candidate Mike "Clear Channel" McCaul. They never published it so here goes:
It's a go. It's on the web already...
Endorsement: Despite flaws, Bush better leader for perilous times
Click for the whole article: http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/endorsements/2004/24Endorse_edit.html
We cannot stand for this. Meet us at high noon (sharp!) on the Congress Ave Bridge with your favorite shirts and favorite signs.
We need as many people as possible. Drag everyone you know along. If you were at the Flash Mob on Friday, you know how powerful we all are TOGETHER.
Please show up, and bring your walking shoes and your dialing fingers.
We will be distributing maps and leafletting walklists with leaflets as well as phone lists to call. We will be distributing both from the site (look for Glen's orange Element) and also walklists from 512 E. Riverside Suite 203 immediately afterwards and throughout the rest of today and the rest of the week.. If you would like to phone and do not want to get a list from us, go to 701 Rio Grande. We need to do everything we can to COUNTERACT this travesty, and the best way to do so is by hands-on activity in the streets. We need to stand up and fight back.
Shame on the Statesman's Editorial Board for its flippant dismissal of Lorenzo Sadun's campaign for Congress in District 10 ("Our picks for U.S. House Districts 25, 10, 21 and 15", Sunday, October 17, 2004). Does the Statesman truly believe that only "smooth" professional politicians deserve our consideration?PS - If you subscribe to the Statesman, call them up and cancel your subscription: (512)445-4040 Posted by sarah at October 23, 2004 7:48 PM | TrackBackMichael McCaul is a Bush Republican whose right-wing politics are hardly in keeping with Austin values. Perhaps realizing this was the case, McCaul's campaign team recently pulled down the Issues section of his website* wherein McCaul:
* Remarkably, stated that "the Bush team has done an exceptional job of rebuilding Iraq in a very short time;"
* Claimed that "we need to allow the private sector to design, price and deliver health care for all Americans, including seniors;"
* Advocated abolishing the income tax; and
* Voiced his opposition to reproductive choice.
The Statesman should be more honest about the real reason it's endorsing Michael McCaul: it's parent company, Cox Enterprises, stands to gain from changes to the FCC media ownership rules that McCaul - the son in law of Clear Channel Communications Co-Founder, Chairman, and Chief Executive Lowry Mays - is certain to support.
Micheal McCaul is beholden to Clear Channel's PAC, the NRA, the Club for Growth, and numerous other radical right-wing causes. Lorenzo Sadun is the only real choice for District 10 Austinites who hope to be represented by a candidate who shares their values.