February 11, 2020 By Manu Lail, Assistant Vice Chair I had the honor of attending the NAACP Freedom Fund Scholarship Luncheon this past weekend. As I walked to the candidate table, I saw the usual Democratic candidates like Rocio Hernandez (HD67 candidate), Lorenzo Sanchez (HD67 Candidate), and Sean McCaffity (CD3 Candidate) among many others. However, I also noticed Jeff Leach, …
It’s up to us now
by Mike Rawlins, County Chair February 5, 2020 You followed the hearings in the House of Representatives. You watched the House impeach the President. You heard at least some of the arguments of the Impeachment Managers in the Senate trial. And now, as expected, you have seen the Senate refuse to remove the President from office. We are now facing …
Op Ed: All Modern GOP Positions Are Based on Lies – Part 2: Fiscal Responsibility
February 4, 2020 by Sudhir Joshi, CCDP Communications Director NOTE: This editorial is the second in a series. To read the first of the series on the GOP Healthcare Lies, click here. There is a common lie that the GOP is the party of “fiscal responsibility” and “small government.” In order to be “fiscally responsible,” a government needs to reduce …
Collin County Indigent Criminal Defense Plan and Ken Paxton Prosecution
By Kyle Therrian, Attorney By now, most are familiar with the never-ending, justice-delayed prosecution of Texas’ Attorney General Ken Paxton. Little known to the public, the Collin County Indigent Criminal Defense Plan could hold the key to it all. Here is a quick recap of where we are. Spring of 2015 – A criminal case is filed, and our District …
The Presidential Race
There are 17 names on the ballot for President of the United States. This surprises many of us who assumed names were taken off the ballot as they dropped out. But names remain on the ballot if they didn’t withdraw by a December 9th deadline. Our challenge here in Collin County is that 17 names will not fit on a …
What’s On My Primary Ballot?
You can see the Sample Ballots specific for you on the Collin County Elections website. https://www.collincountytx.gov/elections/election_information/Pages/sampleballots.aspx To select your ballot, you will need to know your precinct number. This number is on your voter registration card, in the box to the right of your birth year in the upper left quadrant of the card. If your registration card is not …
All Modern GOP Positions are Based on Lies
by Sudhir Joshi CCDP Communications Director January 23, 2020 This editorial will begin a series that will show that all positions taken by the modern Republican party are based on lies. The GOP has always been the most egregious about lying to the public. For example, President Reagan contended that cutting taxes would increase economic activity and allow tax revenue …
thanks to our Treasurer
By Mike Rawlins, Collin County Democratic Party Chair January 14, 2020 By the time you read this our faithful, conscientious, and hard working Treasurer, Diane Bolak, will have filed another round of campaign finance reports with the Texas Ethics Commission and the Federal Elections Commission. Few people understand that she is personally liable for the timeliness and accuracy of these …
The Union Needs You
By Manu Lail, Assistant Vice Chair, Collin County Democratic Party December 13, 2020 Our country is facing some major problems. Our leaders continue to spend trillions of dollars on unnecessary wars. Our healthcare system is the most expensive in the world. And, carbon emissions continue to destroy the world’s climate. When Washington prepared his farewell address, he cautioned the electorate …
Wagging the Dog?
by Mike Rawlins, CCDP Chair January 9, 2019, Plano, TX To “wag to dog” is to purposely divert attention from what would otherwise be of greater importance, to something else of lesser significance. In presidential politics it has come to mean starting a war to divert attention away from other problems. I agree with the old advice that it’s generally …
Better Angels: Reuniting America
Real democracy grows stronger with discussions that enhance mutual understanding. Unless we learn how to productively engage in difficult dialogue, we will continue struggling as a community and as a nation. Join Better Angels and Friends of the Allen Public Library to see how to effectively discuss divisive issues and build a stronger republic. “Better Angels: Reuniting America“ is a …
Is Census 2020 Important to Democrats?
by Tarek Lucien Radjef December 17, 2019 Next year the census is going to try to count everyone in the United States. A count as accurate as possible is extremely important. This not only is the basis for state congressional representation but also helps determine how to distribute each year more than $675 billion in federal funds to states and …
Is It Okay to Cheat to Win?
by Brenda Willis For whatever reason, you and your Republican friend, relative, voter, etc. don’t see eye-to-eye. This is completely understandable. However, you’re forced to “play nice” with these folks! It may seem pretty difficult to find common ground with a person like this but that is what I recently did when I got into it with my mother-in-law (MIL) …
Flipping the Texas House
December 4, 2019 by Paula S. Hall – CCDP Messaging Team Save our state, vote our Democratic slate! What could be more important than beating Donald J. Trump in his Presidential run for a second term? One could argue that flipping the Texas House to Democrats could be the most important – a win not had by Democrats in more …
What Does the County Tax Assessor-Collector Do?
November 20, 2019 by Mike Rawlins, CCDP Chair Unlike many of our county elected officials, nearly all of us have had some interaction with the County Tax Assessor-Collector. Whether we have renewed motor vehicle registrations or paid property taxes, we have had the duty of writing a check to this person. So, most of us have at least a general idea …
What is a County Commissioner?
Map Credit: Collin County Government Geographic Information System Sadly, most people pay less attention to county government than city government (and they generally pay very little attention to the latter!) A few people know that a County Commissioner is a member of the Commissioner’s Court, presided over by the County Judge, and that it has something to do with county …
What’s a Constable?
Map Credit: Collin County Government Geological Information System by Mike Rawlins, Collin County Chair, Plano TX – 11/8/19 As the filing period for a place on the primary ballot approaches, we’re still looking for people willing to run for some of these offices. And to help identify good prospects, we’re going to tell you a bit about each of these …
2019 Ann Richards Dinner a Smashing Success
October 31, 2011 “The best Ann Richards Dinner I’ve ever attended.” “Ambassador Power was amazing.” “Had a great time. Very inspiring.” These are just a few of the things people said to me the other evening. If you weren’t at our annual Ann Richards Dinner last Friday night you really missed out! The proceeds from this event will give us …
What is “Money in Politics?”
We hear lots of folks say, “LET’S GET MONEY OUT OF POLITICS!” But rarely do we hear them say, “WHY is there money in politics?” Until you “follow the money,” that question will remain elusive and we will still need (yes, NEED) tons of “money in politics.” If you have ever run for office, then you know it takes a …
Why This Immigrant is a Democrat
October 17, 2019 In the ’40s, our mother had insisted we put on our plate only what we thought we could eat, adding that we shouldn’t waste food when so many children go hungry in the world. Our Dad (google Radjef) had dedicated his life to end the colonial oppression of his people. Classmates would chase the darker-skinned kid on …
Why Your Out-of-County College Kids Should Vote This Fall
THIS fall?? Huh? Yes, the constitutional amendments proposed by the Texas Legislature earlier this year are up for your approval this November. Q: Why should my kids who are away at college vote on these amendments? A: As a practice run for voting absentee in 2020! And because informed voting in EVERY election is an important practice for citizens. Encourage them to start good …
The Biggest Issue
This past August marked the 400th anniversary of the first arrival of enslaved persons in America. Some have claimed that this date is the true beginning of the real America and that the official beginning of America on 4 July 1776, which will have its quarter-millennial in six years, is a fraud meant to disguise the reality that America is …
Now Hiring Assistant Primary Administrator for 2020 Election
Position: Primary Election Administrator Location: Party Headquarters in Plano Salary Range: To be determined by Texas Secretary of State’s office (SoS) Exempt/Non-Exempt: Exempt Term: From November 1, 2019, to March 31, 2020, if there is no runoff, or June 30, 2020, if there is. SUMMARY: This position will assist the Primary Administrator with the planning, preparation, and conduct of the …
Why Be a Democrat
Everyone who wasn’t born a Democrat has their own story about how they became a Democrat. For many, it’s a story of the “other” party leaving them. For others, it’s a story about waking up to an unthinkable nightmare in November 2016 and deciding they needed to get involved. Personally, I like to tell people that while I grew up …