Representative Rick Noriega REPEATEDLY REFUSED TO PROVIDE ANY
RESPONSES TO CITIZENS ON ISSUES THROUGH THE 2006
NATIONAL POLITICAL AWARENESS TEST WHEN ASKED TO DO SO BY

Key national leaders of both major parties including:
John McCain, Republican Senator
Geraldine Ferraro, Former Democratic Congresswoman
Michael Dukakis, Former Democratic Governor
Bill Frenzel, Former Republican Congressman
Richard Kimball, Project Vote Smart President

Over 100 news organizations throughout the nation also urged their candidates to supply their issue positions through the National Political Awareness Test.

For sake of comparison, here’s what a progressive looks like from the Texas house–Elliot Naishtat

You are absolutely correct. the link was Noriega Blog. And I see they are not organizationally connected to the Campaign. My claim that Noriega was “insisting” is incorrect and I withdraw it. Thank you for the hard check on that.

And yes, I’m not casual. I used to be casual. Things have gone beyond that–but I’ve kept the label for consistency.

OK–the above said, as an independent Texas voter, I look at NoriegaBlog at http://www.noriegablog.com, and I lay the vapid gotcha-crap there at Noriega’s feet. And I hazzard the guess that if Noriega asked them to raise their tone, they probably would.

Further, campaign contributions are not irrelevant, or neutral. If they were, they would not be made by the contributors. If Noriega wants to demonstrate principle and leadership, he would simply refuse to take campaign contributions from people of Perry’s ilk. This is a very simple and I hope intuitive concept.

Rick never even met Bob Perry until he walked into the Brown Convention Center while Rick was running the efforts to help the Katrina victims in Houston. He came to help and saw what Rick was doing. He was impressed with the operation Rick was running and gave to Rick and Melissa after that. Perry knew Rick’s stand on the issues and those donations didn’t change them. Tort reform is Perry’s big issues and Rick led the fight against it in the Texas Leg. Take the man’s money and vote against him. I have no problem with that.

As Rick has said on this issue:

“While you probably couldn’t find two people who differed more in politics, that hasn’t stopped us from looking for common ground, including the $20,000 contribution I solicited from Bob Perry for the Houston Area Women’s Shelter. Blame my military training if you must, but I believe in coalitions that can accomplish achievable objectives over go-it-alone efforts.”

SCinTX @ 111

Troubled Texan @ 101

I am more troubled by the reports that Rick Noriega & his wife are taking lots of money from Bob “Swiftboat” Perry. See Noriega News: Fair and Balanced? at the Agonist and Rick Noriega and Bob Perry at Burnt Orange Report. No one from the campaign has answered why the Noriegas have taken his money. They took money from Perry even after he swiftboated John Kerry. Taking $ from that SOB is a deal breaker for me. Progressive, my butt.

Just because he falls on his sword after he is caught bad mouthing bloggers shouldn’t give him a pass on taking Bob Perry’s money.

This what what I found. “Spokesman James Aldrete made no apologies for the Perry donations.” No apologies? His excuse was that other politicians in Houston were taking Perry’s money and that he hadn’t recieved as much as them. This Aldrete was the same person who wrote the speech dissing bloggers.

He also said that it was only after Katrina when “[Perry] became a financial supporter of the Noriegas.” That is not true. Noriega started to take Perry’s money as far back as 2000.

BTW, did anyone catch that while Rick said here his speechwriter is no longer writing his speeches, he is still speaking for him in the press? WTF?

I have held my nose and voted before but I am not doing for Rick Noriega.

That doesn’t sound so casual, CO.

What I’m maintaining is that actions are more important than checks, and that Rick Noriega’s actions as a leader are more important to me than any check Bob Perry can write.

I haven’t seen any statement like that from the campaign, though some of the bloggers supporting Noriega have raised it. (I’m not among them, for the record. I tend, as I said, to be more concerned about a leaders actions than who has contributed to their campaign.)

Could you supply a reference link in support of that?

I bow to no one in my cordial loathing of Bob Perry’s support for the Swift Boating likes of John O’Neil and Jerome Corsi.

Nonetheless, it’s clear from Rick’s record in the legislature, including his votes against tort reform, for responsive and clean government, for equal treatment under the law, and for the right of women to have a full range of medical choices available to them, including abortion if necessary, that whatever reason Bob Perry had to support Rick Noriega for legislature, or Melissa Noriega for Houston’s City Council, it’s not because he’s counting on Rick to vote his way.

What’s a real shame, and gives Perry even more power that he should be denied by us on the left, is that Perry’s being used to swiftboat a leader who has stood up for progressive values time and time again in Texas.

Look at this man’s actions. That’s how to judge him as a potential candidate.

And if Bob Perry happens to have supported a legislator who votes MY interests more than his own, I can only repeat “Thanks. Enjoy the good karma. You need it. We’ll take it from here.”

boadicea,

I find it interesting that Larry has not answered my question, above.

Can you explain to me why Noriega is insisting that Cornyn return Larry Craig’s 10K, but you and Larry are maintaining that Noriega should keep Perry’s 10.5K? Doesn’t that strike you as a tad inconsistent?

I bow to no one in my cordial loathing of Bob Perry’s support for the Swift Boating likes of John O’Neil and Jerome Corsi.

Nonetheless, it’s clear from Rick’s record in the legislature, including his votes against tort reform, for responsive and clean government, for equal treatment under the law, and for the right of women to have a full range of medical choices available to them, including abortion if necessary, that whatever reason Bob Perry had to support Rick Noriega for legislature, or Melissa Noriega for Houston’s City Council, it’s not because he’s counting on Rick to vote his way.

What’s a real shame, and gives Perry even more power that he should be denied by us on the left, is that Perry’s being used to swiftboat a leader who has stood up for progressive values time and time again in Texas.

Look at this man’s actions. That’s how to judge him as a potential candidate.

And if Bob Perry happens to have supported a legislator who votes MY interests more than his own, I can only repeat “Thanks. Enjoy the good karma. You need it. We’ll take it from here.”

I find it interesting that Larry hasn’t answered my earlier question. So let me ask you, boadicea, why is Noriega insisting that Cornyn return Larry Craig’s Ten Thousand, but it’s OK, according for you and Larry, for Noriega to keep Perry’s Ten-Five?

After all, Perry is by far slimier, in my book anyway, than Craig, who is simply your classic issue-ridden/in the closet/gay senator-hypocrite.

If campaign contributions don’t mean anything, why this inconsistency?

And, while we’re at it, would you care to speculate why Perry would make such contributions in the first place? Out of the goodness of his heart? Or would you care to argue that campaign contributions “don’t really mean anything”?

Tell me more. I’d like to hear it. Because I was just over at Noriega’s website and it is totally devoid of any content or position statements. Am I supposed to vote for this guy and send him money because he has “Not-R” after his name?

Nonetheless, it’s clear from Rick’s record in the legislature, including his votes against tort reform, for responsive and clean government, for equal treatment under the law, and for the right of women to have a full range of medical choices available to them, including abortion if necessary, that whatever reason Bob Perry had to support Rick Noriega for legislature, or Melissa Noriega for Houston’s City Council, it’s not because he’s counting on Rick to vote his way.

What’s a real shame, and gives Perry even more power that he should be denied by us on the left, is that Perry’s being used to swiftboat a leader who has stood up for progressive values time and time again in Texas.

Look at this man’s actions. That’s how to judge him as a potential candidate.

And if Bob Perry happens to have supported a legislator who votes MY interests more than his own, I can only repeat “Thanks. Enjoy the good karma. You need it. We’ll take it from here.”

casual observer @ 115

Larry @ 114

Rick never even met Bob Perry until he walked into the Brown Convention Center while Rick was running the efforts to help the Katrina victims in Houston. He came to help and saw what Rick was doing. He was impressed with the operation Rick was running and gave to Rick and Melissa after that. Perry knew Rick’s stand on the issues and those donations didn’t change them. Tort reform is Perry’s big issues and Rick led the fight against it in the Texas Leg. Take the man’s money and vote against him. I have no problem with that.

As Rick has said on this issue:

“While you probably couldn’t find two people who differed more in politics, that hasn’t stopped us from looking for common ground, including the $20,000 contribution I solicited from Bob Perry for the Houston Area Women’s Shelter. Blame my military training if you must, but I believe in coalitions that can accomplish achievable objectives over go-it-alone efforts.”

Contributions to a woman’s shelter and campaign contributions are two entirely different things. And as I stated earlier, Perry has been contributing directly to Noriega’s campaigns since 2000. Any Democrat receiving money from Perry is suspect. Period.

Noriega would do well to return any funds from Perry received during this cycle.

casual observer @ 112

I make it $10,500 from Bob Perry to Rick Noriega since 2000.

Mind you, Perry gives to other democrats as well. Patrick Rose, for example. So one asks “why would Bob Perry do this?” Is he simply hedging his bets, or has he been looking at Texas demographics, and like the smart man he is, building for the future. That’s the problem when your system is awash with money. You really don’t know what the hell is going on.

Rick’s wife took about $40K from Perry and his family

Tencha–source? Link? Don’t just throw these claims without some doc.