| Useful Links:
Official Bastrop County Website
Nora Cano, Bastrop County Elections Administrator
Bastrop County Democratic Party Executive
Committee
Texas Democratic Party
Democratic National Committee
Bastrop County
Democratic Club
Bastrop County Democratic
Blog
Find out what folks here in the county have to say
about what's happening out there!
Bastrop County Precinct Map and Email
Contact Links
2008 General Election Candidates:
U.S.
President and
Vice President -
Barack Obama
Joseph Biden
U.S. Senator for Texas
Rep. Rick Noriega
U.S. Congressional Representative; Dist 10
Larry Joe Doherty
U.S. Congressional Representative; Dist 25
Lloyd Doggett
Texas
Railroad Commissioner -
Mark Thompson
Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice -
Jim Jordan
Texas Supreme Court Justice, Place 8 -
Linda Yanez
Texas Supreme Court Justice, Place 7 -
Sam Houston
Chief Justice - 3rd Court of Appeals -
Woodie Jones
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 3 -
Susan Strawn
Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, Place 4 -
J. R.
Molina
State
Representative - Dist 17
Donnie Dippel
Judge - District 21:
Terry Flenniken
Bastrop County:
Judge - District 423:
Chris Duggan
Sheriff
(Arlan) Wayne Smith
TaxAssessor/Collector
Linda Harmon
Commissioner Precinct 1 -
Dock
Jackson
Commissioner Precinct 3 - John Klaus
Constable Precinct 2 -
Gus Meduna
Constable Precinct 3 -
Matt Henderson
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"We
are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy.
So don’t tell me that Democrats won’t defend this
country."
Barack Obama, August 28, 2008
Please
Donate to BCDP Now
Need Campaign Paraphernalia?
George W. Bush Legacy
McCain/Republicans Watch Page
Who is Sarah Palin?
What's a fiscal
conservative?
Democratic National Convention Speeches:
Barack Obama - Text or
Video
Joe Biden
Hillary Rodham Clinton
John Kerry
Bill Clinton
Jim Leach (R)
Get Free Adobe Reader to read pdf files.
Click either of the two links below to
contact us to volunteer.
Mitzi VanSant, Bastrop County
Democratic Chair
Bastrop County Democratic Party
Executive Committee
Click here to go
to bottom of page for more contact info.
Please
Donate to BCDP Now

Ed: The following is the best
summary I've seen of the Republican Convention.
Running From Reality
By
BOB HERBERT – NY Times Op-Ed Columnist
Published: September 6, 2008
If there
was one pre-eminent characteristic of the Republican
convention this week, it was the quality of deception.
Words completely lost their meaning. Reality was turned
upside down.
From the faux populist gibberish mouthed
by speaker after speaker, you would never have known
that the Republicans have been in power over the past
several years and used that titanic power to lead the
country to its present sorry state.
In his acceptance speech on Thursday
night, Senator John McCain did his best Sam Cooke
imitation (“A Change is Gonna Come”) and vowed to put
the country “back on the road to prosperity and peace.”
Mr. McCain spoke at the end of a day in
which stock market indexes plunged. The next morning the
Labor Department gave us the grim news that another
84,000 jobs had been lost in August, and that the
official unemployment rate had climbed to 6.1 percent —
the highest in five years.
If there were any good ideas at this
convention of mostly rich and mostly right-wing
delegates about how to haul the country out of this mess
that the G.O.P. has gotten it into, they were kept well
hidden. Perhaps they were tucked away behind the more
prominently displayed creationism and “just-say-no to
global warming” documents.
It stretches the mind
almost to the breaking point to think of John McCain as
an agent of substantive change. He once believed that
Phil Gramm was the most qualified person in the United
States to be president. And he now believes that Sarah
Palin is the most qualified to be vice president.
Click here for the full article.

Texas House Democratic
Victory Map
Let's not
forget the effort to take
back the Texas House of
Representatives.
Democratic House District 17
Robby Cook is retiring. Donnie Dippel is running for the
seat and we need to heavily
support his effort as
possible. Contact him
through his website (Click
on his name in the green
side-bar at left to go to
his website), where you can
show your support and make
him aware of your issues.
And, watch for him in the
upcoming events in the pink
side-bar on the right.
The Lone
Star Project has put
together a victory map and
bios for all of our
Democratic candidates for
the seats we must win.
See the map and article at
LoneStarProject.net.
Show your support. We
need to win back the House
so that we can redistrict
the state in a sensible way
- no more Republican
gerrymandering and no more
Tom Craddick.

Commissioner's Precinct 3 Summer Rally - September 13th
Time: 11:00 - 2:00 pm
Cedar Creek Fire
Station
On 535 just east of
elementary school at
corner of Hwy 21 and
FM535 - Cedar Creek
Meet Bastrop County
representatives at
the local, county,
state, national levels.
Headlining are U. S.
Congressman Lloyd
Doggett, Rick Noriega for
U. S. Senator and
Donnie Dippel
for Texas Dist 17
Congressman.
Bring your friends
and family for food,
drinks and fun. Get to
know your
representatives and
your neighbors. Take
the
opportunity to talk
one-on-one with
candidates about
their positions on
those issues about
which you are
most concerned.
Learn more about how
you can help take
back Texas for all
Texans.
Candidate and Democratic Party 2008 campaign
memorabilia will be
available.
Donations
appreciated for the
signs, bumper
stickers, buttons,
caps
and T-shirts in
blue, red, black,
pink and
white.
Come and let's
provide a warm
Bastrop County
welcome for our
representatives,
friends, family and
neighbors.
Keep checking here
for more info as
available.
Find out how you can
help:
BCDP Office Phone:
512-985-6591 10am-5pm weekdays;
Sat 11am - 3pm
Linda Laughinghouse
- 830 839 4313
Barbara Nichols -
321 1962
Email:
info@bastropcountydemocraticparty.com

Get-Out-the-Vote (GOTV) in-Smithville
Event
Come join us
in our
canvass of
Smithville
for our
candidates.
We will gather at
the
Smithville
Public
Library at
6th
and Main
Street at
10AM
sharp.
The first
hour will be
training
volunteers
from all
over the
county in
HOW to block
walk, how to
engage with
voters at
their homes
and in what info we
want to
collect.
Then, about
11:30 we'll
head out to
canvass
designated
areas in
pairs.
Those
volunteers
who are
Deputy
Registrars
will be
registering
voters as we
go. If you
want to
register
voters, go to the
Elections
Administrator
at the
Bastrop
County
courthouse
between 9AM
and 4 PM to
be
deputized.
Others will
be handing
out voter
registration
cards,
candidate
push cards,
handbills
and
candidate
forum
information.
All will
have a great
time meeting
Smithville
voters.
Canvassing info will
be returned to Mitzi's home at 400
Bishop St. after completed. Our
candidates need you, so come on over to
Smithville to help.
See you there!
Democratic
Party Adopts National Platform
''Renewing
America's Promise''
August 9, 2008
At its meeting in Pittsburgh today,
the full Platform Committee recommended
that the Convention adopt the Democratic
Party's national Platform "Renewing
America's Promise" when it is presented
in Denver later this month. Democratic
National Committee Chair Howard Dean,
Governor Janet Napolitano, chair of the
Platform Drafting Committee, and the
co-chairs of the Platform Committee,
Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts,
former New Mexico Attorney General
Patricia Madrid and former Discovery
Communications President and CEO Judith
McHale issued the following statement:
"Today is an exciting day for the
Democratic Party as we adopt our
national platform - 'Renewing America's
Promise' - which will be presented at
the Democratic Convention in Denver.
Last month, together with the Obama for
America campaign, the DNC launched
'Listening to America'--where for the
first time, we opened up the platform
process so every American could have a
voice in writing this document that
embodies the values of our Party.
"More than 1,600 listening
sessions took place in communities in
all 50 states. Nearly 30,000 Americans
from all walks of life participated. And
these voices are now included in our
Party's Platform. We'd like to thank our
hardworking staff, and the members of
the Platform Drafting Committee and the
full Platform Committee for their
efforts to make our Party's platform a
document that's truly reflective of the
Democratic Party's values and priorities
for the American people.
"Our Platform reflects Barack
Obama's commitment to changing the way
we do business in Washington and
outlines clear examples on how we'll
make ethics reform a priority and find
new ways to use technology to open
government, make it more inclusive and
accountable. It recognizes the important
role women play in the Democratic Party
and the strength and diversity of a
united party fighting for a new
direction for America.
"This Platform stresses our
values. It outlines how we will
jumpstart our economy by investing in
good paying jobs through infrastructure,
education and creating green jobs. We
will end our dependence on foreign oil
and offer a new energy plan to create
five million new jobs, not $4 billion in
new tax breaks for oil companies under
the McCain plan. It commits to providing
every American access to affordable,
portable, comprehensive health care -
and it lays out principles for how we
will get there. We pledge to bring the
Iraq War to a responsible end and
refocus our efforts on fighting
terrorism in places like Afghanistan. We
will confront global issues and threats
head on while working with our allies
and restoring America 's standing in the
world. We will do right by our veterans
and build a 21st Century Veterans
Administration.
"As our preamble states, this is a
'defining moment in the history of our
nation. We can choose to stay the
current failed course. Or we can choose
a path that builds upon the best of who
and what we are, that reflects our
highest values.' The 2008 Democratic
Platform reflects our highest values.
The Democratic Party and Barack Obama
will carry out the policies and ideas
put forth in our Platform and bring real
change we can believe in."

Crimes Against Nature
Robert F.
Kennedy, Jr.
2004 -
Exerpts from Jacket Summary
and Introduction
In this
powerful and far-reaching
indictment of George W.
Bush's White House, Robert
F. Kennedy, Jr. the
country's most prominent
environmental attorney,
charges that this
administration has taken
corporate cronyism to such
unprecedented heights that
it now threatens our health,
our national security, and
democracy as we know it
In a headlong pursuit of private
profit and personal power, Kennedy writes, George Bush
and his administration have eviscerated the laws that
have protected our nation's air, water, public lands,
and wildlife for the past thirty years, enriching the
president's political contributors while lowering the
quality of life for the rest of us.
In his introduction, Kennedy says, "Earlier this year I was invited
to speak at the Round Hill Club in Greenwich
Connecticut. If Greenwich is the Republican's
Mecca, then the Round Hill club is the Kaaba. In
the foyer I passed beneath an oversized photograph of
Senator Prescott Bush, a former Greenwich resident and
the current president's grandfather. ... It was the
club's annual meeting - always well attended - and as I
stepped to the podium I looked out over a sea of
skeptical faces, the faces of affluent conservatism.
I spoke for an hour - about why the environment is so
important to the physical and spiritual health of our
nation and its
people, about how a wholesome environment and a healthy
democracy are intertwined, and about the way that
president Bush is allowing certain corporations to
destroy our country's most central values. I
pulled no punches, and I got a standing ovation.
"A month before, I got a similar
response at the Woman's Club of Richmond, Virginia,
where someone boasted that no member had voted for a
Democrat since Jefferson Davis. They told me it
was
the first standing ovation there in 38 years.
"Earlier that week I had spoken at an
oil-industry association meeting in the northwest, and I
received an equally enthusiastic response.
"I got those reactions not because I'm
a great speaker, (I'm not), but because I talked about
the values that define our community and make us proud
to be Americans - shared values that are being stolen
from us. Those oil executives, Richmond
Republicans and Round Hill Club members have the same
aspirations for their children as I have for mine: clean
air and water, robust health, beautiful landscapes in
which to play and grow and be inspired and a community
that stands for something good and noble."
Ed.
This book is a must read. You'll be shocked but armed
with vital info about how our democracy is threatened by
the actions taken by the administration and corporate
friends - a threat for all of us, not just Democrats.
You may think you know what he says, but you will be
surprised and horrified. It is available at the
Bastrop Public Library.

Snopes.com Rides to the Rescue
Again
Remember how good Snopes.com is at
debunking urban legends, when they are patently false?
Here's another great example. There is an email
running around the world that is full of lies about the
relative positions of Obama and McCain on taxes.
To fortify yourself to answer any queries you get from
concerned friends, relatives and neighbors about these
charges, go to this website and read it to the end.
At the end there is a list of sources to validate the
Snopes.com findings.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/taxes.asp
Incidentally, notice the Snopes.com icon
on the URL address is an old fashioned light bulb.
Aren't we glad there are non-partisan people of
integrity out there to shed light of truth on the lies?
Don't forget Snopes.com and FactCheck.org and
OpenSecrets.org as great resources to help with
information for your interactions during this election
cycle.
Many thanks to Elin
Jackson (Mitzi's daughter) for forwarding this jewel.
Follow
the Money...
Ever wanted to know more about the
money in a presidential campaign? The Center for
Responsive Politics does a thorough study and provides
on their website - OpenSecrets.org. Check out the
following pages and/or review the entire site for
information on all fundraising governed by the FEC.
Try entering your zip code. It's an eye opener.
Obama:
http://opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=N00009638&cycle=2008
McCain:
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=N00006424&cycle=2008
Comparison:
http://opensecrets.org/pres08/index.php?cycle=2008
Loose
Lips Can Win Elections
Click here to read an excellent article, showing the
importance of talking up our candidates wherever we go,
and how that can be more effective than TV ads.
Thanks to Vickie Vogel, Senate
District 18 (SD18) Committeewoman of the State
Democratic Executive Committee (SDEC), for providing the link.
Match your views to a Presidential Candidate
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/projects/ongoing/select_a_candidate/
Presidential Candidates on Health Care
WebMD presents thorough coverage of each
candidate's position on providing health care to
Americans.
Just click here for access.
Iraq War
IRAQ WAR
CASUALTIES
Fact or Fiction
Ever wonder how you
can check claims - political and otherwise - against
facts? Try
Factcheck.org
and
Snopes.com.
FactCheck.org is a non-partisan group who checks
political claims. Snopes.com keeps a database of
urban myths that float around, sometimes arising again
after years like a phoenix. For example, have you
read the email about how the new dollar coin was
designed to omit the phrase, "In God We Trust"?
See what Snopes.com has to say about that by
clicking here.
Both organizations are very
helpful in dispelling misinformation from various
sources, including cyber sources. Check them out!
“All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for
people of good conscience to remain silent.” Thomas Jefferson
"It is an affront to treat
falsehood with complaisance."
Thomas Paine
Historic Democratic Party Accomplishments
 |
8-hour day |
 |
Social Security |
 |
Minimum Wage Law |
 |
G. I. Bill of Rights |
 |
Marshall Plan |
 |
NATO |
 |
Peace Corps |
 |
Medicare |
 |
Medicaid |
 |
Operation Head Start |
 |
Civil Rights Act of 1964 |
 |
Voting Rights Act of 1965 |
 |
Water Quality Act |
 |
Clean Air Act |
 |
First Man on the Moon |
 |
Women's Suffrage Amendment |
 |
Workers Compensation Act |
 |
Unemployment Compensation Act |
 |
Rural Electrification Act |
 |
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation |
 |
Federal Home Loan Program |
 |
Securities $ Exchange Act |
 |
Guaranteed Student Loan Program |
 |
Family and Medical Leave Act |
 |
School Lunch Program |
 |
Motor Voter Act |
 |
100,000 new police on U. S. Streets |
 |
Balanced budget in 1998 as a result of the Balanced
Act of 1993 |
 |
Davis-Bacon Act |
Please
Donate to BCDP Now
§§ Come get your Campaign paraphernalia at
the office (see address below - call first). We have T-Shirts in
red, blue, white, black and pink, as well as buttons, bumper stickers,
and lots of signs like you see in the picture below. Donations are
very appreciated.

We welcome your
comments, questions, volunteer efforts and donations. Contact us
for more information through the following links:
Office hours starting Tuesday, September 2nd
Bastrop County Democratic Party
Office
10am-5pm M - F; 11pm-3pm Saturday
(If you wish to come earlier or later, please call the
day before to make an appointment. Current hours are 2-5pm
weekdays. Office is closed for Labor Day)
1106 College Street, C10, Bastrop, Texas 78602
512 985 6591
(Leave a message if after hours or press start to send
FAX.)
Our Mailing Address:
Bastrop County Democratic Party
P. O. Box 755
Bastrop, TX 78602
BCDP Executive Committee (County and Precinct Chairs) -
Click Here
General Information
info@bastropcountydemocraticparty.com
Mitzi VanSant, Chair
partychair@bastropcountydemocraticparty.com
Ed Skarnulis, Secretary
partysec@bastropcountydemocraticparty.com
Dorothy Skarnulis, Treasurer
partytreasurer@bastropcountydemocraticparty.com
© 2007-2008 Bastrop County Democratic
Party
The Bastrop County
Democratic Party is not responsible for the content of linked sites,
although every effort is made to remove links to sites containing
material that could be offensive to the general population. Links to
individual candidate sites do not imply the endorsement of that
candidate by the Bastrop County Democratic Party, and are provided as
a service in order to provide voters with the information they need to
make an informed decision at the polls.
www.bastropcountydemocraticparty.com
Webmaster:
ltangum@yahoo.com
|
Upcoming Events:
Bastrop County Democratic Party
Meeting Schedule

Sep-Oct
Bastrop County Democratic Party Office
Hours are expanding thanks to some faithful volunteers!
Click here to see our new
hours and come on down!
Next Summer Rally
September 13, 2008
Rally will be 11am - 2pm at the Cedar Creek Fire
House on FM535 just east of the elementary school at the corner of FM535
and Hwy 21. Many Democratic candidates will
be there, allowing you to impart your ideas to their campaigns directly.
Also, music, food, speeches and political
paraphernalia. (Donations appreciated.)More to come as info
available.
September 16, 2008
Bastrop County Democratic Party Meeting
at 7pm in Bastrop at Aqua Water Community Room;
415 Old Austin Hwy. Time is winding down to the election; we are
hard at work on our GOTV efforts. We need as many volunteers as
can come to participate. We expect to blanket the county with
signs, voter registration, electioneering, phoning, driving voters and
any other needed tasks. If you love your country, please help.
See you there. Click here to contact us before then
if you can work.
September 20, 2008
GOTV Event
Smithville
Gather at the Smithville Public Library at 6th and
Main St at 10am sharp. See center column for more info
about this get out the vote (GOTV) effort. See you there.
September 21, 2008
Bastrop County
Non-Partisan Forum
3-5pm
Bastrop High School Cafetorium.
Candidates from both parties will answer
pre-screened questions have been submitted by voters via email. Deadline for
submitting email questions was
September 4, 2008.
Click here to see press release
with all the forum information
November 4, 2008
U. S. Presidential Election
7am - 7pm
Precinct Voting Polls
Bastrop County
McCain/Repub Watch:
Sarah Palin?
POW Speaks Out
More Bush Hypocrisy
Bush Legacy
Phony Fraud...
Summer Reading
No New Ideas?
Nazi Appeasing Bush
Spiritual Advisor...
Gas Tax Holiday Bad
100 Years in
Iraq!
McCain Said What?
Keating Five
McCain
Confusion
McCain Voting Rec
Facts
about McCain
Pentagon
Backed "Unbiased"Commentary
Rice Lies
in Sworn Testimony
Imperial
Bush Presidency
Book Report
- The Age of American Unreason
Campaign 2008
Doherty
Noriega
Strawn
Molina
Smith
Departments:
ALERTS:
Too
Much CO2
Candidates on Global Warming
Message from Mitzi:
3/29/08 Chair's address at the 2008 Bastrop
County Democratic Convention
BDCP
Press Releases:
Bastrop County Non-Partisan
Candidate Forum for County Wide Offices and Precinct Commissioner Seats
Freedoms:
"We
the People"
Thom Harmann
Remember our lost and
wounded
Values:
Guest Commentary -Heartland of America
Democratic Values
Government Issues/Info:
VOTEXAS.com
Legislative Issues:
Debt over $9 Trillion
Environment:
Env. Defense Fund - 20 Simple
Steps to Fight Global Warming
Too Much CO2
Art Expressing Env. Issues
Links to Env Issue Websites.
Peace and Justice:
Who
Will Tell the People? - Tom Friedman
Cost
of Suffrage New
note re: Sarah Palin
Labor Issues:
Fair Labor Association
Community Interests:
Opportunity Bastrop County
Citizen's Advisory Committee Report
Press Release-Bastrop Arts
Web portal for Bastrop County
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