It was all set.
Former president Bill Clinton would zoom into town Monday afternoon, and make a political pitch to support local Democratic candidates like Solomon Ortiz, John Wood, and anyone else
with an opponent.Against a patriotic backdrop like the $208,000 sculpture of Medal of Honor winner Jose Lopez, the Stars and Stripes, and the MIA banner at Veterans' Park next to the Central Public Library, it couldn't miss.
Stir up the patriotic fervor, then herd them in to the early voting booth at the library.
Nifty.
But someone forgot to tell the local Democrats that since they were using microphones (You can't expect Bill to scream himself hoarse), they constituted sound amplification devices.
And since the Veterans' Park lies less than 1,000 feet from the early voting site at the library, the activities there would run afoul of the state's election code.
The code reads thus:
Sec. 61.004. UNLAWFUL OPERATION OF SOUND AMPLIFICATION DEVICE OR SOUND TRUCK. (a) A person commits an offense if, during the voting period and within 1,000 feet of a building in which a polling place is located, the person operates a sound amplification device or a vehicle with a loudspeaker while the device or loudspeaker is being used for the purpose of:
(1) making a political speech; or
(2) electioneering for or against any candidate, measure, or political party.
Well, when local Republicans raised the point, that kind of threw a wrench in the works and the event had to be moved across the street, and way to the back to meet the distance requirements.
But that wasn't all. Apparently, the new site lies on a Public Utility Board right-of-way, and a no-no as far as the local GOP was concerned.
"There are three BISD buses here and city crews were sent to cut the grass," said a protester at the rally. "You got PUB, the BISD and the city resources being used to support a partisan political event. This smells."
A local blogger even filmed the use of public resources and posted this video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZY3H82dtqo
The GOP faithful promised to be there in force to protest the Clinton presence in Brownsville in support of Ortiz and the local Dems. Whether Bill will actually notice that his speech will be made from a spot other than what he had been told we'll never know.
But local Democrats got the message that doing business as usual using public resources for a partisan candidate in this border city is no longer the norm.
26 comments:
Had this been a Republican, the Dumbokrats of Cameron County would have been howling and whining foul and lambasting the GOP. While I have great respect for former Pres. Clinton, the local Dumbokrats are to blame for the shift of venue. The Dumbokrats know where the early voting station is at the library and they knew that a public campaign violated election laws. Why didn't the Elections Administration;....also named Ortiz....step in to avoid shifting Clinton to an empty field? Do the Dumbokrats feel that they can do what they like....regardless. Dumbokrats screwed the pooch here today....don't blame the GOP.
Sorry President Clinton, but this is Brownsville and no one thinks here....that's what keeps the Democrats strong here.
One day we all should go to the UTB-TSC voting site....its a zoo and none of the election rules are followed.
(Sorry President Clinton, but this is Brownsville)
Somebody should have planned it correctly, and had some "Bubba in the balcony" tapes played before Bubba actually showed up, at the old golf driving range. But it is a typical Brownsville thing. Just last week, Governor Rick Perry was sent to a restaurant which I'm sure he will never forget. When he thinks about Brownsville the only thing he will recall is being sent to Cobbleheads. Hopefully somebody bought him a meal and a few shots of whiskey.
Did u know that the secret service had to sneak Willy through the dance by the back. PoBre SONSO De HiNOJOSA ISN'T HE THE CHAIRMAN. LMAO
It's time to go Solmamon!!!
typical....typcal....typical....B'ville at its finest!
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king; such is the case in this 3.1 world called Browntown.
One of the beauties of the two party system is that one party (usually with all the elected officials) use the public system to control their message and squeeze votes out of the unsuspecting crowd and the other party makes sure that public dollars aren't spent and that the rules applicable to both sides are followed and enforced. Thank GOD that South Texas is getting smarter and waking up to the abuse of the system and the wasting of our precious tax dollars. Shame on the City of Brownsville and BISD for wasting our money supporting dead beat politicians desperate to support their egos.
Hablo Hillary y dijo que quien la cago.
Hillary called and she said "who screed up"?
Let's Changed the Leadership of the Democratic party getting rid of scoundrels like Cortez and Zayas, can I help offering the services of BISD, at our expense.
Love Clinton, think Cortez and zayas are worthless.
I wouldn't be surprised if Ruben Cortez and Rick Zayas, from the ZAYCOR Group, were at the rally. Who else would get Springston to break the law on behalf of BISD?
If the Honorable Judge Cascos had been cruel, he would have allowed the rally and than screamed foul. Instead, he prevented a more embarrassing moment for the elections administrator who should have been the one to catch this election code mess up. Leave it to Brownsville politicos! We need more people like Carlos to show us what and how to do things correctly.
VOTE IN MASSIVE NUMBERS to DEFEAT Zayas, Cortez, Powers.
(Hopefully somebody bought him a meal and a few shots of whiskey)
Cobbleheads!?! Mejor lo fueran mandado al Palm Lounge.
Ren.
Who paid for this event is what I want to know... It was on PUB land, city tractors cut the grass, 30 other employees set up chairs and barricades... Hinojosa is on camera barking orders to Patterson from the city's Park&Rec Department, WHO PAID???!!!
Good question, anonymous. We all want to know whether the City of Brownsville and BISD committed the taxpayers to pay for this! Good media people would follow the money trail. I counted numerous employees, plus equipment.
If the Cameron County Elections Administrator had been monitoring his early voting sites, he would have found the violations that this article attributes to the GOP. Campaigners are likely violating elections laws at every early voting venue. Don't blame inefficiency on the public.
I wonder how many parents kept their daughters indoors during Bill's visit.
OK, so the democrats messed up with this location and using government equipment. Indict the idiots. But Obama told Republicans that they need to sit in the "back". Did Bill condemn that comment at the rally? Will the rest of us Democrats condemn that comment? What a disgrace Obama is for making this comment. He disgraces all democrats. Do we need to put up with Obama's absolute arrogance and idiocy? Bring back the REAL democrats who showed dignity and who showed deference to ALL people. Do away with OBAMA and his kiind.
I wonder if Clinton wants to "PUNISH" his enimies like Obama wants? This is what our President said..."punish" his enemies. Does he mean me? Should a REAL president want to punish any law abiding American citizen? We all need to be wary of Obama.
An enemy is someone who goes against you on everything that you try to do and make a mockery of what you are trying to do to pull you out of a mess that was left behind by the person you are still supporting. Wow, what a sentence!!! Does it make sense? I am your enemy because you are disrespecting the leader that we elected to run our country. You are his enemy because in two years he has not been fully able to get rid of all the mess that your friend left behind the 8 years he was suppose to be our friend. Am I wrong?
WAKE UP DEMOCRATS YOU PARTY HAS BEEN HIJACK BY THE "PROGRESSIVES" AKA SOCIALIST/COMMUNIST IN YOUR CAMP. SAVE YOUR PARTY BECAUSE YOUR PRESIDENT JUST DECLARED WAR AGAINST AMERICANS AND THAT INCLUDES COMMON SENSE DEMOCRATS. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU BUT IT'S SCARING ME
You ask, "Am I wrong?" Answer: Yes.
Anonymous-10/26/10@8:35pm
OK LET ME SEE IF I UNDERSTAND THIS CORRECTLY YOU SAID "An enemy is someone who goes against you on everything that you try to do and make a mockery of what you are trying to do to pull you out of a mess that was left behind by the person you are still supporting."
YOU MEAN LIKE THE WAY THE democRATS TREATED PRES. BUSH FOR 8 YRS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LIKE THE 8 YRS OF DISRESPECT THE dems WERE TOWARD PRES. BUSH, BECAUSE IN YOUR EYES HE WAS NOT ELECTED BUT, HE REALLY WAS!!!!!!!
(HOW QUICKLY WE FORGET)
I DON'T REMEMBER, PRES BUSH EVER REFER THE dems AS THE "ENEMY" PUBLICLY!!!
YOU KEEP REFERRING TO THE "MESS LEFT BEHIND." WHAT MESS BE SPECIFIC. KEEP IN MIND THE dems HAVE BEEN IN CONTROL OF HOUSE AND SENATE SINCE 2007 AND THE dems HAVE GIVEN US OVER 5 TRILLION $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ OF DEBT!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS THE MESS-5 TRILLION $$$$. WHAT "MESS" YOU'RE REFERRING TO, BE SPECIFIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, come to one conclusion, Sir! All political parties are a form of competition to make the elections interesting. Let us see who can lie better and who can behave the worst so that people will vote for the party that will be the best for them. Doesn't make sense, right? That is what politics is and always have been! It is a crying shame that as a group of human beings we can not find some common ground to help us become better citizens who can produce better things for our community. Will this ever happen during our lifetime? Compromise of 1850? How about one for 2011? A compromise for the betterment of our children and our country.
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