From the Texas Department of Redundancy Department of Texas...

NEWSFLASH: Texas League of Conservation Voters, who have already endorsed Bill White for Governor in TX will REALLY REALLY REALLY not be endorsing the Green Party candidates.

Just a hint for the TX LCV - if you don't want to endorse Green Party candidates, that's your choice. You can endorse Democrats until the end of time, and then sit scratching your heads wondering why the environment keeps getting worse and worse. However, at least show some spine when the Texas Democratic Party orders you to put out a hit piece on the Texas Green Party.

At the end of the day, when all the phony outrage and political chest-pounding is over, the Texas Green Party is the only party that is serious about protecting the environment in the Lone Star State. And what's worse is, you know it.

TLCV supports third party ballot access and would, under normal circumstances, support Green Party candidates who share the organization’s values and goals.

So, apparently it's ok to support third-party ballot access (until they actually get on the ballot) and Green Party candidates who support the environment (until they actually get on the ballot).

Normally that level of two-faced hypocrisy is reserved for inside the Beltway. I guess things really are bigger in Texas. And yes, it is too bad that the TX Greens had to accept out of state help to get 90,000+ ballot signatures. But, when you are required to get 43,991 valid signatures before the Secretary of State recognize it as an official political party. To further complicate the process, Texas requires that signatures be gathered during a very narrow time period of 75 days, and only registered voters who did not vote in the primary are eligible to sign. This “primary screen-out” provision is exclusive to Texas. All other states that previously had this provision have since eliminated it.

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Daryl Northrop

And now, a word about Texas....

Texas is a state, where like every other state, Democrats and Republicans have traded power back and forth. Since Democrats and Republicans like to monopolize their grip on political power, they put various hurdles to stop, delay, and discourage independent candidates and other political parties from participating in their democracy. So how does that manifest itself in an electoral cycle? Lets take a look...

 In Texas, if you want to get your party on the ballot, the first hurdle is the petition drive. You have to gather a lot of signatures, from a certain class of voters, in a very short amount of time. The TX Green Party spells it out in a recent press release.

The Green Party of Texas will turn in over 90,000 signatures on Monday, in an effort to get the Party on the General Election ballot this November. If accepted, this will be the first time the Green Party has had ballot access since 2002.

The State of Texas maintains one of the nation’s most restrictive ballot access policies. Currently, a political party seeking a place on the ballot must gather 43,991 valid signatures before the Secretary of State recognize it as an official political party.

To further complicate the process, Texas requires that signatures be gathered during a very narrow time period of 75 days, and only registered voters who did not vote in the primary are eligible to sign. This “primary screen-out” provision is exclusive to Texas. All other states that previously had this provision have since eliminated it. (emphasis mine)

That's restrictive. Extremely restrictive.

But that's not the worst part. The worst part is that the Democrats and Republicans then play legal ping-pong with the TX Green Party in order to keep them off the ballot when they do manage to clear the onerous hurdles to democracy placed in their path! In essence, the TX Democratic Party, upset that the Green Party got funding to help with the petition drive, is suing the TX Greens, and delaying the filing of their slate of candidates. This is pure political hypocrisy. First, the two major parties through obstacles and hurdles in the way of political parties that dare to represent people instead of special interests. Then, if all the hurdles are cleared, they drag you to court!

Now, it is unfortunate that the TX Green Party had to accept extra funding in order to get the enormous amount of petition signatures. But, it was the TX Democrats and TX Republicans that put the ballot access requirements in effect in the first place! Sorry, TX Democrats, but you cannot have it both ways.

It comes down to a simple comparison of values.

The Texas Green Party believes that the voters deserve more choices at the ballot box.

The TX Democratic Party does not. 

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Daryl Northrop