Anyone But C4n3p (Carole 4 Names, 3 Parties)

Seaman's Viagra Amendment

2006-10-10T06:45:00.000-07:00


Texas Representative Gene Seaman (District 32, Corpus Christi) Amendment 2 to SB 541

The Houston Chronicle on C4n3p's Flip Flops

2006-08-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

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The Houston Chronicle's R.G. Ratcliffe reports on Carole "C4n3p" Strayhorn's opportunistic flip flops:

Political party switches

• 1985: "I have been a lifelong Democrat, but I'm going to spend the rest of my life vigorously and wholeheartedly in the GOP."
• Now: "I am a Republican. But I know I must set partisan politics aside and do what's right for Texas. That is why I am running for governor as an independent."

Toll roads

• 2000: Strayhorn in a review of the Texas Department of Transportation recommended toll roads: "Building highways through toll financing rather than pay-as-you-go financing dramatically speeds the time it takes to complete a given project."
• Now: "I am adamantly opposed to this massive toll plan," Strayhorn said. "Rick Perry calls it Trans-Texas Corridor. I call it Trans-Texas Catastrophe, and as governor, I will blast it off the bureaucratic books."

Private school vouchers

• Before: Won election as comptroller in 1998 with the help of a $950,000 loan from voucher advocate James Leininger. Strayhorn said she supported vouchers as a means of giving parents a choice when their children were trapped in failing schools.
• January: "When I've talked about vouchers; philosophically I wouldn't have a problem with that for disadvantaged kids. But let me tell you what, that was before we had five years of this administration that is absolutely totally dismantling our public school system day by day."
• Early February: "I will veto any type of legislation that puts a single dollar into any voucher program, period."
• Late February: "I'm not saying I would never support them. I'm saying that I would take vouchers off the table for discussion. No more talk until we address the needs of public schools."

Abortion

• 1985: "She refused to discuss her position on abortion." — Austin American-Statesman
"She has been pro-choice on abortion, although she now says she opposes abortion personally and would rule out tax dollars for its practice, except in cases of rape incest or where the mother's life is threatened." — Christian Science Monitor
• 1990s: Signed pledges for the Republican National Coalition for Life to oppose abortion and told Greater Austin Right to Life that she supported overturning the Supreme Court decision allowing abortions.
• Now: "I have made my position very clear. As a mama and a grandmama, I believe in the sanctity of life, but I understand that there are those heartbreaking situations where heartbreaking decisions have to be made."

Some might remember that the Abilene Reporter News covered some of these same issues (and some additional flip flops) several months ago:
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Redistricting - As a member of the Legislative Redistricting Board, Strayhorn in 2001 cast the deciding vote to re-draw Texas House districts to reward Republicans and punish Democrats. In 2002, with corporate campaign funding help engineered by then-U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, the GOP took over the House, installed Tom Craddick of Midland as Speaker, and with direction from DeLay and help from Perry, re-drew Texas' congressional district lines to kill off half a dozen Democrats with decades of seniority.

Vouchers - Got a loan of almost $1 million from voucher supporter James Leininger in her 1998 comptroller campaign. But earlier this year, Strayhorn vowed to "veto any type of legislation that puts a single dollar into any voucher program."

Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) - Called for cutting CHIP spending in 2003, by requiring registration every six instead of 12 months. But in 2004, she blamed Perry's tight-fistedness for a large drop in enrollment. "It's time to put children first," Strayhorn said. "It's unconscionable that we're dead last in percent of children on health insurance."

Toll Roads - Strayhorn called for more toll roads as part of a Texas Performance Review report in 2001 on the Texas Department of Transportation. But since toll roads have become a focus of Perry's road-building program, Strayhorn said in January that she is "dead set against toll roads."

Tuition Deregulation - Strayhorn called for it in 2003, but nine months later said a student's tuition rate should be frozen at what they paid as a freshman.

TAKS Test - She endorsed grade advancement based on testing in 1998. But a few weeks ago, she said she would "scale back the importance of the state's standardized TAKS test."

"C4n3p" Strayhorn: One Lawbreakin' Grandma

2006-08-08T13:55:00.000-07:00

Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn has her state staff (paid by you and me out of our tax dollars) doing her campaign work.

As reported by the NBC News affiliate in Dallas-Fort Worth:

More than 9,000 pages of documents released by Strayhorn's office Monday show that state staff members have prepared briefings for seemingly political events, such as her appearances before the AFL-CIO and state teachers' groups.
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The briefing packets contain information on the community the comptroller is visiting, such as its elected officials, the Republican and Democratic party chairs, and snapshots of enrollment in local schools and community colleges.
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Strayhorn's briefings have included information that could be helpful to her campaign, the records show.
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State law prohibits a public servant from knowingly or intentionally misusing government property or employees. The state Government Code prohibits the use of state agency equipment or personnel "in connection with a political campaign," according to a Texas Ethics Commission brochure.

Steve McCleery, a former Travis county prosecutor who headed the county's public integrity unit, would not comment on the documents released Monday, but he said the key question is whether an official uses state resources for political outings.

"If it's solely just a political event, then I think there's a problem -- a big problem," McCleery said.

Wall Street Journal: C4n3p Crashes and Burns

2006-07-24T13:55:00.000-07:00

According to a new Wall Street Journal/Zogby poll, Carole 4Names, 3Parties (c4n3p for short) is crashing and burning while Perry remains vulnerable and his lead continues to shrink and Bell remains in second place with his numbers growing and Kinky numbers also continue to rise while he remains in third place.

38.3% - James "Rick" Perry
20.8% - Chris Bell
20.7% - Richard "Kinky" Friedman
11.0% - Carole Keeton "McClellan Rylander but-not-Grandma" Strayhorn

Carole 4n3p Loses Bid to Add Fifth Name to Ballot

2006-07-11T22:52:00.000-07:00

As reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (and just about everyone else), Carole Keeton McClellan Rylander Strayhorn has apparently lost her bid to add the slogan "Grandma" to her ever shifting name:

"Strayhorn won't get to use 'Grandma' on the Nov. 7 ballot because it's a slogan, Williams ruled. Friedman gets to use 'Kinky,' although his first name, 'Richard,' must also appear."

No word yet on this issue: If Kinky has to appear on the ballot as "Richard 'Kinky' Friedman," why doesn't Perry have to appear on the ballot as "James 'Rick' Perry"?

As further reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

"Strayhorn, the state's comptroller, immediately announced that she'll take the issue to court.

'I am Grandma. This is how people know me and address me,' she said Monday during a news conference outside her Austin offices.

Williams' office ruled that because 'Grandma' seemed to appear only on campaign literature, it looks to be a slogan, so state election code bars it from the ballot. But Strayhorn said that she has been called 'Grandma' for years, both on the campaign trail and by relatives....

A Friedman staffer criticized Strayhorn for taking the issue to court. She noted that the Strayhorn campaign earlier sued over an issue relating to ballot access.

'Everybody calls Kinky a sideshow, but calling a press conference over the naming issue is turning Strayhorn into the real sideshow,' said spokeswoman Laura Stromberg, who noted that there were more pressing issues like high energy prices and the use of renewable energy.

'It's absurd -- one tough grandma is turning into one tough litigator,' she said.

Strayhorn, who said she would sue over the issue in the coming days, disputed that it would be a frivolous lawsuit.

'It's absurd and disturbing that the state's chief election official will resort to playing political games that are clearly designed to give his boss -- the governor -- a political advantage,' she said."

This story confirms that the only thing Carole Four-Names-And-Counting likes more than adding more names to her ever-growing collection is litigation against the Texas Secretary of State.

Poor Carole, Last in WSJ and SurveyUSA Polls

2006-07-06T15:06:00.000-07:00

Here are the results of the Wall Street Journal poll on the Texas gubernatorial race:

37.7% - James Richard "Rick" Perry
19.7% - Christopher "Chris" Bell
17.5% - Richard "Kinky" Friedman
14.1% - Carole Keeton McClellan Rylander "Grandma" Strayhorn

These results echo the most recent SurveyUSA poll which also lists Carole as dead last:

35% - James Richard "Rick" Perry
21% - Richard "Kinky" Friedman
20% - Christopher "Chris" Bell
19% - Carole Keeton McClellan Rylander "Grandma" Strayhorn

The internal numbers within the SurveyUSA poll confirm that C4n3p is DEAD LAST among

(1) men,
(2) voters 17-34,
(3) voters 35-49,
(4) voters with college degrees,
(5) voters with grad school degrees,
(6) voters who make under $40,000,
(7) voters who make over $80,000,
(8) urban voters,
(9) rural voters, and
(10) throughout Harris County.

So what exactly is her ideal demographic?

Wonder How C4n3p Raises Her Campaign Funds?

2006-07-06T14:43:00.000-07:00

Lisa Sandberg of the San Antonio Express-News offers this interesting analysis of how Carole 4-Names, 3-Parties (C4n3p) engages in fundraising shenanigans:

In her quest to become the next governor, Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn has continued to accept, despite criticism, hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from attorneys whose firms appear to have a stake in tax rulings made by her staff.

Campaign records indicate that over the past 18 months, the comptroller, the self-described "tough grandma" who is running for governor as an independent, has received roughly $788,000 from individuals working for firms that practice tax law.

All of which raises a thorny question: Should an elected officeholder who leads an agency charged with settling tax matters take money from people whose livelihoods may depend on agency rulings?

Good-government watchdog groups say no, and so did a state audit last year, which concluded that Strayhorn had accepted nearly $2 million in contributions over 51/2 years from donors who — within a year of their donations — benefited from tax reductions totaling $461 million.

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Recent campaign reports indicate Strayhorn received more than $750,000, at least 19 percent of her total, last year from attorneys who worked for mostly full-service firms that do tax law in addition to other specialties. She received another $38,000 from similarly situated attorneys during the 2006 special session, 12 percent of what she raised during that period.

The contributors include employees of Ryan and Co., a tax consulting firm that gave Strayhorn $602,000 in 2005 and was named in the audit as being the biggest donor of 19 firms that represent businesses in tax disputes before the comptroller's agency.

Read the whole story here.

A Summary of What's Wrong With Cn3p

2006-06-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

The Texas Forum at Democratic Underground has a nice summary of what's wrong with Carole 4 names 3 parties:

There are only two problems with c4n3p's candidacy: (1) she can't win and (2) she shouldn't win.

C4n3p Can't Win

Here's the analysis of the Lone Star Project:

"The unusual multi-candidate gubernatorial field in Texas has created an environment that may defy current conventional wisdom. Particularly, early observers may be overestimating the ability of Carole Strayhorn to garner a plurality of support in a potential four candidate field without the base of support that a party nomination provides. Conversely, although Chris Bell has raised relatively little money to date, he won the Democratic primary easily and has a voting record and political history virtually all Democrats, and some true independents, can embrace.

An analysis of the four-candidate field, based on projected voter turnout in 2006, shows that in order to compete and win, Strayhorn would have to run a campaign that simultaneously cuts deeply into the expected Republican vote that would otherwise go to Rick Perry AND cut significantly into the expected Democratic vote that would otherwise go to Bell. Gaining a little from both won’t work, and cutting deeply into one, but not the other, falls short as well. ... Strayhorn has to win a difficult game of “playing both sides against the middle.” She has no natural base, so she has to carve one from a very large number of regular Republican voters. However, she must build this Republican base while establishing voter appeal to Democrats, with whom she has no natural affinity....

Strayhorn, interestingly, appears to face the most difficult task of all – she must concentrate heavily on voters who typically vote Republican in a two party race for at least two reasons.
1. Splitting or even winning a majority of Democratic voters does not get Strayhorn to a plurality. She must capture a major portion of votes that would otherwise go to Perry.
2. Carole is a Republican. She identified herself as a Republican. She became and ran as a Republican before Rick Perry. (Source: The Associated Press, 11/2/1986 and Associated Press, 5/11/1989) Prior to 2006, she had voted in every single Republican primary since at least 1990. (Source: Travis County Elections Administration) She has close political and family ties to the Bush White House. In 2002, she endorsed, ran with, and campaigned for the entire Texas Republican ticket, including Rick Perry."

This excellent analysis is confirmed by Mike Baselice, a pollster who was interviewed in the Texas Monthly article:

"In 2002 the most accurate pollster—by far—was Mike Baselice, who works for Perry and correctly predicted the outcomes of the state’s major races within fractions of a percentage point. Baselice believes that the race can be understood in terms of the built-in votes that Perry and Bell are likely to get as major-party nominees. “The lowest Republican vote this decade was David Dewhurst’s 51.8 percent in the 2002 lieutenant governor’s race against John Sharp,” he says. “So 52 percent is the base. The Democrats went as low as 32 percent, when Marty Akins got stomped for comptroller by Strayhorn. Let’s be generous and say the Republican base is only 50, the Democratic base is as much as 35, and the ticket splitters are the remaining 15.”

But how much of those base percentages can realistically be expected to hold? “Perry got 92 percent of the Republican vote in 2002,” says Baselice. “If he only gets 80 percent of his base, that puts him at 40 percent right away. But then you have to remember that he also got 15 percent of the Democratic vote against Sanchez.” Of the roughly 50 percent Republican vote, Baselice sees 80 percent going to Perry, 10 percent to Strayhorn, 5 percent to Bell, and 5 percent to Friedman. Of the Democrats’ 35 percent, he sees 75 percent going to Bell, 10 percent to Perry, 10 percent to Strayhorn, and 5 percent to Friedman. He assumes that the 15 percent independent vote will be split 30-30-30 among Perry, Strayhorn, and Bell, followed by Friedman with 10. The net result: Perry wins with 48 percent, followed by Bell at 33.25 percent, Strayhorn at 13 percent, and Friedman at 5.75 percent."

Finally, this is the same conclusion of analyst Chuck McDonald (links: blog, audio).

C4n3p Shouldn't Win

As pointed out at Anyone But C4n3p [thanks for the props!], c4n3p isn't JUST anti-choice, she's also unwilling to disclose her views on this crucial liberty:

Should Roe vs. Wade be overturned?

Bell: No. We need to reduce the number of abortions in Texas by reducing unwanted pregnancies. Gov. Rick Perry's policies have failed to reduce abortions, which have increased under his administration.

Perry: The final disposition of Roe vs. Wade is up to Congress or the courts.

Strayhorn: I believe in the sanctity of life.

Are Texas laws too restrictive for adult women? Would you favor adding new restrictions or repealing current ones?

Bell: The informed-consent requirements should conform to mainstream medical knowledge, which refutes the link between breast cancer and abortion. Medicaid births cost Texas several hundred million dollars a year; let's spend smart and reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies.

Perry: The governor has worked hard to increase the role of parents and guardians in the major life-changing decisions of their young daughters, and minor abortions have dropped significantly. He recently signed a parental-consent law because he believes it will save young lives by further involving parents.

Strayhorn: Declined to answer....

Should pharmacists be allowed to refuse to dispense the "morning-after" pill?

Bell: No. The morning-after pill is birth control. Doctors and patients should make health care decisions, not insurance companies, pharmacists and cynical politicians.

Perry: Yes, if it violates their conscience, they should not be forced to dispense such a pill.

Strayhorn: Declined to answer.

Should schools limit discussion of pregnancy prevention to abstinence-only?

Bell: Obviously, abstinence should play a prominent role in sex education. But we need to give our kids the age-appropriate, medically accurate information they need to keep from getting pregnant in the first place.

Perry: Abstinence is the surest way of preventing unintended pregnancies and should be taught as such.

Strayhorn: Declined to answer.

That's in addition to the fact that c4n3p (1) was the deciding vote to approve DeLay's illegal redistricting plan, (2) is anti-environment, (3) advocated cutting CHIPs money for Texas children's access to health care, (4) showed religious bigotry against the progressive Universalist Unitarian church, and (5) backed the homophobic Constitutional amendment to "re-ban" (it was ALREADY illegal) gay civil unions.

C4n3p is Anti-Choice and Anti-Honest About It

2006-06-14T12:52:00.000-07:00

The Dallas Morning News interviewed the candidates about their views on the important issue of a woman's right to choose her own reproductive destiny. Not only is Carole 4 names 3 parties against a woman's right to choose, c4n3p won't even answer straight questions about her views on the issue:

Should Roe vs. Wade be overturned?

Bell: No. We need to reduce the number of abortions in Texas by reducing unwanted pregnancies. Gov. Rick Perry's policies have failed to reduce abortions, which have increased under his administration.

Perry: The final disposition of Roe vs. Wade is up to Congress or the courts.

Strayhorn: I believe in the sanctity of life.

Are Texas laws too restrictive for adult women? Would you favor adding new restrictions or repealing current ones?

Bell: The informed-consent requirements should conform to mainstream medical knowledge, which refutes the link between breast cancer and abortion. Medicaid births cost Texas several hundred million dollars a year; let's spend smart and reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies.

Perry: The governor has worked hard to increase the role of parents and guardians in the major life-changing decisions of their young daughters, and minor abortions have dropped significantly. He recently signed a parental-consent law because he believes it will save young lives by further involving parents.

Strayhorn: Declined to answer.

Should abortion be legal in cases of rape, incest and to protect the life of the woman?

Bell: Yes.

Perry: Yes.

Strayhorn: I know there are those extraordinarily tough circumstances where heartbreaking choices have to be made.

Should pharmacists be allowed to refuse to dispense the "morning-after" pill?

Bell: No. The morning-after pill is birth control. Doctors and patients should make health care decisions, not insurance companies, pharmacists and cynical politicians.

Perry: Yes, if it violates their conscience, they should not be forced to dispense such a pill.

Strayhorn: Declined to answer.

Should schools limit discussion of pregnancy prevention to abstinence-only?

Bell: Obviously, abstinence should play a prominent role in sex education. But we need to give our kids the age-appropriate, medically accurate information they need to keep from getting pregnant in the first place.

Perry: Abstinence is the surest way of preventing unintended pregnancies and should be taught as such.

Strayhorn: Declined to answer.

The Abilene News Lists C4n3p's Flip-Flops

2006-06-13T15:00:00.000-07:00

The Abilene Reporter News has a nice run down of 6 reasons no one should vote for hypocrite Carole 4 names 3 parties (C4n3p for short):

Tuition Deregulation - Strayhorn called for it in 2003, but nine months later said a student's tuition rate should be frozen at what they paid as a freshman.

TAKS Test - She endorsed grade advancement based on testing in 1998. But a few weeks ago, she said she would "scale back the importance of the state's standardized TAKS test."

Crazy Carole Wants To Add Another Name?

2006-06-11T23:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a Texas election twist that should be the only evidence anyone needs that Carole [YOUR NAME HERE] Strayhorn (I'll just call her Carole 4 names 3 parties or c4n3p for short) has gone 'round bend. As the Houston Chronicle reports:

Independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn won political office under her two previous married names, but in this year's race for governor, voters apparently are saying: Strayhorn who?

Strayhorn told supporters in an e-mail this week that is why she wants to solve her name identification problem by appearing on the November ballot as "Grandma" Strayhorn. She has campaigned as "One Tough Grandma" since 1998.

Born Carole Keeton, she won the Austin mayor's office as Carole McClellan. She won statewide elections for railroad commissioner and state comptroller as Carole Keeton Rylander.

But she has remarried since her last election in 1992, exchanging vows with Eddie Strayhorn and picking up a new last name in the process.

"The name change from Rylander to Strayhorn has not completely sunk in with voters (She has never run as Strayhorn)," said the fundraising e-mail....

The e-mail says that is why she will appear on the November ballot as Carole Keeton "Grandma" Strayhorn.

And that is how she filled out her application for a spot on the ballot, said Scott Haywood, spokesman for the Texas Secretary of State's Office.

I only wish this was a joke.

C4n3p is Bigoted against Liberal Religions

2006-05-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

Unitarian Universalist church has a long history in America, going back over 200 years. Both the second American President John Adams and the fourth American President John Quincy Adams were Unitarians.

The church is has congregations in every state, including about 50 in Texas, where there are about 10,000 church members here in this state alone.

Among the seven principles that guide Unitarian Universalists is the belief that we must all respect the interdependent nature of all existence. This belief demands an attitude of tolerance. Never had any state or governmental agency questioned the Unitarians tax-exempt religious status because of this religious philosophy UNTIL C4n3p (that's short for Carole 4 names, 3 parties).

Two years ago, c4n3p was angered by the fact that he Unitarian Universalist church stepped out of line from the common practice of Texas churches endorsing right-wing agendas because the Unitarian Universalists preach tolerance.

Defying the church's long religious history, c4n3p claimed that the church wasn't really a religion so she could use that argument as the basis to yank the church's tax empt status because, in c4n3p's words the Texas Unitarian church "does not have one system of belief."

Of course, even conservative legal and religious scholars were shocked.

Conservative University of Texas law professor Douglas Laycock, who specializes in religious liberty issues, was quick to point out that Texas has not always barred similarly inclusive religions from tax exempt status. Previously, even the Republican Texas Supreme Court had and other Texas courts had rejected this tactic, holding that such a bigoted practice "fails to include the whole range of belief systems that may, in our diverse and pluralistic society, merit the First Amendment protection."

C4n3p vowed to fight the Unitarian Universalist church to the U.S. Supreme Court, comparing the church to a "wannabe cult" with members who "dress up and parades down Sixth Street on Halloween." Just a week after this bigoted statement, c4n3p reversed her biased decision and have up her persecution.

Read more about c4n3p's religious bigotry here.

Will C4n3p Favor Halliburton or the Environment?

2006-05-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

At a time when Halliburton, Enron, and the oil company pirates are running amuck with no governmental oversight and our environment in crumbling around us, we might wonder what Carole 4-names, 3-parties (c4n3p for short) thinks about corporate irresponsibility versus protecting the environment.

C4n3p is no friend of the environment but she LOVES unregulated corporate pirateering! Here are my 5 favorite quotes from c4n3p's Select Proposals from Challenging the Status Quo, a statement of her political agenda:

1. "The General Land Office (GLO) should be ... required to target at least 5 percent of all underused lands for sale each year…."

2. "Less confrontational methods of ... enforcing environmental laws often can be more effective than traditional, punitive approaches. The Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission should aggressively market its Regulatory Flexibility Program to reduce onerous restrictions on businesses...."

3. "Create a Bill of Rights for business. Every business has the right to expect state agencies to provide ... a commitment to streamlining regulations...."

4. "A lighter regulatory burden frees businesses from bureaucratic chores...."

5. "Onerous recordkeeping requirements make the tax reporting and audit processes overly burdensome...."

Well, I guess we know who's on Halliburton's Christmas list!

2006-05-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

Carole Keeton McClellan Rylander Strayhorn (or whatever her name is today) was a Democrat, then a Republican, and now - apparently - she claims to be an Independent.

If she can't make up her mind about her name or her political party affiliation, I can't be bothered either.

I shall call her c4n3p for Carol - 4 Names, 3 Parties.