The Latest from Boyd Richie

Boyd Richie subtly announced today that he will join Glen Maxey in running a positive campaign for state party chair. The SDEC may vote on an in-term chair on April 22nd instead of waiting a few weeks and letting the state party delegates pick their chair-- needless to say this has caused a continuous debate among some.

Here is Richie’s e-mail:

The campaign for Texas Democratic Chairman is about to enter it's most intense phases and that reminds me of a story President Johnson once told about what happens to people's emotions in politics.

It seems when the President was a boy and his father was a State Representative he was with his father late the night a session ended. Too excited to sleep he and his Dad went over to their Senator's office where his Dad and the Senator decide to play a joke on the District Judge back in Fredericksburg.

First they called the Judge, which early in the last century was a major event. Then when they had awakened the Judge and had him on the phone the Senator announced, "Judge you know money is tight so we had to cut the budget and your court was the most recent created so it got abolished."

"Well you didn't abolish it without a hearing did you?" the Judge hollered.

"No we had a hearing" the Senator assured him.

"Well who testified my court should be abolished?" the judge demanded.

"The head of the local Bar Association..."

"Why he is a shyster lawyer and his daddy represented cattle thieves," the Judge cut in.

"the Banker there in town..."

"He cheats widows and orphans and charges usurious rates," the Judge shouted.

"and the Mayor."

"He's a crook, he stole his way into office.He stuffed the ballot boxes," the judge screamed.

At this point, Johnson's Dad grabbed the phone, "Judge calm down. No one came over here and testified to abolish your court.Your court is in the Budget. The budget is passed and signed and you're fine for 2 more years."

This was met with silence at the other end of the line.

"Now Judge doesn't that make you feel better?" Rep. Johnson asked.

"Yea," the Judge replied, "but those were some terrible untrue things you made me say about three of the best friends a man could ever have."

Now I don't want this campaign to cause fellow Democrats to say "terrible untrue things" about each other no matter how intense this campaign becomes.We gain nothing if a contest over leadership divides rather than unifies our Party before the important November elections.

We have run a campaign that I am proud to say has and continues to receive the enthusiastic support of Texas Democratic leaders from all parts of the state and all elements of the Party. I believe this is because we have run a positive campaign about how I want to unify and build this Party so we can and will win again.

We have not and will not say "terrible untrue things" about my opponents.Both are honorable men who have and will make great contributions to our Party.I simply believe that at this time I can do a better job of uniting and leading this Party.

This needs to be a clash of visions and ideas not of invectives and personal attacks.I have told those who support me to speak the truth and campaign on what I hope to achieve.For the benefit of our Texas Democratic Party, and I hope to the detriment of the Republicans, that is the kind of campaign everyone running for Texas Democratic State Chairman will wage.