5-4-2012

Democrat confounds establishment with success at U.S. Senate debate.

Sean Hubbard wins online poll of public broadcasting viewers

Sean Hubbard, a candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, won the KUHF News live blog poll following a televised debate on Thursday night hosted by Houston Public Media in conjunction with the University of Houston.

Hubbard, at the top of the poll with 38%, bested Republican Ted Cruz and wildly outpaced the other four candidates in attendance. Cruz finished 2nd in polling with 34%. Paul Sadler, Hubbard’s primary opponent, finished with 7%.

The prospect of a Hubbard-Cruz matchup is an intriguing contest for the general election in November. The Hubbard campaign expressed that a debate between his “Texas 1st” message and Cruz’s extreme right-wing message would make the election a referendum on the direction of Texas’ future.

Sean Hubbard says, “While Paul Sadler insists his record of working with Republican politicians makes him the preferred choice of Democrats, we are campaigning to people on the other side of the party divide with a ‘Texas 1st’ message. Campaigning to them as well as independents is where the real conversation begins.”

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst fell short of expectations, finishing tied for last place with 6%.

To view Sean’s performance, watch portions 1 and 4 of the debate on Youtube.

Links are as follows:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttOmH8froR0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2nSt3iFjbc

I am thankful for America’s future because we have the opportunity to reshape our nation’s economy. In the coming months and years we can move from a bubble based financial sector economy, back to an economy built on manufacturing and innovation. We can reward companies who hire American workers and take tax breaks away from those who ship jobs oversees. We can enforce trade deals with worker and environmental protections. Our workers can be offered training for industries in the new economy. Our national infrastructure can be rebuilt as we put Americans back to work building roads and bridges. The nation’s teachers, police officers, and firefighters can get back to work as we provide aid to state and local governments. We can make our financial system more secure and prevent risky Wall Street banks from taking sinking our economy by passing an updated Glass-Steagall Act. Because we can take these steps our children will have a more prosperous and stable economy in their future.

I am thankful for America’s future because our education system will improve as we make needed investments in our schools. We will hire more teachers, sometimes putting more than one in a classroom. Our nation will set minimum textbook and curriculum standards to insure the Thomas Jefferson appears in every state’s textbooks. We will find a better system than standardized tests to evaluate our students and teachers. In the future we will make higher education more accessible by reducing the cost of tuition and by expanding grant and loan programs. In America’s future our children’s education will allow them to compete for jobs with those in any nation.

I am thankful for America’s future because the 99% has found our voice. This movement will ensure that even those who can not write large checks will still have a voice in Washington. We have the opportunity to reform our tax system so that we all share the burden. As the 99% we can make sure that Washington focuses just as much on main street as it does Wall Street. In America’s future the 99% will be heard.

This Thanksgiving I am thankful because America’s future is bright. I am thankful for what that means for my child who is due to arrive soon. This is what will drive me in 2012 and beyond. As we give thanks, let us remember that these things will not happen on their own. Let us remember that it will take our unity, our dedication, and our sacrifice. Then let us be thankful for America’s future. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

I have chosen to go to the Senate because I feel that it is time that everyday Texans are represented in Washington. I come from a hardworking Texas family that includes farmers, carpenters, teachers, postal workers, and small business owners. I have spent my entire life working for small businesses. I know what it is like to struggle during a difficult economy, both while growing up and as an adult. I know what it is like to feel like our representatives in Washington are looking out more for corporations, millionaires, and billionaires than my own family. I am also a product of Texas public education, from Scurry-Rosser ISD through the University of Texas at Dallas. Because of this, I do not believe that education funds should be the first cuts when reducing budget deficits. I believe that they should be the last. I believe that we need more teachers, not less, because these are the people that shape the future of our nation. Texans should support me because I will make the following promises and expect to be held accountable:

1) I will only stay in Washington to do my business as a Senator and will return home to Texas weekly.

2) My family will live in Texas and my children will attend Texas schools.

3) I will hold at least one town hall style event each month to hear the concerns of Texans.

4) I will always be clear, open, and honest on where I stand on any issue and promise not to play Washington games. I will vote for what I feel is right and not the way some lobbyist tells me to vote.

5) My top priorities as your senator will be creating good paying jobs, improving the quality and accessibility of public education, protecting equal rights for all, and ensuring access to affordable, quality healthcare.

I ask for the support of my fellow Texans because that is whom I am going to the Senate to represent. Unlike others, I am not doing this because the DSCC coerced me into running. I am going to the Senate as who I am and nothing less, a proud Texas Democrat. I won’t call myself a Democrat but try to mislead Texans into thinking I am a Republican. I am not afraid to run as a true Democrat and to do what is right by promoting Democratic values like equality, compassion, and shared sacrifice. After all, aren’t these Texas values as well? If these are things that you want from your next senator then I ask for your support.

Sean Hubbard
Democratic Candidate for U.S. Senate

Republicans ran demanding to know “where are the jobs?” while promising to focus on creating jobs. The first bills filed in the Texas Legislature were for forcing women to get invasive sonograms, allowing guns on campuses, and making it harder for minorities and low income Texans to vote. In Washington, the first bill voted on by the newly Republican controlled House of Representatives was to deny access to affordable healthcare to millions of Americans. After that Republicans in Washington voted to privatize Medicare and Medicaid. None of these bills have created a single job. We were promised job creation but instead got right wing social agenda.

We were told that we must cut government spending in order to save our economy. It was said that if business believed that government would cut spending they would magically have the confidence to increase hiring. So, Washington cut spending and so did state and local governments. Since then we have gone from adding over 220,000 jobs a month, for three straight months, to only 58,000 jobs in the most recent jobs report. The “confidence fairy”, to borrow from Paul Krugman, has not appeared to magically restore confidence to businesses.

When America has been faced with dire economic circumstances progressive policies have always righted our course. During the Great Depression programs like the Work Projects Administration, Tennessee Valley Authority, unemployment assistance, and Social Security helped Americans pull ourselves up. President Roosevelt faced pressure to cut spending and when he gave into that pressure unemployment spiked again. While we must reduce our deficit, we must also learn from our past. Cutting too much too fast will not only hinder our recovery but will not reduce the deficit in the long term. The loss of revenues caused by a double dip recession will only increase our deficit.

If we want to come out of this as a stronger nation, we must use the tools that have always worked. We must protect programs like Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid that keep our seniors from falling into poverty. We must give assistance to emerging industries. We must also fund our education system so that we can supply the workforce for those emerging industries. We must put people back to work rebuilding our roads and bridges and building high speed rail systems. We must do these things because a job is a job whether it is a government job or private sector job. Anyone who says that government jobs do no count should go ask a teacher, police officer, or fireman if their job counts for their family.

I am going to the Senate as a Democrat because I believe in what works. I believe in the same progressive policies that FDR, JFK, and Lyndon Johnson used to strengthen our nation and our economy. Like those men I believe that people who need a job do not care if it comes from a private company or the government. I believe that most Texans and Americans just want to be able to support their families and to provide a better future for their children. I am going to the Senate as a Democrat because I believe that in America we can create jobs.

Now is the time we need your help and your contributions. Our goal is to raise $5,000 by the end of the month. Any and all contributions make a difference and continue to propel us forward. Contribute what you can and be a part of this historic election. If you can’t donate, sign up to volunteer! Find me on Facebook; follow me on Twitter. Share it with your friends, both online and in person. We as a state and as a nation are on the cusp of greatness. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to be a part of history.

You know as well as I do that there’s lots of work to be done. Help me get to this goal and I promise to standup and fight for you each and everyday in the US Senate. If everyone donates $25, we can easily surpass this goal. Your support matters, I hope you’ll give what you can.

Sean Hubbard

http://www.hubbardforsenate.com/contribute/index.php