The memo Rep. Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, sent to House Democrats about efforts to recruit 2008 candidates against them.

The Enemy of my Friend is my Enemy

Today, House Democrats stand at 70 seats strong.

No one predicted we would be this strong this fast. Not in 2001, when the Legislative Redistrict Board drew a map designed to elect 98 Republicans -- almost two-thirds of the Texas House. And not in 2002, when 88 Republicans were elected to the House.

I believe the secret to our success rests in our refusal to give up the hard fight for our constituents and our ability to work together. But as we get away from Austin, we don't always know what is going on with our Democratic House colleagues. If you don't know what's happening to our friends, you should.

Here's but one example:

Recently, Rep. Allen Vaught politely declined to meet with a potential opponent of Dan Branch. Allen explained that, in the greater interest of Dallas County, he did not think he should be personally involved in county House races. This is Allen's choice, and certainly understandable.

Imagine Allen's surprise when he received a copy of the invitation to former Rep. Bill Keffer's fundraiser this month. Of course, you can guess correctly that Linda Harper-Brown's name is on it; heck, she did the same against Republican incumbents during the 2006 primaries. But you might be surprised by some of the other host names: Joe Driver, Ken Paxton, Jim Jackson, and Jodie Laubenberg. Oh, and Rep. Dan Branch. But wait, you say, Joe Driver isn't like Harper-Brown? And Paxton has always treated other members with respect, hasn't he? And this is how Mr. Branch says thank you to Allen Vaught?

This is being duplicated across the state. These incidents are neither isolated nor uncalculated. We must recognize the great effort our Republican colleagues are making, as incumbent elected officials, to actively campaign against Democratic House members. We must understand that when our Republican colleagues go after one of us, they are going after all of us. You might be in a safe district and say to yourself, "Well, they are not coming after me," but the truth is that when they attack one of us, they attack all of us. Their goal is to weaken our collective voice by defeating us one by one.

Everyone knows that Tom Craddick retained Arlene Wohlgemuth to recruit Republican primary challengers against incumbent Republican members. Arlene just recruited a 9/11 survivor of the Pentagon attack to move into Jim Keffer's district and set up residency. Everyone who served with Arlene is not surprised by her vicious targeting of fellow Republicans; but I wonder how her clients feel about this special project she has taken on for Craddick. Arlene's clients include Time Warner Telecom of Texas, the Texas Optometric Association, the Texas Hospital Association, the Texas Association of Nurse Anesthetists, the Texas Association of Community Health Centers, the Texas Association for Home Care, the Academy of Independent Pharmacists-Texas, eMedicalFiles Inc. and many more. Are Democratic members so expendable to these groups? Or are their real issues so unimportant that their contract employees have time to recruit against sitting legislators? Maybe Arlene's clients don't know what Arlene is doing, but shouldn't they know that they are indirectly subsidizing the recruitment of an opponent against Jim Keffer and other House members?

Craddick has also been personally busy. Craddick is repeatedly in Arlington personally recruiting against one of our incumbent Democrats. At the same time, Craddick is traveling the state talking to other Democratic House members trying to convince them he should be re-elected Speaker. With news like this, it's only fair to ask that, from now on, any Democrat with the slightest intention of supporting Craddick in 2009 must have the honesty and courage to publicly state so now? The past is the past, but the future will affect us all.

We tend to think it is only Jim Leininger or Tom Craddick, through his surrogates or directly, who are trying to defeat our colleagues. That is not true. In 2004 and 2006, it was Republican statewides like Patterson and Combs going in and hitting our incumbents. And this month it is Joe Driver, Florence Shapiro, Elizabeth Ames Jones, and other of our Republican House colleagues going after Allen Vaught. Who will it be tomorrow?

As long as we stand together, we will continue to move forward an agenda for a brighter Texas. So stay on top of what is going on with your Democratic House colleagues. Remember that what the Republicans are trying to do to them, they are doing to you.