this is the first conference call I have ever live blogged. be gentle with typos etc. . .
Live Blogging With Chris Bell

On the phone now with Chris Bell, a potential candidate for Texas governor.

He's highlighting his conversations with the Aggies Dems and how surprised there are so many. Talk about a retrograde University, Texas A&M has historically been one of the worst.

More live-blogging here and here. Plus, Brains and Eggs comments too.

More after the jump

7:10, Chris is the guy who filed the ethics complaint against DeLay for the redistricting folly here last year.

7:12, Charles asked when Chris is going to announce. Chris says July is his target. "This is a big step, and I had no idea how people would respond but I have been pleased. He says Perry is most likely the Rep. nominee.

Part of the reason for the delay has been the need to raise money. Are you going to be able to raise it?

Chris thinks $10-20 million is necessary to run a competitive race. And the online giving communtiy is essential.

Question: Democracy for America and the Dean campaign. Microcosm of the 50 state strategy, how from a red-state how will texas develop an all county strategy?

Chris: if you don't show up you can't compete.

Rural Texas is not happy with Perry and they are outraged with some of the redistricting issues. We need to tell them there is an alternative!

We have to stop taking certain places for granted and start being serious about other areas where we haven't always been competitive. One, for example, is Round Rock and its minority population.

About San Antonio, if we had someone in Statewide office would make things a lot easier, and San Antonio will be an upward climb. But we are going to try.

We have an event scheduled in San Antonio and some people to work with.

But this is a marathon, not a footrace. Not everything is going to happen overnight.

Nate: You mentioned that Perry is probably the nominee. Likely Rep voters, with Kay Bailey 52% to 32% for Perry. What happens if Kay Bailey jumps in and she gets the nod?

Chris: that's a difficult quesiton. I just got back from Dallas and they all want her and believe she will waltz right through. The problem is that the Rep primary is dominated by the far right.

I think it will be a much more difficult proposition than most people imagine. Every poll says Perry would destory Strayhorn. But I don't get to pick who runs in that primary. But lets say Kay wins. Kay is not the same cadidate after a bloody Rep primary than she is today. No one comes out with a good approval rating that they go in with.

Charles: do you forsee another Dem in the race? And who might it be?

Chris: John Sharp and Tony Sanchez are who I think.
At this stage, any polling is a tough call, and we still haven't built our name rec statewide.

Disconnnected.

Chris: And I do think that we honestly approach the budget and that we have an antiquated tax system then we can move foreward. We need to fund CPS and Health insurance issues.

Strong lobby you won't be taxed, not a strong lobby you will be taxed. But that doesn't make any sense. We need to change that.

Greg: talk about "some author"

Email update from a participant in the call:

Chris: being religious does not mean you are Republican. They are not mutually exclusive. The Bible talks a lot more about caring for poor people than just about anything else. And this hits home, especially that budgets are a moral document. We need to wake up to that fact. If we are going to have this morals debate in our state. The fiscal decisions need to be considered as well.

Quesiton: Tell us how you have moved from city hall to a partisan position:

You only have to spend about ten munites in Washington, until that changes.

Not many city councilmen go from city to Washington. But then you get into a partisan race and the bipartisanism vacates. I thought my race for mayor in 2001 was more partisan than my congressional race.

But then you go to Washington and you realize you can't opearte in a non-partisan fashion. I wasn upset about it. And it certainly doesn't amke sense for Texas. We can't place partisanship above everything. It's unforgivable for Craddic and Perry to make it that way. But there is a chance to work together. What's good for the state, not just the party.

Charles: What about Kinky Friedman?

Chris: You have to take him seriously. It will be difficult for him to do it. But it's not impossible. Should we take him seriously? In Austin, people ask all the time. But in Houston or Dallas, not really. I think it is good overall. It is a destablizing force and Kinky makes people laugh at Perry. So, I think he could play an effective role. And probably some of his positions he'll take away from Republicans too.

Nate: Problem: do you see Democrats vboting against Perry in a Rep Primary. What do you do to prevent that?

Chris: that's why some people have suggested having a contested Dem primary. But I don't think it's a realistic proposition or strategy.

Panhandle Truth Squad: You talk about a new mainstream. Can you describe it?

Chris: there is a new vision in Texas that is much more optimistic about where we can take this state. We need to move away from class war fare in Texas and build eachother up, i/e children's health insurance program and the hisapnic dropout rate. We can't just have a gov where the rich and powerful have access and also that you don't have to be a Republican to be a member of the mainstream in Texas.

I'm a bipartisan kind of guy. Look at my history. Before redisctring I was trying to work with Tom DeLay. Mostly about mobility issues. Then I turned around and saw the re-districting plan. I thought this wouldn't work out quite so well.

Charles: How are you going to reach out to Candidates to run down ballot--state rep and congressional level.

Chris: I've been involved in that. I will continue as a conduit to the DCCC. And I think that is very imporant. But I think there are others already doing that.

We are alo going to have run a very well coordinated campaing.

It's a big state and you need lots of help. You have to have local folks helping out. That's where they have been beating us. Now I think we have a chance, epseically with the appraoch on the internet. We can get back in the game and win it again.

Chris: within ten years we will have the best public schools in the country. And that is where I want to see this go? Will there be accountability? Yeah, and I am not a fan of standardized test. It should be the end-all-be-all. We can't have cookie cutter schools.

Cutting funding in math in science? Don't they read the papers? Don't they read the blogs? That would be foolish.

John, By The Bayou: Most of the conversation has been about key issues of the campaing. Assumijng that Perry is the nominee, there will be an effort to move to the stuff that will feed his base? How will you posotion yourself against that kind of campaign.

Chris: that is one reason we are stepping out early. We want to frame the values debate before they get a chance to. They will do the same thing they always do. If you stand back and take it, they win. But if you push back, people will see you are focusing on what's really happening. One in 5 kids don;t have health insurance. That's a moral issue. We should be prepared to hit back.

Question: What else will Joe Trippi be involved in?

Chris: they will have a consulting and netroots presence, of course. We are not just limited to Texas. We can do this all over the country.