A LareDOS interview with La Z.
Senator Judith Zaffirini answers a few edgy questions

LareDOS publisher María Eugenia Guerra caught up with Senator Judith Zaffirini. La Z answered some of the edgy questions in the mix, and so now we know how she really feels about re-districting, the Guv, Tom DeLay, Comptroller Strayhorn, and the Henrys.
The hats. Let's talk about the hats you brought home from Albuquerque. They were stylish but seemingly out of character.
My husband, Carlos, bought the black leather hat for me during one of his trips to Albuquerque. I loved it and wore it there and on my trip home as a gesture of appreciation for him. After I broke my shoulder, I couldn't brush my hair well, so it came in quite handy as a "cover-up."
You looked really well after the time in Albuquerque. What was a typical day like?
Thank you! I typically began my day between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. at the hotel fitness center, where I walked an hour on the treadmill. We joked that my "perfect attendance record" at the Senate was transferred to the fitness center!
We typically had breakfast at 8:30 a.m., a business and planning meeting at 9 a.m., and a press conference at 11 a.m. More often than not we had a working luncheon, then scheduled strategy meetings, media interviews, or field trips to places as varied as the University of New Mexico and the State Capitol.
I received a daily package from my Laredo and Capitol office staffs, allowing me to process paperwork timely and to communicate with constituents by mail, email, fax, and telephone. Using the same communication media, I also kept up with my responsibilities to my clients through my business, Zaffirini Communications.
Bring our readers up to speed on the redistricting issue. What's the damage? What are the long-term implications for representation on issues that affect us on the border?
The map that finally was approved by the Republican majority in the Senate and in the House is devastating to minorities and rural communities. Looking at the border region, for example, it divides Webb and Hidalgo counties, diminishing our voting strength and impact. Approximately 52 percent of Webb will be in District 28, represented by Democratic Congressman Ciro Rodriguez of San Antonio, and 48 percent will remain in District 23, represented by Republican Congressman Henry Bonilla of San Antonio. Part of Hidalgo County will be in a new district that extends to Travis County, which is divided in three districts.
As I stated in Senate debate, I believe that the new map would ensure only one member of Congress from the 1,250-mile Texas-Mexico border, and that person would be from El Paso, which is protected geographically. Democratic Congressman Ruben Hinojosa probably would be re-elected, but the Valley likely would lose this seat after he retires. All other border counties would be represented by someone who lives away from the border, including San Antonio and Austin.
Characterize your role in the effort to de-rail the Republican redistricting plan. Characterize, too, the esprit de corps of you who rode out the self-imposed exile.
My role in the effort to de-rail the Republican redistricting plan was to focus on a winning strategy and to identify the Republican leaders who were spearheading this effort. It was instigated by Congressman Tom DeLay and Presidential Advisor Karl Rove, but Governor Rick Perry carried their water.
The Texas 11 were united initially, but our bonds were strengthened daily in our determination to prevail. Only when one member, Senator John Whitmire, informed us via the news media that he would return to Texas did we face defeat at the hands of the Republican majority led by DeLay.
What about your political life most engages you in your role as State Senator?
Countless rewarding opportunities highlight my work as a state senator, including passing legislation that saves lives and averts tragedies; recommending students for university admission and financial aid programs; assisting constituents who have problems ranging from non-responsive agencies to insufficient information; supporting a rich variety of programs ranging from economic development to education; and motivating students to stay in school, to pursue a college education, to avoid alcohol and drugs, to stay away from gangs, and to dream high!
When you look back over the decades of your political career, how do you assess your impact on the lives of your fellow Laredoans?
Working with many Laredoans and legislative colleagues, I am grateful for countless opportunities to make a difference for our families and for future generations. My favorite example relates to passing Senate Bill 6, which created Texas A&M International University. My husband, Carlos, and I started working toward the goal of establishing a four-year college for Laredo in 1967, when we worked for Senator Wayne Connally. Little did I know then that I would pass this bill in 1993 with great help from then Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock and from Laredoans including Gary G. Jacobs, Dr. Joaquin Cigarroa, Tony Sanchez, Sr., Tony Sanchez, Jr., and others.
Perhaps equally important, my decision to run for re-election affords Laredoans hometown representation in the Texas Senate. Although I had agreed to run and to serve for 12 years, I changed my mind and ran again in response to requests from constituents and in recognition of polls that showed repeatedly that another Laredoan could not run and win in a multi-county district. In the last 37 years, including 20 before my election, at least eight other Laredoans have run in multi-county legislative, judicial, and Congressional districts. All have lost. Five carried Webb County resoundingly, but lost districtwide, largely because of higher voter turnout in northern counties and because of the difficulty in garnering bipartisan support. As you can imagine, this responsibility weighs heavily on me.
How early in your personal evolution did it occur to you that you wanted to serve in the Legislature?
I first considered running for the Texas Senate in 1982, but changed my mind when I learned that I was pregnant.
How has the role of women in Texas politics changed over the decades that you have served in the Senate?
Women have risen to leadership ranks in the Texas Legislature and in statewide elected offices. Barriers persist, however, so I continue to quote Canadian Charlotte Whitten, who said, "Whatever women do, we must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good." Then she added, "Luckily, this is not difficult." So true!
Is Rick Perry a one-time flash in the political pan? Is Carole Keeton Strayhorn the lesser of two Republican evils?
Governor Rick Perry rose through the ranks from State Representative to Agriculture Commissioner, to Lieutenant Governor, to Governor. He has been incredibly fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time and to have benefitted from the rising star of George W. Bush. In Bush's Brain by James Moore and Wayne Slater, Perry's success is attributed to Karl Rove.
Carole Keeton Strayhorn is smart, bold, energetic, and charismatic. She is not afraid to speak her mind or to take on others, even against the odds. I appreciate her deep interest in higher education, especially for the border region.
Rather than respond directly to your query about "the lesser of two Republican evils," I would characterize her as definitely superior.
Assess if you would what kind of fiscal shape the state is in under Perry's leadership. What have been the consequences of his leadership to education, health care, and benefits for the elderly?
The State of Texas would be in significantly better shape if Governor Rick Perry were more interested in the needs and interests of all Texas families, not just of the select few. He immediately rejected, for example, my proposal for a $1 increase in the cigarette user fee. Such an increase would have raised $1.5 billion for this biennium and would have precluded drastic cuts in health and human services, including for the elderly and for persons with disabilities.
I wish that he would champion significant issues such as higher education. His lack of willingness to fund higher education at an appropriate level, for example, resulted in tuition increases.
His decision to call three special sessions to ensure a new untimely, unfair Congressional redistricting map that decimates not only Webb County and the border region, but also all minority districts, proved he was more interested in spending money for partisan political gain than for education, health, and human services. It also reflected his cowering to Republican Congressman Tom DeLay, who, in the end, traveled to the State Capitol during the Governor's absence to exercise the political muscle required to force recalcitrant Republican Senators into obedience, in spite of their constituents' opposition to the proposed map. ¡Que triste!
How would you revitalize the Democratic Party, not only in Webb County and in South Texas, but also nationally?
Revitalizing the Democratic Party not only in Webb County and South Texas, but also nationally, requires identifying and developing well-qualified candidates who appeal to all segments of the population, not just to one group or county. It would require candidates who can articulate the issues that appeal to voters, who hold public interest above personal interest, who have the stamina to campaign tirelessly to register voters and to motivate them to vote, and who can raise the necessary funds.
Have we as South Texas Democrats lost our political grip in state politics? Nationally?
We as South Texas Democrats have not lost our political grip in state or national politics. The pendulum swings, and it will swing back in our favor. This will be expedited as more voters from both parties realize that too many Texas Republican officeholders want to rule, not govern.
Behind whom should Texas Democrats best throw their support for President of the United States?
It's too early to make such a recommendation. Frankly, as an officeholder my policy is not to endorse candidates, unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
How fractious or divisive is it in the larger scheme of things for a Democrat of your seniority and political stature and clout to swing support to Republicans like Rep. Henry Bonilla, rather than to a native son and Democrat like Henry Cuellar?
Congressman Henry Bonilla is a friend, but he didn't endorse me, and I didn't endorse him in 2002. We agree on some issues and disagree on others as controversial as redistricting.
Because I study polls and voting trends, I knew that Henry Cuellar couldn't beat Bonilla, even with Tony Sanchez's spectacular success in increasing voter turnout in Webb County.
Interestingly, Cuellar recently filed two statements of intent of candidacy in Congressman Bonilla's District 23, though I have heard repeatedly that he is running against Congressman Ciro Rodriguez, who campaigned tirelessly for him and opened countless national doors for him in 2002. Perhaps that means that if the new map is rejected by the U.S. Department of Justice and/or by the U.S. Supreme Court, he'll run against Bonilla. If not, he'll run against Rodriguez. In my opinion, based on experience, polls, and feedback, I do not believe a Laredoan can beat either Congressman under either map in 2004. The numbers just aren't there, and the San Antonio media dominate the districts.
There are many in local politics who believe we would have best been served by the Zaffirini/Cuellar alliance that for so many years worked in tandem to bring good things to this city. Will that ever be possible again?
It is my pleasure to work with Representative Richard Raymond of Laredo and Representative Ryan Guillen of Río Grande City, who represents South Laredo. I do not believe Henry Cuellar will serve in the Texas Legislature again. He retired from the Texas House of Representatives to work for Governor Rick Perry as Secretary of State, then resigned after a few months. Later he announced his candidacy against State Representative Richard Raymond, then ran instead against Congressman Bonilla, but lost, despite the higher-than-expected turnout generated by Tony Sanchez. Now he filed his intent to run against Bonilla again, but is campaigning against Rodriguez. Since he hasn't discussed his plans with me, I don't know his true intentions, but I don't believe he will be on our elected team in 2004.