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The Texas Blue
Advancing Progressive Ideas
George Nassar's picture

Candidate Musical Chairs

You know, if there's anything I've learned from watching Texas politics for the last couple of decades, it's that how the field looks before filing starts doesn't tend to have much in common with how it looks by the end of the filing period. So I tend to save prognostications for after some of the inevitable mayhem has hit the fan.

And now some of it has. Ross Ramsey, of Texas Weekly fame and now with the Texas Tribune, is reporting that gubernatorial candidate Tom Schieffer will be dropping out of the race this afternoon and endorsing Bill White.

Feature Articles

In Favor of Prop 4 and Prop 8

When Texans go to the polls today, they'll have the chance to vote on two propositions that could help make our state a leader in higher education and veterans' services. Proposition 4 would provide funding to enable emerging universities in Texas to develop into major research universities. Proposition 8 would forge a partnership between the state government and the federal government to bring a VA Hospital to the Valley and help boost facilities across the state.

George Nassar's picture

Sine Die: The Aftermath

After finally (seemingly!) conquering our particularly ill-timed technical problems, we're back just in time to give you a run-down of what did and didn't happen this session -- and what may happen in a special session later this year.

Perry's Options for 2010

The Houston Chronicle continues to report on the back-room preparations for the 2010 elections in Texas. As we have previously noted multiple times (among them here and here), how the election cycle unfolds really revolves around what happens in the governor's race. There seems to be little doubt that Perry is going to try for an unprecedented third term, but there are a few things still up in the air:

Staff Articles

Reforming the Nominating Process

Now that the last primary is done, it's time to look at the nominating process, what went right and wrong, and how to do better next time.

Reforming the Caucus System

The precinct, county and state conventions are a wonderful way for committed Democrats to meet, network, celebrate our common goals, and build the party. For political junkies like me, they’re also great fun. But they are an incredibly inefficient and frustrating way to register a presidential preference! We need to streamline the presidential selection process while enticing as many people as possible to stick around for the party building.

Here are nine reforms to do just that.

Josh Berthume's picture

The Turnout and a New Habit

Recently I wrote a piece for Quorum Report about how the massive Democratic turnout in Texas would affect the dynamics of the general election. I mostly concentrated on the capabilities of the Texas Democratic Party to make use of the new information collected during the primary and gave very few words to what the overall turnout picture would look like.

Curtis Rochelle's picture

Rick Perry's Five Year Plan

When speaking to Republicans, Governor Rick Perry talks of defeating the “liberal scourge” and portrays the ’08 election as a “fight for the soul of the nation.” Given his conservative values, and those of his supporters, one might expect Perry to fall in with Mike Huckabee. Instead he endorsed the two Republicans conservatives hate most: Rudy Giuliani, and John McCain. Taken with some of Perry’s recent activities, it seems clear that the governor is planning for his political future.

The Rest of the States

With the dust having settled from the Potomac Primary, Barack Obama has a lead of about 30 delegates over Hillary Clinton in the race for the presidential nomination. Obama is up by about 120 pledged delegates and down about 90 superdelegates, with the exact numbers depending on whose count you trust. Clinton will need to make that up in the remaining contests, especially in the big states of Texas, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Can she do it?

Josh Berthume's picture

Five Things to Consider About the Texas Primary

As soon as it became obvious that Texas' primary election was going to matter for at least one party and possibly both, media coverage of political currents in Texas began in earnest. As we prepare for the coming weeks, there are a few things that I keep coming back to.

What Peace Process?

George W. Bush just finished his first visit to Israel as president, and restated his support for the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian "peace process", also called the "road map". The trouble is, there is no ongoing peace process.

Post-Caucus Mopping Up

As I write this, the punditocracy will be settling in for their beauty sleep while their harried researchers and writers burn the midnight oil in search of the perfect tweak to the conventional wisdom that will set Beltway tongues wagging until next Tuesday's New Hampshire primary.

Recent Blogs

George Nassar's picture

Voting Guides: 2009 Constitutional Amendment Election

OK, OK. We know. It's an off-year election. You forgot to vote early. That's OK -- you can redeem yourself today. (Don't worry too much about voting on election day instead of early; the lines will probably be embarrassingly short anyway.)

What? You don't know what the issues on the ballot are, either? No worries: we've got you covered.

George Nassar's picture

Top Ten Rick Perry Failures

Over the past week, the Texas Democratic Party has released a Top Ten list of the biggest blunders of Governor Rick Perry's tenure. You could go to their site to check out all ten -- or you could get the executive summary of Perry failures in their under-two-minute YouTube clip:

George Nassar's picture

Obama Wins Nobel Peace Prize

There were those who were originally thought that Chicago's loss in its bid to be the host city for the 2016 Olympics after Obama went to speak on its behalf was indicative of Obama's international standing not being as high as was originally thought. Those concerns can now be safely put to rest.

George Nassar's picture

President Obama's Health Care Speech

The speech is being called by many one of the best of his career. Watch the full speech here, courtesy of MSNBC, along with our take on what it means for health care reform and for his presidency.

George Nassar's picture

Ted Kennedy, 77, Passes Away

Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy has died of brain cancer at the age of 77.

...The torch will be passed again to a new generation of Americans, so with Barack Obama and for you and for me, our country will be committed to his cause. The work begins anew. The hope rises again. And the dream lives on.

-Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy, at 2008 Democratic National Convention
1932-2009

Ted Kennedy, 1932-2009

Multiple news sources are reporting that Senator Edward Kennedy, Teddy to his family and Ted to most of us, passed away early this morning after a long struggle with brain cancer. He was 77.

George Nassar's picture

Rabid Response

Are any of you guys as sick of hearing false claims of "euthanasia" and "Nazis" and "death panels" at health care town halls as I am? Frustrated that plain, overt facts are somehow being passed over for sensationalist tripe from the lowest of TV personalities?

If you are, you'll enjoy this piece from Roger Simon at the Politico on how the country's figureheads of Republi—excuse me—conservatism have brought us into the age of rabid response: attacking a subject with such an extreme, scorched-earth response that hopefully your opponents will be too stunned to respond.

George Nassar's picture

Friday News Roundup

As nice as it would be, we don't always have time to catch every big story that hits during a week. So here's a roundup of the notable events of the week.

George Nassar's picture

Sotomayor Confirmed

The Senate voted yesterday to confirm Sonia Sotomayor as the first Latina and third woman to ever sit on the United States Supreme Court.

George Nassar's picture

Walter Cronkite, 92, Passes Away

CBS anchorman Walter Cronkite passed away yesterday at the age of 92. Dubbed "The Most Trusted Man in America," the Edward R. Murrow recruit made a name for himself, among many other things, by having the courage to report, against the U.S. military's line, that the Vietnam War was unwinnable. Glenn Greenwald at Salon speaks to why Cronkite's passing is such a tremendous loss, and why no one in the mainstream media grasps the enormous irony of their eulogizing him. His article is an absolute must-read. If you want the takeaway, you can get the general idea from the two quotes he uses to lead off his article:

George Nassar's picture

Houston Latino Summit Mayoral Debate

Stace at Dos Centavos just finished liveblogging the Houston Latino Summit mayoral debate. Head over there for a recap of the discussion and some breakdown and sum-up.

George Nassar's picture

Cheney Linked to Terror Program Coverup

The New York Times is reporting that CIA director Leon Panetta has informed the House and Senate intelligence committees that the CIA hid from Congress a secret counterterrorism program by direct order of then-Vice President Dick Cheney.

George Nassar's picture

Voting Rights Act Lives to Fight Another Day

The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled on the challenge to the Voting Rights Act by Northwest Austin Municipal District Number One, and, much to the relief of civil rights activists everywhere, let stand a key provision stating that certain areas within the United States with histories of injustice at the voting booth -- including much of Texas -- are required to get federal approval for any changes in their voting procedures.

George Nassar's picture

Arbitering the Unthinkable

I've always believed that forced arbitration agreements are one of the most stark displays of unchecked corporate power beating down The Little Guy. The idea that companies that are big enough and that supply services that one will nearly inevitably need -- for example credit card companies, cell phone companies, home builders, and other such industries that are never very popular with consumers -- can by merit of their size and the standards of their profession avoid all accountability in the judiciary, the one institution designed to be the protector-of-last-resort of the rights of the few, is appalling to me. But I was left numb by the idea that it was even possible that forced arbitration be enforceable in a rape case.

George Nassar's picture

Because Lege News Never Gets Old

Nobody yet knows when or for what, but there will be a special session of the Texas legislature this year.

George Nassar's picture

Rep. Kuempel Collapses

EDIT: 6/2/09: After receiving care at an Austin facility for a life-threatening heart attack, Rep. Kuempel returned to the House yesterday, to everyone's relief. We are very glad to hear of his recovery.

Representative Edmund Kuempel (R-Seguin) was found collapsed and unconscious in a Capitol elevator by a House sergeant-at-arms late last night, the Austin American-Statesman reports.

On HB 710, Texas Students Lose

As with many things related to our State Board of Education, a very important and very disappointing development quietly took place yesterday, this time in the Lege. HB 710, a bill that would make the SBOE subject to Sunset review, went down 71-73 after being read for the third time this session.

Municipal Elections and Swine Flu

Across the state of Texas, we're in the final week of municipal campaigns. Sadly, here in North Texas we're also in a period of ramping up the public sector response to the spread of H1N1 flu (swine flu). The Fort Worth ISD announced earlier this week that they will be closed this week. On Friday, the Lewisville ISD announced that they will be closed this week. Yesterday, the Denton ISD announced that they will be closed this week. All three districts are targeting being open on May 11th.

George Nassar's picture

Garcia Nominated for Assistant Secretary of Navy

Hat tip to the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, by way of Vince at Capitol Annex (who has been covering this story for a while now). President Obama announced today his intention to nominate former HD 32 state representative Juan Garcia for Assistant Secretary of the Navy.