The Texas Blue: Articles
Reforming the Nominating Process
Tue, 06/03/2008 - 7:21pm
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.
The Rhetorical Rollout
Thu, 05/29/2008 - 9:45am
The response from the White House to Scott McClellan's book is not surprising in tone — the idea that the administration would produce people to controvert the bad stories in the book was a foregone conclusion. I will say, that for a book that wasn't supposed to be released until Monday, the speed and efficiency with which the Bush administration has moved to staunch the book's bad PR added up to a larger and more coordinated effort than I had expected.
Can Wendy Davis Turn Fort Worth Blue?
Tue, 05/13/2008 - 6:30pm
If the 2008 race for Senate District 10 ends up as an underdog success story, it would, in many ways, parallel the life of the Democratic candidate.
Of Bootstraps: McCain on Health Care
Mon, 04/28/2008 - 3:46pm
John McCain is talking about health care today, and I take issue with what he purports his position to be.
Discovering a Lost Sense of Community in New Greenspace
By Chris Bell
Mon, 04/21/2008 - 10:46am
Let’s all try to go to Discovery Green. It’s important.
That may sound a little silly to some; after all, it is just a new downtown park. But it really isn’t just a park; it’s a whole new concept in public space. And it opens at a time when I believe we desperately need to experiment with such a concept.
Reforming the Caucus System
Fri, 04/11/2008 - 9:43am
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.
A Sweeping Bit of Judicial Activism
Wed, 04/09/2008 - 10:54am
Recent reports paint an ugly picture of irresponsible behavior by oil and chemical companies in Texas and across the country.
A Historic Shift
Tue, 04/01/2008 - 12:30pm
Every story you may have heard about the Texas Democratic Primary focused on the events of the day itself – the massive turnout and overflowing caucus rooms - or the period following the primary, in which results were tabulated, haggled over, checked, and rechecked. But the story you haven't heard is how the immense turnout will affect the general election and, by extension, Texas' political future. The potential for the primary turnout to stretch meaningfully across decades is immense, but those changes will be the result of infrastructural capability and grassroots political organization.
Lil' Lisa Slurry
By Luke Metzger
Wed, 03/26/2008 - 9:01am
On Thursday, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission will consider a proposal that would limit the threat the Gulf of Mexico faces from factory fishing. The new rule effects a fish you've probably never heard of, but one that is incredibly important.
The Turnout and a New Habit
Tue, 03/25/2008 - 1:30pm
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.