From the home office in Orlando, Florida, home of the 2008 BlackBerry Wireless Enterprise Symposium, I bring you the best of the Texas Progressive Alliance for the past week. Click on for the goodies.
McBlogger has some advice for State Delegates aspiring to a seat on the floor in Denver.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme says all the fuss over 'wrongful' healthcare benefits in Brownsville, Corpus Christi and the Texas House is misplaced. Universal healthcare makes that problem disappear!
John Coby at Bay Area Houston reported on Bob Perry's attempted take over of a local City Water Authority in order to develop on our golf course. The developers lose big in Clear Lake
Off the Kuff continues his series of countywide race previews with a look at the race for Harris County Tax Assessor.
The Texas Cloverleaf looks at right wing blowhards on tour, coming to a local amphitheater near you.
Doing My Part for The Left is thrilled that Another Poll Shows Rick Noriega just 4 points behind Box Turtle.
WhosPlayin notes that along with many more Republicans, Michael Burgess (TX-26) voted AGAINST supporting Mothers Day.
Dembones at Eye On Williamson has the latest on Rick Noriega's run for the US Senate with this post, Republican machine grinding for Cornyn.
The sinkhole in Liberty County catches PDiddie's attention -- not literally, thankfully -- and he blogs about it at Brains and Eggs in "Rural Texas finally collapses from GOP 'Leadership' ".
Vince Leibowitz at Capitol Annex ponders the civil liberties thicket that Texas AG Greg Abbott could wander in to if he allows the Texas Lottery Commission to use the electronic strip on Texas driver's licenses to verify the age of gamblers at lottery vending machines.
nytexan at BlueBloggin points out Racism In The Secret Service and asks how can the Secret Service perform their jobs when supervisors write and send racist emails to one another regarding interracial sex, killing Jessie Jackson and his wife and ridiculing African American slang.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News talked to a friend of his that received a GOP Push-Poll against local Democratic judges in GOP running Scared in Harris County. He also wondered if this picture is of a Pasadena neighbor who can't spell.
Lightseeker takes a look at What Rick Perry Promised, What the Republicans Delivered over at Texas Kaos.
Christine has now been blogging for eight years. In Internet time, that's approximately since the dawn of the Paleocene epoch. Speaking as someone who's been at it for a mere 6.5 years, all I can say is "We are not worthy". Happy blogiversary, Christine!
Still pondering what this year's NBA playoffs might have been for the Rockets with a healthy Yao Ming? I can't help you with that - I'm right there with you, in fact - but I can tell you that politics without the TPA weekly roundup would be a lot less fun. Here are this week's highlights.
CouldBeTrue from South Texas Chisme notes Republican-run government favors crony money over Texans' health. Asarco, a proven polluter, is given a permit to start polluting again and Abbott says lead poisoning landlords have a right to privacy.
John Coby at Bay Area ouston, thinks Bob Perry should go to hell.
Doing My Part For The Left's Refinish69 joins Austin high school students in Breaking the Silence.
WhosPlayin writes about the disturbing trend for hospitals to require payment up front for expensive services like chemotherapy. Even "non-profit" hospitals like U.T.'s M.D. Anderson are doing this, even while reducing free care and racking up huge surpluses.
Off the Kuff looks at the race for Harris County Sheriff and foresees immigration issues playing a big role.
The Texas Cloverleaf wonders why Governor 39% appointed a policy nerd to chair the Transportation Commission, rather than someone who knows anything about roads. Cronyism perhaps?
In the wake of the SCOTUS decision approving voter ID legislation last week, PDiddie of Brains and Eggs fact-checks the need for it.
North Texas Liberal's Texas Toad takes a look at the new Republican culture war over something just as useless: allowing guns in national parks. Thank you, John Cornyn.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson has this post on the Reaction To Perry's TxDOT Appointments.
McBlogger take a moment to talk about the state of the TTC and 39%'s appointments to the Transportation Commission.
Lightseeker shares his opinion On Trusting Free Market to Regulate Government over at Texas Kaos.
Vince at Capitol Annex shows another example of Voter ID Idiocy, this time highlighting an editorial from the Texarkana Gazette's pseudo-ivory-tower-intellectual editorial board and explains why such thinking is typical of suburban newspaper editors.
The Morning News has added a new blog to its stable, this one focusing on Dallas City Hall and other aspects of local government. It's called, prosaically enough, the Dallas City Hall Blog, and that tells you pretty much what you need to know. Those of you who follow this sort of thing, check it out.
I'm not feeling the clever intro thing this week, so let's just get right to the business of highlighting the Texas Progressive Alliance's weekly roundup. Click on for the good stuff.
North Texas Liberal analyzed the arguments from Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Flower Mound, and Newt Gingrich in favor of the flat tax. See our conclusions here.
The Commissioner of the General Land Office of Texas is a monumental ass. PDiddie of Brains and Eggs has the dirty details in "Discussted".
WCNews at Eye On Williamson has This Week's Transportation Wrap-Up.
WhosPlayin resumes his watch on GOP Congressman Michael Burgess, and joins North Texas Liberal in rejecting his "flat tax" proposal as a tax increase on the middle class.
Hal at Half Empty wonders why Texas' junior senator, John Cornyn, doesn't support our troops.
Over at McBlogger, Captain Kroc has a real problem with some of the concessions the City made to a certain developer looking to build condos on Lake Lady Bird.
The Texas Cloverleaf promotes a story about more shenanigans in the Texas Youth Commission, this time forcing a Denton County superintendent to quit before she is fired.
Last week, KUHT (PBS Channel 8) in Houston ran a special on immigration and public attitudes towards it called Houston Have Your Say, which included public officials, activists, ordinary citizens, and a couple of bloggers. Off the Kuff was one of those bloggers, and he wrote about his impressions here.
Vince at Capitol Annex notes that the Texas Association of Business is calling for education reform and wonders if anyone else sees the hypocrisy in that situation.
BossKitty at BlueBloggin looks at yet another VA screw up and continues to ignore the welfare of our troops in the VA Caught In Suicide Coverup.
Every now and then, procrastination pays off. I'd not gotten around to unsubscribing the Professors R-Squared feed from Bloglines because I'm lazy about things like that, and then I looked the other day and lo, they had a new post. Which was announcing that they had moved to a new blog, which has the added bonus of including their colleagues at the U of St. Thomas PoliSci department. And which I'd totally not have known about had I been one of those takes-care-of-things-in-a-timely-manner people. So there! Anyway, this is very good news, so update your links and subscriptions and check 'em out.
Those of you in or near Austin, who therefore won't be able to see me on the teevee that night, here's something you can do with your evening: Help BOR celebrate its fifth birthday:
April 24th
Progressive hang out Scholz Beer Garten
8 p.m. until the music stops
Featuring the music of House Leader Jim Dunnam and the Bad Precedents.In addition to music and snacks, we will also have Democratic candidates and elected official to talk about their races. Instead of a birthday presents, Burnt Orange Report will be raising money to take back the Texas House and support TexBlog PAC.
In fact, there may even be a surprise announcement from TexBlog PAC.
We hope to see you there and please spread the word!
I can now tell you that the surprise announcement will be the identity of TexBlog PAC's first officially endorsed candidate. We'll be following that with the name of endorsee #2 in early May. Wouldn't you like to know who that is, even before it gets put out on the Internets? Sure you would. So go to Scholz Beer Garten tomorrow night and wish those whippersnappers at BOR a happy fifth blog birthday for me. Have fun, y'all.
Is your fondest hope for this year's NBA playoffs that you don't have to face the prospect of a Celtics-Lakers final again? I can't really help you there, but I can point out that this week's Texas Progressive Alliance roundup is 100% free of unpleasant 1980s flashbacks. Click on and see for yourself.
In honor of Income Tax day, Lightseeker at TexasKaos examines the Republican's tax cut claim here in Texas and discover that what it really amounts to is "tax shifting" and we are the ones getting shafted. Tax Shifting With Bohac's Assessment Cap as Our Example.
WhosPlayin notes that John McCain has proposed suspending the federal gasoline tax, and points out that McCain would do just as well to try to suspend the law of gravity.
The Texas Cloverleaf is helping to save the earth on Earth Day weekend with helpful tips for saving energy and your wallet, as well as picking up trash with Stonewall Democrats. Don't mess with Texas!
CouldBeTrue from South Texas Chisme wonders if all Republicans are Tom Craddicks in training. Listen to Nueces County Republican chair Mike Bertuzzi ignore all the 'Point of Order' calls at the county convention. Sound familiar?
John Coby of Bay Area Houston has the real press release from Rick Perry about his run for Governor in 2010.
Here are local activist Jose Orta's Impressions Of T. Don Hutto, Williamson County's immigrant detention facility, that were posted at Eye On Williamson after his recent visit.
At McBlogger, barfly analyses what's really important to the American voter in this hour of cultural brouhaha.
Off the Kuff takes an early look at the race for District Attorney in Harris County, which is sure to be one of the hottest local races this year.
Today is San Jacinto Day and PDiddie of Brains and Eggs will be at the commemorative ceremonies taking place at the battlefield near Houston.
BossKitty at BlueBloggin points out that Your $300 - $1,200 Economic Stimulus Payment Cost $767 Million
Hal at Half Empty questions whether one person running for President is actually temperamentally fit to be in that office.
Vince at Capitol Annex thinks it is terrible that Texas teacher salaries are so low that that more than a quarter of all teachers must work a second job to make ends meet.
North Texas Liberal reports on a homophobic journalist's question to White House Press Secretary Dana Perino, and the smackdown she gave in response.
George Nassar at The Texas Blue takes some time out of Friday's morning news roundup to point out that were the Bush administration to use a logical metric, it would be clear to them that the surge has failed.
Happy Tax Day! Whether you're awaiting a refund or mailing in a check, you can always count on the Texas Progressive Alliance to give you your money's worth. Click on for the week's highlights.
It would seem that the Republican Party of Texas (Republicans first, Texans last!) is looking for a few sweet young thangs! McBlogger at McBlogger has the story on the RPT's efforts to secure a few good young people.
Bradley at North Texas Liberal takes a look into the possible political aspirations of Condoleezza Rice... and tells us why she may be the Democrats' worst nightmare.The Texas Cloverleaf asks if you're ready to strike over gas prices? Some truck drivers are. They aren't defenders of the Alamo, and are few and far between, but will their message resonate with the rest of America? Some of them say no.
With the resounding defeat of Shelley Sekula Gibbs last Tuesday in the GOP CD 22 runoff, this spells the end of her short-lived political career. Hal at Half Empty has created a video to commemorate the Shelster's last hurrah.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme suspects U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez will be looking for a new job. Soon. Seems that Carlos spoke the truth about that d*mn fence!
Lightseeker over at Texas Kaos marks the upcoming annual income tax deadline by bringing up a sadly evergreen topic Tax Lies That Republicans Tell. After all, if the didn't find someone to put money in to the treasury, where would the money to pay for their crony politics come from?
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal Newsis not catching up on sleep this time but reveals the predictions for four years his brother made the day after Bush was reelected. His brother gets the Cassandra Award and the media pundits don't have to worry about their jobs.
Doing My Part For The Left warns that voter suppression is not just a Texas problem.
Off the Kuff makes the case for investing in transit in Houston.
IVR polled the Skelly-Culberson CD-07 race, as well as Noriega-Cornyn, and came up with some interesting results. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs blogged it.
nytexan at BlueBloggin points out that most Americans are scrapping to get by, however, some federal employees are having tons of fun with government credit cards. Your Tax Dollars Purchased iPods, Internet Dating, Women's Lingerie...
So long, PD. I'll miss your liveblogging from the Capitol, your keen sense of fashion, and of course your crush on former Rep. Carter Casteel. Enjoy your retirement - you will be missed.
I suppose I should say something about this story, in which we learn about the high-stress lifestyle of people who get paid to blog. So I will: This is my hobby. I spend a decent amount of time at it, but it's not my bread and butter. The day may come when circumstances will prevent me from doing this blog as I've been doing it; when and if that happens, I'll figure something out. I cannot conceive of any circumstances under which I'd risk my health for this site; much as I love y'all, doing that would put my relationship with my family at risk, and that ain't gonna happen. So while I have sympathy for the folks who blog for pay, I can't say I relate to their problems. And that's all I got.
How about those Kansas Jayhawks? I'd show you some video of last night's game, but I don't have it and I'd get my butt sued off if I did. So, since we can't have basketball highlights, how about some blog highlights from the Texas Progressive Alliance? Click on for the slam dunks and full-courts presses.
Matt Glazer of Burnt Orange Report writes about how the TexBlog PAC shattered expectations to raise $3782.09 from 106 donors over the past week, putting the PAC in position to make a $5,000 donation to a House candidate before the end of summer.
Refinish69 of Doing My Part For The Left gets election fever and decides to through his hat in the ring in Elections 2008- Yet Another One.
Off the Kuff takes a look at where the early vote came from in the GOP runoff and hazarded a guess about what it might mean for the candidates.
The civil rights movement affected us all, and continues to do so today. Over at Texas Kaos they're remembering the impact of Dr. Martin Luther King-in ways both large and small.
Corn? Soy beans? Those are for eatin'! The Texas Cloverleaf looks at the next best Texas biodiesel crop-- algae!
XicanoPwr reports on Texas' Child Protective Services (CPS) removal of 183 young women, girls and boy, ages 6 months to 17 years, from the Fundamentalist LDS Church's compound near Eldorado, TX.
Pete Olson, a Texas CD 22 candidate has elevated Hal's blog to that of a "prominent local Democrat blogger" In That's MISTER Half Empty, Bub, we get Hal's take on that.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson has the latest on a new GOP's scheme to finance toll roads around the state in Sen. Ogden Wants To Gamble With Your Money.
John Coby of Bay Area Houston comments on the High Cost of being a Republican.
McBlogger this week takes a look at a certain court case involving some SoftSoap and a naughty child.
Stace Medellin of DosCentavos writes about Senate Leader Harry Reid's statement on Cesar Chavez's Birthday. Reid gave the strongest response among Democrats and pointed to GOP obstructionist tactics regarding various issues affecting Latino Americans.
The Seventh Congressional District of Texas draws national attention and PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has the linkage in Skelly Goes National.
Vince at Capitol Annex tells us that the recent uproar involving a criminal complaint filed over a blog is a wake-up call for bloggers' rights.
CouldBeTrue over at South Texas Chisme wants to be shocked that Chertoff decided to bypass all laws to build that d*mn fence! Republican arrogance and incompetence knows no bounds!
Still smarting from Davidson's lack of a coherent plan for a final shot against Kansas? Or perhaps still in awe that this is the first Final Four of the 64-team era to feature four #1 seeds? Either way, the Texas Progressive Alliance blog roundup is good for what ails you. Click on and enjoy the highlights.
Saturday, TXsharon of Bluedaze attended the Barnett Shale Expo and the lies told by John Tinterra, Texas Railroad Commission, in front of citizens who pay his salary and in front of his boss, Victor Carrillo, reminded TXS of a quote from Cold Mountain: "That man is so full of manure we could plant him and grow another one!".
McBlogger's never been a big fan of tax abatements to lure new companies to Austin. He's even less thrilled with them when they are being used to entice developers, especially developers who can't seem to make their finances work without the abatements.
Off the Kuff takes one last look at primary voting in Harris County, this time examining Democratic turnout by State Rep district.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson previews the GOP runoff in HD-52, The Same Only Different.
Over a thousand Harris County voters took "vote twice" too seriously, writes PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.
Hal at Half Empty will vote in the Democratic primary runoff, to be sure, despite the fact that only one race will appear on his ballot. The tables are turned and the Republicans in CD 22 have a much more juicy decision to make. Oh, to be a Republican.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News turned it over to his brother Jim for a few odd links as he was getting ready to be tired out at the third step of the Texas Two-Step. Earlier in the week Gary got his dander riled at racist media conservatives.
nytexan at BlueBloggin tells us that keeping 378 delegates and 275 alternates under control is like herding cats in It's Great To Be A Democrat In Texas at the Senatorial District 18, Bastrop County Convention.
Is your bracket irretrievably busted? Do you find yourself cursing schools you hadn't heard of a week before? Well, I can't do anything about that, but I can point you towards this week's Texas Progressive Alliance blog roundup, which might take your mind off the office pool and how badly you're losing for a few minutes. Click on for the highlights.
Off the Kuff takes a look at the primary vote for Democratic candidates in Harris County by State Rep district.
Dwayne Bohac: A Study in Rovian Politics takes a look at an incumbent Republican Rove clone and his basic hypocracy. It uses his public utterances on "clean air" to host him on his own corporate petard.
The Texas Cloverleaf notes that TxDOT is handing out the awards, this time to Denton County Judge Mary Horn, for her "hard work" on building roads. But why do they note the projects that have never been completed?
CouldBeTrue notes that the Texas State Board of Education has 'better' things to do than represent Hispanic children.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News tells people Happy Easter! now suck it up. If that rant about economics goes more into hedonics than you ever wanted to know he also offers a link to explaining the credit crisis for kindergarteners.
Over at Doing My Part For The Left takes a look at the bigotry of homophobic Rep. Sally Kern of Oklahoma and wipes tears from his eyes as he reads a letter to Rep Sally Kern from a young man who knows what it is to lose a loved one.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson after reading through the headlines asks Should Texas Be Worried About The Economy?
Hal at Half Empty has a bone to pick with Bush's Presidential Library committee. As planned on the SMU campus, not only will it cause the distruction of student housing and a strip mall, but the obliteration of a La Madeleine cafe boutique. Hal has an alternative suggestion.
For the Democratic primary runoff election (scheduled for April 8, with early voting commencing March 31) PDiddie at Brains and Eggs reiterates his endorsement of Dale Henry for Texas Railroad Commission and Larry Weiman for 80th Ciivl District Court of Harris County.
Vince at Capitol Annex notes that the federal government has asked the state to postpone the roll-out of the state's new troubled food stamp eligibility screening computer program.
McBlogger at McBlogger take a look at the collapse of Bear Stearns and see that JP Morgan Chase may have created the deal of the century.
BossKitty at BlueBloggin reminds us that our war hungry vice president Dick Cheney is on the war path again; Cheney Stalks Middle East One More Time but the Saudi King is playing a different drum.
WhosPlayin talks about what it was like to work at the polls on Primary Election day.
Suffering from a touch of the Irish flu? Well, here's a little hair of the blog for you, in the form of the Texas Progressive Alliance roundup for the week. Click on (quietly) and enjoy.
The leader of McBlogger's crack legal team has an interesting take on Gov. Spitzer's premium taste in hookers.
TXsharon at Bluedaze asks if Texas Railroad Commission malpractice like this will cost you your life or only your health.
WhosPlayin looks at plagiarism by a Republican candidate for city council: John Gorena, of Lewisville who lifted quite a bit of his website from a Democratic judicial candidate.
Off the Kuff takes a look at downballot voting in the Democratic Primary in Harris County.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson shines a light on the latest Texas GOP voucher scam in HD-52, Education Matters.
Hal at Half Empty came across the latest production by the DSCC, and to his surprise and delight, found it was about (or going to be, eventually) our own senatorial candidate, Texas Democratic senatorial nominee Rick Noriega.
Good luck unemployed people of Texas. The Texas Cloverleaf exposes Governor 39%'s recent appointment of GOP idealogue and fellow blogger, Tom Pauken, as the new chairman of the Texas Workforce Commission.
CouldBeTrue at South Texas Chisme shows how Republicans shaft Texas workers on behalf of their business cronies. Insurance companies are forced to reveal medical data on perspective employees and unemployment insurance premiums are cut to give companies a 'tax break'.
Vince at Capitol Annex takes a look at a number of scorecards ranking Texas' Congressional Delegation in which Texas' Republicans score big, fat "F's" when it comes to children, families, the middle class, the environment, working Americans, and more.
In "Bulletins from the front lines", PDiddie at Brains and Eggs advances some of the challenges the forthcoming Senate District conventions will face, with the expected huge turnout expected to overrun facilities and organizers.
nytexan at BlueBloggin looks at the different delegate counts provided by the media and asks So You Think You Know The Delegate Count.
Fake Consultant takes a shot at predicting a perfect VP for Obama at Texas Kaos.
Finally recovered from Super Texas Tuesday? Well, here's this week's Texas Progressive Alliance weekly blog roundup to help you make sense of it all. Click on for the highlights.
Refinish69 joins John McClelland, Democratic nominee for Texas House District 64n in asking "Where's Myra"?
Seems Shrub has a new title to add to his list. Torturer in Chief doesn't seem like one most people would want but then Shrub is a fool.
Eye On Williamson wraps up Tuesday's primary. Dembones points out that Obama won Williamson County and SD 5, as well as the unprecedented turnout for the caucuses. WCNews has initial impressions and more impressions from the primary.
Offt the Kuff has been busy poring through the data from Tuesday's primary, with posts about the blueing on Harris County, and a series on Republican crossover votes.
The Texas Cloverleaf begs the question, who the hell is Mark Thompson? Is another dead dancer in our midst, or did voter apathy give us another odd run off?
Where is Myra? State Rep Crownover is missing, and the Leaf wants you to watch a video to help locate her.
PDiddie at Brains and Eggs wrote the advance story of Election Day in his precinct with "Today's agenda", and the postscript in "244".
McBlogger had an exciting and mostly hateful Primary Week. Things kicked off with Mayor McSleaze's recap of the primary itself, while McBlogger took the time to bitchslap John McCain for taking an endorsement from some weird-o preacher in San Antonio and chastise adults for following the lead of a child. McBlogger finishes up the week with a plea for relief from a devastating force, Rachael Ray.
BossKitty at BlueBloggin asks democrats to unite and explore Make It So! A Clinton-Obama ticket?
WhosPlayin thanks his city's staff for the help in Tuesday's primaries, and wonders why the big deal about the use of the "M" word.
John Coby at Bay Area Houston wonders When Hope turns into Whine.
Vince at Capitol Annex starts taking a look at the March 4 primary, with the first of many Primary Postmortem posts.
Rats. I was really looking forward to their analysis of the primaries, too. Ah, well, best of luck in the academic world, Professors.
It's Super Texas Tuesday! Run for your life! Oh, wait, no, run to the voting booth if you haven't already. And while you're waiting in line to cast that vote, here are the highlights from the Texas Progressive Alliance from last week. Click on to read.
This election cycle is all about the change America so desperately needs. TXsharon at Bluedaze implores: Texans, don't settle for more of the same!
Many wonderful things happened at McBlogger this week, from McBlogger's discovery of a scrumptious new foodstuff, to Hillary's decision to co-sponsor a bill turning back the privatization of our military. Finally, we take a look at Cornyn's pathetic attempt to call out his better, Lt.Col. Rick Noriega.
WhosPlayin has photos and man-on-the-street interviews from the Barack Obama rally in Fort Worth on Thursday and his 7 year old son wonders whether Democrats will change the Pledge of Allegiance.
Off the Kuff has been closely following the early voting turnout data in Harris County and statewide. Read all about R versus D ballots in State Rep districts, why some Republicans are voting for Obama, projecting record statewide turnout, and what it all means for November.
For the last time with feeling Viva Obama! Vote or caucus at your precinct Tuesday. Caucus convention starts 15 minutes after voting at the precinct closes. - Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News.
Vince at Capitol Annex notes that there is some right-wing cash coming into some unexpected Democratic campaigns, and notes that Obama has a push card in Texas highlighting faith issues.
Eye On Williamson has been chronicling the Turnout Gone Wild in Williamson County. Dembones wrapped up the early voting with a Final Early Voting Report, and is Fired Up, Ready To Go, for the primary. WCNews has a look at the HD-52 8 Days Out Ethics Filings leading up to the primary.
Refininsh69 from Doing My Part For The Left thinks it is time that supporters of both Obama and Hillary GROW UP! Doing My Part For The Left endorses Glen Maxey for Travis County Assessor-Collector. While listening to both campaigns and watching commercials and interviews, Refinish69 realizes it is 3AM and Hillary Seems Desperate.
The Texas Cloverleaf jumps into the final weekend of primary action. The Leaf meets up with Forest Whitaker, Max Kennedy, and Ron Kirk in Dallas at Obama HQ. After the star studded event, attack mail hits the mailboxes in Texas. Find out what half truths are being spread by the Clinton attack machine before the primary vote comes to a head.
Jaye at Winding Road asks Hillary Clinton to not quit, and take it to the convention.
Are you one of the umpty-um thousands of people who have voted early yet? If not, you'd better get on line now so you can get to the eSlate machines before the poll close. And if you're still figuring out for whom to vote, check out this week's Texas Progressive Alliance roundup for some helpful hints. Click on for more.
TXsharon has a broken modem so Bluedaze is suffering but she managed to post about The RRC's approval of Atmos Energy's extravagant spending--bendover Texans. Also read about howPhil King meets Karma in Wise County and hear the horrendous sounds of the Barnett Shale.
Off the Kuff offers his incomplete list of endorsements for the Democratic primaries, and for his birthday rounds up his complete list of candidate interviews.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News has blogged an eventful week or two climaxing with Paul Burka becoming a believer in the Obama Borg - Democrats can take back Texas. Wow.
Over at McBlogger Mayor McSleaze commemorates Kirk Watson's Deer In The Headlights Moment while McBlogger, beverage in hand, watches the Debate and puts the smackdown on wingnuts still drinking the school voucher Kool-Aid
The Texas Cloverleaf makes it back safely from Oklahoma City and discusses the National Stonewall Democrats meeting there, as well as the upcoming LGBT Presidential Town Hall in Dallas on Monday night.
PDiddie at Brains and Eggs had a report on Obama's visit to Houston last Tuesday, and also noted the end of the Fidel Castro era in Cuba. Open Source Dem had part three of his "Texas in Play" series, entitled "Jim Crow Lives".
Hal, who writes Half Empty, went to early vote last Wednesday and has some poll observations and some Fort Bend County stats.
Bill Howell of StoutDemBlog reminds us of some Texas election history that is relevant for this year's Democratic Primary, in Don't Be Confused By Names.
Muse was at the Bill Clinton fundraiser in Houston this week where she fulfilled a lifelong dream to touch him - handshake! She notes that not all college students are for Obama - witness the Daily Texan endorsement for Hillary. And, she receives an email where Obama encourages Republicans to crash the Democratic primary, to vote against the bad, scary Hillary. More Hillary stuff coming this week on musings!
WhosPlayin tries to explain the "Obama Movement", and has a run-down of which Texas blogs are endorsing Clinton or Obama.
Vince at Capitol Annex notes that the Texas Democratic Party has instructed county and precinct officials not to interpret election results for the media or political campaigns, and asks if national Democrats will still respect us (or call or visit) after March 4.
There's a new political science professor blogger in town, U of H's Dr. Richard Murray, who's giving his thoughts on the Texas primary to Channel 13. It's good stuff, and I hope he'll stick around there for awhile. Also new in the KTRK blog empire is the Roussel Report, by their Washington correspondent, Peter Roussel. You two make sure Miya teaches you the secret handshake so you can get into our world takeover planning meetings.
Also new on the scene is Same Blog, Different Day, written by a local activist of my acquaintance who prefers to keep her identity a bit mysterious. She's definitely got a voice for blogging, and will be a great addition to the mix. Check it out.
Happy Start Of Early Voting Day! To help you celebrate, and to give you something to do as you wait on line to cast that early vote, here's this week's Texas Progressive Alliance blog roundup. Enjoy!
Burnt Orange Report is covering all kinds of races this week. In addition to their notable endorsement of Obama and analysis of how he can win and his Presidential primary poll numbers, Matt Glazer has reported that State Rep. Kino Flores has some ethics violation troubles, beyond the $50,000 he received from Craddick supporters.
Eye On Williamson has two posts on the upcoming Presidential Primary in Texas, Why I'm For Barack Obama and Barack can seal the deal in Williamson County. And locally, The Silly Season Is Upon Us - The WCGOP Machine Makes It's Choice.
TXsharon at Bluedaze, while not a football fan, reports on illegal gifts of SuperBowl tickets to Phil King and Michael Williams. Considering that the most recent pipeline explosion sent flames 600 -700 feet into the air, we need Railroad Commissioners without conflicts making decisions that will keep Texans safe.
WhosPlayin of WhosPlayin.com endorsed Obama for President and Aimlessness thinks Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia needs to go back to law school and get a refresher course on the U.S. Constitution. Talk about your "tortured" logic.
Musings endorses Hillary Clinton for President,citing her toughness, service, compassion, ability to work across the aisle and her solutions-oriented approach to governing as reasons why she is the choice for a new direction in Washington.
The Texas Cloverleaf digs up a report by the GAO that toll road public-private partnerships might not be the best thing for taxpayers. While at the same time, a new state rail system venture is brought back into the public spotlight in Texas.
The Texas Cloverleaf gets its hide chapped when the Dallas Morning News endorses the primary opponent of Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez. The endorsement is destroyed in typical Cloverleaf fashion.
CouldBeTrue at South Texas Chisme wonders if James Leininger is giving up the fight for school vouchers, i.e. destroying public schools in favor a theocratic education. In any case, Leininger is distancing himself from Tom Craddick.
Off the Kuff looks at the yard sign primary in his neighborhood.
Team McBlogger has decided to swim against the tide and endorse Senator Hillary Clinton in the Presidential Primary. Then they compounded the good decision making with a trip to the opening of her Texas HQ in Austin to see Bill Clinton. You know, the guy who's married to the candidate. Apparently, a couple of thousand people also had the same idea.
At Half Empty, with Edwards gone, Hal has thrown his support to Barack Obama. And, after a day of sAfter much soul searching, thought and input from great bloggers across the nation, Refinish69 has decided to endorse Obama for President in 2008.eething anger, Hal at Half Empty asks this question of the Republican Party of Texas, who are acting as surrogates for the John Cornyn senatorial campaign: Are you sure you want a dog in this hunt?
Open Source Dem at Brains and Eggs has`part two of "Texas in Play."
BossKittyat BlueBloggin shows us that voting is still a major problem in this country considering Washington DC Has 10,000 Mystery Voters.
Jaye at Winding Road in Urban Area endorses Hillary Clinton for President.
John Coby's mom is for Hillary Clinton. "I can't remember when our country was in such a horrible situation considering the war in Iraq, our debt, our status in the world. My country is in trouble and I believe Hillary Clinton can begin to solve the problems beginning on day one."
Vince at Capitol Annex notes that Marissa Marquez in House District 77 has been trashing bloggers, and endorses Hillary Clinton for president.
After much soul searching, thought and input from great bloggers across the nation, Refinish69 has decided to endorse Obama for President in 2008.
Can you believe early voting for the March primary starts next week? To get you in the right frame of mind for that, here's this week blog highlights from the Texas Progressive Alliance. Click on for more.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News urges Texans to NOT give to veterans by mail. At least not without some investigation. Read about the fake veteran's charities scam supported by Republicans in Cheating Charitable Givers and Veterans.
Mayor McSleaze at McBlogger takes some time out of his busy schedule to ask a few important questions of Michael Moore and our friends at MoveOn.Org.
What is Congress to do?! The Texas Cloverleaf looks at how the Bush administration continues to ignore the US House and hurt Texas, in it's blatant disregard of the Congressional order to end the DOT's plan for Mexican trucks in America.
Plastic bags are now extinct in Ireland. TXsharon at Bluedaze wants to know why the U.S. can't do the same.
How much was the Katy Freeway expansion in Houston supposed to cost? Off the Kuff digs through some story archives to show that what TxDOT is saying now about initial cost estimates is not what it was saying then.
Open Source Dem at Brains and Eggs comments on the possibility of brokered conventions in both Austin and Denver this summer, and how the March 4 primary in Texas will clarify -- or muddy -- the outlook.
CouldBeTrue at South Texas Chisme cautions reasonable people to be wary about arguing over that d*mn fence! Republicans are building a monument to racism and fear not trying to solve any problems with a coherent policy.
Hal has a a couple of postings this week at Half Empty, this one is the main event, a new theory on whether there is a new canary about to sing to the Feds about Tom DeLay's past indiscretions, and this one is about some motivation for that.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson has this wrap up from last week's hearings on TxDOT at the capitol, Without Williamson, TxDOT Becomes Scapegoat.
Phillip Martin at Burnt Orange Report has done an exhaustively comprehensive analysis of how Texas hybrid primary/caucus system works, as well as looked at some of the politics of each of Texas' 31 Senate Districts that will award delegates on March 4. Read the two-part series here: Part 1 (caucus explanation) and Part 2 (delegate analysis).
BossKitty at BlueBloggin looks into Customs:
"Hand Over That Cell Phone, iPod & Laptop" and just how intrusive the government has become putting travelers and their company's private information at risk.
As we get ever nearer to the most important Texas primary in recent memory, The Texas Blue thinks potential prognosticators should keep five things in mind when it comes to making predictions.
In addition to a ton of Texas presidential race coverage, Vince at Capitol Annex reveals that State Rep. Phil King (R-Weatherford) has taken an illegal contribution from an energy lobbyist.
Still recovering from the Super Bowl and whatever party you attended to watch it? Here's the weekly Texas Progressive Alliance blog roundup to help you ease back into the swing of things. Click on for the highlights.
Why would Bill Peacock write a commercial for the energy industry? Find out on Bluedaze as TXsharon shines a light into the dark corners of Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Off the Kuff takes a look at the messy finances of State Supreme Court Justice David Medina, and wonders what else is out there that we haven't heard about yet.
Phillip Martin at Burnt Orange Report says thank you to John Edwards.
McBlogger at McBlogger takes a look at the Free Market Foundation's campaign against the Parent PAC and it's leader, Carolyn Boyle. Apparently, they are unhappy that we endorsed her in 2006. And that she's been beating them and their lame candidates.
Nat-Wu of Three Wise Men tells us why free trade isn't everything it's cracked up to be, at least for the American worker.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson has more from the recent House Elections Committee hearing on voterr fraud, Abbott May Have To Explain His Partisan Voter Fraud Record.
XicanoPwr begins a Politics of Humanity series. The first one takes a look the Department of Homeland Security recent decision to eliminate the Violence Against Women Act's domestic violence program that was meant to protect undocumented immigrants from abusive spouses who use their position as citizens to intimidate their spouses who did not have legal immigrant status in the United States. The second post in the series takes a look at Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) inhumane policy of of drugging immigrants and their recent settlement case.
We recently passed the "one-year mark," meaning President Bush now has less than one year left in his job. Is he planning on coming home to roost when his tenure ends? Not everyone in DFW thinks that's the best idea.
Open Source Dem at Brains and Eggs has the inside dope on the Harris County Democratic Party's efforts to turn the county blue (and why the partners-in-charge may be shooting themselves in the feet).
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News sent people to his other blog for a lesson in how to put someone to sleep with government lies about economics, among other items.
Vince at Capitol Annex wonders if State Rep. Leo Berman (R-Tyler) will actually make good on his claim that he will ask AG Greg Abbott to answer to charges that his "voter fraud" prosecutions are race-based.
The Chron's Newswatch: City Hall blog is moving to a new location, where it will now be called Houston Politics. Carolyn Feibel explains:
You'll also see some new contributors joining me there: Alan Bernstein, our local political writer, and some of the county and cops reporters. Matt Stiles should make an appearance now and then, too.What this means is that you'll still get all the irreverent wit and penetrating insight you've come to expect from the City Hall blog. Plus more!
Sounds good to me. Update your bookmarks and feed readers accordingly.
Now hear this: Christine has declared today to be an International Comment On Blogs Day. So, if you've always wanted to leave a comment here but never got around to it before, now's your chance. Or if you are a regular or semi-regular commenter here, consider this an excuse to do your thing. Let's call this an open thread, so comment away. Enjoy!
It's Super Bowl week! As you stock up on chips and beer in anticipation of the big game, here's a full supply of Texas Progressive Alliance blog posts from the past week. Click on for the highlights.
Off the Kuff looks at the woes of the Harris County GOP and what it may mean in November.
North Texas will have one less class II commercial injection well pumping toxic soup underground. Reported by TXsharon on Bluedaze.
TXDOT has dug itself into quite a hole by using your money to lobby for the TTC and to pay for an advertising campaign to sell the wildly unpopular TTC to the citizens of Texas. McBlogger at McBlogger has the details and a great video.
Hal at Half Empty got his TI-83 out and ran the numbers on the Presidential Primaries. Conclusion? Texas has a chance to crown a king (or queen).
WhosPlayin? looks at the case of a teen brought up on charges for "huffing" hand sanitizer and is frustrated at the lack of discretion caused by "zero-tolerance" policies.
The action plan for Monday's FISA-with-telecom-immunity legislation is contained in PDid's post at Brains and Eggs. Don't strain your dialing finger, and don't forget to call Senators Corndog and Hutch. It's a waste of time, yes, but they still need to hear from us.
nytexan at BlueBloggin explains who Voters, Pledged Delegates and Super Delegates are and how they influence the democratic party nomination at the convention.
North Texas Liberal reveals which celebrity is destroying the planet... and no, it's not Britney Spears.
Could we be looking at beginnings of the first upward trend in labor membership since 1983? The Texas Blue thinks we just might be.
Still in shock over not seeing Brady versus Favre in the Super Bowl? There's nothing like a Texas Progressive Alliance blog roundup to cure what ails you. Click on for the week's highlights.
WhosPlayin takes a look at a spoof website that has turned a Denton County Commissioner's race ugly.
John Coby cautions Houston City Council about Houstonians for Responsible Growth.
BossKitty at Bluebloggin points out how Dick Cheney show his loyalty toward the people who are suppose to take a bullet for him; Secret Service Takes The Fall - Cheney Not To Be Inconvenienced
A report of the SDEC meeting posted by PDiddie at Brains and Eggs drew a response from several quarters.
McBlogger looks at Rep Dawnna Dukes' conflict of interest in helping the film industry and wonders if she's truly non-committal in the Speaker's race.
On The Texas Blue, contributing writer David Gurney takes a look at the short-lived influence of the Baby Boomer era on politics in The Downhill Run.
Off the Kuff says it's time for C.O. Bradford to start speaking out about the various messes Chuck Rosenthal has created at the Harris County DA's office.
The Texas Cloverleaf informs everyone about the TTC Townhall 2.0 hearings have begun. If you care where TTC 69 is going, you best attend for your voice to be heard.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson points out that Democrat Diana Maldonado Out-Raises All Candidates In HD-52 and shows the problem with one-party government in ACLU Shames WCCC - Free Speech Under Attack.
Stace at Dos Centavos analyzes the Latino vote for Hillary in Nevada.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News still can't believe what has happened to what was once Houston's premiere radio news source. The new Republican Propaganda Radio Network had Rush Limbaugh calling a spade a spade with expertise with using hoes. Gary provides alternatives for your radio listening and a contact link to KTRH 740 AM.
CouldBeTrue from South Texas Chisme answers the question 'What does 'immigration' mean as an issue?'
Hal at Half Empty ventured forth to a meeting of The Dark Side. Here is his take on the 10-Candidate strong CD 22 GOP candidates' forum that took place last week.
We may not know who our Presidential nominees may be just yet, but we know that if it's Tuesday, it's time for another Texas Progressive Alliance blog roundup. Click on for more.
Muse found the potties at the Harris County D.A.'s office - right next to Chuck Rosenthal's office - thereby making her qualified to be District Attorney (according to D.A. candidate Kelly Siegler). Muse 2012: Qualified and Potty Location Trained.
Hide the silver! Off the Kuff says Tom DeLay is back in town.
CouldBeTrue at South Texas Chisme notes that Kay 'Bye Bye' Bailey Hutchison is getting grief from the knuckle draggers in her own party for the recently passed fence amendment. Apparently, even a little bit of sanity must be stamped out by the Republican base.
Early Voting, Hal at Half Empty says, may just be something ALL Democrats need to consider this time, in order to avoid confusion at the polls when polling sites at schools are moved this coming March 4th.
The FairTax (Mike Huckabee's 30% national sales tax scheme), Texans for (Tort) Reform, and Houstonians for (Ir)Responsible Growth all have one billionaire in common: Leo Linbeck Jr. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs provides the 411 on his various conservative-populist activist fronts.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson points to an Inane AAS Editorial On AG's Health Care Gambit.
Harry Balczak at McBlogger found and interesting take on the candidates in the Presidential election.
Jaye at Winding Road notes that these are the times that try Democratic souls.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News wants Obama or Clinton to pay the $2,000 and and establish a precedent of auditing and hand-counting machine counted ballots. The complete series of the New Hampshire results and reasons it why may be a good idea to audit is here.
Vince at Capitol Annex notes that Texas Attorney General Gregg Abbott is testing the waters for his 2010 run for Lt. Governor with his asinine child insurance program.
BossKitty at BlueBloggin reviews the History Of US Backed Dictators - Redux. A historical look at the US setting up and backing corrupt dictators to serve our agenda.
Stace at DosCentavos bids a fond farewell to the history-making candidacy of Bill`Richardson. His thoughts and feelings on supporting the first Latino presidential candidate.
John Coby at Bay Area Houston wonders why State Representative John Davis in HD129 was a no show in the local paper write up concerning the race. State Rep John Davis a no show in Clear Lake news.
New year, same old weekly roundup goodness. Click on for the first set of highlights from 2008.
TXsharon burned despair's chair. See Bluedaze for an inspirational New Year's message of hope.
Off the Kuff asked a variety of interesting people to write a post for him called Looking Forward to 2008. Topics ranged from music and television to local, state, and national politics. The entire series, which wrapped up last week, can be found here.
Barfly at McBlogger says thank you to our neighbor to the north for giving us some of our most cherished celebrities. Like Celine Dion.
John Coby at Bay Area Houston lists who is running for office and who is not in Clear Lake.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News saw the Iowa results as a Progressive sweep and picked out the winners and losers.
In all the undignified events surrounding the Harris County District Attorney's office, the announcements on
KHOU-TV and KPRC-TV regarding assistant district attorney Kelly Seigler's run for her boss' job has taken the proverbial cake. Jaye at Winding Road in Urban Area notes that it is just charming that Ms. Seigler said on camera, that aspects of being district attorney "sucks." Nothing says "get to know me" the first time a voter may see a candidate like saying the job I want, "sucks!"
nytexan at BlueBloggin points out the newest GOP stunt to block the Senate and screw up another presidential election. With the primary season underway for the most important presidential race the Federal Election Commission has shut its doors.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes James 'Rick' Perry ignored ceremony for fallen Texas military hero. That's how Republicans support and honor our troops!
It was a bad start to 2008 (if you happened to be a Republican), no matter if your name was Vicki Truitt, or Chuck Rosenthal, or Jared Woodfill, or Mitt Romney. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has more on the conservative misery.
WCNews at Eye on Williamson opines about the death of Ric Williamson and who will be The Next Leader Of TxDOT.
To start 2008 off for Texas Kaos, Lightseeker takes a look at some of The Big Texas Issues we'll be talking about in the coming year.
Muse is only now able to get her bulls---t detector to quiet down after Harris County DA, Chuck "Romancethal" Rosenthal, told the Houston Chronicle that he was only sending romantic emails to his secretary because she had personal problems. Right (wink, wink, former FBI agent wife). What else happened? Pity sex?
Phillip at Burnt Orange Report takes a preliminary look at some numbers on filings for the Texas House, including the large number of Republicans that are facing both a primary and general election opponent.
Texas Toad at North Texas Liberal introduces the new slate of Denton County Democratic candidates, as revealed at a press conference promoting the strength of the local party with high hopes for 2008.
Capitol Annex (complete with a new look following a weekend redesign) tells us that a federal court has upheld Texas' moment of silence law passed for school children in 2003 and notes that another major lawsuit related to the new pledge to the state flag still looms.
The TexasCloverleaf cautions some to smoke 'em if they got 'em, but they still might go to jail. DFW area law enforcement is ignoring the new option to give citations to pot smokers.
On The Texas Blue this week, contributor David Gurney explains that he doesn't really buy this business of a "war on Christmas."
Happy New Year! Instead of the usual weekly highlight reel, today we have a full year's worth of favorite posts. Click on to read the Best of 2007:
Eye on Williamson has been one of the state's leading blogs when it comes to covering toll road issues and State Representative Mike Krusee's career. EOW's top posts of 2007 included: Eye on Williamson on toll roads, The "New Way Forward" On Tolls, the coming demise of Mike Krusee in Krusee's Influence And Credibility Are Gone, Time For HD-52 To Start Over and a post on the ongoing battle between the citizens and the county government over a new landfill contract, The Landill, TCEQ Hearing & More Gattis Shenanigans .
The most popular posts from The Texas Blue in our first year included: Our running coverage of the 2008 Senate race. We kicked everything off with one of our inaugural pieces analyzing Cornyn's potential vulnerability in '08, in a piece picked up by the Washington Post. We then broke the code on Kos' "mystery candidate," revealing that it was Rep. Rick Noriega that Kos had in mind with his draft movement, and interviewed the Representative shortly before he declared his official candidacy. And we published some of the first information examining Mikal Watts' candidacy in what became the most read story on the Blue this year; In what also became one of our most-read pieces, we analyzed the role of money in statewide Texas campaigns, looking at the efforts taken by the statewide campaign of David Van Os to illustrate the need for money in politics, the proper role of a nascent state party organization, and the limits on the effectiveness of a political message that come from the inability to effectively spread that message due to the lack of funds to reach large numbers of Texans efficiently. This article led to a dialog with David Van Os, and to an interview with him shortly afterward where he voices his side of the issue; And finally, though two interviews have been mentioned already, our "Who's Blue" audio interview series also includes a number of other fascinating figures in Democratic politics, both statewide and across the nation. Some of the more notable interviews have been with four-star Army General and 2004 presidential candidate Wesley Clark, Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean, and current presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich.
John Coby of Bay Area Houston documents what a team of anonymous citizens have accomplished to expose the Texas Ethics Commission as incompetent in the series Spending Campaign Cash. Their work uncovered $3million in undisclosed expenditures by Texas Legislators. The Series. KHOU in Houston featured their work in late December with their report Activist: State's campaign finance oversight out-of-focus.
Easter Lemming Liberal News's topics covered this past year include Pasadena politics, the Joe Horn shooting and our national So-Called-Liberal-Media.
News items covered by TXsharon on Bluedaze: An attempt to shame a Texas Granny who received the Peacemaker of the year award. The depletion of and pollution of our water due to the irresponsible and shocking use by the oil and gas industry including an explanation of Groundwater Conservation Districts and how they can help that was published in two Texas newspapers and the attempt by oil and gas to sabotage the Upper Trinity Groundwater Conservation District. The failure of the Texas Railroad Commission to protect Texans. The protection money breakdown paid to Texas Railroad Commissioners by the oil and gas industry.
WhosPlayin's favorite posts of 2007 were all about ideas: Universal Health Care - You're Soaking In It in which he explains that we're already paying for universal health care. Why Democrats Oppose "Voter ID" Bills - an explanation for our conservative friends. Lastly, Fiscal Progressivism - Fiscal Conservatism with a Broader View.
Hal at Half Empty hemmed and hawed. How to decide which three of this year's postings merited special recognition? Then it dawned on him to mention the three postings about three singular events that he attended and posted photos about. Priceless! In reverse chronological order: The Fort Bend Democrats Have a Booth at the Fair. Then a summer fundraiser featuring TDP Chairman Boyd Richie. And last February The Fort Bend Democrats held a Love Fest for Rick and Melissa Noriega.
Off the Kuff submits his top posts of 2007: David Dewhurst and Voter ID. Property Tax Cuts Uber Alles, the mantra of the 80th Lege, and Drafting Rick Noriega for Senate.
BlueBloggin', another new blog to the TPA in 2007, submits their best of 2007: nytexan pens an op-ed on The Christian March Against America; BossKitty has a poignant OpEd: All Answers Are Selfish And Shallow; and nytexan discusses how Mexico Get Texas Land Through Border Fence
Refinish69, at Doing My Part For The Left, takes a look back at the year and is still disgusted with Hypocrites, Toe Tapping Senators, and Knee Pad Presidents. While looking back at the year, who can forget Ann Coulter proving what a witch(usually spelled with a capital B) she is. Refinish69 also looks at Gay Pride and World AIDS Day again to explain some history about himself and the continuing need for Gay Voters to speak out.
One of Grand Moff Texan's too rare diaries is always a special delight for us at Texas Kaos. But a standout diary inspired by the ignorance of the beltway punditry really broke down Why We Blog, Or Broderism in my Rear-View Mirror. Read it, and be inspired as we kick off into the 2008 election cycle. As the wilder-than-usual Texas Legislative session came to a close, Boadicea highlighted a few particular items of interest in Personal Courage, Political Vendettas, and an Unexpected Outbreak of Spine. With his usual sharp eye and incisive writing, Krazypuppy noted the REAL importance of the Larry Craig scandal in Why Another GOP Sex Scandal Matters-It's Not the Queers, Either.
It's been a wild year at McBlogger. We've heard about 39%'s trip to meet the Bilderburgers. We've also had exclusive one on one interviews with the Democratic candidates. We've also taken time out to call on some of our friends to be quiet. Because they're being a pain in the ass. This year McBlogger turned two and like all two year olds you can expect tantrums mixed with an even larger dose of mischief. Like all children, though, you'll want to kill us but won't be able to because killing kids is wrong (so, so very wrong). You'll also find us precocious and irresistibly cute.
We at The North Texas Liberal had some trouble deciding on which posts were our absolute favorites of 2007! But we decided on a few standouts that seemed worthy of mentioning for a second time. First, a series on Shaquanda Cotton. Cotton is a fifteen-year-old African American girl from Paris, Texas. She was sentenced to up to seven years at the TYC for pushing a hall monitor at her school (the same judge that sentenced her gave a white girl that was convicted of burning down the family home to probation). Our coverage of Cotton garnered the attention of someone at the Lamar County DA's office who used some recycled talking points to trash Cotton and her mother. Despite all of this, after the mainstream media broke Cotton's story, she became a candidate for early release. By the end of March, it was official that she would be released from the TYC, and in April we showed a video of her reunion with her mother. Cotton has returned to school and wants to study to become a lawyer so she can fight future injustices. We continued our global warming coverage with our Planet Purgatory series, parts One and Two. In May, we heard that the global warming tipping point could be in only ten years' time. NASA scientist James Hansen, a tireless environment advocate who testified about global warming before the Congress back in the 1980s, explains the tipping point theory... the point of no return. But he also believes in prevention rather than adaptation. If you missed this one, check out the post... if you're concerned at all about the environment, you'll want to read it. We continued our global warming coverage with our Planet Purgatory series, parts One and Two. Lastly, we gave Sen. John Cornyn the credit he deserved when he finally stood right side of an issue. Despite a year of flops and fabrications, he said he would support seasonal workers through the H2-B visa program. But despite the efforts of Maryland Democrat Sen. Barbara Mikulski, the fix wasn't finalized before Congress broke for the winter holidays, leaving thousands of small business owners out in the cold this holiday season. When we spoke face-to-face with a legislative expert at Cornyn's DC office, we were told that the Texas senator would like to see comprehensive immigration reform and wouldn't lobby for the H2-B visas, though he supported seasonal workers, because he didn't want to piecemeal a fix for the immigration problem. So even though he stood with his constituents on the right side of the issue, in the end he let them down again.
Edmundo Rocha of Para Justicia y Libertad reports about two protests against the prison industrial complex used here in Texas to detain undocumented immigrants--the Houston
Processing Center in Houston and the T. Don Hutto Residential Center in Taylor, TX. Prior to those reports, he reported on the suicide of David Ritcheson of Spring, TX, the Latino teen who was brutally beaten, tortured, and sodomized with a plastic pole by two white racist teenagers, David Henry Tuck and Keith Robert Turner.
Marc G., of Marc's Miscellany, analyzed Tom Craddick's preposterous claim that the speaker of the house can only be removed by impeachment. Marc also discussed Gov. Perry's controversial decision to veto the health insurance appropriation for community college employees.
Israel Behar-Ojalvo, PDiddie's father-in-law, passed away in March and Brains and Eggs had a post with photos in tribute. The Texas Youth Commission remains the worst scandal in Texas history, and that was apparent in April of last year. And in the matter of a few hours just before Labor Day, Alberto Gonzales, Phil Garner, and Tim Purpura all lost their jobs. Good riddance to a big bunch of losers. More like this in 2008, sure to come.
2007 was a heck of a year for Capitol Annex. Vince Leibowitz at Capitol Annex is most proud of his ground-breaking coverage of the saga surrounding the insurgency in the Texas House and Speaker Craddick's power grab, including Terry Keel's Troubling Memo (a smoking gun, for sure), and the saga surrounding the resignation of parliamentarian Denise Davis, which earned him a mention in (among other publications), Texas Lawyer. Coverage of the 80th Texas Legislature was also a major event for Capitol Annex, including a mind-numbing Liveblogging of debate on the General Appropriations Act, and a special video: Jodie Laubenberg Is Screaming.
It has been another exciting year at DosCentavos. I've tried to go over some of my better postings of the year and came up with three. DosCentavos wrote about his expectations for the 2007Lege Session. Beyond La Politica, we also know DosCentavos enjoys writing reviews on the latest releases in the Tejano and Mexican American music genre. This year, he received the honor of being asked by Los Lobos to rate their most recent release, The Town and The City. Finally, during the last Lege session, some Senators attempted to take up the debate on legalizing gambling to pay for education. DC tells us a few realities about higher education funding in the process.
Musings started the year concerned about science education in Texas (see: Warren Chisum, R-Dark Ages) and ended the year with some commentary about her friend, Chris Comer, being fired as Director of Science at the Texas Education Agency over her stand on evolution. In between it was all about Melissa and Rick Noriega.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes a church in El Paso falls victim to manipulation by a right wing cadre bent on world domination. CouldBeTrue then wonders what would have happened in a perfect Republican world when the Minnesota bridge collapsed. South Texas Chisme covers the wedge'em and hate'em campaign,, also known as Republican immigration strategy. Hispanics have taken note.
The Texas Cloverleaf, another blog new to the TPA this year, was a submission hold performed by professional wrestler Dean Malenko, which tied up his opponent's legs, much like a clover. We are designed to be one of those lefty progressive Democratic type political blogs. We live in North Texas, so expect a lot of DFW area stuff. But, we like the rest of the state, sometimes. Maybe even America. But don't push us! Politics is like a Texas Cloverleaf. It takes you in different directions, and ultimately will make you tap out! The series we are most proud of since forming in the summer of 2007 was the continued exposure of the outright lies and misleading statements coming from the pro-toll road crowd in Dallas during the Trinity Vote effort. Even though the referendum failed, we feel we did our part to help Dallas voters make an informed decision. Read the series here, here, here, here and here.
Best wishes for a happy 2008 from the Texas Progressive Alliance.
[Today, the Texas Progressive Alliance honors its 2007 Texan of the Year. This year, the Alliance elected to recognize a number of other Texans who have contributed to Texas politics and the Progressive cause during 2007. This week, leading up to the TOY announcement, we brought you our Texas Progressive Alliance Gold Stars. Thursday, we recognized State Sen. Mario Gallegos. Wednesday, we recognized Molly Ivins. Tuesday, we recognized Denise Davis. Monday, it was Rick & Melissa Noriega. Our Silver Stars, announced last week, may be found here.]
The Texas Progressive Alliance is proud to announce the House Leadership team of State Rep. Jim Dunnam, State Rep. Garnet Coleman, and State Rep. Pete Gallego as our 2007 recipients of the Texan of the Year award.
There may not be another three individuals who have done more for Democrats in the state of Texas over the past four years than Rep. Jim Dunnam, Rep. Pete Gallego. Together, they have led the fight for the resurgence of the Texas Democratic Party. Every day is another story. They fought through the 2006 elections, and then they fought for the months leading up to the first day of session. They led the fight against Speaker Craddick in the final days of the session, and are now poised to add to the Democratic gains in the House as they continue their roles as Co-Chairs of the House Democratic Campaign Committee.
Their work together is imperative to the continued progress of Democrats in Texas, but it's their individual efforts that really demonstrate how this leadership team makes the best of one another for the good of all Texans. Here is a brief highlight of what each of these leaders did over the past year:
State Rep. Jim Dunnam
We had a mere 62 members in the House in 2003. Today, there are 70, including State Rep. Kirk England, who announced his intentions to switch parties and run as a Democrat next cycle. In only 5 years, there was full frontal attack on Speaker Craddick's ability to lead, launched by one question by the Waco Democrat: "Mr. Speaker, what is the process of removing the Speaker of the Texas House?" His mastery of the House rules is incredible to watch.
During the 80th Regular Session, Rep. Jim Dunnam led efforts to clean up the mess Governor Perry and the Republican leadership made at the Texas Youth Commission. He worked with Rep. Coleman and Rep. Gallego to lead the fight against expanding new tax cuts for the richest 10% of Texans at the expense of health care and education opportunities for Texas families. He passed numerous bills for his district, but he will forever be remembered for the efforts he made on the House floor, challenging the absolute power of Speaker Craddick.
State Rep. Garnet Coleman
Rep. Garnet Coleman is one of the most progressive members of the Texas House. Rep. Coleman filed over sixty piece of legislation, including (1) legislation end tuition deregulation, (2) legislation to overturn the ban on gay marriage, (3) legislation to prevent the construction of any new toll roads anywhere in the state of Texas. But beyond these strong policy positions, he successfully passed legislation to expand health care opportunities for former foster children and double the funding for cancer research. He continued his fight to fully restore CHIP -- an effort he's worked for ever since Speaker Craddick and his allies cut hundreds of thousands of kids off of health care since 2003.
Beyond his legislative work, Rep. Coleman is the top fundraiser for Texas Democrats, and is well-known for his non-stop efforts in supporting House Democrats across the state. He chairs the Legislative Study Group, which received a Silver Star award from the TPA for its incredible policy work.
State Rep. Pete Gallego
Rep. Pete Gallego is the chair of of the largest bipartisan legislative caucus in the Texas House-- the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. He also sits on the national board of NALEO. He was a top lieutenant for Speaker Pete Laney, and his trust from that better time in the Texas House allows him to remain as one of the most trusted members in the Texas House.
His policy issues are far-reaching, and can range from helping protect our state's natural resources to preventing those horrid voter ID bills behind the scenes. Rep. Gallego also helped temper some of the more controversial issues of the session, including immigration and security.
Rep. Gallego often makes waves quietly inside the Capitol, but his efforts help thousands of Texans from all walks of life. Together, Rep. Gallego, Rep. Dunnam, and