Tag Archives: Tom DeLay

For those who are just tuning in to the whole Tom DeLay saga

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Statesman has a useful overview of How We Got Here in the DeLay money laundering case, which goes to trial today. I love the fact that it all began with a little hubris. It was November 2002, just days … Continue reading →

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Another look ahead at redistricting

Posted on October 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The short version of this Chron story is basically “Republicans would like to control every aspect of the redistricting process, while Democrats would at least like to win the Governor’s office and maintain some semblance of parity in the House”. … Continue reading →

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The DeLay trial finally gears up

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

OMG, I’m almost as excited about this as I am about the World Series. Lawyers in the Tom DeLay conspiracy trial have subpoenaed a who’s who of witnesses, from associates of disgraced Washington, D.C., lobbyist Jack Abramoff to former Texas … Continue reading →

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Matt Angle’s mission

Posted on October 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Good story in Mother Jones about Matt Angle and the Texas Trust, which was founded in the aftermath of the Tom DeLay-generated re-redistricting of 2003, after which Angle – chief of staff for then-Rep. Martin Frost – found himself out … Continue reading →

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Commuter rail along US 90A

Posted on August 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s an update on a piece of the 2003 Metro Solutions referendum that has been largely quiescent till now, the proposed commuter rail line from the Fannin South station to Fort Bend County. Though efforts soon stalled after a 2003 … Continue reading →

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DeLay “headed to trial”

Posted on August 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

After day one of the pretrial hearings, Tom DeLay will get his trial, and he’ll go before his co-defendants. Motions to dismiss the charges against the former Sugar Land-area representative on the grounds of misconduct by prosecutors remained pending late … Continue reading →

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At long last, the DeLay trial gets underway

Posted on August 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

You know what today is? It’s Tom DeLay Sees The Inside Of A Courtroom Day, that’s what day it is. Yes, I know, he’s out of trouble with the feds – this is about the state charges that have been … Continue reading →

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Feds clear DeLay

Posted on August 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll be honest, I’d forgotten there was an ongoing federal investigation of him by this point. It had been so long since I’d seen any news about it. Former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, today said he … Continue reading →

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The alternate Congressional universe

Posted on June 7, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Since I brought up redistricting yesterday, here’s an interesting thought experiment for you: What might the state’s Congressional delegation look like today if the 2003 DeLay-orchestrated re-redistricting had never happened? I’ll leave it to you to peruse the maps and … Continue reading →

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CCA overturns “checks aren’t cash” appeals verdict

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

For once, their pro-prosecution proclivities were good for something. The Austin appeals court erred in deciding that the state’s money-laundering statute – used to prosecute associates of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay – did not apply to transfers … Continue reading →

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Still for Kip

Posted on January 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

State Sen. Kip Averitt may not want to run for re-election, but there’s still some folks who want to vote for him anyway. Chris DeCluitt, a Waco lawyer who sits on the State Republican Executive Committee, said a movement was … Continue reading →

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Turkey of the Year 2009

Posted on November 30, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Among other things, the Thanksgiving season signals the arrival of year end lists – Top Ten this and that, Best Of, Worst Of, you name it. The local highlight is the Houston Press’ annual Turkey of the Year award, which … Continue reading →

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BAE Systems

Posted on November 28, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I have four things to say about this story, concerning Sealy-based SAE Systems and the $2.6 billion contract with the Defense Department to build Army trucks that it’s on the verge of losing after 17 years. We first heard about … Continue reading →

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Keep talking, Tom

Posted on September 26, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’ll leave the commentary on Tom DeLay’s dancing prowess to the experts and simply note that he has succeeded in getting himself back in the news. Which means people are asking him for his opinions on things, which in turn … Continue reading →

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Earle still pondering a run for Governor

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Ronnie Earle reminds us that he’s still out there, and still thinking about mounting a campaign for Governor. Former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who most recently got national attention for his prosecution of former House Majority Leader Tom … Continue reading →

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What happens now in HCC District 8?

Posted on September 9, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, after the filing-deadline shenanigans in the HCC Trustee District 8 race, brother-in-law candidate Arturo Aguilar said he was withdrawing from the ballot. As I noted at the time, that meant there were no other candidates who had … Continue reading →

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Tom DeLay to dance with the stars

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I’m speechless. The news this morning that former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay will be a contestant on the upcoming season of “Dancing With the Stars” triggered a mixture of chortling and bemusement as it whipped through cyberspace. “Also: Denny Hastert … Continue reading →

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Metro meetings update

Posted on August 12, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Carolyn Feibel follows up on the matter of Metro not posting committee meeting notices online. To clarify one point: Metro board committees always meet right before the regular board meetings, on the same day. Those meeting times and agendas are … Continue reading →

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TDP responds to Vasquez

Posted on June 21, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

From Saturday’s op-ed pages, here’s the Texas Democratic Party’s response, written by the TDP’s legal counsel Chad Dunn, to Leo Vasquez in the matter of Ed Johnson. Johnson’s conflict of interest doesn’t pass the smell test, and during the course … Continue reading →

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Saturday video break: Who are you working for, Dwayne?

Posted on June 20, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

I know I’ve been using these for mostly silly and/or amusing music videos, but given recent developments, I figured this was a good fit for the day. Now we just need someone to do something similar for Leo Vasquez.

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Did Tom DeLay do us a favor on climate change?

Posted on June 19, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Via Yglesias, I see that one of the biggest impediments to a real solution for climate change is Minnesota Democrat Collin Peterson, who is the chair of the Agriculture Committee. This has Chris Bowers thinking outside the box. Here is … Continue reading →

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Happy Ardmore Day

Posted on May 11, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Rep. Pena remembers the day six years ago when the House Democrats took a stand against the DeLay/Craddick/Perry re-redistricting scheme. Though they were only able to delay the inevitable, the effort marked the beginning of the resurgence of the Texas … Continue reading →

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Statewide race for Earle?

Posted on April 27, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Well, this is interesting news. Retired for all of four months, former Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle is considering running for a new job, possibly as the state’s top lawyer. “There have been people who have talked to me … Continue reading →

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“With Brinkley and Huntley describing contrapuntally the cities we have lost”

Posted on April 17, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

From the “Be careful what you vaguely allude to in a plausibly deniable way in front of a frothing crowd that knows exactly what you’re talking about and is loving every word of it” department: Rasmussen: “75% [of Texans] Opt … Continue reading →

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White rakes it in for his Senate bid

Posted on April 15, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Among other things, today is the deadline for federal candidates to report their campaign finance status. Of the many contenders for Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Senate seat, whenever that becomes available, I think it’s safe to say that Bill White had … Continue reading →

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CLC gambling update

Posted on April 8, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

Today there will be committee hearings on various gambling-related bills. I am reprinting here an email sent by Suzii Paynter of the Christian Life Coalition, which is one of the leading organizations that are fighting the expansion of gambling in … Continue reading →

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Weekend link dump for February 1

Posted on February 1, 2009 by Charles Kuffner

You’re probably watching the Super Bowl instead of reading this, but what the hell… Tough times for MAD magazine. “It’s pronounced PENNIS-ton”. Yeah, that’ll help. Via The Bloggess. Make your own Obamicon. The more that Tom DeLay is frightened by … Continue reading →

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