Category Archives: Show Business for Ugly People

Abbott picks Trumpy Secretary of State

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Red alert, this is not good. Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday appointed John Scott — a Fort Worth attorney who briefly represented former President Donald Trump in a lawsuit challenging the 2020 election results in Pennsylvania — as Texas’ new … Continue reading →

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Quinnipiac: Everyone is under water

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not a great poll for anyone. As Governor Greg Abbott faces reelection in 2022, a slight majority of voters say 51 – 42 percent that he does not deserve to be reelected, according to a Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pea-ack) University poll of … Continue reading →

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A little sandbagging from the SOS on the fraudit

Posted on September 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Who’s running this show? In the five days since the Texas secretary of state’s office announced it is auditing the 2020 general election in four counties, local officials indicated they were in the dark about what the reviews would entail. … Continue reading →

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More on the fraudit

Posted on September 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

My God, Greg Abbott is a wimp. Donald Trump’s letter to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott demanding he pursue an “audit” of the 2020 election set off a “mad dash” in the governor’s office as aides sought to figure out just … Continue reading →

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Abbott and Patrick whine about State Bar complaint against Paxton

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Poor, poor babies. The state’s top officials came to the defense of embattled Attorney General Ken Paxton, saying a state bar investigation into his professional conduct is “politically motivated” and raises questions about the state’s separation of powers. On Friday, … Continue reading →

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A kinder, gentler voter purge

Posted on September 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

How nice. Two years after Texas officials fumbled an effort to double-check the voting rolls on a hunt for non-citizens — and instead threatened the voting rights of nearly 60,000 eligible Texans — similar efforts to purge non-citizen voters are … Continue reading →

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Just a reminder, no one is enforcing Abbott’s mask mandate ban

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In case you had forgotten. While Republican Gov. Greg Abbott is speaking out against mask mandates in schools and suing to stop some Texas school districts from enacting them, in reality his order banning such mandates has gone largely unenforced … Continue reading →

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Morning Consult also finds a decline in Abbott’s approval rating

Posted on September 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Now we have two points. Two Republican governors famed for their antagonistic approach to some COVID-19 safety measures have seen their popularity decline this summer as they presided over some of the country’s worst COVID-19 spikes. But for Florida Gov. … Continue reading →

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Now we look to see what happens with Greg Abbott’s approval ratings

Posted on September 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The first data point is bad for him. Which means it’s good for the rest of us. Gov. Greg Abbott had the lowest approval rating since February 2016 and his highest disapproval numbers during his tenure as governor, The Texas … Continue reading →

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Perry the pitchman

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

How can we miss you if you won’t go away? Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Monday jumped into the middle of the debate over mask mandates in public schools by trying to sell state officials on a product from … Continue reading →

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Greg Abbott remains COVID’s best friend

Posted on August 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s hard to even know what to say. Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday announced an executive order banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates regardless of a vaccine’s approval status with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. He also said he was adding … Continue reading →

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More on the Paxton self-exoneration report

Posted on August 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

More and more ridiculous. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office refuses to release the names of the authors or the taxpayer cost of the internal report published Tuesday that concluded that whistleblowers’ accusations that Paxton broke the law were unfounded. … Continue reading →

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Stop investigating yourself, you’ll go blind

Posted on August 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

There’s not enough snark on the Internet for this. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office on Tuesday released an internal report that found that Paxton did not accept bribes and did not misuse his office to benefit his friend and … Continue reading →

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Abbott tests positive for COVID

Posted on August 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to be succinct about this. Gov. Greg Abbott tested positive Tuesday for COVID-19, according to his office. Abbott, who is fully vaccinated, is not experiencing any symptoms and is isolating at the Governor’s Mansion, spokesperson Mark Miner said … Continue reading →

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State follows through on Abbott’s attack on trans kids

Posted on August 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Revolting, though fortunately not particularly consequential. For now, at least. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has responded to Gov. Greg Abbott’s request for an interpretation of state law sent last Friday, agreeing that some gender confirmation surgeries … Continue reading →

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One million reasons why Greg Abbott thinks the grid is just fine

Posted on July 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Or 2.4 billion reasons, depending on how you want to count it. The Texas electric grid collapse during the February winter storm killed hundreds of Texans and caused an estimated $295 billion in damages, while generating seismic gains for a … Continue reading →

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Abbott tells the PUC to, like, “do something” about electricity and stuff

Posted on July 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

He’s a Very Serious man making Very Serious proposals. Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday gave state electricity regulators marching orders to “improve electric reliability.” In a letter to the Public Utility Commission, Abbott directed the three-person board of directors, who … Continue reading →

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UT/Trib poll: Abbott has the best of a bunch of weak approval numbers

Posted on June 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Same story, new chapter, Texas voters are split over whether they approve of Gov. Greg Abbott’s job performance, though he remains popular with Republicans and more popular among Texans than President Joe Biden, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas … Continue reading →

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Another data point on Biden and Latino support

Posted on June 11, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Of interest. Hispanic voters were one of President Joe Biden’s biggest weaknesses in the 2020 election. Although sources differ on his exact margin, Biden’s advantage with Hispanics was the worst for a Democratic presidential nominee since 2004 — even as he … Continue reading →

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SOS Hughs resigns

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

In retrospect, I should have seen this coming. Texas Secretary of State Ruth Ruggero Hughs announced Friday she will step down from her post as the state’s top elections official, less than two years into her term. The decision comes … Continue reading →

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Abbott ends mask mandates

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This guy, I swear. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Tuesday that public schools can no longer require masks on their campuses starting June 5. The decision was part of a new executive order that bans governmental entities in Texas — like … Continue reading →

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Trib polling roundup, part 3

Posted on May 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Once more, with approval ratings. Texas Democrats think Joe Biden is doing a good job as president, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. Texas Republicans don’t. Overall, the president gets good grades from 44% of Texas voters … Continue reading →

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Trib polling roundup, part 2

Posted on May 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The issues polling is mostly on our side, for what that’s worth. A solid majority of Texas voters don’t think adults should be allowed to carry handguns in public places without permits or licenses, though the idea is popular with … Continue reading →

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Trib polling roundup, part 1

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

On COVID and vaccinations. Texas voters are feeling safer about being out in public, and better about getting COVID-19 vaccines, but a majority of the state’s voters still consider the coronavirus a “significant crisis,” according to a new University of … Continue reading →

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The Big Lie

Posted on April 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I was glad to see the Chron run a week-long series of editorials on The Big Lie of “voter fraud”, and how the Republican Party has been pushing it for a lot longer than 2020, and how it has been … Continue reading →

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Medicaid expansion by any means necessary

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever it takes. But I’ll believe it when I see it, and I have a very hard time believing that the current cast of characters will do anything to make it happen. Texas Republicans have been swift to condemn the … Continue reading →

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Show me your vaccine papers!

Posted on April 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Wiat, wrong papers. Forget I just said that. Gov. Greg Abbot issued an executive order early Tuesday banning state agencies from requiring “vaccine passports” to enter public spaces or receive public services. The passports, either digital or printed, would verify … Continue reading →

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Why North Texas?

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The Trib reprints a WaPo story about a cluster of Capitol insurrectionists in the Dallas suburbs, and it’s something. Hope for Trump’s return is fervent in Frisco and across the northern Dallas suburbs, an area of rapid growth and rapidly increasing diversity. … Continue reading →

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Another report on the South Texas vote in 2020

Posted on March 30, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some interesting stuff in here. Cambio Texas, a progressive organization whose mission is to increase voter turnout and elect leaders that reflect the community, has released a post-election report that relies on extensive interviews with elected officials, campaign workers, consultants, … Continue reading →

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What is Ken Paxton hiding?

Posted on March 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I was almost tempted to start this post with the rhetorical “Just when you think Ken Paxton couldn’t sink any lower” gambit, but then I realized I have never thought Ken Paxton couldn’t sink any lower. Even with that, this … Continue reading →

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More storm polling

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Not sure things are as negative as this story makes it sound. Two out of three Texans lost electricity, water or both in last month’s devastating winter storm, though it’s unclear their harrowing experiences will have lasting political consequences, according … Continue reading →

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Please don’t pay any attention to Ted Cruz’s approval ratings

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I know, I’m part of the problem. But seriously, this is utterly meaningless. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s approval rating took a hit after his family trip to Cancún during the Texas freeze, according to polling by Morning Consult, … Continue reading →

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PUC Chair resigns

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The body count increases. The chairwoman of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, the agency that regulates the state’s electric, telecommunication, and water and sewer utilities, resigned Monday, according to a resignation letter provided to the Texas Tribune. The Gov. … Continue reading →

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Why is Greg Abbott doing so little to help Texas recover from the freeze?

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

If this Politico story doesn’t make you mad, then either you’re a Greg Abbott shill or you really need to check your priors. Assessing the effectiveness of disaster response is a famously fraught political game. What looks like a master … Continue reading →

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