Tag Archives: Governor

A Greg Abbott threefer

Posted on June 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Trail Blazers: Dallas appeals court rules fired prosecutor can pursue whistleblowing case against Greg Abbott’s office In May 2009, a former assistant attorney general in Greg Abbott’s office sued the Office of the Attorney General in Dallas County court, claiming … Continue reading →

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On defining success

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It depends on what your goals are. Suppose you were a Texas Democrat and a realist. You want your candidates to win in November and to break the spirit-killing string of losses that started after the statewide elections in 1994. … Continue reading →

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Of course some people will split their votes

Posted on June 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s just a matter of how many of them do so, and if the races in question are close enough for it to matter. Democrats are hoping the Republicans will eventually make some of the mistakes Democrats themselves made back … Continue reading →

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I repeat: Greg Abbott owns the RPT platform

Posted on June 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is what I’m talking about. At its state convention in Fort Worth last week, the Texas GOP amended its platform to include support for reparative therapy “for those patients seeking healing and wholeness from their homosexual lifestyle.” In response … Continue reading →

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Being an idiot, on the other hand, is totally treatable

Posted on June 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s actually a little amazing that stuff like this doesn’t happen more often. Texas Gov. Rick Perry, speaking in San Francisco on Wednesday night, said the U.S. would better serve its diverse population by letting the states handle many economic … Continue reading →

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UT/Trib poll: Abbott 44, Davis 32

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Whatever. Republican Greg Abbott leads Democrat Wendy Davis by 12 percentage points in the race for governor, according to a new University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll. That result is close to the 11-point spread, also in Abbott’s favor, in the … Continue reading →

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More plaintiffs respond to Abbott’s recusal motion

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I think it’s fair to say that the plaintiffs are strongly opposed to Greg Abbott’s attempt to get Judge Dietz recused in the school finance trial. Lawyers representing hundreds of school districts pushed back Thursday against Texas Attorney General Greg … Continue reading →

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Yes, Greg Abbott owns the RPT platform

Posted on June 12, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, Greg. You can mumble all the vague platitudes you want, but this baby’s all yours. In the wake of the GOP’s approval of a platform that includes a hardline stance on immigration, Attorney General Greg Abbott finds himself at … Continue reading →

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A tale of two perspectives

Posted on June 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Democratic perspective. Much has been written about the importance of groups like suburban women and Hispanics in the 2014 Texas governor’s race. But Democrat Wendy Davis said this week in her first interview of the campaign focused on LGBT … Continue reading →

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Judge Dietz refuses to recuse himself

Posted on June 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. The Travis County District Court judge overseeing a contentious trial over the state’s school finance system rejected a request by the attorney general’s office to recuse himself from the case. Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office asked state District … Continue reading →

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The Latino Victory Project

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I like the sound of this. Building on record-breaking fundraising numbers, an expanded donor base and a historically high number of Latino voters in the 2012 presidential election, a progressive Latino group is set to officially begin efforts to expand … Continue reading →

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Yes, Greg Abbott opposes the HERO

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

He just doesn’t want to be forced to admit it. When the Houston City Council passed its nondiscrimination ordinance including gay and transgender protections, top Democratic statewide candidates such as Sen. Wendy Davis were quick to celebrate. “All people should … Continue reading →

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Where are all the ladies?

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Christy Hoppe of the DMN notices something missing on the Republican side of the 2014 ballot. The Texas Republican Party has a girl problem. A glance down the list of GOP nominees set after Tuesday’s runoffs makes it look as … Continue reading →

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California AG office does better on pay equity than Texas AG office

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

That’s gotta sting. Female lawyers in the California state prosecutor’s office don’t fall as far behind their male counterparts in pay as do female lawyers in the Texas attorney general’s office, according to a Texas Tribune analysis. Since March, the … Continue reading →

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The case against Castro for HUD

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

While we wait for further word on San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro’s reported appointment to be Secretary of HUD – he is keeping quiet about it for now – it’s worth considering some of the political implications behind it. Brian … Continue reading →

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Time for the debate about debates to begin

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting to be debating season. Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis on Tuesday proposed a series of six debates with Republican Attorney General Greg Abbott in their race for governor. Her proposal came after Abbott earlier said he had accepted two … Continue reading →

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Castro to DC?

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The hot rumor going around is that San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is being vetted for a Cabinet position in the Obama administration. For the second time in two years, President Barack Obama has offered Julián Castro a chance to … Continue reading →

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Saturday mini-link roundup

Posted on May 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Three stories you should read that I didn’t have time to devote a full post to: AusChron: Abbott’s abject CPRIT failures The scandal broke after letters between the agency’s chief science officer, Nobel laureate Dr. Alfred Gilman, and CPRIT’s Chief … Continue reading →

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More on Abbott and Duntsch

Posted on May 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Observer follows up its earlier reporting on disastrous doctor Christopher Duntsch and the efforts of Greg Abbott to ensure he is never held accountable for his actions. When I wrote about Duntsch last August, there were quite a few … Continue reading →

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Jay Aiyer: Consider a local option for pre-k

Posted on May 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Note: From time to time, I solicit guest posts from various individuals on different topics. While I like to think I know a little something about a lot of things, I’m fortunate to be acquainted with a number of people … Continue reading →

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Davis steps up attacks on Abbott over CPRIT

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Progress Texas gets the ball rolling. The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) was supposed to provide funding for cancer research. But soon after its implementation, the multi-billion dollar entity was awarding grants to donors of Rick Perry … Continue reading →

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Why isn’t Ken Paxton releasing his tax returns?

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This DMN story is actually about how Sen. Ken Paxton, currently in a runoff for the GOP nomination for Attorney General after leading the field in March, has done pretty well for himself as a lawyer since his initial election … Continue reading →

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Davis vs the DGA

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Show some respect, y’all. The chairman of the Democratic Governors Association gave a less-than-rosy assessment of Sen. Wendy Davis’ chances Tuesday and got a slam in return from her campaign. Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, association chairman, failed to cite the … Continue reading →

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Falkenberg on Abbott’s education plan

Posted on April 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Lisa Falkenberg has a balanced take on Greg Abbott’s education plan. Progress has been tragically slow for the students of North Forest. And their saga makes great fodder for those beating the drum to create something called an “achievement school … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s education plan

Posted on April 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some actual policy from Greg Abbott. In the 27-page, footnoted report that accompanied the press conference, he proposed to “create a swift, automatic process under which the very worst schools would be removed from the control of their local school … Continue reading →

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On improving literacy

Posted on April 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this story. In Houston, a city known for its brilliant doctors and energy executives, adults are waiting in line for classes that teach basic literacy skills – reading, writing and speaking clearly. They … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry really wanted Rosemary Lehmberg to quit

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib. Even after Gov. Rick Perry stripped funding for the agency that prosecutes state public corruption cases, his emissaries worked to swap the resignation of embattled Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg for restoration of the money, several … Continue reading →

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Boats N Hoes

Posted on April 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

With friends like these… The name of a fundraising group made waves in the tug-of-war between Republicans and Democrats over women voters on Wednesday. Political consulting firm employee Shaun Nowacki registered the political action committee, “Boats ‘N Hoes PAC,” with … Continue reading →

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PPP: Abbott 51, Davis 37

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Another discouraging poll from PPP. In the Governor’s race Greg Abbott’s at 51% to 37% for Wendy Davis. Those numbers are largely unchanged from our last poll of the state in early November when Abbott had a 50/35 advantage. Davis … Continue reading →

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The Rick Perry grand jury convenes

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Game on. A grand jury was sworn in Monday to look into whether Gov. Rick Perry acted improperly last year when he threatened to kill funding for the Travis County district attorney’s public corruption division unless District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg … Continue reading →

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Another trip down Demography Lane

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

From the Sunday Chron op-ed pages: Texas is headed for the ditch, but few people are aware of the state’s perilous path. The demographers have seen the future, though, because it’s foretold in their numbers. And they’ve been sounding the … Continue reading →

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Davis keeps up the attack on Abbott over pre-k

Posted on April 13, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

She is not letting up. While addressing the Texas State Teachers Association’s convention in San Marcos on Saturday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis accused her Republican opponent, Greg Abbott, of backing away from his early education policy proposal. Abbott, the … Continue reading →

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Abbott denies his pre-k plan means standardized testing for 4-year-olds

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Glad we cleared that up. After questions were raised about language in a policy proposal that appears to call for the biannual testing of pre-kindergarten students, Republican gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott’s campaign is clarifying his early education plan, saying he is … Continue reading →

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A grassroots fighting force of extraordinary magnitude

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

At least, I hope it is. Addressing hundreds of volunteers on Saturday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis highlighted her efforts to mobilize Texas voters and once again attacked her Republican opponent, Attorney General Greg Abbott, for being what she called … Continue reading →

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