Tag Archives: President

To recuse or not to recuse

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

That is the question. More than a week after a judge who once worked for Rick Perry was tapped to hear an appeal in the former governor’s indictment, it’s still unclear whether he’ll see the case through. Legal experts say … Continue reading →

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More on Hillary Clinton’s 50-state strategy

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Again, I like what I’m hearing so far. Hillary Clinton had a message to relay in private meetings with state and local Democrats during her highly-choreographed swings through Iowa and New Hampshire this month: let me help you. The implication? … Continue reading →

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What about Bernie?

Posted on May 1, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Hillary Clinton has some company in the Democratic primary for President. There’s one question Democrats face as they head into the 2016 presidential election. How should they feel about Hillary Clinton? The coalition Barack Obama built happily came out to … Continue reading →

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Hillary Clinton’s Texas staffer

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Here he is. Hillary Clinton is dispatching a full-time organizer to Texas, part of a 50-state strategy to build support for her presidential bid. Manfred Mecoy, the Texas grassroots organizer, is a Fort Worth native and University of Texas at … Continue reading →

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Ted Cruz still really dislikes gay people

Posted on April 26, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Though he’s happy to take their money if they’re foolish enough to offer it to him. Nobody tell the adoring fans at U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz’s presidential announcement at Liberty University that he was palling around liberal New York City … Continue reading →

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More on the potential Hillary effect in Texas

Posted on April 20, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

From the Trib, from shortly before Hillary Clinton made her official announcement. 2. She could resuscitate Texas’ Democratic farm teams. Beyond the presidency, Democrats are betting on gains in the U.S. House in 2016. They’ve got nowhere to go, they … Continue reading →

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Ted Cruz really dislikes gay people

Posted on April 14, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering. Riding a wave of conservative fervor over gay marriage and “traditional” social values, Texas Republican Ted Cruz has surged upward in national presidential polls and major donor support. But even as he rallied Thursday with … Continue reading →

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Castro-for-VP watch

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

He’s in “training camp”. His allure as a potential veep gives [HUD Secretary Julian] Castro a platform for the issues he cares about, and he is serious about governing and giving a voice to people struggling to get into the … Continue reading →

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Cruz may go on Obamacare

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Go ahead, laugh it up. You know you want to. Ted Cruz, one of the loudest critics of Obamacare, will soon be using it for health insurance coverage. “We will presumably go on the exchange and sign up for health … Continue reading →

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Cruzing for President

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I just have one thing to say about this. As Sen. Ted Cruz announces he will run for president, he likely has two things on his mind: money and Iowa. Cruz will formally enter the presidential race ahead of any … Continue reading →

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On playing small ball

Posted on January 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Campos reacts to Mayor Parker’s future statewide plans. And here again is my small ball take from a few weeks ago: It is time for small ball instead of the big inning. In baseball, small ball is a strategy where … Continue reading →

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Once again with Anglo Dems and Anglo voters

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Time once again for the biennial eulogy for Anglo Democrats in the Texas Legislature. When Donna Howard of Austin won a seat in the Texas House in 2006, she was the only white woman among Democrats in the state Legislature. … Continue reading →

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KHOU: Abbott 47, Davis 32

Posted on October 21, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A new poll to open Early Voting. As early voters head to the polls for a landmark election in Texas, a new survey conducted for KHOU-TV and Houston Public Media shows Republican Greg Abbott with a commanding lead over Democrat … Continue reading →

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Castro endorses Clinton

Posted on October 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You may speculate when ready. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) is endorsing Hillary Clinton through an email sent out by the low-dollar super PAC looking to galvanize support for a candidacy in 2016. Castro made the endorsement in an email that … Continue reading →

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Hillary and Julian

Posted on August 18, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The other Texas political story from last week that had tongues wagging and social media buzzing. Why yes, since you asked, the Secretary did have dinner with the Clintons at their house, Julián Castro’s press secretary allowed. Did they have … Continue reading →

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Abbott does one last solid for Perry

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

He lets him keep his little secrets. After critics raised a stink about the tax dollars being spent to provide security for Gov. Rick Perry while he was gearing up to run for president, lawmakers passed a bill in 2011 … Continue reading →

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We will have exit polls this year

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Two years ago, a consortium of news outlets that conducts nationwide exit polls during every November election announced it was scaling back efforts in Texas and 18 other states. The move left political researchers with little data to study … Continue reading →

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Perry’s border surge

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Stupid. Gov. Rick Perry, leaping again into the national spotlight on illegal immigration, announced Monday he is sending up to 1,000 National Guard troops to the Texas-Mexico border, where an influx of young Central Americans has overwhelmed the federal government. … Continue reading →

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Castro confirmed for HUD

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Congratulations, Secretary Castro! The U.S. Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved the nomination of San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The nomination was approved 71-26 on a roll call vote. Sen. … Continue reading →

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Utah will take same sex marriage fight to SCOTUS

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This could be the ballgame. The Utah attorney general’s office announced Wednesday that it will appeal the 10th Circuit Court’s decision last month upholding same-sex marriage to the U.S. Supreme Court. Wednesday was the deadline for the state to seek … Continue reading →

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In defense of Ivy Taylor

Posted on July 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Ivy Taylor is a San Antonio City Council member. She’s currently considered a frontrunner to succeed outgoing Mayor Julian Castro once he leaves to become Housing Secretary. Her elevation to Mayor would be historic, as she would be the first … Continue reading →

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Special session for border security?

Posted on June 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

What could possibly go wrong? State Sen. Dan Patrick, the Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, joined some of his conservative colleagues on Tuesday in calling for “immediate action” to address the surge of undocumented immigrants crossing into Texas. “The Texas … 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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Once again, where are the jobs Rick Perry was trying to poach?

Posted on June 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Politico revisits a familiar subject. Since as early as February of last year and as recently as April of this one, Perry has made eight trips to six different states, all of which have one very particular thing in common: … 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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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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Friday random thirteen: Presidenting is hard work, part 2

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Finishing the job I started last week: 1. We’ve Only Just Begun – Grant Lee Buffalo 2. Buns O’Plenty – Isaac Hayes 3. Mary Ann – Ben Arthur 4. Devil’s Radio – George Harrison 5. Sweet Old Chicago – Roosevelt … Continue reading →

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Friday random ten: Presidenting is hard work, part 1

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

For no particular reason, I got it in my head to see what kind of song lists I could make by using artists with the same name as the Presidents. Turns out I could make two lists’ worth. Here’s the … Continue reading →

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What the Trib’s pollsters miss about their own polls

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Having published their poll results, Jim Henson goes back and analyzes their gubernatorial poll, pronouncing it all a big success. The partisan responses to the poll results have been similarly predictable. The Republican chorus is singing I-told-you-so, chalking up Davis’ … Continue reading →

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Lyceum poll: Abbott over Davis, 29-21

Posted on October 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Make of this what you will. Republican Greg Abbott is leading Democrat Wendy Davis by 8 points in a hypothetical matchup for Texas governor, but it’s a statistical dead heat among women, according to a Texas Lyceum Poll of registered … Continue reading →

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Perry’s empty job-stealing tour continues

Posted on September 16, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Sorry, Maryland. Gov. Rick Perry is taking aim at Maryland and its business climate — his latest effort to lure out-of-state companies to Texas. In a radio advertisement, Perry slams Gov. Martin O’Malley, a Democrat who is considering a presidential … Continue reading →

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Yet another wacky poll about Latino voting in Texas

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Just when I thought I was out…they pull me back in. Sen. Ted Cruz lost the Hispanic vote in Texas by about 20 percentage points, but out-performed GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney, according to post-2012 election polling shared with the … Continue reading →

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BGTX and Anglo women voters

Posted on July 29, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The San Antonio Current has a great story on what Battleground Texas is up to, and why more than just increasing turnout is needed to turn Texas blue. The Democrats can take Texas in 2016 if they can tap into … Continue reading →

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NPR’s odd claim about Latino voting in Texas

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

NPR takes its turn with the obligatory “can Texas turn blue” story, and in doing some provides a number I had not heard before. A new group called Battleground Texas is planning to spend tens of millions of dollars trying … Continue reading →

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