Tag Archives: Greg Abbott

The Texas Dem legislators and the push for federal voting rights legislation

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We know this happened. Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday pointed to Texas Republicans’ push for sweeping new voting restrictions as a key illustration of the need to restore federal oversight of elections. While meeting at the White House with … Continue reading →

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HISD asks for virtual learning funds do-over

Posted on June 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I can understand this. Thirty school districts, including Houston ISD, and two associations signed a letter to urge Gov. Greg Abbott to add legislation funding virtual learning to any special session for other proposed laws. A bill that would have ensured districts … Continue reading →

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It’s just the next GoFundMe for “border security”, with more grifting and human rights abuses

Posted on June 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Have I made my opinion sufficiently clear, or do I need to spell it out for you? Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday said Texas will spend $250 million to begin building a wall along the Mexico border, picking up … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

There’s still a lot of investment in renewables in Texas

Posted on June 17, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good to know. Four months after the failure of the Texas electric grid sparked a backlash against clean power, investors and developers have decided just what the state needs: more renewable energy. Much more. Texas is on pace to have … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sure is a good thing the Lege fixed all those power grid problems

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Otherwise, who knows what could happen? Texas’ main power grid struggled to keep up with the demand for electricity Monday, prompting the operator to ask Texans to conserve power until Friday. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas said in a … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Beto’s still doing his thing

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m still hoping it will turn into another thing. More than just the Houston heat fired up the crowd at voting rights rally Sunday, where former Congressman Beto O’Rourke urged action against a restrictive bills being championed by Republicans. “I … Continue reading →

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We need to talk about Sid

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I know, I don’t want to and you don’t want to talk about it, but Sid Miller might run for Governor, so we’re gonna have to talk about it. Texas Agricultural Commissioner Sid Miller doesn’t believe Texas Governor Greg Abbott … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

From the “Oops, how did that get in there?” department

Posted on June 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Remember how the final version of SB7, the one that emerged from behind closed doors in conference committee, had a provision in it that would have made it a lot easier to overturn the result of an election via legal … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s border wall

Posted on June 12, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I have many questions about this, but for this post I will limit myself to three. Gov. Greg Abbott announced Thursday that Texas will build a border wall along the state’s boundary with Mexico — but provided no details on … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

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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How about we sue you for a change?

Posted on June 9, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The state of Texas has sued the federal government more times than I can count in recent years. There may be examples of the reverse happening, but offhand I can’t think of any. As such, this may be a first. … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman stepping down

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman is resigning from her post effective Friday. She informed Gov. Greg Abbott of the decision in a letter sent Monday. The news was first reported by the Houston Chronicle. “With utmost gratitude for … Continue reading →

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What are the limits on limiting vaccination requirements?

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

News item #1: Carnival will require COVID vaccinations for all passengers cruising from Galveston: Carnival Cruise Line today announced plans to begin cruising from the Port of Galveston on July 3. Cruises will be open to customers who are fully … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, That's our Lege, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What was the effect of Texas’ early re-opening?

Posted on June 6, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s a new study by a trio of economic researchers that attempts to answer questions about the behavioral, public health, and economic effects of Greg Abbott ending the statewide mask mandate and all restrictions on how businesses can operate, all … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Can Abbott actually veto the legislative budget?

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Who knows? We’ll see if he actually does it. Fresh off the defeat of two of his legislative priorities Sunday night when Democrats abandoned the Texas House to block a sweeping elections bill, Gov. Greg Abbott flexed his executive muscle … Continue reading →

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We go to the next freeze with the power grid reform we have, not the power grid reform we wanted

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It is what it is, and what it is isn’t much. Texas lawmakers on Sunday passed a final proposal to shore up the state’s power grid in response to this year’s deadly outage crisis, agreeing on a raft of reforms … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

P Bush officially challenges Paxton

Posted on June 4, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The primary no one asked for. Land Commissioner George P. Bush announced Wednesday that he is running for attorney general, challenging fellow Republican Ken Paxton with a sharp focus on Paxton’s legal troubles. “Enough is enough, Ken,” Bush said during … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

No limits imposed on Governor’s powers in an emergency

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

So much for that. The state Legislature won’t curtail Gov. Greg Abbott’s pandemic powers, after members of the House and the Senate failed to hash out their differences over it. The measure, House Bill 3, was priority legislation in the … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

More on the post-quorum break fallout

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

This Trib story mostly centers on the perspective of the Black legislators during the SB7 fight, and it’s a good read for that, but I want to focus on this bit here: While the legislation in the Senate partly targeted … Continue reading →

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So now what?

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Well, Greg Abbott gets to have a little temper tantrum, which may or may not end up in an immediate special session. The Texas Legislature closed out its regular 140-day session Monday with sniping among the state’s top political leaders … Continue reading →

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Another upward revision of the freeze death count

Posted on June 1, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Buzzfeed News takes a deep dive. The true number of people killed by the disastrous winter storm and power outages that devastated Texas in February is likely four or five times what the state has acknowledged so far. A BuzzFeed … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Are we headed for a June special session or not?

Posted on May 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Too soon to tell. Right now this is just the usual end-of-session venting and frustration. With the future of the power grid and voting laws in Texas hanging in the balance, tensions among the top political leaders in the Legislature … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Anti-trans sports bill dies

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good news, with the usual caveats. A controversial Texas bill that would restrict the participation of transgender student athletes in school sports ran out of time for consideration in the House as the lower chamber hit a crucial deadline Tuesday night for … Continue reading →

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We return again to the “Is Beto running for Governor” question

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s all about tonal shifts. There’s no road trip, no soul searching. No beard or blogging. But Beto O’Rourke is making a political life decision again. Three years after becoming Democrats’ breakout star out of Texas, and a year removed … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Abbott knew the blackouts were coming

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good morning. Take a deep, cleansing breath, have a seat, and then read this. Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office knew of looming natural gas shortages on February 10, days before a deep freeze plunged much of the state into blackouts, … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Permitless carry passes

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It was nice to dream for a minute that the Republicans would fumble the ball short of the goal line on this, but it was never realistic. A bill to allow the permitless carrying of handguns in Texas is on … Continue reading →

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Think of the kids today

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Today, the anti-trans sports bill SB29 is on the House calendar. Hopefully, it will fail to make it to the floor before midnight, which is the deadline for Senate bills to be passed by the House. Whatever the case, spend … Continue reading →

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Two arguments against Abbott’s rollback of extended unemployment insurance

Posted on May 25, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

It’s bad economic policy. “I’m still nervous that we’re bowing out of this program before the labor market is fully healed,” said Dietrich Vollrath, an economics professor at the University of Houston. “The bad consequences of doing too much is … 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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Might permitless carry actually fail?

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t want to allow myself to hope, but there are some sticking points, and apparently some hard lines being drawn. Both the Texas House and Senate have agreed in large part to the concept of so-called “constitutional carry” legislation … Continue reading →

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Abbott signs massive anti-abortion bill

Posted on May 20, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

We’ll see who sues who first. Gov. Greg Abbott signed into a law Wednesday a measure that would prohibit in Texas abortions as early as six weeks — before some women know they are pregnant — and open the door … Continue reading →

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Oh Lord, we’re still talking about Matthew McConaughey

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Please make it stop. At least, please make it stop until and unless there is some actual thing that is worth talking about. Alright, alright, alright … he might, he might, he might. Matthew McConaughey has publicly said a run … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Threat level down

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Been waiting for this for some time. Harris County finally will downgrade from its highest COVID-19 threat level, County Judge Lina Hidalgo said Monday evening, after 47 weeks of urging residents to stay home. Hidalgo said the effectiveness of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

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 →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments