Tag Archives: Donald Trump

Rep. Al Green’s articles of impeachment

Posted on October 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Gauntlet thrown. U.S. Rep. Al Green, a Houston Democrat, introduced formal articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump on the House floor Wednesday during a session otherwise devoted to whistleblower protection legislation. In his argument for impeaching the president, Green … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

“Not One Penny” rally

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Indivisible Houston ​to​ ​Host​ ​“Not​ ​One​ ​Penny”​ ​Rally and Press Conference at John Culberson’s Office​ ​to​ ​Demand​ ​Congress Stop​ ​Robbing from the Poor to Give to Big Business Local Organizers Join Nationwide “Not One Penny” Campaign to … Continue reading →

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SOS halted from handing over voter info

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Good. A Texas district judge has issued a temporary restraining order preventing Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos from handing voter information to President Donald Trump’s voter fraud investigation commission. The order, which came out Tuesday, adds Texas to a … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Trump nominates two to the Fifth Circuit

Posted on October 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is why Republicans put aside their doubts to vote for Trump, and it’s why they stick with him. This is the prize they kept their eyes on, and it’s paying off for them bigtime. President Donald Trump on Thursday … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Can anyone beat Greg Abbott?

Posted on September 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s early days and all that, but the evidence at hand now isn’t positive. The reason for that is fairly simple. A poll circulating among the state’s Democratic leadership—which I was given on the agreement that I would not identify … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Judgmental

Posted on September 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The only bench this guy should be allowed on is a park bench. Jeff Mateer, a high-ranking official in Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office who President Donald Trump has nominated for a federal judgeship, said in speeches in 2015 … Continue reading →

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Some people would like Joaquin Castro to run for Governor

Posted on September 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

The headline to this story says that Rep. Castro “is considering” a run for Governor, but if you read the story you’ll see that my characterization is the more accurate. In need of someone to lead the top of the … Continue reading →

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On DACA

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t have enough words to sufficiently condemn Donald Trump’s shameful decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. So, I’m going to let these people to speak for me. And these people, and these people, and this … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, National news | Tagged , , , , | 27 Comments

Another national publication looks at CD07

Posted on August 27, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Mother Jones, come on down. In addition to [Laura] Moser, the top competitors for the March primary are first-time candidates with stories that fit the political moment in different ways. Lizzie Fletcher, a well-connected lawyer at a large downtown firm, … Continue reading →

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Where have all the foreign students gone?

Posted on August 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Wherever it is, it’s increasingly not here. Students from India, China, Iran and other countries have long flocked to Texas campuses to work with top professors and to earn a prestigious American degree. But this year, those students appear to … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra, The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , | 29 Comments

The rural/suburban tradeoff

Posted on August 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Martin Longman returns to a point he has been making about the way the vote shifted in the 2016 election. Let’s try to be clear about what we mean. Hillary Clinton won a lot of votes in the suburbs from … Continue reading →

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The “death by a thousand cuts” strategy

Posted on July 26, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

How To Kill A Health Insurance Market, Non-Legislative Division: The move by the White House to quietly end the contracts of two companies key to assisting people enrolling for insurance under the Affordable Care Act caught Houston health advocates off … Continue reading →

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Lawsuit filed over giving voter data to bogus Trump commission

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I missed this last week. The League of Women Voters of Texas and the Texas NAACP said Thursday they have sued Texas Secretary of State Rolando Pablos over plans to release voter information to President Donald Trump’s election commission. Texas … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

ACLU seeks information about state’s compliance with Trump election commission

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

From the inbox: Today the ACLU of Texas filed an open records request with the Texas Secretary of State seeking documentation related to the State’s compliance with the federal Election Integrity Commission, which had asked states to submit voters’ full … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

One side benefit of the continued Republican repeal follies

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It depresses the base. Texas-based Republican political consultant Brendan Steinhauser’s early read of the fallout was that the party has reasons to be worried about next year’s midterm elections. “I think that you will see that if this fails, Republicans … Continue reading →

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Coming home to run

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Another Washington Post story about 2018 Congressional candidates that spends a lot of time on a Texas race. Before Donald Trump was elected president, Laura Moser was a freelance writer delving into a project about alternative religions in America. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Your periodic reminder that non-citizens very rarely vote

Posted on July 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I know you don’t need a reminder, being sophisticated followers of the news and all, but here it is anyway. Since Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote in November, our new commander-in-chief has consistently attacked the legitimacy of popular vote … Continue reading →

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Who wants to give Greg Abbott power over their health insurance?

Posted on July 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I sure don’t, but then I’m not the median voter in this state. The Senate Republicans’ health care plan would give governors virtually unchecked discretion over health insurance plans. In red states with governors hostile to health care expansion, such … Continue reading →

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Precinct analysis: Humble ISD

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I’d been meaning to go back to the Humble ISD election in May, where two Project LIFT candidates were running against incumbent members, to see what I could learn. The canvass reports are up on the Harris County Clerk website, … Continue reading →

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Trumpcare would be a hospital killer

Posted on July 8, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is hardly a new problem, but it’s yet another aspect of Trumpcare that gets too little attention. Texas hospitals stand to lose billions under the Republican-backed health plan, as federal Medicaid dollars shrink, leading to a rise in uncompensated … Continue reading →

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

Trump DOJ says all is swell with voter ID now

Posted on July 7, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Of course they do. Texas’ new voter identification law fully absolves the state from discriminating against minority voters in 2011, and courts should not take further action in a battle over the state’s old voter ID law, President Donald Trump’s … Continue reading →

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Not many states are honoring that “give us your voter data” request

Posted on July 6, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Glad to hear it. Forty-four states and the District of Columbia have refused to provide certain types of voter information to the Trump administration’s election integrity commission, according to a CNN inquiry to all 50 states. State leaders and voting … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Texas will turn over some voter info to Trump vote “fraud” commission

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this: Texas will hand over personal information of the state’s more than 15 million voters to President Donald Trump’s commission that is looking into voter fraud. Secretary of State Rolando Pablos said his … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Paxton goes after DACA

Posted on July 1, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I have no words. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and officials from nine other states on Thursday urged the Trump administration to end an Obama-era program that’s allowed hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants to live and work in the … Continue reading →

Posted in La Migra | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Feds join the state in defense of SB4

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

I suppose this was to be expected. About a month ago, the city of El Cenizo filed a lawsuit against the state, calling the bill unconstitutional. On Monday, the Trump administration got involved. The defendants in the lawsuit are the … Continue reading →

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We have a candidate in CD02

Posted on June 22, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Meet Todd Litton, the first declared Democratic candidate of which I am aware for CD02, which is entirely within Harris County and which is held by Rep. Ted Poe, who has been there since 2004. I don’t know much about … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Public testimony on SB4

Posted on June 21, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It was heated, as you might expect. Scores of residents urged City Council on Tuesday to challenge the state’s “sanctuary cities” ban, speaking during more than five hours of public testimony on the eve of council’s vote on whether to … Continue reading →

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Texas Republicans still mostly like Trump

Posted on June 16, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There are a few cracks in the surface, however. Most voters in the country’s biggest red state are wary of President Donald Trump — but Republican voters remain strongly supportive of him, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

The Arizona experience

Posted on June 15, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is what Texas has to look forward to post-SB4. Seven years in, Arizona’s experience hints at what Texas, with the nation’s largest Hispanic population after California, might expect. Supporters of Arizona’s legislation say it has worked, helping to reduce … Continue reading →

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

Maybe we should be a little more concerned about election security?

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Just a thought. Russia’s cyberattack on the U.S. electoral system before Donald Trump’s election was far more widespread than has been publicly revealed, including incursions into voter databases and software systems in almost twice as many states as previously reported. … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Birth control by mail

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

This is interesting, but doesn’t address a couple of key points. About half the counties in Texas don’t have the number of public clinics required to meet the contraceptive needs of the population. So Nurx, an at-home birth control delivery … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Precinct analysis: SBOE districts

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

There are 15 members on the State Board of Education, five Democrats and ten Republicans. Of those ten Republican-held seats, four of them were in districts that were interesting in 2016: Dist Incumbent Clinton Trump Obama Romney ================================================= SBOE5 Mercer … Continue reading →

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Our electors can continue to be faithless

Posted on June 11, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

So much for that. The momentum seemed to be there. After Donald Trump easily defeated Hillary Clinton in Texas, two of the state’s 38 Electoral College members cast ballots for someone other than the Republican nominee — a less-than-flattering moment … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege, The making of the President | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Mayors (still) against climate change

Posted on June 5, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Someone’s gotta do it. On Thursday, President Donald Trump officially announced that the United States would be withdrawing from the Paris climate agreement, citing the deal’s failure “to serve American interests.” Hours later, governors, mayors, and environmental groups all had … Continue reading →

Posted in National news | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments