Tag Archives: Rick Perry

Tesla’s stealth visit to San Antonio

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

May mean something, or it may not. A pair of executives from Tesla Motors Inc., the electric carmaker that’s scouting a location for its planned $5 billion “gigafactory,” secretly met here Wednesday with top city and county officials, a person … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry feels your pain, ladies

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You know what you ladies need? A big heaping dose of Rick Perry explaining to you why all this “equal pay” stuff is so silly. Rick Perry said today it’s “nonsense” to focus on equal pay for women when there … Continue reading →

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Tesla and Texas

Posted on March 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Tesla Motors currently can’t sell its cars in Texas via its preferred model of direct sales to consumers. Its attempts to modify state laws to allow for direct sales went nowhere last session, blocked by fierce opposition from the Texas … Continue reading →

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Abbott comes out for inequality

Posted on March 20, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Turns out he’s been a practitioner of it for some time. Equal pay for women is in the spotlight of the Texas governor’s race, and figures from Attorney General Greg Abbott’s state agency show most female assistant attorneys general make … Continue reading →

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No love for Dan

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s one vote he won’t get. Whether incumbent Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst can make up for a big primary night loss to challenger Dan Patrick in a May runoff may depend on if he can successfully court the supporters of … Continue reading →

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Perry’s No Jobs Tour continues

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

TrailBlazers takes the bait. Rick Perry is on the road again. But then, he’s rarely off it these days. This weekend, he’s in Western Kentucky at Murray State University to headline a Republican Party fundraiser. Then, it’s off to California … Continue reading →

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Once again, the cost of not expanding Medicaid

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Short answer: It’s a lot. A team of Harvard researchers recently released a deeply sobering study quantifying how many Americans stand to die needlessly in the unflinching states hellbent on denying Medicaid expansion, as provided by the Affordable Care Act. … Continue reading →

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The Texas Miracle that wasn’t

Posted on March 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Washington Monthly’s Phillip Longman takes a closer look at the claims made by the likes of Rick Perry about Texas’ economic success, and finds them largely wanting. Here’s a taste: It’s hard to think of any two states more different … 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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More evidence of Cameron Willingham’s innocence

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The scientific evidence against Cameron Todd Willingham, who was executed in 2004 for the arson deaths of his three children, has long been discredited. The other piece of evidence used against him at trial was the testimony of a jailhouse … Continue reading →

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Next steps in the Texas same sex marriage lawsuit

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

In case you were wondering, Attorney General and candidate for Governor Greg Abbott will appeal Wednesday’s historic ruling striking down Texas’ constitutional amendment barring same sex marriage. The state of Texas has officially given notice that it is appealing a … Continue reading →

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The UT/TT poll’s track record in past Democratic primaries

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The one result in that UT/TT poll from Monday that has people freaking out is the one that shows nutball LaRouchie Kesha Rogers leading the Senate race with 35%, followed by David Alameel with 27%. I expressed my skepticism of … Continue reading →

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Perry schools Abbott

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

This is how it’s done, son. Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Thursday condemned inflammatory remarks by Ted Nugent that resurfaced when the outspoken rocker this week joined Republican Greg Abbott’s gubernatorial campaign. Nugent was quoted in an interview with Guns.com … Continue reading →

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The turnout issue in 2014

Posted on February 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Two recent articles of interest, both about the nature of the electorate in non-Presidential years. First, via Ed Kilgore, who has been beating the drum about the volatility of the Democratic base, comes this NYT story about what the Democratic … Continue reading →

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ACA enrollments top 200K in Texas

Posted on February 14, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Despite continued fierce resistance from state leadership, people keep signing up for health insurance in Texas via the Healthcare.Gov exchange. Enrollment in the federal health insurance marketplace continued to steadily climb in January, according to data the U.S. Department of … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s border surge plan

Posted on February 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

A whole lot of not much here. Attorney General Greg Abbott, the Republican candidate for governor, said Tuesday he wants to nearly double state spending to improve security along the U.S.-Mexico border, proposing a “continuous surge” with 1,000 new boots … Continue reading →

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EPA and TCEQ settle lawsuits over flex permits

Posted on February 4, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

One less court fight for us and the feds. The EPA and Texas on Wednesday said they have reached a deal over state permits for industrial air pollution, ending a four-year fight that to some had become a symbol of … Continue reading →

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The coverage gap

Posted on February 2, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

As you may know, the intent of the Affordable Care Act was to get people below a certain income level onto Medicaid, with people at or above that income level receiving subsidized health insurance via the exchanges. Unfortunately, when the … Continue reading →

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Perry and pot

Posted on January 28, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Haul out your blind squirrels and acorns cliches. Texas Gov. Rick Perry said Thursday that he favors decriminalizing marijuana use and lessening punishment for minor offenders as the nation moves toward a more moderate approach to pot use and two … Continue reading →

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Somewhat less onerous navigator rules published

Posted on January 23, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

They could have been worse, but they could still be better. The Texas Department of Insurance on Tuesday issued state regulations for health care “navigators,” the workers who assist people seeking health insurance in the federal marketplace created by the … Continue reading →

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If you want to be treated for mental illness, go to jail

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

You’ve heard it said that the Harris County Jail is the largest mental health facility in Texas. Here’s a great story in the Observer by Emily DePrang that illustrates what that really means. Of the 9,000 or so inmates here, … Continue reading →

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Where are the women’s health providers?

Posted on January 15, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

The Republican jihad against Planned Parenthood continues to have real consequences. In 2011, under pressure from Republican leaders, state health officials began enforcing a provision lawmakers wrote to exclude Planned Parenthood and any clinics with organizational ties to abortion providers … Continue reading →

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Rick Perry doesn’t want people to get health insurance

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

There’s really no other viable explanation. On a White House conference call on Monday, Texas Democrats criticized Gov. Rick Perry and other Republican state leaders for “getting in the way” of implementing federal health care reform. During the call, which … Continue reading →

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Would he be “Mayor Bun B”, or just “Mayor B”?

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Rocks Off looks at the field of Mayoral candidates for 2015 and asks “Why not Bun B?” So to whom might the Bayou City turn for leadership through the latter half of this decade? The field is literally wide open, … Continue reading →

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The fox has always guarded the henhouse

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

News item: Rick Perry appointee says something obnoxious and privileged about the people his company fleeces for his fortune. The official who oversees Texas’ consumer watchdog says payday-loan customers — not the lenders — are responsible when the loans trap … Continue reading →

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HHSC publishes rules relating to HB2

Posted on December 31, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

HHSC is all in on the omnibus anti-abortion bill passed during the special session this summer. Texas health officials have a message for the more than 19,000 folks who wrote in to oppose new abortion regulations: Each individual commenter failed … Continue reading →

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Lehmberg beats the rap

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good for her. District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg will remain in her position as the top felony prosecutor in Travis County, visiting Judge David Peeples ruled Wednesday. Lehmberg hugged her supporters in the courtroom after the decision was read, shedding tears. … Continue reading →

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Abbott’s CPRIT problem

Posted on December 9, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Expect to hear a lot about this. A Travis County grand jury has indicted Jerry Cobbs, a former high-ranking official with the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, on charges that he unlawfully secured the execution of an $11 … Continue reading →

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Same sex couples win the right to register for benefits in the Texas National Guard

Posted on November 28, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Happy Thanksgiving, y’all. The Texas National Guard said late Tuesday it will immediately let same-sex couples register for benefits, ending a highly publicized standoff with the Pentagon. Five Texas Guard facilities, including one in Houston, that had been off limits … Continue reading →

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It’s about much more than abortion

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another reminder that even if the Legislature had taken no action on abortion since 2011, it still grievously damaged women’s access to healthcare. The closure of nine of 32 family planning clinics in the Rio Grande Valley — a … Continue reading →

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Wendy Davis needs to push back on Texas’ refusal to comply with the law on military same-sex benefits

Posted on November 18, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The sooner the better. This is a no-brainer, and a win all around. Texas Gov. Rick Perry stood his ground [last] Friday in a showdown with the Pentagon over processing benefits for same-sex couples at National Guard offices, possibly setting … Continue reading →

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Of course Wendy Davis needs to talk about health care

Posted on November 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

It’s not even a question. In order for Davis to defeat Attorney General Greg Abbott, her likely Republican opponent next November, political strategists say she needs to win big among two key demographics: Hispanics and white women. Among Hispanics in … Continue reading →

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UT/TT poll has Davis trailing Abbott by five

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I know today is Election Day 2013, but for better or worse much of the attention lately has been about the 2014 elections. Filing season begins later this week, and we now have a new poll result suggesting that the … Continue reading →

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Hagel tells Texas National Guard to obey the law

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Good. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel late Thursday rebuked Texas and eight other states whose National Guard organizations have refused to process federal benefits given to same-sex couples. In a speech before the Anti-Defamation League in New York, Hagel revealed that … Continue reading →

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