Category Archives: Show Business for Ugly People

You may recall that some counties experienced problems with the statewide voting records system during early voting for the May 12 elections. As a result, some of them are now abandoning that system for one that is used by Harris … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Sheesh. A $14 million centralized voting-records system used by 224 Texas counties has so many computer flaws that voter registration officials in many counties want the state to scrap it. The system already has kicked registered voters’ names off the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

So this Texan goes to visit Australia, and while he’s there he takes a tour of an Australian ranch. The Aussie rancher tells him how big the ranch is, and the Texan says “Big deal. Where I come from, we’ve … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here’s the story, as first reported. Piece by piece, Gov. Rick Perry’s homeland security office is gathering massive amounts of information about Texas residents and merging it to create the most exhaustive centralized database in state history. Warehoused far from … Continue reading → Continue reading →

So what are you doing on May 19th? Let Hal make a suggestion: The Fort Bend Democrats are hosting a picnic in the park with barbecue, guest speakers, an auction, and good company. Where: Eldridge Park Pavilion 2511 Eldridge Road, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Amen to this. The father of the state’s public school accountability system says it’s time to scrap the way schools get rated and substitute something better. “We think it’s become cumbersome. Nobody can understand it,” says retired Republican Sen. Bill … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Meant to link to this story about the Texas Democratic Party town hall meeting in Laredo, but didn’t get to it till now. The real story isn’t so much what was said and done, but that it happened and that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

There’s not a whole lot more in this Clay Robison piece on the halfway mark of the 80th Lege than we’d already gotten from Paul Burka, but there is one thing worth highlighting: [S]everal of Gov. Perry’s priorities are in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

How long has it been since you’ve heard me on the radio spouting off about things like the Lege and Senate speculation? Well, that’s too long, as they say. You can fix that tonight, as I’ll be on the air … Continue reading → Continue reading →

In case you haven’t seen the Texas Monthly interview with Governor Perry, which has in some ways already been overtaken by current events, even if it’s only a week old. All things considered, it’s probably just as well that Perry … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Dan Patrick versus the Texas Association of Business. There’s not enough popcorn in the world, that’s all I can say. Continue reading →

The Chron reviews Rick Perry’s history of executive orders, in comparison to his predecessors, and finds that he really has been doing things that weren’t tried before. I’ll leave it to you to read, but this pretty much sums up … Continue reading → Continue reading →

As you know, my social calendar is a bit curtailed these days. But that shouldn’t stop you from making it to a fine event such as this: The Houston Democratic Forum invites you to a Casual Q&A with Our Special … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Scott McCown of the Center for Public Policy Priorities has sent a letter (PDF) to AG Greg Abbott urging him to rule that Governor Perry has overstepped his bounds with his recent executive order on the HPV vaccine. It’s a … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Paul Burka considers the constitutional aspect of Governor Perry’s executive order regarding the HPV vaccine, for which AG Greg Abbott has been asked to issue a ruling. I’ll leave the details and the politics of it to Burka, who covers … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Scott McCown of the Center for Public Policy Priorities wades in on the HPV vaccination controversy and makes the same point I did, with a lot more detail. Both the vaccination order and the 65 percent order, however, violate the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I knew that there had to have been a previous example of an inappropriate Executive Order by Rick Perry that usurped the Legislature, and Paul Burka reminds me of it: the Sixty-Five Percent order for public schools. If anyone can … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I have to say, however the matter of Governor Perry’s Executive Suggestion regarding the HPV vaccine plays out, it’s been all kinds of fun watching the Republican-on-Republican action that has resulted from it. “This needs closer examination. How much will … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Various Republican legislators have complained to Governor Perry about his Executive Suggestion that girls be vaccinated against HPV. State Sen. Jane Nelson, chairwoman of the Senate’s health and human services committee, said lawmakers should have been allowed to hear from … Continue reading → Continue reading →

If you do a good thing for a bad reason, is it still a good thing? Acting on an issue that is stirring controversy in the Legislature, Gov. Rick Perry on Friday made Texas the first state to require girls … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Via BOR, the state’s contract with Jack Abramoff-associated lobby contract with Cassidy & Associates has been terminated. Gov. Rick Perry had hired Cassidy & Associates and The Federalist Group a rate of $15,000 a month each to push Texas priorities … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I just have two questions regarding this story: 1. Weren’t there any less controversial washed up headbangers to perform at the inaugural? I mean, c’mon, how busy to you think Don Dokken and Greg Giuffria are these days? 2. Did … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The softer side of Rick Perry made another appearance at his inauguration. “Texas is better off when Republicans and Democrats work together,” the Republican governor told several hundred legislators, guests and spectators in the House chamber, where the inaugural ceremony, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It’s good to see Nick Lampson back where he belongs. Though Lampson proudly claimed membership in an unusually large freshman class of 55 lawmakers, he is anything but a new guy on campus. As he made his way through the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

As you know, Texas Democrats made numerous gains in this election cycle – in Congress, in the State House, in counties like Hays and Dallas, and so on. While there’s much to be happy about in these results, there’s much … Continue reading → Continue reading →

And thanks for all the speeches. She marched into Congress determined to help cut taxes and reform immigration despite the fact that she was only serving out a lame-duck term. But after two weeks of legislative business on Capitol Hill, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Must be nice to have sixteen million dollars to invest in political giving. Houston home builder Bob Perry poured $16 million into state and federal races during the recent election cycle, apparently making him the biggest individual political contributor in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Texas Progressive Alliance has named Carolyn Boyle and Texas Parent PAC its “Texan of the Year” for 2006. Which is to say we got smart this time and picked someone who couldn’t get Leiningered in the next primary. Of … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Houston Press has given its uncoveted Turkey of the Year Award for 2006 to Shelley Sekula Gibbs. I realize there’s been plenty already written about her farcical “term” in office so far, but for my money, this is the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Allow me to endorse the conclusion reached here by Matthew Yglesias regarding who the Democrats should appoint to be the chair of the House Intelligence Committee: [P]ass over both [Rep. Alcee] Hastings and [Rep. Jane] Harman and reach down to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

One thing I missed from before the election but Marc caught is that the Supreme Court followed suit with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in rejecting the injunction against Attorney General Greg Abbott that prevented him from pursuing enforcement … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Via Kos, I find myself feeling a twinge of sympathy for the New York Republican Party. Anticipating historic political losses in New York tomorrow, state Republican leaders are lashing out at the national party in Washington, saying it has exploited … Continue reading → Continue reading →

What happens when one state stands to lose clout? Another state stands to gain it. The dean of the state’s congressional delegation, Rep. Norm Dicks has been in Congress since Jimmy Carter was president. Throughout his 30 years in the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The injunction that prevented Attorney General Greg Abbott from pursuing enforcement of a new provision that criminalized possessing the absentee ballot of a non-relative has been overturned by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. A three-member panel unanimously struck down … Continue reading → Continue reading →