Category Archives: Show Business for Ugly People

Nevada’s governor recall drive terminated CARSON CITY, Nev. — An anti-tax group trying to oust Gov. Kenny Guinn gave up Monday after failing to gather enough signatures to get the recall on the ballot. The recent recall of former California … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Texas Democratic Party has jumped into the blog pool with a new effort called the Yellow Dog Blog. As noted by Byron, who along with his coauthers at Burnt Orange helped design and build the site, the YDB will … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I came across the following curious entry in the Quorum Report the other day and have been trying unsuccessfully to find out more information about it. AUTOMATED PHONE EFFORT TO RECRUIT OPPONENT FOR CRADDICK Calls blanketing Midland today [11/7] Dave … Continue reading → Continue reading →

During the time that I was undecided about which candidates for City Council I should support, I spent some time looking at the various candidates’ web pages. I came away very unimpressed with their efforts, and with a few simple … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Greg Wythe has a long and in depth review of Zell Miller’s book “A National Party No More” that’s well worth your time to read. Greg is someone who’s closer to Miller’s end of the party spectrum than I am, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

I don’t really have much to say about the election of Charles Soechting as the state Democratic Party chair on an interim basis to finish out Molly Beth Malcolm’s term, but StoutDem, Greg Wythe and Andrew D all do. Sounds … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Mark Evanier catches Jerry Falwell saying something really dumb on Crossfire. BEGALA: General Boykin said — and I’m quoting him here about our president — “Why is this man in the White House? The majority of Americans did not vote … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Both Clay Robison and Cragg Hines speculate about the next governor’s race in 2006 and which of Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kay Bailey Hutchison will be more likely to challenge Rick Perry at that time. Robison does a good job … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Can I just say now how glad I will be to never hear the words California recall election again? I have no guess who will win, and frankly I’m finding it hard to care. Unfortunately, I suspect the only outcome … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Bruce Davidson cites a report by former political director of the Texas Republican Party and current analyst for the Quorum Report Royal Masset on current demographic trends and its likely effect on Texas’ voting patterns. “Republicans will start losing judicial … Continue reading → Continue reading →

You may recall how a wacky group called Texas Citizens’ Action Network (TexCAN) recently accused MoveOn supporters of being Commies because the Communist Party of America (cpusa.org) web page links to MoveOn.org. Well, the Austin Chronicle had the same reaction … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Remember Thomas Whaley, the State Republican Executive Board member who came under fire for allegations that he had secretly taped SREC meetings which contained embarrassing statements by the GOP leadership and gave the tapes to the Houston Chronicle? Well, we … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Via Atrios and Kos comes this insight into how someone who’s spent too much time in power thinks. [A]n administration move to privatize air traffic control at 69 airports has sparked opposition from labor groups, which contend it would compromise … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Today a group of progressive Texas bloggers are all posting on the subject “What Texas Democrats Should Do Next”. The following is a link to everyone’s post for today’s blogburst, which will be updated through the day as they come … Continue reading → Continue reading →

(This post is part of a blogburst.) Whatever else you may say about our neverending legislative session and the incessant push by the state GOP to redraw Congressional boundaries, one thing that you can’t deny is that Democrats wouldn’t be … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Hey, guess what? If you support MoveOn, you’re a commie! Snark fails me. No wonder Molly Ivins has never run out of material. UPDATE: The R&D section of the Quorum Report has a nice free article by Edd Sills that … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Our overburdened state constitution is now 22 amendments longer, which sadly means that the evil Prop 12 also passed, though by a narrower margin and in heavier voting than what was originally expected. I look forward to better access to … Continue reading → Continue reading →

If you don’t know about today’s Special Because We Make It Special Election, it’s not my fault. Polls are open from 7 AM to 7 PM, and the evil tort reform amendment Prop 12 is the big issue. You know … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Early voting for the Special Double-Secret Amendment-Only Election tomorrow was higher than for the boring old regular election of 2001, leading Secretary of State Geoffrey Connor to predict turnout of about nine percent. Voter turnout in the past six constitutional … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Morat and Different Strings are trying to drum up support for Rep. Rush Holt’s HR 2239, known as the Voter Confidence and Increased Accessibility Act of 2003, which would: require all voting systems to produce a voter-verified paper record for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Just a reminder that early voting in Texas for our deliberately misplaced referendum-only special election ends tomorrow night. (I did my civic duty on Friday, in case you’re curious.) As that article notes, turnout for elections like these generally sucks, … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The topic de la semaine for Flood The Zone Friday is that unholy and un-American abomination ironically called the PATRIOT Act. The Not Geniuses boys recommend support for the Murkowski-Wyden bill, which would place some limits on some of the … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Here’s an article about another study telling us something we already knew – Latino voters are not a monolithic bloc. The study, released Tuesday by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania, surveyed 4,676 Hispanics and 79,000 … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Statesman sees another sign that Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn is planning to run for Governor in 2006. Strayhorn on Tuesday rehired longtime political operative Mark Sanders for more than $120,000 a year to oversee her public relations and press … Continue reading → Continue reading →

It’s Friday again, meaning it’s time for the second Flood the Zone Friday. This week the boys at Not Geniuses are focusing on the environment. They’ve got some better guidelines for writing and sending your letter, based in part on … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Early voting for the September 13 Constitutional Referendumpalooza begins today and runs through Tuesday, September 9. Proposition 12, the freedom-limiting and patient-endangering tool of Republican special interests, is the reason why this election is being held on a Saturday in … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The folks at Public Citizen, whom I mentioned in an earlier post, lampooned President Bush in Crawford yesterday as part of their White House for Sale campaign. [A] group of advocates sought to put some heat on the president for … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Missed this on Thursday, but Rob caught it: Tommy Whaley, the State Republican Executive Committee member who was recently accused by state GOP Chair Susan Weddington of tape recording conference calls and leaking the tapes to the Chronicle, has no … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Don’t look now, but Gary Coleman will be on the ballot in California’s recall election. Assembling our crackerjack campaign staff, we went to work. With Gary’s authorization, we took out nomination papers and hit the streets to collect signatures. Express … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The WaPo has a nice overview of how Tom DeLay has gotten to be so powerful – in a word, money and the ability to raise oodles of it. I’ll say this for the guy – he’s the best example … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Now that he has everything in Texas under his control, Tom DeLay is trying to settle Iowa’s hash with a “Dear Christian Friend” letter sent in conjunction with the Rev. Lou Sheldon of the Traditional Values Coalition. Charles Eicher has … Continue reading → Continue reading →

Unprecedented mid-decade redistrictings in Colorado and Texas orchestrated by the White House. An unprecedented effort by a Congressman to recall a governor who was re-elected less than a year ago. A county commissioner found guilty of violating state campaign finance … Continue reading → Continue reading →

The Sunday Chron had two articles on Tom DeLay, a front page profile and an overview of his fundraising tactics. I confess, Dear Reader, that I have not yet summoned the intestinal fortitude to wade through the first article. My … Continue reading → Continue reading →

When Republicans were the minority party in the House, they routinely complained that Democrats used the Rules Committee to stifle their bills and amendments. In the 1994 campaign, as part of their Contract With America, they pledged to run the … Continue reading → Continue reading →