Tag Archives: Election 2010

Emmett speaks about his county elections administrator proposal

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

County Judge Ed Emmett has a brief op-ed in the Chron to respond to some concerns about his proposal to study the possibility of an appointed elections administrator. There have been several false statements made that an elections administrator would … Continue reading →

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TCEQ versus EPA

Posted on June 9, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This fight between the TCEQ and the EPA, or more broadly between polluters and people who like to breathe, has been coming for a long time. Environmentalists are excited by the EPA’s new aggressive posture and hope it prompts an … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Who helped the Greens get on the ballot?

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

According to Wayne Slater, it was “an out-of-state Republican consultant with a history of helping conservative causes and GOP candidates.” Green Party officials said an outside group gathered the 92,000 signatures and gave them as “a gift” to the party, … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Followup on Renew Houston

Posted on June 8, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

So I attended that blogger briefing I wrote about last week to learn more about Renew Houston. It was very informative, and I want to thank CM Costello and his staff for taking the time to talk to us. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Perry scoffs at budget shortfall number

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

What color is the sky on Rick Perry’s planet? Gov. Rick Perry says that where some see an $18 billion budget gap ahead for Texas, he sees a figure plucked from the sky. “I think it’s a number that somebody … Continue reading →

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An early look at redistricting

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The House Redistricting Committee is holding some hearings around the state in advance of the 2011 Census reports, and if there’s one thing we know already, it’s that West Texas will be losing influence next year. The state population increased … Continue reading →

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Dunnam to Perry: Give me some names

Posted on June 5, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

So as you know, there was a story last month about Rick Perry’s swanky and expensive rental mansion, which he and his wife have been using while the Governor’s Mansion is undergoing repairs. Turns out that the rather lavish lifestyle … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

One more thing about polling

Posted on June 4, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

When I wrote about the Rasmussen problem, I said that they were the only outfit polling on a lot of “issue” questions. That’s not totally true, though nobody does nearly as much of that as Rasmussen does. The UT/Trib poll … Continue reading →

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

More on Renew Houston

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The effort to create a dedicated fund for flooding and drainage is moving along at a good clip. Renew Houston, the non-profit committee formed to seek at least 22,000 ballot signatures in a bid to put the matter to voters … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Rasmussen problem

Posted on June 3, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Jonathan Chait discusses the “Rasmussen problem”, which basically boils down to the fact that Rasmussen’s polls have become rather extreme outliers, and they all seem to serve a narrative about the country taking a sharp pro-conservative, anti-Obama turn. As Nate … Continue reading →

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Here come the Greens

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As Perry noted the other day, the Green Party of Texas submitted petitions to the Secretary of State to get on the ballot in certain races in Texas. They failed to do so in 2006, so this will be the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Perry appoints Lehrmann

Posted on June 1, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No surprise at all. Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Judge Debra Lehrmann to the Place 3 seat that Harriet O’Neill will soon vacate on the Texas Supreme Court. Lehrmann, a Fort Worth District Court judge, won the Republican nomination for … Continue reading →

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It’s good to be the king

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the genius of Harold Cook: No coyotes were harmed in the making of that little film, as far as I can tell.

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Meet the statewides: Uribe and Gilbert

Posted on May 30, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Continuing with the TDP’s “Meet the Statewides” production, here we have intro videos for two more candidates. First up is my favorite candidate for this cycle, Land Commissioner hopeful Hector Uribe. Next up is the Democratic candidate for Texas Agriculture … Continue reading →

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Casey and the Chron on an elections administrator

Posted on May 29, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Rick Casey sums up the recent proposal by County Judge Ed Emmett to consider adopting a non-partisan elections administrator for Harris County: While Dallas and Tarrant counties have found it a source of electoral confidence and stability, Bexar County went … Continue reading →

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The TxDOT audit

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m sure you will be surprised to learn that TxDOT has a lot of issues. The Texas Department of Transportation should significantly alter its leadership structure, reshuffle its executive ranks and reduce the role engineers play in leading the sprawling … Continue reading →

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Here comes the EPA

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

No one can say they weren’t warned. Objecting to how Texas regulates air pollution, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it is taking over the issuance of an operating permit for a Corpus Christi refinery and could step in … Continue reading →

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

White wants to “undo some of the damage” the SBOE has done to social studies

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Lord knows, there’s a lot of it to undo. Bill White wants to start with changing the Chair. Some Texans have called for a limited review to address some of the more controversial standards that will influence new history, government, … Continue reading →

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Meet Joe Jaworski

Posted on May 25, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

The Chron had a profile of newly-elected Galveston Mayor Joe Jaworski over the weekend. Jaworski said he will focus on improving the life of existing residents rather than encouraging construction on the west end. […] Jaworski said he wants to … Continue reading →

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More on the UT/Trib poll

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

In response to my comments about the UT/Texas Trib poll, pollster James Henson was kind enough to send me the following: The number of independents is a function of how we present the results, not the methodology per se. We … Continue reading →

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Trib poll: Perry 44, White 35

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

We finally have a non-Rasmussen result to discuss. Republican Rick Perry leads Democrat Bill White by nine percentage points — 44 percent to 35 percent — in the 2010 race for governor, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments

More Enterprise Fund failures

Posted on May 23, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

There sure are a lot of them. Gov. Rick Perry’s office has rewritten three more contracts for companies that are struggling to create the promised number of jobs after getting millions of taxpayer dollars from the Texas Enterprise Fund. The … Continue reading →

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The clown show finally calls it a wrap

Posted on May 22, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some other state to be the national laughingstock again. The Court of Criminal Appeals gives it a good run for its money, but you just can’t out-embarrass the SBOE, and every … Continue reading →

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More on city term limits

Posted on May 20, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s the Chron story about the 2010 term limits survey and recommendations by the Term Limits Commission. Of interest is what the immediate prospects are for action by City Council. [Dr. Robert] Stein, a commission member who has polled voters … Continue reading →

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And the clown show gets underway again

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your TFN liveblogging of today’s SBOE social studies hearings. Brian Thevenot of The Trib is also there, and he reports that an interesting character has asked the Board to slow down. Former U.S. Secretary of Education and Houston Superintendent … Continue reading →

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2010 Houston term limits survey

Posted on May 19, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last month, I posted several links with information and research relating to term limits, including the results of a 2004 City of Houston survey about them and the proposed wording for an updated survey. That updated survey has been done, … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Briefly noted

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Some interesting things from today that I wanted to note… There are plenty of people who want to be on the Appropriations Committee, so putting some who doesn’t want to be there, like State Rep. Joe Driver of Dallas, doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Perry’s rental crib

Posted on May 18, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

This AP story about the Governor’s rented mansion is certainly entertaining. With the state facing a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has spent almost $600,000 in public money during the past two years to … Continue reading →

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Rasmussen: Perry 51, White 38

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Last month, Rasmussen published a poll showing Bill White trailing Rick Perry by four points. This month, they claim a 13-point advantage for Perry, giving him his highest level of support and White his lowest since they started polling this … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Edwards drops lawsuit to challenge election result in HD146

Posted on May 17, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Former State Rep. Al Edwards, who had filed a lawsuit challenging his electoral loss in the HD146 primary to Rep.-elect Borris Miles, has now dropped the suit, which should clear Miles’ path to Austin. Miles’ lawyer, Randall “Buck” Wood, of … Continue reading →

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White tells the SBOE to wait till next year

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

As we know, the SBOE is set to take a final vote on their proposed revisions to the social studies textbook standards. They’ve received a lot of mostly negative feedback so far, but have said they’re still considering specific suggestions. … Continue reading →

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White and Parker

Posted on May 15, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’m not particularly concerned about this. Gov. Rick Perry has found an unlikely — and apparently unwitting — ally in his effort to paint Bill White as a liberal spendthrift who left Houston in arrears: Mayor Annise Parker. As she … Continue reading →

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Who’s homeschooling?

Posted on May 13, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

Are there a lot more home-schooled high school students, or are they just conveniently mislabeled dropouts? You decide. More than 22,620 Texas secondary students who stopped showing up for class in 2008 were excluded from the state’s dropout statistics because … Continue reading →

Posted in School days | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

An open letter from Hector Uribe

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve mentioned before that Hector Uribe, the Democratic candidate for Land Commissioner, may be my favorite candidate for this election cycle. I said that because he showed early on that he had a sense of humor and wasn’t afraid to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2010 | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment