Tag Archives: Rick Perry

Other Beryl stuff

Posted on July 12, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

A mini-roundup, with mostly non-CenterPoint things. How’s your Internet service? An Xfinity spokesperson said Wednesday that service was restored to approximately 355,000 customers — or about 36% of those experiencing service outages — in the 36 hours after Hurricane Beryl … Continue reading →

Posted in Hurricane Katrina | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Yet another Paxton roundup

Posted on August 25, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

The Senate trial starts in 11 days, and there continues to be so much Paxton news. Political pressure is intensifying around Republican state senators who will serve as the jurors in the impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton. … Continue reading →

Posted in Scandalized!, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Now we have a gambling bill filed by a Republican Senator

Posted on February 7, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

Maybe this is the gambling expansion bill that those who want gambling expansion have been waiting for. Advocates for legalizing online sports betting in Texas debuted new bills Monday that take a narrower approach than they did in 2021 — … Continue reading →

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What to expect when you’re expecting a (larger) Democratic majority

Posted on November 25, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Despite narrowly winning reelection against bruising campaigns by well-funded challengers, the Democratic majority on Commissioners Court has made clear it intends to continue its progressive remake of Harris County. Though neither County … Continue reading →

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

There are many variables affecting what might happen with abortion law in Texas

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Another way to put this: What can Beto do as Governor with a Republican legislature to make abortion laws less bad in Texas? Toward the end of a virtual campaign event last month, one of Beto O’Rourke’s supporters asked how … Continue reading →

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Trump judge tosses longstanding law allowing in-state tuition for undocumented students

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Crappy ruling from an activist judge. A federal judge has ruled that the University of North Texas can’t charge out-of-state American students higher tuition than undocumented Texans who qualify for lower in-state tuition under a 2001 Texas law. UNT lawyers … Continue reading →

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CD34 special election set for June 14

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Wasting no time. Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday called a June 14 special election to replace former U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, D-Brownsville, in a South Texas seat that Republicans are working to flip. The filing deadline for the special election … Continue reading →

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Some thoughts on Primary Day

Posted on March 1, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Will we learn more about the mail ballot debacle? Mail ballot usage during early voting has dropped precipitously since 2018, with tens of thousands of voters — especially Republicans — ditching the forms after two years of the GOP’s baseless … Continue reading →

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Filing update: Not that Rick Perry

Posted on December 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I’m going to let this speak for itself. Rick Perry is running for governor — but not that Rick Perry. The Republican Party of Texas updated its list of candidate filings Monday — hours before the deadline for the March … Continue reading →

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Ten years after the Bastrop fire

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

The headline on this story asks whether Texas is ready for the next big fire. I think we know the answer to that. Ten years ago, Texas experienced it’s worst wildfire disaster in the state’s history. Over 31 thousand fires … Continue reading →

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

Perry the pitchman

Posted on August 27, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

How can we miss you if you won’t go away? Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Monday jumped into the middle of the debate over mask mandates in public schools by trying to sell state officials on a product from … Continue reading →

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

Jake Ellzey wins CD06 special election runoff

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I confess, I had totally forgotten about this. State Rep. Jake Ellzey of Waxahachie beat fellow Republican Susan Wright on Tuesday to succeed her late husband, U.S. Rep. Ron Wright, R-Arlington, and pull off a major upset against a candidate … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2021 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Lawsuit filed over veto of legislative budget

Posted on June 26, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Good. And necessary. A group of Texas House Democrats and legislative staffers is asking the Texas Supreme Court to override Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent veto of a portion of the state budget that funds the Legislature, staffers there and legislative … Continue reading →

Posted in Legal matters, That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman stepping down

Posted on June 8, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Interesting. Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman is resigning from her post effective Friday. She informed Gov. Greg Abbott of the decision in a letter sent Monday. The news was first reported by the Houston Chronicle. “With utmost gratitude for … Continue reading →

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Can Abbott actually veto the legislative budget?

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Who knows? We’ll see if he actually does it. Fresh off the defeat of two of his legislative priorities Sunday night when Democrats abandoned the Texas House to block a sweeping elections bill, Gov. Greg Abbott flexed his executive muscle … Continue reading →

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How many times will we fail to fix our power grid?

Posted on May 21, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

By “we”, I mean our Legislature, and the PUC, and the Governor, and the Railroad Commission, and pretty much everyone else in charge of this state. Ten years ago, Texas power plants froze during a fast-moving winter storm, causing rolling … Continue reading →

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Matthew McConaughey redux

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Again? sigh All right… Two weeks ago, in these very same digital pages, I claimed that Matthew McConaughey had shown more leadership during Texas’s devastating winter storms than Senator Ted Cruz, simply by clearing the low bar of not scuttling off to … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Have Texas Republicans finally damaged themselves?

Posted on February 22, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

Some of them have. How much remains to be seen. The brutal winter storm that turned Texas roads to ice, burst pipes across the state and left millions of residents shivering and without power has also damaged the reputations of three of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Winter storm/blackout/boil water situation, Day 439

Posted on February 18, 2021 by Charles Kuffner

I may be a bit off in my counting of the days, but it’s close enough. Between my house and my in-laws’ house, I have had power for maybe 14 hours total since Monday morning, with a bit more time … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 28 Comments

When Republicans fight

Posted on October 6, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

Such a sight to see. Gov. Greg Abbott’s most exasperating allies sure chose an awkward time to act up. In the face of a momentous election, with an array of issues that includes the pandemic, the recession, climate change, racial … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2022, Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Republican former Senators defend anti-majoritarian practices

Posted on February 24, 2020 by Charles Kuffner

I appreciate the spirit in which this was offered, but it’s completely out of touch with reality. The purpose of the 31-member Texas Senate is similar to that of the U.S. Senate: to cool down some of the fevered legislation … Continue reading →

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The subpoenas come for Rick Perry

Posted on October 15, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The first law of Donald Trump is that everything he touches turns to mud. Sooner or later, that mud gets on you. Democrats on the three U.S. House committees overseeing the presidential impeachment inquiry have subpoenaed documents from U.S. Energy … Continue reading →

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It’s not really a campaign until there are attack ads

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Mayor Sylvester Turner launched a television ad Monday attacking Tony Buzbee for donating to President Donald Trump’s inauguration committee, marking the mayor’s first major attempt to link his political opponent to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Texas’ uncertain nuclear future

Posted on April 2, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Sometimes I forget that Texas has nuclear plants. By the standards of the U.S. nuclear energy industry, Texas’s two nuclear plants are fairly new. Neither one is more than three decades old, while many nuclear sites across the country are … Continue reading →

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

The Whitley hearing

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Not a great day at the office for our Secretary of State and his advisory-ing ways. Almost two weeks after calling into question the citizenship status of almost 100,000 registered voters, Texas’ new chief elections officer, David Whitley, defended his … Continue reading →

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Buzbee for Mayor?

Posted on November 3, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Oh, good grief. Tony Buzbee, a high-wattage trial lawyer, big-time political donor and Texas A&M University System regent, says he is running to be the mayor of Houston in 2019. “The mayor’s race in Houston traditionally has been as boring … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2019 | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Beto-Abbott voters

Posted on October 25, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I have three things to say about this. Barring divine intervention, Greg Abbott will handily beat Lupe Valdez — the only real question is by how much. The floor, if there is one, is Wendy Davis’ crushing loss to Greg … Continue reading →

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

Signs, signs, everywhere there’s Beto signs

Posted on August 31, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

And they’re breaking the minds of Ted Cruz supporters. The conversation unfolding before a campaign event for U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz here last week echoed similar ones popping up among Republican groups around Texas. With a mixture of frustration and … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

UT/Trib: Cruz 41, O’Rourke 36, part 2

Posted on June 27, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

We pick up where we left off. Republican Ted Cruz leads Democrat Beto O’Rourke 41 percent to 36 percent in the general election race for a Texas seat in the U.S. Senate, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Looking back at 2010 and 2014

Posted on June 12, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

I’ve talked a lot about polls in the past week, so I thought I’d take a minute and look back at the polling data that we had as of this time in the 2010 and 2014 elections, to see if … Continue reading →

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

The case against expediting the CD27 special election

Posted on April 28, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Erica Greider does not approve of Greg Abbott’s actions in CD27. All things considered, then, I find it hard to believe that Abbott’s decision was motivated by his altruistic concern for the Texans who live in this district. What disturbs … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Abbott v Davis

Posted on November 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

It’s getting real out there. In what promises to deepen divisions in the Texas Republican Party, Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday endorsed a GOP challenger to incumbent state Rep. Sarah Davis of Houston. Abbott gave his public thumbs-up to Susanna … Continue reading →

Posted in Election 2018 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Texas Infectious Disease Readiness Task Force

Posted on September 10, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

We have such a thing, and at a time like this that’s good to know. Most Texans don’t regularly concern themselves with infectious diseases such as typhus, Ebola, Zika, or the plague. But in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, public … Continue reading →

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No special session needed to address Harvey flooding

Posted on September 2, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

So says Greg Abbott. Gov. Greg Abbott said Friday another special session of the Texas Legislature won’t be necessary to deal with the response to Hurricane Harvey. “We won’t need a special session for this,” Abbott told reporters, noting that … Continue reading →

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