- Texas works – Unca Darrell
- Ted Cruz hits National Review cover – TedCruz.org
- Redistricting misinformation causes minor panic – Blue Dot Blues
- Plaintiffs pan can ban in New Braunfels – Mark Lisheron, Texas Watchdog
- Rick Perry’s Weasel Words – Rhymes with Right
- Can Rick Perry Regain His Momentum? – Mara Liasson, NPR
Yes. GOP voters are very much up for grabs, hence the wild swings in poll numbers since the Iowa straw poll (remember when Michele Bachmann had the “momentum?” It wasn’t that long ago). Perry can reclaim the “momentum” with one solid debate performance (which may not be true of all the candidates in the race). - A Texas Smart-Grid Project Advances – Kate Galbraith, Texas Tribune
There are about 200 residential participants so far in Pecan Street, which is financed partly by a 2009 federal stimulus award of $10.4 million.
How is this economic stimulus (to anyone but the researchers)? Will there EVER be any sort of payoff to the taxpayers who funded it? These are the sorts of questions never asked or answered at Texas Tribune.
- Perry vs. the EPA: An Epic, Illuminating Clash – Kate Galbraith and John Broder, New York Times
Tensions with the EPA have increased strikingly since the Obama administration appointed a new regional chief, Al Armendariz, an El Paso native. Armendariz, unlike many past regional EPA chiefs, has an engineering background and is a former professor at Southern Methodist University.
“This definitely has been the most confrontational that I’ve seen in the last couple of decades, almost to the point of being personal in terms of Perry lashing out at Armendariz,” said Ken Kramer, director of the Texas chapter of the Sierra Club.
Note the contrast between the prof/engineer public servant and a conservative governor who gets “personal” and lashes out — A neat example of how straight “news” reports can easily editorialize via word choice and shading.
- Perry Condemns Mandatory Insurance, but Texas Faces Crisis in Coverage – Emily Ramshaw, Thanh Tan, Ryan Murphy, Texas Tribune
We can only imagine these “public-interest journalism” hit pieces are exactly the sort of thing Tribune donator and onetime Dem activist John Thornton envisioned when his millions started Texas Tribune. - DMN aides Democrat PAC – Daniel Greer, AgendaWise Reports
Texas politics daily reading (29 September 2011)
- Rick Perry to Newsmax: I Regret 'Heartless' Comment on Immigration – Martin Gould and Ashley Martella, NewsMax
- Superman vs. Warm Body – Thomas Sowell, RealClearPolitics
- Rick Perry sanctuary city stance under attack – Reid J. Epstein, Politico
Perry supported the [sanctuary city] bill and even set it as an “emergency” item. But the governor but didn’t do enough to get legislators to pass it, said Katrina Pierson, a tea party caucus advisory board member from suburban Dallas who met with Perry in June to ask him to institute the regulations by executive order.
So the Texas Tea Party movement now stands for government by dictatorial executive edict? Let’s hope most Tea Partiers don’t feel that way, and instead will continue their good work trying to influence legislators who blocked this particular policy initiative.
- Enough, already, with the porn on the public dime – Steve Miller, Texas Watchdog
- Disgraced METRO CEO Greanias's porn hobby costs taxpayers $14k+ (so far) – Kevin Whited, blogHOUSTON
- Houston Chronicle editorial misses the point – Peggy Venable, AFP
The headline is appropriate to most any editorial that newspaper cranks out. - Back-handed apology to Perry from Back to Basics – Christy Hoppe, Trail Blazers Blog
The pro-education and teacher group Back to Basics admitted creating “quite a stir” with their full page ad that called Rick Perry a “coward” for refusing to debate Democratic opponent Bill White in the 2010 governor’s race.
The group might have been identified as the Steve Mostyn backed Pro-Dem/Anti-Perry group that it is, but Hoppe chose to deceive by omission.
- Public school advocate's kids in private school – Lisa Falkenberg, Houston Chronicle
Liberals are great at telling OTHER people what THEY should be doing, while exempting themselves.
Texas politics daily reading (28 September 2011)
Top Stories
- A Crisis of Confidence Deep in the Heart of Texas – Mimi Swartz, New York Times
But the possibility of a President Perry has brought about a strange and, to my mind, never-before-seen turn of events: bragging about how bad things are here in Texas. Not just Democrats but also a growing number of Republicans are quick to mention that Perry pushed the Legislature to cut $4 billion out of public education. And they talk about how Texas now has the highest rate of the uninsured in the nation — the largest percentage of uninsured children too — and how we’re dead last in the percentage of adults with a high-school diploma. “What will eventually happen is the debate about Perry in the primary or in the general election will shift from being about Perry the candidate to ‘Does the rest of the country want to live in Texas?’ ” says Bob Stein, a political-science professor at Rice University. And strangely, Texans most likely won’t respond with a shrugged-off “of course.”
Consider the mainstream Texas media. Unwilling to be taken for saps this time around — the local press pretty much gave G. W. B. a pass leading up to the 2000 election — many of the major publications have sharpened their coverage, especially since Perry announced. Cronyism? The Houston Chronicle has been relentless in tracking Perry’s pay-to-play tendencies. Opposition to progressive health care? The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit Web site (which is affiliated with The New York Times), revealed that Perry had an experimental adult stem-cell procedure for his back pain. And my Texas Monthly colleague Paul Burka has been moonlighting as Cassandra, deploring the collapse of state institutions during Perry’s term.
Conservative governor makes the one or two unnamed “Republicans” that cross Mimi Swartz’s social circles nervous? Shocking!
Bob Stein, left-leaning Dem activist (whose day job is PoliSci Prof The State’s Lockstep Political Media Love To Quote, and who also reportedly hangs at Houston’s Wednesday Journo-List style roundtable) isn’t the biggest fan of Perry or conservative Texas? Shocking!
Left-leaning lockstep Texas political media attack long-loathed conservative governor who’s never given them the time of day? Shocking!
And working in the lie that $4 billion was cut from the public education budget this last session (when it actually increased slightly)? Also shocking!
The real crisis of confidence comes when Texans take a long hard look at what passes for Texas political journalism these days. Much of what stinks about it is fully on display here.
- Texas Vs. US Job Growth Since January 2009 – Texanomics
- On "Texas Dream Act" the GOP Flipped, but Perry Hasn't – Mark Jones, Texas Tribune
- Texas's Immigration Choices – WSJ.com
- What Constitutionalism Means – Ramesh Ponnuru, National Review Online
Excellent reading for the state’s lockstep political media, most of whom remain clueless over Gov. Perry’s consistent constitutionalism.
Recommended
- Fatal gunshots on McAllen expressway point to Gulf Cartel – The Monitor
- Dewhurst's manufactured position on in-state tuition for illegal immigrants – Blue Dot Blues
- Grits for Breakfast: Houston police union rolling in cash, but six-figure thefts went unnoticed for years – Grits for Breakfast
- The 'Not a Tax Increase' Tax Increase – Williamson County Conservative
- Local districts join fight against school finance system – Kate Alexander, Austin American-Statesman
Perry for Prez
- Another View: Texas Gov. Rick Perry will be America's jobs President – John Stephen, New Hampshire Union Leader
- Defiant Team Perry's plan: Hit harder – Jonathan Martin, Politico
- Rick Perry's problems: The need for new narratives – Economist
[T]hese breathless articles about Mr Perry’s supposed “implosion” are quite silly. It may be that Mr Perry’s honeymoon period with the voters is over, and certainly many of our commenters are appalled by his entire candidacy. But the coverage from the past few days is partly about the media’s need for drama and new storylines.
- As Anita Perry Hits The Campaign Trail, Five Things You Should Know – Liz Halloran, NPR
- In Iowa, Anita Perry defends husband's immigration views – Seema Metha, LA Times
- Perry's baffling debate failures – Mark McKinnon, Daily Beast
Texas politics daily reading (27 September 2011)
Top Stories
- Texas' Personal Income Growth Over the Last 5 Years Was 66% Faster than US – Texanomics
- Perry Is Right—There Is a Texas Model for Fixing Social Security – Merrill Matthews, WSJ.com
Yes, but he needs to be able to make the case coherently. - Rick Perry Is Right on In-State Tuition for Immigrants in Texas – Brad Jackson, RedState
Perhaps, but see above. - Senatorial Shift – Michael Quinn Sullivan, Empower Texans
- State lawmakers find clever ways to boost their pensions — like the Texas trick of tying legislator pensions to judges’ salaries – Steve Miller, Texas Watchdog
Recommended
- A Year After the Moratorium, Deepwater Drilling Permits Remain Scarce – Andrew Schneider, KUHF News
- Anticipating Budget Cuts, State Agencies Shrink – Becca Aaronson, Texas Tribune
Texas Education Agency: “A lot of districts that had announced they’d have to lay off staff have actually rehired most of those employees.”
In other words, they tried to influence the political debate in a misleading/deceitful manner.
- The Ups and Downs of School District Taxes – Williamson County Conservative
- Texas Monthly’s Mimi Swartz talks about 'corruption' in Houston ISD – Mike Cronin, Texas Watchdog
- Dewhurst: I'll serve in Senate, won't support immigrants tuition law – Brad Watson, WFAA.com
- Case over censored prayer mediated; Taxpayers stuck again – Tom Bazan, Boondoggles
- North Texas Tea Party group ranks Garnet Coleman best, Dan Patrick no impact – David Jennings, Big Jolly Politics
- Former last meal cook wants practice continued – Michael Graczyk, AP
- 18 new Texas license plate designs are unveiled – Gordon Dickson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Perry for Prez
- Inside Team Perry: How do we right the ship? – Wayne Slater, Trail Blazers Blog
This is simple enough even for most Texas political journos: Gov. Perry must be able to communicate effectively in a debate format, and the campaign must focus on nuts and bolts (fundraising) until the next debate. Otherwise… - Blood and irony – Paul Burka, BurkaBlog
Does anybody else find it ironic that Perry is faltering because of the rare good deeds that he has done, such as the Dream Act and the HPV mandate?
Silly lede. Perry has faltered because he was a disaster in the last debate, and not much better in prior efforts. He obviously needs to up his communications game (if he can). He has a compelling story to share with voters, but he doesn’t deserve to be the nominee if he proves incapable of telling it.
- Santorum's Ill-Advised Border War – Kevin Williamson, National Review Online
- Perry and the Illegals – Kevin Williamson, National Review Online
Texas politics daily reading (26 September 2011)
Top Stories
- Feds Hold Off Approving Texas' Voter ID Bill – Julian Aguilar, Texas Tribune
Did anyone expect a different outcome from the Obama Administration? - Houston, We Have a Solution – Mario Loyola, NRO
- Houston housing model attracting worldwide attention – Houston Strategies
- Taxes are devilish in Perry’s Eden – David Hill, The Hill
Some taxes are higher than others in Texas. So what? The important question, unaddressed here, is the overall tax burden compared to other states. - Is Texas really a leader in low taxes? – Aman Batheja, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Batheja follows Dr. Hill’s lead. A broader, comparative analysis is still lacking.
Recommended
- SEC announces A&M will join conference – The 12th Word at A&M
- HISD hires another ex-Chronicle staffer in communications for $85k-plus – Examiner News
Alternative headline: Another allegedly “strapped” Texas ISD finds plenty of money to waste on administrative overhead. - Free Speech Silenced At Public University In Texas – Rhymes with Right
- Have You Spotted Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst? – The Right Side of Austin
- Jim Dunnam, TWIA plaintiff lawyer, launches anti-TWIA reform website – Weston Hicks, AgendaWise Reports
- Exiting Ogden keeps a hand in politics – Peggy Fikac, San Antonio Express-News
- Back Story with Texas Watchdog: Investigating Unions – Trent Seibert, Texas Watchdog
- Dannie gets his tax on – David Jennings, Big Jolly Politics
- A national example of HonestTexans.com – Weston Hicks, AgendaWise Reports
Perry for Prez
- Rick Perry reels after Florida flop – Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman, Politico
- Debate performances slow Perry's momentum – Jason Embry and Chuck Lindell, Austin American-Statesman
- Time to Buy Rick Perry Stock – Michael Tomasky, The Daily Beast
- The Case for Buying Low on Perry – Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight/NYTimes.com
- Will Someone Tell Rick Perry That Texas Violates Federal Law? – Rhymes with Right
- Perry just a Texan being Texan – David Hill, The Hill
Texas politics daily reading (9 September 2011)
Election news
- Cruz assails Dewhurst for ‘hiding from the voters’. Robert T. Garrett, Dallas Morning News
Maybe he’s hiding with Sanchez? - In jobs speech, Obama urges passage of $447 billion package. Carrie Brown & Jennifer Epstein, POLITICO.com
The contrast to last night’s debate couldn’t be more clear - Sam Bassett: The TT Interview, Brandi Grissom, The Texas Tribune
- In defense of Rick Perry on the death penalty. John R. Guardiano, The American Spectator
- The shape of the Perry vs. Romney race. John Tabin, The American Spectator
- Fire damage reaches 12,000 acres, Cindy Horswell, Chron.com
- Bastrop flare up prompts rescue of utility crews. Mike Ward, Austin American-Statesman
- Sales tax grew at a double digit pace, but there’s still a revenue wobble. Robert T. Garrett, Dallas Morning News
Texas took in $1.98 billion of state sales tax last month, the most it’s pocketed in a single month in three years.
With the state rapidly growing in population, that’s not a shocker. But it suggests Texas’ economic recovery continues, however slowly.It would be nice if the State’s reporters could refrain from editorializing of this type.
- Texas wildfires as seen from space, Molly Hennessey-Fiske, Las Angeles Times
Scary, but awe inspiring
Fire news and other (less important) matters
Texas politics daily reading (8 September 2011)
Republican debate
- Perry receives applause for Texas’ execution stats. Tom Benning, Dallas Morning News
- Perry: ‘I kind of feel like the pinata here at the party’, Tom Benning, Dallas Morning News
- Perry clashes with Romney in debate, Jason Embry, Austin American-Statesman
- Reagan debate has Rick Perry under fire. Alexander Burns, Politico
- Perry in the spotlight in Republican debate. Steve Holland, Reuters
- The second end of the Huntsman Campaign, Debra Saunders, RealClearPolitics
The first end was when he announced. - Where’s Michele Bachmann? Maggie Haberman, Politico
- Perry and Romney Trade Strong Blows at Debate. Jeff Zeleney & Adam Nagourney, New York Times
- Democrats focus attacks on Perry, Romney and the tea party, Neil Munro, The Daily Caller
- A Republican calls it for Perry. Mary Kate Cary, US News & World Report
- A Democrat calls it for Romney, Amy Walter, ABCNews
And the winner is…..
Which means that Perry won.
Texas politics daily reading (vacation)
We’re going to be putting the daily roundup on vacation for a couple of weeks.
Please check back with us later in the month (and thanks for reading).
Texas politics daily reading (5 September 2011)
Top Stories
- Controversial Pollution Rule Still On Track for Texas – Kate Galbraith and Ari Auber, Texas Tribune
What, you thought the Obama Administration’s War on Texas had moved to election-campaign-ceasefire mode? Think again. - HISD hires former city spokesman – Ericka Mellon, School Zone
Educrats love to waste money on non-education administration, even as they cry they don’t have as much taxpayer money as they’d like “for the children.” - Perry's 'loser pays' is an economic winner – Patrick Gleason and Jason Russell, Washington Times
- DFW is nation's 4th most-populous metro area – Lance Murray, Dallas Business Journal
- Another Left-Wing Lie: The 50% Cut in Texas Wildfire Funding That Wasn’t – Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog
Top Stories
- Perry tries to cut into Romney money network – Rick Dunham and Carla Marinucci, Houston Chronicle
- Rick Perry's a competent debater, but national stage brings new challenges – Jason Embry, Austin American-Statesman
- Thousands of Disabled Texans Face Service Cuts – Emily Ramshaw, Texas Tribune
We had hoped these inane “faces of budget cuts” articles would go away with the legislative session, but apparently we won’t be so lucky. We wouldn’t mind seeing the taxpayer perspective featured every once in a while, but that’s not how the Tribune rolls. - Online News Association announces finalists – Steve Myers, Poynter
Congratulations to the Texas Tribune for their nomination in the small news site category. Their operation surely appeals to the sorts of folks responsible for such awards (see above). - Texas governor has a New England brain – Joe Holley, Houston Chronicle
This doesn’t really advance the story told by Abby Rapoport weeks ago. - Republican Candidates Turn Attacks on One Another – Jeff Zeleny, NYTimes.com
As noted by Josh Treviño, Zeleny “provides no sources for his ‘inside’ info on the Perry campaign. Zero, none.” But other than that… - Dannie (Patrick) gets his tax on – David Jennings, Chron.com
- That’s REALLY Standing Behind Your Product – Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog
Texas politics daily reading (2 September 2011)
Top Stories
- Former TWIA head Jim Oliver sues windstorm agency for severance pay, damages – Mark Lisheron, Texas Watchdog
- Texas Senate Race: A Strategy Primer – Kevin Brennan, National Journal
- "Risks of Outages" Under EPA Rule, Texas Report Warns – Kate Galbraith, Texas Tribune
- Texas’s Cult of Smoke, Barbecue-Land Journeys – Nathan Myhrvold, Bloomberg
Recommended
- Texas budget director to quit in April, before next flood of red ink – Robert Garrett, Trail Blazers Blog
- Things to like about Rick Perry for a criminal justice reformer – Grits for Breakfast
- Perry's social agenda is sometimes at odds with Texas business – Kate Alexander, Austin American-Statesman
- Rick Perry's Role in the Education Culture Wars – Abby Rapoport, Texas Observer
- Socially liberal journos don't like Perry's pro-life record – Peggy Fikac, Chron.com
- Anti-death penalty journos don't like Perry's record on death penalty – Brandi Grissom, Texas Tribune
- The Anti-Science Smear – Rich Lowry, National Review
Science is often just an adjunct to the Left’s faith commitments. A Richard Dawkins takes evolutionary science beyond its competence and argues that it dictates atheism. An Al Gore makes it sound as if there is no scientific alternative to his policy preferences. They are believers wrapping themselves in the rhetoric of science while lacking all the care and dispassionate reasoning we associate with the practice of it.
It is in this vein that Rick Perry is branded anti-science. Ultimately, a president’s views on evolution count for little. Ronald Reagan shared Perry’s skepticism, and the nation survived. In Texas, Perry adopted policies designed to draw doctors and technology firms to Texas and create jobs. He succeeded. In this, he’s proven admirably empirical — more so, indeed, than the president of the United States.
- Open Season – George Neumayr, The American Spectator
- Is ABA President-Elect So Stupid She Doesn't Know What Strict Constructionism Means? – Rhymes with Right
- John Thornton gets some bang for his buck – Harris County Almanac
- Rick Casey retiring from Chronicle, to be replaced by Patricia Kilday Hart – Kevin Whited, blogHOUSTON
- Bachmann committee mischaracterizes Gov. Perry’s fiscally conservative record – RickPerry.org
- Romney’s “Core Constituency” — Jonathan Last Online
As Last illustrates, the many Romney affiliates (who prefer their guy over Gov. Perry) represented in this National Journal assessment seem to have hitched themselves to a career loser. - If electric providers don't follow rules, use it to your benefit – Dave Lieber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram