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The Second Most Important Race in Texas: CD23

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012

The most important Texas political race is obviously the Texas Senate race. Barring any unforeseen catastrophe, I fully expect Ted Cruz to soundly thump Paul Sadler in November.

The second most important Texas race is for the 23rd Congressional District, where Republican Francisco “Quico” Canseco eked out the second closest win over a Democratic congressional incumbent in 2010, beating Ciro Rodriguez by a little over 7,000 votes. Rep. Blake Farenthold’s win over Solomon Ortiz in the 27th congressional district was the closest Texas CD race that year, decided by a mere 799 votes, but the 27th was made considerably more Republican in redistricting, going from voting for Obama by 53% of the vote to a mere 40% of the vote under the new district lines.

The legislature was not able to reenforce Canseco’s sprawling district to nearly the same extent, and it was only made slightly more Republican, going from a 51% Obama district to a 50% Obama district. That, plus the power of incumbency and $1 million cash on hand (as of June 30) give Canseco a real fighting chance to hold the seat. His Democratic opponent, Pete Gallego, spent all his money to beat Rodriguez in the runoff, but this is still the only decent shot Texas Democrats have to defeat a incumbent Republican congressman this year, so expect the usual big Democratic donors (unions and trial lawyers) to come to his rescue.

Heritage ranks Canseco a solid (if not exceptional) conservative at 72%, higher than the (lamentably low) Republican House average of 65%, but 50 points better than even the best Texas Democratic representative (Henry Cuellar).

If you were looking for a Texas congressional race where your donations might help Republicans hold a tough seat, this is the one.

A few recent tidbits about the race:

  • Canseco will be a speaker at the Republican National Convention.
  • Canseco is not a fan of the TSA fondling his junk. Maybe he’ll help eliminate this useless agency.
  • Meanwhile, Gallego has overhauled his staff for the fourth time.

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    Posted in Democrats, Elections, Republicans, Texas | 2 Comments »

    Texas Beats EPA Again: Cross-State Pollution Rules Struck Down

    Tuesday, August 21st, 2012

    “A federal court has struck down an Environmental Protection Agency rule that forces cuts in soot- and smog-forming power plant emissions that cross state lines, dealing a major blow to the White House’s air quality agenda. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit vacated the Cross-State Air Pollution Rule.”

    This is great news for Texas, as the original rules could have resulted in Texans dying during the height of summer due to shutting down existing Texas power plants before new ones had come online. Those rules had already been stayed early this year, but have now been struck down entirely.

    From the news stories, it’s unclear whether the Obama Administration’s EPA will appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.

    More from Red State.

    Edited to add: TPPF now has a memo up celebrating the ruling. For once I was ahead of them!

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    Posted in Regulation, Texas | 1 Comment »

    Texas Vs. California: August 16, 2012

    Thursday, August 16th, 2012

    Looks like California has done such a good dog of screwing the pooch that I may have to start doing these roundups weekly:

  • Although bankrupt, California is about to add another outrageous benefit to its already bloated pension plan.
  • The Road Warrior‘s future as California’s present.
  • Creditor demands that Stockton reduce it’s outrageous pension plans.
  • In deed, CalPERs and state and local governments have combined to screw both taxpayers and bond-holders.
  • Hermosa Beach meter maids make make nearly $100,000 a year.
  • Could Fresno be the next California city to declare bankruptcy?
  • That is, unless the next California city to declare bankruptcy is Los Angeles.

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    Posted in Budget, Economics, Texas, unions, Waste and Fraud, Welfare State | No Comments »

    Texas Tax Free Weekend August 17-19

    Wednesday, August 15th, 2012

    It’s that time of year again. Texas is having it’s annual tax free weekend this weekend, August 17-19, for back-to-school goods like clothing under $100, school supplies, etc. And this year, the previously tax-free but now-tax-covered Amazon is participating as well.

    Official state guidelines for what is and isn’t covered.

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    Posted in Texas | No Comments »

    Texas Wins One Against the EPA

    Tuesday, August 14th, 2012

    The U.S. Fifth Court of Appeals ruled for Texas and against the EPA on the latter’s rejection of Texas’ Flexible Permit program.

    In November 1994, Texas submitted a proposed amendment to its State Implementation Plan that included the Flexible Permit program. The Clean Air Act required that EPA approve or disapprove the amendment within 18 months. However, the EPA did not announce its rejection of the program and the permits issued under it until July 2010 – more than 14 years after its statutory deadline to act.

    Just think: Thanks to ObamaCare, soon that same lightning-fast efficiency exhibited by the EPA will be coming to your doctor’s office.

    Note: This is not the cross-state border emissions rules that was threatening to shut down power plants at the height of the summer (which, thankfully, hasn’t happened so far). Texas’ appeal on that is still pending.

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    Posted in Regulation, Texas | No Comments »

    Quick Update on Shooting Near Texas A&M

    Monday, August 13th, 2012

    There was a shooting near Texas A&M earlier today. Here are a few nuggets of information gleaned from Dallas Morning News and WFAA’s Twitter feed:

  • A constable has been killed.
  • This was not a random shooting, it occurred while officers were serving an eviction notice, so it’s not a classic “spree shooting” like Aurora.
  • It did not occur on Texas A&M campus, but rather a few blocks away (despite which, the active Twitter tag is #tamushooting).
  • Multiple other people have been shot; I read six, but that might not be accurate.
  • The shooter is in custody.

    • More details when they occur.

    In the meantime, as Dwight has already implored CHL holders to do, “Carry your damn guns, people.” Also, here’s firearms instructor Karl Rehn on what to do when faced with an “active shooter.”

    Update

  • We now have the name of the dead office: Brazos County Constable Brian Bachmann was killed in line of duty while attempting to serve an eviction notice.
  • Seeing reports of a second civilian death.

    • Update 2

    Seeing reports that a third person has died, and also that the suspect has died. Not sure if those are one and the same. News reporting that the third person dead is the shooter.

    Update 3

    Sgt. Jason James, spokesman for the Bryan Police Department, confirms to The News: Three were killed during today’s shooting, including, as mentioned below, Brazos County Constable Brian Bachmann. Also killed, he says: a male civilian and the shooter.

    Right now, James says, another female bystander is hospitalized at the College Station Medical Center; her condition is unknown. Also, says James: “An officer injured during the gunfight is hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.” Two more officers, he says, were injured — “but not through the initial contact” with the gunman.

    Update 4
    The bystander killed was Chris Northcliff, 43. Suspect killed was Thomas Caffall, approx. 35, divorced.

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    Posted in Crime, Guns, Texas | 1 Comment »

    Texas vs. California: Summer of Bankruptcy Edition

    Friday, August 10th, 2012

    Time for another look at how Texas’ Red State model stacks up against California’s Blue State model, with a roundup of relevant news from the past few weeks.

  • Here’s a roundup of California’s dysfunction. Lots of tasty tidbits, including this gem: “California has both the highest state deficit in the country and the highest personal income tax.”
  • The Summer California Went Bankrupt.
  • California was counting their Facebook chickens before they hatched.
  • How California’s green energy delusions are impoverishing the entire state.
  • How California drove XCOR to Texas.
  • George Will on California’s high speed rail insanity. “At one point, an estimate of 44 million riders a year—subsequently revised downward, substantially—assumed gasoline costing $40 a gallon.”
  • California can’t even keep run it’s own prisons.
  • Texas tax revenues are up 10%.
  • Texas is going through a craft brewing boom.
  • While commuter rail isn’t cost effective in California, the Long Beach-to-Los Anegles Blue Line is good for one thing: killing people. (Hat Tip: Dwight.)
  • And while California schools are in crises to pay their bloated pensions, Beaumont’s school district actually instituted a tax cut and gave teacher’s a pay raise.

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    Posted in Budget, Democrats, Economics, Texas, Welfare State | No Comments »

    Will Kinky Friedman Run for Governor Again? Will Rick Perry?

    Thursday, August 9th, 2012

    Word is he’s considering a run in 2014.

    Could Kinky get nominated? Sure. You saw how little effort it took to run as a Democratic statewide for the Senate, and Kinky starts off with greater name recognition than any of the Dems in that race. There’s little indication any prominent Democrat wants to go through the meat-grinder of a statewide race (though if I were to guess, trial lawyer Jason A. Gibson, who launched an abortive Senate bid before Sadler got stamped with the union label, might make a run). Kinky’s probably to the right of the Democratic primary electorate, but I don’t see anyone with his name recognition talking about a run.

    Could Kinky do better than he did in 2006? Sure. Kinky only got 12.5% of the vote, coming in fourth. Even Democrat Chris Bell did better in that four-way race, pulling in just shy of 30% of the vote. That’s probably his absolute floor if he gets the Democratic nomination, and it’s probably closer to 40%.

    Could Kinky win? Doubtful, but not impossible. Save for 2006, Democratic gubernatorial candidates have pulled in between 40% (Tony Sanchez) and 42% (Bill White) of the vote against Rick Perry. Perry clearly damaged his popularity with the missteps of his abortive Presidential run (and, to a lesser extent, his endorsement of David Dewhurst’s failed senatorial campaign), though probably not enough to lose to Kinky (or any other Democrat), assuming he runs again. But two years is a long time, both good and bad. Perry has time to recover, but also to make a catastrophic error or fumble a crisis. And while it’s not nearly as widespread as the MSM would like you to believe, there is a certain amount of Perry fatigue among even Republican voters. Perry’s already the longest serving Governor in Texas history, having replaced George W. Bush on December 21, 2000. That’s an awful long time for anyone to be in the same office, and there are plenty of people ready to make the argument that it’s too long.

    Will Rick Perry run again in 2014? Answer cloudy, ask again later. Maybe even Perry doesn’t know yet. Word is that Attorney General Greg Abbott is itching for the office, and may run even if Perry doesn’t opt to retire. If I had to guess, I think it’s slightly more likely that Perry retires than that he runs again. He has nothing left to prove at a statewide level. Dewhurst’s implosion proved that even the most well-heeled Texas incumbents are vulnerable to a challenge from the right. Perry has very little to gain and much to lose from hanging on, and a Perry-Abbott race would be a brutal smackdown that could go either way. It would probably be in Perry’s best interest to assume that Texas A&M Presidency rumor has the diehard Aggie angling for as his post-gubernatorial sinecure, and possibly contemplate another Presidential run at the end of Romney’s second term. But Perry would hardly be the first politician to stay in office too long.

    Another gubernatorial run might not be good for Kinky, but it would be be good for the Texas Democratic Party, which resembles a moldy thing in a jar more than a viable alternative. Kinky might (might) even be able to shake off the stultifying far-left political correctness that has rendered the party uncompetitive in statewide races.

    It would also be good for the Republican Party of Texas; once you get past the Tea Party, there’s no one left to keep them honest.

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    Posted in Democrats, Elections, Texas | No Comments »

    How Obama Has Recalibrated My Outrage Scale

    Tuesday, August 7th, 2012

    Back in 2008, this sort of news would probably get my dander up. The upshot is that the federal Highway Bridge Program is going to force various levels of Texas government to pay for replacing little-used bridges rather than repairing them, even if some only get 25 cars a day and there are alternate routes available, in order to keep getting federal funds.

    There’s lots wrong with the program: Taxpayer money wasted for one, and the principles of Federalism violated for another; there’s absolutely no reason for the federal government to take money from taxpayers in the various states, put it in a big pot, rake off their bureaucratic maintenance fees, and then redistribute it to states, counties, etc. Let counties and states repair their own bridges, and decide which ones to repair and how to pay for them.

    But even given all that, my outrage meter is barely quivering. Unlike so many Obama-era boondoggles, at least we’re getting something tangible and useful. At least it didn’t line some corrupt solar power company CEO’s pockets before his firm went bankrupt. At least it didn’t screw non-union pensioners to line the coffers of the UAW. At least it’s not a multibillion dollar high speed train boondoggle that will never be finished. At least here’s a public works project that’s actually shovel ready. And, as long as you think that there should be public roads in the first place (there’s a libertarian case for completely private roads, but that ship sailed a long, long time ago), then at least we’re getting something at least vaguely within the purvey of some government entity.

    And at least the program didn’t end up killing a border patrol agent and 300+ Mexican civilians.

    So corrupt, incompetent and scandal-ridden is the Obama Administration that I have a hard time working up indignation over the fact that a significant fraction of $150 million will probably be wasted on bridges we don’t really need, mainly because I’m sure Obama or his cronies will find a brand new way to waste ten times that one something completely useless sometime over the next week…

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    Posted in Budget, Obama Scandals, Texas, unions, Waste and Fraud | No Comments »

    Dispatches from the Ted Cruz Victory Lap

    Monday, August 6th, 2012

    The echos from Ted Cruz’s victory over Dewhurst are still echoing not only around the state, but the nation as well. Here’s just a small sampling of the most important reactions:

  • Cruz’s victory is a wakeup call for the establishment.

    “It’s difficult to overstate the achievement of Cruz beating Dewhurst,” said Democratic strategist Harold Cook of Austin. “That Cruz won amplifies the extent to which tea partiers are at war with establishment Republicans, and at the moment, winning it.”

  • Jonah Goldberg looks at the Cruz campaign and sees an end to boring white guy candidates. Emphasis on the “boring.”
  • Cruz was interviewed by Chris Wallace on Fox News:

  • National Review covered his Fox News appearance.
  • The Hill takes notice as well.
  • Forbes gets it: “We’re tired of the big-spending compromises!”
  • Michael Barone on the MSM failing to credit the Tea Party in Cruz’s victory. Dunno, maybe out of state, but I saw a lot of Tea Party mentions from Texas outlets.
  • Cruz gives Romney a hand in pushing back on Obama’s “you didn’t build that” gaffe.
  • Cruz isn’t the only conservative Hispanic Republican winning big these days.
  • The Houston Chronicle interviews Vincent Harris, the head of Cruz’s social media team.
  • This bland “Hispanics are our future” thumbsucker does have one standout line that deserves repeating: Cruz’s victory demonstrated that “Texas Republicans are more interested in conservative ideals than in ethnicity.”
  • A Democratic analyst’s look at Cruz’s victory. Don’t agree with it 100%, but it’s focused on technical analysis and free of liberal bile (unlike the column of certain former Texas Agricultural Commissioner I’m not linking to).

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    Posted in Elections, Republicans, Texas, video | No Comments »

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