Posts Tagged ‘Wendy Davis’

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As Little As I Can Possibly Write on Texas Constitutional Amendments

Thursday, October 31st, 2013

OK, I’m exaggerating a bit, since the least I could possibly write is nothing. But instead of trying to cover every bill, I’m going to point you at Blue Dot Blues, where the indefatigable MJ Samuelson is covering each amendment, so at least I don’t have to write much. Go over there and keep scrolling. Empower Texas also has a handy scorecard. I may disagree on an amendment or two, but not strongly.

I do want to go ahead and urge a No vote on Proposition 6, which authorizes taking money out of the rainy day fund for various ill-defined water projects. This one is getting a big direct mail push from realtor and business PACs and is favored by Rick Perry, Joe Straus, Gregg Abbott and Wendy Davis. Opposing it is an odd coalition of fiscal conservatives and green party types, including Save Our Springs Austin. Some of what is covered is probably needed, but the rest has the smell of a construction boondoggle/slush fund. And what is needed should be allocated from the general fund, not raiding the rainy day fund.

Arlene Wohlgemuth at TPPF has a bit more.

The election is Tuesday, November 5th.

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Posted in Budget, Elections, Texas | No Comments »

Texas Statewide Race Update for October 16, 2013

Wednesday, October 16th, 2013

Slowly but surely I’m digging out from my post-Worldcon backlog, so I hope to do more on various statewide races soon-ish (for certain values of “soon-ish” that work out to “before the end of the year”).

  • Greg Abbott reaches out to Hispanics.
  • He also promises to keep the Texas economy rolling.
  • Liberal fossil Paul Burka reiterates that Wendy Davis is doomed.
  • Battleground Texas is all in on Davis.
  • And speaking of Battleground Texas, proving they’re super classy, they made fun of Abbott being in a wheelchair.
  • Official Abbott announcement on Wendy Davis entering the race.
  • Abbott further said that he’s not worried about Wendy Davis.
  • Today Davis announced fundraisers in Conroe, Magnolia, and Waco. Ha, just kidding! She’s raising money in New York and Washington, D.C.. Good. The more money she takes from national Democrats, they less they can spend on races they might actually win.
  • Davis’ “true, natural constituency is the national, mainstream media.”
  • Davis used to be all-abortion, all the time, but that issue is now strangely missing from her speeches.
  • Longshot Tom Pauken is touting an Amarillo forum straw poll where he garnered 57% of the vote. Longshot Libertarian Kathie Glass came in second. I think these results are about as significant as that one straw poll Glenn Addison won in 2011.
  • Republican longshot Lisa Fritsch enters the Governor’s race. Here’s her website.
  • I do wonder why none of these longshots have considered taking on George P. Bush in the Land Commissioner’s race.
  • David Dewhurst calls for Obama’s impeachment. Somehow I sincerely doubt that U.S. Senator David Dewhurst would be making such a declaration…
  • Jerry Patterson suggests kicking four states out of the union. The piece notes this proposal was tongue-in-cheek. It also notes that Patterson was author of the Texas Concealed Carry law back in 1995, which I had forgotten.
  • Attorney General candidates Ken Paxton and Dan Branch roll out dueling legal endorsements.
  • Paxton campaigned in Midland.
  • Kinky Friedman is going to run for Agricultural Commissioner again as a Democrat, running on a marijuana legalization platform.
  • George P. Bush raised money for his Land Commissioner’s race in Dripping Springs.

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    Posted in Elections, Media Watch, Republicans, Texas | 1 Comment »

    Gun News Roundup for October 14, 2013

    Monday, October 14th, 2013

    Enough gun news popped up this weekend to justify a roundup:

  • California Governor Jerry Brown vetoes an assault weapons ban. “We’re through the looking glass here, people!”
  • But before you celebrate this unexpected outbreak of common sense on Brown’s part, consider that he signed a bunch of other gun control bills, including a lead ammo ban.
  • Gun Owners 1, Groupon 0.
  • Police officers three times more likely to commit murder than concealed carry holders? (Hat tip (last two): Ace of Spades.)
  • Gun control has becomes so toxic that Colorado’s Democratic governor John Hickenlooper is asking gun control groups to stay out of the latest recall election against Democratic state Sen. Evie Hudak.
  • ATF tried to tries to block Fast and Furious whistle-blower’s book. (Hat tip: Shall Not Be Questioned.
  • Did an ATF agent get the IRS to target a Texas pastor? (Hat tip: Sipsey Street.)
  • As a member of the Ft. Worth City Council, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis tried to imposed background checks on gun shows, presumably in violation of state preemption law first passed in 1987, and even after Houston got it’s ass handed to them in court for trying something similar. (Hat tip: Cahnman’s Musings.)
  • Meanwhile, various gun grabber petitions slouch toward the ballot in Washington State. (Hat tip: Shall Not Be Questioned.)

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    Posted in Democrats, Elections, Guns, Obama Scandals | No Comments »

    Texas Statewide Race Roundup for October 2, 2013

    Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013

    Time for another (no doubt incomplete) roundup of statewide race news:

  • Holly Hansen interviews Greg Abbott.
  • Wendy Davis expresses enthusiasm for gun control, because that will go over so well in Texas. Next up: Wendy David calls for banning BBQ, Tex-Mex, football and Christmas.
  • Davis is expected to announce for Governor tomorrow.
  • Politico previews the Abbott-Davis fight as “bruising.” Well, yeah. It’s going to bruise Democratic egos and wallets to accomplish very little. Also contains this gem: “Republicans control more than 60 percent of statewide offices.” Well, yes, 100% is indeed more than 60%…
  • Left-leaning Texas Monthly just goes ahead and says Abbott will be the next governor. And here’s an excerpt of their cover profile of Abbott.
  • Unless Debra Medina runs as an Independent. Is she trying to elect Wendy Davis? Also, “I couldn’t raise money for a Comptroller race, so I’m going to run for governor” doesn’t make a lot of sense.
  • A roundup of Abbott vs. Davis fundraising between June 17 and August 5.
  • There was a Lt. Governor candidates forum in Houston.
  • There’s another one in Houston tomorrow, October 3, from 5-8 PM at Grace Community Church, 14505 Gulf Freeway.
  • PJ TV Interviews Todd Staples:

  • Also Jerry Patterson:

  • And David Dewhurst (but I’m not seeing one for Dan Patrick):

  • Jerry Patterson slams his rivals as soft:

  • Three Attorney General candidates (Ken Paxton, Barry Smitherman, and Dan Branch) also had a debate.
  • They also clashed over who had endorsed who.
  • Paxton unveils a list of 100 important Texas Tea Party supporters.
  • Smitherman picks up a Right-to-Life endorsement.
  • George P. Bush visits Seguin and San Angelo.
  • Jason Gibson, who briefly competed in the 2012 Senate race, is considering running against John Cornyn in 2014, presumably (as in 2012) as a Democrat.
  • Dem State Rep. Mike Villarreal prefers not to lose a statewide race for Comptroller.
  • Three Joe Straus allies (Bill Callegari, Rob Orr and Tryon Lewis) decide that now is a good time to retire.

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    Posted in Elections, Republicans, Texas | No Comments »

    Cruz Filibuster Fallout

    Thursday, September 26th, 2013

    A roundup of reactions and fallout from Ted Cruz’s mammoth 21-hour anti-OabamCare speech effort:

  • The battle is joined:
    • There is new leadership in the GOP, whether the party wants to admit it or not: Cruz, Rand Paul, Mike Lee, Jeff Sessions
    • The popular reaction to Cruz will be immediate and noticeable; the more the old bulls carp, the more the public will rally to Cruz’s side.
    • conservatives understand that rather than form a third party, their only hope is to seize control of the corrupt, rotting hulk of the GOP.
    • The Cruz faction in the Senate, and its allies in the House (whose leadership is now up for grabs) must now press their advantage. The louder the Democrats squawk, the more they are wounded; the one thing they’ve long feared is a direct assault on their core beliefs as translated into actions, and the deleterious effects of Obamacare, just now being felt by the population, are the most vivid proof of the failure of Progressivism that conservatives could wish for.
    • There is no reason to think the Tea Party, if properly organized and harnessed, cannot be even more potent next year than it was in 2010, especially now that its members know the government really was out to get them.
  • “Ted Cruz spoke on the Senate floor for 21 hours for a simple purpose: to focus the eyes of Washington and the nation on the fact that Obamacare has failed.”
  • Cruz’s basic talking points.
  • The power of conviction.
  • Ted Cruz is making all the right enemies.
  • Four things Ted Cruz accomplished. “Cruz’s talkathon revealed that there was substance behind the sizzle that he represents to the Republican base.”
  • NY Rep. Peter King is furious that Ted Cruz has a spine.
  • “There is a real and genuine disconnect between grassroots conservatives and many in Washington.”
  • Chris Matthews compares Ted Cruz to Father Coughlin and Joe McCarthy.
  • The hypocritical difference between the media’s fawning coverage of Wendy Davis’ filibuster and Cruz’s.
  • The only reason young people would sign up for ObamaCare is if they suck at math.
  • Cracks in Democrat’s resolve are already appearing.
  • A complete transcript of Cruz’s filibuster.

    • Everyone know the real problem in Washington, D.C. is not that the debt limit is too low, it’s that government is too big and spends too much money that it doesn’t have, and meddles in things best left up to free citizens. Just as Ted Cruz did, we need to make those same points over and over again in the ongoing debt limit and ObamaCare battles, because we’re right.

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    Posted in ObamaCare, Republicans | No Comments »

    Wendy Davis for Governor Boomlet Continues Apace

    Wednesday, August 14th, 2013

    Wendy Davis slouches closer to running for Governor. In fact, with the Texas Democratic Party officially begging her to get in, I think it’s pretty much a foregone conclusion at this point.

    I think she will get in and get slaughtered by Greg Abbott in the general election in 2014. I think her partisans have severely overestimated how Abortion Barbie’s signature issue and liberal politics will play statewide. Also expect Democrats to field a collection of nobodies in down-ballot statewide races, assuming they bother to recruit anyone at all; remember, they failed to even field candidates in many 2012 races.

    In addition, I hope Democratic partisans nationwide pump enough money into her campaign to weaken them elsewhere; far better for Wendy Davis get that money than, say, Mary Landrieu.

    Despite that, I think it probably is the best decision for her politically. A losing race for Governor is going to give her a lot more national exposure and access to donors than another state senate campaign ever would.

    My prediction is that by 2015, she’s going to have her own show on MSNBC.

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    Statewide Race Roundup for August 9, 2013

    Friday, August 9th, 2013

    Time for another quick roundup of statewide race news:

  • Even left-wing PolitiFact admits that Democrats are lying about Greg Abbott improperly moving funds.
  • They’re a lot tougher on Lt. Governor candidate Sen. Dan Patrick’s claims that funding for border security was cut in the latest budget.
  • The Texas Tribune looks at Abbott’s consultant spending.
  • Abbott, running for a statewide office, refuses to opine on national legislative tactics to defund ObamaCare. Stop the freaking presses!
  • The Washington Post offers up five facts about Abbott. For a change, they’re even accurate.
  • Abbot takes south Texas votes seriously.
  • Lt. Governor David Dewhurst shakes up his re-election team with new hires, including Ryan Hecker of FreedomWorks and Eliza Vielma (AKA Twitter’s @misslizaface) will be handling social media. Given how poorly Dewhurst performed in social media in the Senate race, that’s probably a good move.
  • Lt. Governor candidate and Agricultural Commissioner Todd Staples takes a swing at Dewhurst’s leadership in a fundraising letter.
  • But Staples, like all three of Dewhurst’s challengers in the Lt. Governor’s race, endorsed Dewhurst over Ted Cruz in last year’s Senate runoff.
  • Patrick has a new ad out. He looks sleepy. He may need to consider ptosis surgery.

  • Attorney General candidate Dan Branch defends defense of marriage. Unlike Tom Leppert, Branch doesn’t seem to have played footsie with Dallas’ gay rights community, and indeed was an (unsuccessful) target for them to defeat in 2008.
  • Speaking of Branch, Facebook briefly yanked, then restored, one of his campaign videos. This one I think:

    Which strikes me as well-produced, but pretty generic. Can’t see why any reasonable person would find it even remotely objectionable.

  • Sources tell me that Rep. Brandon Creighton gets into the Agricultural Commissioner’s race today.
  • And speaking of the Agricultural Commissioner’s race, Eric Opiela is evidently not only Joe Straus’ lawyer, but also managed (through some ill-advised emails) to hurt Republican redistricting efforts by making them easier to challenge in 2012.
  • On the Democratic side, Abortion Barbie inches closer to declaring her intention to lose to Abbott.

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    Posted in Border Control, Elections, Media Watch, Republicans, Texas, video | No Comments »

    Texas Statewide Race Update for July 16, 2013

    Tuesday, July 16th, 2013

    Time permitting, I’m hoping to do regular updates on the 2014 statewide races in Texas the same way I updated the senate race. But with so many more offices and players, it’s going to take me some time to get up to speed.

  • Greg Abbott’s gubernatorial warchest has swollen to a formidable $23 million.
  • He also visited Longview, Wichita Falls, and Duncanville.
  • Todd Staples leads the money race for Lt. Governor, according to this fragment of the story that isn’t behind the Statesman paywall.

    Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples, with $3 million in the bank, has the largest campaign treasury of the four Republican candidates for lieutenant governor, according to the latest fundraising statements, which were due Monday.

    Thanks to a $650,000 personal loan to his campaign, Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, the latest entrant in the race, edged past Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst in money in the bank — $2.1 million to $1.73 million — even though Dewhurst raised $1.2 million compared with about $100,000 for Patrick. The fourth candidate, Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, raised $417,000, bringing his treasury to $1.3 million. Patterson said he hopes to raise $3 million in the next six months to remain competitive, and Dewhurst has a personal fortune that he can tap

  • The Texas Tribune has more fundraising roundup news. Tidbits:
    • State Rep. Dan Branch hasn’t even declared his AG run, but already has $4 million on hand, including a $5,000 donation from George W. Bush.
    • Barry Smitherman has over $1 million cash on hand for his AG run.
    • State Sen. Ken Paxton (honestly, I was just guessing he would make an AG run) has more than $1.6 million cash on hand. He hasn’t declared yet.
    • George P. Bush reported $2 million raised and $2.6 million on hand for his Comptroller run.

    I’ll be digging into the financial reports for all the major candidates when I get a chance (don’t hold your breath this week).

  • Democratic abortion diva Wendy Davis raised just under a million dollars…for her state senate campaign. No word on a governor’s run.
  • Even in-the-tank liberal fossil Paul Burka says Davis has no chance to win the Texas Governor’s race.
  • A David L. Watts, Jr. is running for Land Commissioner. His platform so far seems to be that George P. Bush isn’t conservative enough.

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    Perry’s Decision and the State of Play for Texas Statewide Races in 2014

    Tuesday, July 9th, 2013

    With Rick Perry declining to run for reelection as Governor, we finally have the crystallizing event that will set the 2014 field. So here’s an early look at how the next year’s statewide races are shaping up in Texas:

    Governor

    Attorney General Greg Abbott and his $18 million warchest is going to be the overwhelming favorite almost no matter who else jumps into the race; he has all Perry’s strength’s without Perry’s disadvantages. If David Dewhurst jumps into the Governor’s race, Abbott will still be the prohibitive favorite. Tom Pauken will be hard-pressed to match Glenn Addison’s 2012 senate race total of 1.6%. On the Democrats’ side, instant abortion celebrity Wendy Davis might be the favorite, but there’s no reason to expect Abbott won’t cream her by 20 points, and as a politician since 1999, there’s no indication she can self-fund. Neither of the Castro brothers strike me as stupid enough to want to tarnish their national office chances by losing a governor’s race. Beyond that it’s random state senators and reps (reportedly Rep. Mike Villarreal and Sen. Kirk Watson are considering runs), or retreads from the 2012 senate race.

    Lt. Governor

    His humiliating senate race defeat proved that David Dewhurst is vulnerable to a challenge from the right, but I remain unconvinced that any of the three currently declared candidates (Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, Agricultural Commissioner Todd Staples, and State Senator Dan Patrick) are the ones to do it. Dewhurst and Perry both moved up from the Land and Agricultural Commissioner positions (respectively), but neither ran against an incumbent, much less a well-heeled, entrenched one. Patrick tested the waters for the 2012 senate race, but found the groundswell for him non-existent. Moreover, Patrick’s candidacy appeals most to social conservatives, but after the abortion dustup, they would seem among the least likely to desert Dewhurst. Presumably U.S. Rep. Mike McCaul (the only man currently in Texas politics richer than Dewhurst) could defeat Dewhurst were he to get in, but so far he hasn’t made any moves to get into the race. In this, and all lower statewide races, whoever runs for the Democrats is whatever random candidates decided to skip the governor’s race.

    Attorney General

    With Abbott running for governor, this race is wide open. With Railroad Commissioner Barry Smitherman’s website already touting him as a potential candidate, his entry is pretty much a foregone conclusion. State Rep. Dan Branch is also said to be considering a run. Someone on Abbott’s staff could also get in, or a state legislator with a law degree who has been blessed by Texans for Lawsuit Reform. (Maybe Ken Paxton?)

    Comptroller

    Incumbent Susan Combs has said she’s not running for reelection. Early word was she was eying the Lt. Governor’s race, but I don’t see her getting any traction there. Losing 2010 Tea Party/Ron Paulite gubernatorial candidate Debra Medina is rumored to be considering a run (and the previous link goes to a webpage for an exploratory committee for that race). State Senator Glenn Hegar is also said to be considering a run, as is state Ways and Means chairman Harvey Hilderbran. (State Senator Tommy Williams has preemptively bowed out.)

    Land Commissioner

    With incumbent Jerry Patterson gunning for Dewhurst’s job, George P. Bush, son of former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, nephew of Bush43, and grandson of Bush 41, is considered a lock for the race. Though nothing about George P. Bush’s limited public appearances suggests he’s invulnerable, it’s doubtful he’ll draw a serious challenger this far down the ballot who’s willing to take on the Bush Machine’s renowned fundraising prowess.

    Agricultural Commissioner

    State Rep. Brandon Creighton is rumored to be interested in a run. Rep. Tim Kleinschmidt is passing on the race

    Railroad Commission

    When Smitherman runs for AG, his position will open up. State Rep. Stefani Carter will be running, along with “Dallas businessman Malachi Boyuls and geologist Becky Berger of Schulenburg.” Greg Parker, who made it into the runoff with Smitherman in 2012, is another possibility.

    And don’t forget all those wildcard Texas millionaires and billionaires who might suddenly decide to run for office…

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    Posted in Elections, Republicans, Texas | 3 Comments »

    LinkSwarm for June 16, 2011

    Thursday, June 16th, 2011

    Here in Austin it’s suppose to hit 103º for the rest of the week. Insert your own “hot news” related pun here.

    Some links:

  • Paul Burka’s list of best and worst state legislators is now out. Golly, what do you know? Every entry in the worst of list is a Republican? As the Church Lady is wont to say, “How Con-VEN-ient!”
  • The Texas Tribune insiders offer up their own best and worsts lists. Sen. Wendy “I’m going to force a special session, ensuring that we get our asses kicked by Republicans even harder than we would have otherwise” Davis (D-Ft. Worth) shows up on both lists…
  • Some analysts believe that our current debt crisis (including unfunded liabilities) is already worse than Greece’s crisis
  • Texas Senate passes anti-Sanctuary Cities legislation.
  • This Hendrik Hertzberg New Yorker piece on Rick Perry sounds exactly like you would expect a piece on Rick Perry by a former speechwriter for Jimmy Carter to sound. I would say he buys his smug by the pallet-load from Sam’s, but since the nearest Sam’s Club to Manhattan is in Secaucus, NJ, and we know no self-respecting liberal would think of crossing the Hudson for so crass a purpose as saving money, no doubt it’s hand-crafted artisan smug bought from a tiny, independent smug boutique down in the Village. Oh, and he’s wrong about Cameron Todd Willingham as well, since the real facts show that he was indeed guilty of burning his own two small children to death.
  • Bill Murchison says that Perry would make a good Presidential candidate, but maybe not the best. (Hey Bill, whatever happened to the Landrum Society? It’s been a long time since I received word of their get-togethers…)

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    Posted in Crime, Economics, Elections, Texas | No Comments »

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