Tag Archives: politics

Trump Victory Could Pressure Gov. Abbott to Lay Out an Agenda

It was a decade ago that then-Gov. Rick Perry stood on the banks of the Rio Grande in his Carhartt jacket, promising in a TV commercial that “If Washington won’t protect our border, Texas will.” At that time, Texas Republicans were treating President George W. Bush as an apostate who was weak on the issue […]

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The Trump Effect in Texas

During an election cycle in which it’s been repeatedly proven the political chattering class has the capacity to be quite wrong, it is no shock the ascendancy of Donald Trump has some prognosticators once again raising the question of whether Texas will be any color other than deep Republican red when voters make their choice […]

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Perry took a shot at appearing as the elder statesman from Texas at exactly the wrong time

While still fighting a criminal indictment in Travis County and – as a direct result – unable to make inroads in fundraising or the polls, former Gov. Rick Perry on Friday became the first in the crowded Republican presidential field to suspend his campaign. Unlike his first run for the presidency Perry tried something new: […]

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One Would Think the Tea Party Would be Outraged by What the Texas AG is Said to Have Done

The three-count felony indictment handed up by a grand jury in very-Republican Collin County against Attorney General Ken Paxton has sparked some wild conspiracy theories but yielded little, if any, consistency from some of Paxton’s fellow Tea Party patriots. Employees of Tim Dunn’s Empower Texans, a self-proclaimed conservative group, have tried to make the case […]

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Those who voted against Straus had a rough time representing their communities

At this point, it is abundantly clear that this was one of the least productive sessions of the Texas Legislature in years – at least if you count how many bills were passed. There is, naturally, a legitimate debate about whether it is positive or negative for fewer bills than usual to be passed into […]

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The Texas Senate Stands

As the 84th Texas Legislature concludes, there will be plenty of talk about which lawmakers were the best and worst, which made a difference, which made no difference at all, and what new laws will make Texas a better or worse place. I’ll leave that kind of list-making to wiser folks for the moment. Instead […]

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2014: The Year of Tom Delay’s Permanent Republican Majority

As 2014 draws to a close, one thing of which I am certain is you do not need to read another story about the variety of reasons Texas did not turn blue – or mauve or any shade of purple – this year but instead went from pretty darn red to “red concentrate” with a […]

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Patrick and Castro Clash in Immigration Debate, But for What Purpose?

Note: The original version of this story appeared on The Quorum Report. Join us there daily for coverage of Texas politics and government.  In an hour-long exchange that shed nearly zero light on policy but did give both sides plenty of heat to try to exploit with various constituencies, Sen. Dan Patrick and San Antonio […]

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Wednesday Morning Reading: Trayvon Bombshell

Good morning. For those who asked, yes you did see me on the TV in Houston last night. It was my first appearance on Fox 26 and I hope there will be many more. Producers there tell me they’ll post the video later today on their site.  When it’s up, I’ll link it here. Tweet […]

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Monday Morning Reading: Early Voting Starts

Time for some coffee and politics to get things going on a Monday.  I’m pouring a cup of Seaport “Founder’s Choice” (from the Texas Coffee Company) today, which came highly recommended by a former colleague. It’s not quite as strong as I’d like, but the flavor isn’t bad at all. Tweet Share

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