In the most recent University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, Sen. Ted Cruz (TP-Texas) is the frontrunner among likely Texas GOP Primary voters.
But 27% of Texans Can Be
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Category Archives: Texas Politics
Leticia Van de Putte – Now a Two Time Loser
The Democrats somehow managed to blow the mayoral race in San Antonio this weekend. The Texas Tribune looks at what went wrong for the down-trodden Texas Democratic Party. Although, the race was technically non-partisan, the lines were clearly drawn and Ivy Taylor, the interim mayor won the runoff election with 51.7 percent of the vote.
Ted Cruz – Not Ready for Primetime
Former Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn assesses the GOP presidential field and does not appear to be overly impressed with either of the favorite sons from Texas. ThinkProgress has the full report.
Rick Perry: “Good guy. I don’t think he’s capable at that level.”
Ted Cruz: “Not ready for primetime.”
Can We have Their Names Please?
Gov. Greg Abbott signed a sweeping border security bill that will cost the state over $300 million to fix a problem that may not exist anymore. Statistics show that crime in the Rio Grande valley is at an all time low. But that doesn’t matter to Abbott who justified the massive increase in police presence by claiming that, “Here in Houston, there are more than 20,000 dangerous gang members that are associated with cross border traffic crime.” Abbott went on to claim that there are more than 100,000 such hoodlums In the state. Abbott cited no source for his numbers. It’s becoming more and more clear that Abbott will say anything because Texas Tea Party voters who control the electorate clearly will not hold him accountable. Need a stat to support throwing money at a problem- just make one up.
You Can’t Ignore a Headline Like This
The New York Times has posted an article under the headline “John Boehner, Ted Cruz and the One Finger Salute.”
Speaker John A. Boehner has had ample reason to give Senator Ted Cruz of Texas the stink eye, shall we say. Mr. Cruz has repeatedly encouraged House conservatives to push Mr. Boehner sharply, even untenably, to the right, and he helped orchestrate the government shutdown at the end of 2013, which Mr. Boehner tried mightily to prevent.
Mr. Boehner did not hide his displeasure at those junctures, but he has refrained from criticizing Mr. Cruz personally. Asked about him last fall, Mr. Boehner said they had not talked to Mr. Cruz since he was elected to the Senate in 2012.
Last week, however, at a closed fund-raiser — in Texas, no less — it seemed to some of the 40 people in attendance that Mr. Boehner made his feelings about Mr. Cruz quite clear.
During the event, in Midland, Mr. Boehner was asked by the chairman of the state’s Republican Party, Tom Mechler, for his thoughts on Mr. Cruz’s presidential campaign. Mr. Boehner chuckled and then raised a middle finger.
More Piling on the “Texas Miracle”
Now that Rick Perry has joined the already crowded GOP Presidential candidate field, look for even more examination of the so-called “Texas Miracle.” Paul Krugman is the latest to jump on the bandwagon bashing Perry’s claim to have led the Texas economy to great things through low taxes and lax regulation. Krugman concludes, “that tax cuts are a universal elixir that cures all economic ills is the ultimate zombie idea — one that should have died long ago in the face of the facts, but just keeps shambling along.” And while he is at it, Krugman throws Kansas under the bus too.
The states, Louis Brandeis famously declared, are the laboratories of democracy. In fact, Mr. Brownback himself described his plan as an “experiment” that would demonstrate the truth of his economic doctrine. What it actually did, however, was demonstrate the opposite — and much the same message is coming from other laboratories, from the stumble in Texas to the comeback in California…
Nothing that has happened in the past quartercentury has supported tax-cut mania, yet the doctrine’s hold on the Republican Party is stronger than ever. It would be foolish to expect recent events to make much difference.
Still, the spectacle of the Texas economy coming back to earth, and Kansas sliding over the edge should at the very least make right-wing bombast ring hollow, in the general election if not in the primary. And someday, maybe, even conservatives will once again become willing to look at the facts.
If at First You Don’t Succeed – Waste Some More Time and Money
Rick Perry announced his candidacy for President today. Just what we needed – another Presidential candidate with Texas roots. The Wall Street Journal, Red’s favorite source on all things Rick Perry, speculates on his chances.
He faces a sizable challenge to separate himself from what looks to be a crowded field of GOP contenders in 2016—and overcome the impression he left with national voters during his initial campaign for president, when he raised a large war chest and briefly led the field before suffering a memory lapse in a debate in which he forgot one of the three federal agencies he proposed to eliminate.
Mr. Perry also faces a pending felony indictment related to a veto he issued as governor. He has denied wrongdoing, calling the prosecution a witch hunt by political opponents, and has filed a motion to dismiss the indictment that is pending before an Austin appellate court.
Mr. Perry has played down the headwinds he faces and emphasized the attributes he believes will help distinguish him in a crowded Republican field, including his military background (Sen. Lindsey Graham is the only other current candidate in the GOP field with a military record) and his long tenure as chief executive of a large state.
“I led the world’s 12th largest economy,” he said Thursday. “The question of every candidate will be this: When have you led?
Red never thought he would say it, but Greg Abbott is making him miss Rick Perry.
Ted Cruz – Needs a Punch
Sen. Ted Cruz (TP – Texas) took a tasteless and crude swipe at Joe Biden at a GOP function in Michigan mere days after Biden lost his son to cancer. Cruz was reported to have attempted an old joke in a speech.
“Joe Biden. You know the nice thing? You don’t need a punch line. I promise you it works. The next party you’re at, just walk up to someone and say, ‘Vice President Joe Biden and just close your mouth. They will crack up laughing.”
Cruz then went on to make fun of Biden’s comments about defending himself against intruders with a double-barrel shotgun.
Ted Cruz. You know the nice thing? Synonymous with asshole. Try it at a party sometime. I promise you, the person will punch you in the face.
Bring Your Textbooks, Notebook, LapTop, Pens and .38 Special
The Texas Tribune reports that the conservative quest to have more guns on Texas campuses is still alive. Despite repeated admonitions from university administrators across the board (except shamefully for John Sharp at Texas A&M), the Legislature is more interested in kowtowing to its extreme right wing than doing what is in the best interests of our state universities and their students.
Campus carry legislation lived to fight another day as a last-minute deal saved Senate Bill 11 just before a midnight deadline in the House to take initial votes on bills originating in the Senate.
The dramatic scene occurred close to 11:30 p.m. The House had just spent 30 minutes considering a point of order raised by San Antonio Democrat Trey Martinez Fischer. With about 100 filed amendments awaiting debate, many had already started writing the obituaries for the legislation that would require public colleges and universities to allow concealed handgun license holders to bring guns on campus.
Texas Takes Stumbling First Step Towards Legalization of Marijuana
Gov. Greg Abbott has a choice to make. Will he or will he not veto a bill that makes a very small first step towards legalization of medical marijuana in Texas. If Abbot signs the new legislation, medical marijuana could be legal in Texas albeit in a very modified limited way. The Texas House has approved a Senate bill that would allow limited use of Cannabidiol oils, a marijuana derivative. The new law might stand a chance of getting Abbott’s approval because it was sponsored by two Republicans. The bill, crafted by Sen. Kevin Etlife and Rep. Stephanie Klick would legalize Cannabidiol oils, which don’t cause euphoria upon ingestion. Marijuana reform, which is slowly creeping across the nation, may speed up if the reddest of the red states cracks open the door even slightly.
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Paradise in Hell 