Time for this week's Texas Progressive Alliance Blog Round-Up, compiled by TXsharon from Bluedaze.
Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News urges Texans to NOT give to veterans by mail -- at least not without some investigation. Read about the fake veteran's charities scam supported by Republicans in Cheating Charitable Givers and Veterans.
Mayor McSleaze at McBlogger takes some time out of his busy schedule to ask a few important questions of Michael Moore and our friends at MoveOn.Org.
What is Congress to do?! The Texas Cloverleaf looks at how the Bush administration continues to ignore the US House and hurt Texas, in its blatant disregard of the Congressional order to end the DOT's plan for Mexican trucks in America.
Plastic bags are now extinct in Ireland. TXsharon at Bluedaze wants to know why the U.S. can't do the same.
How much was the Katy Freeway expansion in Houston supposed to cost? Off the Kuff digs through some story archives to show that what TxDOT is saying now about initial cost estimates is not what it was saying then.
Open Source Dem at Brains and Eggs comments on the possibility of brokered conventions in both Austin and Denver this summer, and how the March 4 primary in Texas will clarify -- or muddy -- the outlook.
CouldBeTrue at South Texas Chisme cautions reasonable people to be wary about arguing over that d*mn fence! Republicans are building a monument to racism and fear, not trying to solve any problems with a coherent policy.
Hal has a a couple of postings this week at Half Empty; this one is a new theory on whether there is a new canary about to sing to the feds about Tom DeLay's past indiscretions, and this one is about some motivation for that.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson has the wrap-up from last week's hearings on TxDOT at the Capitol: Without Williamson, TxDOT Becomes Scapegoat.
Phillip Martin at Burnt Orange Report has done an exhaustingly comprehensive analysis of how the Texas hybrid primary/caucus system works, as well as a look at some of the politics of each of Texas' 31 Senate Districts that will award delegates on March 4. Read the two-part series here: Part 1 (caucus explanation) and Part 2 (delegate analysis).
BossKitty at BlueBloggin posts Customs: “Hand Over That Cell Phone, iPod & Laptop” and takes a look at just how intrusive the government has become, putting travelers and their company's private information at risk.
As we get closer to the most important Texas primary in recent memory, The Texas Blue thinks potential prognosticators should keep five things in mind when it comes to making predictions.
In addition to a ton of Texas presidential race coverage, Vince at Capitol Annex reveals that state rep. Phil King (R-Weatherford) has taken an illegal contribution from an energy lobbyist.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Sunday Funnies (Democratic skewers on the barbie edition)
Disclaimer: I am not nearly as angry and bitter as some of these might suggest. And be sure to click on the image for the largest, most readable view.
More anecdotal evidence
that something huge is happening.
Yesterday my wife and I had lunch with her co-worker (born in China, now naturalized citizen) and her husband, of German/Pennsylvania Dutch descent. They have lived in Kingwood for several years (an 80% Republican suburb for those unfamiliar). My wife was uncertain about their level of political interest, much less affiliation, so I just wore my River Oaks Area Democratic Women logo polo shirt, which always manages to be a good conversation starter.
We had dim sum at Kim Son in Stafford and then went to the Lunar (Chinese) New Year Festival on the far west side of Houston. Over lunch -- while the girls were in the powder room -- he started asking me questions like "Well, it's a foregone conclusion that the Republicans will carry Texas ... right?" I replied that while that has certainly been the case in the recent past, the tide was turning and this year that likelihood IMHO depended on whether the Democrats picked Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Obama.
He remarked that his candidate HAD been Ron Paul, but that after researching the white supremacist thing, as well as the claim by Dr. No the constitutional expert that there was no separation of church and state in the document, he was now --with a scowl -- "undecided".
Our conversation continued along this very casual vein until he finally said, "I think that's a good idea; I'll vote in the Democratic primary for Obama and see what happens."
Folks, anything is officially possible. My advice would be to strike up a political conversation with your Republican friends and family in advance of March 4.
And don't forget to invite them to attend the precinct convention.
Friday, February 08, 2008
Top ten reasons conservatives hate McCain
Via the Chron, Libby Quaid of the AP counts 'em down:
1. Campaign finance reform. McCain tried to limit the role of money in politics with measures that, critics say, stomp on the constitutional right to free speech.
2. Immigration. McCain has been a vocal supporter of a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, although he now says he understands the border between the U.S. and Mexico must be sealed first.
3. Tax cuts. McCain twice voted against President Bush's tax cuts, saying in 2001 they helped the wealthy at the expense of the middle class and in 2003 that there should be no tax relief until the cost of the Iraq war was known. But he now wants to extend the tax cuts.
4. Gay marriage. McCain refuses to support a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
5. Stem cell research. McCain would relax restrictions on federal dollars for embryonic stem cell research, which critics consider tantamount to abortion.
6. Global warming. Among the loudest voices in Congress for aggressive action against global warming and a frequent critic of the Bush administration on the issue.
7. "Gang of 14" member. One of seven Republicans and seven Democrats who averted a Senate showdown over whether filibusters could be used against Bush judicial nominees.
8. Kerry veep. McCain was approached by the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, about being his running mate. McCain talked with Kerry but rejected the offer.
9. Works with Democrats. See all of the above.
10. Belligerence. McCain can be acerbic toward his critics, such as when he labeled televangelists Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson "agents of intolerance." He reconciled with Falwell in 2006. Conservative James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, said in a statement on the morning of the Super Tuesday primaries that he would not vote for McCain, citing among other things his "legendary temper" and that he "often uses foul and obscene language."
I posted a comment at the story site that I'll repeat here: The Republicans remind me of a mortally wounded marriage, where two people -- not necessarily a man and a woman -- cannot reconcile because they've said too many things they can never take back.
The chattering class of conservative commentators have spewed so much acidic bile about McCain -- and Pastor Huckabee too, for that matter -- that they cannot flip-flop now and support either man without sacrificing whatever is left of their integrity.
Fortunately for them, integrity does not appear to be highly valued within the modern conservative movement.
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