Monday, July 20, 2020

The Weekly Fa versus Antifa Wrangle *with updates*

Update: I'm having a little trouble keeping up with everything that's happening this week, so a fresh Wrangle and a White house Update are still in the works.  Keep an eye on my Twitter feed to the right ---> for the very latest.

Along with the best of the left from around our Great State over the past several days, the Texas Progressive Alliance wishes we were on the ramparts of democracy with the Portland Moms.


We'll open with the Pachyderms; the Republican Party of Texas elected a new leader.


The TXGOP's convention went virtual at the end of last week after Houston's mayor, Sylvester Turner, shut them down due to the COVID-19 outbreak inflaming the city.  But federal judge Lynn Hughes overrode Turner's authority to block them from meeting in person, and then a hastily-assembled Fifth Circuit panel overturned Hughes.  The Repubs chose to go on with their conclave online, but encountered technical difficulties of all kinds; unforced errors as well as DDS attacks.  They still have some unfinished party business remaining -- for a second convention.

West's victory is also a win for the Dan Patrick/Trump wing.  It assures that their candidates on the 2020 ballot must align with the president or face scorn and retribution, a tactic that will surely cost them votes in the suburbs of the state's major metros.  Whether that can be offset by ginning up turnout in rural strongholds -- and places like Midland/Odessa, the deepest portions of East Texas, exurban counties such as Montgomery, Williamson, Hays, Denton, and Collin -- is the electoral battle all of us pundits will be watching over the next 3.5 months.

Looking past November -- and if Trump is not blown out here in the Lone Star State -- all of this grumbling from the base suggests there will be a significant primary challenge to Governor Greg Abbott from his right.  I would be inclined to believe that Abbott has enough money and political savvy to win easily, probably against anyone except Dan Patrick, whom he currently leads by more than 2-1 in fundraising dollars.  Would Patrick vacate the state's most powerful post in order to take a shot at Abbott?  That's a very interesting question, isn't it?

Update: It's not worth speculating (to me) at this time whether Beto or one of the Castro brothers deigns to challenge Abbott in 2022.  Either should be strong enough and have enough support to get the job done, after Lupe Valdez -- who had neither -- ran better than expected in 2018.

I have enough COVID-19 posts for its own Wrangle, which will appear later.  Sticking to politics ...


Kuff had the goods on two more polls of Texas.  Ted Cruz warned his brethren that this year is indeed going to be a race.  And Jeremy Blackman breaks down Greg Abbott's strategy for staying above the fray even as he gets pulled down into it: stick to the local news.


SD14 special: Former Travis County Judge Sarah Eckhardt remains below 50% following the release of what we expect to be final unofficial results from Travis and Bastrop Cos. Eckhardt sits at 49.75%, which puts her in a runoff against Rep. Eddie Rodriguez, who finished with 33.9% of the vote.


Go to the link for more on this quirk of the Texas Election Code.


Some environmental posts:

Downwinders at Risk seems encouraged by the opportunity for real reform in the wake of the departure of Dallas' director of environmental quality.  Save Buffalo Bayou blogs about a Plastic Free July.  Rebecca Elliott writes for the WSJ that this -- right here -- is what it looks like when a Texas oil boom goes bust.  And Gadfly called out Texas Monthly for naively accepting at face value the "poor me" story of a major fracking company's head.

Update: DISD has asked DaR to help re-write their environmental policies.

Some NBA players and alumni keep track of current events ...


... and some apparently don't.


Grits for Breakfast sees the coming sunset review of the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement as an opportunity to limit police forces in the state.  Victoria Guerrero at Progress Texas examined the data that concluded that many county district attorneys are under-prosecuting abusive cops.

Black Restaurant Week ended on Sunday -- there are still many who need your support -- and the eagerly-anticipated Houston Restaurant Weeks begins shortly.

This year the motto "Dine Out and Do Good" has been revised to "Take Out and Do Good."  One dollar from each meal purchased will be donated to the Houston Food Bank.  The donation amount is smaller than in past years, but it allows more establishments to participate and helps support workers in the hard-hit restaurant industry.

HRW founder Cleverley Stone passed away earlier this year.  Her daughter, Katie, is continuing the fundraiser in her name.  Houston Restaurant Weeks will run from Aug. 1 to Sept. 7.

Shari Biedinger at The Rivard Report attended the 50th anniversary re-enactment of the Great Brackenridge Park Train Robbery. 


Last, here's a Twitter thread that details some of the internal thoughts of residents of various Texas cities that strikes this Texan as stereotypical and maybe not so funny.  YMMV.
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