Monday, September 09, 2019

The Weekly Wrangle

The Texas Progressive Alliance has written this week's roundup entirely in Sharpie.


The best of the left Texas blog posts, Tweets, and news always has to include looking at what the Right is doing ... or more likely, not doing.  Last week was no exception.

The focus ahead will be presidential candidates debating in Houston, raising money in Dallas and Austin, and Republicans who've decided to challenge Trump in the GOP primary as well as a new face in October's fourth Democratic debate.


Patrick Svitek's recent Twitter posts contain more details.


SocraticGadfly took an initial look at Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins and his intra-Greens controversial statements on Russiagate shortly before his visit to Texas. A follow-up post is coming, about his Dallas stop.

But before we gaze any further ahead, let's glance back ...


We're past Labor Day, "everyone is paying attention", and the 2019 (and '20) election season is shifting into high gear.  The H-Town mayor's race is coming to a boil.

The mayoral candidate forum was just several minutes underway when the gloves came off between Tony Buzbee and Bill King, two self-styled independents seeking to win Houston’s top office behind a base of conservative and moderate support.

Facing a room of Republicans Wednesday at the ritzy Walden Country Club off Lake Houston, Buzbee and King took their most direct shots at each other yet: King, casting himself as a “technocrat,” pressed the case that Buzbee is unprepared to become mayor, while Buzbee suggested King would never truly reform the city’s system for awarding contracts, as both candidates have promised.

Buzbee also scoffed at King’s argument that the next mayor should not have to “rely on a bunch of experts” or be trained on the job.

“I’ll surround myself with the smartest people,” Buzbee said. “Maybe I’ll even hire Bill.”


In "They Persisted", Megan Kimble at the Texas Observer profiled three women who are back for another swing at a Congressional seat.


Six Democratic challengers to John Cornyn debated in Frisco last Thursday; both the Dallas News and the Houston Chron provided an account.


Follow the link in the Tweet and you should be able to jump the paywall.


The TexTrib had state Sen. Royce West's financial disclosures -- revealed because he's running for US Senate -- analyzed and found a lot to be concerned about.


Ross Ramsey's take underscores the laxity of the Lone Star State's oversight in this regard.  And Cornyn may get another challenger in the primary.

Sen. Pat Fallon (R-Prosper), who ousted longtime Sen. Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls) in the 2018 Republican primary, announced he was exploring a primary challenge of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R) from the right. Fallon said he would meet with voters and Republican leaders over the next few days.

Fallon is not up for re-election until 2022, so this would be a "free shot" for him. Fallon’s ability to self-fund -- He kicked off his state Senate campaign by loaning it $1.8M -- and appeal to more conservative factions within the party [emphasis PDiddie's] could make him Cornyn’s most difficult primary challenger since his 1998 run for attorney general.

Cleveland business owner and 2014 primary challenger Dwayne Stovall and Plano investment advisor Mark Yancey are already in the race. Cornyn was held under 60% of the vote in the 2014 primary by Stovall (19%), former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman (11%) and five other candidates. Cornyn received 81% and 77% of the vote in the 2008 and 2002 primary elections, respectively.


Svitek at the TexTrib also reports that there are 27 candidates who have filed to fill three vacant seats (HD28, HD100, and HD148) in the Texas House for special elections -- which means jungle primaries -- on this November's ballot.


More from Austin:

Quorum Report's Scott Braddock traveled to Angleton Monday night for the local Republican party's referendum on their hometown boy.

Strong at home: Brazoria County GOP rejects resolution condemning Speaker Bonnen

Vote was 23 to 9 as the GOP executive committee in Bonnen’s home county agreed with the argument that MQ Sullivan and Empower Texas should have to “do their own dirty work.”

“Pray for Dennis Bonnen. That’s the best thing you can do,” said Brazoria County GOP Chairman Shayne Green after the executive committee he leads voted down a resolution calling on the scandal-plagued Speaker of the Texas House to resign.

After a debate that was at times tense in a small un-airconditioned room in the county courthouse annex, the Brazoria County GOP Executive Committee voted 23 to 9 to reject the resolution that read, in part, "Corruption and bribery within our state government shall not be condoned.” The rejected language then reads: “we call for the immediate resignation of Speaker Dennis Bonnen.”

The debate was limited to about 20 minutes after Chairman Green said it would be possible for him to allow it to run as long as midnight.

Local Republicans were not in the mood for that.

The Texas Signal is skeptical of Dan Patrick's seeming willingness to consider more background checks for gun purchases.



Off the Kuff discusses some strategies for dealing with the latest voting restriction ploys.

Better Texas Blog worries about lower Medicaid and CHIP enrollment numbers.


And out in west Texas ...


And in Houston:

Urban Edge examines the connection between wealth and tree distribution in American cities.


This op-ed in the Chron ...


... received an indignant rebuttal from Tory Gattis.

Some lighter fare, starting with a little mockery.


Danny Gallagher at the Dallas Observer says that the second year of the Plano Comedy Festival is going to be bigger, better, and funnier.

The San Antonio Current reviews a new animated series set in the Alamo City.

And KISS shouted it out loud one last time at Big Greasy's Toyota Center.


In the end, as with so many of their other shows, the band was unsentimental and workmanlike, and there were few references to the fact this was to be the band's final show in Houston. Aside from a few references to playing at the Music Hall and the Summit, there weren't any pauses to soak up the adulation.

KISS came, KISS saw, KISS coordinated an efficient performance. Long live KISS.

Personal Bias: Dressed as Ace Frehley for 3rd grade Halloween. I think that's all that needs to be said.
The Crowd: Lots more kids than I was expecting.
Overheard In The Crowd: "Do you need to sit down, dude?"
Random Notebook Dump: "Some of you weren't born when this song came out; it's about cunnilingus."
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