Texas lefty bloggers and Tweeters are gearing up for the first Biden-Trump debate after steeling themselves from being triggered by the first half of "The Comey Rule", which aired last night on Showtime. Brendan Gleeson -- starring as The President -- makes his grand entrance tonight on the last episode of the two-part docu-drama. To say that there's been some PTSD suffered across the nation is understating the situation.
Tension so thick you can cut it with a knife.
— Showtime (@Showtime) September 23, 2020
📺 #TheComeyRule
🗓 This Sunday and Monday pic.twitter.com/xlOgrQOYOb
Anyway, we have lots of Lone Star Tweets and news to read and talk about (mostly election- and COVID-related today; other topics at the end of the week). First and again from the courtroom:
"Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is expected to promptly appeal to the Fifth Circuit." #TX2020 https://t.co/PIaEjEpcyg via @CourthouseNews
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) September 26, 2020
Kuff stayed on top of the voting litigation news with updates about the wingnut assault on early voting, and the probably short-lived reinstatement of straight-ticket voting. Corona Connor drew some interesting maps of CD10, one of the three Congressional districts that Beto carried in 2018 but the Republican incumbent won. In your best-read of the week, Ben Wofford at Wired (republished at Portside so you don't have any paywall issues) details the decades-long give-and take between Travis County Clerk Dana Debeauvoir and Rice University professor Dan Wallach -- and many others -- over secure voting machines.
A Texas County Clerk’s Bold Crusade to Transform How We Vote https://t.co/seikDTrbcz
— media@portside.org (@PortsideOrg) September 28, 2020
One way to make it easier and safer for everyone to vote: dedicated tables at polling places for accepting mail ballots. https://t.co/3Y4yyxL9y9
— Brennan Center (@BrennanCenter) September 27, 2020
A few SD30 special election updates.
It's a Republican civil war in Texas as Shelley Luther attacks Gov. Greg Abbott in state Senate special election vs. GOP state Rep. Drew Springer, Denton Mayor Chris Watts & three others in North Texas, @MorrisReports writes. #txlege #Election2020 #txvote https://t.co/DuMQVJfSeY
— John Gravois (@Grav1) September 25, 2020
Texas Senate District 30 Special Election Early Vote Tracker - updated through final day.
— Jim Henson (@jamesrhenson) September 28, 2020
In-person: 30,050
By-mail: 10,713
Total early vote: 40,763
Early vote as share of RV: 2.6%
Early vote as share of 2018 general election vote: 12.9%https://t.co/Km7fBEQz6l #txlege #tx2020 pic.twitter.com/U8kZZd4cjv
Ross Ramsey at the TexTrib via Progrexas says "keep calm and vote on".
Harris County's ambitious election plan calls for 11,000 poll workers; 29,000 people applied https://t.co/YIjfco2nur #hounews
— Matt Schwartz (@SchwartzChron) September 25, 2020
In addition to the candidates whose names appear on the #TX2020 ballot, Texans will have the option of casting a Write In vote for 9 declared WI Candidates for President.
— Mark P. Jones (@MarkPJonesTX) September 25, 2020
Only @LaRiva2020 is on the ballot in other states.
Also is 1 WI for #TXSen, #TX4, #TX31 & for #txlege #HD132 pic.twitter.com/TCngujJyeI
Candidatos Verdes en Español#Texas #PartidoVerde #GreenParty @GreenPartyUS @LatinxsPorHowie @BexarGreensTX @HowieHawkins @AngelaNWalker @Wakely2020 @Viapadron @Dr_RREAL @dbcgreentx @qweekat @brodymulligan @HalRidleyJr pic.twitter.com/XFMnRrCFuC
— Green Party of Texas (@TXGreens) September 25, 2020
The Texas Politics Project has the executive summary of several of the above news items for those of you with limited reading time.
Fear and Loathing at the Ballot Box: Election and Voting-Focused Texas Data Points for the Week In Politics https://t.co/v4p6Mjj295 #txlege #tx2020 pic.twitter.com/mKIcrGSNje
— Jim Henson (@jamesrhenson) September 27, 2020
And looking past November ...
2022 watch: Joe Jaworski, Democrat and former Galveston mayor who recently announced his bid for attorney general, filed an amicus brief with #SCOTX today arguing against @KenPaxtonTX's attempt to block @HarrisVotes from sending mail ballot applications to all voters. #txlege pic.twitter.com/A9vnQrk7nj
— Jasper Scherer (@jaspscherer) September 25, 2020
Following up on the growing divide between Texas Republicans, this next story was first referenced in the Friday 9/18 Round-up (scroll down to "Speaking of stupid").
Texas Republicans want to expand gambling on tribal lands. Texas Republicans don’t want to expand gambling on tribal lands.
— Reform Austin (@ReformAustin) September 25, 2020
Confused? That’s an appropriate response. #txlegehttps://t.co/kWpvzdQi6O
As James Barragan Tweeted in last Friday's Round-up, the Lege must deal with the most ominous revenue shortfall (related to COVID and the crashing of oil, of course) in almost a century. All tax streams must be on the table. A full legalization of casino gambling and cannabis, with an appropriate taxing mechanism, should be under careful consideration. The TXGOP cannot continue to allow the Evangelical Caucus to hinder progress for the sick (Medicaid expansion) the young (our public school system) and the old (our seniors' assisted living challenges during these crises).
In one of the more ridiculous election-related developments last week, Texas Monthly has a few questions about that Dan Crenshaw ad.
Exactly how tall is August Pfluger? What is Tony Gonzales hacking into? And what is being blown up??
— Texas Monthly (@TexasMonthly) September 27, 2020
We have some questions about Dan Crenshaw's new campaign ad. https://t.co/XMFeGoWkvK
LOL @texasdemocrats chairman urges #Biden to visit state: 'I thought he had his own plane' https://t.co/cMqf0ObMbx #TX2020
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) September 26, 2020
Hey @houmayor: how about taking a pass on the #G20 summit this year. It's being hosted by Saudi Arabia and I don’t want my mayor shaking hands with MBS. Hey #HTX: will you join me and write @SylvesterTurner too? https://t.co/G1JLjC5oBx #HouNews
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) September 25, 2020
And the TexTrib provides the segue between politics and pandemic.
The coronavirus has split Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and his own party, says @rossramsey. https://t.co/Jbp6ZMqZ4M #txlege
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 25, 2020
So many revealing moments in this amazing story. Like this one about Lina Hidalgo in Feb: Her communications team kept including a standard CDC talking point in her speeches - that the risk to the American public remained low. Hidalgo kept taking it out. https://t.co/ZIAdSAvRZa
— Mizanur Rahman (@Mizanur_TX) September 27, 2020
Texas Public Schools #COVID19 Data
— Anna Núñez (@nunez_anna) September 25, 2020
3,445 cumulative positive STUDENT cases
2,850 cumulative positive STAFF cases#PublicSchools are required to report positive #coronavirus cases on school campuses. Data updated weekly on Wed:https://t.co/8a6VuCNLq9#TXlege #TXed #Education pic.twitter.com/E01UZ1i5Lb
Coronavirus expert Dr. Peter Hotez worried Houston is heading toward 'third peak' this fall @LisaGray_HouTX @HoustonChron https://t.co/MNBiWNvpJq
— Steve Riley (@srileychronicle) September 25, 2020
"The drop in emergency license suspensions worries patient safety advocates, because many hospitals still have compromised and vulnerable patients. That makes errors and complications more likely and dangerous." #txlege #covid19 #SafetyFirst https://t.co/Yhs6Qmi3em
— Texas Watch (@TexasWatch) September 25, 2020
How looking down drains instead of up people's noses helped Houston catch a COVID hot spot https://t.co/qwxUF5nONW #hounews
— Matt Schwartz (@SchwartzChron) September 25, 2020
A glitchy computer system that Texas health officials repeatedly warned was aging and at high risk of "critical failure" has stymied efforts to track and manage the coronavirus.
— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) September 24, 2020
It has also left policymakers with incomplete, and at times inaccurate, data. https://t.co/xArRD2Ltjp
Erin Garcia de Jesus at the San Antonio Current worries about the "twindemic" of COVID plus influenza.
Stories of ordinary Texans dealing with extraordinary circumstances:https://t.co/AgwiV2hM9N
— Texas Observer (@TexasObserver) September 27, 2020
And we all hope we don't have a new environmental problem to be concerned about, after the weekend brought this tragic news.
6-year-old Texas boy died from brain-eating amoeba in early September, leading to investigation of water supply https://t.co/MmuVzcjPGC #HouNews
— Forever in debt to your priceless advice. (@PDiddie) September 27, 2020
More economic, ecological, and social justice headlines later. Ending here today on as upbeat a message as possible.
This cyclist thought he might have delay his wild idea – riding the entire perimeter of Texas – until after the pandemic.
— Texas Standard (@TexasStandard) September 24, 2020
But it turned out to be perfect timing. https://t.co/mtxKrhPdju
The first batting practice taken at the brand-new Houston Astrodome as shot through the catcher's mask, 1965. That's Rusty Staub with the bat in his hand and catcher John Bateman with the glove. Cool photo. Thanks to the anonymous reader who sent this to me. You're awesome! pic.twitter.com/aPSe0LdqXq
— Traces of Texas (@TracesofTexas) September 25, 2020