Tuesday, September 21, 2021

The Taco Tuesday Wrangle from Far Left Texas


Tacos at the end.  Updates to yesterday's Beto/redistricting post and a few new developments make for your early-week reading.


Governor Fish Lips used the invisible hand of the free market to kill the Lincoln Project's ad, scheduled to air during Saturday's UT football game.


And there's an election to fill another open seat in the statehouse going on.


Certain to become a 2022 campaign issue, the Haitian immigrant crisis at the Del Rio border crossing has exploded onto the national scene, and in the worst possible way for Joe Biden.


Lots more on this to come, separately.  At the Lege, as the third special session gets going ...


Note the Confederate flag and the "Pray to End Abortion" sign.  Some of these things are not like the other, except in the Q-hive mind.  Regarding new maps:


And the latest on women's reproductive (severely restricted) rights.


And here is some criminal and social justice news.

The Texas Observer, KXAN's investigative unit, KTEP, and the Fort Worth Report are collaborating on an accounting of the Texas Rangers' failings in prosecuting corruption by public officials (perhaps a result of there being too much on their plate).



And Techdirt references D Magazine's story last month about the Dallas PD's accidental deletion of data, which they kept hidden from the DA's office and City Council for months.

Some climate items.


Formosa Plastics, the Taiwan-based chemical giant, will pay nearly $3 million in fines for violating the Clean Air Act at its Matagorda Bay facility.  The Texas Signal reports that Congressional Democrats from the Lone Star State want federal subsidies for Big Oil and Gas to stay in the Build Back Better Act, the $3.5 trillion spending bill.  And they're catching some deserved hell for it.

“Unlike previous administrations, I don’t think the federal government should give handouts to big oil,” (President Joe) Biden said in January. “And I’m going to be going to the Congress asking them to eliminate those subsidies. We’re going to take money and invest it in clean energy jobs in America -- millions of jobs in wind, solar, and carbon capture.”

[...]

But this week the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee released the latest draft of the tax plan to fund the major spending bill that shows the subsidies for oil & gas companies largely intact.

The move comes after industry lobbying as well as a letter written by seven House Democrats from Texas in support of the subsidies [...] Reps. Henry Cuellar (Laredo), Vicente Gonzalez (McAllen), Lizzie Fletcher (Houston), Marc Veasey (Fort Worth), Filemon Vela (Brownsville), and Sylvia Garcia (Houston).


Biden, as close watchers know, is duplicitous about his green energy commitments.  What's refreshing here is that the Signal goes where other Dem blogs *cough*Kuff*cough* don't (i.e. criticizing Democrats for being hypocrites and sell-outs).  Our Revolution Texas piled on hard.

They had the gall to suggest that not subsidizing obscenely profitable oil and gas corporations with public money constitutes “punitive practices” which would somehow “impede the transition to a low carbon future.” This abused protest by these pro-oil politicians and clearly shows they’re shilling for Big Oil.
And last: as promised at the top ... your lunch and/or dinner suggestion.

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Monday, September 20, 2021

The Beto/redistricting Wrangle

Tex Donks are orgasmic, but the scoop from Axios has them jumping the gun.

According to David Wysong, O’Rourke’s former House chief of staff, no decision has been made yet. “He has been making and receiving calls with people from all over the state,” Wysong said.

“We hope that he’s going to run,” said Gilberto Hinojosa, the state chair of the Democratic Party. “We think he’ll be our strongest candidate. We think he can beat Abbott because he’s vulnerable.”

Polling reveals that Hinojosa is the blind hog who found a truffle.


Also the Texas 2036 poll, showing widespread dissatisfaction with the state's direction.


"Inching closer".  Calves are already cramping across the Lone Star State.  I saw nothing referenced anywhere about Beto's previous condition that voting rights legislation pass the Congress before he jumps in.  And speaking of snark, I saw a lot more than I expected.


This tweet, and the subsequent argument about whether he took O&G money or didn't, illustrates the leftist/liberal divide better than any.


The good news is that this will at least quiet the talk of Joe Straus coming out of retirement.


Redistricting is a bigger topic; the first maps for Senate Districts dropped over the weekend, and Fort Worth's purple SD-10 (held by Beverly Powell) is a goner.  Republicans Donna Campbell (SD-25) and Dawn Buckingham (SD-24) would have to square off, which must be why Buckingham is running for Land Commissioner and not re-election.  Expect more and worse from Joan Huffman's committee.


Katya Ehresman shows us how to get involved in the redistricting fight.


I have a few more posts regarding the abortion law.


Read here at KXAN if the WaPo's paywall is a problem for you.


Obviously not the accomplishment he thinks it is.


Last:


Julie Cloud and David Currie at the San Antonio Report underscore that.  I'm not in the habit of posting rebuttals that make sense from Pastor Jeffress; it's been a strange week just passed.  After all, last Monday we were bracing for a hurricane.  Have you forgotten?


Two more environmental things.


The Texas Living Waters Project sees the American Rescue Plan Act as a historic opportunity to invest in our water infrastructure.

And some criminal and social justice posts.


This CBS Sunday Morning piece ...


... and Koppel's discussion with some of the tourists ...


... is the perfect lead-in to Jen Rice's thread about the eviction crisis.


A long read and worth every minute of your time.

Here's some more items to close today.


The Great God Pan Is Dead is looking forward to fall art season.

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