The blues

Which is better than having a case of the red ass.  I don't know, it feels kind of crimson and wavy to me this morning.  At this time four years ago there were still very few people (publicly) thinking a tsunami was rolling in off the coast.

I'm feeling a little deja vu, personally.  On the bright side, the rain in Texas today seems to be falling mainly in the plain.

That's a good thing.  Those parts of the state are overly conservative, and besides, they need the rain anyway.

Mostly feeling ominous because of stories like this one.

HOUSTON – A day before Texans go to the polls, an unusual group gathered for lunch at a Mexican restaurant not far from downtown: an unemployed African-American grandmother; a University of Houston student originally from Pennsylvania; a pregnant mother who had recently moved back to the area with her family; and a low-income white woman who struggled to make eye contact and kept her money in a pack strapped around her waist.

They had not met each other before, but they had one thing in common: Thanks to Texas’s strict voter ID law, they all faced massive hurdles in casting a vote. Over fish tacos and guacamole, they shared their stories—hesitantly at first, then with growing eagerness as they realized they weren’t alone in being victimized by their state.

The photo ID law is working as intended.  Nobody can say they don't understand why people cannot get an ID any more after this election.  If they do, they're just being willfully ignorant.

Anyway, I got a pile of pre-recriminations that can be rolled out tomorrow, but we'll save it for then.  Hey, there's an outside chance I won't even need them.

Update: Noah seems to be a little down in the mouth as well.

The Day Before Wrangle

The Texas Progressive Alliance fervently hopes that all of the election winners have our state's best interests at heart as we bring you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff discusses what the Republicans didn't tell us about voter ID, and the bigger question about it that has yet to be decided.

Libby Shaw, writing for Texas Kaos and Daily Kos, notes that when fascism comes to America it will come wrapped in a law that should have never been passed in the first place. I will not sit down and shut up about voter suppression in Texas.

WCNews at Eye on Williamson sees that the photo ID law in Texas is causing problems. Considering it's always been a solution in search of a problem this is no surprise: TX GOP Voter ID Law Denied 93-Year-Old Veteran A Ballot.

Control of the US Senate will be decided in a runoff in Louisiana in December, or maybe in January in Georgia. So sayeth PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

Egberto Willies has the video of Mary Landrieu telling the truth that's hard to swallow for Southerners.

Dos Centavos was at the rally for Leticia Van de Putte hosted by Tejano star Little Joe.

Neil at All People Have Value thanks his car for reaching 100,000 miles and everyone and everything else for just being here.  APHV is one of many things that exist at NeilAquino.com.

Texas Leftist picked up on the Republican candidate for Dallas County Judge's comments that he hopes Democrats will spend their food stamp money instead of voting on Tuesday.

=========================

And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Greg Wythe's last number crunch before Election Day reveals a Harris County Democratic electorate between 46 and 47%.  It's all on Tuesday's voters now.

Carol Morgan says that anemic Texas voter turnout is the perfect Halloween horror story.

The alternative newspaper Free Press Houston made its first endorsement ever, and it's for Kim Ogg for District Attorney.  Because weed.

Socratic Gadfly has a few pre-election observations.

Lone Star Ma was blockwalking to the end.

Lone Star Q has the report that the Houston hate rally's Twitter hashtag, #IStandSunday, backfired on them.  It became a rallying cry for LGBT rights.

The Great God Pan Is Dead explains the activism of Working Artists and the Greater Economy (W.A.G.E.), who advocate for paying artists fairly for their labor.

The Texas Election Law Blog reports on the "sub-rosa approval" of veterans health cards as suitable for voter ID.

Colin Strother asks if you know who your voters are.

Grits for Breakfast notes the appellate court split on the mandated DWI blood drawing, and what that means as the cases move on to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.

Kevin Barton calls for lower municipal speed limits in the name of pedestrian safety.

Jackie Young updates us on the San Jacinto waste pits trial.

Tar Sands Blockade covered distressing reports of the pipeline spill into Caddo Lake.

Scott Braddock discusses the new (and likely to be short-lived) "dark money" rules.

Forrest Wilder recaps how Greg Abbott crushed Houston Votes in 2010.

The Lunch Tray reminds us that in terms of what they eat, every day is like Halloween for American kids.

Fall Back Funnies

Just don't fall too far back.