"Vote for Chris Bell" Week Wrangle

Today is the opening of early voting in the SD-17 Texas Senate contest. If you live in Harris County (or in Fort Bend or Galveston or Brazoria or Jefferson counties, for that matter) find your early voting location here. Early voting will end this Friday -- no weekend EV -- so take care of business and get one more Democrat elected to the state legislature. Texas needs Chris Bell in the Senate.

And here's this week's edition of the Texas Progressive Alliance's weekly round-up, compiled by Vince from Capitol Annex.

The long-held assumption that Texas was safely red seems to be taking a few hits, notes Lightseeker at Texas Kaos, in Trouble in Red Paradise?

DosCentavos expands on comments from Latina Lista on the one tool that Latinos have failed to use to get ahead in politics, business, etc.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme warns us that Republican agitators are on the loose making stuff up for their wedge 'em and hate 'em crusades. Are there enough Hispanics in top roles? What will happen for Rick Noriega and Juan Garcia?

According to jobsanger, the War on Christmas is alive and well. Another volley in the "War On Christmas has been fired, this time from the heartland of America, as an Iowa publisher is selling Christmas cards for atheists.

Off the Kuff takes a look at the Hill Research Consultants poll that says the Republican brand is eroding in Texas.

John Coby at Bay Area Houston says Speaker Tom Craddick can't have his cake and health care too, concerning how Craddick fought for health care for his adult well-to-do daughter while fighting to deny health insurance to poor kids.

McBlogger's latest rant on the state of traffic in Texas prompted this little bit of comeuppance from Mayor McSleaze.

Vince at Capitol Annex notes that Houston Mayor Bill White is expected to announce his plans in regard to 2010 this week.

BossKitty at TruthHugger is angry that the Texas Republican Party has favored BIG Business, including medical corporations who see ill people as dollar signs. Texas looks like it leads the pack in putting money above quality of life. Texas needs to reinstate the Hippocratic Oath and throw out the hypocritical oath it has been following. Read all about it in US Health Care Plunges, Texas Drops 9 Points.

Dembones at Eye On Williamson analyzes the recent poll that's causing a stir Texas GOP In Panic Over Recent Poll.

The kinder, gentler Kay Bailey Hutchison -- with a little help from her pal Karl Rove -- is trotting out for display. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs has the revoltin' development.

The Bettencourt Bailout Follies

Republicans BJ from LST (in the comments here) and the blogger formerly known as Sedosi pooh-pooh my speculation of Charles Bacarisse to replace Paul "Cut-and Run" Bettencourt as Harris County's tax assessor/collector/voter registrar -- which actually serves as a great relief to me. Another source reports that Bacarisse is very happy in his current job with Second Baptist Church. Thank God for small favors.

The Diane Trautman Appointment Campaign is in high gear. I wish I could be enthusiastic about its prospects. Really I do. Dr. Trautman's loss November 4 probably hurt worse than any. But I cannot see Emmett (and Radack and Eversole) going along with her selection. Nor do I see a new spirit of bipartisanship on commissioners' court.

Vince reports that Golden Parachute Paul has suggested his top henchman, Ed Johnson, for the slot. That would be a big FU to everybody except the most rabid of Voter ID acolytes. The speculation from the right seems to frequently mention defeated district clerk appointee Theresa Chang (she replaced Bacarisse and then lost to Loren Jackson). And perhaps Emmett has another lickspittle in mind whose name is currently under the radar. If there is some Latino Republican that could fit the bill, Emmett could do himself and the Harris County GOP a huge favor by making that person his choice.

Chang offers a sorely-needed minority face for the locals; she's at least familiar with county bureaucracy, and she may or may not be an extremist. That's probably enough for her to get the job.

Sunday Funnies

Goodbye Bettencourt

Imagine my surprise:

Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Paul Bettencourt announced late Friday that he was resigning to pursue a private business venture.

The sudden announcement comes just a month after Bettencourt was reelected to his third term.

A simply remarkable demonstration of disrespect to the people of Harris County. Re-elected in a bitter contest over Diane Trautman a mere 30 days ago, Bettencourt cuts and runs now so that a majority of the Republicans on commissioner's court can pick the placeholder.

"I have spoken with Judge Emmett and told him of my intention to tender my resignation before Christmas. I want to give the Court time to address the vacancy and ensure an orderly transition," Bettencourt wrote.

He said he would issue a fuller statement next week. ...

His replacement will be appointed by Harris County Commissioners Court.

Bettencourt was the most partisan, the most rancorous, the most obstinate conservative left around these parts after we exorcised Tom DeLay. I am incensed at his timing, but couldn't be more happy about his departure whatever the reasons. As Gerry Birnberg notes, however, we haven't seen the last of him politically:

Bettencourt also drew criticism for his role of the voter registrar for Harris County.

He had been accused several times in recent years of overzealously purging the voter rolls and blocking new registrations. The Harris County Democratic Party sued Bettencourt last month, complaining of his handling of about 7,000 provisional ballots cast in the Nov. 4 election and accusing him of illegally rejecting voter registration applications. He denied any wrongdoing.

Friday night, Harris County Democratic Party Chairman Gerald Birnberg said he expected Bettencourt to resign at some point, believing he had an interest in statewide office.

"So, I had expected him to resign to run for another office or to be more involved in the radio business," Birnberg said. "It occurs to me that Paul is too deliberate for this to have occurred 'day before yesterday.' It has got to be something he was thinking about more than 30 days ago, before the election, and I am disappointed he did not share his plans with the voters." ...

Good riddance to bad rubbish.

Update: My top-of-the-morning prognostication is that the replacement will be former district clerk and vanquished Emmett opponent Charles Bacarisse, which could hardly be considered an improvement.

Update II: Even the stridently bipartisan and typically reserved Quorum Report seems a little taken aback:

Campaign contributors and supporters are no doubt stunned that Bettencourt used them to seek an office that he will not take. In his statement he says he received a private sector offer that he will accept despite having offered himself up for re-election. Ultimately the question will boil down to whether or not he knew when he filed that he did not intend to serve. Was his intention to simply leverage his name ID into a Republican win an an otherwise Democratic year while never intending to take the oath of office?

His statement does not clear up the mystery.