Friday, March 02, 2007
Two-stepping some Lone Star speculation
Charles Kuffner made a plausible theory out of Markos Moulitsis' postulate regarding the prospects for dumping Senator Box Turtle. Most everything has already been said already, but here's two more cents' worth:
I'm pretty confident that Bill White would rather run for governor than for anything in Washington except the White House. He's a CEO, not a member of the tribe. And even though they are not usually the kind of Democrats we elect in Deep-In-the-Hearta, there are only a few people mentioned who meet the definition of "people-powered candidate". And of those, Lloyd Doggett is likely the guy Kos has in mind. Doggett has won a statewide race in the not-so-distant past (state Supreme Court) and he's sitting on a pile of money. Doggett would be an excellent candidate and an even better Senator.
Though my very first choice would be Rick Noriega.
Which reminds me that I haven't been as supportive -- online or off -- of Melissa's race for Houston city council as I intended to be.
This woman is a political powerhouse in her own right. She could have easily had the career in public service that her husband has, had that been her choice. There are some people who are just lifted by circumstance to serve, and Melissa is one of those people.
Besides that, we just need to put more women in office across this country. We'd probably have a lot more compassion and a lot less meanness if we did. We'd certainly have fewer wars.
James Rodriguez, with whom I lunched yesterday, is similarly a thoughtful and capable person who is standing for Houston city council. He was quick to point out that there is no such word as 'patrona' in Spanish. I hope to sit down soon with John Marron, who has labor backing and the endorsement of county commissioner Sylvia Garcia. Several heavyweights whose opinions I respect are in support of both men, so this race will be spirited and could be contentious. I don't get a vote in District I, and it's possible that I would endorse two men for the one job. Truth to tell, we need both of them in public service.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
A slight case of bloggerrhea
Abbott's getting some coverage for opening and then closing and then opening and then closing our county clerk's office. We aren't the only ones talking about an ill thought court ruling. KXAN points out, this recent republican flip flop would have taken years for all 254 counties to comply with.
Half Empty:
Abbott failed to realize that by issuing this opinion he would hamstring any company or organization that needs daily access to land records. County clerks across the state were presented with the choice of continuing to provide online land record services and garnering a misdemeanor warrant every time someone got access to another person’s personal information through the system that they support, or shutting off public access to their records. So they shut off public access to the records.
It's ridiculously stupid things like this that compelled me to work so hard to defeat him. Texas simply has the worst attorney general money could have bought (and did).
-- Yesterday's "Prevention First!" lobby day at the Capitol was a real treat in a variety of ways: from seeing Alison Bell among our group, to bumping into Kirk Watson getting coffee in the cafeteria (and thanking him for sponsoring the legislation in the Senate), to visiting with Valinda Bolton in the hall between floor sessions. Borris Miles' legislative aide Camille Foster was generous with her time and attention, and Rodney Ellis' staff member Kaitlyn Murphy likewise met a group of over one hundred of his constituents.
And what a difference two years makes. Last time several middle-school girls met with Martha Wong, who was mostly obnoxious and occasionally hostile. This year: Ellen Cohen. How refreshing is that?
BOR has the details of the two bills. Things look good for passage.
-- Today Teddi goes back to the vet for another round of shots and this evening is her first day of school (obedience training). I'll also have a bloglunch with James Rodriguez, who's running for Houston city council, and then go to a Kucinich Meetup tonight. We'll be among several hundred people greeting him in San Antonio next weekend as he keynotes the annual meeting of the Texas Progressive Populist Caucus. This weekend, the DFA Training Academy comes to Houston. I'll be assisting.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Pre-Lobby Day postpourri
-- The stock market had a meltdown today. It was the worst single-day retreat since 9/11, and it was due to a belief that Chinese economic growth will be limited by an inability to secure raw material (as well as the lemming-like fear that stocks are over-valued). Since my business is driven by stock-market contrarians, if this trend continues I'll have another good year.
-- Robert Eckels is being threatened by the king of all Republicans in Houston:
"This decision (selecting the next judge of Harris County) is extremely important to whether the base will get behind Eckels if he runs for higher office," said County GOP Chairman Jared Woodfill.
Pop some corn. This ought to be a hoot. More:
Alice Rekeweg, a precinct chair from Kingwood, said some GOP activists are so upset that Eckels appears to be backing Emmett as his successor that they would not support the county judge in a run for statewide office. "It's a possibility some people will hold a grudge," she said.
No, it's not, Alice. You're all as full of shit as a Christmas turkey; you'll fall in line behind whoever is the standard-bearer just like you did when Shelley Sekula-Gibbs ran for Tom DeLay's -- nevermind.
Is that popcorn ready yet?
Update: Houston Consigliere has more.
-- Jon Matthews goes to jail. Once one of the most rabid right-wing talkers in Houston, even his longtime sycophants locally have finally been forced to abandon him.
-- We are raising an entire generation of narcissists. What a shock.
-- Tomorrow I'm in the state capital for Planned Parenthood's Lobby Day. Here's our report from two years ago (the last time the Lege was in session). Update: Sam Jones has more on the "Prevention First!" legislation filed by Rep. Mark Strama and Sen. Kirk Watson.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Friday, February 23, 2007
What to do in Houston this weekend
-- Go to the MoFA and see French masters Picasso and Degas, on loan to the only gallery outside of New York for a very limited time.
-- Support one of the bars and restaurants in the downtown entertainment district. They're having a rough go of it.
-- Take in the touring production of Twelve Angry Men, with John Boy Walton and Norm from Cheers, at the Hobby Center. The Houston Press even liked it.
Update (6 pm): To those of you have inquired about my father-in-law's surgery, it was successful. He's out of recovery and in ICU.
The Kos cattle call: Clinton, Obama, Edwards
... (his) take on where these candidates sit in the race today. My long-term prognostication remains -- I think Obama will win this all by the time votes are counted. But what do I know?Last month's rankings: 1) Obama, 2) Edwards, 3) Clinton, 4) Richardson, 5) Clark, 6) Kerry, and then everyone else.
THE TOP TIER
1. Hillary Clinton
Her announcement rollout was masterful. She leads in the national polls which, while not indicative of much, is helpful for fundraising and media buzz purposes. She leads all early New Hampshire polls and several of the Iowa ones (though numbers are all over the place suggesting that no one knows how to poll these early states, this far out).
Iraq is already giving her fits, and will present a long-term problem for her campaign. But for now, most people are blissfully unaware of her Iraq record.
2. Barack Obama
He has parried off the early attacks skillfully and is getting a great deal of traction on Iraq. He's drawing thousands to his rallies, hinting at a Dean-like popular phenomenon in the makings. He's got huge support in the Facebook world, and is he's neck and neck with Edwards in the Daily Kos straw poll showing strong and growing netroots support.
Oh, and the money will be there. Lots of it.
3. John Edwards
Boy, that blogger stuff wasn't his campaign's finest hour. They betrayed a lack of preparation, foresight, and basic vetting. They were pushed into "bunker" mode by the rantings of Bill Donahue, giving little confidence they'd be able to withstand a serious attack from the VRWC. Then, the campaign leaked like a sieve -- were the bloggers fired or not? Then, the campaign did the right thing and held tight on the bloggers, but didn't tell them they shouldn't blog elsewhere. A couple of days later, the bloggers resign anyway, giving the right wingers a scalp.
The good thing is that this happened so early that it won't register as even a blip in a few months. And hopefully the campaign learned some good lessons out of this.
Otherwise, the Edwards campaign appears to have been overshadowed by the battle of titans between Hillary and Barack. It's not a bad thing for Edwards to see the two front runners beat the shit out of each other while he safely stays out of the fray.
THE SECOND TIER4. Bill Richardson
Put aside his hokey desire to have the candidates make a pledge to campaign only positively (those things never survive the heat of battle), Richardson is quietly building up support and raising money. In the dKos straw poll, he's the only candidate to gain every one of the last five polls. (Of course, when you start at 1 percent, that's easier to do...)
Of all the announced candidates, Richardson has the greatest potential to break into the top tier.
THE REST5. Tom Vilsack
Coming out in favor of social security price indexing was rather odd for a Democratic candidate.
But he's the former governor of Iowa, so that might count for something.
6. Joe Biden
His announcement week was a nightmare.
7. Chris Dodd
His remarks at the DNC and AFSCME cattle calls were generally well received.
8. Dennis Kucinich
Ugh.
9. Mike Gravel
I'm not sure what Gravel thinks he's bringing to the table that isn't being covered by other, viable candidates.
10. Wesley Clark
He's not even in the race, has no operation, and his public profile is fading as the rest of the field takes center stage. This is the last time I include him in either the straw poll or cattle call unless he announces. He's bleeding support in the Daily Kos straw poll as people lose interest and move to other candidates. Given that his big mistake in 2003 was waiting too long before entering the race, it's crazy to think that he's going to make the same mistake again (and the race is definitely accelerated this year). So I'm starting to assume he's not going to run.
Some of this I agree with wholeheartedly, some -- as with his dismissal of Kucinich -- is just typically arrogant Kos. I'm not as certain as he that Obama will be the nominee as I write today. Biden ought to be the first one to drop out, even ahead of Gravel. Vilsack will quit after his home state loss and endorse Hillary (surprise). Update (10 am): LOL --or maybe a bit sooner.
At this point I don't know what General Clark could be waiting for, either.
Update II (3 pm): Chris Cillizza's line is nearly identical. He places Dodd in fifth, and ranks the Repubs McCain, Guiliani/Romney tied for second, then Brownback and Huckabee.
Update III (4 pm): Kos explains his "ugh".
Remembering DJ
Dennis Johnson skywalking in 1979, with the Seattle SuperSonics.
He passed away yesterday outside a basketball court in Austin, stricken by an imponderable illness for an athlete who spent most of his life in top aerobic condition.
In 1987, against the Detroit Pistons in game 5 of the conference finals, "Bird stole the ball!" but it was DJ who took the feed and put in the layup that won the game and broke the Pistons' backs.
He won three rings, one with Seattle and two in Boston, and was the MVP of the Finals in '79. Larry Bird said he was the best he'd ever played with.
Considering Bird played with HoFers McHale, Parrish, and Walton, that's a pretty high compliment.
Following his playing days he became a coach, for a short time with the Clippers in Los Angeles but with the Austin Toros of the Developmental League when he suddenly collapsed following the team's practice. The Statesman has more on the life of Dennis Johnson.
Rest in peace, DJ.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Yes, it's a pretty crappy picture
John and Martha got just as close and with better cameras. When they post one of their pictures, I'll link ya. Until then ...
Update: Here's Martha's. Hal was there, too.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Ash Wednesday bloggerhea
--These are the photos of ABC News anchor Bob Woodruff's injuries and rehabilitation. Not too graphic.
-- Texans can contact their state representatives through this link and call for a moratorium on the death penalty. I believe even those who support capital punishment would not be in favor of executing innocent men, as Texas has probably done at least three times (their names were Cameron Willingham, Ruben Cantu, and Carlos de Luna).
-- Like Joe Wilson and FBI translator Sybil Edmonds, Jesselyn Radack was targeted by the Bush administration as an enemy of the state. Her offense was that she advised the Justice Department about the ethical restraints that applied to their pursuit of "the bad guys". Bush (and conservatives) like to say they're fighting the "war on terror" there, so we don't have to fight it here. The reality, as Radack makes clear, is that they actually are conducting a war of terror against American citizens here.
-- Senator Tim Johnson has left the hospital and entered a rehabilitation facility, where he will continue his recovery from a brain hemorrhage. My mother Jean, who had her knee replaced last Thursday, has likewise made the same transition from hospital to rehab this week. Now with both a bionic knee and hip, she will soon be able to kick Lindsay Wagner's ass.
Let's go for a walk soon, Mom.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Fat Tuesday postpourri
Tony Soprano, King of Bacchus.
Since I'm an XM subscriber, I hope this is good news.
How dare they expect justice?
D.C. news: A Fort Worth girl makes good. Meanwhile, net neutrality continues to be high-profile. And a military amputee was purposely left off the invitation list to an event with the president because he might have been photographed by the media.
Even John McCain thinks Don Rumsfeld sucked. Of course, McCain is a confirmed flip-flopper, so who knows how long he'll believe this.
Another reason why I'm glad I never had children:
In 2005, when government scientists tested 60 soft, vinyl lunchboxes, they found that one in five contained amounts of lead that medical experts consider unsafe — and several had more than 10 times hazardous levels.But that's not what they told the public.
Instead, the Consumer Product Safety Commission released a statement that they found "no instances of hazardous levels." And they refused to release their actual test results, citing regulations that protect manufacturers from having their information released to the public.
That data was not made public until the Associated Press received a box of about 1,500 pages of lab reports, in-house e-mails and other records in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed a year ago.
Which of these things is not like the other?
Fucking moron.