The MLK Day Wrangle

The Texas Progressive Alliance joins in the celebration of the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. today ...

... and ruefully observes that resistance for its own sake over the next four years may be futile.

Off the Kuff thinks that the fight over Dan Patrick's bathroom bill could cause a real and lasting schism between Texas businesses and the Texas GOP.

Dan Patrick and Donald Trump both managed to make news from a certain urological perspective, blogged PDiddie at Brains and Eggs.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme sees the Texas Republican lawmakers on Trump's front lines in the war against our constitution and freedom of the press, while Socratic Gadfly takes note of the opening bell of the Texas Legislature and gets snarky about the first day's events.

Grits for Breakfast has another hideous criminal justice statistic: most TDCJ sexual assault victims are housed in a small number of units, and most are re-victimized by staff there.

Camp Toyahvale at Balmorhea is the scene of a new effort to stop fracking in Texas, and the resisters there have rejuvenated Txsharon at Bluedaze's activist heart.

Ted at jobsanger graphs a poll that shows the public approves of insurance subsidies (like the ones in the ACA) and also a public option (which was not).

The Lewisville Texan Journal's Christina Ulsh reviewed PROOF, a fascinating yet macabre tale of one Texas family by its last surviving member.

Dos Centavos previews two bands performing on Go Tejano Day at Rodeo Houston.

Neil at All People Have Value said that the work of opposing Trump is up to each of us. APHV is part of NeilAquino.com.

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More news from around Texas!

Politifact Texas found President-elect Trump's Tweets about Rep. John Lewis' Congressional district "mostly false".

Popehat points out that Texas cops -- specifically a former Harris County Sheriff's deputy -- put the "best" in bestiality. (NSFW)

The Dallas Observer highlights the legal strategy behind the latest anti-abortion bill filed in the Lege, and the Midland Reporter-Telegram (no bastion of liberalism) sees Texas with a big black eye over the so-called 'bathroom bill'.

Better Texas Blog reminds us that the ACA repeal would mean a lot less mental health coverage for Texans.

The Election Law Blog links to Texas AP bureau chief Manny Fernandez in the NYT about the VRA's perhaps-final effort (given AG-designate Jeff Sessions' views) to fix voting rights in Pasadena.

Truthout was on the scene in Big Bend country, more precisely Presidio County, where indigenous American water protectors have halted work on another Energy Transfer Partners (of DAPL repute) fracked-gas pipeline.

In Port Aransas, Naveena Sadasivam of the Texas Observer wrote about a former felon who convinced a federal agency -- and the Texas General Land Office -- to fast-track a barge mooring facility in an ecologically sensitive area.

Kevin Nix argues that the place to look for child predators is online.

Therese Odell recoils in horror from Trump's press conference.

The Lunch Tray shows how the restaurant industry failed to keep its promise to clean up kids' menus.

Juanita Jean "celebrates" the return of Yachting Randy Neugebauer.

Jonathan Coopersmith evaluates President Obama's legacy in science, technology and innovation.

Jerry Seinfeld opened the glittering new Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land to rave reviews of both his clean-cut comedy and the brand new facility, writes CultureMap Houston.

And Pages of Victory surveys the state of his back yard, post-freeze.

Sunday Funnies

Cory Booker, the epitome

... of the most recent display of the absolute worst of Democratic hypocrisy.  It's been an overwhelming week; maybe he thought nobody would notice.

There is so much going on right now, such an absolute shitpile deluge of absurdities rolling in from Washington, that it’s almost possible to overlook the fact that 13 Democratic senators either misread or completely disregarded overwhelming national sentiment and voted against an amendment that would have lowered drug prices. It’s worth paying attention to, however, as it doesn’t really bode well for anyone ...

Incredible: Cory Booker & several other Dems join GOP maj in voting down Bernie amendment on importing cheaper drugs https://t.co/yb8N1PRYjp

— Lee Fang (@lhfang) January 12, 2017

(Wednesday) night, Senate Republicans took their first leap towards repealing Obamacare by approving a budget procedure that would allow them to avoid a Democratic filibuster. The 13 Democrats who subsequently voted against making drugs cheaper for people deeply undercut the ability of that party to speak with credibility on behalf of the working class.

The amendment, which was proposed by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Bernie Sanders, would have allowed the importation of drugs from Canada. Trump has taken a more Democrat-friendly tone on drug prices -- at one point during (Wednesday’s) maniacal press conference he accused pharma companies of “getting away with murder,” which sent stocks tumbling -- and 12 Republican senators, including John McCain, Ted Cruz and Rand Paul, ended up voting in favor of the bill.

Most notable among the Democratic “nays” is New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who made waves yesterday by testifying against Jeff Sessions, a colleague who very much deserved the breach in Senate custom. Booker is assumed to be eyeing a 2020 bid, and Republican Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas) accused him of using the Sessions hearing “as a platform for his presidential aspirations.”

I previously mentioned keeping an eye on the Democrats who are up for re-election in 2018 who sit in red states -- Bob Casey, Joe Donnelly, Heidi Heitkamp, Jon Tester.  Tom Carper is a Blue Dog of long repute.  That gang is all here in the noes.  But look who joined them besides Booker: Patty Murray, one of the Senate's D leadership.  Maria Cantwell.  Chris Coons, falling in behind his senior, Carper, from Delaware.

(Sidebar: Coons replaced Vice President Joe Biden in the Senate when Uncle Joe moved up with Obama.  The bromance between the outgoing prez and vice was consummated yesterday as Biden was shocked with a Presidential Medal, and bawled his eyes out over it.  From the wayback machine: Biden was known as Senator MBNA, helping re-write tough bankruptcy laws in 2005.  Socratic Gadfly re-covered it all just last night.  Cuddling up with the big corporations is a Delaware thing.)

Michael Bennett, who was just re-elected, so he can't use that excuse.  Martin Heinrich, representing among the poorest Americans in the nation.  Bob Menendez, Senator Corruption himself.  This is an amendment that Joe Manchin (Senator of Epi-pen) could vote for.  That Ted Cruz and his butt buddy Mike Lee said yes to.  John McCain.  John Thune.  Rand Paul.

More here, here, here, here, and here.  Not mainstream sources, mind you.  The heavy contributions from Big Pharma were again more important than the voice -- and fate -- of the American people.  As one of them so eloquently put it: "Guess these senators are only progressive when it doesn’t hurt their bottom line."

"Progressives" who voted for these Democrats are just being trolled now.

Update: Here's a list of all the House Democrats who voted against the bill that would stop the ACA repeal.  The Texan among them is Henry Cuellar.