Monday, September 16, 2019

The Weekly Wrangle



The Texas Progressive Alliance thanks state Rep. Briscoe Cain for clearly demonstrating why no civilian should own a weapon of mass murder.  (These are the best lefty blog posts, Tweets and news from around and about Texas, our Texas, collated below.)

Democrats' third presidential debate, held in Space City last Thursday, was the epicenter of state and national politics for a day or two.  PDiddie at Brains and Eggs blogged about it before and after; the Texas Observer wrote about Beto and Castro's breakout, and the Chronicle followed up on the Greenpeace protestors who were arrested after they rapelled off the Fred Hartman bridge, closing the Houston Ship Channel for most of the day.


And Jef Rouner, for the Houston Press, has one simple suggestion for the eventual Democratic presidential nominee.

Fresh polling was released ahead of the debate: Univision's revealed the Lone Star to be a battleground state, while the UT/TexTrib survey found the #TXSen race lacking a front-runner beyond "don't know".  Both HPM and Kuff examined the two polls.

As our lead-in above points out, a pipsqueak in the Lege threatened Beto O'Rourke after he underscored that his mandatory assault-style weapon buyback policy would be a certainty.


There were many legislative developments last week:

RG Ratcliffe at Texas Monthly evaluated Lite Guv Dan Patrick's apparent flip-flop on background checks for gun purchases, while John Coby at Bay Area Houston called for abolishing open carry.  Rick Casey at the Rivard Report found a common thread among the Republicans targeted by the Bonnen/MQS fiasco.  And as the Lege begins the arduous process of redistricting, both the Observer and the TexTrib remind us of the problematic history of people of color attempting to cast a ballot.





H-Town muni elections stayed front and center ...

Stace at Dos Centavos released his 2019 Stace Slate.


Scott Henson at Grits made a point of following up on these false statements about crime by some of Houston's mayoral candidates.

Some climate reporting:

SocraticGadfly calls out the Dallas Observer for doing a hit job on a wind farm that's not even in its normal coverage area.

Progrexas blogs that the TCEQ finally managed to do something right.

During a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality hearing, the state denied a permit request by Altair Disposal Services to construct a landfill that would take waste from an incineration facility near Houston to Colorado County, which sits about halfway between Houston and Austin, and turn it into road material that is similar to asphalt. At issue was whether the soil in the area where Altair wanted to set up the facility would prevent hazardous waste residue from leaking into the ground water or the Colorado River.

And Grist notes that Texans are actually starting to care about climate change.

Does Texas, the metaphorical oil tank of the American petroleum operation, care about climate change? About two-thirds of it does, says a new poll of Texas voters -- and we’re not just talkin’ Democrats.

Sixty-five percent of Lone Star State voters of all political persuasions are in favor of government action to combat the climate crisis, and a third are strongly in favor of it. That’s not the only good news.

Of the 1,660 voters polled by Climate Nexus, 74 percent said they’re more likely to vote for a candidate who supports boosting federal funding for renewable energy. Among Democrats, climate change ranks right up there with the economy and jobs when it comes to issues voters care about in the 2020 election -- only health care and gun policy ranked higher. The poll was conducted in conjunction with Yale and George Mason universities.

The Texas Central Railway announced it is ready to begin construction ... as soon as it gets authorization to do so.

A planned high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas reached another milestone Friday as the sponsoring company announced a $14 billion deal to build it -- as soon as it obtains the authority to do so.

Texas Central, the private company developing the Texas Bullet Train, announced it had signed a deal with Salini Impregilo, the Italian construction giant, and its American subsidiary, Lane Construction, to design, construct and install the 240-mile high-speed rail line using Japan’s Shinkansen trains.

[...]

“We are optimistic we could begin construction next year,” said Holly Reed, managing director of external affairs for Texas Central.

(The following excerpt is specifically for Gadfly.)

Because the trains would operate at more than 200 mph, all of the route must be separated from highways and public access. Dozens of overpasses are likely as the tracks cross urban streets and rural roads in 11 Texas counties. Earthen berms at specific crossings will also be needed where tracks cross land used by wildlife and farmers.

“They are doing all of that work now so that as soon as we get the financial approvals and have approval to start construction we can move forward,” Reed said.

This Jan. 31, 2018 photo shows a utility corridor which runs through Freestone County, Texas, near Fairfield, in the small community of Cotton Gin. Texas Central Partners is planning to build its 240-mile high-speed rail line between Houston and Dallas along the corridor.
Photo: Dug Begley, MBO / Associated Press

Here's where the Wrangle gets lighter ...

Some of the most colorful fall foliage in Deep-In-The-Hearta can be found in this state park.

These are some great places to celebrate Oktoberfest in Houston.


The San Antonio Current says that the debut of the Big Texas ComicCon is this weekend.  Three 'Sons of Anarchy' are headlining.

And in remembrances, the Texas Standard posted an obituary for T. Boone Pickens, the Austin Chronicle eulogized artist and songwriter Daniel Johnston ...



... while Harry Hamid's brother posted the heroes that his recently departed sibling never met.

Friday, September 13, 2019

#DemDebateTSU: who got chopped, who got screwed

(For those missing the reference ...  keep in mind Scarface is running for city council.)


Crews with the Texas Department of Transportation have cleared the last remaining remnants of a Greenpeace USA protest that started shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday and went into the late afternoon.

By Thursday night, all protesters who had rappelled off the Fred Hartman Bridge at the Houston Ship Channel had been arrested, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted.

Greenpeace USA spokeswoman Valentina Stackl said Friday morning said that by 1:30 a.m., everyone had been taken into custody and were now waiting to hear about charges.

Hang 'em high, said the Khronically Konservative Kommenters.  After seven hours last week of climate change talk, there were no was just one question on the topic last night.  There's always next week.

Oh yeah ... the debate.

The consensus will probably be that Julián Castro distinguished himself in Thursday’s debate, thanks to some forceful talk on immigration, a good story about hard ethical choices, and some deliciously salty exchanges with Joe Biden. Biden himself did better than before, which isn’t saying much. There were still painful moments, especially a downright bizarre ramble delivered in response to a question on his racial record; Biden implied that black parents need instructions on how to raise children, told people to “make sure you have the record player on at night,” and then started talking about Venezuela for no reason at all. I continue to believe he is a political liability who should under no circumstances be nominated.

Bernie had some excellent answers on foreign policy and democratic socialism, sadly made less forceful thanks to a hoarse voice. Unfortunately, he was also denied the chance to say anything about climate change, meaning he couldn’t explain the urgent need for a Green New Deal.

Warren distinguished herself as an explainer of progressive policies and effectively replied to the line about people wanting to 'keep their insurance' by saying “I’ve never met anybody who likes their health insurance company.” Kamala Harris continues to duck tough questions about her atrocious record as a prosecutor, Amy Klobuchar continues to offer uninspiring centrist clichés, Beto O’Rourke continues to emphasize guns and racism, Andrew Yang gets ever closer to becoming Matthew Lesko, and Cory Booker continues to be personally endearing without offering any reason to vote for him.

Spot on, except I did not see Warren so favorably.

The senator from Massachusetts started off the night with weak answers on health care, dodging the reality of higher taxes for the middle class and simply refusing to acknowledge that the “Medicare for All” plan she endorses outlaws private medical insurance. As the night went on she got better, appearing passionate and informed.

There were some plaudits but mostly brickbats for the mods.

It’s clear that Democratic debate hosts continue their disingenuous framing of socialism and the left, from asking loaded questions about what distinguishes Bernie Sanders from Venezuela’s Nicholas Maduro to repeating conservative talking points about Medicare for All. The debates are becoming increasingly redundant, with few revelations materializing among them. However, moderators Linsey Davis and Jorge Ramos asked tough questions that were a welcome shift from the tone of previous debates.

Davis unflinchingly confronted Biden on his positions on racial equality and disinterest in reparations, and she directly called out Kamala Harris’ criminal justice record. Likewise, Jorge Ramos keyed in on Biden’s support for the Obama administration’s deportations of 3 million people.

As the debate was 3 hours long, there should have been plenty of time to follow up on these questions, instead half of the first hour was spent re-litigating Medicare for All. While there were no clear winners, and the frontrunners’ positions will likely change little after tonight, at least a few pointed questions forced some to contend with their records.

I agree that the two Texans, particularly Beto, had the best night.

He managed to turn the mass shooting in his hometown into a broader, bolder argument for what the country needs and why he can provide it. That memorable line -- “Hell, yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47” -- came after he described how a 15-year-old bled out over the course of an hour because there weren't enough ambulances to get to the wounded. It’s part of his new model of throwing caution to the winds. To me it makes him a stronger candidate. But I’m not a middle-of-the-road suburban voter.

The gun nuts in the Lege erupted.  And with Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz both creeping away from Dan Patrick to his right, the momentum for pushback has been established.

Another big moment for O'Rourke came at the end of a riff on racism, when he said of Trump: "We have a white supremacist in the White House and he poses a mortal threat to people of color across this country."

O'Rourke's campaign was ready for a spike in Google searches and social media traffic that followed. His website was overhauled to feature a menacing red image of Trump with the words "The President of the United States of America is a white supremacist" -- as well as lots of links to Trump's racist comments.

I saw lots of whining about Castro being mean to Biden, which Boot Edge Edge carped about from the stage.   Castro slapped him down, too.

"Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago?" Castro ... said to Biden. "Are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago? I can't believe that you said -- two minutes ago -- that they had to buy in and now you're forgetting that. We need a health care system where you're automatically enrolled."

Buttigieg cut in, saying, "This is why presidential debates are becoming unwatchable."

He continued: "This reminds everybody of what they cannot stand about Washington. Scoring points against each other, poking at each other."

Castro replied, "That's called the Democratic primary election, Pete. That's called an election."

This is exactly what any presidential nominee wants in a veep.  Bravo to Castro, and blue stars to both Beto and Julián.  It's about time.

I could really do without any more of Yang, Klobuchar, Mayo Pete, and Karmala, but we're stuck with them for awhile longer.  Steyer will be there in October, and Tulsi is just one more poll away.

Booker damned both Biden and Castro with faint praise, or something.


Let's note the heretofore undiscovered fault line between Bernie and Liz.

(Sanders and Warren) have been reluctant to go after each other when sharing the debate stage; in fact, they frequently end up agreeing with and supporting each other. The pair had a significant disagreement on Thursday night, though, when Warren swung a question about gun control around to announce her stance on the Senate filibuster.

"We have a Congress that's beholden to the gun industry," Warren said. "And unless we're willing to address that head on and roll back the filibuster, we're not going to get anything done on guns."

[...]

Sanders was asked afterward if he would support abolishing the filibuster as well. "No," the senator said bluntly. Sanders has said in the past that "Donald Trump supports the ending of the filibuster so you should be a little bit nervous if Donald Trump supports it," and argued that he has other ways to work the Senate rules.

But The New York Times' Astead Herndon observed that Warren coming out against the filibuster was strategic in that it "force[s] Bernie into a rare place of being an institutionalist."

Here's what's most interesting: establishment Democrats scoff at a President Sanders' chances of passing any of his agenda without at least something like reconciliation.  So this development is worth observing.  Sanders, with his decades of Senate experience, may have a trick up his sleeve, or may know something Warren, an upper chamber rookie, simply doesn't.

To the macro point:

I do not believe Warren can defeat Trump.  (I'm all but certain Biden can't.)  I find her outreach to the Democratic elites disingenuous to her presentation; it reveals her fauxgressive façade.  Bernie, in fact, is going to have to take the gloves off and go after her.

More for another day.

Thursday, September 12, 2019

The Weekly Twenty Twenty Update: H-Town Fight Night


There will be no cursing, Beto.



I won't be on the scene this evening (despite receiving a very special invitation, details of which I shouldn't disclose) due to lingering balance and audio difficulties.  I also turned down multiple watch party invitations.  So I'm viewing at home, just like you.  And live-Tweeting, to your right; with a morning-after synopsis tomorrow.


Everybody read last week?  I'm trying not to laugh any more at this kind of thing.  Here's an update to what I posted there:


The Dementia Train is finally showing signs of slowing down.

Former Vice President Joe Biden’s lead in the Democratic primary has been cut in half, according to a new poll out Wednesday, and while Biden still maintains his grip on front-runner status, the CNN poll shows Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders incrementally creeping up on him.

The CNN poll shows a drop of 5 percentage points in support for Biden in the past three weeks, to 24 percent from 29 percent. The national survey of Democratic primary voters also saw Warren jump Sanders for second place, though the two are still within the margin of sampling error at 18 percent and 17 percent, respectively.

Texas Democrats are, as usual, a little slow on the uptake.


And this one's for that jackass at the beauty shop.


There are lots of reasons for not voting for WAR-ren piling up; it's just that EJ Bob doesn't have the right idea about what they are.



So with Biden and Warren onstage together for the first time, there ought to be some friction.

Over this past weekend in New Hampshire, all of the major candidates -- including Biden and Warren -- were in the state for its Democratic Party's annual convention. Which is where, from the stage and with thousands of loyal Democrats cheering her every word, Warren said this:

"There is a lot at stake, and people are scared. But we can't choose a candidate we don't believe in because we're scared."

If you think a) that line was accidental or b) it wasn't aimed directly at Biden's electability argument, there's a very hot video company named Blockbuster I'd like to sell you.

[...]

But Biden has prepared a counterargument.

"I expect you'll see Biden echo an important point he made during last week's climate forum: We need more than plans, we need a president who can deliver progress on the most pressing issues facing Americans -- which Joe Biden has proven he can throughout his career," a Biden adviser told CNN earlier this week.

Plans are not enough is, again, a very purposeful shot at Warren -- even though her name wasn't invoked by the adviser -- who has premised her entire candidacy on the idea that she has a detailed plan for anything and everything.

Biden's team sees the contrast between his years of fighting and winning political battles and Warren's years spent in academia and her relative lack of legislative accomplishments during her seven years in the Senate.

One of these two candidates has done things and one has talked about what she would do, goes the Biden argument.

*yawn* Sometimes Cillizza is so dense.

One of these two candidates has his right foot in the grave and his left foot on a banana peel, and the other has stolen all her plans from Bernie and watered them down with capitalism.

The sooner Biden exits, the sooner Democrats can have the real debate.

So here's where I might have posted a bunch of excerpts and Tweet embeds about Bernie being ignored or dissed by corporate media, as per usual.  I'll just do this one.


Okay, one more.


Okay, that's it.  Let's move on.

Now is as good a time as any to reference the Three Stooges.


More on their debate here.

Former Rep. Joe Walsh (R-Ill.) and former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld (R) are slated to appear in the Sept. 24 debate, while former Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) has also been invited.

The debate will be held as part of Business Insider Today, a daily online news show from the publication on Facebook's video on demand service.

"President Trump was invited to participate but has not responded," Business Insider said in a press release Tuesday afternoon announcing the event.

Trump on Monday indicated he would not debate the Republicans who have announced bids to challenge him for the 2020 GOP nomination, pointing to their low polling figures and dismissing their bids as "a publicity stunt."

Business Insider said it would hold its debate at its New York City headquarters. The event from Business Insider, a company that launched in 2007, will be moderated by Insider CEO Henry Blodget, politics editor Anthony Fisher and columnist Linette Lopez.

I'll be more interested in this than whatever Bathroom Book Collector or Boot Edgex2 or Copmala or Last Chance Bob or Yank have to say tonight.

Booker and Castro, on the other hand, are my preferred choices for the Biden vote migration.  And not just here in Deep-In-The-Hearta.

Castro, who held a “Castro Country” rally Monday night in Houston, remains confident he can win his home-state primary once he proves himself in the earlier states.

“My plan is to work hard so that I can do well in Iowa, I can gain momentum and then by the time we get to Texas, it's going to be a different ballgame,” Castro told reporters after the rally. “What we see now in the polling is simple theory, because by the time we get to March 3, there's going to be a lot of changes in this race and I know I need to do well before Texas so I can win in Texas.”

[...]

 ... Cory Booker headlined the Texas Democratic Party’s yearly Johnson-Jordan Dinner a year ago in Austin. That appearance seemed to be on the mind of the Travis County chair, Dyana Limon-Mercado, as she introduced Booker last month at a small-dollar fundraiser for his campaign in Austin.

Booker, she said, had been “paying attention to Texas when a lot of other people weren’t.”

For his part, Booker pledged to be the kind of party standard bearer who works hard for down-ballot candidates, mentioning the U.S. Senate race next year in Texas. “And if I’m your nominee, I’m back down here helping to organize so that I win Texas and you win Texas,” Booker said.

I did finally figure out why Beto is polling so strongly with Latinxs: a handful of small reasons.

1)  Beto speaks Spanish fluently and Castro does not.  (To be clear, this can be a mixed bag, and the difference, as with Biden's support among African Americans, is generational.)
2)  Beto's actions, post-El Paso massacre, have been gratefully acknowledged.
3)  He's the only candidate doing this (so far).

This is a big switch from his 2018 Senate campaign against Ted Cruz, if you recall.

-- We have been reading for some time now that Beto O'Rourke's fate lies in the hands of these intractable non-voting, mostly RGV-dwelling brown voters.  But so does that of Gina Ortiz Jones, a little further up the Rio Grande along the Big Bend, and it appears she will suffer the same fate as Pete Gallegos did in SD-19's special election last month.

Here's the best thing I read about Gabbard this week.


Heading for the finish line with Mike Gravel and Howie Hawkins.

(On September 9) the Mike Gravel campaign urged supporters to back the Howie Hawkins campaign’s efforts to qualify for federal matching funds. Hawkins is running for the Green Party’s nomination for president.

Gravel had previously endorsed Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Tulsi Gabbard in the Democratic primary. In Gravel’s email today he also urged support for Howie Hawkins in the Green primary.

[...]

Hawkins has admired Mike Gravel since he read the Pentagon Papers into the Congressional Record on June 29, 1971. Gravel read the papers into the record when the New York Times was enjoined from publishing them and the issue was before the US Supreme Court.

More here from David Collins, who was with Hawkins this past Monday evening here in Houston, and photos and a post from the Dallas meetup from Gadfly.  Green presidential candidates will debate later this month.

Monday, September 09, 2019

The Weekly Wrangle

The Texas Progressive Alliance has written this week's roundup entirely in Sharpie.


The best of the left Texas blog posts, Tweets, and news always has to include looking at what the Right is doing ... or more likely, not doing.  Last week was no exception.

The focus ahead will be presidential candidates debating in Houston, raising money in Dallas and Austin, and Republicans who've decided to challenge Trump in the GOP primary as well as a new face in October's fourth Democratic debate.


Patrick Svitek's recent Twitter posts contain more details.


SocraticGadfly took an initial look at Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins and his intra-Greens controversial statements on Russiagate shortly before his visit to Texas. A follow-up post is coming, about his Dallas stop.

But before we gaze any further ahead, let's glance back ...


We're past Labor Day, "everyone is paying attention", and the 2019 (and '20) election season is shifting into high gear.  The H-Town mayor's race is coming to a boil.

The mayoral candidate forum was just several minutes underway when the gloves came off between Tony Buzbee and Bill King, two self-styled independents seeking to win Houston’s top office behind a base of conservative and moderate support.

Facing a room of Republicans Wednesday at the ritzy Walden Country Club off Lake Houston, Buzbee and King took their most direct shots at each other yet: King, casting himself as a “technocrat,” pressed the case that Buzbee is unprepared to become mayor, while Buzbee suggested King would never truly reform the city’s system for awarding contracts, as both candidates have promised.

Buzbee also scoffed at King’s argument that the next mayor should not have to “rely on a bunch of experts” or be trained on the job.

“I’ll surround myself with the smartest people,” Buzbee said. “Maybe I’ll even hire Bill.”


In "They Persisted", Megan Kimble at the Texas Observer profiled three women who are back for another swing at a Congressional seat.


Six Democratic challengers to John Cornyn debated in Frisco last Thursday; both the Dallas News and the Houston Chron provided an account.


Follow the link in the Tweet and you should be able to jump the paywall.


The TexTrib had state Sen. Royce West's financial disclosures -- revealed because he's running for US Senate -- analyzed and found a lot to be concerned about.


Ross Ramsey's take underscores the laxity of the Lone Star State's oversight in this regard.  And Cornyn may get another challenger in the primary.

Sen. Pat Fallon (R-Prosper), who ousted longtime Sen. Craig Estes (R-Wichita Falls) in the 2018 Republican primary, announced he was exploring a primary challenge of U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R) from the right. Fallon said he would meet with voters and Republican leaders over the next few days.

Fallon is not up for re-election until 2022, so this would be a "free shot" for him. Fallon’s ability to self-fund -- He kicked off his state Senate campaign by loaning it $1.8M -- and appeal to more conservative factions within the party [emphasis PDiddie's] could make him Cornyn’s most difficult primary challenger since his 1998 run for attorney general.

Cleveland business owner and 2014 primary challenger Dwayne Stovall and Plano investment advisor Mark Yancey are already in the race. Cornyn was held under 60% of the vote in the 2014 primary by Stovall (19%), former U.S. Rep. Steve Stockman (11%) and five other candidates. Cornyn received 81% and 77% of the vote in the 2008 and 2002 primary elections, respectively.


Svitek at the TexTrib also reports that there are 27 candidates who have filed to fill three vacant seats (HD28, HD100, and HD148) in the Texas House for special elections -- which means jungle primaries -- on this November's ballot.


More from Austin:

Quorum Report's Scott Braddock traveled to Angleton Monday night for the local Republican party's referendum on their hometown boy.

Strong at home: Brazoria County GOP rejects resolution condemning Speaker Bonnen

Vote was 23 to 9 as the GOP executive committee in Bonnen’s home county agreed with the argument that MQ Sullivan and Empower Texas should have to “do their own dirty work.”

“Pray for Dennis Bonnen. That’s the best thing you can do,” said Brazoria County GOP Chairman Shayne Green after the executive committee he leads voted down a resolution calling on the scandal-plagued Speaker of the Texas House to resign.

After a debate that was at times tense in a small un-airconditioned room in the county courthouse annex, the Brazoria County GOP Executive Committee voted 23 to 9 to reject the resolution that read, in part, "Corruption and bribery within our state government shall not be condoned.” The rejected language then reads: “we call for the immediate resignation of Speaker Dennis Bonnen.”

The debate was limited to about 20 minutes after Chairman Green said it would be possible for him to allow it to run as long as midnight.

Local Republicans were not in the mood for that.

The Texas Signal is skeptical of Dan Patrick's seeming willingness to consider more background checks for gun purchases.



Off the Kuff discusses some strategies for dealing with the latest voting restriction ploys.

Better Texas Blog worries about lower Medicaid and CHIP enrollment numbers.


And out in west Texas ...


And in Houston:

Urban Edge examines the connection between wealth and tree distribution in American cities.


This op-ed in the Chron ...


... received an indignant rebuttal from Tory Gattis.

Some lighter fare, starting with a little mockery.


Danny Gallagher at the Dallas Observer says that the second year of the Plano Comedy Festival is going to be bigger, better, and funnier.

The San Antonio Current reviews a new animated series set in the Alamo City.

And KISS shouted it out loud one last time at Big Greasy's Toyota Center.


In the end, as with so many of their other shows, the band was unsentimental and workmanlike, and there were few references to the fact this was to be the band's final show in Houston. Aside from a few references to playing at the Music Hall and the Summit, there weren't any pauses to soak up the adulation.

KISS came, KISS saw, KISS coordinated an efficient performance. Long live KISS.

Personal Bias: Dressed as Ace Frehley for 3rd grade Halloween. I think that's all that needs to be said.
The Crowd: Lots more kids than I was expecting.
Overheard In The Crowd: "Do you need to sit down, dude?"
Random Notebook Dump: "Some of you weren't born when this song came out; it's about cunnilingus."