Tuesday, April 12, 2022

"Bad Monday for your Favorite Texas Politico" Wrangle


A couple of extensive profiles of our self-loathing psychopath of a governor hit the social media airwaves yesterday.  Mimi Schwartz and Michelle Davis showed no mercy, just as Greg Abbott conducts his own life.


“There is a seething anger in him that reveals itself in really hateful ways against the weakest people."


I've been blogging about Abbott since David Van Os ran against him for the SCOTX in 2004.  These two long reads don't reveal anything new to me.  The worst part is that he's not in as much electoral hot water as the Harris County judge, unfortunately.


Kuffner finally had something to say about this case, but it was as little as he could get away with.  No real surprise there.

I'll return to Abbott's latest clusterf at the border momentarily.  This next article seems newsworthy for its reveal of the president's, shall we say, mental adeptness.


Himself?  Abbott?  Hey, wasn't Ted Cruz riding around with truckers in DC a couple of weeks ago? Probably too much to ask of our junior senator to step in and do something here.


After all, there's probably some book that must be banned from schools or a nervous, insecure child that needs to be bullied about their sexuality.


It's not as if Texas has any real problems that they've created while they sucked up to the extremists among the GOP primary voter base.


I feel increasingly less confident that we are going to be able to vote our way out of this morass.  Maybe it's just me.


I don't have any soothers or calm-me-downs today.  You're on your own.

Monday, April 11, 2022

"Women Still Have Reproductive Rights in Texas" Wrangle


But they are hanging by a thread.  Let's begin with the political tweets from the weekend.


The arrest of Lizelle Herrera reverberated across the nation.  Not just because we all thought it was about Texas being, you know, but because the law enforcement officials in Starr County are all Democrats, including the DA, whose office would've -- under the usual procedure -- presented a charge of murder to a grand jury for indictment before suddenly deciding the law wasn't on his side.  There is a great deal more the public needs to know about this matter, and I suspect it is going to smell very bad.

RGV Democrats are in a world of hurt, it seems.


Greg Abbott's border fiasco is also being exposed.


It will be a pretty nifty trick if the governor can stifle commerce with America's largest trading partner, choking the supply lines and driving up inflation to new heights, and get away with blaming it on Biden.  I think the only real question is whether Democrats will let him.



Teddy Wilson explains how much worse it can get after Roe v Wade is overturned.  And with the postpourri from the TPA, Kuff notes that the state of Texas is seeking to do violence to the Voting Rights Act as it defends itself against multiple redistricting lawsuits. The San Antonio Report reports on the city's settlement of two "sanctuary cities" lawsuits filed by Ken Paxton.  The Texas Signal highlights Dan Patrick's obsession with Florida's "Don't Say Gay" law, and the TSTA Blog has some straight answers as to why there's a teacher shortage.

One more:


The environmental news still dominates the headlines (or at least it should).


SocraticGadfly took note of the new IPCC climate report, which (he interprets as saying; it doesn't actually say...) we're up shit creek and doubts either major party will take the actions needed to address this as a crisis (he gets this right).  And Texas 2036 announces the results of its poll about younger Texans' preference for electric vehicles.


I posted at length about the Cyber Rodeo, the splashy open house for Musk's GigaTexas factory east of Austin, on Friday.

A few social justice updates.


And closing today with the soothers.

Ahead of Scott Scheffler's victory at the Masters yesterday, Richard Justice wrote a profile of the UT alum who is professional golf's top player.

Sunday, April 10, 2022