4-week sprint: The Un-hiatus-ing
Far be it from me to let a good old fashioned election go by without posting a few comments, observations, or other trifling thoughts. I’ve had some offline conversation on the state of the campaign and I think it’s worth putting some of those thoughts down as a marker to see how they measure up after the results are counted. So, while the real world (ie – Elsie, the basset hound) and day job still intrude into the available time for blogging, the next four weeks are important enough to find some spare time hidden in my sofa cushions.
For the first week or so, I’ll likely expend a few pixels unpacking some of the interim Legislative work I’ve been following. That basically provides a preview of what’s in store for the next session. And it should highlight some of what’s at stake for ballots cast on November 4th. Ultimately, we’ll get around to the job that the statewides are doing, and more to the point, what Battleground Texas does or doesn’t add to the mix. Kuff is already two takes ahead of me on this point. I’m optimistic that we’ll be at a draw soon enough.
On the “data-driven” side of the ledger, the 30-day out campaign finance reports have been turned in and we now have a fairly reliable image of the few competitive races that exist in the county. And after the election, there will be the obligatory maps along with some tale of where Democrats are gaining/losing ground.
Most importantly, I’m hoping to post some daily updates during Early Voting along the lines of what I’ve worked on in 2010 and 2012. This should give some good insight into how Harris County is performing going into Election Day. Of course, the 2012 effort on my part usually had me giving a daily update along the lines of “It’s about 50/50. Welcome to parity-ville.” I think if we see something comparable in a non-Presidential year, that should be a good thing.
Anyways, my newfound commitment to blogging coincides with a trip to Austin tomorrow to listen to a presentation on the budget. I’m fairly certain that I can find a few excuses to relate some of that to November and beyond.