The news from George P. Bush that his father will likely enter the Republican presidential race is intriguing. This is not the first time that the elder Bush brother has indicated an interest in running in 2016. I'm pretty skeptical about his prospects.
Tue October 21, 2014 11:58 am
Read More
I'm sorry, but I just can't get excited about voting for Proposition 1, which provides a meager amount of funding, around $1.7 billion, for new transportation projects. The amount to be spent is so small that it is hardly worth the effort of putting the proposition on the ballot.
Mon October 20, 2014 9:59 am
Read More
UPDATE: In my original post, I mistakenly referred to previous endorsements by some of the state's major newspapers, and I have corrected the errors.
This election has all the earmarks of being one of the strangest ever. First, as I have opined before, this is the weakest ticket the Republican party has put forward in decades. There is just no appeal to it, from top (Abbott) to bottom (Paxton). Second, the Democrats have better down-ballot candidates than the Republicans. Mike Collier, the Democratic candidate for comptroller, is a CPA. His opponent, Glenn Hegar, knows next to nothing about state government finance, and what he does know he learned from the current comptroller, which is hardly a recommendation. The R's candidate for attorney general, Ken Paxton, has pled guilty to violating state securities laws. His Democratic opponent is Sam Houston, a real lawyer and litigator. The Republicans' candidate for agriculture commissioner is Sid Miller, one of the churliest lawmakers ever to set foot in the Capitol. Jim Hogan, by contrast, the Democratic candidate for ag commissioner, is a salt-of-the-earth fellow.
Fri October 17, 2014 2:56 pm
Read More
To the surprise of no one, the Morning News has endorsed Greg Abbott for governor. It is a choice that I won't criticize. But I will raise this red flag: that Wendy Davis has uncovered serious issues about Abbott's character and lack of empathy for Texans who have suffered some of life's misfortunes.
Wed October 15, 2014 11:38 am
Since yesterday there's been a flurry of news developments, none of which I'm going to be able to write about today, but all of which are interesting, so I'd encourage you to take them up in the comments:
1) Just days after a district judge ruled against Texas's Voter ID law, the Fifth Circuit gave Texas permission to enforce the law in the meantime. Within hours opponents had asked the Supreme Court to delay the law's implementation while the appeals process is ongoing. Considering that the Supreme Court blocked the implementation of Wisconsin's voter ID law last week, it's plausible that they'll take the same view of Texas's situation; early voting begins on Monday.
2) Meanwhile, also yesterday evening, the Supreme Court blocked the Fifth Circuit's provisional support of a couple of restrictions in the new abortion law--meaning that more than a dozen clinics which had closed, because of the provisional ruling, can now re-open. The Supreme Court's move doesn't settle the issue; the case is still at the Fifth Circuit. But it does suggest that six of the justices are skeptical, should it come to that.
3) Attorneys for the city of Houston are trying to subpoena a bunch of sermons from area pastors, on the grounds that they may be relevant to the legal fight over the city's new equal rights ordinance. As you can imagine, Christian conservatives were not amused.
4) And this morning the state announced that a second health care worker from Presby has tested positive for Ebola.