Very Scary

It was bad enough the year we nominated Gene Kelly for Senator, and the year we nominated the wrong Yarbrough for Supreme Court. Nominating a LaRoucheite would be even worse in a year there are hopes of a serious statewide slate getting traction. If Kesha Rogers is even in a runoff, we are in trouble, even if it's not with one of the ex-Republicans running. Hold your breath and spread the word.

Texas Progressive Alliance Weekly Blog Roundup 140224

The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks Ted Nugent is an appropriate spokesman for the modern Republican Party of Texas as it brings you this week's roundup.

Off the Kuff analyzes the turnout issue for Democrats in 2014.

WCNews at Eye on Williamson on the Round Rock members of the Lege reporting to the local business lobby, while leaving out the issues that matter most to the people in their districts, in Schwertner, Gonzales, & Dale Go To The Chamber.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme is appalled at Texas Republicans holding a faux hearing on women's health care. Give it up. Republicans have waged a real war against women and their health care. You're not fooling anyone.

It's Ted Nugent's (Texas Republican) party, and we just have to live with it, noted the Texas Observer -- and excerpted by PDiddie at Brains and Eggs. But there were also problemas grandes para Dan Patrick last week.

Texpatriate endorses John Whitmire in the Democratic primary for State Senate District 15.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Robert Rivard argues that cities and counties are left trying to solve the problems caused by a generation of indifference from Texas' state leadership.

Lone Star Q provides video of Wendy Davis discussing her support of same sex marriage to the San Antonio Express-News editorial board.

Concerned Citizens warns about the animus hiding behind religious exemptions.

Better Texas explains why a higher minimum wage is good for Texans.

Grits for Breakfast highlights the modern equivalent to the Dallas Buyers Club.

Nonsequiteuse gets to the heart of the Nugent/Abbott affair.

Greg Wythe continues his in-depth look at how the voter ID law was enforced in the 2013 election in Harris County.

Burkablog celebrates what would have been Barbara Jordan's 78th birthday.

Chris Quintero witnessed and videotaped two Austin Police Department officers detain and arrest a female jogger for jaywalking and not immediately identifying herself (see here for more).

Though The Heavens Fall

This is the sort of thing that makes you wish you could be a Judge at least long enough to do things like this. From U.S. District Judge Arenda L. Wright Allen, declaring yesterday that the Virginia laws against same-sex marriage were unConstitutional and void:

Almost one hundred and fifty four years ago, as Abraham Lincoln approached the cataclysmic rending of our nation over a struggle for other freedoms, a rending that would take his life and the lives of hundreds of thousands of others, he wrote these words: "It can not have failed to strike you that these men ask for just ... the same thing — fairness, and fairness only. This, so far as in my power, they, and all others, shall have."

The men and women, and the children too, whose voices join in noble harmony with Plaintiffs today, also ask for fairness, and fairness only. This, so far as it is in this Court's power, they and all others shall have.

Too Many Chips On Thier Hands

PolitiFact Texas, clearly having nothing better to do like mental competency evaluations of Republican Senate candidate literature, did way too much research checking out Democratic Ag Commissioner candidate Hugh Fitzsimons on his comments about female bison leading the herds. They found it "mostly true". Slow day.

Straddling the tightrope

Today the Senate voted to end any filibuster on raising the federal debt ceiling. Voting with a few of the Republican leaders to close debate: John Cornyn of Texas. Then the Senate voted to raise the ceiling. Voting no: John Cornyn of Texas. The cloture vote shows the big-money establishment Republicans that he isn't some crazy legislative bomb-thrower like his junior colleague. The vote against the debt ceiling reassures the tea slurpers that he really is on their side anyway. Guess which he just posted on his Facebook page?

I voted against raising the debt ceiling because it failed to rein in federal spending.

Some of them will be gullible enough to believe him, not noticing that when the real chips were down he went with what big business wanted, not the angry ordinary folk with pitchforks. Thus he tries to please both factions, while actually accomplishing nothing to speak of. What a circus high-wire act.

Call Me Prophet

I don't usually read D, so someone else found this superb update: DMN Endorses Sandra Crenshaw, Who Court Docs Say Is 'Mentally Ill,' Ctd. Best lines:

I believe and know now that the greatest way to bring exposure of the plight and discrimination against the mentally ill is for the mentally ill to run for office. ...

I believe that the best person to advocate for our most vulnerable citizen is a person who suffers from mental illness and this midterm election will be my coming out party.

I believe this defense of hers will be pictured in dictionaries as an example of "must read". To which I could only add as well Matthew 26:25.

Irony On Hyperdrive

In light of the News endorsement of Sandra Crenshaw (see Monday's post Karma In Overdrive), presented for your consideration: this notice from the DCDP website:

For State Representative District 110, one candidate, Sandra Crenshaw, was declared ineligible because, based upon her sworn application for a place on the ballot, she had not been a resident of the district for six months as of the last date of filing as required by the Texas Election Code, Section 141.001(5)(A). Any votes cast for her would not be counted. This leaves one eligible candidate on the ballot, incumbent Toni Rose.

As for the News editorial board, this seems to leave them rather like the image in The Godfather conjured up by Sonny, when he tells the ones assigned to place a gun behind the toilet, "I don't want my brother coming out of there with nothing but his ....", but, no, I won't quote all of that language.

Karma In Overdrive

D Magazine posted this: "DMN Endorses Sandra Crenshaw, Who Court Docs Say Is 'Mentally Ill'". The story also links to this document to demonstrate their case.

It looks like the News declined to support incumbent State Representative Toni Rose because she didn't return their questionnaire, and then hung up on them when they called. Oh, poor newspaper got its feeling hurt. There seems to be a pattern here in their other endorsements: if you don't sanction their own ego by running when they snap their fingers, they'll hold their endorsement until the voters turn blue. Which they have. Too bad, Belo.

Unfortunately for me, this happens to be my own State House district. No Republican or Libertarian or Green is running that I know of. It's winner take all in our Primary.

Years ago some British writer said he had only voted once -- when a candidate bragged he could prove he was sane, and waved his release papers from the mental hospital to prove it. Could this Dallas brouhaha portend a new version of the "birthers", with people demanding to see a candidate's release papers?