Texas Progressives say "Campaign filers, start your engines"

Texas Progressives await with 25 more days of bated breath who might file for office to be our alien insect overlords to start the next decade.

Yours truly blogged on Monday about how population declines plus retirement of two heavy hitter incumbents will dramatically affect Congressional redistricting out in West Texas.

Texas politics

At the Dallas Observer, Jim Schutze goes on his latest weird bromance — this time it's for Beto O'Rourke and his political future in the light of OK Boomer. "OK Jim." Might make that a recurring slogan here.

Amber Briggle excoriates Ken Paxton for being a hypocrite and violating the "privacy and safety" of a trans child.

Texana

Texas Monthly critically examines an Atlantic Monthly piece about the Texas Nationalist Movement and Texas secessionists.

When rural hospitals close, they can pull down rural economies with them. The Texas Observer reports from Clarksville. Expanding Medicaid coverage under Obamacare would help.

The Texas Observer also notes indigent defense is horrible in Potter County (Amarillo).

Grits has a roundup of criminal defense stories. 

TransGriot looks forward to the 20th anniversary of Transgender Day of Remembrance.

The TPA mourns the death of transgender activist Nikki Araguz Loyd.

Dallas

Up in Denton, a University of North Texas legal counsel resigns after using the uncensored, full blown N-word, but only the censored F-word, during a First Amendment discussion. Was she wrong? Yes. Should she have resigned, whether pressured to or not? I think that was too much, unless there's an unknown past history.

Houston

Off the Kuff gave his initial thoughts on the 2019 election in Houston.

National politics / third parties

SocraticGadfly offers up a trifecta of Green Party presidential stories. First, he talks about the big hot mess the nomination process has become and why. Second, he says Jill Stein is slouching further toward Gomorrah with her apparent support for one ticket. Third, he looks at the financial and ballot difficulties in running as a Green.

National

Brains trains his fire on Mayo Pete and OK Bloomer Michael Bloomberg in this week's presidential 2020. 

Stephen Young reminds us that our old pal Rick Perry is now a key figure in the whole Ukraine debacle.

Therese Odell takes a break from documenting All Things Impeachment to highlighting the epic appearance of Donald Trump Junior and his ex-Fox News girlfriend on The View.