Texas Progressives talk politics, sports, more

The Texas Progressives say Boomer, and you say Sooner, while on the pro football side, we wait to see if Jerry Jones is finally going to fire/non-renew Jason Garrett.

This corner of the world also offers congrats to Ted Simmons and Marvin Miller being named to the Baseball Hall of Fame, while saying that Lou Whitaker and Thurman Munson got hosed again. Details from my pre-vote analysis piece.

In the meantime, dig in to this week's Roundup.


Texas politics

Who's running for what? With the filing deadline Monday, the Texas Trib's spreadsheet has you covered. If not, on the "further right side" of the duopoly, hit the Texas GOP website. The Doinks still can't get their asses together enough to have such a simple webpage listing. (And, yes, Hinojosa, I've complained about this before. You've got a link for recruitment, but nothing like the simple GOP webpage of who's already filed.) And, although the Greens and Libertarians nominate by convention, Monday was also the deadline for their candidates to file, even as our nutbar Secretary of State, apparently having her legal briefs written direct by Kenny Boy Paxton, has appealed her ass getting handed to her over minor party candidate filing fees (or not, and an injunction thereunto, where she got her ass handed to her). It's also interesting to note some of the vanity candidates and other things, per my Twitter:

#txpolitics Man, the Rethugs must REALLY hate Ryan Sitton on the #RRC have all endorsed Dem Chrysta Castañeda. That said, she's one of four Doinks running for that Railroad Commission slot, so those endorsements mark her as the obvious #ConservaDem.

— reallyDonaldTrump  🚩🌻 (@AFCC_Esq) December 10, 2019

and

Soooo ... Rocky de la Fuente is such a vanity candidate he's seeking both the Rethug and the Doink prez nomination here in Texas?

— reallyDonaldTrump  🚩🌻 (@AFCC_Esq) December 10, 2019

Turns out I missed a "Guerra." Dad, with that on his surname, is running as an R; son Rocky is running as a D. Dad is the perennial. (So far; I'm sure the son is eyeing taking up that mantle.)

And ...

So, Dems running against John Cornyn include vanity candidates (by name) Victor Hugo Harris and Jack Daniels Foster? #DRNINK

— reallyDonaldTrump  🚩🌻 (@AFCC_Esq) December 10, 2019

And, yes, I know he's actually "Jack Daniel." So was the man who made the Tennessee sour mash, but because the whiskey is known as "Jack Daniel's," that's the way I rolled.

A GOP county chair sending racist texts? A GOP state rep in Fort Bend County saying two of his opponents are running just because they're Asian? I am shocked there's racism in this Republican small tent. (In both cases, the "targets" are also Rethugs. Have fun trying to grow that party.)

Texas Monthly's political roundup notes Rick Perry slipping out the back door of Energy and Bob on a Knob O'Rourke campaigning for state House candidates. You know, an actual good gig for him would be Texas Dems booting state chair Gilberto Hinojosa out the door and replacing him with Beto.

Off the Kuff looks at the initial Congressional race ratings in Texas.

Texana 

SocraticGadfly looks at all the huzzahs and handsprings for the Texas Tribune turning 10, and offers up a pretty contrarian take

Uninsured and pregnant in Texas is a bad place to be.

Austin segregated and racist? Yes and yes according to the Observer. The former piece notes that in addition to high housing costs, Austin's sprawl — worse than the Metromess or Helltown — is an additional problem.

Robert Rivard urges the University of Incarnate Word to settle the Cameron Redus wrongful death case.

Jessica Huseman emphatically explains why she loves Texas.

Texas sports

HornsDown and GagMeAggies in some backwoods Toilet Bowl head-to-head match? Yes! Unfortunately, whether because of a written SEC rule, an unwritten SEC rule, or more likely, just urban legend, or more likely yet, cuz of the Longhorns being chicken, the Ok State Cowpokes will face the Aggies.

The stRangers' outfield dimensions at new Globe Life Field are too cutish by half and generally suck. (Having spots deeper than straightway center to BOTH the left and right is part of that suck.)


Dallas-Fort Worth

A lesbian pair of spouses are fighting Mansfield ISD on discrimination in hiring. (One's a teacher.)

Schutze dives back into Dallas' affordable housing situation. I'm surprised he has nothing on Cowtown making its interim police chief permanent; that was the first thing I went looking for as he wrote a related piece a month ago. OK Jim, as in OK Boomer. In light of this, and reflecting that it's generally news-lighter than the Dallas Observer, the Fort Worth Weekly also has nothing. Just the Startlegram (and the Snooze, briefly) report on Ed Kraus.

Meredith Lawrence reports on the sad state of affairs with refugee asylum.

National

In his weekly 2020 update, Brains talks about Kamala Harris and the other two dropouts, plus the mayor of New York not named Giuliani.

Juanita points and laughs at Devin Nunes.

Mean Green Cougar Red appreciates the countercultural cartoons of Sesame Street.

Paradise in Hell is here for the blood red White House Christmas trees.