Texas Progressives watch the Senate race heat up

This corner of the Texas Progressives joins with ALL Green Party leadership, rather than the weaselly split-decision stance of Democratic leadership, in calling out the assassination of Qassim Soleimani and opposing further escalation with Iran.

The flu season continues to ramp up in North Texas and this corner of Texas Progressives reminds all readers to eat healthy and stay healthy through the winter.


Texas politics

ICYMI (and so did I): Bob on a Knob O'Rourke and Dennis Bonnen led the pack in Texas Monthly's annual Bum Steer Awards. More details on O'Rourke and Bonnen.

Julian Castro decided he needed to drop out of the prez run. Why was he in, and why didn't he try to stretch out just another month or two? See my updated presidential odds and earlier speculation about the endgames of Dem candidates.

The Observer provides a preview of Elections 2020 and one on the development of that big ugly wall.

Nonsequiteuse makes the pro-choice case for defeating Rep. Sarah Davis.

The Texas Signal laments our firearms-obsessed state government.

Meanwhile, via Brains, Cristina Tzíntzún Ramirez is kind of shooting herself in the foot in the Senate race:

Update from Texas: Candidate argues she is "more Mexican" than other Mexicans then blocks other Mexicans on social media who didn't take kindly to those comments.
It is Jan 5, 2020.

— Scott Braddock (@scottbraddock) January 5, 2020

Then, weirdly, deleting an Tweet with an endorsement by Susan Sarandon. Maybe too far left?

Appears @cristinafortx has deleted her tweet from yesterday touting @SusanSarandon’s endorsement: https://t.co/tnKfL26Fh1 #txsen pic.twitter.com/sqihJ80sZ1

— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) January 1, 2020

Maybe even worried, that given Sarandon's past, some people might make her into a Greenie?

That said, Brains and Sema Hernandez? Let me know when you cross the $10K mark on fundraising. Let me know when you're going to apologize for kissing Bob on a Knob O'Rourke's ass before the 2018 general was done and doing so even more after it was done when:

In 2018 I was asked if the fee I paid to get on the ballot was drug money.

Also in 2018, a political consultant (Tzintzun Ramirez) hired by O'Rourke, told me to fall in line and not run for US Senate.

I'm not bowing down to the patriarchy or playing by their rules.#NotForSale https://t.co/MUp0RH5PfG

— Sema Hernandez for U.S. Senate (@_SemaHernandez_) January 5, 2020

Texana

Marijuana prosecutions continue to drop, fueled in large part by the state's legalization of hemp last year.

Homelessness is on the rise in rural and small town areas. It's hard to know how bad the issue is, as it's not really counted in the boonies. That said, rural areas don't have shelters and other services.

Tinslee Lewis' tragic situation will surely be further politicized. Roe v Wade's anniversary is just two weeks away.

Additional Harvey-like storms are just one of the ways climate change will affect Texas. Let's hope more forceful climate scientists than Katherine Hayhoe arise in the state.


North Texas

Will an LGBTQ anti-discrimination ordinance finally get passed by Denton? Supporters hope so. Denton would become Texas' first smaller or mid-sized city (cities, in my urban sociology, are of above 100K population; below that, you're a town) to pass such a bill.


Houston

Off the Kuff interviewed Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan and his Democratic primary opponents, Ben Rose and Christian Menefee.

National

Fort Worth Weekly lists Project Censored's top stories of 2019.

Brains' 2020 update makes a pitch for Sanders' semi-inevitability.

Carlos Sanchez gives Julian Castro's Presidential campaign a fond farewell. (I don't, and I also see Egberto Willies as more and more of a Warren-stanner for explaining away his endorsement of Lizzie Warren.


Sports

Hitting the world of sports, SocraticGadfly, after laughing with schadenfreude over the Hatriots, offered his hot take on what Jethro Jerry Jones might do to replace Red Jesus Jason Garrett. Earlier, he tackled baseball, wondering why Cardinals top brass John Mozeliak isn't doing more to improve the rotation.

Texas Monthly also discusses the Cheatin' Astros on its Bum Steers.

Miscellaneous/year in review

Mark Pitcavage remembers the New Year's Eve of Y2K.

Paradise in Hell has 10 reasons to be glad 2019 is over.

The Great God Pan Is Dead lists the 10 best comics of the past decade.