Texas Progressives: Guns and Visa, Beto-Bob, more

Elizabeth Warren asked for it, then got called out as "fascist" for the request, but Visa will start tracking gun sales as a particular category. It should make it easier to track down suspicious sales, which was her whole intent. And, since Visa is the biggest, let us hope, per the story, that it indeed pressures MasterCard and Amex to follow.

We'll also see if Second Amendment absolutist Delilah Barrios, running for gov for the Green Party, says anything about this.

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Off the Kuff analyzes the latest poll of Texas and Harris County. (Note: See my gov, House and Senate polls at right.)

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SocraticGadfly said Beto O'Rourke needs to fire himself as chief campaign strategist.

Related, from Twitter:

Coming next: Greg Abbott uses the Uvalde Park shooting as an excuse to send yet more DPS, Texas National Guard, etc., to the board.
Coming next after that: Pander Bear Beto O'Rourke says he'd send more people to the border, too, but only if they volunteer. https://t.co/UvVczG4gKU

— TheRealSocraticGadfly (@real_gadfly) September 9, 2022

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I have no idea who Coulda Been Worse is run by. Let's just hope that any new anti-Abbott ads don't engage in child exploitation, unlike Moms Against Greg Abbott. Their first ad is here on Twitter, via Patrick Switek. Not bad, but not great in presentation. The "Coulda Been Worse" needs to be cut in more than just once at the end. A second voice in voiceover, preferably female, should be there.

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DPS head Steve McCraw told CNN he'd resign if it was found that his troopers had any culpability in a delayed response to the Uvalde shooting. He's bullshitting, of course, starting with that he'd set his own parameters on "any culpability."

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Shock me that two North Texas small-town police chiefs belong(ed?) to Oath Keepers. Of course, they, like others statewide and compadres nationally, have spouted the usual bullshit lines like, "I didn't know who they were," or "they changed their mission" or "someone else signed me up."

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Gohmert Pyle reached a new low even for him.

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Per this Tweet:

Glenn Hegar remains full of posturing gasbag shit vis-a-vis Harris County https://t.co/QfdPSNTjTd even after a Travis County district judge TOLD .@Glenn_Hegar he's full of shit. https://t.co/qvVDG01Zov

— TheRealSocraticGadfly (@real_gadfly) September 9, 2022

Glenn Hegar reached a new low, even for him.

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Danny Goeb is in a pissing match, per his news releases, with the authors of a Texas Monthly semi-gotcha piece that's nonetheless good gotcha. Knowing something about Russell Gold and Dan Soloman's writing for the Monthly (and elsewhere from Gold), I was worried Patrick may be at least half right. I shouldn't have been. An updated version of the article notes Patrick's claims, and does further gotcha on the date of passage of SB 13 vs the date of his BlackRock divestiture. Plus, like Ralph Nader (who I didn't vote for in 2000 cuz I knew this, probably due to Al Gore oppo research) and Jill Stein (who I learned about too late in 2016 cuz Hillary Clinton oppo research forgot to allow for early voting) Patrick and his wife also owned Black Rock mutual funds. (Nader and Stein owned oil and gas, defense and tobacco stocks via mutual funds.)

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MANNUUUUU.

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A restart on the Iran nuclear deal looks to be officially on the rocks. That's from the German Foreign Ministry.

Texas 2036 warns that the water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi, could happen here.

The Texas Living Waters Project released a study showing how much water we lose in this state due to old infrastructure. Texas Monthly gives a fond final farewell to Paul Burka.

The Texas Signal reports on the first day of school in Uvalde.

The TSTA Blog argues that it's the disrespect for democracy that disqualifies so many Texas Republicans from holding office.

The Dallas Observer notes the Cards Against Humanity protest against anti-abortion laws.

Federal coronavirus bailout money for cities and counties went to ... cops and courts.

Texas Progressives talk election harassment, puberty blockers

Off the Kuff comments on the resignations of Gillespie County's elections staff and the shameful silence of the Republicans whose words and deeds are the root cause of the problem. 

SocraticGadfly talks about the FDA's decision last month to put "black box" warnings on puberty blockers and the sad lack of overall media coverage.

Slim Pickens is not just a rodeo rider, stuntman and iconic actor. Per Texas Monthly, it's also the first Black-owned outdoors retail store. But, it's more than a retailer. Owner Jamaicah Dawes strives to diversify those experiencing the outdoors. At the same time, his dreams are still surrounded by struggles. It's a long read but interesting.

Hemp is the future. The Monthly has another "just around the corner" story, like nuclear fusion power and "strong" artificial intelligence. Call me back when Texas changes its cannabis laws and other things.

Wingnuts in the Lege posture macho, but are scaredy-cats when asked to define details of what it means for a woman's life to be in danger under anti-abortion law.

It's also "nice" that the Lege isn't even bothering to phone it in on its contempt for church-state separation ideas of the First Amendment.

Congresscritter Vicente Gonzales and his wife, tax chiselers, or just SEVEN years of bad memory? You know, by where the hyperlink is, where I stand.

Last week, the SA Express-Snooze profiled people leaving Tex-ass. Now, the Trib looks specifically at Black Texans thinking about a Texodus.

The Trib also profiles Gohmert Pyle, aka Louie Gohmert, starting with him passing just one law in his 17 years as a Congresscritter.

Mexico and Texas have fought about water issues for years. Now, with drought on the south side of the Rio Grande as well as north, that's intensified. In reality, like with the Valley of the Sun in Aridzona, people need to move out — or BE MOVED OUT — of the Rio Grande Valley.

Paul Burka, long-time editor of the Monthly, has died at 80. Mimi Swartz and other past colleagues reminisce .

Good ConservaDem Kuff ignores the fossil fuel handouts of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Sean Pendergast grades Deshaun Watson's "apology".  

Space City Weather provides another update on the tropics. 

The TSTA Blog is not impressed by Chuck Norris as an answer to school shootings.  

Mean Green Cougar Red ponders why commercial aircraft don't have parachutes.

Texas GOP politics is officially in the ninth malebolge of hell as shown by the AG race

Yes, Dante would have fun with this one.

What else is there to say when Gohmert Pyle, after appearing to possibly chicken out, decided to enter the AG primary against Kenny Boy Paxton?

Let's not forget that Kenny Boy was ALREADY being primaried, not once, not twice, but thrice. 

One of the three already-in challengers is Land Commish Pee Bush. Pee, who basically kneecapped his own family of origin scrambling for the Trump endorsement, only to see Paxton get it, will surely have a fun Thanksgiving, especially if he visits either daddy Jeb! (would Jeb give him the back of his hand, and would it be a real hand or a fake political poster hand?) or Uncle Shrub. Pee faces further troubles with the in-state wingnut crowd for failure to sufficiently fellate the Alamo.

The second is book Nazi state Rep. Matt Krause, who may actually support Carroll ISD teaching alternatives to the Holocaust. Scratch that. He's running for Tarrant DA, along with his junior Rand Paul Squirrel Hair mop.

The third second is former Texas Supremes robe-wearer Eva Guzman.

Question the first: Is Gohmert Pyle going to try to get Trump to unendorse Paxton and back him instead?

Question the first, part two: If he asks, could it happen?

Question the second: Will Pee Bush break 10 percent in the primary? Will he avoid last place?

Question the third: Can Rethuglicans in the First District find somebody even more nucking futz than Louie CK (ClusterfucK)? Would former Fourth District Congresscritter John Ratcliffe consider parachuting into this race? Would someone like retiring state Legiscritter Chris Paddie throw his hat in the ring? Would a real nutter like Bob Hall jump in? (Hall's state senate district is not part of the First Congressional District, but, like Ratcliffe, for Congress, district residency isn't a requirement, and former Congresscritter Pete Sessions parachuted into a new district, did he not?)

Question the fourth: Why the fuck would you want to be Tex-ass AG instead of staying in Congress?

Question the fifth: Could the MAGAts ticket-splitting help Guzman get the nomination? On paper, especially if she looks halfway sane otherwise, it sounds like it. But? Other than Hispanic half-breed Pee, who had a family name, Tex-ass Rethuglicans have never nominated a Hispanic to run for statewide office. (We're not even speaking of the darker hues.)  Beyond that, for all the claims about how people want just good news on TV, want clean political races, etc.? It's bullshit, especially in a race like this.

Besides that, she already had relatively limited name recognition, and Gohmert in the race will only exacerbate that.

This race isn't yet Gohmert's to lose, but if he can get Trump to unendorse Paxton, it might be.

Texas progressives talk turkey on Beto, Gohmert Pyle etc.

At the Monthly, Jonathan Tilove takes a deeper dive on R.F. O'Rourke's gubernatorial announcement and hopes, complete with interview. I wondered last week, in discussing his announcement, whether we'd get Beto 2018 or Beto 2020, especially on gunz. In the wake of the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict and the misframing of the trial, law, etc. by most of #BlueAnon, we're getting Beto 2020! He stands by his "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47." Good luck in the general, Beto, if you're the nominee. You'll need it.

It appears that Gohmert Pyle either got chickenshit on challenging Kenny Boy Paxton or, more likely and with Paxton already facing two challengers, would-be donors got chickenshit on him. UPDATE: Turns out that maybe Gohmert is that much of a tech putz, OR, for whatever reasons, somebody told him to freeze out Mark Davis, because, he's IN that race, and that needs a separate blog post. And, it now has that.

Strangeabbott's new Secretary of State nominee, John Scott, is not a Trumpist on alleged election fraud and actually says a priority is "bringing the temperature down" on such nuttery, while insisting that selected county audits will be bipartisan and won't involve outsiders, unlike Aridzona. At the same time, years back, as an assistant AG, he defended the state's voter ID bill; Texas Dems are split on their takes, especially with the feds suing Texas over its new law. The Trib has more on the county audits portion of the new election bill, including noting that the Lege forgot to dedicate funding for it, so the SoS' emergency fund is being raided.

Robert Santos, originally from San Antonio, is the first Hispanic to head the Census Bureau. Texas Monthly has a profile.

A Texas law firm represents Eric Coomer, the Dominion Voting Systems employee suing Sidney Powell, Rudy Giuliani, et al. Here's where they're at right now.

Eddie Bernice Johnson says "she's outta there" on Congress. Even though Peanut Butter and Johnson wants a woman to follow her, I'll put a prop bet on Carl Sherman. He's relatively moderate, like her, but can triangulate off of not being under her thumb, especially if multiple women run. Plus, the Best Southwest suburbs are a growing part of the district vis-a-vis South Dallas, and that's his homeland. (The district changed marginally on the southwest and modestly on the southeast.) Related question? Token Republicans have challenged here in about every general since I first lived in the Metromess itself 20 years ago. A couple of times, IIRC, a Libertarian jumped in. But never, even when the Dallas County Green Party was semi-active in the 2000-oughts, did a Green get in. Could an open race change that?

Speaking of Greens? Hunter Crow is running for Railroad Commish. He's got about two more election cycles to go before entering "perennial candidate" territory.

The battle to succeed Pee Bush as land commish has heated up, and includes a party-switching Kleberg family scion running as a Democrap. Kuff, naturally, likes a likely ConservaDem party switcher entering the race. Not yet heard of any Green names for this race, which, per party core issues should be the most important along with RRC. 

Off the Kuff notes and comments on the seventh lawsuit filed so far over the new redistricting maps.

Stace restarts his Thoughts on Viernes series as there were too many news items on which to opine.

Crystal Mason's appeal of her conviction for voting illegally as a felon may have a chance.

The Lake Highlands Advocate analyzes the racial housing wealth gap in Dallas.

Mean Green Cougar Red provides a final update on the Conference USA membership scramble.

The Texas Observer shows the "domino effect" the state's abortion ban is having on clinics around the US.

National and global

SocraticGadfly offers a twofer on environmental-related issues. First, as promised last week, here's his take on Glasgow COP26. Second, he has a long piece on the National Park Service 86-ing an internal study about a mass of employee complaints about sexual harassment, sexual assault and discrimination.

The percentage of voters registered to minor parties (in states that require such) has hit a century-long new high.

Supply chain problems are starting to ease, ease enough that for American hypercapitalism, good wingnut alleged Christians can fill up on made in China shit.

Or, maybe it's "Made in Serbia" shit, as Vietnamese workers at a Chinese-owned factory there are lobbing a variety of human and labor rights allegations against Beijing.

Counterpunch has gone back to the best, or worst, of Alex Cockburn days with a story about how US POWs claim we did germ warfare against North Korea in the Korean War without, at least before the paywall, noting Chinese and / or North Korean "interrogation techniques" that might have induced such statements. With that, Jeff St. Clair, especially given that the late Alex's younger brother Patrick remains a contributor, is getting closer to being deblogrolled again.

Xi Jinping lies about the People's Republic never having made a territorial acquisition.

Texas Progressives look at pre-Thanksgiving state tea leaves

Lots to talk about this week, the last before people stuff themselves on turkey or else scrape up vegan alternatives, so, let's dig in to ...

This week's Texas Progressives roundup.

Texas will get about $35 billion from the Biden infrastructure bill. GOP Senators Havana Ted Cruz and Tiny John Cornyn, and even more, wingnut US House Congresscritters, who all voted against it, will nonetheless start touting its state and House district benefits in 3, 2, 1 ... 

SB 8, the anti-abortion bill, is being challenged in state district court as well as the federal level.

Luke Warford is the first Dem to announce to seek Wayne Christian's Railroad Commission seat. Wondering who Texas Greens, or anybody else outside the duopoly, will get with the new third-party and independent filing fees. Warford is narrowly targeting his run on Winter Storm Uri.

In case you haven't heard, Robert Francis O'Rourke is running for guv, and taking a page from Warford. My take here.

The Monthly looks at the possibility of Gohmert Pyle entering the crowded Republican primary against Kenny Boy Paxton for AG. I personally am ready to pop plenty of popcorn and get it if Gohmert jumps in.

Carroll ISD has more problems than "alternatives to the Holocaust." The Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights has opened a discrimination investigation.

The Observer's Michael Barajas takes another look at redistricting. It's true the process was rushed like hell. But if Dem Legiscritters were eventually going to fold the tents on their boycott of the voting bill special anyway, wouldn't it have been better to not do it at all and instead find a way to delay the process? 

Off the Kuff analyzed how the new State House map changed electorally over the past decade.

SocraticGadfly talks about the latest in Texas-New Mexico water rights issues and other environment and climate news, with thoughts on Glasgow COP26 coming for the week ahead.

Cheese, anybody? The Texas sector is growing. The story's not THAT good though. There's some great cheese at a "homestead" place northwest of Waco, that's been in operation, assuming it still is, for a decade now. Nothing about it.

That said, per a link inside that piece? I didn't realize that Texas had loosened its rules on raw milk distribution at this year's regular session of the Lege. Not good. (The Snooze's story is also not good, starting with the fact that the Texas Dairy Asssociation has consistently opposed such legislation. And the freelancer, formerly a Snooze staffer, should know that.) The big problem is not direct-to-cheesemakers raw milk, where cheese fermentation may reduce the risks, but direct-to-consumer sales of raw milk for drinking. The Monthly also misses the boat on this.

Delta-8 is back to being Ill Eagle for now.

Jessica Goldman finds out how wheelchair-accessible Houston's theaters are.

Alex Karjeker takes a closer look at how the Texas Democratic Party did as an institution in 2020.

Steve Vladeck argues for greater Congressional authority to enforce their own subpoenas.

Your Local Epidemiologist explains the mechanisms by which vaccines reduce disease transmission.

Hope Osborn looks ahead to the day when Texas is no longer reliant on oil and gas taxes to fund public schools.

Texas Progressives truly remember Colin Powell and more

Best takedown obit of Colin Powell? Counterpunch. Not only Iraq and Vietnam, but Reagan-era Central America and Iran-Contra. It's detailed and needs reading. DC Babylon is a decent second, and it mentions his prevarications on torture.

Del Rio native Raul Ortiz talks about running the Border Patrol and what he doesn't like about Abbott's Operation Loan Star. He doesn't mention his own agency's problems, though, which go far beyond border lassoings. And, as a career guy, surely he could have said something about "tonks."

The Monthly looks at the hemp biz, especially after the Delta-8 ruling from DSHS.

Texas infrastructure gets a C-minus; the Observer discusses details on the ground. (Note: ASCE has legit concerns around the nation, but it also wants engineers to get more jobs.)

Off the Kuff warns about Greg Abbott's pick for Secretary of State and his role in trying to overturn the 2020 election.

SocraticGadfly took note of Fauci's latest anger, calling people who disagree with him conspiracy theorists, and from the left, wrote about Fauci's self-inflicted mistakes. (And, this was before NIH said the US DID fund gain of function work at WIV, and Fauci's puppies issue, which will be in a new post.)

Justin Miller discusses Danny Goeb's continued battle against antiracism.

Stace stays local and reminds us that we are in the middle of an election, which includes races and bonds in Alief ISD. Get out and vote! 

Pay the homeless to pick up trash? Dallas is considering an idea from other states.

Keep Austin Wonky shows how that city's Proposition A will cost a lot more than its proponents suggest.

Space City Weather presents its official 2021-2022 winter outlook.

Texas Monthly reports on advances in pet cloning.

The Texas Living Waters Project finds good news in Austin's plans for its future water supply.

Texas progressives bring back coronavirus news, Week 14

Another fun week in the world of politics, Texana, rising Texas coronavirus cases and more.

Ahh, yes ... coronavirus.

With that, after thinking I was over with a separate Texas Progressives pullout for coronavirus, it turns out that Greg Abbott's refusal to listen to precautionary, prudent medical advice, plus his "legal loopholes overriding of local governments' mask rules authority, has led us to a point of a COVID surge, which is largely demonstrated in other "red" states as well.

Coronavirus Texas

#Schadenfreude is a #coronavirus bitch. Two months ago, Texas and other states were quarantining travelers from the greater New York City area. Now, the three states of the Tri-State are alarmed enough to quarantine Texans (and denizens of several other, generally "red," states.)

On top of that? The EU is likely to ban travel from the US, period.

Meanwhile, as Texas coronavirus cases swell and Abbott has blood on his hands, Trump has pushed through with cutting federal money and aid for testing nationwide, including several sites in Texas. Strangebbott, despite bipartisan pleading with Trump across the state, said Texas would be OK.

And as of last Friday, Strangeabbott has officially backtracked on Reopen Texas. Bars closed, restaurants back to 50 percent capacity. And banned outdoor gatherings of more than 100 unless explicitly approved by government officials.

Hindsight, like schadenfreude, is a bitch. And, given that many medical experts and local government leaders were shouting in Abbott's ears a month ago, his "hindsight" is what I'd call "poor me."

Schadenfreude is a bitch indeed even within the Texas GOP. The Monthly notes the death from COVID of Kaufman County GOP official Peter Baker throws into stark relief the GOP's still-insistent plans on having an in-person state convention in Houston. (As of last Saturday, that is still on!) Adding to the schadenfreude angle? Baker was a COVID wingnut, pooh-poohing its severity — like many other Texas Republicans.

In light of all of this, Trump's HHS caved and will keep open five of the seven federal-funded test sights it had planned to close.

Shock me that Gohmert Pyle continues to be an idiot on this issue.


Coronavirus national

Could we, instead of having a check-mark, but not V, recovery, have an inverse check mark further downturn? Annie Lowery at the Atlantic says we might not have an inverse check mark, but that a regular checkmark might be so slow in growing we have something halfway like a second Great Depression. The Congressional Budget Office says that we could have a full lost decade ahead. Wunderbar. Neither Donald Trump nor Joe Biden has anything to offer to deal with this. Libertarianism doesn't. And, the Green Party still has a lot of people inside the party hating its nominee. Beyond the conspiracy theory hatred, a lot of Greens hate anything that comes close to ecosocialism even as it's clear capitalism won't save us. One of the links within the piece explains how this is increasing income inequality, which is then in turn contributing to the problem. Again, Republicans, Democrats, Libertarians, and a sizeable chunk within the GP have nothing to deal with this.

Toady Fauci was a little less toadyish when speaking to the House last week, partially blowing the whistle on what lead to details on why Trump killed a coronavirus research grant.

Team Trump is getting more panicky. HHS Secretary Alex Azar said "the window is closing" on the attempt to control COVID.At the same time, he pushed back on the idea that too many states had reopened too quickly, despite good medical evidence he's wrong.

"Reopen" protestor schadenfreude continues to happen. And the schad-infected, at least in this case, continue to be selfish dicks.

As tens of thousands of people in the country continue to struggle with this respiratory virus, the Fed is "doing its part," buying up stock of Big Tobacco and Big Oil as part of its "stimulus" or whatever.

In Week 11 of the coronavirus roundup, I noted churches as a high-risk area. Politico reports now on the issue of "super-spreader churches." Trump nationally, and Abbott in Tex-ass, continue to pander to the Religious Right on this issue.

Earlier this week, I noted that summer weather doesn't have appeared to tamped down COVID, and wondered if it was lurking in air conditioning.


Coronavirus global

South Korea was one of the best countries in the world at controlling COVID infections. But local and national leaders admit that, sociologically, the new normal cannot be the old normal.

Texas Progressives tell Texas wingnuts: Climate change is still very real

Texas Progressives remind the climate change skeptics and denialists inside the Pointy Abandoned Object State™ that just because Texas has been missing its usual midsummer heat wave this year, that doesn't refute that July globally is on pace for a new all-time record. If there were a hell, you folks could bake there instead.

And with that, here's this week's roundup.

Global

SocraticGadfly invites you to be Simon and Garfunkel and picture the sounds of silence that a truly Green, Green New Deal on climate change would bring.

Dallas

Just who is Robert Jeffress, anyway, besides the Trump-fellating pastor of First Baptist Church Dallas? Despite my joke about Trump having nudies of him, a longform piece at Texas Monthly says that while he IS a "roast in hell you sinners" fundamentalist nutty enough to claim the Bible doesn't fully have anything to say about particular economic systems (truth is, Bob, it has NOTHING to say there), and he won't apologize for supporting Trump, he's not a wingnut in every way. Interestingly, he doesn't like the GOP on gunz, AND without saying "single payer," he thinks we need something better than Obamacare.

Well, Rev. Bob, meet Rev. Deanna Hollis, just named by the Presbyterian Church USA as its first national minister of gun violence prevention. All you have to do is drive up the road to Richardson and be as non-partisanly ecumenical as you claim.

Jim Schutze explains why the Red Bird Mall area won't be redeveloped anytime soon.


Houston

David Bruce Collins is upset enough to have not one but two posts about North Houston highway development bloated widening ideas.

Speaking from Houston, but really speaking to all Texas cities eyeing endless rounds of lane widening, Chris Tomlinson says this on Twitter:

Cities will always need cars for the disabled and other special purposes. But the idea that driving alone to work on a public-funded road is a birthright has got to end. Scooters will solve more problems than they cause.

— ChrisTomlinson (@cltomlinson) July 29, 2019

Well put.

Mean Green Cougar Red mourns the demolition of the First Pasadena Bank.

John Coby says good-bye to his Congressman, Pete Olson.


Texas Lege and Texas Politics

Intra-GOP scuffles have Republican activists like "Mucus" Sullivan claiming Speaker Dennis Bonnen has it out for them. He's now firing back.

Telling Greg Abbott to shut up about his call for tough enforcement of state pot laws, a group of central Texas Dems says the laws themselves remain the problem — laws they tried to change.

Stephen Young notices how one-note the Republican response to Democratic Senate candidates is.

Off the Kuff looks at the July campaign finance reports from Congressional candidates.

The Texas Observer reminds us that a lot of people die on the job in Texas.

A three-judge federal panel, sounding like the state supreme court on school finance four years ago, wagged their collective finger at the state but they refused to put it back under Voting Rights Act preclearance.

The rural hospital closure crisis continues.

National

Donald Trump named 1st District wingnut and hack Congresscritter John Ratcliffe — who I personally know is a wingnut and a hack — as his director of national intelligence nominee.

Bob the Knob O'Rourke asks an Obama veteran to bail out his failing and flailing prez campaign.

Brains previewed this week's Dem debate round in his Weekly 2020.

Louie Gohmert once again was Gohmert Pyle.

Better Texas Blog decries the proposals to gut SNAP.

Paradise in Hell interprets Donald Trump's interpretation of the Constitution.

Nathan Hecht is NOW butt-hurt about bad state judges?

Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Nathan Hecht, in discussing bail reform this week, also said he was concerned about the quality of a number of judges elected last November. Given that this was mainly due to a lot of GOP appeals judges losing office, his sudden newfound love for changing the state's method of selecting judges sounds like partisan sour grapes.

After all, nutbar Congresscritter Louie Gohmert, aka Gohmert Pyle, used to be a state district judge.

Sharon Keller, a rank idiot, remains on the Court of Criminal Appeals.

And, Nathan Hecht continues to lead the Texas Supreme Court, for that matter.

A full decade ago, Hecht was challenged over ethics issues.

Cry me a river.

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That said, setting partisanship issues aside, Hecht is right. Texas' method of selecting state judges sucks.

New Mexico, which has a state judicial nominations committee making recommendations to the governor, followed by one partisan election and then retention elections after that, is much better. Colorado and Arizona go yet further, and provide voter information in retention elections; Colorado has this done by its state nominations committee while Arizona has a separate committee that does midterm private evaluations as well as retention election public ones. New Mexico also requires a four-sevenths supermajority in retention elections.

New Mexico, Arizona, and other states also provide at least partial public financing, on a voluntary opt-in basis, for state judicial candidates.

More on New Mexico's system here. More on Arizona's review commission, along with alleged reforms in Texas on campaign finance for judges and four other state-level reforms here.

In short, Texas can do better. When Arizona, even more wingnut, does something like this better, you have a problem.

TX Progressives salute airport workers for shutdown end and offer this week's roundup

The Texas Progressive Alliance salutes Speaker Nancy Pelosi (or "Speaker Pelosi", as we call her) airport workers using their labor powers for getting Donald Trump to fold in the shutdown fight as it brings you this week's roundup. (This outpost already called bullshit on “Pelosi did it” on Friday evening, Mr. Kuff. Sorry.*)

Off the Kuff kept up with the Census lawsuit news, now being fought in two courts.

SocraticGadfly had two different pieces on just how real and how strong the national "jobs miracle" is. First, if as much as half of Internet traffic is fake and bots, then how "real" are many Internet-driven jobs such as SEO marketing? Second, he advised people not to believe semi-legend pieces about the ease of job-hopping. The reality is different; it's driven by IT-tech jobs, followed by sales, and doesn't apply if you're over a certain age.

And here are some posts of interest from other news sites and blogs.

Raise Your Hand Texas highlights some of the many public school choice options available to Texas students and families.

TJ Mayes argues for a smoke-free policy in San Antonio's parks.

John Coby has some advice for would-be office seekers.

Therese Odell celebrates the long-overdue arrest of Roger Stone.

Stephen Young invites you to watch Ted Cruz get called out by a fellow Senator for his hypocrisy on government shutdowns.

The Texas Living Waters Project writes about reforesting stream banks.

On Twitter, the Texas Trib calls bullshit on the Texas Secretary of State’s insinuations about vote fraud.

The Texas Observer links Congresscritter Louie Gohmert and state Sen. Bob Hall to the same white nationalist types that Iowa Congresscritter Steve King loves.

The Texas Observer also also talks to border-county sheriffs about border security and immigration issues.

Jim Schuetze profiles the nutters opposing Dallas police reform, but also questions agenda-pushers on the other side who aren't accepting empirical evidence.

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Kuff's work on the roundup is appreciated, and I often go with his intro. I have edited it at times in the past, but always quietly. This was simply too egregious, though; it is a verbatim repeat of centrist Dem blogs and online news sites.

Needed: 30 Rethugs to vote for #SpeakerGohmert

Texas' dumbest Congresscritter, and possibly the nation's, Louie Gohmert, known here for obvious reasons as Gohmert Pyle (click that first link) is now challenging John Boehner to be Speaker of the House.

I say, in a riff on those immortal words of George W. Bush, "Bring him on!"

Those 30 Republicans noted in the header for this post?

Well, there's 188 Democrats in the new House. If they all will vote for Speaker Gohmert, as well, there's your 218 and he's in like Flynn!

Dems can then watch him embarrass the rest of the House GOP, as well as wrong-footing Mitch (the Turtle) McConnell, new Senate GOP leader, with an embarrassment of stupidity riches. (Yes, I used some form of "embarrass" twice in the same sentence; I'm writing at Gohmert Pyle level.)

So, Nancy Pelosi, do you have some counterinsurgency brains, or are you going to play this straight?

Texas GOP leaders comment on runoff elections

Texas Republican leaders took stock of where the party stands for the general election after Saturday's runoffs.


Rick Perry said: "What happened to the good old days when a college cheerleader with alleged homosexual tendencies could get nominated for governor? NO, not me. Didn't that guy before me cheer at Yale? Besides, I don't paint." After that, he was told to shut up, on advice of counsel who realized his pain meds were on overdose and thought something Perry might say would guarantee a first-degree felony indictment.

Ted Cruz said: "I applaud Texas Republican voters for nominating the moderate conservative Dan Patrick to run for lieutenant governor. I will do anything I can to help make him as solid in conservativism as I am."

John Cornyn said, "I believe exactly what Ted Cruz said. But I deny that I said that because I have voluntarily put his pecker in Cruz's pocket."

David Alameel said: "I'm not a Republican any more, but I used to be one, before the party got too conservative for me and I saw what I thought was an easy, vanity-fueled chance to run against John Cornyn, who still won't give me a refund on my old campaign donations."

Kesha Rogers said: "I'm just a crazy fucking loon. I'm crazy enough I should be a Republican, although I'm not."

Louie Gohmert said: "I'm glad I didn't face a runoff. Someday, there's going to be a stealth religious conservative who tries to run to my right. And we'll find out he's a dark-skinned stealth Mooslim like that Bobby Jindal guy."

Greg Abbott said: "Oh, Lord? Ken Paxton beat Dan Branch in the attorney general runoff and I have to face five months of possible questions as to why I, the current AG, never noticed any of his securities violations." He then denied he had a double standard on law enforcement and said it was a dirty liberal trick to talk about him and a  "stand"-ard for anything.

Dan Patrick said: "I'm grateful to be mentioned by Ted Cruz and in the same breath as him. I promise my statewide campaign supporters that no stinking Ill Eagles will pick up your old signs or set out new ones. Patrick also admitted that the hard campaign left him facing "fatigue and exhaustion," while saying he would be outraged by any blogger that suggested a fitting headline for his win would be: "GOP nutbars nominate true-blue nutbar."

David Dewhurst said: "I can't even have gay lieutenant governor rumors. How low has my career sunk?" He then went off to play 36 holes of golf at River Oaks Country Club, hoping to spot one of the Ill Eagles  Patrick allegedly hired long ago at his sports bar, who might caddy for cheap.

Jerry Patterson said: "I'm sorry my endorsement didn't help David Dewhurst get the lieutenant governor's nomination." He then asked the Dew if he wanted him to whip out his hogleg and scare the shit out of Patrick. Like one of the guns in the video below ...



Ken Paxton said: "I'm glad that the people helped by my under-the-table financial genius were enough to get me nominated." He then offered to cut Dan Branch in on a venture capital sweetheart deal.

Ralph Hall woke up from his nap and said: "I'm glad to be a part of the leadership of the Democratic party in Texas." His staff didn't have the heart to tell him the election results, let alone that he was either Rip van Winkle or else was showing the onset of senility.

Abbott and Patrick were both asked, since Abbott recently discovered he has a Mexican wife, what they thought about Patrick using the phrase "dirty Mexican" in the past. Patrick said that because he was facing fatigue and exhaustion, just as he said he was at the time he talked about a "dirty Mexican," he was unable to answer. Abbott threatened to stand up and punch Patrick even as his right arm started doing some Strangelovian crazy behavior.

Joe Straus said to himself, under his breath: "Good Lord, this means I have to run the Lege along with Dan Patrick?" He then said, doubly under his breath, "Well, at least Patrick didn't lose; we might have had to put him on suicide watch again."

#Toyota establishing US HQ in #Texas — Texas GOP reacts

Sounds like great news for Texas, right? Thousands of non-minimum wage jobs, thousands of jobs with health insurance, coming to Texas as Toyota will create a national headquarters for its US operations in Plano.

Well, of course its great news, and so says leaders of the Texas Republican Party.


Rick Perry touted the $40 million the Texas Enterprise Fund Rick Perry is Running for Something Fund was paying for these jobs. When gently reminded that this was $8,000 a job that he was paying for insured jobs, far, far more than a 5 percent match for Obamacare Medicaid expansion, Perry said "Don't confuse me with numbers."

Ted Cruz thought about calling Rick Perry a socialist, but wasn't quite sure he wanted to go that far yet. So, amazingly, he said nothing, even as smoke coming out of his ears above his furrowed brow indicated that the idea was stuck in his melting-down brain.

John Cornyn said what Ted Cruz said because, per Lyndon Baines Johnson, Cornyn has voluntarily put his pecker in Cruz's pocket.

Louie Gohmert was put into preventative detention by Rick Perry, who was afraid Gohmert would scare the crap out of the Japanese so badly that they would renege on the deal.

Greg Abbott promised Toyota officials the new headquarters would not have to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards. He also promised to sue the Obama administration if it tried to force this on Toyota.

When asked how he could stand for such a double standard, he said it was a dirty liberal trick to talk about him and a  "stand"-ard for anything.

Dan Patrick said he welcomed Toyota, as long as the Japanese there were all in America legally and did not stink or contaminate America, unlike he thinks Hispanics do. Patrick did say that if Toyota were to be for getting some Ill Eagles to mow campus lawns, he'd try to remember what part of his own past to remember or not.

David Dewhurst said he was amazed that not all Japanese were short. He asked if any of them had registered to vote in the primary election runoff, to re-elect him rather than somebody worried that they might stink.

Jerry Patterson asked if Toyota had a gun-friendly culture. He promised Glocks for all if Toyota did, whipping one out of his boot while there.

Ken Paxton asked if Toyota needed to buy any construction bonds with any of that Rick Perry money He touted his under-the-table financial genius, saying he could hide money wherever it needed to be hidden.

Joe Straus wondered why he couldn't get Toyota to San Antonio.

Note: It should be obvious by now to regular readers that this is going to be a semi-regular series. It's like shooting fish in a barrel, only in the case, the fish are generally too dumb to recognize they're dead.

Texas GOP discusses Cliven Bundy

Texas Republican leaders were quick to defend Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, even before the librul media called him "sort of a welfare queen in a cowboy hat."


Rick Perry said that he couldn't say much of anything, on advice of counsel retained over the Public Integrity Unit veto, lest he be misinterpreted as intimidating somebody.

Ted Cruz said that the Bureau for Land Management reminded him of Castro's Cuba and therefore it was socialistic for trying to deny Bundy the right to freely appropriate land in the most libertarian of ways, by paying nothing for it. As for Bundy's talk about lazy Negros vs. hard-working Hispanics with better family structures than many whites, Cruz said, "Duh, look at me!"

John Cornyn said what Ted Cruz said because, per Lyndon Baines Johnson, Cornyn has voluntarily put his pecker in Cruz's pocket.

Louie Gohmert said "BLM? Blacklands Management? Black Land Management? Black Lazy Malingerers? Oh, yes, I agree with Bundy."
But he then qualified that, saying Hispanics only pretended to work hard until their first US-born anchor babies arrived.

Greg Abbott tried to claim the BLM was in the process of stealing millions of acres of Texas land when it actually has almost zero land in Texas. He then promised that questions about eminent domain for Keystone XL was just a trick by environmentalists to get him to mention that Earth Day was this week. He claimed that questions about seizure of the YFZ Ranch, knows for its previous fundamentalist Mormon ownwers and their underage marriages, was just a trick to remind people of Ted Nugent and underage girls. He then promised to tell even more lies about the BLM as preparation for his next suit against Obama. When asked about how he could have such apparent double standards, he said it was a dirty liberal trick to talk about him and a  "stand"-ard for anything.

He did add that Bundy was totally right about Hispanics. He said the Mexican-American wife he had recently discovered he had after 30-some years of marriage was proof of that.

Dan Patrick said Bundy was wrong about Hispanics. Although continuing to ignore his own getting some Ill Eagles to do lots of work for cheap, he said he knew that they stink and were contaminating America. Patrick said "no comment" if he had personal knowledge of the "contamination" from contracting venereal disease from a Hispanic.

David Dewhurst said he agreed that Hispanics were hard workers at every country club where he was a member. He said he was unfamiliar with Cliven Bundy, and wondered if he was related to Peg or Al Bundy.

Jerry Patterson promised to defend the Red River against Oklahoma and the BLM with the hogleg in his boot. He then invited Bundy to Texas, as long as he brought all his guns, and said he'd find Bundy land in the Christmas Mountains.

Ken Paxton touted his under-the-table financial genius, saying he would incorporate Bundy's ranch and sell stock to investors.

Joe Straus said to himself that he wished someone would let the air out of Abbott's wheelchair tires.

Texas GOP responds to LBJ civil rights 50th anniversary event

Former presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, and some Republican guy named W. all spoke in Austin yesterday and today at the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson campaign for civil rights.

Carter said we can't use the idea that "LBJ did it" to excuse us from not continuing to do the work that's still needed today. Clinton acknowledged his political debt to LBJ. (That said, Carter in pandering to Reagan Democrats in 1976 already, and Clinton in things like crack vs. powder cocaine, saw the light more after they finished their presidencies than before.)

But, even though that W. Bush guy is a Republican, and gave the finale of the presidential speeches, that doesn't represent all Republican opinion in the state. Because he's a squish and a liberal and not a true conservative, you know.

Rick Perry says that talk of civil rights is an attempt to distract from his record as Texas' job creator in chief. He said his record shows he favors full civil rights for all minimum-wage, no-benefits jobs.

Ted Cruz said that civil rights today is a code word for affirmative action which is a code word for quotas which is all about socialism. Besides, Cruz says, since the bible says there is no Jew or Gentile, that means that Jesus knows we don't need civil rights, especially since the Old Testament warns us not to mix different kinds, including not mixing "chosen" and "unchosen" people, you know?

John Cornyn repeats what Ted Cruz said because, per LBJ, Cornyn has voluntarily put his pecker in Cruz's pocket. Per Ted Cruz's bible-quoting and Cornyn's pecker-surrendering, Cornyn refuses to tell us whether he's circumcised or uncircumcised.

Louie Gohmert says complaining about civil rights is a plot to steal the precious bodily fluids of good, upstanding people who just happen to have upstanding race, gender and skin color.

Greg Abbott (who may again be MIA) says we can't afford pre-kindergarten, let alone full-day pre-K, for all students in our state until we do a rigorous cost analysis of the benefits. That cost analysis will include figuring out which of today's 4-year-olds is most likely to vote be allowed to vote, especially under terms of his proposed Vote Improvement Protection —Access Security System. (There's an acronym for that.) Abbott also indicated he has a "highly respected" educational guru to help him do all this. Beyond looking for valid drivers licenses and administering pre-1964 style poll tax questions, the (read the acronym) allows all voting stations to ignore the Americans with Disabilities Act for all voters under the rank of Attorney General or retired Attorney General. When asked about how he could stand for such blatant favoratism, he said it was a dirty liberal trick  to ask him to "stand" for anything.

Dan Patrick says getting some Ill Eagles to do lots of work for cheap, because they're Ill Eagles, doesn't violate their civil rights, because they have none, since they're Ill Eagles.

David Dewhurst says he agreed with all of the above in spades, because Ted Cruz put the Dew's pecker into a pig in a blanket 2 years ago. He added that he favors civil rights for (the grounds crew employees) at any country club where he is a member, and then asks Dan Patrick if he's got any phone numbers.

Jerry Patterson although previously promising to give women all the guns they want, is silent, then starts randomly waving his gun in the air and shooting.

Joe Straus says to himself that he is damn sure glad that Jewish counts as white with a fair amount of Republicans today.

Texas GOP responds to unequal pay for women

Rick Perry says this will create new jobs in Texas. In case it won't, he offers Texas Enterprise Fund millions to whoever can pretend to actually make that happen.

Ted Cruz blames Obama because he has made income levels all about socialism. Besides, Cruz says, the Democrats are the party of the rich.

John Cornyn repeats what Ted Cruz said because, per LBJ, Cornyn has voluntarily put his pecker in Cruz's pocket.

Louie Gohmert says complaining about equal pay for women is a plot by abortionists to destroy the culture of Texas as we know it, and that we will next have Satanists asking for equal pay.

Greg Abbott says he can't sue any state agency or private company over unequal pay because there's no state law about it, and besides, he's too busy suing Obama over something else which he can't remember because he hasn't checked his sue Obama calendar, even though there's no state law about it. When asked about unequal pay in his own office of Texas Attorney General, Abbott said it would be a conflict of interest to investigate his own office. When asked how he can stand this happening, Abbott says that's a PC dirty trick, to ask him to stand for anything. He did promise he has Ted Nugent heading a task force looking at pay for underage women.

Dan Patrick says he can get some female Ill Eagles to do lots of work for cheap, and that the men will be and do the same, as long as none of them wants to return home then come back, or put anything in writing.

David Dewhurst says he agreed with all of the above in spades, because Ted Cruz put the Dew's pecker into a pig in a blanket 2 years ago.

Jerry Patterson promises to give women as many concealed weapons as men.

Joe Straus says to himself that he sure hope Democrats unite with the few non-nutbar GOPers in the House to re-elect him as speaker.

Texas GOP politicians respond to Houston Ship Channel oil spil

Rick Perry says this will create new jobs in Texas. In case it won't, he offers Texas Enterprise Fund millions to whoever can pretend to actually make that happen.

Ted Cruz blames Obama and says that worrying about oil spill cleanup is socialism.

John Cornyn repeats what Ted Cruz said because, per LBJ, Cornyn has voluntarily put his pecker in Cruz's pocket.

Louie Gohmert says that Obama hired nude gay Satanists to cause this, because Gohmert is tired of Cruz inhaling all the nutbar oxygen.

Greg Abbott says he'll sue Obama over it, because it's been a week since he threatened to sue Obama. When asked how he can stand this happening, Abbott says that's a PC dirty trick, to ask him to stand for anything. He then says he can get women to do the cleanup for 30 percent less, because they're not good negotiators. He also said it was untrue that he had heard that Barbie hair was an effective oil sponge.

Dan Patrick says he can get some Ill Eagles to clean it up for cheap, as long as none of them wants to return home then come back, or put anything in writing.

David Dewhurst says he agreed with all of the above in spades, because Ted Cruz put the Dew's pecker into a pig in a blanket 2 years ago.

Jerry Patterson whips his hogleg out of his boot and starts shooting at the oil spill.

Joe Straus says to himself that he sure hope Democrats unite with the few non-nutbar GOPers in the House to re-elect him as speaker.

John Carona says to himself that maybe he should be thankful he lost his state Senate primary to Don Huffines.

LCV announces Texas' greenest Congressmen and dirtiest

Five members of Texas' House delegation got a 90 percent or better rating from the League of Conservation Voters.

On the House GOP side, I'm shocked that Smokey Joe Barton got a 0. Mike Conaway (LCV misspelled), Pete Olson and Blake Farenthold join him. Gohmert Pyle was all the way up to 7 percent, and only one GOP Congresscritter broke 20 percent. Is John Carter in trouble for this?

Actually, Carter, whose district includes north metro Austin, is facing an openly gay general election opponent in Louie Minor. That said, while he gets a "not quite horrible" on green issues, he gets a "totally horrible" on LGBT ones.

On the Senate side, somehow, Ted Cruz out-greened John Cornyn. Guess that shows just how far right Big John is running.

I will praise #Obamacare for #GohmertPyle being even more teh stupidz

Seriously, if Louie Gohmert has hit a new stupidity low so low that, at the age of 60, he's cancelling his health insurance because he claims Obamacare made it too expensive, bring it on!

(Oh, and there's still oil in parts of his district. Maybe we can see a trifecta of his stupidity, his anger at Obamacare and his general wingnut opposition to real government, including real regulations. Let's say, something like a bad frack job to bubble some methane into his water or something.)

Hete's the details:

“Other people are going to see what I did when I looked into health insurance for my wife and me: that the deductible rate, it doubled, about $3,000 to $6,000, and our policy was going to go from about $300 to about $1,500 a month,” he said during a recent radio interview with Trey Graham, a pastor at First Melissa Baptist Church in Collin County. “I actually don’t have insurance right now, so thank you very much, Obamacare.”

Gohmert’s salary as a member of Congress is $174,000 a year. And his calculations ignore the hefty employer subsidy for which he is eligible — almost $950 per month. He says he will pay the tax that takes effect this year for those without insurance — 1 percent of his annual income.

Health care experts say Gohmert is taking a big risk. He’s 60. His wife, Kathy Gohmert, is 59. At that stage of life, medical expenses are common and unpredictable.

“By not obtaining insurance, you are just rolling the dice, gambling that you are not going to get sick or going to get hit by a car,” said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown University’s Health Policy Institute. “Most financial advisers and most independent experts would say it’s a wise move to obtain insurance and basically a no-brainer if you have an employer who is willing to kick in about 70 percent of the cost of your premium.”

That’s the case for Gohmert.

But for months, he’s said he would rather give up his government-supplied insurance than accept any government subsidy. If he did take the subsidy available to federal lawmakers and their aides, he would probably pay a monthly premium of about $600 — far less than the figure he cited on Graham’s show, which aired Sunday.

Reality?

He, and other Congresscritters of both parties, have long been in the same insurance pool as their staffers, who are generally younger and healthier. So, that sucking at the teat is wrong.

Don't cry for Gohmert Pyle, though, whether you're Evita or anybody else. He still gets free outpatient care at Walter Reed and other perks.

And, per what the health care experts say? In Gohmert's case, it's stupider yet because he currently has a negative net worth.

Oh, well, if he gets sick enough, he can learn about real life. He can maybe learn about medical-cost induced bankruptcy, and find out why, for all its imperfections, many red-state folks, including in his district, like Obamacare more than the previous options.

That would be kind of funny, in a schadenfreude way: Louie Gohmert, medically bankrupt. He's already morally and intellectually bankrupt. If something like this happened the way I spell out, we'd have three or four petards hoisting at the same time, wouldn't we?

Of course, some of his supporters will start raising funds for him to buy a new insurance policy if this is real action by him, and not just posturing. And, he will be insured. Stupidity, no more than any other pre-existing condition, cannot bar you from insurance coverage.

It's the #NSA Santa Tracker, far better than the NORAD Santa Tracker

From the site of Willie Colon, www.williecolon.com

The NORAD Santa Tracker is a lot of fun for parents to play with, whether with their children or on their own. But, in the spirit of remembering that NORAD stands for North American Aerospace Defense Command, we can do better.

In that spirit, I introduce the NSA Santa Tracker, run by our beloved National Security Agency.

So, parents and kids, use your National Security Agency Santa Tracker to see if (not "when") Santa's going to visit your house. See, by spying on your, your teachers, and your parents' cell phone, Internet and cable TV habits, Gen. Keith Alexander-Claus really knows that a lot of you have been naughty.

1. Yes, Charlie Smith, that was YOU cheating on that second-grade spelling test last week.

2. Yes, Destiny Jones, that was YOU texting your friends that evil gossip from BuzzFeed - Room 222.

3. Yes, Rodney Drucker, that was YOU staying up late trying to see nudity on Showtime.

4. Yes, Nathan Berg, that was YOU plagiarizing your Duke pre-pre-pre-SAT Talent Search essay from Jonah Lehrer off the Internet.


5. Yes, Violet Hernandez, that was YOU coloring outside the lines on your kindergarten picture.

No presents for YOU!

Of course, the NSA Santa Tracker knows when adults have been been bad, too. And since adults like to let their children believe in Santa in part for the second childhood fun of adults, they need to be part of this too. And President Dear Leader-Claus can punish them, too.

1. Rick Perry, you and George W. Bush just might, both of you two, might have been bad together in the Governor's Mansion in Austin in 1999 or so.  I mean, both of you were male cheerleaders. And, Gen. Keith has the goods. Your punishment? The state of Texas' quasi-official float in next year's Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco will be manned by the two of you. Enjoy the Castro!

2. Speaking of, don't Louie Gohmert and Ted Cruz protest about gays too much? Gen. Keith knows JUST what's behind that word "dominionism." Your presents? An hour-long black Jesus Christmas greetings video from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

3. Dallas County DA Craig Watkins? Gen. Keith knows it's not nice to get some people off death row while at the same time you're still leading the state in executions. So, in the spirit of "Get Off My Lawn" blogger Jim Schutze at the Dallas Observer, you get a whole set of Jim Schutze lawn jockeys, all with motion sensors triggering recordings of him reading all his columns about you.

4. Jerry Jones? Gen. Keith knows you've been very, very, very bad as Dallas Cowboys' "general manager" for about 15 years or so. About as bad as your fellow owner, Dan Snyder of the Washington Redskins, or Daceys, as Bill Simmons calls them. So? You and Danny Boy get to change franchises for a year. Whether your respective fan bases will like that or loathe it remains to be seen. Oh, and as your first acts, you can fire Jason Garrett and Mike Shanahan at your new teams and have them hired at your old ones.

5. Wendy Davis? Gen. Keith not only has the record of you pandering to moderates, with a chaser of Texas exceptionalism, in Waxahachie, he's got the goods from your campaign office on what was behind that decision, and how it could play out in the rest of your campaign. So, Gen. Keith got you Brandon Parmer as your Green Party gubernatorial opponent, and nada from a certain blogger in your attempt to pair a campaign donation request with a survey.