Texas progs lasso Paxton, Abbott, John Sharp, Sul Ross

Plenty of weirdness at the state and national levels for this week's Roundup, a lot of it related to voting and elections issues, others to social justice.

And with that, let's dig in.


Texas

SocraticGadfly looks at Texas GOP coronavirus tea leaves and rumbllings and offers his initial wondering if Gov. Greg Abbott will be primaried in 2022, and if so, by whom?

Off the Kuff did an interview with Sherrie Matula of the Sisters United Alliance, a grassroots effort to turn out low-propensity Democratic female voters.

DosCentavos says that if Dems want to run up the score with Latino votes, they must sell the Biden Latino plan, too, instead of just pointing fingers at Trump's racism.

On the Sul Ross statue in College Station, John Sharp offers yet more evidence that he is surely a closet Republican, not just a ConservaDem.

Kenny Boy Paxton launched his latest attempt to stall out his securities fraud trial: Ask the current presiding judge to recuse himself because of possible bias.

Keith Schneider warns that Texas and its developers always forget about drought during rainy times

Space City Weather gives us a look ahead at hurricane season.

Michael Li shares a few charts to illustrate why Texas is (finally) competitive this year.

The Texas Politics Project has the Texas Presidential poll tracker you've been looking for.

Juanita asks for your help sending ballot by mail applications to Democrats over the age of 65 in small Texas counties where the county party can't afford or isn't organized enough to mail applications on their own.

In light of the recent Beirut catastrophe, James the History Teacher tells the story of the 1947 Texas City disaster.

Texas Monthly, in a short Texana, illustrates perfectly the diff between Tex-Mex and actual Mexican food. Matt Martinez's chile con queso not only uses, or allows, American cheese sliced singles, but also other dreck like cornstarch.

National

Donald Trump is so full of it on mail ballots that Fact Check devoted four staff writers to a through debunking.

John Roberts' controlling ruling in June Medical is having its first effect on further stringency on abortion law. Librulz continue to celebrate him, like they do Shrub Bush, at their own peril.

Liberty University's board of regents had to force Jerry Falwell Jr. into a leave of absense. Guess? There likely was real booze in that glass on the yacht with him and his "wife's assistant" both having unzipped pants, and he could well be alcoholic. There may be other issues. Like porn on computers?

This piece, from Portland, expresses a lot of what I see wrong in the "antifa" movement, which is really just 2.0 of the old Black Bloc. It doesn't really, usually represent those it claims to represent.

Beware the shadow docket of the Supreme Court, Slate says, especially how much it's grown since Kennedy's retirement. Also note that two of the so-called librulz continue to be even more squishy than the other two (who are themselves squishes at times).

Global

Canada's last Arctic ice shelf has collapsed, a disturbing issue in climate change. 

Do you have your proper Texas voter ID? #Snark alert

The federal lawsuit over Texas' draconian new voter identification laws is unlikely to be done before Election Day. Even if it were, the appeals process would start, meaning that the current law would stay in place, even if AG Greg Abbott continues his losing streak in federal court.

The Trib has an intro to the trial, which started yesterday. Of course, the GOP are only trying to filter out poor, brownish people, the kind that Lite Guv candidate Dan Patrick, aka The Stinking Anglo Formerly Known as Danny Goeb™, think smell up our voting process.

And, it's not just Danny Boy.

Our beloved gubernatorial candidate, AG Strangeabbbott, per fellow blogger P.Diddle, has a history of outright voter suppression. I agree with him; the News story is great and deserves a full read.

Of course, the GOP doesn't care about what we know is the No. 1 source of actual vote fraud — other people filling out absentee ballots by mail just to "help out" a senior citizen who's homebound or in a nursing home. Of course, those large white seniors, and even more the 80-plus "super seniors," are likely to tilt GOP. Allegedly. Since we're not even sure how much of this vote fraud exists, we don't even know their voting preferences for sure.

That is, if you're not a rich, white Republican.

This here photo shows you all the voter ID you need in that case. Just a nice donation to the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas, or CPRIT.

Per an old TV commercial of my youth days: "CPRIT — too strong for a man running for governor? Made for a woman opposing him?" We shall see.

That said, I know that's John Sharp who's third from left in this photo. People who have read my blog for years may know what I think of him; people who aren't can click his tag below and find out. I deliberately picked this picture because he's in it.

I didn't have a lot of love for Sharp with the 2002 "Dream Team" flop. Various actions and stances of his since then have only decreased my fond regards.

Once again, John Sharp is not a real Dem

The former Texas politico's jobs outsourcing plan for Texas A&M University kind of shows that. (That said, a kudo to the Texas Tribune for writing a story that could appear even mildly critical of A&M, a "sponsor" of the nonprofit newspaper; of course, the repeated references to the University of Texas' Longhorn Network take that back with the other hand.)

Bigger question is ... why can't A&M save more money elsewhere, and how much of this is a problem with modern universities in general, how much a problem with modern state universities in general, how much a problem at Texas state schools, and how much is specific to A&M? 

Some conservatives will say too much college tuition funding inflates education. Wrong; more and more of that today is loans, not grants, when, arguably, big businesses often run by conservatives inflate the need for degrees.

Some communitarian-type liberals will say the "professor as rock star" plus general collegiate competitiveness fueled by things such as Forbes and U.S. News rating lists, is a fair part of the problem. Could be, just as more and more doctors today, in part to pay off loans but more, in many cases, just to be more businessman-like, study/enter specialized medical fields.

Maybe it's administrative salaries, in small part, combined with an academics as business mindset in general.

Anyway, with a school as big as A&M in a relatively small "metro" area like Bryan-College Station, you bet outsourcing could hurt other businesses. As well as employees. What happens after that two-year transition, and will the Trib either ask that now, or in two years?

Why nonprofit newspapers, like #TexasTribune, are bad

Editor and Publisher has a great synopsis of why they're not good for journalism. Three main points.

1. Their news coverage is restricted by wealthy donor interests and pressures. (E&P has specifics in the TT's case, re John Sharp/Texas A&M.) So, no "probing" journalism, if told not to. (That said, I've experienced that at for-profit papers, too.)

2. "Freeloading" by for-profit papers, with the possible result of further salary depression, etc.

3. Back-scratching for friends. Evan Smith's $315K salary as the Trib's executive editor has been mentioned by me before. I consider it out of line in general, especially since one of the Trib's "sponsors," Texas A&M, gets taxpayer money.

The first point is something I've seen coming down the point for some time. Rich funders of nonprofit papers, whether individuals or foundations, can steer these papers into boutique journalism, spike or lighten negative stories and more. 

Here's another T-Trib story, a good one that could have been better, about drought and farmers depleting the Ogallala Aquifer. But, no questions were asked, facts stipulated, or anything else, about global warming and climate change. Why not?

Anyway, next time you see the Trib do an in-depth piece, ask further questions of the story.

Good-bye, Kay Bailey Cheerleader

And, hello, David Dewhurst?

Now that Kay Bailey Hutchison has made her expected retirement as Texas' senior U.S. Senator official (her letter is here), who's her successor?

Business Week has some quotes from around the state.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has salivated over the position, of course.
Dewhurst issued a written statement that said: "While my focus remains on the challenges we face here at the state level and making this upcoming session successful, I fully intend to explore running for the United States Senate, and should I run, I will run with the intention of winning and continuing to serve the people of Texas just as I have done throughout my career."
Will he get serious opposition in the GOP primary? Greg Abbott seems likely; who else? And, Railroad Commissioner and former RC chairman Michael Williams — does somebody at his pay grade challenge Dewhurst, or seek to fill Dewhurst's current job? Well, fellow Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones thinks that's not too much a leap, even without the double schtick of Williams' bow tie and being a black Republican. And, while Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert has supposedly expressed strong interest in a Senate run, he'd be much smarter to target something like Dewhurst's job. Speaking of Williamses, former Texas Secretary of State Roger W. is also interested. So, too, reportedly, is state Sen. Florence Shapiro.

Given Texas' growing Hispanic population and the relative closeness a B-team canadidate ran against Big John Cornyn in 2008, surely some Democrat has to be eyeing the seat. But whom? Houston Mayor Annise Parker? Her predecessor, Bill White, might have been a guess, but he has officially pulled himself out. Defeated Congressman Ciro Rodriguez? Perennial candidate (he's getting there!) John Sharp also gets mention. Chet Edwards? He might be electable.

Bill White to run for Hutchison Senate seat

Good news here as the Democratic Senatorial Campaign committee actively recruited the Houston mayor.. And, John Sharp can go back to sucking up to Rick Perry and other Texas Republicans now.

Is John Sharp about to become a Republican?

Check out all the GOPers, plus T. Boone, who will be with the alleged “Democrat” and former Texas Comptroller John Sharp at a Texas Workforce Commission to-do in January, per a TWC press release:

AUSTIN – Former Texas Comptroller John Sharp will join an impressive group of business and government leaders at the upcoming economic summit, Putting America Back to Work, scheduled for January 15 through 16, 2009 in Austin and hosted by the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC). Sharp will open the second day of the conference as the breakfast keynote speaker.

Top experts will gather to address critical regional and national economic challenges facing our nation today. Sharp will join other leaders in the areas of the economy, energy and manufacturing including:

• Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst
• Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Todd Staples
• BP Capital Chairman T. Boone Pickens
• TWC Chairman Tom Pauken
• Former Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs, Luminant.

“The United States is at an economic tipping point,” said TWC Chairman Tom Pauken. “Now is the time for serious, long-term thinking on the major economic issues facing America.”

Following a keynote address by T. Boone Pickens, panel discussions will address Lessening Our Dependence on Foreign Energy, The Texas Economic Model, Rebuilding Our Manufacturing Base, and Challenges of Our Business Tax Structure. Texas business, economic development and education leaders are invited to attend this important event to share ideas and develop strategies to move Texas forward during these challenging economic times.

All Republicans, including a possible Senate race opponent and one of the Texs GOP's top nutbars, plus a slick oilman wanting to make money off of his natural gas and water and an exec with Texas' dirtiest electric power generator.

Nice company, John. Why don't you go ahead and make it permanent?

In the real world, no, I doubt El Sharpie is actually changing parties. That said, with company like this, he's running to the right-hand edge of the Democrats, and will almost surely guarantee that he is not nominated.

Sorry, Paul Burka, but with something like this, John Sharp's political struggles are clearly more than just bad timing, though that is problematic enough.

Somebody shoot John Sharp before he runs again

Former Texas Comptroller John Sharp has just announced he plans to seek the Democratic nomination to run for Kay Bailey Hutchison’s Senate seat.

John Sharp is a retread loser AND a collaborationist with the Texas GOP in his post-elective career, a collaborationist with Gov. Helmethair, Rick Perry, in particular. Texas Dems need him to run for statewide office like they need another hole in their collective heads.

His collaboration on school property tax overhaul gave Perry cover on an issue where he was hugely vulnerable, and arguably could also be seen as an inside baseball move with some ultimate benefit to his tax consulting company on the business franchise tax changes.

And, as Wayne Slater notes, twas John Hagee that brokered the reconciliation between Sharp and Helmethair. Ugh.

Lining up to face John Cornyn

Rep. Nick Lampson will run for re-election to his House seat instead.

Mustafa Tameez of Houston, a political consultant to Lampson, said this morning that Lampson, the Democrat who last year captured the U.S. House seat vacated by Tom DeLay of Sugar Land, intends to seek re-election instead—fully knowing that his district historically leans Republican.

A Senate bid is “not going to happen,” Tameez said. “It sounds goofy, but he feels like he made a commitment to the people of Congressional District 22.” Tameez said Lampson feels a Senate try would be “disingenuous.”

That’s because Lampson’s previous coquettish behavior about testing the waters for a run against Cornyn WAS “disingenuous.”

That leaves former state comptroller John Sharp, a 2002 lieutenant governor candidate, as the most visible of three declared Democratic opponents. State Rep. Rick Noriega of Houston and Mikal Watts, a San Antonio trial lawyer, are also declared candidates.

Sharp, a moderate Democrat with some degree of statewide recognition, has to be considered the inside favorite.

But, can he pull off doing better than he did in 2002? And, though he has won a statewide race, he doesn’t seem to have a lot of big-city pull. Cornyn is vulnerable, having hitched his wagon closely to Bush, but he’s not going to roll over and play dead; he’s hitched his political playbook closely to Bush’s, also.