The 81st Regular Session is in the rearview mirror, and bloggers are describing what they're seeing there. They're also discussing rankings of various lawmakers, peering out at political races on the horizon and pondering the political future of a certain Houston representative. Ending it is an update on "Turd Blossom" and other posts.
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Word Wrap
Here, find opinions on the session from a University of Texas professor and a bevy of organizations, via KUT's Notes from the Lege, who has also created a "Vote Tracker" to follow what bills Central Texas lawmakers supported and what they didn't.
A Capitol Blog's Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, declares the session "a success" because of the commitment to a Rio Grande Valley medical school. Peña also lists accomplishments cited by the Governor's Office here. In his other blog, Lone Star Rising, he focuses on his own actions during the session.
Off the Kuff says the Legislature's inaction on false convictions legislation is "Embarrassing." Half Empty looks at education-related legislation and wonders why public schoolteachers have a different retirement system from state employees. And Blue Dot Blues posts photos from the session. Subjects include rattlesnakes, lightsaber-wielding lobbyists, dinosaurs and dead bills.
Save for failed attempts to expand children's health insurance, Democrats did pretty well, Texas Blue says. Meanwhile, WhosPlayin publishes a letter to Gov. Rick Perry urging him to consider solar power legislation if he calls a special session. And Kuff breaks down the sunset bill for the Texas Youth Commission and Juvenile Probation Commission.
In retrospect, when House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, said he'd let the lower chamber run itself, he meant what he said and said what he meant, the Dallas Morning News's Trail Blazers says. The Lege passed a few pro-gun bills and no anti-gun bills, and that's all right with A Keyboard and a .45.
Ellis County Observer relays the end-of-session wrap up by conservative group Americans for Prosperity. And the houston conservative says that the Texas Public Policy Foundation is pleased with the outcome of the Regular Session.
Someone might have used a deceased person's name to vote in a Dallas city election, Texas Watchdog reports, noting that photo voter identification legislation discussed during the session would not address this kind of (alleged) fraud, since it (like the vast majority of voting fraud) occurred on a mail-in ballot.
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Making a List
BurkaBlog invites readers to share their thoughts on the Texas Monthly Best/Worst list. Meanwhile, one of the "Worst," Rep. Kino Flores, D-Palmview, shares his thought that Burka and co. were down on Hispanic and border lawmakers, as usual. And "Best" list maker Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, played it cool when KVUE's Political Junkie queried him about his possible statewide ambitions. (Watson ran for Attorney General in 2002 and was defeated by Greg Abbott.)
Letters from Texas provides a press release template for legislators angry/happy with their place on the Texas Monthly list. Blue Dot Blues blasts Texas Monthly's list for being too liberal and gives suggestions for their own 10 Best/Worst list. And Notes from the Lege talks to the magazine's president Evan Smith about what it takes to land on the list.
Letters from Texas, written by a Democratic consultant, teamed up with a GOPer to create a cross-partisan list of the 10 best lawmakers, in their opinion. "I'd bet their Ten Worst list…would be a lot more fun," says Kuff. And Greg's Opinion has mixed feelings about the lists by Texas Monthly and Letters from Texas.
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Trail-scape
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's PoliTex reports that on Saturday night incumbent Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison were in the same room, albeit a very large one (the new Dallas Cowboys stadium). The Houston Chronicle's Texas Politics notices that Hutchison's description of Perry as AWOL (Absent Without Leadership) sounds strikingly identical to a line used by Carole Keeton Strayhorn in the 2006 gubernatorial race. But according to rankings by national blogger Five Thirty-Eight, Perry is the 10th most powerful governor in the U.S., via Rick vs. Kay.
Burnt Orange Report takes umbrage at earlier allegations by Capitol Annex that Houston Mayor and U.S. Senate hopeful Bill White has "Republican ties." Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones has launched a website detailing why she wants to be the next U.S. Senator from Texas, according to Trail Blazers. And Pondering Penguin posts about "A Big Tent Party" in Houston featuring prominent Texas Republicans.
ABC13's Political Blog reports about the emergence of Sean Roberts, a potential challenger to U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee in Houston. According to Annex, former Tyler Mayor Joey Seeber, a Republican, will take on Rep. Leo Berman, R-Tyler, who has expressed gubernatorial aspirations. And Dallas attorney Eric "EJ" Johnson announced that he's running for the seat currently held by Rep. Terri Hodge, D-Dallas, according to Trail Blazers.
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On the Sly
Political Blog heard from Democratic Rep. Sylvester Turner's folks that the former House Speaker Pro Tem is looking at running for Mayor of Houston again, possibly. ABC13's Prof13 looks deeper into Turner's past runs at the office and analyzes his prospects this time around, if he does jump in. And Kuff links to more blogs on the topic.
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Potpourri
The Houston Chronicle's Texas Potomac blog compiles their "Where Are They Now?" features on one-time public officials from Texas, and tacks on a profile of (in)famous GOP strategist Karl Rove for good measure.
Texas Observer Blog is keeping an eye on the latest developments in the proposed West Texas radioactive waste disposal site in Andrews County (pop. 13,645). Trail Blazers has a back-and-forth with an Oklahoman cartoonist who has come under fire for a drawing of Supreme Court justice nominee Sonia Sotomayor as the first Puerto Rican piñata we've ever seen.
Lawyers on the opposing sides of the Judge Samuel Kent case exchanged some discouraging words, according to Tex Parte Blog. Democratic donor Mauricio Celis, who was convicted of pretending to be a lawyer in Texas, has now been indicted for lying about his legal credentials from Mexico, reports Tex Parte. And after years of writing about pretty courthouses, Tex Parte is calling on readers to help them find some ugly ones.
Bay Area Houston relays the results of a survey by insurance reform group Texas Watch. The survey says most Texans don't know they pay high insurance rates compared to other states. Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso, is engaged to House assistant parliamentarian Shannon Wiggins, reports Texas Politics. And Dos Centavos has a new address — the blog can now be found at www.doscentavos.net.
Blog maverick examines whether people should care what is written about them on the Internet. The answer, he says, is usually not.
This edition of Out There was compiled and written by Patrick Brendel, who hails from Victoria but is semi-settled in Austin. We cherry-pick the state's political blogs each week, looking for news, info, gossip, and new jokes. The opinions here belong (mostly) to the bloggers, and we're including their links so you can hunt them down if you wish. Our blogroll — the list of Texas blogs we watch — is on our links page, and if you know of a Texas political blog that ought to be on it, just shoot us a note. Please send comments, suggestions, gripes or retorts to Texas Weekly editor Ross Ramsey.
