Town hall meetings on national health care reform are being turned upside down by riotous groups — or righteous grassroots, depending on your perspective. Bloggers are also buzzing about several of the candidates for governor, political doings and legal matters. At the end, a former statewide Democratic contender admits to social media fraud, plus more tidbits.
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Hall Towns
It all started in Austin, where an organized crowd of conservatives "dogged" Democratic U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett for his stance on health care reform. The congressman ended up making a quick getaway via automobile. The Travis Monitor has accounts from the people protesting [1] Doggett. The Austin American-Statesman's Postcards posts the Democratic National Committee's ad [2] calling the protesters "mobs" (a term they don't like). And the same blog has Republican-approved footage of that lambasting of Doggett, here [3] and here [4].
(The Austin protest was made possible [5] in part by the local TEA Party group in combination with the local affiliate of the Campaign for Liberty, the legacy organization of U.S. Rep. Ron Paul's 2008 presidential campaign.)
Lone Star Times
followed Democratic U.S. Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston, to three meetings in Houston (one [6], two [7], three [8]) and shot moving and still images of the discussions. The conservative blogger gives Green credit for crowd management skills, saying Green could teach classes to his comrades-in-arms. Some pointers: Meet in a small room; turn off the air-conditioning; and, "be firm but allow people to vent a little."
U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, chose to ignore the protesters [9], according to Blue Dot Blues. Meanwhile, WhosPlayin' describes a Denton town hall meeting by U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Flower Mound, as lively but uneventful. The blogger's got video [10] of the meeting (ballpark attendance of 1,000) in addition to his commentary. And Republican U.S. Rep. Pete Sessions of Dallas told about 1,200 people in Richardson that the struggle over health care reform is between "freedom" and "something that would be run by somebody else," [11] according to the Dallas Observer's Unfair Park blog.
The Common Sense Citizens Network posts video of an angry senior citizens' revolt [12] at a Dallas AARP meeting, while Lone Star Times picks up a video spot by Attorney General Greg Abbott's campaign that makes fun of Pres. Barack Obama's baseball pitching [13] and health care reforming.
National Democrats are targeting Republican U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul's district, which stretches from west Houston suburbs to Austin, with phone calls from humans and robots [14] about why McCaul is wrong on health care reform (and why Democrats are right), according to Burnt Orange Report.
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Free Advice
Is resignation the proper course of action for U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison? "The answer is: No, no, and hell no [15]," according to BurkaBlog. His reasoning: She'll lose her (free) public platform as U.S. Senator, and Gov. Rick Perry will get (free) headlines when he appoints her successor. Meanwhile, the Houston Chronicle's Texas Politics gives five reasons why Hutchison shouldn't resign, including that a special election for U.S. Senator will distract voters and donors [16] from her efforts to take out Perry.
The Dallas Morning News' Trail Blazers says that a new book about the George W. Bush White House, called "Speech-Less," will contain unflattering depictions [17] of Hutchison and strategist Karl Rove.
Exchanging his usual dark attire for a light tan number, Perry answers questions [18] about the Trans Texas Corridor (it's gone) and national health care reform (it's bad) in a video by the Victoria Advocate newspaper, via Rick vs. Kay. And Texans for Rick Perry has video of Perry, in the same ensemble, talking to homeschoolers [19] in The Woodlands.
The Austin American-Statesman's Postcards takes notice [20] of recent activity by possible Democratic gubernatorial contenders Ronnie Earle (the former Travis County District Attorney) and Tom Schieffer (the former U.S. ambassador). But count San Antonio Democrat Henry Cisneros out of the race for governor [21] or for anything else, Postcards says. And there will be not one, but two, candidates vying for the pro-secessionist vote [22] in the GOP primary for governor, according to Ellis County Observer.
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Next Year's Ballot
Burka's not convinced by a recent Gallup poll claiming that Texas is a swing state. He says Gallup released similar findings in 2008 [23], a year when Democrats weren't competitive statewide. Burka is sticking to what he's been saying, namely that the Texas Democratic Party has "no credibility" and no "public face;" can't attract independents on Election Day and can't generate turnout, especially by Hispanics.
Tex Parte Blog
provides readers with background info on two Republicans who want the Texas Supreme Court seat that Justice Harriet O'Neill is giving up next year [24]. Jim Moseley is on Dallas' 5th Court of Appeals, and Rick Strange is on Eastland's 11th Court of Appeals. Additionally, Democrat Bill Moody, who's on El Paso's 34th District Court, says he's considering a run for that seat, too.
Lone Star Times
subjects the Harris County Republican and Democratic parties to a money belt-measuring contest, finding that the GOP comes up way short of its rival [25]. And Burnt Orange thinks Loretta Haldenwang is Democrats' best chance at taking House District 105 [26], which incumbent Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, R-Irving, won by 19 votes last time around.
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Laws, Laws
Court of Criminal Appeals Judge Sharon Keller wants a judge to use a higher standard [27] of evidence in her upcoming ethics hearing (that's next Monday), Tex Parte says. The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog [28] is also following the Keller proceedings, notes [29] The StandDown Texas Project.
While acknowledging problems with the current system of assigning lawyers to capitol murder cases, Red Ink: Texas says the proposed formation of a public defender's office is a bad idea [30], predicting the government lawyers will be underpaid and overworked.
Grits for Breakfast
filed a petition [31] to create an indigency program for the state's "Driver Responsibility" surcharge on certain traffic violations. And electric utility company critic Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, is on the payroll [32] of CenterPoint Energy, Texas Watchdog points out. (Turner's a lawyer on retainer.) Finally, put this in your browser and tweet it: Sugar Land company sues Twitter for patent infringement [33], via Tex Parte.
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Losing Face
Houston Democrat Chris Bell admits that he's been a big, fat phony [34], when it comes to Facebook. Now he's promising that the fakery will stop, according to mean rachel. Elsewhere, House Public Education Chair Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands, chats with the Statesman's First Reading in a 30-minute podcast about how school accountability legislation House Bill 3 [35] came to be (and be passed).
Actress Kathleen Turner is portraying Texas columnist Molly Ivins [36] in a play-in-development called "Red Hot Patriot," according to the Houston Chronicle's Texas on the Potomac. Meanwhile, the Houston Press's Hair Balls notes changes to the Waco Tribune-Herald [37] following the paper's purchase by a local family.
Texas "Off the Record" relays an anecdote [38] involving Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson and brown nosing. And if you haven't updated your blogroll in a while, Texas Fred's (www.texasfred.com [39]) is now TexasFred (www.texasfred.net [39]).
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 [40] 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 [41].