The Culture
December 1, 2009
The Texanist: Can I Wear My Football Team’s Jersey to Church?
Can I wear a football jersey to church?
2009 – Page 2 of 24
The Culture
December 1, 2009
Adam Ohler, Firefighter and Paramedic
Ohler, who was born in New Mexico, worked as an EMT and firefighter in Utah before moving to Houston six years ago. He is stationed at the West University Place Fire Department.I’m not going to lie: I enjoy fighting fire. There’s an adrenaline rush—it’s exhilarating. I hate to say it,
The Horse's Mouth
December 1, 2009
Gift Giving
Ginger Reeder on gift giving.
Sarah Bird
December 1, 2009
Hedda Garbler
Help! My voice recognition software is making me save airy funnel things witch nobody wonder Stans.
News & Politics
December 1, 2009
Wealth Care
Why does our health insurance system treat a small part of the Rio Grande Valley differently from the rest of the state?
Politics & Policy
December 1, 2009
The Terminator
Rick Perry’s record nine years in the Governor’s Mansion have made the office more powerful than ever before. That’s why we need term limits.
True Crime
December 1, 2009
Perversion of Justice
Cathy McBroom loved working as a case manager for Samuel Kent, Galveston’s brilliant, charismatic, all-powerful federal district judge. Then he started attacking her.
Feature
December 1, 2009
People We’ll Miss—2009
A fond look back at 22 Texans who died in 2009, from Farrah Fawcett and Walter Cronkite to Brandon Lara and Joe Bowman.
Music
December 1, 2009
Step Right Up
Press your jeans, pull on your boots, shine up your buckle, and come along on this two-stepping tour of classic country dance halls, from Tom Sefcik Hall, in Seaton, to Club Westerner, in Victoria.
Eat My Words
November 30, 2009
That Recipe for Sausage-Cornbread-Pecan Stuffing that We Ran? It’s Fabulous!
OK–if I can do this, anybody can do it: I made the Texas Monthly recipe for sausage and deviled-pecan cornbread stuffing (the one we ran in the November issue) for Thanksgiving, and it is fab. (In case you’re wondering, YES, we had somebody test it before we
Politics & Policy
November 30, 2009
More on Ogden
A couple of questions: 1. Did Ogden get pressure from Brazos County leaders to run? There were indications that the folks in Bryan were none too happy at the prospect that the district would be represented by someone from Williamson County. Brazos County would be unlikely to get the seat
Politics & Policy
November 30, 2009
Did Kay think of this?
By delaying her decision about leaving the Senate, she damaged her candidacy in an unexpected way. Once Bill White recognized that there would be no Senate vacancy, he switched to the governor’s race. In doing so, he instantly won the loyalty of Democrats across Texas. Had Hutchison resigned her seat,
Politics & Policy
November 30, 2009
Gattis out, Ogden in
An amazing development. Gattis has spoken openly of his desire to be president of the United States some day. Now he is out of politics, not even running for reelection to the House. It's a double whammy, a talented member gone and the dreadful Milton Rister as a possible successor.
Politics & Policy
November 29, 2009
Houston mayor’s race: anti-gay activist sends 35,000 mailers
From today's Chronicle, one day before the start of early voting: Longtime anti-gay activist Dave Wilson, who once led a successful effort to amend the city charter to deny benefits to the partners of gay and lesbian city employees, said he has sent out 35,000 fliers opposing the mayoral candidacy
Politics & Policy
November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
I’m thankful for my family, friends, and for the opportunity to be able to do what I have always wanted to do. I hope all of you enjoy the holiday weekend.
Politics & Policy
November 25, 2009
Houston mayor’s race: Whitmire slams Parker for going negative
I have never pretended to be knowledgeable about the Houston mayor’s race, other than to pass along information that I have received from local sources, but I don’t get why Annise Parker has decided to go negative against runoff opponent Gene Locke. Her line is “Come Clean Gene” regarding his
Politics & Policy
November 25, 2009
Hutchison campaign outs liberal journalist
From my Tuesday post, “One more sign that the Hutchison campaign is intellectually bankrupt”: It has taken Rick Perry eight years to recognize that we need to raise the gasoline tax, and now that he has finally done the right thing, all Hutchison can do is criticize him without offering
Politics & Policy
November 25, 2009
The ERS/TRS missing check: Where’s the oversight?
So the retired teachers and state employees will not get their $500 checks, which was previously going to be a 13th check. The news has been greeted by silence by the state’s leaders. They cover for each other. Somebody clearly made a mistake here. Why isn’t anyone interested in getting
Politics & Policy
November 24, 2009
Can Bill White penetrate the Republican vote?
As mayor of Houston, White enjoyed considerable support — political and financial — from Republicans. But he occupied a nonpartisan office. Can he repeat that success in a partisan race against an incumbent Republican governor, and can he do it outside of Houston as well as inside? The answer depends
Politics & Policy
November 24, 2009
One more sign that the Hutchison campaign is intellectually bankrupt
This was today’s daily blast from Joe Pounder of the Hutchison campaign: “When we should be focused on creating jobs and keeping our state’s economy strong, Rick Perry is openly promising higher gas taxes. That’s less money in Texans’ pockets and more money for TxDOT to waste on Perry pet
Politics & Policy
November 23, 2009
The Schieffer candidacy
It never really got off the ground. Tom had just been out of the game for too long. The conservative Democrats who had been his political allies during the seventies, when he served in the Legislature, had ceased to exist as a political force. I had the opportunity to meet
Politics & Policy
November 23, 2009
Waiting for the Hutchison ad
I had a conversation with John Sharp this afternoon. Sharp said that White’s first preference has always been to run for governor. What had kept him out of the governor’s race was the prospect that Hutchison would win the primary, leaving White to face the most popular figure in Texas
Politics & Policy
November 23, 2009
Mimi Swartz reports on the Bill White press conference; White says he will announce his decision on December 4
Swartz on the scene at City Hall: Upstairs at City Hall at 4:15 today, the local news media was treated to a classic performance by our mayor/gubernatorial candidate, Bill White. The answer to the question that has been swirling through political circles since Kay Bailey Hutchison announced that she wouldn’t
Politics & Policy
November 23, 2009
White presser set for 4:15 today
I’ll post a report from Mimi Swartz after the press conference.
Politics & Policy
November 23, 2009
White update: Will hold press conference to say he is considering a race for governor
The word is that a race for governor is “in play,” which I take to mean that White is keeping his options open, which is not really news. The bad blood between Rick and Kay is only going to get worse. Had Hutchison resigned in the fall, which was her
Politics & Policy
November 23, 2009
Chronicle, citing “sources,” says White is in the governor’s race
See www.texasmonthly.com for Sam Gwynn’s profile of Bill White. I first found out that this was likely to happen last Friday afternoon, when Mimi Swartz, our intrepid writer in Houston, told me that White’s chief of staff, Michael Moore, had moved to the campaign. Mimi tried to get it confirmed
Eat My Words
November 23, 2009
Bud Royer’s Pie Has No Calories!
Oops, I was misinformed. It DOES have calories, but they’re worth it!!! Unfortunately, it’s too late to order one of Bud Royer’s fabulous pies for Thanksgiving, but you should get your Christmas request in now. And while you’re at it, watch the clip of the cafe from CBS Sunday Morning
Politics & Policy
November 20, 2009
And now a discussion that really matters
President Obama, his administration, and Attorney General Eric Holder, have come under heavy attack from critics who say that trying Guantanamo terrorists in federal court opens the door to all sorts of mischief -- in particular, allowing terrorists the right to demand access to classified information and to seek the
Politics & Policy
November 20, 2009
The First Hutchison TV Spot
Hutchison is shown sitting in a living room, or perhaps a hotel suite. She is wearing a white blouse with a dark vest, brown or perhaps purple. A lamp is lit on a desk behind her left shoulder. In the foreground is a built-in segment of a bookcase. A red
Politics & Policy
November 20, 2009
The first Perry TV spot
It opens with an angled shot looking upward at the U.S. Capitol dome, through trees. Over it is superimposed a red line, as if to suggest a graph of an economic indicator, and general direction is down. The effect is very busy without being distracting; there’s a lot going on
Politics & Policy
November 20, 2009
George Strake Jr. is a busy fellow
In addition to the letter that I posted and wrote about on Wednesday, in which Strake urged Republicans to ask Kay Bailey Hutchison not to run for governor, Strake, as several published reports have noted, is the new campaign treasurer for Tom Mechler’s campaign for Republican Party chairman, a position
Politics & Policy
November 19, 2009
The last word on the Strake letter
It is posted, undated, on the governor’s web site. It contains this statement at the bottom: “Political Ad Paid for and Reprinted by Texans for Rick Perry” While the letter might seem to be a closed subject, Mark Miner of the Perry campaign told me yesterday, “It’s more relevant than
Politics & Policy
November 18, 2009
More on the Strake letter
Note to readers: The letter in the post that follows this one was sent to me by a Perry supporter. It was undated. The Hutchison campaign has contacted me to say that the letter was dated in late October 26 and carried the information that it was paid for by
Politics & Policy
November 18, 2009
Texas leads in metro areas with high performing economies
This is from the Brookings Institution’s Metro Monitor: Texas has six of the top twenty performing metro economies in the country. One of these is the only metro area in the country to record growth in both employment and output. Here are the six metro areas. Which one is it?
Politics & Policy
November 18, 2009
The campaign to drive Hutchison out of the race has begun
This undated letter from former state party chairman George Strake Jr. was forwarded to me by a Perry loyalist. Dear Friend, As someone who helped build our Republican Majority in Texas since the days Democrats dominated every statewide office and both houses of the legislature, and as someone who has
Politics & Policy
November 18, 2009
Politico: Democrats debate why independents are deserting them
I don't think that it is too hard to figure out. They put their ideological agenda ahead of the national agenda. It was foolish to run with cap and trade as the first piece of legislation. Then, when they addressed health care, which is on both the Democrats' ideological agenda
Politics & Policy
November 17, 2009
Parker claims 47-34 lead in Houston mayor’s race
The source is an e-mail from Carl Whitmarsh, who is unknown to me but has been described by commenters as a very active e-mailer (and other less charitable characterizations). Whitmarsh’s e-mail about the poll said nothing about who conducted it. Interestingly, among the recipients of his e-mail were Democratic organizations
Politics & Policy
November 16, 2009
Hutchison slams Perry’s record on education…but what’s the remedy?
Today’s daily message from the Hutchison campaign is that Perry’s record in education is woefully weak: stagnant test scores, rising dropout rates, a shortage of math and science teachers that keeps getting worse, inadequate state funding, several hundred million dollars down the drain for an ideologically and politically motivated plan
Politics & Policy
November 16, 2009
Houston mayor’s race: Parker attacks attorney Locke’s conflicts of interest
The gist of the accusation is that several of Locke's clients while he was a lawyer/lobbyist at the well connected Andrews Kurth firm had significant ties to the city government and entities with whom the city had interlocking ties (Metro, the Houston-Harris County Sports Authority, and the Port Authority). The
Politics & Policy
November 15, 2009
McCall will not run for Senate
We had a brief conversation about his future this morning. It does not include running for the state Senate or anything else involving elected office. This is true whether or not there is a special election for the U.S. Senate, and whether or not Shapiro resigns to run for Hutchison’s
Politics & Policy
November 15, 2009
Last McCall
I am sad to see the news that Brian McCall has decided not to run for reelection. Brian made the House better just by his presence. He was the gold standard for how a legislator should conduct himself. When he had a bill on the calendar, he put on a
Politics & Policy
November 14, 2009
Houston mayor’s race poll: Parker +4
Note to readers: Bill King, who had considered running for mayor but decided not to make the race, has sent his considerable e-mail list the results of the first known post-election poll. This is his report. My comments follow the asterisks, below: Gene Locke's campaign has released the first poll
Politics & Policy
November 13, 2009
What I said on WFAA
Earlier this afternoon, I went to KVUE, the Belo station in Austin, to tape a TV interview with WFAA (Dallas) reporter Brad Watson about the governor’s race. Afterward, I learned that Kay Bailey Hutchison had said that she wouldn’t resign her seat until after the March 2 Republican primary. Watson
Politics & Policy
November 13, 2009
Is Hotze playing in the Houston mayor’s race?
My Houston-based colleague Mimi Swartz forwarded to me this e-mail from Carl Whitmarsh, a local Democratic blogger, to Arthur Schechter, a prominent Democratic fundraiser, concerning the mayoral runoff in Houston. I provide no warranties about its accuracy: Hotze, along with [political consultant] Allan Blakemore, are rumored to be heading up
Politics & Policy
November 13, 2009
Good news for Hutchison (just kidding)
Yes, good news: She’s only down by 11 points in today’s Rasmussen poll, compared to 12 points in the recent UT/Texas Tribune poll. Perry, meanwhile, is only four points (the same number Medina is getting) short of 50%. The temptation is to say that the race is over, but I’m
Politics & Policy
November 13, 2009
The Hotze offensive
The news today that Houston activist Steven Hotze has launched a project to seek opponents against incumbent Democratic legislators who might be vulnerable is another indication of how motivated Republicans are in this election cycle. No comparable enthusiasm exists on the Democratic side. Nothing motivates like a bogeyman, and Obama
Eat My Words
November 12, 2009
Talking Tamales
Oh, this is right down my nerdy little alley. There is going to be a talk on “A Brief History of Tamales” on Thursday, November 19, 2009, 6:00-7:00 p.m. (Reception to follow 7:00-7:30 p.m.) The speaker is Claudia Alarcón (she writes on food for the Austin Chronicle) and she’s going
Politics & Policy
November 12, 2009
Why Homer won’t follow Hopson
This is the Democrats’ analysis of why Homer won’t switch parties and is in good shape to win reelection. It was sent to me by a Democratic operative. 1. In 2008, Homer faced the following obstacles in House District 3: –Obama (08) lost ground to Kerry (04) in every county
Politics & Policy
November 10, 2009
Texas 2010: It’s all about 2012
Who is best situated to be the Republican presidential nominee in 2012? Gallup (October 31-November) finds that 71% of Republicans would “seriously consider” supporting Huckabee, with Romney and Palin at 65% each. Other names who show up on GOP presidential polls include Pawlenty, Gingrich, Giuliani, Barbour, Jindal, and Jeb Bush,
Politics & Policy
November 9, 2009
Chavez’s race and the committee appointments issue
Tea-leaves readers in El Paso note that Norma Chavez has been touting her committee appointments around town lately, which they interpret as a sign that she will run for reelection rather than for Eliot Shapleigh’s now-vacant Senate seat. I have written about the Senate race previously, and other bloggers are