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Mon April 15, 2013 7:57 am
The Legacy of Bob Perry
By Paul Burka

Bob Perry, the Houston homebuilder and mega contributor to Republican causes and, in the 2004 presidential race, the Swift Boat Vets, passed away at him home this weekend at the age of 80. In his heyday, Perry was one of the biggest political donors in the state. He emerged as a force in the tort reform debate of 2003, as a major supporter of a new organization called Texans for Lawsuit Reform, just as Tom Craddick was assuming the speakership.

Bob Perry emerged as a political power in Texas for two reasons. One was that he was an avid contributor to leading Republican politicians. The other was his desire to be part of the machinery of government that kept Rick Perry, Tom Craddick, and other Republican leaders in power. He is going to be very hard to replace; few political figures in Texas are capable of replacing the money and the zest for political combat that Perry exhibited throughout his lifetime. (Read my friend Sam Gwynne's profile of Perry from 2007.)

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Sat April 13, 2013 2:19 pm
Potential Fallout Over Travis County DA's DUI Arrest
By Paul Burka

The DUI arrest of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg could have far-ranging consequences. The DA's office is home to the Public Integrity Unit, which has jurisdiction over crimes committed by public officials. Republicans have long hungered to get their mittens on the office, which has a history of prosecuting high-profile Republicans, including Tom DeLay and Kay Bailey Hutchison. (It has also prosecuted high-profile Democrats, including former speaker Gib Lewis, and, more recently, state representative Kino Flores.

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Fri April 12, 2013 8:12 pm
Road to Somewhere?
By Paul Burka

At last, Rick Perry has decided to back more spending on transportation. His plan, which  was developed by a group of trade associations (Realtors, Texas Association of Business, Texas Oil and Gas Association, and Texas Motor Transport Association) and announced today at a meeting of the Texas Lyceum, calls for raising $41 billion over twenty years. I can foresee two problems with the plan. The first is that motor vehicle sales taxes are general revenue. If you dedicate it to road projects, how are you going to fund other areas of the government -- in particular, the big-ticket items of education and health care? Democrats (and pro-education Republicans) are going to go nuts if a major source of funding education is shifted to highways.

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Fri April 12, 2013 6:31 pm
Perry: Due for a Comeback?
By Paul Burka

Wayne Slater has a piece in the Morning News today that touts Rick Perry's viability for a political comeback. His thesis is that Americans love a good comeback story, and he cites the examples of former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford and former New York congressman Anthony Weiner. But his showcase example is Tiger Woods, who has regained his position as the top ranked golfer in the world, and, of course, is seeking to win a major championship that has eluded him during his comeback (as of press time, he was 3 under).

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Thu April 11, 2013 8:37 am
Return of Super-PAC
By Paul Burka

The Hill reported on April 9 that the anti-incumbent super-PAC Campaign for Primary Accountability is back, and it will once again target long-serving lawmakers. Why should this concern us in Texas? It so happens that one of the targets of is Lamar Smith, of San Antonio.

I trust that most readers will figure out that another San Antonio politician might be interested in filling a vacancy, should Mr. Smith's seat become available. I don't think that is likely to happen, and I can't imagine that Joe Straus would get a hankering to serve in Congress. As I have already written, it's the worst job in American politics. In any event, I think Straus is too smart to think about running for Congress. He would hate it.

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