The State of Texas: Dec. 17, 2013

Tuesday Listicle

Yes To Texas, sort of a Buzzfeed for the rest of us, has another that’s-so-true lists, just in time for winter: 10 Reasons Texans Hate Cold Weather.

RIP

There were rumors of his death (somewhat exaggerated) over the weekend, but now it’s been confirmed. On Monday, after bowing out like a gentleman, Ray Price has gone to that Big Concert in the Sky. Rolling Stone magazine did an interview not a week before, and in it Price said his favorite song was “For The Good Times”:

Daily Roundup

The Long Con — With the start of the new campaign year just around the corner, the Texas Tribune has a nice public service reminder about all our favorite politicians. Namely, that despite all their pontificating about this election being the most important one ever, many of them are probably just keeping the wheels greased ’til next time. “More than half of the people who signed up to run in next year’s elections are going to lose,” write Ross Ramsey. “That’s the math. Lots of losers move up eventually, often because their unsuccessful runs help build the organizations, financial contacts and reputations required of most winners.” Ramsey offers plenty of examples on both sides of the aisle, but the real players simply going through the political motions this time around seem to be Texas Democrats’s Great Future Hopes: the Brothers Castro, Wendy Davis, and Leticia Van de Putte.

Hot in Iowa — Looks like Rick Perry’s still got it. Sorta. A new poll of potential Republican presidential candidates (no, you’re not dreaming, it’s still years away), has Perry beating man-of-the-moment, Ted Cruz. There are, of course, a few caveats. For starters, it’s among Iowa caucus voters, who aren’t as adept at picking winners as they once were. Second, polls about the Iowa caucus are usually terrible indicators: Perry came in fifth. Before him were Mike Huckabee, Rick Santorum, Chris Cristie and Paul Ryan. Oh, and finally, “neither [Perry nor Cruz is] committing to a presidential run,” even though they’ve both made trips to the Hawkeye State. So hold off making any “Perry/Cruz For President” yard signs just yet.

Picking Your Battles — It’s, evidently, something the Texas Civil Rights Project is not very good at. As unnecessary as the new voter ID law is, there were surprisingly few related complaints during the last election, despite all the hand-wringing. So the TCRP is now wagging its finger at something else: “a report from the Texas Civil Rights Project shifted the dispute over voting rights from whether people would be turned away on Election Day to whether residents are given enough opportunities to simply register to vote,” according to AP. Things are far from perfect, but when the state sees just ten “informal” complaints (down from 24 the previous election) and a total of fourteen voter complaints (one more than 2011 and double that of 2009), “shifting the dispute” smells a lot like someone looking for an unnecessary fight.

Simple Mix Up — A Louisiana jury is deliberating for a second day as to whether Texan (and former BP engineer), Kurt Mix, “broke the law or harmlessly swiped his finger across a cellular phone when he deleted hundreds of text messages in the aftermath of the company’s massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.” The case seems to hinge on whether the engineer is competent enough to operate an iPhone. Which, to be fair, is a debatable question of all smart phone users.

Republican Hipster — Debra Medina was tea party before tea party was cool. Three years after garnering a surprising nineteen percent during the Republican gubernatorial primary, she’s back. Texas Monthly‘s own Erica Grieder has an insightful Q&A with Medina as the Medina embarks on another run for office. It’s the most interesting interview about policy, politics, and comptrollers you’ll read all week.