At Play in the Fields of the Lord
Baseball, an old and idiosyncratic game, loses and old and idiosyncratic field.
The dean of the Capitol press corps, senior executive editor Paul Burka joined the staff of Texas Monthly one year after the magazine’s founding, in 1973. For nearly forty years he has led the magazine’s political coverage and spearheaded its storied roundup of the Best and Worst Legislators each biennium. A lifelong Texan, he was born in Galveston, graduated from Rice University with a B.A. in history, and received a J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law.
Burka is a member of the State Bar of Texas and spent five years as an attorney with the Texas Legislature, where he served as counsel to the Senate Natural Resources Committee.
Burka won a National Magazine Award for reporting excellence in 1985 and the American Bar Association’s Silver Gavel Award. He is a member of the Texas Institute of Letters and teaches at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. He is also a frequent guest discussing politics on national news programs on MSNBC, Fox, NBC, and CNN.
Articles by Paul Burka
The Return of Abigail Fisher
A familiar plaintiff. A familar case. Will the outcome be any different?
Out of Step (And Falling Behind)
The recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court show how far Texas has fallen from the mainstream. The recent reactions by our leaders only make it worse.
The Leadership Race
Greg Abbott emerged this session as the state’s uncontested leader—despite a few missteps along the way.
Medicaid Hardball
Could the state’s refusal to expand the program ultimately cost billions of dollars?
Whither the Governor?
If you find out what Greg Abbott is up to, let the rest of us know.
What I’ve Learned
Paul Burka bids farewell to Texas Monthly—and wonders what happened to the Texas he once knew.
Why Do Conservatives Hate Common Core?
What Greg Abbott’s nominee to the UT Board of Regents means for the state.
The End of the Two-Thirds Rule
On the first full day of the Dan Patrick era, he makes his mark on the Senate.
The Last Forty Years–and the Future
The dean of the Capitol press corps announces his upcoming retirement from TEXAS MONTHLY.
Wendy Davis’s Future
I was surprised to read that Wendy Davis intends to make another run at public office, as yet unspecified. Among other things, she has retracted her support for open carry. But it is hard to see what kind of future Davis has, particularly when Battleground Texas proved to be as…
A Path to Medicaid Expansion?
It appears that Governor-elect Abbott is considering some form of Medicaid expansion. If this is indeed the case, it is incredibly good news for Texas. Rick Perry’s rejection of Medicaid expansion was petulant and extremely damaging to the state. The cost of expansion to the state is miniscule…
The Rise of Joe Straus
The news that Speaker Joe Straus has become the Vice Chair of the Republican Legislative Campaign should be the final nail in the coffin of Michael Quinn Sullivan and Empower Texans. Of course I know it won’t. But it should end any speculation that Straus has any political worries whatsoever;…
One Week Later
After every major election, it seems I find myself writing an obituary for the Texas Democratic party. It’s not a true obituary, I suppose, since the Democrats are not exactly dead, just comatose. This year brought a rare combination of considerable early optimism by Democrats, followed by the worst pasting…
Red State
Texas is a Republican state and nothing is likely to change that in the foreseeable future.
Losing the Battleground
Battleground Texas, the organization chosen by the Obama White House to “turn Texas blue,” proved to have been nothing more than a mirage. In fact, Battleground did more to sabotage the Democratic effort — unintentionally — than to support it, thanks to Jeremy Bird, Battleground’s leader. Bird produced a memo…
Another Bush for President
Does Jeb Bush have a chance at the White House? Or is the family name too damaged?
The Problem With Prop 1
It provides such a meager amount of funding that it's hardly worth the effort of putting it on the ballot at all.
And the Voting Begins
UPDATE: In my original post, I mistakenly referred to previous endorsements by some of the state’s major newspapers, and I have corrected the errors. This election has all the earmarks of being one of the strangest ever. First, as I have opined before, this is the weakest ticket the Republican…
Greg Abbott and the DMN
To the surprise of no one, the Morning News has endorsed Greg Abbott for governor. It is a choice that I won’t criticize. But I will raise this red flag: that Wendy Davis has uncovered serious issues about Abbott’s character and lack of empathy for Texans who have…
Voter ID Struck Down
A federal judge in Corpus Christi called the state's voter ID law "an unconstitutional poll tax"
The Home Stretch
I’m not surprised that the race for governor has tightened according to the recent Lyceum Poll. This is a contest between two candidates who have the support of large constituencies that stretch far beyond Texas. Abbott is among the state’s most prominent attorneys and is no stranger to…
Davis for the Win
The final debate in the 2014 governor's race is over, and the winner was clear-cut.
The Fallout From the Enterprise Fund
When one looks at the wheeling and dealing that went on with the Texas Enterprise Fund, my question is this: Why is it not an impeachable offense? These folks used the Enterprise Fund for their private playground. They awarded $222 million to entities that, according to the Dallas Morning News,…
Weighing in on the Debate
Alas, I was out of the state for the Texas gubernatorial debate on Friday evening, but having watched the replay, I can’t say that I missed much. As debates go, I found it relatively low-wattage. Both candidates were articulate and reasonably polite to their opponents, though I thought Davis…
What State Government Does
Recent actions by state government have reinforced my belief that the state rarely does anything FOR the public; it only does things TO the public. The latest example is that Texas insurance commissioner Julia Rathgeber allowed the three largest home insurance companies to impose significant rate increases. Rathgeber could have…
Wendy Davis, Public Relations, and the Political War
I was interested by Eric Bearse’s piece in the Quorum Report yesterday concerning Wendy Davis and abortion. Bearse wrote, among other things: “The reason Wendy Davis has never recovered politically from her abortion filibuster is she fought on turf where she couldn’t win. Outside of San Francisco…
Abbott and the Money Machine
He's still raising money for his race for governor. And it's not because he's worried about Wendy.
Another Round of School Finance
It is all but certain that Attorney General Greg Abbott will appeal Judge Dietz’s school finance ruling. It’s classic Abbott. He has to win, even if he realizes that he is going to lose.But the Legislature’s treatment of the schools during the 2011 session all but guarantees a loss for Abbott.
Ask Not for Whom the Bell Tolls
Why Republicans should listen to what female voters are saying.
Perry’s Defense
The governor has a first-class legal team, but some of its arguments concerning the indictment sound more like rhetoric than law. Such as “an unconstitutional attack on Perry’s rights” And …”defies common sense” And …”a violation of the Texas and U.S. constitutions” And … “an improper attempt to criminalize politics”…
The Dumbest Thing You Can Do
Smearing the prosecutor is just about the dumbest thing a defendant in a criminal case can do. The second dumbest thing is to threaten the prosecutor.
More Thoughts on the Perry Indictments
The indictment of Rick Perry turns Texas politics upside down.
BREAKING: Governor Perry Indicted on Two Counts
UPDATE: I’ve included a link to the indictments at the bottom of this post. Thought Texas politics couldn’t get any weirder? A short time ago special prosecutor Michael McCrum announced that a grand jury had indicted Perry on two counts related to his veto of funds for the Public Integrity…
Verging on Irrelevance
I don’t think Republicans recognize what is happening to their party in Texas. The GOP is verging on irrelevance. The failure of Texas to land the Republican national convention should have been a wake-up call for the state party. There was a reason why the Republicans chose Cleveland over Dallas:…
What Governor’s Race?
With three months to go until the general election, there isn't much reason to talk about the governor's race. It's over.
Troops on the Border
To close this discussion, I simply want to say one thing: This was completely predictable. There was no reason to send the National Guard to the Border. There was no mission. There was no objective. It was just political theatre to make Rick Perry look like he was doing something,…