Politics & Policy

There Ought Not To Be a Law

There are two things you should never see being made: sausage and legislation. All in all, we’­d rather watch sausage.

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Buying Power

The new campaign financing law takes all the fun out of fund raising.

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What Does This Woman Want?

Is Barbara Jordan really worth all the fuss?

The Making of Barbara Jordan

From poor black girl to presidential possibility, in ten not-so-easy lessons.

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Body Politics

Why you shouldn’t lose any sleep over your congressman’s nocturnal habits.

All’s Fair in War

. . .but back home? Never.

All’s Fair in Love

Can Texas Democrats find happiness? In New York, maybe—

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Will Success Spoil Leonel Castillo?

This politician controls the purse strings of the richest city in Texas. And he’s ready for bigger things.

Fiendly Persuasion

What LBJ did best was wheel and deal. So what’s wrong with that?

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Where’s My Line?

Is one man one vote just another numbers racket?

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Turning the Other Chic

Politics, like fashion, is a fickle business.

The Best, the Worst, and the Fair-To-Middlin’

Rating the Texas Congressmen from number one to, sigh, number twenty-two.

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So Close, So Far

The natural gas deregulation bill almost made it through the labyrinth of Congress, but not exactly in the way they tell it in the civics books.

The Most Powerful Texans

You can’t tell the players without a scorecard.

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Who Runs Cowtown?

From a long heritage of paternalism Fort Worth gropes toward democracy.

The Man Who Saw Too Much

Hugh Aynesworth can’t escape what he witnessed in 1963.

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Power Shift?

Who is Kirkpatrick Sale and why is he saying all those terrible things about us?

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Big Deal

Did the Sharpstown Scandal really make any difference?

Remembering LBJ

Lyndon Johnson left an indelible impression on people—and a few black and blue marks, too.

Bringing Up Lyndon

First the boy made the man—then the man re-made the boy.

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Loser Take All

News flash: Lloyd Bentsen is still running for president.

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The Runaround

The people of No Man‘s Land are wondering whether government really works.

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Big Mamas

Two women—one a conservative Republican, the other a liberal Democrat—are the best politicians in Houston.

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Democracy, Mexican Style

All political parties are equal, but one is more equal than all the rest put together.

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You Be the Judge

The battles in John Connally’s trial were fought before the jury, but the war may have been won offstage.

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1975: The Ten Best and (Sigh)…The Ten Worst Legislators

Guess which list had the most competition.

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Under the Rug

Some embarrassing (and perhaps illegal) aspects of Dolph Briscoe’s campaign.

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Off with Their Heads

Is the new Congress out to strip the Texas delegation of its power?

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