Politics & Policy
July 30, 2015
Abbott and the Scientologists
Occam’s razor, y’all.
Greg Abbott
Politics & Policy
June 13, 2015
Sympathy for the Serious Social Cons
They’re in a thankless position in the Lege these days.
Politics & Policy
June 11, 2015
The Abbott Interview
Our legislator in chief assesses a spring marked by pre-K budgets, the open carry debate, border security, and a certain kerfuffle over Jade Helm.
Politics & Policy
June 2, 2015
The Leadership Race
Greg Abbott emerged this session as the state’s uncontested leader—despite a few missteps along the way.
Politics & Policy
May 17, 2015
EmpowerTexans Has No Business Running Texas
No offense to Michael Quinn Sullivan, but he’s never even won a Republican primary runoff, has he?
Politics & Policy
May 12, 2015
The End Game
The Senate has already lost the fight over tax cuts.
Politics & Policy
May 6, 2015
Abbott on the Knife Edge of Success/Failure
Greg Abbott is on the edge of whether his first legislative session as governor will end in success or failure.
Politics & Policy
May 1, 2015
Jade Helm and the Second Battle of Bastrop
With more than 200,000 federal military personnel already in Texas, paranoia over the Jade Helm 15 exercise in Bastrop seems absurd.
Politics & Policy
April 29, 2015
The Politics of Jade Helm
A partial defense of the conspiracy theorists
Politics & Policy
April 28, 2015
Advantage: House
On fiscal issues, at least, they have a unified front.
Burka Blog
April 23, 2015
The Plot Against Public Education
The Lieutenant Governor’s Internet Commenters Council is misreading history, and the Pre-K bill.
Politics & Policy
April 22, 2015
The Big Three Breakfast Blows Up
A contentious breakfast between the state leadership today ended with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick declaring he was tired of Governor Greg Abbott and Speaker Joe Straus “picking on me.”
Burka Blog
April 17, 2015
For Greg Abbott, Charity Began at Home
Texas Governor Greg Abbott paid only $1,718 in federal income taxes in 2014 on an income of $131,118.
Politics & Policy
April 16, 2015
The Lopsided Fight Over Tax Cuts
The House’s proposal is better than the Senate’s, for at least half a dozen reasons
Politics & Policy
April 15, 2015
The Governor Behind the Curtain
Governor Greg Abbott insisted today that he is more involved in the legislative leadership than some people think.
Politics & Policy
April 8, 2015
In Answer to Paul’s Question
With the Legislature in session, Governor Greg Abott is worrying about Congress and the president.
Politics & Policy
April 8, 2015
Whither the Governor?
If you find out what Greg Abbott is up to, let the rest of us know.
Politics & Policy
March 24, 2015
FEMA’s Climate Change Carrot to Texas
A new federal disaster preparedness rule is threatening to withhold hazard mitigation money from Texas if state leaders do not embrace climate change as a factor in weather disasters.
Politics & Policy
February 26, 2015
Social Conservatives Take a Bite Out of Abbott’s UT Establishment Nominees
Social conservative senators kept three of Governor Greg Abbott’s nominees to the University of Texas board of regents in the nominations committee hot seat for almost six hours Thursday, an unusual grilling for a new governor’s appointments.
Politics & Policy
February 25, 2015
Abbott’s U.T. Nominees, Patrick’s Prayers, and the U.N. Out of the Alamo
Governor Greg Abbott’s honeymoon shadow, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick’s prayers, and an effort to keep the United Nations out of the Alamo.
Politics & Policy
February 22, 2015
Abbott Floats Like a Butterfly on GOP Presidential Race
Governor Greg Abbott dodges a couple of tough questions on Face the Nation.
Politics & Policy
February 17, 2015
Abbott Nibbles at the Policy Margins
In the bright new day of Governor Greg Abbott, Texas and her people are strong and getting stronger, but his State of the State address only polished the edges on some of the major challenges facing the state.
Politics & Policy
February 16, 2015
New Boss Same as the Old Boss?
Good news for Texas politicians: despite the change of administration, the big money donors are still willing to give.
Politics & Policy
February 5, 2015
Notes on a Grand Old Party
What it looks like to celebrate a “new day.”
Politics & Policy
February 4, 2015
Why Do Conservatives Hate Common Core?
What Greg Abbott’s nominee to the UT Board of Regents means for the state.
Politics & Policy
January 26, 2015
Brace Yourselves
Will 2018 bring another New Day?
Politics & Policy
January 20, 2015
The New Regime
Greg Abbott, Dan Patrick, and the future of Texas.
Politics & Policy
December 29, 2014
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 (mainly covering
Politics & Policy
December 10, 2014
Finally, A Real Governor
Greg Abbott is off to a fast start—and that is good for Texas.
Politics & Policy
November 26, 2014
Obama’s Immigration Action
Some questions about Barack Obama's explanation for his executive action on immigration, announced last week.
News & Politics
November 24, 2014
The Arguments Against Obama’s Executive Action on Immigration
On Thursday, the president said that Congress had left him no choice but to act alone. Conservatives can argue otherwise.
Politics & Policy
November 14, 2014
Election History
A visit from the ghost of elections past.
Politics & Policy
November 5, 2014
The Next Four Years
Free advice for Greg Abbott, the new governor of Texas.
Politics & Policy
November 4, 2014
How Would a Bookie Handicap the Election Results?
After a year of campaigning, the first gubernatorial race in a generation not to feature an incumbent governor comes to a conclusion. Wendy Davis has been a clear underdog since the race started—so how would you set the spread?
Politics & Policy
October 21, 2014
A Voting Guide from the Hidalgo County Democrats Doesn’t Include Wendy Davis
Citing space concerns, the Hidalgo County Democrats in Precinct 4 say they had to be judicious about the candidates they put on the form.
Politics & Policy
October 17, 2014
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
Health
October 13, 2014
Does Wendy Davis’s Ad Cross the Line in Mentioning the Accident that Put Greg Abbott in a Wheelchair?
Davis's latest ad has caused a lot of controversy. Is she wrong in bringing up Abbott's accident?
Politics & Policy
October 12, 2014
Victims
Wendy Davis's new ad attacks Abbott for attacking "other victims"
Politics & Policy
October 10, 2014
Voter ID Struck Down
A federal judge in Corpus Christi called the state's voter ID law "an unconstitutional poll tax"
Politics & Policy
October 8, 2014
Abbott’s Fundraising
The war chest matters in 2014, but it sets the tone in 2018.
Politics & Policy
October 2, 2014
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
Politics & Policy
October 1, 2014
Davis for the Win
The final debate in the 2014 governor's race is over, and the winner was clear-cut.
Politics & Policy
September 29, 2014
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,
Politics & Policy
September 22, 2014
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
Politics & Policy
September 16, 2014
Three Fights over School Funding
Democrats Wendy Davis, Leticia Van de Putte, and Mike Collier take on their Republican opponents over the 2011 cuts to public schools.
Politics & Policy
September 15, 2014
The Upside of Inertia
In his jobs plan, Greg Abbott opts for a minimalist aesthetic.
Politics & Policy
September 10, 2014
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.
Politics & Policy
September 9, 2014
A Fleeting Moment of Substance
On Thursday, Wendy Davis offered a good policy idea, which was forgotten by Friday
The Daily Post
September 8, 2014
Some Things Worth Considering About the Wendy Davis Abortion Reveal
The big news out of the gubernatorial campaign has got a lot of people talking—but is it anything worth saying?
Sports
September 4, 2014
It’s Come to This. Greg Abbott and Wendy Davis Are Bickering About Favorite Football Teams
Yesterday, Davis told a radio station that she's a Cowboys fan, which led the Abbott campaign to call her a flip-flopper, in one of the sillier press releases of this campaign season.