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October 2007 Archives
October 31, 2007
Women of the Week - The Picture Purge
I accidentally deleted the photo I got with Karen Hughes, but it wasn't very good anyway. All I found from debate night 2006 was this photo, where she's chatting with the reporters who used to tail her in Austin -- Wayne Slater, Christy Hoppe and Clay Robison.
Another newsmaker this week (and every week, nowadays) is House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Here's a shot from her visit to City Hall Monday.
In the photo she's talking with Tom "Smitty" Smith of Public Citizen Texas and Karen Hadden of the SEED Coalition. Now, I didn't eavesdrop, but I'm pretty sure they were talking about environmental issues.
Karen Hughes Comin' Home
The AP and other outlets are reporting longtime Bush inner circle member/former communications guru/onetime TV reporter Karen Hughes is leaving her post as undersecretary of state before the end of the year. She joins Dan Barrett and Karl Rove in coming back to her homeland.
When I get home I will post a photo of Hughes towering over me. We (the press corps) ran into her after the 2006 gubernatorial debate in Dallas, in the Hyatt hotel bar.
Meanwhile, if I recall correctly, the Bell campaign was doing their post-debate drinks at a place called Perry's.
October 30, 2007
Here We Go Again...
Okay, it's the SEVENTH Democratic presidential debate, not the four hundredth. It starts in five minutes, moderated by Brian Williams and Tim Russert (who, you might recall, was called a "hack" by Jake Bernstein.) I'll do my best to keep up. So will our secret FUN FACT checker, yay!
7:59pm: Chris Matthews is giving us/yelling us a debate preview, talking about how Obama is reluctant to take on Hillary Clinton, etc etc.
8:02pm: Here we go! LIVE from Drexel University in Philadelphia... the "cradle of American democracy", according to Brian Williams.
FUN FACT: Drexel's mascot is Mario the Dragon.
8:04pm: What do y'all think of the debate intro music? Sounds like the Olympic music to me. Wondering whether it's the same score?
WHOA! Williams jumps right into it, asking Obama about his claims that Hillary sounds like a Republican. Where are all the hello's?
8:05pm: Obama thinks his fight with Hillary is overhyped, likens it to Rocky vs Apollo Creed. He says he's the "Rocky" in this situation. (Nice Rocky reference, as we debate in Philly.)
FUN FACT: Apollo Creed, played by Dallas native Carl Weathers, owns Sambuca restaurant in Dallas' Deep Ellum
8:07pm: Hillary says she doesn't sound like a Republican. Shes says all the Republicans talking bad about her in their debates is a prime example that she's definitely not with them.
8:08pm: Edwards gets his first chance to talk, he's the only one who says "Good evening", if anyone cares...
8:10pm: Is it just me or does Edwards' face look especially waxen tonight?
8:11pm: Clinton riffs for the first time tonight. She's technically on the defensive -- Edwards accusing her of double talk and all -- but she still sounds more polished than Obama.
8:12pm: Clinton, when asked about vote on an amendment that declared the Revolutionary Guard in Iran to be a terrorist organization: "I am not in favor of rush for war, but I'm also not in favor of doing nothing. Some may want a false choice between rushing to war and doing nothing. I prefer vigorous diplomacy..."
Continue reading "Here We Go Again..." »
The Pawns Piece
A commenter asked if I found any District 97 direct mail that talked about the House Speaker and his leadership, since this will likely be an issue in next year's House races.
Courtesy: Barrett campaign One of four Dan Barrett mail pieces |
To answer his question, the direct mail dump I received didn't include any pieces that made reference to Craddick; all my mail was from Republican candidates, none of whom has ruled out supporting the current speaker. The only candidate in the race who does not support Craddick is the Democrat, and his pieces DEFINITELY refer to the current leadership.
Full mailer is here.
The six pawns shown in the image are clearly a reference to the other six candidates in the race. Craddick is referred to as "iron-fisted" and responsible for a "record of scandals and failures" before the bottom of the mailer reads, "Choose Change! Choose Dan Barrett!"
Political People Pushing their Books
This weekend is the Texas Book Festival in Austin, which is happening downtown while thousands of runners pack the streets for the Race for the Cure. (Talk about double-booking. Whoa, I didn't even mean to pun there!)
I am going to use the book fair as an excuse not to run. Also, because there are plenty of politicos that will be at the fest to speak informally with readers, and that sounds like fun. (Whoa, I didn't mean to rhyme, either.)
To help you build your festival schedule, here are some scheduled appearances by
politicos/political writers/authors of books on politics:
SATURDAY:
10am, Kristin Gore, Senate Chamber
11am, Lynne Cheney, Senate Chamber
11:15am, A Tribute to Molly Ivins, 1201 Lavaca
12pm, Jenna Bush, Capitol Auditorium
1pm, Robert Draper, Senate Chamber
2pm, Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Senate Chamber
SUNDAY:
11am, Jeffrey Toobin, House Chamber
12pm, Carl Bernstein, House Chamber
12pm, David Talbot, Senate Chamber
2pm, Todd Gitlin, Senate Chamber
3pm, Douglas Brinkley, House Chamber
3pm, Jim Lehrer, Capitol Auditorium
Full Schedule is here
A note from the fest: Festival sessions are free and open to the public. Please arrive early to ensure seating, which is on a first-come, first-served basis. No one will be admitted into sessions that are full unless another audience member leaves the session.
Hodge Podge
Just wanted to check in since it's morning time... there are a few items to mention but nothing worthy of a full post right now so I'll just lump them together.
-We're covering a protest taking place at Judge Sharon Keller's home tonight. You'll recall Keller is the TX Court of Criminal Appeals judge who refused to receive a death row inmate's appeal on the day the US Supreme Court said it would consider whether lethal injection is unconstitutional.
Since that day, all executions have been put on hold except for that of the inmate set to die on that day, Michael Richard. His attorneys weren't able to get an appeal in until 5:20pm. Keller said the office closed at five o'clock, and Richard was executed that night.
--The 432,789th presidential debate happens tonight... it's the Democrats turn and after a NYT piece this weekend saying from now on, Obama will be taking on Clinton more forcefully, I'm interested to see what happens. I live blogged a recent GOP debate with the help of my "Fun Fact" checker, so if she's available tonight we're going to live blog again.
-- US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi dropped by Austin Sunday for a fundraiser, and then met with Austin city leaders Monday about green initiatives. I was only able to get her off-topic for one question about politics, but I'll have her remarks once I find that tape!!! (Arggggh.)
October 29, 2007
Setting the Scenarios
I was inspired to do this post by Texas Monthly's Paul Burka, after he ended a recent post like this:
There was never a scenario in which Watts could have been elected United States Senator. The Noriega scenarios may not be likely, but they do exist.
So, what are those scenarios, if they do exist? The Democratic campaign manager for Chris Bell '06 (Jason Stanford) and the former communications director for Republican Governor Rick Perry (Eric Bearse) offer their takes. (BTW -- Thanks, guys.)
The Prompt: Is there a scenario in which Rick Noriega could beat John Cornyn next fall? If not, why not? If so, what would have to happen?
For those of you who are like me and didn't read all of Virgil's The Aeneid during senior year of high school (Sorry, Mrs. Gatzlaff), here are...
Cliff's Notes on Bearse's comments:
1.) No, there are no likely scenarios in which Noriega can beat Cornyn, and this is why:
a.) Noriega is flawed because he isn't a centrist or a populist in reality
b.) Once Clinton gets the nomination, he's done, since she'll "drag down the whole ticket in Texas"
c.) Noriega lacks the resources to get a message out, vis-a-vis Chris Bell '06
Noriega might only lose by ten points if:
1.) He finds lightning in a bottle
2.) Cornyn makes major mistakes
3.) The GOP presidential nominee is so flawed that Hillary could be electable in Texas
Cliff's Notes on Stanford's comments:
1. Yes, there is a scenario, because of Noriega's compelling narrative and Cornyn's allegiance to Bush, who, as a GOP consultant told me, "is an unpopular president, even on his best day."
2. The scenario calls for "gobs and gobs of money". Running a TV ad statewide costs $1.4 million a week. Building it requires:
a.) Texas' Democratic donor base giving here in Texas
b.) National online donor community would have to build on an impressive third quarter for Noriega
c.) A "macaca" moment a la George Allen in Virginia
d.) National money funneling back to Texas
"The Alamo is still in Texas. Dare the Republicans to attack us here and make them surrender their seats in cheaper states or leave Cornyn undefended. They don't have enough money to do both. Democrats do," Stanford writes.
The full comments by each consultant are right after the jump.
Continue reading "Setting the Scenarios" »
October 28, 2007
Re: District Ninety Sizzle
It's Christmas in October. Check out all this direct mail I got from my friend in District Ninety Sizzle (97, Fort Worth). Two major themes emerge from the barrage of mail pieces that are flying into mailboxes -- cracking down on illegal immigration and cutting out all the "pork" in the budget. (One piece actually has a huge hog on the front).
 KVUE: Elise Hu Voters in District 97 get treated to a weekly direct mail blizzard that looks like this |
The majority of the mail comes from the candidates with the most money, which is no surprise. So you've got Craig Goldman and Bob Leonard dominating the mailboxes -- Leonard even rushed out a piece featuring the FWST's endorsement just two days after the endorsement ran in the paper.
I'm seeing a lot of pictures of candidate families, a picture of Young Craig Goldman shaking hands with former US Senator Phil Gramm (who he worked for back in the day), and of course, the hog. The hog runs in Republican Mark Shelton's ad, and it has a talk bubble above it that says "Fat? In the budget...? If you only knew!"
October 25, 2007
Re: What's Going On Back There?
Texas Weekly's Ross Ramsey calls the Texas Senate's private committee of the whole meetings "a joke". Here's the FWST:
Behind closed doors
Texas lawmakers employ other tactics that allow them to operate outside public scrutiny.
The entire Senate sometimes meets behind closed doors, although the 31-member chamber votes in public. Proposition 11 would not end the Senate's private meetings.
Ross Ramsey, editor of the Texas Weekly political journal, said the "Senate is a joke" when it comes to operating in the open.
"They disappear from the floor and they go into a room," Ramsey said. "They say they're not talking about issues, but when they go in, they're not settled, and when they come out, they vote 31 to nothing."
Mike Wintemute, a representative of Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the powerful presiding officer of the Senate, said Dewhurst does not have unilateral authority to end the private meetings. "When the 31 senators meet in caucus, they do so under the rules of the Senate that are approved by the senators," Wintemute said.
October 24, 2007
What's Going On Back There?
The Texas Senate sometimes uses a parliamentary device known as "Committee of the Whole", where the entire body is considered one large committee. NCSL says since it's a parliamentary thing, every state can use this -- but most all other states use Committee of the Whole while they're still on the floor and in public view.
In Texas, the Senate can meet as Committee of the Whole OUT of public view, back in the proverbial smoke-filled room. For example, The C of the W was used before the entire Senate decided to come back after dinner hours in Februrary to call for TYC to be put under a conservatorship.
An NCSL survey of various legislature's rules shows the Texas Senate is one of only a handful of bodies with the ability to close a floor session to the public.
It seems antithetical to the idea of open government, so I took the question to onetime Texan Charles Davis, Executive Director of the National Freedom of Information Coalition.
"It sounds like a cabal," he said. "Clearly it's done for a reason and the reason is to dodge accountability. It may be something that's common in legislatures but that doesnt make it right."
And since open government was the topic of the day, we also took the question to State Rep. Dan Branch, R-Dallas, who successfully passed a measure in the spring session to require recorded votes on final passage of bills. (Now voters have to approve it, in the form of Propsition 11.)
In his response to the question, Branch was careful not to call out any particular members of the Upper Chamber, but did bring up another question -- what's up with the Senate conference calls?
Jake Dyer, FWST: Given your commitment to open government, would you stop the Senate from having committees of the whole?
Branch: It's an interesting question. As an observer, I have a natural reluctance to interfere in how they take care of their business. As an observer, well.. there's reasons for committees of the whole, but I think that we need to be careful that when that procedural device is used, that it's not abused.
So there oughta be a stated purpose for why we're coming together as Committee of the Whole, and that oughta be open and transparent.
And it's my understanding that that chamber uses a lot of conference calls to get a sense of where members are at. And again, there's probably an appropriate use of conference calls or member dialouge, but ultimately, I think you have to say at some point, conduct the people's business in the most transparent fashion possible. And don't abuse devices like committees of the whole to place a veil on what otherwise should be open government business.
October 23, 2007
Noriega Meets the Press
Noriega attended an event in Houston this afternoon, where he made himself available for questions from the press. Here's the H-Chron's audio of the gaggle.
Below -- some of the questions and answers regarding today's shakeup in the Senate race. He has kind words for Watts, comments on the road ahead, and stops short of endorsing Carol Alvarado, the Houston city councilwoman who is running for his seat in the Texas House.
Opening remarks:
I have a great deal of respect for Mikal for putting himself out there... He and I are going to be working together and I'm very pleased for having his support.
What does Watts' withdrawal mean for your campaign?
It helps us better focus now on the in-state, which is that Texas needs to change. We've had six years now of just broken policies, whether it's the war policy or domestic policy. So now we'll be able to sharpen our message and our focus on sharing with every Texan why we need a change and we neednew leadership that has walked the walk, whether we're talking about the war, or border issues or working in a bipartisan way...
Does this make you the lock for the nomination?
Well, I'm going to continue to work hard. Obviously the filing deadline isn't until at least the 2nd of January, so I make no assumptions. So, other than that we have several days until the filing deadline, and I'm going to continue to work hard and travel the state and try to increase our support as we move forward.
Is Texas ready for a Hispanic senator?
I don't know the answer to that, I guess that's why we have elections. I can tell you this though -- I'm an American and I'm a Texan, and I think that we're at a time in our history where Americans and Texans are tired of folks trying to divide us. And they want leadership that tries to bring folks together, and that's what our campaign is going to be about.
Would you support Carol Alvarado to replace you in the Texas House?
I think Carol has been a tireless worker, she works extremely hard, she's a dear friend of mine. My predecessor when she stepped down said this district seat belongs to the people it doesnt belong to her, I think she set a good precedent when she said that. I think we have elections and the competition, and raising the discourse is important, so we'll see who all gets in. I will support whoever the nominee is out of the democratic primary.
Voting Age
I went to early vote this morning at a neighborhood Randalls, where the three poll workers who helped me seemed a little stunned about my age. They took my driver's license and kept making comments about the year I was born, as if no one born after, say, 1970 had shown up yet. Wait a minute...
Re: Watts Pulls Out
Noriega has now released a statement.
I received a call from Mikal Watts this morning informing me he has decided to withdraw from the Democratic Primary race for the United States Senate.
As Teddy Roosevelt once said, the credit goes to the man in the arena. And Mikal Watts will always have my utmost respect for standing in the arena and highlighting how John Cornyn has let Texas down, placing political extremists and his financial contributors ahead of the people of Texas.
Of course, this is not the first time Mikal has been in the arena — he’s been a true friend to Democrats in Texas and throughout the nation, and has always had the courage to stand up for his convictions.
Today, Mikal made a very difficult and personal decision to put his family first. That’s a reflection of a strong character and a truly grounded leader.
Mikal and I made plans to sit down together in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, I’ll continue the campaign that we started together and fight for the vision for a better Texas that we continue to share..
BREAKING: Watts Pulls Out of Senate Race
This is pretty huge. Democrat Mikal Watts is backing out of his bid for U.S. Senate (he was engaged in an interesting race against State Rep. Rick Noriega for the Democratic nomination.) He's citing family reasons, see below:
For the last five months I have been exploring a race for the United States Senate because I believe that our junior senator, John Cornyn, has let Texas down and is more concerned with his cronies and friends in Washington than with what's best for Texas.
After spending the last several months putting everything into this campaign, I have seen the toll this effort has taken on my young children. For these reasons, my wife and I have made the decision that I will not be seeking the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate in 2008. I was brought up to believe that public service is a noble endeavor and I will continue to be involved at some level in the future. However, I realize that my time now should be devoted to serving my children so they may grow up in a healthy environment with both parents at home to meet their needs.
Continue reading "BREAKING: Watts Pulls Out of Senate Race" »
District Ninety-Sizzle
I may be an Austin reporter, but I can't help keeping an eye on that Fort Worth state house race -- after all, it IS the only house race happening this year.
The news this morning is the retiring rep, Anna Mowery, is publicly backing former State Rep. Bob Leonard in the race for her seat. You could say she's showing her "comittment" to him.
It's a ringing endorsement (emphasis mine):
"I think he's very well-qualified, and he's got a fine family, and he seems to be fairly rational," Mowery said.
ALSO - my eyes and ears in District 97 report Goldman is running away with the non-scientific "people-who-put-out-campaign-signs" vote.
October 21, 2007
Vote Early
Oh, how quickly has the time flown by. Another election is upon us, and early voting starts Monday! During early voting you don't have to vote at your own polling place - pick any early voting location in your county so long as you are already registered (and present some form of ID).
To help make your early voting experience a little easier, I have taken the Travis County early voting locations and made them into a google map. View a larger version by clicking the link at the bottom of the map.
View Larger Map
Hat tip to my main man, Matt Stiles, who made one of these handy maps for Houston.
Re: Campaign Misttake
This weekend I got my paws on a bunch of direct mail from the House District 97 race. (Highlight of the weekend.) It's this year's only Texas House race, because it's a special election. (State Rep. Anna Mowery retired before her term ends next fall.) The winner will just have to run all over again next year. (More direct mail!)
Remember the misspelling in Bob Leonard's education ad? Here it is...
Obviously, this was not on purpose. (Leonard blames fancy graphics that don't allow for spell check.) And he still scored the endorsement from his hometown paper. Click here to read.
October 19, 2007
Watson Channels Dylan
State Senator Kirk Watson, D-Austin, is not up for re-election until 2010. But his constituents are getting some direct mail in their snail-mailboxes this week.
See the mail piece here, in a handy interactive format (much better than those annoying pdf's that you always have to resize and then flip around)
It plays off the Bob Dylan video for Subterranean Homesick Blues, where he flashes the lyrics on signs. The Watson lyrics include, "Create Hope", "Talk Honestly and Plainly" and "Don't Delay, Take Action" (Or is it "Don't DeLay, Take Action"???)
October 18, 2007
The Purge Makes The Carnival
Earlier this week I began a reporting journey called The Purge, which aims to take a closer look at email retention in state government as it pertains to open records laws.
Turns out The Purge made The Carnival of Open Records, a "blog-centered project to build and promote awareness about open records issues and concerns". I bring this up for those defenders of the First Amendment* out there, who want to keep up-to-date on the goings-on in the world of open records.
*Personally, my favorite is the Third Amendment, cause I don't want to be quartering no British soldiers.
RELATED STORY: Third Amendment Rights Group Celebrates Another Successful Year (The Onion)
October 17, 2007
Campaign Misttake
Oops, did I accidentally misspell "mistake"? I guess there's a "t" where it didn't belong. Glad I only did it in this limited forum, unlike Texas House District 97 candidate Bob Leonard, who's latest mailer has an extra "t" in a piece on education. (Leonard's in a seven-way race in a special election for retired State Rep. Anna Mowery's seat. Six of the seven candidates are Republicans.)
Here's the FWST: The newest postcard in the blizzard of District 97 mailers brags about the Leonards' commitment to public schools.
But look closer.
The computer-generated artwork spells it committment.
For Leonard, 57, a lawyer and grandson of the retailer namesake of Leonard Middle School, it was a lesson learned.
"Oh, my gosh," he said with a sheepish laugh. "I saw that on the artwork, but they didn't fix it. On the graphics stuff, you can't run spellcheck."
Well that's unfortunit.
Breakfast of Champions
I'm enjoying my morning bowl of Lucky Charms to the sounds of Rudy Giuliani and Rick Perry. The two of them are taking a conference call from the press right now -- to talk about their new alliance. They are in Washington... but will head to Iowa later in the day.
Perry says he's spent the last six months looking at all the candidates but decided on Giuliani within the past few weeks. He says he picked Giuliani because he can "get results" -- and that their "philosophical differences" on issues like abortion don't matter that much when the ultimate result of a Giuliani presidency will still be strict constructionists picked for the US Supreme Court.
"I know what kind of nominee Rudy Giuliani is going to put on the Supreme Court. A strict constructionist...versus a Clinton nominee that would cause people to wake up with a cold sweat in the middle of the night," Perry said.
Would Perry take a job as VP?
"I have a really really good job and I love my job. In fact I just moved out of the mansion and I'm not looking to move again," Perry said.
Would Giuliani pick Perry as a running mate?
"Governor Perry is at the top of everyone's list, my own and any other potential nominee. You don't make choices until you're the nominee but I suspect no matter what happens he'll be the top of list for a couple of candidates," Giuliani said.
And a last word from Governor Perry:
It was always clear to me -- he's an old time conservative, when you look at the record in NYC and you look at one he did there with taxes, regulation and crime fighting, he's a conservative in the model of Ronald Reagan.
UPDATE: The Houston Chronicle hooks us up with a podcast of the conference call. Now you, too, can have a bowl of Lucky Charms to the sounds of RG and RP.
October 16, 2007
Does Rick Make the "Right" Pick?
By this time tomorrow, Texas Governor Rick Perry will likely have endorsed former NY Mayor Rudy Giuliani in the race for the GOP nomination for president. Perry's banking on a frontrunner for now -- but three months is an eternity in politics. Giuliani's socially-liberal positions could make him vulnerable -- if not cost him -- with real Republicans.
But wait -- Who's really a real Republican? That's the question posed by The Washingon Post's Dan Balz in this story.
For now, Republican voters remain sharply divided: In the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll, when Republicans were asked who best reflects the core values of the party, McCain led with 26 percent, followed by Giuliani at 23 percent, Thompson at 21 percent and Romney with 13 percent.
With all this uncertainty, why is Perry hitching his wagon to a candidate already? Why not keep the options open... date around a little...?
Kay Say What?
Kay Bailey Hutchison faced a barrage of questions in Washington this afternoon, now that she's sending stronger signals she will run for Texas guvnah in 2010.
Watch the raw video of Hutchison's latest comments
It all started with Evan Smith's post last week about his interview with her, in which she left open the possibility of resigning the senate by 2009 (her term doesn't end until 2012).
"I walked out of that interview almost certain that she was gonna run, and I walked out from it more certain than ever before that she might not serve her term out," Smith told me today.
But KBH insists she didn't really say anything that she hasn't said before, and that we're all overanalyzing this. What? Political nerds? Overanalyze???
Some of her latest comments, from her press gaggle in DC:
"I would not be interested in seeking re-election in 2012, so there's nothing new there. The governor's race is an option. It's been speculated on before, and I hold it out as an option."
What she says about telling Evan Smith she'd consider an early departure:
Maybe I'm too forthcoming in answering questions. I'm not too good at not saying what seems to be obvious to me, and maybe it's not obvious to everyone... I try to answer the questions.
Regarding questions about stepping down by 2009:
I've made no decision so there's really no reason to talk about an upside or downside. So much has to come together.
Her message to all of us:
There's just too much talk about it right now, because it's so far away. And I think anyone in politics who talks about something three years out is probably not very experienced in politics.
Ah, there's the rub. She is probably a VERY GOOD politician, so she's talking about it but not talking about it. It's a non-announcement announcement. Political consultant Chuck McDonald -- and sources on background -- say it was probably not an accident. She needed to get it out there to shore up support from her big GOP donors.
October 15, 2007
The Purge: Part One
It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end. -Ursala K. LeGuin
I'd like to take you on a reporting journey that I'm beginning today, called "The Purge". With some reader interaction, perhaps this can become like one of those Choose Your Own Adventure novels (remember those?*).
Here we go.
There's an interesting showdown going on Missouri between Republican Governor Matt Blunt (US House Minority Whip Roy Blunt's son) and Attorney General Jay Nixon. Blunt is defending his office's routine deletion of office emails, even though he acknowledged "emails often are a public record," in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Missouri AG said that the policy violates not only the state's record-preservation law but also their Sunshine Law, which provides public access to government records. More from the Post-Dispatch: Nixon asserted that actions of the governor’s staff appeared to be “an anathema to openness in government. This is public business, these are public records, this is what we do,” declared Nixon, a Democrat who is challenging Blunt for governor in 2008.
Blunt, in explaining his staff's intentions, said with a chuckle, "I think people are trying to have a clear and manageable in-box. That's what they're trying to do."
Overall, Blunt offered conflicting views of how e-mails should be treated under the state's Sunshine Law. He said the law is directed more at agencies and institutions, than at individuals.
In the case of e-mails, he said, "Once requested (under the Sunshine Law), and if they exist, they're definitely a public record."
It seems like he suggests here that emails don't need to be retained unless they are requested BEFORE the routine deletion.
That brings us back home to Texas. The routine email purging happens in the Texas governor's office, too.
"Our emails get automatically deleted every 7 days," said Governor Perry's spokesman Robert Black. "We kept the same policy and schedule as Governor Bush."
This isn't illegal. I've learned from conversations with various attorneys that Texas doesn't have a records preservation law that speaks to this specifically -- and the TPIA doesn't forbid the purging of emails. Emails are considered a public record; but only if requested before they're deleted into the cyber-abyss.
So this opens up questions about whether emails ought to be kept -- not just for the sunshine reason, but for historical purposes. (I mean, those LBJ phone calls are interesting!) Is it good policy to routinely delete official communication in public offices, when email is the way most of us communicate?
I put the question to State Senator Jeff Wentworth, R-San Antonio, this afternoon. He's the Chairman of the Senate Jurisprudence committee, which oversees public information legislation.
"This is case of first impression with me, but it sounds like something that we oughta have hearings about, what the practice is government-wide... Arguments for keeping the emails for a certain period of time and arguments against it, for whatever reason," Wentworth said.
Continue reading "The Purge: Part One" »
October 14, 2007
Dedication
The news of Monday night's CAMPO vote (to approve five new toll projects) clearly didn't escape the ears and minds of Austin band The Gourds, which threw out a special dedication to CAMPO during a Saturday night show. (These musicians are a well-informed lot.)
"This is for CAMPO," said singer/guitarist Kevin Russell. "You sons of [you-know-what's]."
The song was "Escalade" -- about the Cadillac SUV. I think their message was clear in the lyrics, even though the song was written years ago.
Even as society collapses
You got rose colored glasses
When the population shifts
Yer lonely as a revisionist
Touching fists with the evil empire
You'll still be drivin that Escalade
Meanwhile I ride on an ass
Okay, so those lyrics are hyperbole, as most lyrics are. But this issue seems to be one that's so permeated the fabric of the community that even Austin bands are talking about it on stage. What does CAMPO chair Kirk Watson think?
"I'm not surprised. This area's mobility problems and the limited funding sources we have should have us all singing the same song. I'm going to continue to work to get us there," he said via email.
Since we were on the subject of Escalades, see the public officials who registered Escalades as their official state vehicle after the jump. I also provide a little background on the new toll project issue for those who would like a little more context.
Continue reading "Dedication" »
October 11, 2007
"Party" Pictures
The House Democratic Campaign Committee hosted its low-dollar fundraising event at Scholz's tonight, where some journalists were able to wander in without getting thrown out. (Wayne Slater tried this at the Fred Thompson luncheon a few weeks ago, but was not so successful).
 KVUE: Elise Hu Central Texas lawmakers and friends take stage, Rodriguez takes mic |
Musical stylings were provided by The Bad Precedents, the 80th session's favorite party band. Fun and barbecue aside, the event's aim was to help drum up support for Democratic candidates who might be vulnerable next year -- in Central Texas, State Rep. Valinda Bolton and State Rep. Donna Howard are in seats formerly held by Republicans. Local GOPers say (Howard's) HD 48 should be the more competitive one. More photos after the jump.
Continue reading ""Party" Pictures" »
On the Road
Last night, while driving west on 6th Street past Lavaca, my car came close to hitting pedestrian State Rep. Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs, who was not using a crosswalk. I thought this was bizarre happenstance. A few months ago I came within a foot of hitting House Speaker Tom Craddick on 10th Street. As a result of these events, I am starting a new series called "Lawmakers I Almost Run-over", or L.I.A.R.
We'll begin with the first two entries.
Lawmaker: Patrick Rose, October 10th, 2007, approx. 6:12pm
Situation: Car traveling west on 6th. Had begun to accelerate after turning onto 6th from Colorado. Dark-haired man is crossing the street at a walk/slow jog, probably headed to Austin bar, The Belmont.
Chance of actual impact (on 1-10 scale): 3. Rose had almost made it across the street when I drove by.
Lawmaker: Tom Craddick, August 30th, 2007, approx. 6:24pm
Situation: Exited parking garage at 10th and Brazos and car was traveling west at a downward slope toward Congress Ave. As if out of nowhere, a man on his cellphone sneaks into crosswalk to my left. I slam on brakes as light turns red and realize it's the Speaker.
Chance of actual impact: 8. We came close enough to each other to lock eyes for a second.
If you have a LIAR experience, please write me and I will include it in the series.
Election Results
Austin's alternaweekly, The Austin Chronicle, just came out with its "Best of Austin" issue, and Austin Mayor Will Wynn won twice -- he was the voter's pick for "Best City Official" and the Critic's Pick for "Hunkiest Mayor." I guess this is like when Mel Gibson won his Oscars for Best Actor and Best Director (Braveheart) in the same night.
In the Politics and Personalities categories...
Critic's Picks include:
Best Political Theatre - Pat Haggerty's Quorum-Busting Walkout
Best Lobbyist Who's Not in it for the Money - Anne Dunkelberg, CPPP
Voter's Picks Include:
Best Elected Official: Lloyd Doggett
Best Capitol Character: Tom Craddick
Best Scandal: The Craddick Imbroglio
(Wait, essentially Craddick wins twice, too? Is it considered a "win" when you win for "best scandal"?)
See them all for yourself.
October 10, 2007
LBJ and Ike Talk Smack
Tuesday morning, the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum released the former president's phone recordings from 1967. For some reason there are fewer recordings from that year than from previous ones. (I'm really looking forward to the 2008 release of the 1968 tapes, since that was such a tumultuous year.)
The conversations about the six-day war, growing discontent with Vietnam and the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall were all fascinating. Though, I always enjoy hearing LBJ talk politics since he's clearly varsity All-American at that game. An excerpt of LBJ and Dwight Eisenhower talking smack about Bobby Kennedy:
November 4, 1967, 10:10am
JOHNSON: He's this young jet set, society type. And they don't like anybody, you know, from away from the East Coast.
EISENHOWER: I tell you Mr. President. I'm a damn good Republican but if I tell ya, if ever they want that little pipsqueak as President of the United States, by golly Im really gonna get on the [unintelligible]... and Im really gonna work.
JOHNSON: Well that's what they're trying to do. And if I didnt run, and I havent at all concluded I would... I just think the Republicans could beat him if they didn't fight among themselves. But this boy is awfully vicious...
EISENHOWER: Awww he is. He is awfully ruthless.
Links
Listen to part of the conversation<
KVUE video story
Morning News coverage
Asking for Cash, and Getting It
We ran into freshman State Rep. Allen Vaught, D-Dallas, on Congress Avenue today. He admitted he was in town raising some money, as he could have a tough race for re-election. We wanted to chat more with Vaught, but an aide whisked him away saying, "We've GOT TO go." (Someday I would like the job of whisking people away, it seems kind of fun.)
Meanwhile, the special election for the vacated seat State Rep. Anna Mowery, R-Fort Worth, is now a month away, and it looks like Craig Goldman (whose successful fundraiser we noted last week) has raised himself a nice stash of cash.
Campaign reports now online show Goldman raised $181,000, and reports only spending $17,000, leaving $162,000 in the kitty.
His closest competitor in the dash-for-cash is former state lawmaker Bob Leonard, who reports $113,000 in cash on hand after raising $47,320.
October 9, 2007
Elephant in the Room
Can you live-blog a debate that's not live? Thanks to whoever scheduled it, the first GOP debate in which Fred Thompson took part happened in the middle of the afternoon. (I'm not the only one who's miffed.)
That leaves me having to "live" blog the replay. I think I'll try to cover the first hour, but I'm not promising anything:
8:02pm Here we are in Dearborn, Michigan. Fun fact: Dearborn has the largest concentration of Arabs in North America. (This is becoming a cross between "Pop-Up Video" and live blogging. Only, we're not live.)
8:03pm Thompson gets to go first. He's wearing his default Law and Order intro face. He - in an uncharacteristically raspy voice - does NOT think we are headed into a recession, as moderators cite that more and more Americans believe we are.
8:07pm. Romney draws a cheer from the crowd after taking a dig at the Michigan governor for raising taxes, pretty easy shot given this audience.
8:08pm Giuliani goes. His forehead looks so smooth. What's going on here... I'm getting distracted.
8:09pm. Giuliani: "Joe Torre is the best manager in the history of modern baseball, and he's my friend." Sorry, Mayor, that's probably not going to help the guy keep his job.
8:10pm Texan Ron Paul represents. He claims many people are living in individual recessions because we're financing an "extravagant" foreign policy, and US monetary policy -"We're depending on creation of money out of the thin air... "
Continue reading "Elephant in the Room" »
October 8, 2007
The Press Corps Echo Chamber
Remember Linda Richman, the Mike Myers character from Saturday Night Live?
"A Thighmaster is neither a thigh nor a master. Discuss."
The Texas Observer had a post (that had nothing to do with thighmasters) that was a perfect for cocktail chatter. Here's a snippet: I just finished watching [Tim Russert's] Meet the Press interview with John Edwards. In an extraordinary display of the virus that infects the Washington punditocracy, Russert spent 20 minutes asking Edwards about his electoral viability, how much campaign cash he has raised, and [redacted] stereotypes perpetuated by the mainstream media. Nary a word on policy or issues. Nothing that will lead to solving the serious problems facing this country. Nothing that would help a voter understand the policy differences of the respective candidates. Instead, it was all Washington-insider crap — the horse race and the politics of personality.
I've noticed this a lot in political coverage, especially out of Washington. There's a lot of coverage of the "horse race", but not the issues that are important to people who will wind up deciding the race. A few years ago, I read a book by Joan Didion, Political Fictions, which talks a little about how we (the MSM) are covering poll numbers a lot more, when they can have a negative effect on people's ability to judge candidates for themselves.
There's also a persistent echo chamber. What you hear Jim Carney say as a guest on Washington Week winds up being about the same thing Mark Halperin says on This Week with George Stephanopolous. It's groupthink run amok, and once the press corps gets going on one particular narrative, i.e, the race for the Democratic nomination is over, suddenly that narrative becomes "the truth", which is probably NOT the case. Very few contrarians, it seems.
Continue reading "The Press Corps Echo Chamber" »
For Whom the Toll Tolls
Big, big BIG CAMPO meeting tonight. The board is expected to approve a $1.5 billion dollar plan to toll pieces of five roadways in Central Texas.
My colleague Kevin Peters will be covering both the pro-toll rally at 3:30, and the anti-toll rally at 5:00pm, and we'll get that video up for you as soon as the five o'clock newscast gets going.
I'll be taking a broader look at the five-road plan, and the debate over whether this is akin to double taxation.
October 5, 2007
Target: Kay Granger
The campaign to garner enough congressional votes to override the President's veto of SCHIP is headed for the airwaves. A bunch of groups with a bunch of acronyms -- AFL-CIO, AFSCME, SEIU, Moveon, Americans United for Change, USAction and True Majority are paying for a national TV, online and grassroots campaign to "save children's healthcare". The TV ads begin running Monday.
Click to see the ad, "Abby"
You won't see in in Austin. The commercials will only air in ads in key Republican U.S. House districts, and one of those districts is that of Republican Representative Kay Granger (TX-12) up in Fort Worth.
It's an effort to put pressure on the 15 to 20 members of Congress needed to override the veto. More is planned for the week of the veto override vote (Oct 15th), including vigils across the country. The full list of members being targeted to override the veto are after the jump.
Continue reading "Target: Kay Granger" »
October 4, 2007
The People in Your Neighborhood
 from bobmcgrath.com Bob's the Bomb |
Ohhhh, who are the people in your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
In your neighborhood?
Say, who are the people in your neighborhood?
The people that you meet each day -Bob from Sesame Street
On PBS' Sesame Street, Bob sings this catchy song and it's followed by different muppet neighbors (the postman, the fireman) who walk in and introduce themselves with their own verses of the song. For instance, the news dealer:
Oh the newsdealer is the man you need
If you want to get some stuff to read
If you want a paper or a comic book
My newsstand in the place to look
(Then, back to chorus)
This brings me to the news from H-Chron that term-limited Houston City Councilwoman Carol Alvarado is moving into US Senate Candidate Rick Noriega's neighborhood, presumably because she wants to run for Noriega's open house seat.
In honor of this move, I have created a new verse for "People in your Neighborhood" if a politician moves in.
Oh, a politician is brave it's said
They gotta keep their campaign kitty's fed
If there's a rumor somewhere about
They'll be sure to put it out
Cause politicians are people in your neighborhood
In your neighborhood
They're in your neighborhood
Well, they're the people that you meet
When you're walking down the street
They're the people that you meet each day
This post brought to you by the letter E. :)
Joe Barton, SCHIP and his 25 Year Old Daughter
I usually don't take notes during my middle-of-the-night C-SPAN/C-SPAN 2 viewing. It's what I do for leisure, not for work. But late last night, C-SPAN was re-airing the press conferences of the bipartisan Senate support |