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May 2008 Archives
May 29, 2008
Superdelegate Boyd Richie for Obama
Now that the stress of deciding between HRC and Barack Obama is gone, I wonder whether Texas Democratic Party Chair and superdelegate Boyd Richie will be found dancing in the streets somewhere. We all know he's an excellent dancer. (Everyone has different definitions of excellent, okay?)
Boyd Richie, doin' a little dance.
OK seriously, Richie and his superdelegate wifte Betty both came out tonight in support of Barack Obama for President. (Kind of surprising, I always thought he was a Hillary guy.) Part of Boyd Richie's statement: "Senator Obama has the skill and ability to unite Americans from all walks of life and put our country back on the right track."
"I am also grateful for Senator Obama's commitment to help build the Texas Democratic Party. Senator Obama and his campaign understand something that Texans have known for at least a couple of years - that when Democratic candidates invest the time and resources necessary, Texas Democrats have the numbers to compete and win across every region of our great state. We made progress in 2006, and in 2008, the Texas Democratic Party is more energized, better organized, and we are poised to make significant gains this fall." This announcement comes just as the national Democratic Party's Rules and Bylaws committee prepares to meet this weekend, concerning the seating of much-debated Michigan and Florida democratic delegates. And it comes just one week before the Democratic state convention, set for June 6-8 in Austin.
Scott McClellan's Book Tour Kicks Off
Austinite and former Bush Press Secretary Scott McClellan appeared on the Today Show this morning, where he said he decided he had to start telling the truth. Now there's this wacky "truth" stuff spilling out all over the place, and McClellan's former White House colleagues are doing all they can to discredit him. Here's his interview from this morning. Let us know what you think.
May 28, 2008
The GOP's Minority Problem...
... Does the GOP have a minority problem? A recent story in the Politico said yes. Here's the lede (I think that's how the newspaper people like to spell "lead"): Just a few years after the Republican Party launched a highly publicized diversity effort, the GOP is heading into the 2008 election without a single minority candidate with a plausible chance of winning a campaign for the House, the Senate or governor. Corbin Casteel, the campaign manager for Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, says Republicans don't have that problem here in Texas.
Casteel's Letter to the Editor, published in the Politico today, focuses on minority participation here in the Texas GOP. The full letter is linked above, here's an excerpt: The GOP is the only party nominating and electing African-Americans. Led by party Chairman Michael Williams, who is currently running for reelection to the Texas Railroad Commission (the state's energy agency, despite its name), Texas Republicans are bucking the national "failure."
Along with Williams, both Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson and Supreme Court Justice Dale Wainwright are running for reelection as Republicans.
Here in Texas, Democrats have failed to nominate African-Americans to statewide offices. In the March primaries, Democrats had the opportunity to support Barack Obama for president and to nominate Art Hall, a young, up-and-coming African-American, as their nominee for Railroad commissioner. Both lost.
BTW Michael Williams turns 55 this week, happy birthday Commissioner!
Rove Calls McClellan a Seven-Letter Word
Aw man. The soon-to-be-released memoir by Austinite Scott McClellan is causing quite a stir this morning. Bush's Brain, Karl Rove, was on Fox News and said this (emphasis mine):
"That doesn't sound like the Scott I know, it sounds like a left-wing blogger... If he had these moral qualms, he should have spoken out about them."
Oh dear. Rove called McClellan a... BLOGGER??!?!? Snap!
May 27, 2008
Texan Scott McClellan Scorches Bush
Former White House press secretary, Scott McClelland, son of former Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton McClellan Rylander Strayhorn, is out with his memoir next week.
In a Politico exclusive, he pulls no punches. Among the most explosive revelations in the 341-page book, titled "What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception" (Public Affairs, $27.95):
--McClellan charges that Bush relied on "propaganda" to sell the war.
--He says the White House press corps went too easy on the administration.
--He admits that some of his own assertions from the briefing room podium turned out to be "badly misguided."
--The longtime Bush loyalist also suggests that two top aides held a secret West Wing meeting to get their story straight about the CIA leak case at a time when federal prosecutors were after them - and McClellan was continuing to defend them despite mounting evidence they had not given him the full facts.
--McClellan asserts that the aides -- Karl Rove, the president's senior adviser, and Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the vice president's chief of staff - "had at best misled" him about their role in the disclosure of former CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity. The book comes out next week. The Austin native was WH press secretary from 2003-2006, and was press secretary to then-Governor Bush back when they were both in Texas.
May 26, 2008
Bye Bye, Three Day Weekend
Totally unproductive three-day weekend here at PJ headquarters. Just to get y'all back up to speed:
On the Texas front:
--The Texas Supreme Court reviewed documents over the weekend but so far has not made a decision on whether to overturn a ruling by the Third Court of Appeals that Texas was wrong to seize those 460 children from the FLDS compound.
--The "who loves veterans more" back-and-forth between Senate candidates John Cornyn and Rick Noriega continues. Noriega stoked the flames by penning an op-ed which ran in the Houston Chronicle about the Senator Jim Webb sponsored G.I. bill that the Senate passed last week: Unfortunately, my opponent, Sen. John Cornyn, failed to stand up for our troops. Cornyn was one of only 22 senators to vote against the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Act, continuing his history of turning his back on veterans. Adding insult to injury, Cornyn went so far as to condone and encourage a presidential veto of the bill. Webb's GI Bill passed with the support of 75 senators, including Texas' senior Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. GOP presidential nominee, Senator John McCain, joined Cornyn in voting against the bill. Both believe the bill will reduce the military's retention rate at a time when the country is trying to expand the size of the military.
For his part, Cornyn criss-crossed the state to spend time with military men and women on Memorial Day. Cornyn issued this statement: "As terrorism remains a real and serious threat, and our country must continue to stand strong against it, these young men and women have chosen a challenging and honorable course. They will be our nation's future leaders and defenders, and I was honored to congratulate each of them for their accomplishments and wish them the best.
"I hope each of us can give thanks not only on Memorial Day, but every day for our men and women in uniform who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms we hold so dearly." On the national front, Hillary Clinton sparked collective outrage from the mainstream press and the blogosphere late Friday after she said this about RFK. (It was later discovered that it's the second time she's made the statement): "My husband did not wrap up the nomination in 1992 until he won the California primary somewhere in the middle of June, right? We all remember Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June in California. I don't understand it." She said she regretted the comments if they offended anyone, and especially the Kennedy's. RFK Jr came out to defend her. MSNBC's Keith "Special Comment" Olbermann unleashed on her with a fury he usually reserves for President Bush:
Obama himself said on Saturday that he didn't take Clinton's comments to mean any harm.
Then on Sunday HRC surrogates blamed Obama's campaign for keeping this controversy in the press. Obama's people circulated a transcript of the Olbermann special comment on Saturday morning. So that's where we are on that.
May 22, 2008
VP Madness: Voters Heart Huckabee
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is the man voters in CQ's VP Madness game picked as the best running mate choice for Republican nominee John McCain. View the final bracket here.
(Unfortch, Texas Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison was knocked out in the Elite Eight by Minnesota's Tim Pawlenty. Governor Rick Perry lost in the first round to Alaska's Sarah Palin.)
On Huckabee: Huckabee's backers have touted his executive experience -- he served more than a decade (1996-2007) as governor of Arkansas. He's articulate and likeable, and he campaigned respectfully against McCain and eschewed scorched-earth tactics. McCain has made it clear that he's looking for a much younger ticket-mate, and Huckabee will turn 53 a few days before McCain turns 72. Huckabee's social-issue conservatism could help McCain assuage some activists on the political right hold about the independent-minded Arizonan.
On the Agenda: You Won't See It
We've wondered out loud about the Texas Senate's longstanding practice of closed-door "committee of the whole" meetings... now the House General Investigating Committee, looking into the swirling ghost worker scandal, is not going to be seen or heard by the public.
The committee - comprised of R's and D's loyal to House Speaker Tom Craddick - is set to meet today. But the the meeting is likely going into executive session, excluding not just you and me, but even other House members who aren't on the committee. That's not cool, if you ask Democratic leaders of the House who aren't friendly to the speaker.
"Secret meetings blind the public to the workings of their government. We object in the strongest possible terms to sinister "star chamber" proceedings that deny public access," State Representatives Craig Eiland, Jim Dunnam and Pete Gallego Garnet Coleman wrote in a letter to fellow members.
When asked by The Quorum Report, the Chairman of the committee, State Rep Larry Phillips, said this:
"This is not a secret meeting. It happens every day in governmental agencies, from city councils to school boards. It is not uncommon in every governmental agency for these type of issues. In this situation, this is an opportunity to go into executive session. This is appropriate for an investigating committee."
The meeting is set for 10:00am, in Reagan 110, if you want to try and see the part that is public.
May 21, 2008
Losing That Lovin' Feeling
I must confess. I didn't watch last night's coverage of the Kentucky and Oregon primaries. It marked the first night I've skipped coverage of a primary or caucus since the start of this crazy season. I later watched the candidates speeches online, and found Obama's highly-praised speech to be a little... long. What's wrong with me?
I think I've lost that lovin' feeling.
But a link that just landed in my inbox told me I'm not alone. Here's the Columbia Journalism Review: We started the season elated at the unprecedented Historical Moment we were part of, thrilled to be covering such an Exciting Election. We're still into it, and everything, but no longer is every little thing the remaining Democratic candidates do exciting and worthy of report. We've heard their stories--over and over and over. We're know all too well their mannerisms and their quirks, their physical tics and their habits of mind. We're in the Long Haul. The honeymoon's over.
So when, last night, Obama won the majority of pledged delegates in the Democratic nominating contest--a feat that would have made for a Big Night Out in any other context--we were, as a whole, kinda bored. Is the thrill gone for you, too?
May 20, 2008
Senator Hutchison on Senator Kennedy
Washington and the rest of the world are reacting to the news that "liberal lion", US Senator Ted Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, has been diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Texas US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison released the following this afternoon: "Sen. Ted Kennedy is a legendary figure in the Senate, having given 46 years of his life to public service.
Two weeks ago Sen. Kennedy and I conducted a committee hearing to assess our efforts in fighting cancer, and we heard directly from experts, including Lance Armstrong. Now, as Sen. Kennedy and I are drafting legislation to renew the War on Cancer, we have been given a poignant reminder that the battle has not been won.
At this difficult time, I will offer my prayers for Sen. Kennedy, his wife Vicki, and the entire Kennedy family."
Polygamist Case Cost to State? $5.5 Million.. So Far
About $5.5 million in the last month. That's what state agency leaders reporting to the Senate Finance Committee this morning estimate is the total cost of goods, services and "things at Walmart and Target" for the Eldorado raid and response. (That's $5.3 mil not budgeted for in the agency budgets, and already invoiced. There's another two million or so that they expect to be filed in the next few weeks.)
Ongoing monthly costs are expected to be about $1.7million a month, assuming all the children remain in state care... these are foster care placement costs, staffing, etc.
"We haven't even talked about the legal costs, and that's going to be a big number," said State Senator Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, who chairs the committee.
May 19, 2008
Special Subcommittee Appointed on Ghost Workers
The "ghost worker" scandal at the Capitol keeps on giving. (The scandal's name refers to the practice of listing state workers as full-time employees even though they might work just a few hours and make a few hundred bucks a month, so that those people can receive full state benefits.)
Civil Practices Commitee Chair Byron Cook this morning appointed a special subcommittee to explore employment law as it relates to the house and house rules.
State Rep Mark Strama, D-Austin, was appointed to chair the special subcommittee. State Rep. Jerry Madden, R-Richardson, asked to be removed from the committee on the grounds that he's not a lawyer. State Rep. Richard Raymond, D-Laredo, and State Rep Phil King, R-Weatherford are taking Madden's place on the subcommittee. State Rep. Robert "Point-of-Order" Talton, R-Pasadena, was also appointed.
This issue is a flareup of the ongoing fight over House Speaker Tom Craddick, as Craddick opponents accuse him of leaking the story to publicly punish his political enemies. But even Craddick allies got hit by the birdshot -- as State Rep. Tony Goolsby, R-Dallas, was discovered having a ghost worker on staff.
Here's a link to the Civil Practices committee hearing going on live right now, but it's not archived yet so we can't go back and watch the minor fireworks from the beginning.
May 18, 2008
We Digress For Some Gossip
Ubiquitous online celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton, is reporting that Austin's sometimes-political activist Lance Armstrong has a new lady, and they were spotted at various hangouts around town this weekend. Kate Hudson and Lance Armstrong are an item! The pair have been quietly seeing each other (in private) for a few weeks, but now that we "outed" their relationship...
They're going public!
Our spies in Austin, Texas, where Armstrong lives, tell us that Lance and Kate had a romantical date together at Eddie V's restaurant on Friday night.
"The restaurant is a favorite of Lance's," a source tells us. "They had a great time!"
Update: On Saturday, Lance took Kate out to Hula Hut AND...he brought along his kids. You might remember Hudson from such films as Almost Famous or How To Lose a Guy In 10 Days. I'm guessing she's not using any of the "lose a guy" tricks she learned during filming.
May 15, 2008
Tight Poll Numbers Help Cornyn, Too
Last week two separate polls (Rasmussen and Research 2000) came out showing Democrat Rick Noriega just four points behind incumbent Republican US Senator John Cornyn. There are reasons to suspect those numbers, but the Noriega campaign proudly trumpeted both polls. Hey, a closer-than-expected race could convince on-the-fence donors to give.
But a "real race" helps Cornyn drum up the cash, too. Tonight, his finance director sent out the following message: We don't put much validity in either poll, but Democrats certainly are. Liberal bloggers and Democrat partisans alike have pounced on the results, claiming they spell doom for Senator Cornyn this fall.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, lead by liberal New York Senator Chuck Schumer, proclaimed in an email that the polls show "John Cornyn in serious trouble..."
Ultra-liberal blogger Daily Kos, who commissioned and paid for the second poll, called the results "nothing short of remarkable," and claimed they "hint that this may be a top-tier race before long..."
No one can deny that our opponent and his allies are in desperate need of anything to help them raise resources and give national Democrats reason to invest untold millions into the race, and we must stop them.
Please contribute $10, $25 or $50 to help debunk the myths our opponent and his liberal allies are trying to tell about Senator Cornyn.
The facts are clear, the extreme left is energized and unscrupulous, and our opponent is shamelessly aligned with them and will say and do anything it takes to gain much needed relevance and resources. Noriega's the one hurting for cash, but for both sides, I imagine any amount is helpful in a costly statewide campaign. (If that came out the wrong way, this is not intended to encourage you to donate.)
Sidelined by the Storm
Haven't updated today because I've been diverted by a crazy storm that sent what sounds like sideways hail through the Central parts of Austin. Politics took a back seat (well, not that much is going on right now anyway), but let's get back on track...
May 14, 2008
Ring My Beeeeeell.... Ring My Bell
As Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples prepares to head to Cuba, Texas Secretary of State Phil Wilson is hanging out with Texas business leaders in The Big Apple. He rang NASDAQ's closing bell.
When shifting from his position on the Governor's staff to Governor's appointee, Wilson retained his role as an economic development expert/liason for the state. According to Wilson's office, there are over 160 Texas-based companies listed on the NASDAQ exchange with a total market value of nearly $120 billion.
Ag Commissioner Headed to Cuba
...But will he find Scarface?
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Todd Staples is making the first trip to Cuba by a statewide elected official in more than four decades. And he's bringing friends -- an entire delegation of folks from Texas to talk about expanding trade deals with the Caribbean country.
"This is a great opportunity to build long-lasting trade relationships with Cuba," Commissioner Staples said. "We want Texas producers to have access to this growing market and for Cubans to have the chance to enjoy the best agricultural products the world offers: Texas food and fiber."
You may be thinking, wait, we trade with Cuba? Yes, indeed. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Texas has exported well over $100 million in agricultural products to Cuba since 2000. That's when Congress partially lifted the trade embargo against the island nation (which was enacted under JFK).
May 13, 2008
Hutchison Makes the Elite Eight
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison has survived the second round of CQ Politics' VP Madness, in which online voters like you help John McCain select his running mate. Here are the results from Round Two, winners are on the left. (Governor Rick Perry was voted out in Round One.)
* Mike Huckabee (54%) vs. Condoleezza Rice (45%)
* Mark Sanford (53%) vs. Mitt Romney (46%)
* Tim Pawlenty (55%) vs. Colin Powell (44%)
* Kay Bailey Hutchison (52%) vs. Tom Ridge (47%)
* Sarah Palin (62%) vs. Sam Brownback (37%)
* Bobby Jindal (52%) vs. Michael Steele (47%)
* Rob Portman (60%) vs. Joe Lieberman (39%)
* Charlie Crist (60%) vs. John Thune (39%)
Now it looks like KBH will face Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. The winner of that matchup will head to the Final Four.
Make your picks here.
May 12, 2008
Are You in Good Hands?
Texas Allstate customers will get a total of $71 million in refunds after the insurance company settled with the Texas Department of Insurance , over the insurance company's excessive premiums*. Here's how it will affect you, if you are in "good hands": Allstate will refund almost $37 million for new and renewal policies written between Dec. 1, 2004-April 23, 2006, a period when the state said its rates were too high.
Allstate also will reduce homeowners rates by 3 percent statewide for new and renewal policies written for one year beginning June 2. And it will credit or refund policy holders 3 percent between Aug. 20, 2007 and June 1.
The Texas Department of Insurance estimates as many as 700,000 policy holders will be affected by the settlement. Allstate is Texas' second-largest writer of homeowner policies and covers nearly 15 percent of the market. Texas Watch head Alex Winslow isn't happy about the outcome because Allstate made no "meaningful" rate reductions. He is calling for lawmakers to step in.
"Today's settlement with Allstate smacks of a political ploy by TDI to defuse legislative and public frustration over the agency's failure to fulfill the promise of meaningful rate relief for Texas homeowners. TDI is set to undergo serious legislative scrutiny starting next month and lawmakers should take heed of the fact another $20 million of their constituents' money is going into the insurance industry's pockets," he said in a statement.
"The insurance commissioner should quit playing politics with Texas homeowners' hard-earned money. Texans are sick and tired of half-baked settlements that allow insurance companies to pad their bottom lines without meaningful rate reductions.
*But that dude from 24 who does the commercials is convincing
May 11, 2008
Muni Elections 2008: Winners and Losers
Washington Post blogger Chris Cilizza does a quick "Winners and Losers" analysis piece after major primaries/caucuses, and I'll try it here on PJ since my photoblogging failed so miserably last night. (Blasted wireless card!)
Final election results are here.
I admit my knowledge of Austin city politics is quite limited, as state politics/the lege usually keeps me busy enough. I'm covering city races because our former City Hall reporter, Kevin Peters, left just before elections heated up. (He went to our sister station, KHOU-TV. We miss you Kevin).
But I do cover politics, and as they say, all politics is local... so here's an outside-looking-in view of this year's winners and losers:
Winners
The People Who Actually Voted
35,830 people voted in this year's municipal elections. That's eight percent of registered voters in Travis County. Blame it on Mother's Day weekend, voter fatigue or just plain ignorance. But less than 10% of the people registered to vote decided three city council seats and millions in bonds for the Austin ISD. If you did vote, (and I trust that most PJ readers in Austin certainly did), you win, because your vote carried a lot more weight than had more people turned out.
Mark "Puppetmaster" Nathan
The Austin political consultant advised both Place 1 winner Lee Leffingwell and Place 3 winner Randi Shade. While you never want your consultant making the news, Nathan was dragged into the race by Shade's opponent -- Kim. The Kim campaign sent a mailer alleging he's a "developer lobbyist" who would only enhance his power at City Hall if Shade were elected. He brushed off the charge, so did voters. Both Nathan's candidates won with more than two-third's of the vote.
Lee Leffingwell's legs
My first impression upon seeing Leffingwell's TV ad was, wow, he's showing a lot of leg.
"I've taken a lot of ribbing about that," he said.
But Leffingwell won a three-way race with 68% of the vote; a testament to his strength as an incumbent, his job performance during his first term and, dare I say, his nice stems? The electorate's looking for bold leaders. Leffingwell's willingness to show a little leg must say something about boldness.
Public Safety Unions
The public safety groups endorsed Leffingwell in Place 1, Randi Shade in Place 3, and Cid Galindo in Place 4. Two are winners, the other made a runoff. The groups were brought into the vitriolic final weeks over their Shade endorsement. The Kim campaign alleged (in an unsourced robocall) that Shade "made promises" to increase law enforcement staff and got an endorsement in exchange. The police, firefighters and EMS came out swinging, blasting Kim on Monday of the final week of the campaign. When Kim's campaign kept this narrative going, they came back to blast Kim a second time. In the end, Shade counted on not just public safety - but a broad coalition of support - to trounce Kim nearly 2 to 1.
Losers
"Lisa" the Robocaller
This electronic voice of "Lisa" has yet to turn up in real life. "Lisa" made the robocall launched against Shade last Monday, a symbol of the negative tone in the Place 3 race's final weeks. As it turns out, the robocall - and subsequent free media about it - did very little to change the results between early voting (62-28) and election day (66-26).
Tim Mahoney
What happened in this Austin Community College trustee race? A student named Mike Reid was in the running for the board of trustees, but dropped his bid before election day. But Reid still picked up about five thousand votes anyway, which kept Tim Mahoney from getting the fifty percent plus one necessary to avoid a runoff. Mahoney will face Harrison Keller in the runoff, set for June 14th.
Predictions of the Place 3 Race
Those who dared to make predictions about the Kim-Shade race almost unanimously guessed the results would be within ten points -- or closer. Those kinds of predictions were blown out of the water by Saturday night's results, when Shade shellacked Kim in a major way, avoiding a runoff and unseating a sitting councilmember. Again, I admit my limited knowledge on city politics before writing this next line -- but I think Shade was the beneficiary of the small electorate as much as incumbent Lee Leffingwell was.
Shade won because most of the 35,000 or so voters went into the booth as longtime Shade friends or people actually knowledgeable about Kim and her past few years in office.
I visited a street corner on Friday, where Shade was doing some visibility. A man with a cup of Ben and Jerry's walked up and goes to the candidate, "Why should I vote for you?" After realizing he was serious, Shade launched into highlights of her stump speech. The man seemed engaged, but unimpressed. Then he goes, "Who are you running against?"
Shade told him Jennifer Kim.
"Oh, you'll definitely get my vote then," he said. And it appears that was a sentiment among voters that carried the day -- and carried Shade into elected office.
May 10, 2008
Photobloggin' Municipal Election Night
12:24am: Photoblogging failed miserably because of unreliable connection to the internet, both via the wi-fi available at the victory parties and the shoddy wireless card I had with me. To make up for my miserable liveblogging failure tonight, I will do a post mortem winners/losers post in the morning. Well, later in the morning.
7:49pm: Connection to the internet has been in and out like crazy, so I apologize for the lack of live-ness to the blogging. We are on our way to Jennifer Kim's party now... to get some reaction and photos. More photos later.
7:39pm: The Shade party, which is right next door in this Clarksville neighborhood, is rocking. Partygoers have learned of Shade's early vote shellacking of incumbent Jennifer Kim. Shade won the early vote with 62% to Kim's 28%. Ken Weiss captured 10% of the vote, but if these numbers hold Shade avoids a runoff.
7:09pm: Starting the evening at Lee Leffingwell's party, which has about fourteen people in attendance so far. Leffingwell isn't expected until 7:30, so we got here early for parking. Early returns not showing yet.
May 9, 2008
Re: When the PUC Stops Being Polite...
A commenter asked whether I made a mistake in linking to the Chronicle's reporting on Jennifer Kim's consultant and his troubles with the PUC. But my conversation with PUC spokesman Terry Hadley backs up the Chronicle's original reporting. Let's hit this in Q&A format, since it's Friday night and y'all have other places to be.
1.) Has a formal complaint been filed against the Kim campaign for its robocall?
Not yet. The Austin Firefighters Association met with its attorney Friday afternoon to consider its options. They are looking at two possible complaints - one for the robocall's failure to identify the source of the call and a second for Kim consultant Elliott McFadden's failure to have a proper permit in order to place robocalls in the first place.
2.) Kim's consultant told reporters that the "PUC assured them" that "there was no violation. Is that true?
No, says the PUC spokesman. "No one from our enforcement section was in on the meeting with Ignite [McFadden's firm]. So that wasn't part of the discussion. It was about how to get the permit and how to apply," said Hadley.
3.) Is the Kim robocall in violation of state law?
We don't know. The robocall could be in violation on two grounds. One, running a robocall without a permit and two, not identifying the call's source.
"I've seen reports they happened before Monday, and they did it without a permit," said Hadley. "We do not approve messages in advance, but we do need to look into it if someone files a formal complaint."
(This is a link to Ignite's application, which shows its permit was not approved until Monday. The controversial robocall was placed LAST Thursday.)
Here is a link to PUC statute, with this key paragraph: Within the first 30 seconds of the call, the ADAD message must clearly state the nature of the call, the identity of the business, individual, or other entity initiating the call, and the telephone number (other than that of the ADAD which placed the call) or address of the business, individual, or entity. 4.) If there's a violation, how much is this gonna cost?
The law allows for a penalty if there commission finds that there is a violation. That could be up to $1,000 day.
Hardballer's New Hairdo
Your favorite MSNBC bloviator and mine, Chris Matthews, debuted his new 'do last night. His locks are no longer bleached blonde. Instead, he's wearing a warmer tone that kind of looks like the color of straw. Your thoughts?
(Hat tip to the Huffington Post)
May 8, 2008
When the PUC Stops Being Polite... And Starts Getting Real
Disclaimer: This following post will only be interesting to you if you are a level five political nerd or higher. (Not sure how many levels there are, let's assume five is high.)
With municipal election day just a day away here in ATX, the dueling campaigns of incumbent Jennifer Kim and challenger Randi Shade have gotten bogged down in a dizzying fight over law enforcement's endorsement of Shade.
Those of us in the press were already weary by Wednesday's round three -- or was it round four -- when Kim's consultant, Elliott McFadden, came out to reiterate its controversial robocall's claim that Shade promised law enforcement increased staff. This was followed by law enforcement's counter press conference, which was followed by the Kim camp's counter-counter-rebuttal... or something.
The robocall, released last week, was controversial for a couple of reasons:
1.) It asserted that Shade's call for increased staff was a "promise" and insinuated that it was a quid-pro-quo for an endorsement.
Shade - and law enforcement - immediately hit back, saying no such promise was made, especially not for an endorsement. Even though the only primary sources called foul on this claim, the Kim campaign "stood by" their statements by citing a secondary source -- the editorial page of the Statesman.
2.) The source of the call was only identified as "your neighbor Lisa". Weeell, turns out it was actually the Kim campaign, cloaked behind the electronic voice of "Lisa". (McFadden says Lisa is a friend of his, and a friend of the campaign.) Public Utilities Commission statute requires automated robocalls to identify the source of the call. Law enforcement groups were doubtful "Lisa" would qualify, and said they'd file a complaint.
But tonight - the Austin Chronicle discovers where the robocall meets the road:
Continue reading "When the PUC Stops Being Polite... And Starts Getting Real" »
P-L-A... A-N-O
I recycle an old high school cheer from Plano Senior High School to bring you DMN reporter Wayne Slater's hot-off-the-presses piece on State Senator Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, and her possible run for U.S. Senate. AUSTIN -- State Sen. Florence Shapiro of Dallas* is considering setting up an exploratory committee to run for the U.S. Senate in anticipation of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison running for governor.
Mrs. Shapiro was not available for comment but her political consultant, Bryan Eppstein, said people around the state are urging the Dallas Republican to seek the Senate if Mrs. Hutchison resigns or retires. "Right now, she's strongly considering it," said Mr. Eppstein.
He noted that a year ago, former Dallas Cowboy quarterback Roger Staubach was among those touting the idea and volunteered to help if Mrs. Shapiro ran for an open Senate seat. Read the rest of the piece right here.
For another version, the Statesman's Jason Embry, got this item up on the paper's blog earlier in the day.
*Deep down, Wayne meant Plano. Go Wildcats.
Free Labor Academy
My alma mater*, the University of Missouri-Columbia, owns and operates its own commerical NBC affiliate for the Columbia-Jefferson City market (DMA # 137). The station is staffed by paid, professional anchors (who also help teach students).
But the reporting staff is made up of college broadcast journalism students. For the kids, (who technically pay to be there), the station provides invaluable experience of doing real reporting/broadcasting on an actual affiliate, responsible not only to viewers but to advertisers and ratings and competition and the normal stresses of a real world job.
For the station, it's a steady - and unending - supply of free labor.
 Strama and academy kids |
I bring this up because the same kind of two-way-street works for State Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, and his biennial Campaign Academy, in which high school students are selected to work on his campaign for one month during the summer. The students get to learn, hobknob with political types and earn actual campaign experience for their lives... or their college applications. Strama gets free labor.
It works for Missouri, regarded as one of the top broadcast journalism programs in the land. It seems to work for Strama, too. He did get re-elected.
*Also the alma mater of the Houston Chronicle's RG Ratcliffe and Janet Elliott, The Dallas Morning News' Karen Brooks and Terry Stutz, and KXAN's Jenny Hoff and Matt Flener.
More Good Numbers for Noriega?
Research 2000 is polling US Senate races for progressive blog DailyKos. The Noriega campaign says when it's released, it will reflect this week's Rasmussen poll, which showed Noriega within striking distance of Cornyn. Look for that on DailyKos in about an hour, hour and a half.
May 7, 2008
HRC and a Texas Super
As you know (even if you didn't stay up waiting for Lake County, Indiana) there are now more unpledged superdelegates in the race for the Democratic nomination than there are elected delegates. After a big night Tuesday, Obama didn't see a "tsunami" of supers go his way, but netted four while HRC netted one.
Clinton spent Wednesday meeting privately with undecided supers in Washington. The Politico reports one of those supers is Texas US Rep. Ciro Rodriguez.
According to Politico's tally, the following are the remaining undecided superdelegates from Texas:
DNC Linda Chavez-Thompson
DNC David Hardt
Rep. Nick Lampson
DNC Robert Martinez
DNC Boyd Richie
DNC Betty Richie
Rep. Ciro Rodriguez
Ldr. Bob Strauss
In case you don't know what superdelegate (and TDP chair) Boyd Richie looks like, here's a recent photo of him doing the twist:
McCain's VP Madness, Round Two
CQ launched a NCAA-like tournament to help Republican presidential nominee John McCain pick his running mate. Two Texans were featured as prospects in Round One -- US Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Governor Rick Perry. How did they fare in voting?
Kay Bailey Hutchison moves to Round Two, while Rick Perry stays behind. CQ editors made the pairings based on their analysis, and more than 6,000 people cast votes in the first round of balloting.
Round One Results
Kay Bailey Hutchison (69%) vs. Rudy Guiliani (30%)
Sarah Palin (59%) vs. Rick Perry (40%)
To play, click here.
May 6, 2008
Krusee Keeps Moving
Look who I spotted in the parking lot of my ex-gym, Castle Hill Fitness?
It's SO-113, otherwise known as State Rep. Mike Krusee, R-Round Rock. Krusee, as you may recall, was charged with DWI last week and spent a night in the pokey. (He did not take a breathalyzer test, which is what most DWI attorneys -- and liberatarians - advise.)
While awaiting a court date, he's still driving -- and apparently stayin' in shape. (Castle Hill trainers give you an excellent workout.) I called Krusee after spotting his car, because a source who first spotted him wondered whether he should still be driving:
Him: Hey, it's Krusee.
Me: Hey, how are ya! Um... I mean.. uh... [awkwardly stammering].
Him: No, no, I'm doing good.
Me: So, can you still drive?
Him: Jason [his attorney] said to refer everything to him, I could answer ya, but Jason said to tell people to call him.
DPS tells KVUE the answer is yes, Krusee CAN still drive. His license was revoked but he has a temporary permit to drive until his court hearing in Williamson County, on May 27th. There, a judge will decide the provisions under which Krusee can stay behind the wheel.
Here's another question. A Public Data search shows Krusee's SO plates actually expired last December, but it's unclear whether the plates are actually expired, or whether he renewed and it's simply not in the system yet. We'll check his registration with the Wilco Tax Assessor Collector.
UPDATE 10:39pm: A fellow blogger asked me if the earlier conversation with Krusee actually happened, because he "didn't know whether it was one of those In the Pink fake interviews", referring to our friend Eileen and how she pens imaginary interviews on her blog.
The above conversation did happen, and I'll go ahead and make a policy of no imaginary interviews on this blog, since this is a "mainstream media" outlet. The other PJ policy is no reporting on polls unless our parent company paid for it.
May 5, 2008
Kim Campaign Versus The Cops
Got a call from City Councilmember Jennifer Kim's general consultant, Elliott McFadden. He used his outdoor voice - and some choice words - to express his displeasure about not getting a chance to respond to Austin Police Association (and other law enforcement unions) calling Kim's latest robocall "a new low" and an "outright lie".
Background: The robocall claims Kim opponent Randi Shade made "promises" to increase funding for law enforcement to beef up its staff. Shade - and law enforcement - say there was no such promise. The Kim campaign says it's using information from an Austin American-Statesman editorial from January 24th: It was highly disappointing that Cid Galindo and Randi Shade, two of the candidates endorsed this week, promised - in writing - to increase public safety staffing without knowing the rest of the city's needs or financial limits. The Austin Police Association, firefighters and EMS called the press together to say there were never any promises made, period. They called the Kim claims "outright lies".
McFadden took issue with being interviewed prior to the press conference, which didn't afford him the opportunity to respond to law enforcement's specific claims.
"To have an authority figure call us a liar, and to not go back to the campaign, that's ridiculous," said McFadden.
Since PJ is here to take you behind-the-scenes, here's how the day went down, and how things wound up.
Continue reading "Kim Campaign Versus The Cops" »
AG Says No to Needle Exchange
Last session, Republican State Senator Bob Deuell pushed a progressive needle exchange program in the Senate, despite opposing the idea just two sessions prior. He said his education on the subject changed his mind. He now thinks needle exchange could go a long way in preventing the spread of disease. The statewide program did not make it into law. But a pilot program in San Antonio was okayed somewhere in the massive Medicaid bill.
The Attorney General was asked to weigh in on questions about the pilot program in Bexar County. His ruling today essentially says the program can't be rolled out.
The opinion okays the pilot program to proceed WITHOUT the needle-and-syringe exchange component, even though it was authorized in legislation. But, the opinion continued, if the county proceeds with the safe needle exchange program, participants in the program "would appear to be subject to prosecution."
The law was scheduled to take effect September 1, 2007, but public implementation was put on hold after District Attorney Susan Reed raised objections in August, saying that it would be illegal to conduct such a program because, in her opinion, the law was defective. That sparked State Senator Jeff Wentworth's request for an AG opinion.
San Antonio State Rep Ruth Jones McClendon says the first bill she files next session will be a needle exchange program. She'll likely have the support of Deuell, in the Senate.
May 4, 2008
Magic Mystery Weekend
First, an apology to PJ readers in Amarillo and such who could care less about the Austin City Council races right now. It's pretty much the only political thing going on lately so here's just a quick update on the Place 3 race between incumbent Jennifer Kim (who I am not) and her challenger, Randi Shade.
A lot intrigue surrounded a mystery robocall going out against Randi Shade this weekend, accusing Shade of making budget promises that "could mean cuts in city services". It also features the anti-Shade twisting of the Shade slogan "Different, just like Austin" by saying "It's not different. And it's not Austin." (A line you'll also find in a mailer paid for by the Kim campaign.)
You can listen to it here.
Shade says the call appears to violate a Texas Public Utility Commission (PUC) statute requiring automated phone messages to clearly state the identity of the person or party initiating the call. Does Kim deny involvement in the ad?
I actually ran into Kim at Austin's AsiaFest on Saturday, but didn't interview her, since I was just there to support my people and eat some Taiwanese food. But our friends at News8 Austin were actually on the clock and got Kim denying the involvement in the robocall before admitting it. Is this kind of a reverse-Kerry? She was against it before she was for it?
May 2, 2008
On the Radio
If you live in Austin and enjoy hearing people riff on Texas politics, there's a new show for you. Deece Eckstein is launching "Texas Politics Today", a new weekly radio show on KOOP 91.7, Austin's community radio station. It will air Wednesdays from 2:30 to 3:00pm.
If you don't live in ATX, that sucks for you. Just kidding. The show will stream on www.koop.org.
The show kicks off with a one-hour special next Monday, May 5, from noon to 1pm. You will get to hear Texas Monthly's Paul Burka and Burnt Orange Report's Matt Glazer blather on and on about analyze where the speaker's race stands.
Denying Delisi
State Senator Glenn Hegar, R-Katy, says he plans to vote no on confirming the Governor's pick to head the Texas Transportation Commission. On Wednesday, the Guvnah (that's how they say it in SC, anyway) announced he would put in his former campaign manager and chief of staff, Deidre Delisi, as chairman of the TXDOT governing body. Hegar says he thinks that idea was a "squandered opportunity": "I had high hopes that Governor Rick Perry would use the vacancy created by the untimely passing of former Transportation Chair Ric Williamson as an opportunity to appoint someone to lead the commission who would work to change the status quo, reach out to lawmakers, and work cooperatively with the legislature to address the concerns of the citizens we represent.
I view Ms. Delisi's appointment as a squandered opportunity. It appears that rather than choose someone to head the commission who will reach out to lawmakers and work cooperatively with legislators, the governor instead has chosen a political "yes man" with little or no practical experience involving transportation issues other than carrying out the Governor's myopic vision that relies solely on building more toll roads and selling our highway infrastructure to the highest bidder, usually a foreign owned company." The Senate Nominations committee (on which Hegar sits) must confirm gubernatorial appointments, but it won't meet to do this until next session, so in the meantime, Delisi will assume her new role. Hegar said in his email to the press that neither the Governor nor Delisi had contacted him or other members of the committee to discuss the appointment.
May 1, 2008
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