Off the Kuff provides a little perspective about redistricting and the political outcome of the ongoing litigation over it.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson says it's time for a new direction for the Texas Democratic Party, A tremendous opportunity to create a new Democratic Party in Texas.
McBlogger says that Judge Rakoff threw a big wrench into the sweetheart deals some of the banks have been getting from the SEC.
Bay Area Houston has information if you want to Contact the Judge about State Representative Joe Driver's sentencing.
Refinish69 has a few suggestions since The Holiday Season is Here!
BossKitty at TruthHugger - Is more comfortable with Crop Circles than the Frankenstein Tea Party the Koch Brothers created. Why the Tea Party is like a Crop Circle.
At TexasKaos, Libby Shaw summaries the choices presented by the Republican presidental hopefuls in An OOPS, Serial Flipper Flopper, Adulterers, a Sourpuss and a Scared Spin Doctor. It would be funnier, if it were not all true.
Mitt Romney's path to the GOP nomination got considerably rockier in the past week, and that was before Herman Cain failed to deliver in 30 minutes or less. The rise of Newt Gingrich is however a dilemma for conservative fundamentalist Christians, as PDiddie at Brains and Eggs observes. Can they get behind a nominee who believes that marriage should only be between a man and a woman who does not have cancer?
Neil at Texas Liberal took a walk along some railroad tracks in Houston. On this walk, Neil encountered both solid and metaphorical aspects of life.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Texas Progressive Alliance Roundup - December 5, 2011
The Texas Progressive Alliance thinks that if Herman Cain had just married all those women he could be where Newt Gingrich is today as it brings you this week's roundup.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Week in Headlines
#Occupy Wall Street
Texas News
National News
Foreign Policy
War & Peace
Veterans Issues
Economics
Poverty
Higher Education
Environment
Climate Change
Energy
Civil Rights
Immigrant Rights
GLBT Issues
Race & Racism
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Week in Headlines
Texas News
Texas Politics
National Politics
National News
International News
Foreign Policy
War & Peace
Economics
Poverty
Public Education
Higher Education
Health Care
Energy
Environment
Civil Rights
Voters Rights
Labor Rights
Immigrant Rights
Women & Gender Issues
Race & Racism
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
#Occupy Bryan-College Station
Occupy
College Station/Bryan (#Occupybcstx) is planning a protest tomorrow November
17th from 4:30pm-6:30pm at the corner of Texas and University. Bring your
favorite sign, and if you don’t have one there will be extra signs.
Most
of us are petitioning both the government and our fellow citizens for a redress
of grievances. People feel that political and economic reforms are urgently
needed. An increasingly Ann Rand style laissez-faire economic policy makes it
more and more easy for money to equal power.
It
appears that rapidly increasing financial inequality has channeled power into
the hands of a few, as symbolized by the 1%, who are free to corrupt the
political system with impunity. One person, one vote no longer describes our
system. America no longer feels like a democracy. Corporate centers of power
have co-opted governance to favor their own interests and not the interests of
the country.
What
kind of reforms do we want? This is what
I hear from participants in no particular order: campaign finance reform; amend
the constitution to eliminate corporate personhood; rescind the effects of the
Citizens United Supreme Court decision, re-regulate financial sector, no
immunity for criminal bankers. Stop the revolving door that allows government
regulators to enter the private sector working for the corporations that they
once regulated. Tax reform to increase the marginal tax rates at the high
bracket to reign in corporate CEO compensation and reduce the incentives for
behavior that creates systemic risk. Reform the Federal Reserve System.
Our
goals? To paraphrase one College Station occupier, “Once we our country back,
our goals will be as varied as the people involved in the movement.” Join themovement.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Texas Progressive Alliance - November 14, 2011

The Texas Progrogressive Alliance is beginning to think fond thoughts of cranberry dressing, pumpkin pie, and, um, something else it can't quite recall - oops! - as it brings you this week's blog roundup.
Off the Kuff took a tour of Houston elections from the 1990s to see how they compared to more modern matchups.
Following Rick Perry's latest gaffes, Letters From Texas explains why Perry has become such a hopeless band nerd that the crazy girl who can't get a prom date pities him.
Darth Politico commemorates Veterans Day with a discussion about the history of Red Tape and veterans benefits. Emphasis on Red.
WCNews at Eye On Williamson points out that Republicans in Texas are boxed-in. They know know taxes must be raised to run our state's government, but can't bring themselves to say it, Texas GOP's cowardice.
On the same night Houston Mayor Annise Parker celebrated barely being re-elected, a few blocks away the HPD arrested seven Occupy Houstonians for refusing to move a tarp which the police called a tent. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs doesn't think that's a great way to start a second term ... unless she plans on again representing the 1%, that is.
BossKitty at TruthHugger sees another disappointing campaign season. Inundated with Republican this and Tea Party that, BossKitty is embarrassed by what we are hearing. Republican Whack A Mole Misses the Point. Some economic guru is writing the script for each candidate to spout as the Only way to get back on track, because it is always Obama's fault. We all know it was Obama's fault even before he was born. But some of the solutions totally miss the big picture.
Bay Area Houston is remembering on Veterans Day on how we have continue to screw our Veterans.
CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme notes that BP wants the government to hide data while celebrating the end of its cleanup responsibility. This week: crony capitalists 2; regular citizens 0.
Lightseeker at TexasKaos gives a brief summary of the GOP voter suppression campaign gearing up for 2012. Check it out: Voter Suppression Update 2011.
Neil at Texas Liberal attended an Occupy Houston press conference about OH participants arrested by Houston police for covering up electrical equipment with a tarp during a rainstorm. If only Occupy efforts across the nation had the same First Amendment protections as large anonymous corporate political donations enjoy under the Citizens United case.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Week in Headlines
Texas News
National News
National Politics
War & Peace
Poverty
Education
Environment
Human Rights
Civil Rights
Labor Rights
Immigrant Rights
Reproductive Rights
Women & Gender Issues
Race & Racism
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Runoff to Decide Which Republican Represents Brazos County in Texas House
The
Brazos County representative in the Texas House of Representatives will be a
Republican, but we will have to wait until December to find out which one. Bob
Yancy and John Raney each received enough of the vote in District 14 to force a
run-off, as none of the five candidates received a majority.
Accordingto the Bryan-College Station Eagle, Yancy received about 4,922 votes (36%) and
Raney received 3,758 (28%). Democrat Judy LeUnes finished third receiving 3,060
votes (22%), Republican Rebecca Boenigk placed fourth with 1,505 votes and
Libertarian Joshua Baker finished last with 266 votes.
I
was not surprised that the election resulted in a run-off, however, I was
surprised at which two candidates will be facing each other in the run-off. I
expected either Yancy or Raney to finish with the highest vote total, and for
LeUnes to finish with the second vote total.
There
are a few reasons I think that this outcome took place. First, while there was
an unusually high voter turnout (17%), there was probably lower than average
Democratic voter turnout. I expected LeUnes to garner more than 22% of the
vote. In 2008 Barack Obama received 35% of the vote in Brazos County, and even
in the Republican wave of 2010 Chet Edwards receive 34% of the vote.
Second,
LeUnes was probably hurt by a poor showing by Boenigk. During the campaign
Boenigk was highly criticized by her fellow Republicans and participated in a
significant amount of negative campaigning. After spending well over $100,000
on her campaign, each vote cost her nearly $100. This hurt LeUnes because the
votes that Boenigk lost went to Yancy and Raney.
The
run-off election is nearly impossible to predict because the voter turnout will
likely be very low, and it is difficult to determine how the vote will shift.
Will Boenigk supporters swing their vote to either Yancy or Raney, and will
LeUnes supporters choose between two Republican candidates or stay home?
The
most interesting part about this election is that unless either of the
candidates is reelected in 2012, they will not actually ever cast a vote in the
Texas Legislature. In Texas the legislature only meets for 140 days once every
two years, since we don’t want to give them too much time to screw up the
state. Although after the 82nd Texas Legislature, I think we may
have given them too much time.
What
the run-off is about is whatever candidate that wins being able to position themselves
as the incumbent. There’s always a chance that another Republican will
challenge them in March during the primary, in which case voters would literally
be voting for state representative three times within a year. There is a possibility
that LeUnes will challenge whatever candidate wins during the general election
in 2012. Either way, the results from yesterday’s election appear to be just
the first chapter in this saga.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Week in Headlines

#OccupyWallStreet
Occupy Oakland Strike Gains Gig Labor Support
At Occupy Oakland Thousands of Protesters Rally at Port
US Occupy Protesters Clash With Police at Oakland Port
Texas News
Panel Urges Review of Arson Convictions
Texas Politics
State Workers Cut While Firm Spends
National News
Banks Extract Fees On Unemployment Benefits
Foreign Policy
US Revises Its Strategy for Ending the Afghan War
Veterans Issues
More Women Falling Into Ranks of Homeless Veterans
Domestic Policy
Million of Borrowers Eligible for Foreclosure Review
Economics
US Economy Finally Back to Pre-Recession Level
Poverty
Some 15% of US Uses Food Stamps
Health Care
HHS Releases Leading Health Indicators for the Next Decade
Public Education
Texas Students Better National Peers in Math But Reading Scores Flat
Higher Education
Shorter University Requiring Staffers to Reject Homosexuality
Environment
Texas Red Tide Kills 4.2 Million Fish Since September
Climate Change
Texas Drought to Continue Another Year
Energy
Transocean Claims Indemnity Under BP Contract
Human Rights
Human Trafficking Evokes Outrage Little Evidence
Civil Rights
Judge Denies DNA Tests Before Texas Execution
Immigrant Rights
US Sues South Carolina Over Immigration Law
GLBT Issues
Even After ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ Gay Soldiers Remain Unequal In The Military
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Texas Republicans Don’t Get Occupy Wall Street
"It's interesting for them to argue against capitalism and at the same time be walking down the street with a BlackBerry or an iPhone, which would not have happened had we not had capitalism to drive those innovations." That’s what Congressman Mike Conaway told the San Angelo Standard-Times, in yet another illustration of how members of the subsidiary of corporate America otherwise known as the Republican Party have no idea what the members of the 99% movement are protesting in lower Manhattan.The Occupy Wall Street movement is not about protesting capitalism. This movement is about protesting capitalism for the poor and socialism for the rich. This movement is about protesting the corruption of our government by corporate and other special interest. The movement is about protesting our democracy being turned into a corporatocracy.
Conaway later in the article said that Occupy Wall Street hasn't as much effect on the national dialogue as the Tea Party. Really? Considering that for the last month the national conversation has been almost exclusively about the Occupy Wall Street protest, I think he might be somewhat out of touch with reality.
Congress Mac Thornberry told the Standard-Times that “most people who are frustrated at not getting a job are out there looking for a job, not living in a park." I suspect that Thornberry is ignoring the fact that there are 5 job seekers for every one job in America, and that millions are a part of the long term unemployed who have exhausted their unemployment benefits. When there is nothing left to do but take to the streets, what do you expect?
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