Burnt Orange Report

Operation Gravy On The Mashed Potatoes

By Jim Dallas

Just when you think it can't get better, it does:

The New York Times says Tom DeLay has been busted for violating House rules.

Conservatives Sour on Bush Performance

By Byron LaMasters

From the National Review:

ABC INSTANT VIEWER POLL [John Hillen] Kerry 45 Bush 36 Draw 17

[...]

TONIGHT'S WINNER [Andrew Stuttaford]
John, that's dead on. Over at Joe Scarborough is saying Kerry wins on points. I think that's right.

[...]

"TONIGHT HE SEEMED TO FIND HIS VOICE" [Ramesh Ponnuru]
Russert on Kerry.

[...]

DEBATE BOTTOM LINES [John Derbyshire]
John Kerry plus: He does not come across as arrogant and obnoxious as we believe him to be.

[...]

George W. Bush minus: The President is a dismally poor public speaker.

From Daniel Drezner:

After an awful start, I thought Kerry and Bush got stronger as the evening wore on. But Kerry got much stronger -- his criticisms of Bush got sharper over time.

Instapundit:

WRAPUP: Both closing statements were pretty good. Overall, while neither of these guys is an especially good orator (or maybe because neither is an especially good orator) it was a more substantive debate than I had expected.

Kerry was tougher than I had expected [...]

Bush started off weak, got better as it went on, and finished well ("the transformative power of liberty").

It's the Nuclear Holocaust, Stupid.

By Jim Dallas

I think it's apparent now, if it wasn't pre-debate, that Kerry's trump-card on foreign policy is being played: nuclear proliferation.

For the last week there's been a lot of chatter surrounding proliferation issues, revolving mostly around Graham Allison's book Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe, which has gotten considerable press despite being mired at #367 in the Amazon sales rankings.

That isn't to say that Kerry is latching on to a newly-salient issue; I think there's probably been some strategy to do this for a while, because it's so obviously effective as political ju-jitsu. The thing speaks for itself.

Moreover, anti-nuclearism should have broad public appeal, especially among the "base" that has needed a little prodding.

I hope we will continue to hear a lot about this, because I think it could be a very effective issue.

The new paradigm

By Jim Dallas

The incumbent is weak and ignorant.

The challenger is strong and articulate.

The choice is between proven failure and a smarter direction.

Bring it on!

I watched the debates down at the Cougar Place (home sweet home) lobby. Both candidates had their share of knee-slappers and chuckles from the audience (about 20 residents or so), but I think it's clear that Bush was babbling like a little lost child trying to find his way home.

Debate Thread

By Byron LaMasters

Well, I'm in front of the TV chatting with friends, eating, drinking and blogging. I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging throughout the debate, but I'll use this thread to blog what comes to mind.

Oliver Willis has the debate Rapid Reblogger to debunk and fact check throughout the debate.

Update (7:45): Apparently, instant response has replaced rapid response.

Kerry team set for Instant Response [Official John Kerry Blog]

Get the Facts LIVE During Tonight’s Debate [Bush-Cheney Website]

Update (7:55): Jesse and Ezra got their debate thread up. They'll have much more to say about it than I will, so read them if you don't already. Washington Monthly also has a good debate thread.

Update (8:10): Damn, I had know idea Bush could pronounce a five-sylable word: vociferously.

Update (8:12): I wish Kerry would have hit back with how Cheney said a Kerry election would have caused another terrorist attack, but the outsourcing comment about Afghanistan was good.

Update (8:16): Thank you Ezra!

"Alright, Bush is WAY more orange than Kerry is here."

If you're watching C-SPAN (split screen), it's remarkably obvious. Take that all you googlers of Kerry + orange that find your way here.

Update (8:22): It's like, yeah man, a huge like tax gap, like yeah. Did Bush go blonde?

Update (8:26): Bush is razzled. Yay! That's nice that he meets with the FBI director every day he's in Washington once a week. That's like once a month, right.

8:28: Where the heck is E-ron? I've never heard of that country, Mr. President.

8:36: "I see on the tv screens how hard it is" - uh, Mr. President, how about going to a funeral. Or having a coherent thought where you don't say "uh" every three seconds.

9:05: I bet Bush's mama is proud. He can say: KIM JONG-IL - Geez. How many times did he repeat that name? At least (I don't think) he mangled it like Abu Gharib.

9:06: Ok, give Bush a minute, and he'll mangle it.

9:09: It shouldn't have taken Kerry to take 69 minutes to say the word "draft", although he gets double credit for saying "outsourcing" several times earlier about Afghanistan, a double attack. One, that Bush failed to pin down Bin Laden when he had a chance, and two, it reminds people of job outsourcing.

9:13: Best Bush lines of the night. Praise Kerry with compliments, then question him for changing his positions.

9:19: Q: What is the most serious threat to the U.S?

Kerry: Nuclear Proliferation.
Bush: What the fuck? (all he had to say was terrorism)

9:22:

2001 - Bush: Outsoursed U.S. national security to Taliban warlords.
2004 - Bush: Outsourced U.S. national security to China

9:32: Did Jenna just turn her back on John Kerry? Didn't her father teach her better?

9:39: Greenfield says Kerry was more presidential, and that the conservative bloggers were mixed on Bush. FOX News is doing the unthinkable - they're talking down Bush. Damn. If FOX News is saying things like "Kerry supporters should be heartened", then its a darn good night. Thank God.

9:48: Vote in the silly network polls. It'll control the spin for the next few days, so give Kerry some love.

Thank You, Austin!

By Byron LaMasters

This is cool. I found out this morning that we won the Austin Chronicle: Best of 2004 for Best Political Blog by the Austin Chronicle readers. So, a very special thank you to the BOR co-bloggers, my family, my friends, our readers, our commenters (especially our right-wing friends that enliven this place with their always pithy, and sometimes snarky remarks), our linkers, my sixth grade teacher, my parents rabbit, my parents rabbit that didn't make it, and well anyone else that deserves to be thanked. Here we go:

Best Local Political Blog

Burnt Orange Report

Named (natch) for the 40 Acres' famous colors, the Burnt Orange Report has quickly risen to stand toe-to-toe with some of the Blogosphere's biggest. Its exhaustive list of progressive resources is a blessed boon for those feeling a bit "bushed" from the last four year of Republican stranglehold. Founded a year and a half ago by Byron LaMasters and Jim Dallas, with Andrew Dobbs and Karl Thomas coming onboard later, these UT Dems are a much needed anathema to the Young Conservatives of Texas.

I'll have to email them a quick correction, giving them Karl-Thomas's full name, and making sure that they know that he was the delegate, whereas I only attended the DNC Convention due to the good graces of whoever decided to credential bloggers. But anyway, thanks as always for reading BOR, and let us know what else you'd like to see from us.

More on the Best of Austin in the extended entry

Other winners of note:

Best Scandal

Governor Rick Perry Is Gay

Initially cranked out by multiple and seemingly credible sources, then running on the fumes of wishful thinking (well, he is awfully cute), this rumor far
outlived its expiration date, keeping pub and watercooler conversations lively – as well as a few news outlets. What was amazing was how fast it spread – across Austin, around Texas, and throughout the country. It ended up offering more insight on those who spread it than it did on the governor, because although it had no basis in fact that anyone could determine, some wanted it to be true so badly they spread it anyway.

My only comment here is that I may have called Governor Perry many things, but cute is not one of them. Although, I must add, he does have mighty good hair.

Best Elected Official

Lloyd Doggett

After years of being part of the local landscape Doggett really needed to feel your love this year, after redistricting put him at genuine risk for the first time in his House career. And love there was; barring an act of God, Doggett's career representing Austinites will continue into its fourth decade in November.

Amen.

Best GLBT Leader

TIE: Bettie Naylor, Randall Ellis

Two of the hardest-working activists in the scope of GLBT rights, it is an incredible honor that we can call them our own. For those new to town, meet LGRL's director Randall Ellis and lobbyist Bettie Naylor, two Texas stars from two generations of Lone Star activism. Naylor's fire was lit during the early feminist movement and she's been flaming ever since. Naylor was the first lobbyist that LGRL ever hired to chat up lawmakers at the Lege, and Lord knows she can tell you some tales about those days. But right now she's too busy working on the future. Ellis joined LGRL two years ago and really hit the ground running. His mobilizing skills have been proven time and again. Of course, he was already wise to the corridors of power after serving a stint as aide to gay-friendly Houston Rep. Garnet Coleman. Though they travel in different circles, this charming, well-coiffed duo has been instrumental in the fight to retain the dignity and stature of the GLBT community in an era when Dubya is trying desperately to revoke their rights and send queer folk back into the closet as second-class citizens. With Ellis and Naylor duo in our corner, that will never happen.

Ditto to my thoughts regarding Lloyd Doggett. Randall Ellis is a tireless advocate for LGRL. I've spent time working with him up close, and he came on the job with LGRL soon before the 2003 legislative session, and managed to organize a phenomenal campaign to defeat a proposed ban on gay adoption and foster parenting. Bettie Naylor has been fighting for GLBT equality just as long as about anyone, and while I'm not sure how old she is now, she still has the energy of someone in their 20s or 30s. I absolutely have tons of respect for her.

Another winner hit close to home, as I live about 250 feet from the dividing line of three congressional districts, across the street from the Marimont Cafeteria:

Best Place to Digest Redistricting

Marimont Cafeteria

You can count on the elderly for two things: getting out the vote and getting in the dinner line before 5:30pm. The local nexus of the two lies at Austin's hallowed Marimont Cafeteria. Like a tubby kid ogling the pie cart, the newly Repub majority Lege of 2003 decided to carve up Texas' congressional districts like so much roast beef as to neuter yellow dog Lloyd Doggett, entrench Tom "Bug Man" DeLay's dominion over his district, and Perrymander themselves extra seats in the process. Therefore, Austin got Ronco'd, with Marimont Cafeteria on 38th and Guadalupe serving as the new meeting point for districts 10, 21, and 25, with none drawn in a way to truly represent the capital city. So as you enjoy their from-scratch specials, remember: The best thing about a cafeteria is the lack of DeLay.

Other bloggers recognized include:

• Beth Westbrook (Best Local Blogger - readers) - An Austin transgender activist who passed away this summer. I hadn't read her blog before, but I'll definitely give it a look.
• Prentiss Riddle (Best Austin Blogger - critics) - another blog I'll have to check out. It looks interesting from first glance.

Finally! The SCLM Reports on the Bush Flip-Flops!

By Byron LaMasters

One of the biggest mistakes the Kerry campaign made was allowing President Bush to define him as a flip-flopper. If the Kerry campaign had hit back with a strong rapid response that George W. Bush is a flip-flopper, the issue probably would either be dead, or greatly diminished. Instead, they didn't respond, and well, we know what's happened.

For awhile now, lefty bloggers have been making the arguement that the Kerry campaign should have been making two or three months ago, and finally the so called liberal media (SCLM) is begining to pick up on it. I think it would be effective for Kerry to point out some of these Bush flip-flops if he has a chance tonight.

First, on Paula Zahn Now:

ZAHN: Kerry isn't alone when it comes to being vulnerable on the flip-flop issue. The Democrats are now stepping up their efforts to point out that President Bush has also changed course on a number of critical issues. We check the president's record involving the war on terror and Iraq.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN (voice-over): Six days after the attacks of 9/11, the president had this to say about terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden.

BUSH: I want justice. And there's an old poster out West, as I recall, that said wanted dead or alive.

ZAHN: But only six months later, catching bin Laden was no longer a priority.

BUSH: The idea of focusing on one person really indicates to me people don't understand the scope of the mission.

I truly am not that concerned about him.

ZAHN: The Bush administration at first opposed the creation of the Department of Homeland Security.

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: So creating a Cabinet office doesn't solve the problem.

ZAHN: But less than three months later, that all changed.

BUSH: I asked the Congress to join me in creating a single permanent department with an overriding and urgent mission, securing the homeland of America and protecting the American people.

ZAHN: In building a case for going to war with Iraq, the president argued that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.

BUSH: Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.

ZAHN: But when no weapons were found, his emphasis shifted.

BUSH: Because America and our allies acted, one of the most evil, brutal regimes in history is gone forever.

(CHEERING AND APPLAUSE)

BUSH: The dictator of Iraq committed many atrocities and he had many more in mind.

ZAHN: Last month, when the president was asked if the United States could win the war on terror, he was doubtful.

BUSH: I don't think you can win it, but I think you can create conditions so that the -- those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world, let's put it that way.

ZAHN: But the very next day, he reversed himself.

BUSH: We are winning this war against these terrorists, and we will win this war against these terrorists.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ZAHN: The president in his own words on several subjects (ph), almost certain to come up on tomorrow's debate.

Ok, so lets review. George Bush wanted Osama Bin Laden dead or alive before he said he wasn't concerned about him. George Bush was against the Department of Homeland Security before he was for it. Invading Iraq was about WMD's before they weren't found, and the justification was then about toppling an evil, brutal regime. George Bush believed we could win the war on terror, before and after he said it couldn't be won. Did someone say flip-flop?

And there's more. Also yesterday, CBS News reports on Bush's top ten flip-flops (via From the Roots):

• Weapons of Mass Destruction


• Nation Building and the War in Iraq


• Iraq and the Sept. 11 Attacks


• The Sept. 11 Commission


• Free Trade


• Homeland Security


• Same-Sex Marriage


• Winning the War on Terror


• Campaign Finance Reform


• Gas Prices

To recap - Bush justified the invasion of Iraq on WMD's, but now admited none were found. Bush was against nation building before he was for it. Bush told the American people that Saddam Hussein was part of the war on terror, before admiting that he was not connected with 9/11 or Al-Qaeda. Again, Bush was against the 9/11 commission before he was for it. Bush was for free trade, but then supported tariffs on foreign steel products, before flip-flopping again, and opposing them. Again, Bush opposed the Department of Homeland Security before he was for it. Bush was against federal intervention on same-sex marriage before he was for it. Bush said the war on terror couldn't be won, before changing his mind the next day. Bush was against campaign finance reform before he was for it. Bush was for "jawboning OPEC" to lower gas prices, but as President has seen gas prices rise to $50 a barrel, and done nothing to pressure OPEC to increase production.

George Bush = Flip-flopper. End of story.

Unlike every other generation, they were not sissies...

By Jim Dallas

... and according to Grover Norquist, that makes the "Greatest Generation" un-American.

It's amazing how much dumb Norquistisms Kevin Drum has dredged up ever since he started, you know, paying attention.

What exactly is so fascinating (such that they merit constant blogging) about the troika of right-wing inanity, Alan Keyes, Grover Norquist, and George W. Bush? I don't know, exactly, and perhaps I will never know. But I suppose it has something to do with "shock and awe."

Sugary, Marshmallowy, Honeyfied Goodness... Now with Whole Wheat

By Jim Dallas

This is good news. If Burger King started to use organically-grown tomatoes in making their triple Whoppers, we'd really defeat this obesity thing.

Disclaimer: I love triple whoppers just the way they are, thank you very much.

Keep Hope Alive

By Jim Dallas

During torts class today, about half the class (as far as I could tell) was paying only intermittent attention to the lecture, instead watching the Cubs lose to Cincinatti through the magic of streaming video. (On the other hand, I was barely paying attention because I kept falling asleep; I've gotten on to a really weird sleep schedule, and the "causation" chapter isn't exactly barn-burning excitement.)

At any rate, it's Wild Card Season, and the Astros are now in first place, with the Cubs and Giants a half-game down.

The Astros play the Rockies next, and if they blow up now, I'll be even more heartbroken than usual.

Oh yeah, the first presidential debate is tonight.

How can we possibly be expected to learn in such an environment?

Maya Keyes Pictures Removed

By Byron LaMasters

The Alan Keyes campaign might not be talking to reporters about it, but they're obviously ashamed of Maya Keyes - Alan Keyes lesbian daughter.

The pictures of Maya have been removed from the Keyes Campaign website.

Gone, gone and gone.

Via Archpundit.

UT Student Government Politics Begins

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

(This post is about some inside info on the positioning that is going on for SG elections (which are held all the way away in March) but are being talked about now.)

Student Government elections are held in the first week of March each year. There is a two week campaign period before the elections in which a number of silly rules limit activities and speech of the 'tickets' and individual. (i.e. not being able to mail, e-mail students about positions creating a situations where the bulk of funds is spent on t-shirts and push cards).

Because of the blackout on being able to officially say "vote for" any candidate or ticket anywhere before that two week window, most organizing of tickets must go on under the radar and generally creates Tickets that are heavily Student Government based in recent history or filled with those who know the process.

From what I have learned this past week, the beginnings of two tickets have already been formed out of this year's Student Government body, meaning a Presidential and Vice Presidential candidate. At this point I would like to say that I am writing this as a student and Burnt Orange blogger, not as a personal critique on any of these people, but as a reporter attempting to shed light on a process that is largely unseen and insider. If Student Government wants to talk about breaking widespread stereotypes about it being "Insider", "Elitist", or "Clubby" then it needs to be open to this type of reporting.

One one side so far, there is Omar Ochoa, currently a 2 Year at Large Representative who also sits on the President's Student Advisory Committee. These are two good things to be if you are looking at the SG Presidency as current SG President Brent Cheney was a 2-year at large, as was previous president Brian Haley, previous VP Sly Majid, and last year's losing candidate for president Patrick George (who still sits in the SG Assembly now). Sly was also on the President's Student Advisory Committee back in 2001.

The nice thing about being a two-year at large Rep is that if you lose your bid for President, you still have your seat. In addition, both Brent Cheney and Patrick George were Liberal Arts Reps before they were 2 Year at Larges. Other 2 Years have become part of various Executive Boards nominated by the Prez, but that is an aside.

Omar is the most progressive of the four names I'm about to go through. He's been very much involved with the Multicultural Information Center on campus and is a Co-Director of the Latino Leadership Council, the umbrella for about 25 Latino groups on campus.

Pairing up with him though is the seemingly odd and maybe upsetting choice for progressives, Elizabeth Brummet who not surprisingly is also a 2 Year at Large and former Liberal Arts Rep. Definetly to the right of Omar but possibly not so much in an active political sense (as I don't know all the Reps personally as of yet) Brummet is very much involved with Greek Life, specifically Chi Omega and could be comparably compared as I have been told to current SG VP Rachel McGinity who is also a Chi O and is on that same list.

Now why the big deal about Chi Omega? At UT it is considered by many to be the most active, politically involved sorority that has influence over how the other sororities align, especially the Tri-Delts in the like. And he (or she) who has the political muscle of Chi Omega behind them likely garners the other sororities. And not only that, but the fraternities tend to follow their partnered sororities, so you can see what it makes sense to take advantage of this. This will also be the cause of contention in the next Ticket I present.

Ticket numero dos is apparently headed by Wes Carpenter, making this the ticket headed by a conservative rather than a progressive (though I'm not sure to what degree). From his profile...

My hometown is Sugar Land Texas, where there is no equal. I am currently in my second year here at the University pursuing a degree in Government and Economics. On campus I am involved in Brothers Under Christ Fraternity, the Distinguished Speakers Committee, the Outdoor Pool Committee, the Spirit and Traditions Council and LEAP...

Yes, that's Tom Delay land. But the more curious thing is that Carpenter is and has been a SG Agency director for two different ones, not the most usual path to the Presidency for recent history. And apparently there is already some kvetching over the fact that many of the conservative student groups on campus, their leaders/people in SG are being enticed to fall behind the Ochoa/Brummet ticket and not the Carpenter/Hanks ticket.

Hanks? you might ask. Never herd of Colby Hanks. Good point, because that name isn't in the Student Government roster, it's found on none other than the same Chi Omega roster where Brummet and McGinity are found! For the reasons layed out above, the importance of Chi O. There was supposedly a big flare up at the House the other weekend over this very point because they don't normally split their resources. It's a pure political move on the part of Carpenter, a smart one, but still, it's a ticket headed with an Agency director and an outsider and still somehow trying to be an incumbent ticket. (because at this stage in the game it's all about trying to pull existing representatives to one or the other in advance)

Frats and Sororities still have a lot of influence over SG elections at UT. Put simply, they vote and in lockstep if they have a person on a particular ticket. Members get points if they vote and you can be darned sure someone is at the door making sure you've voted before you've left for class that day.

Student groups have some power, but they aren't organized and not near as large. University Democrats, some of the cultural groups, UT Watch, and a few others are considered the only ones whose endorsements actually matter. The Agency and Committee heads within SG tend to know their constituency’s very well and that can lead to GOTV efforts and word of mouth about what ticket is best to vote for.

Right now SG is mildly conservative and has lost the liberal majority it had last year. The question now is which way will it trend? Will there be a third ticket that gets set up, through a huge ass monkey wrench into the plans being laid? How long will it take and will there be an opportunity for a progressive coalition to join together (UDems, Campus Greens, UT Watch, the Cyclists, Hispanic, Black, Asian cultural groups, the GLBT crowd, the environmental groups, Save Barton Springs, Students Against Cruelty to Animals, and on and on) complemented by a few always needed liberal frat types? Will the Ochoa/Brummet ticket try to do this? Will the progressives swallow that combo?

Remember, turnout is only about 20% these days, even with Internet voting. (pretty graph and one that is zoomed into the more recent elections). Will we sit and grumble or try to outreach and take over a ticket or make our own? Will this be yet another election won in a landslide by the entire ticket like the last two elections (minus one Representative in 2003 from the minority 'party')?

This post is meant to provoke some thought. It's meant to open up the process. I'm in the progressive camp so pardon me if it sounds like I'm being too negative about any conservatives. One of these days I'll probably be running as well but until then, can we as Student Government try to still FOCUS on the issues we/you were elected to deal with this year and not worry about perpetual elections?

More TX-32 Updates

By Byron LaMasters

Busy week with the Frost campaign, but a couple of quick updates.

Southpaw did some phone banking for Frost tonight, and has a report for us:

Inspired by the recent Texas Tuesday feature, I volunteered for the Frost campaign tonight and heard an interesting bit.

The Lover's Lane United Methodist Church asked Frost and Sessions to meet with them. While Frost accepted, Sessions never answered.

The man is not a good speaker, yet why would you avoid meeting people, particularly in what you would think would be a friendly group?

FWIW, my phone calls turned up more than 3-to-1 support for Frost among undecideds. And I had no good amusing conversations, although one woman concerned me at first when she said that she was a lifelong Republican. Then, she said rather dramatically, "But I went and got me an absentee ballot just so that I could vote for Frost and the Democrats."

Good news there. Also, the latest Frost mailer targets Pete Sessions's tax-payer funded trips to Malaysia, Orlando, Taiwan, China, Russia, Cyprus, Iceland, New Zealand and Australia. Via 100 Monkeys Typing.

Score one for the Lefty Bloggers

By Byron LaMasters

Kudos to David Brock for getting GOP pollster Frank Luntz canned as MSNBC's objective pollster in the debates tomorrow.

Roll Call reports:

The watchdog organization Media Matters for America was none too pleased that MSNBC had scheduled GOP pollster Frank Luntz conduct on-air focus groups following tonight’s presidential debate.

Kinky Rick Santorum

By Byron LaMasters

Via Wonkette, the latest from the kinkiest Senator in Washington:

Santorum will seek Whip slot.

Because, he seems to know more about various sex acts than just about anyone else in Washington (heck, in just about anywhere for all I know):

“In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality. That's not to pick on homosexuality. It's not, you know, man on child, man on dog, or whatever the case may be. It is one thing. And when you destroy that you have a dramatic impact on the quality.” –Rick Santorum, AP interview

That's right, guys. Save marriage today, because next generation, it'll be man on box turtle.

San Antonio Voter Reg. Way Up

By Byron LaMasters

From the broken record department, Kuff crunches the numbers via Lasso:

More than 62,000 Bexar County residents have registered to vote since January, boosting the number of local eligible voters to a record level of almost 900,000 and causing officials to brace for the upcoming presidential election.

If only half of all those who are registered to vote actually show up at the polls Nov. 2, it would be the largest voter turnout in Bexar history, officials said Tuesday.

[...]

According to election records, there were 896,913 registered voters in Bexar County as of Tuesday afternoon — about 25,000 more than the 2000 presidential election.

[...]

The north and northeast parts of the county set the pace for new registered voters this year with 22,819.

Certainly good news for democracy, although I'd be inclined to second-guess Kuff's assertion that this is great news for Democrats:

Idealistic concerns for democracy aside, there's a big reason to be happy about this. I've been going through election return data, and in just about every election I've checked, going back to 1996 so far, the Democrats do better in the four major urban counties (Bexar, Dallas, Harris, and Travis) than they do statewide.

Any and all voter registration is a good thing, but just because the urban counties show an increase in voter registration, doesn't necessarily mean it's likely to swing Democratic. Harris, Dallas, Bexar and Travis Counties all have large swaths of favorable turf for Democrats, but the same is true for Republicans. I tended to regard the Travis County voter registration news as great for Democrats, because it was disproportionately among young people. In Bexar County, the article mentions that the highest voter registration is in the north and northeast sections of the county - also the most Republican and suburban areas of the county.

UT Ad and Democratic Ruminations

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The University of Texas has an awesome new ad they have produced. You can see it from this page.

It was made by GSD&M, a major advertising company here in Austin. Each of those letters stands of name of the major workers/players in the company, some of which are Democratic. The S is Roy Spence, quoted in the article, whose name has been bandied about the Capitol City a number of times in reference to a possible bid of Texas Governor.

His quote about that ad is what I would love to see as part of a Texas political campaign...

The spot, produced in conjunction with the strategic planning and positioning firm GSD&M Advertising, is the first in a series of seven “image” ads that will debut this year.

The series will incorporate a new theme, “What Starts Here Changes the World,” developed by the university’s Office of Public Affairs and the Center for Brand Research in concert with GSD&M, in a year-long project led by Advertising Professors Neal Burns and Deborah Morrison.

“Austin, Texas is the ‘City of Ideas’—a city that brings the doers and dreamers together to see new things, dream new dreams and create things and experiences that make a difference,” said Roy Spence, founder and president of GSD&M Advertising.

“The heartbeat of this City of Ideas is the University of Texas, a place of learning, discovery, leadership, freedom and responsibility, where everyone is a student of both our proud heritage as well as a seeker of what is next. The University of Texas and the City of Ideas, working, living and learning together. What starts here changes the world—that is what this new campaign for the University of Texas is all about.”

Holy Shit! The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!

By Byron LaMasters

Ok, not really, but the Dallas Morning News endorsed Democrat Diana Lackey for Dallas County Tax Assessor over GOP incumbent David Childs.

In the last year for which statistics are available, the Dallas County tax office, headed by 15-year GOP incumbent David Childs, collected 95.8 percent of the taxes owed the county. That sounds good, but it puts Dallas County fourth among Texas' five major urban counties. (Only Harris County was less effective.)

One year might be a fluke, but for the past 10 years Dallas County's collection rate has consistently lagged those of Tarrant, Travis and Bexar counties. If Mr. Childs' office had been as effective as the other three, averaged, Dallas County's coffers would have been fatter by $43 million over that period.

[...]

The 51-year-old challenger, who has a bachelor's of science in accounting from San Diego State University, comes with an impressive resume and glowing recommendations from her former employers in California's Santa Clara and San Diego counties. Between them, she worked in those counties' tax offices for 24 years, working her way up from a trainee in San Diego to the No. 2 person in the Santa Clara office. (Santa Clara, site of San Jose, is California's fourth-most-populous county.) During her six-year tenure there, the county's collection rate jumped substantially over previous years'.

[...]

Fortunately, voters have an excellent alternative. We feel confident that Ms. Lackey can take the tax office to the next level.

Wow. I can't remember the last time the Dallas Morning News endorsed a Democratic challenger over a GOP incumbent (even if it's for the lowly office of tax assessor). Maybe I should lighten up a bit on them. Or maybe I should just remind themselves that they still have a rigid GOP bias.

Current DMN endorsement tally:

9 Republicans
2 Democrats

Iraq, Jobs, Hate Amendment...

By Byron LaMasters

Basically, Tom DeLay and the GOP House leadership are saying screw jobs and screw Iraq. You know, because what's the most important issue for the GOP House leadership to debate thirty days before the election, even though it's a lost cause?

Yup, it's here again. Hate Amendment time:

House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, acknowledged Tuesday that the proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage would fail to win House passage Thursday.

But he insisted that he would go forward with a vote on the amendment anyway.

"The American people need to know where their representatives stand" on the issue, DeLay told a news conference.

DeLay acknowledged that past House votes on gay marriage issues show it is unlikely that the proposed amendment could receive the necessary two-thirds support.

Ok, Tom, so why are we debating the issue? Norman Ornstein gives us the answer - Armageddon:

Norman Ornstein, a congressional analyst at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, said the issue is being pushed by Republicans to energize their conservative base.

"The upside potential in convincing the Christian conservative community that Armageddon will come if John Kerry and Democrats are elected is greater than losing Log Cabin Republicans and some socially moderate Republicans," Ornstein said.

Ok, it all makes sense now. Jobs and Iraq are pretty minor compared to Armageddon. Why didn't the just come out and tell us earlier? I was confused for the longest time.

More at Boi From Troy.

Am I missing something?

By Byron LaMasters

Or is there a good reason why so many people are doing Google searches of "John Kerry" + orange and Kerry + orange today? I've received dozens of visits via those searches today, and I have absolutely no clue why.

Can anyone help here?

Thou shalt not raaaaaaaawk

By Jim Dallas

John Nova Lomax goes on a rant directed at Radio One (new owners of 92.1, formerly the classical radio station) in this week's Houston Press (not posted yet, see below). Unfortunately, it's one of those rants that everyone knows is true, and there's nothing you can do about it:

There's a killer station waiting to happen in this town, one that would make lots of money and spawn lots of copycats nationwide. Take the smarter edge of modern rock...[a]dd in the smarter edge of modern commercial hip-hop...[a]nd play the music that influenced those bands...

But no, you wouldn't ever do that, because that would be something smart, new and different, and I've just about given up hoping that you'll ever try anything like that here. You might try that in some city that your marketing wonks will tell you is "hip," some place like Austin, Portland, or San Francisco, but as for Houston? Naah. You'll just continue to give us the same stupid old tired-ass crap, because after all, we're just Houston, and Houston is not allowed to have cool radio stations. It seemed like it must be on some stone tablet somewhere in the bowels of City Hall near the "no zoning" commandment, the one that dictates the Astros will always break our hearts, and that other one that says all of our local TV commercials have to be made by half-bright orangutans.

The Astros may break their heart-breaking streak soon, though, so there is always hope. Until then, I guess it'll be classic rock and 97.9 KBXX in rapid rotation (unfortunately, I'm having the darndest trouble receiving the 80s station, 106.9, on campus).

Beldar Won't Like this

By Byron LaMasters

Over the weekend, the conservative Beldar Blog posted that "Kerry's no Ike", differenciating how in his opinion Dwight Eisenhower's election in 1952 in the middle of a war is from the 2004 election. As he concludes, Bedlar writes:

When John Kerry says, "Trust me and I'll fix things in Iraq and with the Global War on Terror" — what possible basis can you have to give him that trust, other than a faith so blind that it has become genuinely reckless?

I could offer my reply, but why don't I just let Ike's son, John Eisenhower do the talking:

As son of a Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, it is automatically expected by many that I am a Republican. For 50 years, through the election of 2000, I was. With the current administration’s decision to invade Iraq unilaterally, however, I changed my voter registration to independent, and barring some utterly unforeseen development, I intend to vote for the Democratic Presidential candidate, Sen. John Kerry.

The fact is that today’s “Republican” Party is one with which I am totally unfamiliar. To me, the word “Republican” has always been synonymous with the word “responsibility,” which has meant limiting our governmental obligations to those we can afford in human and financial terms. Today’s whopping budget deficit of some $440 billion does not meet that criterion.

Responsibility used to be observed in foreign affairs. That has meant respect for others. America, though recognized as the leader of the community of nations, has always acted as a part of it, not as a maverick separate from that community and at times insulting towards it. Leadership involves setting a direction and building consensus, not viewing other countries as practically devoid of significance. Recent developments indicate that the current Republican Party leadership has confused confident leadership with hubris and arrogance.

[...]

Sen. Kerry, in whom I am willing to place my trust, has demonstrated that he is courageous, sober, competent, and concerned with fighting the dangers associated with the widening socio-economic gap in this country. I will vote for him enthusiastically.

The trust given to John Kerry by a lifetime registered Republican for fifty years, who saw his father's Republican Party take a wild and radical turn to the right in recent years is no small issue. This is not someone putting blind faith or reckless trust in John Kerry, but rather someone who despite a lifetime of supporting Republicans, has seen the Bush administration take a rapid departure away from the leadership role that America has played in the world since World War II.

Will anyone listen? Or will John Eisenhower just get the Ron Reagan Jr. from the right?

The National Past Time

By Jim Dallas

According to wire reports, the Montreal Expos will announce today intentions to move to Washington, D.C.

A FOX Sports poll asks readers what the team's name ought to be changed to. I vote for "Republi-crats," only because every team named "The Senators" has ended up leaving Washington. And we all know the Republi-crats will never stop playing "insider" baseball. So it seems like a good-luck-charm sort of thing.

Deep Thought

By Jim Dallas

Why doesn't "Waco" rhyme with "taco"?

In other news, who really has a burning desire to see a special session called between now and January?

Austin American Statesman:

Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst reiterated today that they're willing to call a special legislative session on education funding before next year's regular session, if someone puts forth a plan that has a chance of winning the backing of majorities in both houses.

"If the lieutenant governor comes to me tomorrow and says we have a solution that the House has agreed to, and I looked at that and said I can sign that, I wouldn't be afraid to bring them in next week," Perry told reporters. "We are not there yet."

Perry called a special session on education finance in April without success. The current system was ruled unconstitutional Sept. 15 by state District Judge John Dietz.

"I have said over and over again that, given a choice, I would much rather solve school finance today than wait for the regular session," Dewhurst said.

The two talked with reporters after announcing state funding for a high-speed computer network to connect dozens of Texas universities and colleges.

"But even in the regular session, we can solve it," Dewhurst said. "We want to pass it as early as we can in the session.

"School finance is broken, and we want to fix it. We know what we need to do to reform our finance system and make it better — lower local property taxes and reform how we pay for our schools. We need to come together and pass that, and then this lawsuit is over. It's moot."

Does Wohlgemuth Represent Ohio Values?

By Byron LaMasters

Yesterday, State Rep. Arlene Wohlgemuth campaigned with President Bush in Ohio:

Republican Congressional candidate Arlene Wohlgemuth traveled with the president to a couple of campaign stops in Ohio Monday and walked down the stairs of Air Force One with President Bush Monday night in Waco.

As state representative, Arlene Wohlgemuth authored the bill to cut over 130,000 kids off the CHIP program:

State Rep.'s bill has caused 130,000 Texas children to lose health insurance; Results in higher local taxes and health insurance premiums.

[...]

Wohlgemuth, as chair of the Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee, wrote the law that "reorganized" the Texas Health and Human Services Department. The bill, HB 2292, has made it more difficult for working families to qualify for CHIP by cutting continuous eligibility in half (from 12 months to 6 months) and imposing a 90-day waiting period on new CHIP applicants. CHIP is intended to serve working families who make between 100%--200% of the poverty level—up to $37,700 for a family of four. Congress designed CHIP to help families making too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but too little to afford private insurance.

Wohlgemuth's bill also eliminated dental care and eyeglass coverage from CHIP. CHIP is not free—families pay a monthly premium to enroll in the program.

Arlene Wohlgemuth votes against health care for poor kids. Arlene Wohlgemuth campaigns with George W. Bush in Ohio. Does Arlene Wohlgemuth represent Ohio values (or heck anything other than her own right-wing extremist agenda)?

Travis Co. Voter Reg. Up 64% over 4 years ago

By Byron LaMasters

More good news regarding voter registration. Democratic-leaning areas everywhere are seeing huge increases in voter registration, and Austin is no exception. The New York Times studied top Democratic and Republican precincts in Florida and Ohio a few days ago, and showed that the Democratic registration has increased considerably more than has registration in predominantly GOP districts.

I reported last week that Travis County voter registration was up significantly over 2000, and the Austin American Statesman has more this week:

With five weeks to go before the presidential election, Travis County residents are registering to vote in record numbers.

Since Sept. 1, the county tax office has received 29,865 voter registration applications, a 64 percent jump from the 18,207 received during the same period in September 2000.

The applications come from first-time voters as well as registered voters who are reporting name and address changes.

Travis County typically leans Democratic.

And from the department of *duh*:

Bystanders can only guess at reasons behind the skyrocketing numbers. The election year agenda certainly has plenty of hot-ticket items that could pique voter interest: the war, the economy and gay marriage, just to name a few. Such topics could attract voters of all ages and political persuasions.

But Dolores Lopez, director of voter registration for the Travis County tax office, suspects younger people are behind the pumped-up registration numbers.

"I suspect it's them, just from the people coming into our office," she said. "A lot of our volunteer deputy registrars who are out registering at events are young people."

Of course, it's younger voters. Younger voters move the most, and vote the least. Thus, they're most likely to not be registered, or be registered at an old address. Thus, in an election where there are clear issues that effect young people (i.e. Iraq war, tuition deregulation, jobs, etc.), young people are more likely to register to vote in larger numbers than any other group. The numbers show that 50% of new registrations are under 30, and 39% are under 25.

TRMPAC in More Trouble

By Byron LaMasters

2002 Attorney General candidate Kirk Watson and 2002 State Rep. candidate Mike Head have filed a lawsuit against "Law Enforcement Alliance of America, based in Falls Church, Va.; its undisclosed corporate donors; "John Doe conspirators" who assisted in the ad campaigns; and John Colyandro, the former executive director of Texans for a Republican Majority". The Austin American Statesman reports:

In a new assault on corporate spending in politics, former Texas attorney general candidate Kirk Watson on Monday sued an out-of-state group to unearth the identity of the corporations he said secretly financed illegal campaign ads.

Watson and East Texas legislative candidate Mike Head, both Democrats, filed the lawsuit in Travis County district court against the Law Enforcement Alliance of America, based in Falls Church, Va.; its undisclosed corporate donors; "John Doe conspirators" who assisted in the ad campaigns; and John Colyandro, the former executive director of Texans for a Republican Majority, who also advised Watson's opponent, Greg Abbott, during the 2002 elections.

The lawsuit, opening another front in the escalating campaign finance controversy, says corporate-financed advertising tainted the 2002 elections and says that the alliance violated Texas law by not disclosing its donors. State law generally prohibits corporate or labor money from being spent on political expenditures.

[...]

The alliance spent an estimated $1.5 million on a TV commercial aired around the state in the final days of the 2002 campaign. The commercial attacked Watson as a personal injury trial lawyer who "made millions suing doctors, hospitals and small businesses."

Watson served as Austin mayor from 1997 to 2001.

Abbott, a Republican and the eventual winner in 2002, was praised in the spot for believing in "common-sense lawsuit reform."

The law enforcement group, according to Colyandro's deposition in another lawsuit, also distributed some of the mail pieces created by the Texas Association of Business. The state's largest business group spent $1.9 million in money from undisclosed corporate sources to mail information to voters in several legislative races around the state.

The postcard about Head, a criminal defense lawyer, states that he is "on the side of convicted baby killers and murderers" and questions whether such lawyers should be writing state laws.

The lawsuit follows in the wake of last week's 32 criminal indictments against Colyandro, two other lieutenants of U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and eight corporations accused of making or accepting illegal donations during the 2002 elections.

That "common-sense lawsuit reform fellow" - Greg Abbott, by the way, won a multi-million dollar settlement years ago because a tree fell on him, or something like that. However, now he's a champion for tort reform. Hmmm... gotta love how Republicans think sometimes.

Blog PAC Press Release on TX-32

By Byron LaMasters

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Dallas, TX, September 28, 2004.

What was Pete Sessions thinking about during the debate with
Representative Martin Frost in likening the War in Iraq to a game? How
could Pete possibly think of 9-11 in terms of a game?

Today, BlogPac.org - a political action committee - is beginning an
online advertising campaign with the goal of informing Texas voters of
Pete Sessions's abysmal record of playing partisan games when our troops
lives are on the line. BlogPac.org is running online advertising
throughout the Dallas online media market. BlogPac.org hopes to reach
as many Texas voters in the 32nd CD as possible before early voting
begins next month.

In the 45 second video ad (which can be viewed at
http://www.BlogPac.org/current) Rep. Pete Sessions likens the War in Iraq
as similar to being an away game, and that we had our home game on
September 11, 2001, and Rep. Martin Frost responds.

To this date there have been over 1,100 Coalition Casualties, and the
United States has spent over $200 billion dollars on the war in Iraq.
Does Pete Sessions really believe we should be playing games with our
soldiers' lives and our taxpayer dollars?

Pete Sessions has been a staunch supporter of the Republican President
Bush, but Sessions could not bring himself to support a Democratic
president when we were engaged in peacekeeping in Kosovo. He voted
against authorising the use of force in Kosovo to stop genocide
perpetuated by the brutal dictator Slobodan Milosevic. In addition,
once our troops were on the ground in Kosovo, Sessions voted AGAINST
funding for them (H.R. 1141, 5/18/99, vote # 133).

It's time that Texans were told the truth about Pete Sessions and his
habit of playing partisan political games with our troops lives and our
tax dollars.

CONTACT INFORMATION:
Anna Brosovic - Texas Press Relations
817-975-8049

BlogPac.org
info@blogpac.org
Jerome Armstrong
360-281-1662
http://www.blogpac.org

Bush's Hometown Newspaper endorses Kerry

By Karl-Thomas Musselman

The Lone Star Iconoclast, the Crawford weekly paper which endorsed Bush 4 years ago has seen the light and has endorsed Kerry.

"The publishers of The Iconoclast endorsed Bush four years ago, based on the things he promised, not on this smoke-screened agenda," the newspaper said in its editorial. "Today, we are endorsing his opponent, John Kerry."

It urged "Texans not to rate the candidate by his hometown or even his political party, but instead by where he intends to take the country."

Update: Byron, here. Karl-Thomas just beat me to this one, as I just spotted it over on mydd. Instead of starting a new thread, here's my two cents on this one. The Crawford paper must be getting a lot of traffic as the site appears to be down.

Crawford is an interesting little town. The mayor of Crawford has endorsed John Kerry.

And don't forget the Crawford Lone Star Iconoclast editorials during the redistricting fiasco last year.

Here's one when the Texas Ten were in New Mexico:

The Iconoclast of the Week is New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who assigned a state trooper to protect the protesting Texas legislators from bounty hunters. The Rightist lunatics who have taken over the state legislature were reportedly planning to hire gun thugs to go to New Mexico and bring back the 11 Texas legislators who fled the state to stop lying Texas Gov. Rick “Tricky Ricky” Perry’s illegal gerrymandering scheme.

And this one:

The Iconoclast of the Week is Rep. Jim Dunnam, who led the legislative march to Ardmore and protected the voting integrity of McLennan County and surrounding counties.

The Rightist Republican Gerrymander would have pared segments of Waco into the religious radical loony land of southern Fort Worth suburbs and thrown the rest in with Georgetown and Round Rock’s white flight wealthy.

We need only to look at the debacle of Bosque County, represented by Burleson’s sanctimonious socialite who hardly bothers to campaign down here, let alone represent us.

That sanctimonious socialite would be none other than Arlene Wohlgemuth, who's running against Chet Edwards with Club for Growth support. The interesting thing is that the Crawford Lone Star Iconoclast isn't known to be a left-wing rag. Rather, they supported Bush in 2000, and much of his early agenda:

The Iconoclast, established in 2000, said it editorialized in support of the invasion of Iraq and publisher W. Leon Smith promoted Bush and the invasion in a BBC interview, believing Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction.

"Instead we were duped into following yet another privileged agenda," the editorial said.

The newspaper praised Kerry for "30 years of experience looking out for the American people" and lauded his background as "a highly decorated Vietnam veteran."

Times change, people change. The "compassionate conservative" governor dedicated to having a "humble" foreign policy has in fact governed entirely without compassion, with more liberal domestic spending than Clinton or Carter, and with a foreign policy defined by preemption and unilateralism. It's no surprise that the Crawford paper has changed their mind on George W. Bush. President Bush has abandoned the people and policies that elected him.

Update: More on the Kerry Blog. Good for them to be on top of things.

Election Law 101

By Jim Dallas

Atrios takes the time to actually dig up the voting rights statute that is relevant to the "paper weight" controversy in Ohio:

42 U.S.C. §1971(a)(2):No person acting under the color of law shall... (B) deny the right of any individual to vote in any election because of an error or omission on any record or paper relating to any application, registration, or other act requisite to voting, if such error or omission is not material in determining whether such individual is qualified under State law to vote in such election...

The second issue in Ohio relates to the provisional ballot provisions of the 2002 Help America Vote Act. I think it would be fair to say that HAVA is causing chaos all across America (at the very least, it is hard for me to explain accurately to fellow students what it means).

Al Gore and Bob Dole Debate at SMU Tonight

By Byron LaMasters

This ought to be interesting:

Title: TATE Lecture - Gergen Panel Discussion Date: 2004 Sep 28 Time: 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM Calendar: McFarlin Events Calendar Contact: David Scannell Categories: Lectures Description: A Panel discussion with Bob Dole and Al Gore moderated by David Gergen Tele. #: 214-768-8283 Building & Address: McFarlin Auditorium - 6405 Boaz Ln.

I'm not sure if it's just for students, or open to the public, but if I were in Dallas, I'd just call the above number and find out. Show Al G. some love tonight...

Baseball Blogging

By Andrew Dobbs

I know that Kuff is usually the one to do the blogging on our national pastime but as a fellow fan of the Thinking Man's Game, I feel the need to pontificate on my predictions for this fairly exciting end of the season.

My beloved Boston Red Sox have clinched a playoff spot for the second year in a row, maintaining a 6 game lead over Anaheim in the Wild Card race and sitting only 3 games behind the Spawn of Satan in the AL East. There is an outside chance that Boston could end up winning the division- they play the cellar dweller Devil Rays and the lackluster (yet still threatening) Orioles to close out their season. The cursed team that only a pedophile or communist could love, on the other hand, has a 3 game series against the AL Central Champs- the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota is the beneficiary of a weak division, but Johan Santana is almost a lock for the Cy Young and is pitching like nobody's business. After a rocky start, Santana will close out the regular season with a record of 20-6 and an AL best ERA of 2.62 and an AL best 260 Ks. New York lost two big ones to Boston and while they have home field advantage against the Twins, their starting rotation is hurting without Kevin Brown (his 2/3 IP, 6 Hit, 4 ER performance on Sunday was pathetic at best) and there is a chance that Boston could walk away with a division championship.

But is that what the Sox want? For all of their strengths, the Oakland As or the Anaheim Angels (whichever one wins the startlingly competitive race for the AL West) are both better teams than Minnesota. Unless they eclipse Minnesota in win percentage, the AL East champ will face off against the best of the AL West. It might be better for Boston to win the Wild Card, face off against Minnesota and quickly dispose of the Twins while the Yanks get bogged down against Oakland or Anaheim. The problem would be that Boston would have to start out against New York at Yankee Stadium- always a tough venue- if this is how it unfolds. Still, one way or another, Boston has a real shot at the pennant. New York will likely be the favorite (though Boston led them in their regular season series this year for the first time since 1999), but Boston followed by the AL West champ and then Minnesota in that order all have good shots. Anything can happen with the caliber of playing all of these teams are putting up.

But the real story isn't the AL- it's in our pal the National League. Four teams are still concievably in the hunt for the Wild Card spot (Chicago, San Fran 1 GB, Houston 1.5 GB and San Diego 3 GB). The late-breaking Giants have the good (or perhaps bad) luck of facing both San Diego and the division leading Los Angeles Dodgers. Still, with LA getting a vacation in the form of a four game series against the second to last place Colorado Rockies, I suspect LA will find a way to hold onto the lead in this division. Chicago is 1 game into a 4 game series against the depressing Cincinnati Reds before a 2 game shot against the 13 season straight NL East Division Champs Atlanta. Chi town will likely win the Wild Card, as I don't see Houston passing them in the NL Central.

But Wild Cards and the NL East and West Champs might as well wait until next year- this is the year of the Cardinal. St. Louis has by far the best record in baseball- a full 6 games better than the second best New York Yankees. With power hitting from Albert Pujols and other worldly fielding from Jim Edmonds, every position on the team is stocked with a rock star. They are about 14 games better than .500 on the road and since they will almost certainly play the NL West champ, their 21-9 record on the season against teams from that division is rather revealing. I have no doubt that they will find a way to win the NL pennant and I suspect that they will be favored in the Series. Their pitching is only so-so (their ERA leader- Chris Carpenter- is 17th in the Majors, their win leader- Jeff Supan- is 10th and their K leader- Carpenter- is 25th), their defense and hitting should put them over the top.

My final prediction? Boston wins the AL pennant (wishful thinking? perhaps...), St. Louis the NL and the curse will live on with the Cards beating the Sox in 6.

So some good ball should be going on in the next month or so, I hope to have some more posts on my other passion (besides politics, women, food and sleep)- sports- in the future.

And remember kids... Yankees Suck!

Texas Tuesdays: Martin Frost is Up

By Byron LaMasters

Just posted on Texas Tuesdays on Martin Frost

Q&A with the Martin Frost Campaign.

Recent Rumblings in TX-32.

Donate to Martin Frost.

Donate to the DCCC.

Katy Hubener Campaign Update

By Byron LaMasters

From the Hubener campaign:

We’ve knocked on over 8,000 doors, made over 1,100 phone calls, put 25 3X6 Katy signs, and given out over 1,500 yard signs.

The success of this grassroots campaign has been in its people.

Two Saturdays ago, over 150 people joined us to register voters, knock on doors, and put up yard signs. The huge volunteer turnout and voter response proves that the people of District 106 are ready for new leadership in the Texas House of Representatives.

Donate to Katy here.

Which Republican did the DMN endorse today?

By Byron LaMasters

They said this one was a close one, but the Dallas Morning News still recommended Republican Beth Maultsby over Democrat Dennise Garcia for Family District Court 303.

That's nine Republicans and one Democrat so far (and they still haven't officially endorsed Bush, but that'll make it ten).