Today at their monthly luncheon, members of the Capital Area Democratic Women called Senator Dan Patrick's office on a matter of great importance: should they choose chicken, or beef as their taco filling today?
Sen. Patrick is the battering ram behind SB 16, the Sonogram Bill, which would require women to view a sonogram of the fetus before receiving an abortion. The bill is bad, not only because it patronizes women and implies that they can't handle making their own decisions, but because it creates serious procedural hurdles to a woman accessing her right to choose in Texas. Patrick, along with Governor Rick Perry and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, have decided that forcing a sonogram on an abortion-seeking woman is an issue of utmost importance to Texas, above that of keeping schools open, writing a sane budget, or, you know, keeping the lights on in the State of Texas (meant, sadly, both literally and figuratively now).
From their release:
"We wanted Sen. Patrick to weigh in on what we were having for lunch," said Genevieve Van Cleve, President of CADW. "The Sonogram Bill is a clear indicator that Sen. Patrick does not trust women to make major life decisions. If we can't be trusted with the big ones, how can be possibly carry on living our lives without government consultation for all the decisions we make every day," Van Cleve continued.
These women! They just don't know what they want, whether it's pertaining to the contents of their lunch or the contents of their uterus. Thank goodness Senator Dan Patrick is here to help coerce, intimidate, and pressure them during one of the most important decisions they might make today.
Van Cleve made the first call to Patrick's office. The esteemed Senator was too busy to come to the phone, but a legislative staffer selected the beef. Outrageously, even after the call, members of this group (including myself -- full disclosure: I'm a dues-paying member) went ahead and chose the chicken filling anyways. The gall of these women, who seem to have their own ideas about what they do with their bodies!
Of course, it seems curious that the Legislature could make such a rash decision affecting the lives of many without adequate input from those affected. Where is the beef from? How thoroughly was the chicken cooked? Is there risk of mad cow, or another prion-based disease? Do any members of the group have a religious reason for selecting one meat over the other? What of vegetarians -- are they forced to eat the beef too, even if it violates their own morality?
Now, real conservatives should decry this unnecessary intrusion of government into a woman's taco. Once the government tells you what meat you have to stuff into your shell, then they've basically taken over your whole life.
But then, Sen. Patrick seems to have no problem forcing beef into tacos, or ultrasounds into the hands of pregnant women seeking abortions. And neither does the rest of the Senate State Affairs Committee, which voted 7-1 yesterday in favor of the bill. Soon the Senate as a whole will have a chance to weigh in on their constituents' private medical decisions as well.
Meanwhile, it is unclear if Sen. Patrick will also be filing any mandatory taco-filling bills as well this session, or if Rick Perry will choose to designate beef filling another emergency item requiring immediate attention by the state of Texas. Legislation can be filed until the end of March.
With all the attention the Texas press corps tends to give to Glenn Beck and the Tea Party, you would think that he is the most powerful man in America. First of all, let's not discount Beck's popularity -- he has approximately 2 million viewers nationwide. BOR's traffic is only slightly below that. But the way that prominent Republicans like Rick Perry and Senator Dan Patrick continue to flock to Beck, you'd think he was the silver bullet.
it will help Tea Party activists and other conservatives unhappy with the GOP determine which elected officials have a conservative record and pledge to adhere to key principles.
"We're going to ask people for their trust," Patrick said. "Our mission is really our message and then living up to the message."
Sounds like a great strategy. In fact, I've heard one reporter describe it as "brilliant." Until you look at, you know, the facts. From a terrific yet simple analysis from April 8 that I just stumbled across today: "Glenn Beck's ratings: Not as meteoric as people think"
I collected the ratings for each and every one of his TV broadcasts since the premiere of his show on Fox in January, 2009.
Next, I calculated the average audience size for each week that the show has been on the air, and put the numbers into a chart. (To be fair and balanced, I excluded the weeks of the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's holidays, each of which artificially depressed Beck's numbers.)
The chart revealed something of a surprise: since Glenn Beck's ratings peak during the week ending January 22 (the week of Beck's special "Revolutionary Holocaust: Live free or die" broadcast), Beck's ratings have been on a steep slide, dropping nearly 50%.
So where's the value in jumping on a sinking ship? Easy -- it consolidates Rick Perry's conservative base as he continues his Perry for President 2012 run.
After an entire calendar year of Texas' political reporters wondering whether or not Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison will retire, you'd think they'd be much more cynical -- and stop covering -- any of Rick Perry's attempts to cozy up to the extreme right wing of the Tea Party. The studies that show that Tea Party members are wealthy, older, and white -- and support former President George Bush by a large member -- should be red flags #1-4 that the so-called "Tea Party" crowd, as considered by the press corps, is nothing more than Republicans re-branding themselves.
That, however, would require some critical thinking. And when it comes to conversations involving Glenn Beck, Rick Perry, and the Tea Party, critical thinking just disappears...
The Independent Conservative Republicans of Texas announced new members today, as Senator Dan Patrick and House Republicans continue to run away from the Rick Perry and Republican Party of Texas brand.
The growing list of Texas House Republicans and Republican candidates who have decided to pledge against Speaker Joe Straus and divide themselves from the existing Republican Party of Texas appear to have no shame, nor care, for the damage they are inflicting on their own Party. Which is fine by me -- if they want to admit that Republicans can't be trusted and start their own movement, that's great with me.
The group (ICROT) will be nothing more than a line on a direct mail piece, or a 3-second screen shot on a television ad. "Proud member of the Independent Conservative Republicans of Texas" will be displayed across paid media campaigns while these Republicans try to hide the fact that they are responsible for all of Texas' major failures.
It is a calculated political move -- specifically, a calculated political move in which they are counting on their own voters and own supporters to be stupid. They assume no one will notice. Yet, as I continue to tell people -- Debra Medina was polling at 17% before the Glenn Beck fiasco, and she earned 18.5% of the vote on Election Day. The idea that there are all these "Tea Party activists" who are going to strom the polls in November is the single biggest lie Texas Republicans tell every day.
Believe the spin, if you want -- but if you do, you believe that Senator Dan Patrick is an honest, non-political broker. If you want to trust Rush Limbaugh Lite, by all means...
The Texas Republican Party continues to pander to the far right of their party. Today, 58 Texas Republicans have joined together to launch the Independent Conservative Republicans of Texas.
Their mission is simple.
As members of the Independent Conservative Republicans of Texas, we pledge to defend the values and principles on which our nation was founded. We are proud Republicans who support our party. But our first allegiance is to the people, the conservative majority of our party who elected us to office.
We pledge not to divide, but to unite Conservatives everywhere. We pledge to make America and Texas stronger by defending individual liberty, freedom, and the free market ideals that made our country the envy of the world.
The group calls themselves the Independent Conservative Republicans of Texas. What is independent about them? Absolutely nothing. All of these lawmakers are part of the monolithic block of Texas Republicans who do and say whatever Rick Perry and Grover Norquist want them to say. This is a weak and pathetic ploy, on Republicans part, to re-brand their failed Party before the general elections -- when they know that they will be held accountable for the laundry list of failures they have put in place since 2003.
When their party began to listen to moderates and work with Democrats to pass bipartisan legislation, they put up controversial Voter ID and shut down the House. These members want to increase the government's role in your bedroom, house, small business, and infringe on your social freedoms like speech, privacy, and every bill in the bill rights except the 2nd, which they believe covers the right to carry grenade launchers.
This group of 58 consists of 44 members of the House and 14 Senators is an impressive list. THe 44 House members bare a striking similarity to the 44 members who supported Craddick and his dictatorial regime.
The founder of this bunch is none other than Dan Patrick, who Phil Martin once called the leader of the Senate (even though the constitutional authority rests with Lt. Gov David Dewhursts, but Dewhurst can't lead himself out of the capitol without help).
By now, some of you might be asking what has me so worked up about this fanatic wing of the Republican Party. The answer is simple, and picture are worth a thousand words (or something like that). Tell me what party would want to be assoicated with this (keep in mind the search was just "Tea Party Signs") or the more offensive "tea party racism".
The reality is, this is language and politics unbecoming of an honest and open public discourse.
They have created a contract with Texas that includes:
We give our word to stand for conservative principles
and to put people before party.
We give our word to be fiscally accountable,
limit the size of government,
and fight for free market principles.
We give our word to protect our borders
and to support a strong military.
We give our word to protect life, support strong family values,
and uphold the Judeo-Christian beliefs our nation was founded upon.
We give our word to defend the Constitution
and protect the sovereign rights of Texas.
Keep in mind, in Texas we change our constitution all the time, so if they want to uphold the constitution, it doesn't take much to pass a Prop 2 style hate amendment to make the constitution reflect their interpretation of the Judeo-Christian doctrines they want. Second, government in Texas is so small, there is a $12 billion structural deficit that was only made balanced by... wait for it... accepting federal money!
The budget that created this deficit AND borrowed federal money was written by a Republican House, a Republican Senate, and signed by a Republican Governor.
Let's talk about real problems and solutions. Let's have a real debate. Let's talk about real ideas and what would help ever Texan and not the 58 Republicans who want more power in the Texas legislature. Craddick, Dan Patrick and Phil King want to use fear and rhetoric and we deserve better in Texas.
This political stunt is not only offensive, it is morally reprehensible.
These 58 elected officials are pandering to the far right of their party and in doing so owe every Texan an explanation why and must call out the fanatics of this movement and call on them to end the language of hate and racism.
With a handful of exceptions, the House members who joined Patrick's group are not heavy-lifters under GOP Speaker Joe Straus. And most of the key lawmakers who helped elect Straus - Reps. Jim Pitts, Dan Branch, Burt Solomons, Charlie Geren, Jim Keffer, among others - aren't on the list. Neither is Straus.
Begs the question, is this a 2010 election strategy or a 2011 speaker fight?
This morning, I attended the Texas Senate Criminal Justice Committee hearing. The hearing was called, largely, to hear testimony from the new Texas Forensic Science Commission Chairman, John Bradley.
Two things strike me as clear after attending the hearing:
The Democrats on the Senate Criminal Justice Committee -- Chairman John Whitmire, Senator Rodney Ellis, and Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa -- are going to do everything in their power to make sure that the Texas Forensic Science Commission begins to fulfill its role as an independent state agency that reviews mishandled and questionable forensic science in the Texas criminal justice system.
The new Texas Forensic Science Commission Chairman, John Bradley, is going to serve as Governor Rick Perry's puppet on the Commission, and work with Republicans like Senator Dan Patrick to deflect any of the public controversy brought to Rick Perry for his controversial mismanagement of the agency in the recent months and years.
From listening to Bradley's testimony in person today, here are the ways I think he will be nothing more than Perry's puppet:
Ignorance and Inexperience
John Bradley testified before the Committee that he knew nothing about the Commission before he was appointed by Governor Perry.
Blaming the Legislature - With No Proof
John Bradley accused the Legislature, on multiple occassions, of not having providing the Commission with the resources they needed to do their job. This was obviously a strong talking point that he had decided to pursue -- despite these obvious facts:
When pressed by State Representative Tommy Merritt about the specific budget issues the Commission was facing, he knew of none.
When pressed further about proving -- with a letter, or a phone call, or anything -- when the Legislature has denied the Commission more funding, he could offer no proof.
The Forensic Science Commission is only investigating three cases right now. When asked during the hearing and in a follow-up press conference he held outside the Committee room if the Commission had the necessary resources to fulfill its work on those three cases, Bradley answered, "Yes we do."
Continuing Perry's Political Cover-Up and Privacy
John Bradley believes the Commission should be allowed to meet privately. From the Texas Lawyer:
Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley, the new chairman of the Texas Forensic Science commission, says he will recommend, among other things at the Senate committee hearing, that during an ongoing investigation, the commission should be allowed to meet in private to discuss the matter being investigated and that reports to the commission on an investigation be withheld from public release until the commission concludes its deliberations.
“It’s not a good idea to conduct an investigation in a public forum,” Bradley says.
Bradley did not back away from that during the hearing, until he began to hedge his bets when Senators Whitmire and Hinojosa pushed him on why an investigation on a process needs to be protected. He admitted that that should be transparent, but then -- when Senator Dan Patrick asked his Perry-friendly questions -- went back to talking about holding the initial parts of the investigation in private.
Texas Democratic Party Chairman, Boyd Richie, himself a former prosecutor, issued this statement:
It’s obvious the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree when it comes to Rick Perry’s political appointees. Perry’s politically motivated cancellation of an essential review of Texas’ forensic science methods threatened the ability of our criminal justice system to work properly for Texans.
Delays, Delays, Delays
John Bradley intends on taking the coming months to write rules and guidelines for the agency -- a task that should have occurred already, but under Rick Perry's watch never occurred. Of course, Bradley refused to acknowledge that Perry was at all responsible for any delays, choosing to act like the Commission was performing its duties in recent years without a net.
Until, that is, that Senator Ellis pointed out that the Texas Attorney General's office had a person in every one of the Commission's meeting, to ensure that they had the legal authority to carry out all their decisions. The excuse of delaying the Commission's work for months is no excuse at all, but another stall and delay tactic from Rick Perry's hand-picked appointee, John Bradley.
Eventually, the bigger picture left the hearing -- that going forward, the Texas Forensic Science Commission should be a place where the best forensic science can be determined, where mistakes can be evaluated, and where the work done by law enforcement across the state can be guaranteed to be the best work imaginable. But that's only going to happen because of the work of Senator John Whitmire, Senator Rodney Ellis, and Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa. Of the Senators attending the hearing, the three Democrats carried the lion's share of the work. Republican Senator Dan Patrick asked questions that would have made a Rick Perry criminal justice staff person proud, and Senator Glenn Hegar sounded like he wrote his remarks while taking a bus to school in the morning.
Ultimately, I have faith that our Democratic State Senators will be able to kick-start this Commission into moving in the right direction. I also believe that John Bradley actually wants to make that happen. But that's only his second job.
Bradley's first job, which was made clear during today's hearing, was that he is to work as Rick Perry's puppet and delay the Commission's work for as long as possible -- at least until it is no longer politically damaging to Governor Perry.
The answers the people of Texas and, indeed, across the country are looking for from Rick Perry's cover-up are well protected and hidden with John Bradley chairing the Texas Forensic Science Commission.
State Sen. Dan Patrick, the conservative talk radio host turned legislator, said Tuesday that he would seek reelection. Patrick, who has served only one term in the senate, had been the subject of some speculation regarding the U.S. Senate race along with several other statewide offices.
“My goal is to return to the Texas Senate to continue to fight for the conservative values and principles in which I and many Texans believe,” Patrick said in a statement.
“If an opportunity presents itself to serve in the United States Senate, I will seriously consider it at the appropriate time, but my sights are set on the Texas Senate,” Patrick stated. “I feel honored and blessed each day I walk onto the Senate floor to represent my district and my state."
So Patrick says he is running for reelection but also would be open to the U.S. Senate if "an opportunity presents itself?" It is clear that Patrick desperately wants to move to statewide office and is in a hurry. Patrick may be pressured to wait at least another cycle, however, before he attempts to run for higher office.
Some had thought that Gov. Rick Perry could appoint Patrick to the vacant U.S. Senate seat to appeal to the far right and social conservatives Perry will need to attract to defeat Kay Bailey Hutchison.
Disclaimer: I am an active member of the University Democrats, but I do not currently hold any office or official responsibilities within the organization.
The University Democrats' PR Man, Andy Jones, can be attributed to a fine list of achievements when it comes to media publications that have mentioned UDems under his guidance. But I'm not sure of Harvey Kronberg has mentioned the activist club in his "Daily Buzz," which provides headlines and articles that Texas political observers could use as a barometer on some of the movements within the higher circles of this state's government.
So when a group spearheaded by University Democrat and College Republican members got the notice of Harvery Kronberg, I certainly noticed, too.
YOUNG DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS UNITE IN OPPOSITION TO TUITION INCREASES
UT's University Democrats and Campus Republicans take part in rare coordinated effort to scale back tuition deregulation.
You can expect a bit of glasnost in the air Wednesday night at the University of Texas, where young Democrats and Republicans will join hands over tuition deregulation, which has doubled the cost of classes at UT in the last four years.
UT's University Democrats and Campus Republicans have joined together to launch a campaign to rein in tuition costs. Tuition Relief Now! has a logo, a Facebook page and an auditorium on the UT campus on Wednesday night to address the issue.
Spokesman Andy Jones of the University Democrats, toiling well into the early hours of Monday morning to promote the event, was willing to answer the phone at midnight last night, around the time a promotional e-mail hit hundreds of in-boxes around Austin. Jones said the effort is both widespread and universal.
The auditorium he speaks of is GAR 0.102, the regular meeting place for the University Democrats, which will be meeting at the club's regular time, Wednesday night at 8 pm. Senator Hinojosa and Senator Dan Patrick will be available as guest speakers. Hinojosa is the principal author for SB 105, one of the multiple tuition relief bills, and Patrick is a co-author.
I was confused to why Patrick, arguably the most radically conservative member in the legislature, was chosen as a guest speaker. I spoke extensively with both Andy Jones and UDems President Jimmy Talarico on the subject, and I could not get an answer beyond the fact that Patrick co-authors one of the acceptable tuition relief bills. Jones mentioned that despite his own concern about Patrick's staunch conservatism, "I'm hopeful that partisan politics can be put aside." All-in-all, I would have hoped that the University Democrats and their temporary-partners with the College Republicans could have picked a more tenured and respected Republican, such as Senator Harris, a Senate member since 1991 and also an SB 105 sponsor.
At any rate, the meeting tomorrow should be interesting. If you cannot make it, I will be twittering the meeting @MJJHurta, and I will hopefully get a write-up posted after the meeting.
Thankfully, it seems that most students at UT do have their wits together. The student body realizes that it is better for the legislature, accountable to them and their parents, to control tuition than the Board of Directors. Unfortunately, some in Student Government do not feel that way. Tuition Regulation legislation was proposed at the SG meeting earlier Tuesday, and the reaction among the members were mixed. In general, many of those in what one member called the "SG Establishment" were for a continuation of DEREGULATION. Student body president Keshav Rajagopalan even used executive privilege to give a long speech against regulation. I hope none of these people are running for another SG election, because Student Government, as oddly corrupt as it may be, is still a Democratic body. I predict that no SG member will win reelection if he or she votes, officially representing UT students, against tuition regulation.
In a list mostly following a trend of past legislatures, the biggest surprise in the Texas Senate's Committee Appointments might be the appointments doled out to Dan Patrick (R - Houston).
First is the oddly high number of appointments the Radio Talk Show Guy managed to garner. Including the subcommittee on Flooding and Evacuations, I counted six appointments for Mr. Patrick. And if my math was correct, only one other senator managed that: Senator Craig Estes. Does the Lieutenant Governor really want to give a senator that much power if he has only been in for about a third of a full term?
Beyond the Flooding and Evacuations subcommittee, Patrick will serve on the committees for Criminal Justice, Education, Health and Human Services, Higher Education, and Intergovernmental Relations. All of them important committees, for sure.
What's more? He will Vice-Chair both Public Education and Higher Education. This is for a man who seems to think that school budgets that increase faster than student enrollment might be a bad thing? And how would the man who walked out during the Senate's prayer, when it was given by a Muslim, affect quality teachings about the world's religions? Is Dan Patrick really a strong voice for the teaching of our youth?
Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst seems to be caving into this ultra-conservative hawk. It started with the 2/3 debate, and it is continuing here. Dewhurst is a man who has been one of the state's top leaders for years. He probably has an even higher office on his mind, yet he thinks that the far right will get him elected. We all knew Mr. Patrick was a bit crazy, but Dewhurst is showing similar colors, too.
This morning Clay Robison wrote about Senator Dan Patrick's potential anger over the possibility of being left out of the Senate Finance Committee.
"If I am not on finance (next year), I will be upset," Patrick said.
He said Harris' appointment unfairly gives the Dallas-Fort Worth area a 5-2 edge over the Houston area on the 15-member panel. And one of the Houston-area senators, Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands, represents only a small part of the city. Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, also is on the committee.
San Antonio, meanwhile, has no resident on the Finance Committee, although the panel's vice chairman, Democrat Judith Zaffirini of Laredo, represents part of the Alamo City. I am sure she believes she represents the city's interests very well.
Most legislators want seats on budget-writing committees so they are well-positioned to bring home the bacon - a new wing for a university building or additional grants for the local medical school. But not Patrick. He wants to be on the finance panel, he said, to cut back on spending.
He voted against the budget drafted by the Finance Committee last year, even though the panel has a 2-1 GOP majority. The committee needs, he said, a "strong Republican voice," a comment sure to warm the hearts of several Republican budget-writers.
Oh weep.
Perhaps Senator Patrick doesn't understand how this state's representation works. Each state Senator represents about the same amount of Texans. If we're going to base appointments on the cities of the state, that disenfranchises a good million or two voters.
So what Lieutenant Governors often use is their judgement on who would best fit in each committee. For Finance, that entails the Senators with the best knowledge on how to finance the Texas Government's spending. Perhaps if Dan Patrick suggested innovations besides cutting the budget, he'd receive more consideration.
As far as a "strong Republican voice;" if Dan Patrick is the only strong Republican voice in the Texas Senate, than the state's Republican party is in more trouble than even optimistic Democrats believe.
Tomorrow, The Texas District and County Attorneys Association will anoint State Senator Dan Patrick their "Freshman of the Year."
State Sen. Dan Patrick, the outspoken Houston radio show host who made waves in the upper chamber last spring, will soon have a new title: Top freshman.
Tomorrow, the Texas District and County Attorneys Association will honor the Republican senator with its Freshman of the Year Award, for his work on criminal justice and public safety issues during his first session as a lawmaker.
Odd, isn't it? This is the State Senator who went against the entire Senate and its traditions. He later fought John Whitmire while working with the media instead of his fellow legislators.
His Justice policy? Well, for starters, he killed an Innocence Commission that would likely have helped avoid the conviction of innocent Texans.
Oh, yeah: one more issue. I haven't quite mentioned that Texas Monthlyrated him among its Worst Legislators of 2007. He was among the Texas League of Conservation Voters' worst, too. Are there rankings for any type of Justice policy? I'm glad you asked: Grits for Breakfast puts Mr. Patrick as one of the worst Texas legislators in Criminal Justice Policy.
Best Freshman? I am entirely skeptical on the possibility of Senator Patrick being the best any-kind-of-legislator.
