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February 29, 2008

Matzo endorses Rick Reed; McBlogger spits scotch all over his dinner

Normally, I'd be out to drinks on a Friday night. However, work was pretty evil today and after running errands I came back to finish up some stuff before going out later. While eating dinner I saw this and thus, the post.

I like Rick Reed. I really think he's a nice guy. Now his campaign is crowing about being endorsed by this racist cracker.

“Rick Reed is the only candidate for Travis County District Attorney who has had the courage to stand up and candidly tell the voters of Travis County that, if elected, he will uniformly seek imprisonment for life without parole, rather than the death penalty, in all capital murder cases.”

Now If you'll pardon me, I have a show to do and a fifth of Jamisons to choke down.

This is what really angers me...

“I am honored to have the endorsement of Kinky Friedman,” remarked Reed. “Kinky and I have both given considerable thought to this issue, he as a potential 2010 gubernatorial candidate, and I as a candidate for Travis County District Attorney.”

OH REALLY, Rick? You're honored to have the endorsement of a man who made a joke about African-American children AND fucked up the Gubernatorial race last year, guaranteeing (with a little help from Team Bell and C4N3P) the re-election of 39%. If you're HONORED to have the endorsement of this douche then I seriously have to question your judgment.

And I shit in Matzo's hat.

Posted by mcblogger at 09:15 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Jokes of My Father's : The Poor Boss

My Father labors daily under the delusion that he has it far worse than his employees. For him, this is more than a joke... it's how he perceives his life.

The Half-Wit

A man owned a small farm in Georgia. The Georgia State Wage & Hour Department claimed he was not paying proper wages to his help and sent an agent out to interview him.

"I need a list of your employees and how much you pay them," demanded the agent. "Well," replied the farmer, "there's my farm hand who's been with me for 3 years. I pay him $200 a week plus free room and board. The cook has been here for 18 months, and I pay her $150 per week plus free room and board. Then there's the half-wit who works about 18 hours every day and does about 90% of all the work around here. He makes about $10 per week, pays his own room and board, and I buy him a bottle of bourbon every Saturday night. He also sleeps with
my wife occasionally."

" That's the guy I want to talk to...the half-wit," said the agent.

"That would be me," replied the farmer

Posted by mcblogger at 07:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Bush Legacy and telecom immunity

Love me some Richard Clarke. He's got the best take on the FISA bill I've seen so far:

Besides overstating successes in Afghanistan, painting a rosy future for Iraq, and touting unfinished domestic objectives, he again used his favorite tactic - fear - as a tool to scare Congress and the American people. On one issue in particular - FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) - the president misconstrued the truth and manipulated the facts.

Let me be clear: Our ability to track and monitor terrorists overseas would not cease should the Protect America Act expire. If this were true, the president would not threaten to terminate any temporary extension with his veto pen. All surveillance currently occurring would continue even after legislative provisions lapsed because authorizations issued under the act are in effect up to a full year.

Simply put, it was wrong for the president to suggest that warrants issued in compliance with FISA would suddenly evaporate with congressional inaction. Instead - even though Congress extended the Protect America Act by two weeks - he is using the existence of the sunset provision to cast his political opponents in a negative light.

For this president, fear is an easier political tactic than compromise. With FISA, he is attempting to rattle Congress into hastily expanding his own executive powers at the expense of civil liberties and constitutional protections.

I spent most of my career in government fighting to protect this country in order to defend these very rights. And I know every member of Congress - whether Democrat or Republican - holds public office in the same pursuit.

That is why in 2001, I presented this president with a comprehensive analysis regarding the threat from al-Qaeda. It was obvious to me then - and remains a fateful reality now - that this enemy sought to attack our country. Then, the president ignored the warnings and played down the threats. Ironically, it is the fear from these extremely real threats that the president today uses as a wedge in a vast and partisan political game. This is - and has been - a very reckless way to pursue the very ominous dangers our country faces. And once again, during the current debate over FISA, he continues to place political objectives above the practical steps needed to defeat this threat.

Of course, this is all about Telecom Immunity. That's the real objective. That's what must be stopped. So, to all the members of Congress who are thinking about voting for this bill (we see your IP's so we know you're paying attention), think again. It will be a campaign issue.

Bush is sticking with his "I'll veto to protect 'merican's" bullshit. Just as an FYI to any Republican thinking of sticking with our douchebag President, you're toast.

Posted by mcblogger at 04:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

UPDATE - CD10 : Endorsement Fun

Dan Grant has been rolling on with the endorsements. He picked up the Tejano Democrats in Harris County and he picked up the Austin American Statesman. This is, of course, in addition to the plethora he's already received. He also picked up, earlier this week, the Houston Chronicle endorsement.

U.S. Congress, District 10, Democrat Dan Grant - A graduate of the London School of Economics and Georgetown University, Grant has deep foreign policy experience earned as a U.S. Agency for International Development official in Afghanistan and Iraq. He favors an immediate pullout of the bulk of American troops from Iraq. Closer to home, Grant says his domestic priorities will be supporting policies geared to economic recovery and health care reform.

Finally, I just heard that Dan had received the endorsement of long time Travis County DA, Ronnie Earle.

Posted by mcblogger at 04:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The response

Barfly, a few weeks ago, found out about this. Here is Kimmel's response

Posted by mcblogger at 02:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Hillary says "not so much" to corporate welfare

Senator Clinton (who ROCKS, by the way) is cosponsoring legislation in the Senate to ban the use of private military contractors in Iraq. Some call it the privatization/mercenarization of our armed forces. We call it corporate welfare since prior to Uncle Sam's large checks, Blackwater was a little organization providing corporate security and training to police officers. Full text in the supersize.

In other Hillary news, the campaign announced it raised $35 million. In February. Mostly from small donors. So much for the accusation that Hillary's only raising money from rich lobbyists.

Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton announced today that she has cosponsored legislation to ban the use of Blackwater and other private mercenary firms in Iraq. "From this war's very beginning, this administration has permitted thousands of heavily-armed military contractors to march through Iraq without any law or court to rein them in or hold them accountable. These private security contractors have been reckless and have compromised our mission in Iraq. The time to show these contractors the door is long past due. We need to stop filling the coffers of contractors in Iraq, and make sure that armed personnel in Iraq are fully accountable to the U.S. government and follow the chain of command," said Senator Clinton. The legislation requires that all personnel at any U.S. diplomatic or consular mission in Iraq be provided security services only by Federal Government Personnel. It also includes a whistleblower clause to protect contract personnel who uncover contract violations, criminal actions, or human rights abuses.

Posted by mcblogger at 12:54 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

If you bought me these I might like you more

This is a bag of Zapp's Spicy Creole Tomato Chips Spiked with Tabasco. These are, quite simply, the most delicious food since bacon. The best part? They have them at HEB AND Randalls!

And yes, all you aspiring candidates out there, we DO change endorsements for those who give us delicious things to eat or drink (like scotch!)

Posted by mcblogger at 10:57 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The Candidate. Brought to you by Valero

(Lotsa posts today... I have more than $4 million wired out that I have to bird dog. SO, while I'm stuck in the office ALL DAY, I'll going to take occasional breaks and give you something fun to read. I'm large like that)

Only in Texas would a candidate for the Railroad Commission ask for ethics guidance from one of the companies said candidate will be regulating if elected. This year the candidate is Art Hall.

Former San Antonio City Councilman Art Hall has accepted more than $5,000 in contributions from Valero Energy's political action committee and several of its employees, according to records from the Texas Ethics Commission.

On February 8, Hall received a $5,000 contribution from the Valero Political Action Committee, a PAC notorious for giving thousands of dollars to Texas' most conservative Republicans-- and Railroad Commissioner Michael L. Williams, the man Hall and Dale Henry (D-Lampasas) seek to replace in the November general election.

In addition to the $5,000 from Valero's PAC, Hall also took more than $2,000 from Valero employees and attorneys in late January and February. According to Hall's most recent filing with the Texas Ethics Commission, he received the following contributions from Valero employees and attorneys:

Robert Bower, Valero Attorney, $500 2/23
Theodore Guidry, Valero employee, $500, 1/26
Diane Hirsch, Valero Attorney, $300, 2/23
Martin Loeber, Valero Attorney, $500, 2/23
Rich Walsh, Valero Attorney, $1,500, 2/23
Parker Wilson, Valero Attorney, $500, 2/23

"The money that Art Hall has accepted from Valero's PAC and its employees is especially troubling given the fact that he is very connected to Valero through the fact that his wife is an attorney for Valero," said Vince Leibowitz, campaign director for Dale Henry, Hall's principal opponent.

According to Hall's Personal Financial Statement on file with the Texas Ethics Commission, Hall's wife owns between 5,000 and 9,999 shares of stock in Valero which, if sold, would represent a net gain of $10,000 to $24,999.

"All of this is especially disturbing given the fact that Art Hall is actually getting advice from Valero on what constitutes a conflict of interest for his campaign," said Leibowitz.

Do yourself a favor, vote for Dale Henry. He'll have an easier time beating Michael Williams. Not to mention that with Henry on the RRC, Texans will finally have someone looking out for them.

Posted by mcblogger at 09:47 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tara Rios Ybarra and a rabbi walk into a bar

Stop me if you've heard this one before. Texas Republicans, specifically CradDICK, can't get rid of a State Rep (Juan Escobar), who is all the time actually representing his district and making his constituents happy, in a general election. So, they decide to run someone in the Democratic Primary. That person is Tara Rios Ybarra. Vince has more up on her fundraising (lots and lots of money from TLR) as well as some information on her primary consultant whose client lists reads like a biblical list of demons.

Don't look at me that way... How would YOU describe a list that includes 39%, Todd Baxter and Ben Bentzin?

Unfortunately, it doesn't end there. There is also Marisa Marquez in El Paso. She's running against Rep. Moreno. Here's what Moreno's campaign has to say about her...

“Marisa Marquez has shown time and again that when it’s time to live up to her campaign rhetoric, she falls short every time,” stated Roger Garza, spokesperson for the Paul Moreno campaign. “How can voters honestly expect to believe that she is not a Craddick Democrat when Marquez consistently takes money from Tom Craddick’s staunchest supporters?”

Given her funding, which clearly speaks for itself, I'm going to agree with Garza.

Posted by mcblogger at 09:23 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Cornyn fights back (with a 28 gauge)

Sorry, just couldn't resist another dig at an adult who claims to be a MAN and a TEXAN who hunts with a goddamn 28 gauge shotgun. What's the problem, princess? You afraid your shoulder will get sore? Of course, he's worried about more than that. He has to fight someone for re-election. Someone who's already making him his bitch. Which is why his dippy little campaign manager sent out an email talking about Rick going 'over the line'. See, Rick criticized his lame attempt to swiftboat him. He also thought Cornyn was pretty weak for voting against armor for our troops. Cornyn's not happy with that... he doesn't refute the fact that he voted against the armor, he just thinks Rick's mean for bringing it up. He'll of course claim this is patently untrue. Media Matters looked into it and concluded it was true. So did Vote Vets. None of that matters to Cornyn's campaign manager who thinks it's all really mean.

Hon, this is Texas. EVERYTHING is over the line. Maybe you'd be more comfortable running a race in North Dakota.

Lookit, R's. With every email you piss us and EVERY TEXAN off. You wanna play this as politics as usual, go ahead. However you're just going to come away beaten down like a baby seal. We're meaner than you and we know damn well this country and this state can't afford more of your mistakes. Our troops can't afford another WMD goose chase. Our people can't afford higher interest rates because you refuse to tax your buddies. Our economy can't handle your singular focus on high oil prices to help your friends in the energy industry.

We're going to elect Rick. Period. We're going to bloody you while we do it. We're going to be ugly, nasty and downright mean. And the brill part is that all we have to do is tell the truth. We'll call out every lie and we'll make sure the rest of this state knows just what kind of a coward you are for voting to protect telcos and the President over the rights of your constituents.

We'll never let them forget about their fancy Senator who hunts with a 28 gauge shotgun.

While you're good and pissed off at Senator John Cornyn, go take his little poll.

Posted by mcblogger at 12:51 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 28, 2008

Do it for Ann

Posted by mcblogger at 06:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Obama, Clinton trail McCain

We've all got work to do and I don't want to hear another thing from Obama, et al, about how well he'll do in the general election.

Posted by mcblogger at 03:33 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Dr. Hospital Bed is spreading around his money

James Leininger (the DR is silent) is pulling out the stops again this cycle and funding some losers around the state in an effort to continue the corrupt leadership of Speaker CradDICK and the rest of the R's. Of course, Leininger isn't the only R digging deep to keep the R's in power, Bob Perry is also on board and giving not just to R's but to D's as well. Well, they call themselves D's but everyone knows they're really Republicans.

Craddick D Kevin Bailey continues to rake in the Republican money taking $23,500 from Perry and $25,000 from Texans for Lawsuit Reform. Aaron Pena, another Craddick D received $25,000 from Bob Perry, $10,000 from Craddick's Texas Builds Jobs & Opportunity for a Secure Future PAC, and $40,000 from TLR. And Craddick "Wannade" Tara Rios Ybarra received $25,000 from Perry and over $50,000 from TLR. Dawnna Dukes received $24,000 from Bob Perry which is just as good as Craddick money.

We've talked about Dukes quite a bit. Ybarra haven't really talked about much. The reality is that while these are D's they are CradDICK allies through and through. Vote for these people at your peril!

Posted by mcblogger at 01:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Hey Non-working slacker! Travis County needs YOU!

Poll workers are needed to serve on Tuesday, March 4th. All poll workers to include Election Judges, Alternate Election Judges and Clerks must go through training provided by Travis Co. Elections.

Trainings are being held both day and evenings now through Saturday.

Pay is $7.00 an hour which is set by the office of the Texas Secretary of State.

Please phone Travis Co. Elections at 854 - 9552.

Posted by mcblogger at 11:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Dawnna Dukes and the art of lying like a rug

Dawnna Dukes, unable to refute the arguments made against her re-election and without a leg to stand on, has resorted to out and out lies about her opponent, Brian Thompson.

Oh, and she STILL HASN'T FILED AN ACCURATE ETHICS REPORT. STILL. WE'VE BEEN WAITING BUT THERE'S BEEN NOTHING. Much like what she's done for her constituents, there has been


NOTHING.

Full text of the release from the Thompson campaign is after the jump. When you're done seething about all this, feel free to volunteer for Thompson or send him a few bucks. He needs it and District 46 desperately needs new leadership.

Desperate Dukes Lies in Ads Thompson to File Temporary Restraining Order, Says, "I won't be swift-boated" In a desperate move eerily reminiscent of the Republican tactics that characterize her 'Swift Boat' donors, Craddick Democrat Dawnna Dukes has resorted to bald-faced lies to smear her Democratic challenger, Brian Thompson.

"Dawnna Dukes is following the same script of lies and deception authored by the Republican 'Swift Boat' donors who just happen to be funding her campaign," said Democratic challenger Brian Thompson. "It is pathetic that a 14-year incumbent has such a dismal record that she has to rely on bald-faced lies to try and save her job, a job that apparently kept her from paying her taxes but didn't keep her from taking a luxury vacation to France when Republicans were passing a tax bill by one vote."

Here are the undisputed, irrefutable facts about Brian Thompson's voting record.

FACT: Democrat Brian Thompson voted in Travis County in 2002.
FACT: Democrat Brian Thompson voted in Travis County in 2005.
FACT: Democrat Brian Thompson voted in Travis County in 2006.
FACT: Democrat Brian Thompson voted in Travis County in 2007.
FACT: Democrat Brian Thompson voted in the Democratic Primary eight days ago, on 2/19/2008 at the Fiesta on 381/2 Street, just a few feet from his East Austin home.

The television ad that Dawnna Dukes is continuing to air says, "her opponent, well, he never even bothered to vote ever."

That is nothing more than a bald-faced lie that is quickly proven totally incorrect and inaccurate by the most cursory glance at any number of publicly available documents. These documents proving Thompson's voting record have already been presented to Dukes, and every television station airing these totally false ads.

Apparently, Dukes simply refuses to let the truth or any semblance of decency get in the way of her desperate campaign to totally misrepresent Thompson's voting record.

On Monday, Thompson sent a letter to Dukes, KXAN, KVUE, KEYE, KTBC, Time Warner Cable, and the Austin American-Statesman alerting them to the blatant lies in the Dukes campaign ad. Because those ads are still running, Thompson has been left with no choice but to seek a temporary restraining order to have the inaccurate ads pulled.

This afternoon, Thompson will seek injunctive relief from a Travis County judge, and ask that the inaccurate ads be thrown off the air.

Thompson personally informed Dukes that her ads were blatant lies at the Cherrywood Neighborhood Association meeting on Thursday, February 21, 2008. After that meeting, Dukes had personal knowledge that her ads lied about Thompson's voting record. Dukes decided to run the false ads anyway, despite their total inaccuracies.

"Ms. Duke's intentional effort to score cheap political points by lying about my voting record is merely the latest example in a long line of troubling yet deliberate attempts she has engaged in to mislead the public," Thompson said.

Dukes has acknowledged misreporting 8 years (and approximately $89,000) worth of expenses charged on 18 different campaign credit cards. Even though she promised multiple news outlets more than two months ago that she would fix these mistakes, she still has yet to do so. She continues to mislead her constituents and deny them the opportunity to see exactly how she spent $89,000 worth of campaign funds before they have the chance to vote on March 4.

In addition, according to a KEYE News report titled, "Records show Texas State Rep. Dawnna Dukes failed to pay taxes," she misled her constituents by failing to pay her own taxes and follow the very laws she has been entrusted to pass. Rather than accept responsibility for her tax troubles, she offered three contradictory excuses on three different occasions, misleading the public again about why she refused to pay her taxes. Despite her unwillingness to fulfill her tax obligations in a timely manner, she still managed to pay for a luxury trip to Paris while skipping a crucial school finance vote on the Texas House floor.

Now, Dukes has chosen to focus her pattern of deception on Thompson, and intentionally lie about his voting record to score cheap political points.

"I'm not going to be swift-boated by a Craddick Democrat who just pocketed a $24,000 check from the largest Republican donor in Texas; the same man who gave more than $4,000,000 to the reprehensible 'Swift Boat' attack ads," Thompson said.

Posted by mcblogger at 11:04 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Stupijectivity : Traditional Journalism's last refuge

How many times have you heard someone in the press talk about how they must be objective, even in the face of blatantly false information? Basically, that they must present all sides of an issue?

Think about this for example... under these rules, it would make sense to write an article about two groups of people you differ on what 2+2 equals.

Some believe that 2+2=6. Others believe that 2+2=4.

Simplistic? You betcha. Change it to this...

Some believe that tax cuts increase government revenues. Other believe that tax cuts produce less revenue that would be obtained with no cuts.

It's the same basic premise... one group believes that you get more than your inputs and receive a free lunch while another believes that you get exactly what you put in, no more, no less. The latter, in both cases is EMPIRICALLY right. That former 'argument' in the second example is pure supply side bullshit and it's completely wrong since it's based on the Laffer Curve and we're already taxing on the left part of the curve from which additional cuts equal diminished revenue.

Welcome to the world of the stupijective.

Posted by mcblogger at 10:00 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Roundin' up the TPA

This week's round-up is compiled by Vince from Capitol Annex.

TXsharon has a broken modem so Bluedaze is suffering but she managed to post about The RRC's approval of Atmos Energy's extravagant spending--bendover Texans. Also read about howPhil King meets Karma in Wise County and hear the horrendous sounds of the Barnett Shale.

Off the Kuff offers his incomplete list of endorsements for the Democratic primaries, and for his birthday rounds up his complete list of candidate interviews.

Gary at Easter Lemming Liberal News has blogged an eventful week or two climaxing with Paul Burka becoming a believer in the Obama Borg - Democrats can take back Texas. Wow.

Over at McBlogger Mayor McSleaze commemorates Kirk Watson's Deer In The Headlights Moment while McBlogger, beverage in hand, watches the Debate and puts the smackdown on wingnuts still drinking the school voucher Kool-Aid

The Texas Cloverleaf makes it back safely from Oklahoma City and discusses the National Stonewall Democrats meeting there, as well as the upcoming LGBT Presidential Town Hall in Dallas on Monday night.

PDiddie at Brains and Eggs had a report on Obama's visit to Houston last Tuesday, and also noted the end of the Fidel Castro era in Cuba. Open Source Dem had part three of his "Texas in Play" series, entitled "Jim Crow Lives".

Hal, who writes Half Empty, went to early vote last Wednesday and has some poll observations and some Fort Bend County stats.

Bill Howell of StoutDemBlog reminds us of some Texas election history that is relevant for this year's Democratic Primary, in Don't Be Confused By Names.

Muse was at the Bill Clinton fundraiser in Houston this week where she fulfilled a lifelong dream to touch him – handshake! She notes that not all college students are for Obama – witness the Daily Texan endorsement for Hillary. And, she receives an email where Obama encourages Republicans to crash the Democratic primary, to vote against the bad, scary Hillary. More Hillary stuff coming this week on musings!

WhosPlayin tries to explain the "Obama Movement", and has a run-down of which Texas blogs are endorsing Clinton or Obama.

Vince at Capitol Annex notes that the Texas Democratic Party has instructed county and precinct officials not to interpret election results for the media or political campaigns, and asks if national Democrats will still respect us (or call or visit) after March 4.

Posted by mcblogger at 08:30 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 27, 2008

Attempted Swiftboating of Veteran Candidate...Backfires!

Challenged by (non-veteran) Republican Senator John Cornyn in Texas to release his military records, Democrat Rick Noriega releases them in full and ends up looking like a hero. Oops. Now the only question that remains is whether or not the chickenshit Cornyn will release his records. Failing that, will thye good Senator explain exactly HOW he managed to avoid the draft?

read more | digg story

Posted by mcblogger at 10:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

THIS makes me so mad!

As unbelievable as it sounds, there are some really stupid people working at the Dallas Fed, namely W. Michael Cox and Richard Alm. Well, maybe calling them stupid is too harsh. They are more like idiot savants, so narrowly focused on one piece of data that they ignore the fact that their research is largely pointless.

Cox and Alm hypothesized that the gap between rich and poor isn't that large in terms of of per person consumption. And they've proved it!

Richer households are larger – an average of 3.1 people in the top fifth, compared with 2.5 people in the middle fifth and 1.7 in the bottom fifth. If we look at consumption per person, the difference between the richest and poorest households falls to just 2.1 to 1. The average person in the middle fifth consumes just 29 percent more than someone living in a bottom-fifth household.

To understand why consumption is a better guideline of economic prosperity than income, it helps to consider how our lives have changed. Nearly all American families now have refrigerators, stoves, color TVs, telephones and radios. Air-conditioners, cars, VCRs or DVD players, microwave ovens, washing machines, clothes dryers and cellphones have reached more than 80 percent of households.

They do acknowledge that the gap in income is 15 to 1. They also acknowledge that people in the lowest fifth of wage earners (also known as more than 30% of this country) are basically living on double what they earn. They explain this a number of ways...the poor are selling assets (because everyone knows that the poor are very asset rich), cashing in insurance policies (because everyone knows the poor are loaded in terms of fully vested insurance policies) and living off their savings (because everyone... you get the gist, right? On this one though, I have to ask these two idiots, When, exactly, were the poor supposed to build up positive balances in their bank accounts while spending more than they make?).

Ok, so I lied. These are two of the DUMBEST economists on the face of the planet. Seriously, they lump in here the working poor, retirees and people who are taking time off from work (or are between jobs). Now those people do have disposable savings and non-taxable sources of income. However, even these folks aren't living on 9k per year. But, let's think in terms of averaging. What do you do about the massive number of people in this group who are making the average or less and have nothing to fall back on? Obviously, they aren't living beyond their means. What is THEIR level of consumption? These two brill economists make no attempt to even consider that. Nor do they even bother to analyze the fact that at a certain level of consumption, income becomes largely irrelevant. Which is the most interesting bit of data that can be used to refute the claims of certain 'conservatives' who think if you pay the poor an actual living wage all they'll do is spend every dime. This data supports the progressive idea... the poor would actually build savings just like those in the middle fifth and above income groups if they actually made enough TO SAVE.

This data could have been very useful in terms of talking about wage inequality and the need for living wages. Instead, the two economists from the Dallas Fed choose to make it all about buying stuff. Nice work, guys.

For another excellent counterpoint, click here.

Posted by mcblogger at 03:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A word of advice... Keep your vote to yourself

I've received a few emails today from good hearted people who wanted to let me know why they were voting against some of the endorsements we made.

Keep in mind, I'd have absolutely no way of knowing HOW they voted, they could have lied to me or just kept their mouths shut. Nevertheless, they went out of their way to let me know about individual candidates where we differ.

Frankly, I don't care. Vote for whom you want. We didn't publish (yes, WE, not just ME) endorsements as some kind of demand, we published them because they were the candidates we were supporting. Should you go with someone else, just keep it to yourself. We seriously DON'T NEED TO KNOW. And we're sure as hell not going to smooth things over and salve your conscience. If you did something you feel bad about, then feel bad about it.

Don't look to us for redemption or forgiveness.

Posted by mcblogger at 01:52 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

GM and GIANT Hybrid SUV

This is it. The Yukon Hybrid. At best, this beast gets 22 miles per gallon. It's also $50k. Which is why GM will sell few of them and then moan about how the market really doesn't want hybrids.

Meanwhile, Toyota and Honda will sell every hybrid they can make.

Posted by mcblogger at 11:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Bush and his lies about FISA

Don't cave in, D's (and a few) R's in the House. We're watching you and while this issue may not be foremost on people's minds, imagine how front and center it can become. In an election year. You don't want that so why not do the right thing AND CYA! Drop Bush in the grease on this and stand with Pelosi!

El Presidente is all about telecom immunity because he knows it's the only thing that will save him from an eventual stretch in the federal pen. See, Bush ordered all this. He brow beat the companies into submission. Now he can't deliver the immunity they so desperately need. And he's sounding more and more desperate by the day...

``The House's refusal to act is undermining our ability to get cooperation from private companies, and that undermines our effort to protect us from terrorist attacks,'' Bush said in his weekly radio address, the second week in a row he has discussed the issue.

The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives has balked at passing a Bush-backed bill that would give telecommunications companies such as AT&T Inc. protection from privacy lawsuits for helping the administration conduct wiretapping without warrants.

The bill, approved by the Senate, would extend the spying authority for six years. The prior law expired Feb. 16 after Bush said he wouldn't sign a brief extension while the House debated the issue.

Democrats argued the law's expiration wouldn't hobble surveillance of foreign-based terrorists or other enemies, since orders issued to telephone companies under the law remain in effect for a year.

Bush, in his radio address, said lawmakers who oppose the legislation are favoring trial lawyers over national security. ``Terrorists are planning the next attack on America,'' Bush said. ``To protect America from such attacks, we must protect our telecommunications companies from abusive lawsuits.''

Terrorism is all about instilling fear in a target. Bush is working hard to instill fear in the American people to, yet again, expand the powers of the Presidency. Doesn't that, by definition, make Bush a terrorist? Ponder that for a second...

Interesting, huh?

As for the first quote, these companies, like all entities in the US, can be compelled to cooperate with a court order, usually in the form of a warrant. That's what the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution is all about. These companies did what Bush wanted, they did something illegal based on his assurances, which he never should have given. Now, they're in trouble. However, so is he. It's pretty obvious that this ISN'T about these companies... it's about Bush keeping himself out a scenic vacation to a lovely spot in Kansas.

Sign the petition now. Ask The House to uphold the rule of law in the United States and let's restore accountability to the executive branch.

Posted by mcblogger at 09:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tina Fey is making me watch SNL again...

An open letter to Tina Fey:

OK. You got me. I'm not happy about it, but you do. First, it's 30 Rock to which I am thoroughly addicted (it was easier giving up cigarettes... you are making the sitcom equivalent of H... I hope you're happy). Now you're back on SNL talking up Hillary and doing some awesome bit, pleading with Texas and Ohio to vote for her.

I DO things on Saturday night. Now I have to make sure and watch SNL? Damn, you Tina Fey... but thanks for endorsing Hillary!

Bitch is the new black, yo!

Posted by mcblogger at 08:56 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

February 26, 2008

Finally! The Hedgies start to cave on taxes!

We've talked before about hedge fund managers who pay only 15% of their income in taxes. Via the NYT comes an article about Peter Peterson of the Blackstone Group acknowledging that it's time for the private equity flippers should start paying normal taxes. Just like you and me.

Posted by mcblogger at 02:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Texas House News O The Day - Thompson and Betty Brown

Posted by mcblogger at 01:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

EV through the roof

Wanna see something impressive? Here's EV up huge in Harris County. Here it is in Travis County. All over Texas, the EV is overwhelmingly Democratic and far higher than ever.

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Heather Wilson (R-New Mexico) and magical wiretap (that's not illegal)

Last night, Rep. Heather Wilson was on CSPAN bleating on about how we're "less safe and less secure" because the D's in the House won't pass retroactive immunity. What she's leaving unsaid? That it was illegal. What Bush did and what the companies aided and abetted, was ILLEGAL.

So, who is Heather Wilson? A former topless dancer, Heather has fear-mongered her way into the US House despite her horrendous haircut and criminal sense of style. Mostly by making the people of Albuquerque so scared they've actually become incontinent.

Later, Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Georgia) came on to lie about the telecom companies by saying that they were REQUIRED by the Patriot Act to comply with the wiretaps. Which is why they now need retroactive immunity for doing something illegal. Phil, seriously, does your brain actually control your speech or are you simply a robot controlled by the White House?

Finally, toward the end of the Republican's pantomime, was Michael McCaul, my Congressman, who's scared of them terrawrists. He called this all a 'dangerous game of politics'. He's right... the future of our country is at stake. Will we cave in to fear and allow Republicans like Michael McCaul to take our rights and make us slaves or will we turn them out and drive them from office?

The bottom line, Republicans, is that the American people will NEVER forgive immunity. NEVER. The only thing you can do is pass a liability cap. However, we're going to find out just how far up it went.

And people will be going to jail.

(Oh, and Mike... I feel shame when it says 10th Congressional District of Texas under your name. That was Jake Pickle's seat. Before that, it was Lyndon Johnson's. Those were real Texans, brave men who did what was best for their nation. You are a scared little politician. And Dan Grant is going to beat you like a drum.)

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February 25, 2008

More good news for Skelly

We wrote up Michael Skelly a while back. Tuesday came some more good news for him in terms of polling vs. Culberson and fundraising. Needless to say, it looks like a Democrat has a great chance to take over CD 7.

And the people of Houston could really use the help.

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DHS and the plan to gut civil service

Apparently, DHS has given up on that brill idea to gut civil service laws and hire non-union folks.

The Department of Homeland Security, in a court filing Friday, said it will not pursue rules to curb union rights and will abide by regular civil service labor-management procedures.

Shortly afterward, a federal court issued an order closing the case, and the union that fought the rules declared victory.

Colleen M. Kelley, president of the National Treasury Employees Union, yesterday called the result "a welcome end to a battle well worth fighting."

The battle began in the summer of 2002, when the Bush administration signaled that it wanted to create a separate personnel system for Homeland Security, changing how employees would be paid, promoted and disciplined.

Bush officials contended that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks required changes that would give more discretion to managers and permit quicker deployment of workers without notifying their union representatives.

The plan outraged federal union leaders and a number of Democrats in Congress. When the department and the Office of Personnel Management issued rules for a new personnel system in February 2005, the NTEU and other employee groups sued. The union also began lobbying campaigns to stop the rules on Capitol Hill.

The proposed rules would have allowed the Department of Homeland Security to override any provision in a union contract by issuing a department-wide directive. The rules also would have made it difficult, if not impossible, for unions to negotiate over arrangements for staffing, deployments, technology and other workplace matters.

In August 2005, U.S. District Judge Rosemary M. Collyer blocked the department's plan, saying it did not ensure collective-bargaining rights for Homeland Security employees. A year later, a federal appeals court ruled against the department.

Just curious, but how much taxpayer money was wasted on advancing a stupid idea dreamed up by retarded Republicans on a purely ideological crusade?

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Rich : Grand Old White Party

Oh, if you haven't read Frank Rich's column this week then go take a look here. Well worth the read.

I know, I know... short posts suck. Sorry. It's the end of the month (look at a calender!) and I'm terribly busy.

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February 24, 2008

Governor Warped

Commenting on Governor Rick Perry’s lack of political savvy serves little purpose since enough Texas voters bought his sales pitch and reelected him.

On the other hand, his book, “On My Honor”, gives the rest of us a chance to remark on his frame of mind, which seems to have meandered into some bizarre, paranoid realm.

The fact that no mainstream publisher would touch this rubbish should indicate that Perry has gone off the deep end. More troubling is that the book’s proceeds are slated to destroy an organization that battles for our civil liberties, promote hatred towards gays and lesbians, and purge college professors.

Though the governor denounces the ACLU for draining the Boy Scouts resources, blame the scouts for their financial situation since paying lawyers to defend their discriminatory ways prevents that money from being used for humanitarian purposes and taking care of their bills.

Another Perry desire is to fire college professors who have different beliefs than him. If parents read the conservative and corporatist propaganda forced into their children’s junior high and high school books by school boards, they would thank the colleges for instilling true patriotic, civic, and family values of shared responsibility and community support rather than the greed and self-serving mentality foisted on them by right-wing philosophy.

The biggest disappointment of Perry’s ramblings is his corruption of the Boy Scout ideals for his personal political agenda. The thought that he was a member of that proud organization makes one shudder with disgust.

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Sign War in Sector 11-W

Cameron Loop is one of those obscure two lane roads in Southwest Austin left over from a time when the land, now being covered by subdivisions and apartments, grazed goats and cattle. And one of the sure harbingers of a forthcoming election is the appearance of candidates' signs. One or two will show up here and there, like the first hesitant buds of Spring, then, in a week or two, signs are popping up everywhere like a field of political wildflowers.

Normally, all the signs manage to co-exist with one another, so imagine my surprise when I drove by the spot where one of Gary Cobb's signs had stood for the last few weeks. Overnight, a Mindy Montford (one of Cobb's rivals in the DA race) sign had sprouted, and right in front of his!

Exhibit 'A'

Well, that was rather rude, thought I, but as a continued down the road, I saw that ALL the Gary Cobb signs now had Montford signs in front of them.

Exhibit 'B'

All quite uncalled for, since as you can see, there's plenty of space for signs.

Exhibit 'C'

Now, I'm not going to blame Mindy Montford personally for this. It's not like she was driving around in the middle of the night with a trunk full of yardsigns and a hammer. Nor am I going to suggest that this should have any effect on how anyone should vote in the DA's race. But it would be nice if Mindy Montford would ask her supporters to not act like douchebags.

Posted by mayor mcsleaze at 02:16 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

A Message To Ralph What's-His-Name

Slightly higher production values than my "Fuck you, Ralph!"

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February 23, 2008

Tolls : Overspending; Safety Concerns and more

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February 22, 2008

Wilkes Sentenced and the Grand Old Docket

You too want to know what's happening with all those Republican corruption scandals? Cool how great minds think alike. TPM is doing the Grand Old Docket, a list of the players and linking them to the current disposition of their cases.

In related news, Brent Wilkes was sentenced to 12 years. In the federal pen. When he comes out he'll be far more buff. He'll also answer to the name 'Princess'.

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Muth's (half) Truths and outright lies

Vouchers are a great idea, according to some guy named Muth. So is a Contract with Conservatives. Welcome to the world of the nutter right blogosphere.

In Muth's world, public education is a bottomless money pit into which our tax dollars sink. Of course, he's right if only because we haven't been putting enough into them since the 1980's.

There is only one way to truly improve the public schools…and paying teachers more money ain’t it.

The only way to force the public schools to perform better is to force them to compete with other schools. And that means giving parents the power and the authority and the means to make a free choice in education.

If the neighborhood, government-run, union-controlled public school does an adequate job in a safe environment, parents will send their kids there. If not, they’ll send their kids elsewhere. It’s as American as apple pie.

This is the exact same concept as the Kenny Guinn Millennium Scholarships. Students who qualify can go to any approved public OR PRIVATE college or university in Nevada. Why shouldn’t the parents of elementary or secondary school kids have the same choice? Our priority should be on saving our students’ futures, not saving our schools.

Where to begin... first off, if you invest just enough money into a company to keep it going but not enough to really improve effiency and production, you have what's called a stripper company. For a while, things will be OK. However, as your capital investment continues at a super low rate, you'll lose your best staff and eventually you'll start losing money. That's basically what Republicans have done to public schools. By not making necessary investments in Teacher pay and pensions, not to mention our substandard facilities, we're seeing poor test scores and substandard educations.

The Republican answer? Rather than admitting the error and correcting it, they decide to throw up their hands and scrap the whole thing by giving folks vouchers. In Texas, your voucher would be around 6-7k per year. You'll need all that and more to send your kid to a private school. Think about paying 8-10k PER SEMESTER.

Of course, the point is ALWAYS lost on Republicans that if WE put 20k per year per student into public schools they'd be in pretty good shape, too.

Posted by mcblogger at 01:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Tolls : Dunnam calls out TXDOT

Spot.On.

Jim Dunnam Waco Tribune-Herald Copyright 2008

Take the toll route?

Tolling Interstate 35 lanes through Waco is a terrible idea, and I’m committed to stopping it.

The Texas Transportation Department is claiming budget shortfalls over the next 25 years. Its claims are exaggerated.

One independent analysis says the agency is overestimating the shortfall by $30 billion. In addition, the 2007 state auditor’s report identified an $8.6 billion error in the shortfall and questioned another $37 billion because of improper documentation.

At a recent Senate committee hearing, TxDOT admitted to another billion-dollar “accounting error.”

At that Senate hearing, Sen. Steve Ogden expressed dismay at TxDOT’s financials, calling them “screwed up.”

More diplomatic, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst wrote that TxDOT “does not show the complete financial picture.”

Sen. Kirk Watson summed it up best, stating Texans “cannot trust the Texas Department of Transportation or the policies that are consigning Texas to inadequate roads and privatized tollways.”

Even a cursory look at the facts proves the senators right. The current state budget appropriates $16.9 billion to TxDOT — that’s a $1.8 billion (12 percent) increase over its previous budget. In fact, the 2007 Legislature gave TxDOT over $200 million more than TxDOT even requested.

In addition, TxDOT’s planning process doesn’t factor another $9 billion in revenue — $3 billion in State Highway Fund bonds, $5 billion in voter-approved general obligation bonds and the possibility of $1.3 billion in Mobility Fund bonds.

At the Senate hearing, Sen. Judith Zaffirini suggested the “funding crisis” and the “solution” of toll roads is simply TxDOT “scheming to promote its own political agenda.”

So what is that agenda?

Gov. Rick Perry and his appointees overseeing TxDOT make no secret they want to make Texas a toll road state.

Their ultimate goal is to create a new privatized source of money that will be free from public accountability.

Tolling Texas roads was an idea sold by Perry in 2003 as a limited tool for communities that wanted tolls. However, once voters said OK, Perry revealed his true plans — a Spanish-run Trans-Texas Corridor and a series of toll roads crisscrossing Texas.

The first phase would take 71,661 acres and 8,036 other parcels of private land to build a road that would cost Texans more than $20 to travel one-way from Dallas to Austin.

Once this real agenda came out, the Legislature promptly stopped it, overwhelmingly passing a moratorium on most toll road projects.

Threatening Waco

Perry’s reaction was to have TxDOT start threatening local cities. That’s exactly what just happened to Waco — either “agree” to toll I-35 lanes or TxDOT will cancel existing projects and delay all plans to expand I-35.

While threatening Waco with “toll lanes or no lanes,” TxDOT chose to award more than $84 million from “Strategic Priority Funds” to Grayson County for local projects — that’s most of the cost of putting eight full lanes on I-35 through Waco.

While undoubtedly important to Grayson County, these projects are not statewide “strategic priorities” like I-35.

This just shows that the tolls agenda is one of choice, not necessity.

Money from Perry’s toll lanes will go to issue bonds for other projects. The bond money will be separate from the main state budget, meaning there will be almost no legislative accountability.

And lack of legislative accountability is the exact reason TxDOT feels safe in threatening our communities and thumbing its nose at the Legislature. TxDOT’s main funding, the gas tax, is dedicated by the Texas Constitution.

That means TxDOT can ignore the Legislature and still know it will get its money.

Bonds from toll roads will be like another dedicated revenue source, making TxDOT autonomous and the situation worse.

TxDOT needs to be reined in and made accountable. TxDOT should provide the Legislature with accurate information; but how to pay for the roads should be decided by the Legislature.

The Legislature will work to address Texas transportation needs responsibly through cooperation at the federal, state and local levels. But in order to do that, TxDOT must be an honest and accountable partner.

Our forefathers gave us great free roads in Texas. Our legacy should not mean our children have to pay an extra $3 to drive from Lorena on I-35 to buy a Health Camp burger. Instead, Central Texans need to stand up and say “no” to toll lanes on I-35 — and I intend to do just that.

Jim Dunnam, D-Waco, is State Representative for District 57.

(Via TTC Archives)

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SC wimps out on wiretapping...

This is SOOO surprising considering the makeup of Bush's Court. One wonders if they'll even address the legality of it when it's finally shoved down their throats.

The Supreme Court yesterday declined without comment to hear the American Civil Liberties Union's challenge of the Bush administration's domestic spying program.

In other news, the NSA totally heard that convo between you and your friend about that skanque you banged last night. They'd really like to talk to her.

Posted by mcblogger at 09:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Loving me some Hillary

Hill's opening statement and her closing statement. Honestly, The Mayor and I were impressed and the crowd tonight was pretty clearly divided. We did, of course, differ on the impact of this statement...

Hillary just said, "If your campaign is going to be based on words, I think they should be your own." Best line of the night. She added, "If you talk about change, it's not change you can believe in, it's change you can xerox." It's a good line, but... ooh. Ouch. Even the media didn't like that one.

Does she have a tin ear? Or do people just love Obama and don't want to hear it?

When she starts saying things like that, the first reaction is "there's a good line;" the second thing you think is, "ooh, I'm glad my wife isn't like that."

For us, we were thinking..."Damn, I hope she gets to use something like that against Old Grandpa 100 Years In Iraq." Frankly, THAT'S the bite in the knife we need in this country. We need someone who cares enough about winning this election to pull out the stops and call bullshit.

Obama came across as tired and irritable. Hillary had a sharp tongue and used it to great effect. The gooders watching the debate with us of course thought she was over the top. Get over it. Politics ain't an ice cream social in Texas. Feel good crap is only going to get you so far and then you better have something there. Obama's weak on that and that's where Hillary has her impact. She gets it. She knows how to fight and win.

One last note... we got to see some OLD friends tonight, Mike, Melissa and Todd from our Austin For Kerry days. They're all about Obama. We love them anyway!

(Photo : WMM - Taken at Guero's)

Posted by mcblogger at 01:22 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

February 21, 2008

It's crowded and I'm not liveblogging

Mother Egans is packed like a package of tuna. Many old KAB people and some folks who are on the mail list who haven't been in months. Wow. The turnout is amazing all over town... Austin has effectively shut down to watch this debate (which may help explain the extraordinary EV turnout...more on that later).

I'm quitting this now because liveblogging this from a BlackBerry is torture when there are two drinks in front of me.

Posted by mcblogger at 07:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

In which we endorse candidates (Outside of Austin)

This is list of races and the candidates we're endorsing around the State of Texas in the Democratic Primary.

HD 36

Sandra Rodriguez is our pick in a race pitting her against Rep. Kino Flores. The only thing that distinguishes Flores is his support for Republican Speaker CradDICK. That and his ethics issues.

HD 20

Leonard Surrat is the best choice for Williamson County Democrats.

SD 11

We're endorsing Joe Jaworski in this race. He's the best candidate for a number of reasons, among them are his professional experience and the fact that he's clearly positioned best to beat 'Toxic' Mike Jackson.

The rest of these people we're just going to blanket endorse. Many of them have served for years, some are running against CradDICK D's or are being challenged by CradDICK D's. All deserve your support.

State Representative, District 43 - Rep. Juan Escobar
Fighting against Tara Ybarra Rios. A Republican in Democratic clothing.

State Representative, District 77 - Rep. Paul Moreno

State Representative, District 140 - Armando Walle
Running against Rep. Kevin Bailey who really needs to be retired.

State Representative, District 145 - Carol Alvarado

State Representative, District 146 - Rep. Borris Miles
A little crazy at times? Perhaps. The alternative, though, is unthinkable. It's Al Edwards. Ugh.

State Representative, District 147 - Rep. Garnet Coleman
Really? You need to be told to vote for this guy? Really? Just go do it!

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Debate-O-Rama

As you no doubt are aware, the D Presidential candidates (GO HILLARY!) are in town tonight for a debate. I'll, of course, be watching at a bar with a scotch in one hand and a cigarette in the other that I'll be gesturing wildly with to show my support for HILLARY while other, lesser people (Obama people who drink beer, natch) will try to stay out of the way, lest they get burned.

So who is covering all the madness? KXAN, of course! You can access their coverage here. They also have a cool new poll out showing a dead heat here in Texas.

In other Presidential primary news some people endorsed Obama and Todd Hill over at BOR has a great piece up on the Obamathon in Dallas yesterday. Muse over at Musings is loving some Bill (so do I, but not in THAT way).

Posted by mcblogger at 01:32 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Dan Grant and The Ad

Here it is, boys and girls! Dan's television debut. I gotta say I love the endorsement contrast.

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