The Week in the Rearview Mirror

The United States Supreme Court will hear an appeal of the Texas congressional redistricting case. The maps were redrawn in mid-decade after Republicans took control of the state Legislature; after approval from the Bush Administration and by a three-judge federal panel, they were used to elect a congressional delegation that, for the first time in modern history, features a Republican majority.This particular plan has provided Texas politics with a steady diet of drama. The Legislature couldn't agree on congressional maps in 2001 and so a panel of federal judges drew one. It gave Republicans only 15 of the 32 seats in the delegation. In 2002, Republicans took over a majority of seats in the Texas House and used that new advantage to elect Speaker Tom Craddick, R-Midland, and then to draw new congressional maps that, when finally in place, put Republicans in 21 of the 32 Texas seats. On the way, the Legislature was blocked once when most House Democrats left the state for Ardmore, Oklahoma, to deny the House a quorum, and blocked again when 11 Senate Democrats spent a month in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to halt consideration in the upper chamber. Neither effort affected the final result: Republican legislators got a late and critical assist from U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay of Sugar Land and drew the map that's now in place. Staff lawyers for the U.S. Department of Justice unanimously rejected the map, but were overruled by their bosses. A three-judge federal panel ratified that decision, and the 2004 elections gave the Republicans five more seats in the Texas delegation. Those five seats were the only net gains in the entire U.S. House that year. The groups that sued to overturn the case (all of the cases have been rolled into one) argue, variously, that the new plan illegal dilutes the voting power of minorities, that the new maps were drawn for no reason other than partisan gerrymandering, and that the drawers of new maps should have been forced to use new census data to account for growth in the state since the 2000 Census was completed. One argument was that the growth was disproportionately in minority populations who, because they weren't recounted, were cheated of their electoral clout. Both sides reacted as you might expect, with Republican officials like Rick Perry, Greg Abbott and Tom Craddick saying they're certain the court will find the current plans constitutional, and Democrats and others -- like the plaintiffs -- saying they expect the court to overturn what Texas lawmakers did back in 2003. The Supremes will hear arguments on March 1 of next year -- about a week before the Democratic and Republican primaries. And they'll probably rule -- if things follow the normal course -- before the July 4 break. Should they rule the maps illegal, as the court did in 1997, they could toss out the results of the primaries and order new congressional elections.

Gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman launched a television campaign designed to attract attention and to sell some of the $29.95 action figures he's peddling to finance his campaign. The first three spots are viewable at his website www.kinkyfriedman.com.

The Texas Tax Reform Commission now has its own website, where you can get meeting times, materials, contact numbers and all that jazz: www.ttrc.state.tx.us.That panel, appointed by Gov. Rick Perry and headed by former comptroller John Sharp, will hit the road hard next month, with public hearings set for Austin (1/9), El Paso (1/11), Laredo (1/26), Lubbock (1/23), Temple (1/18), the Valley (1/27), and Waco (1/18). You can get the times and locations off their website, along with downloads of the printed materials they're working from. The group doesn't have a deadline for making tax recommendations to the governor and to lawmakers, but the Texas Supreme Court gave lawmakers a June 1 deadline for bringing the school finance system in line with the state constitution.

Report cards, a self-ordered investigation, and a new trade groupTexas Lawmakers are getting higher marks, on average, from a business group and an environmental one. The latest legislative report card from the Texas Association of Business is online at www.txbiz.org; the new ratings from the Texas League of Conservation Voters is at www.tlcv.org. In both cases, the groups scored lawmakers on issues and votes that were important to the groups. One note on the TAB ratings: House members weren't graded on any of their tax votes during two special sessions on school finance last summer, though they were examined for votes during the regular session. • Dallas political consultant Bill Ceverha, a member of the board at the Employee Retirement System of Texas, asked the ERS to look into complaints about his work as a lobbyist, which he says was completed prior to his time on the board. Democratic legislators have been complaining that his personal bankruptcy and his role as a lobbyist conflict with his position at ERS. Ceverha was the treasurer for Texans for a Republican Majority PAC, and filed for personal bankruptcy after losing a civil suit related to his role in the 2002 elections. The ERS board will be back for sessions in January and in February, and could take up the issue at either of those meetings. • We told you a while back about the Texas Manufacturers Association; at the time, it was just an idea, and now it's getting organized. Some of the so-called "heavy metal" and other capital intensive industries want a group that can lobby on tax and other issues. Existing associations, like the Texas Association of Business, have broader memberships and can't always lobby on a particular issue because of conflicts among members. TAM doesn't have a director yet and is still assembling its board, but it'll probably be in place in time for a spring special session on school finance and taxes.

Gammage is in, Grusendorf draws a challenger with a resume, Heflin gambles on reelection and other tales from the trail...Bob Gammage, who resigned from the Texas Supreme Court and left state government in the mid-1990s, will seek the Democratic Party's nomination for governor. He filed his papers with a blast at Gov. Rick Perry and little to say to others already in the contest: Felix Alvarado and Chris Bell. Gammage said he's running against corruption in politics and that he'll be proposing reforms (and the rest of his agenda) in a formal announcement later on. Gammage's resume includes two years in the Texas House, four in the Texas Senate, two in the U.S. House, eight on the state's 3rd Court of Appeals, and four on the Texas Supreme Court. There's a website with more info: www.gammageforgovernor.com. • Rep. Kent Grusendorf, the Arlington Republican who chairs the House Public Education Committee, will face a former Arlington ISD president and member of the State Board of Education in the March GOP primary. Diane Patrick's announcement spanked Grusendorf for failing to pull together a school finance plan. Patrick is an education professor at UT Arlington. This might be the first time two former members of the State Board of Education have run against each other for a seat in the Texas House. • Former Appropriations Chairman Talmadge Heflin prefers a rematch to a chance at running the state's lottery games. The Houston Republican withdrew his name from contention for chief executive of the Texas Lottery Commissions and said he'll run for the Texas House. He lost his spot in the Legislature earlier this year when House members decided an election recount in favor of Hubert Vo, D-Houston. Heflin says he will take another crack at Vo, this time with the mantle of incumbency on the other side. • We left Vicki Truitt, R-Southlake, off of last week's list of Republicans who'll face challengers in their own primaries. Put William Langdon Skinner on the list for HD-98. • Rep. Dora Olivo, D-Rosenberg, filed for reelection and will face Steve Brown -- until recently an Austin-based lobbyist -- in the Democratic primary. • Move Tan Parker of Flower Mound from explorer to candidate. He's running in the GOP primary for the position now held by Rep. Mary Denny, R-Aubrey. Also in the hunt: Ricky Grunden, a Krum businessman, and Anne Lakusta, a former school board member who's in the real estate business. • Rep. Mark Strama, D-Austin, can stop whistling; he's got a Republican opponent in HD-50, and two more who haven't signed up yet. Jeff Fleece, a West Point grad and former staffer to George W. Bush's presidential campaign will be in that contest. Strama beat Rep. Jack Stick, R-Austin, in a squeaker last year; the Democrat got 48.6 percent of the vote and won because 3.7 percent went to Greg Knowles, a Libertarian. • Rep. Joe Nixon, R-Houston, wants to kill the Senate rule that allows one-third of the senators to block consideration of legislation. He calls that an "objectionable obstacle to progress" and says the upper chamber ought to get rid of it. Nixon is one of four candidates after Jon Lindsay's spot in the Senate; Lindsay isn't seeking another term. That rule is a Senate and lobby favorite because it makes it easier to block a piece of legislation. • Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson doesn't have an opponent yet and apparently never has been advised to be careful what he asks for. He sent reporters a proposed personal ad, to wit: "REPUBLICAN SEEKING DEMOCRAT/MWM, 59, Republican Land Commissioner seeks Democrat opponent for 11-month relationship. Must be willing to visit 100's of Texas counties, enjoy walks on eroding Texas beaches, and enjoy swapping stories (occasionally true) with Texas veterans. Interest in the Oil & Gas business a plus. Should be emotionally prepared for defeat. Millionaires need not apply (been there, done that!) If interested visit www.votepatterson.com."

A doll with a smart mouth, or a lump of coal?The Kinky Friedman doll talks when you push the button on its back. It says 25 things, according to Friedman's campaign, including some that would probably get you kicked out of the house during the holidays. The list: I can't screw things up any worse than they already are... I'll sign anything except bad legislation!... How hard could it be?... If you elect me the first Jewish governor of Texas, I'll reduce the speed limits to $54.95... If you don't love Jesus, go to hell... I'm not pro-life, I'm not pro-choice, I'm pro-football!... I don't know how many supporters I have, but they all carry guns... My heroes have always been teachers, firefighters, cops and cowboys... I'm gonna de-wussify Texas if I gotta do it one wuss at a time... Read my lips, I don't know... I'm not anti-death penalty, I'm anti-the-wrong-guy-getting executed... I'm running for Governor, not God... Trust me -- I'm a Jew, I'll hire good people... Hell, yes, it's a Cuban cigar. But I'm not supporting their economy. I'm burning their fields... I support gay marriage. They have every right to be just as miserable as the rest of us... The only two good balls I ever hit was when I stepped on the garden rake... I've got a head of hair better than Rick Perry's -- it's just not in a place I can show you... Money may buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tail... I'll keep us out of war with Oklahoma... Texas has a Capitol that was built for giants but it's inhabited by midgets... Why the hell not?... Friedman's just another word for nothing left to lose... Never reelect anybody... May the God of your choice bless you... and finally, Thank you very much! You're welcome, Kinky! • Click your way over to www.twolumpsofcoal.com, a site run by an Austin middle-schooler with entrepreneurial tendencies (no, we're not related, and this isn't a paid ad, either). Their slogan: "Who Doesn't Deserve Some?"