This week, bloggers are reacting to opinions from the guys and gals in black robes. They're also talking about the U.S. Senate contest, the presidential race and statehouse stuff. And politics, politics, politics.
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Decisions, Decisions
The U.S. Supreme court ruled against Washington, D.C.'s handgun ban and in favor of the Second Amendment. Tex Parte Blog sums up the high court's arguments and wonders what all the fuss is about. Here's analysis by BurkaBlog, who thinks the decision will affect the presidential race.
TexasSparkle breathes a sigh of relief: "Too close for me. A victory for gun rights, but a 5-4 ruling?" In the Pink Texas says, "Thank God. I was so sick of carrying around my taser." And Rhetoric & Rhythm is glad the decision averted what could have been "a huge, ugly issue" during the fall campaign season.
Panhandle Truth Squad doesn't like guns much, but says the Supremes got it right. Here it comes: Someone's already challenging Chicago's gun control laws, says Burka. And here are statements from two (potential?) 2010 gubernatorial candidates, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Gov. Rick Perry, via Walker Report.
Half-Empty notes that both Congressional District 22 candidates (incumbent Democrat Nick Lampson and Republican challenger Pete Olson) agree with the court's decision.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled against executing child rapists, weakening Texas' so-called "Jessica's Law." Here, analysis from Postcards from the Lege, the Austin American-Statesman's blog and thoughts from StandDown Texas Project. And state Rep. Aaron Peña, D-Edinburg, critiques the argument in his A Capitol Blog.
Grits for Breakfast gives Texas legislators credit for anticipating this adverse ruling and writing an escape hatch into state law (Burnt Orange Report has a list of them). Looks like Louisianans had the same idea, opting for the next best thing in lieu of execution, according to PoliTex, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's blog.
Half-Empty has background, the Attorney General's statement and some of his own thoughts, too, while Walker has reaction from Perry and Capitol Annex has a statement from bill author state Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball.
In other news, the Texas Supreme Court says that exorcisms are protected by the Constitution. Right Up Front agrees with the state justices. Annex does not: "[O]ne of the worst opinions ever issued by the Texas Supreme Court... [I]f you are injured by a church, you are screwed."
Erstwhile, Texas Observer Blog shines the spotlight on what might be a good ol' fashioned, shady West Texas land deal involving state House candidate Isaac Castro, a Republican challenging incumbent Joe Heflin, D-Crosbyton. Observer also notes that the U.S. Supreme Court denied challenges to Homeland Security chief Michael Chertoff's use of "all encompassing powers" involving the border fence.
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The race is on
A new Texas Lyceum poll shows Rick Noriega behind Sen. John Cornyn by a mere two points. (Disclosure: The boss here at Texas Weekly helped formulate the poll questions and wrote the summaries explaining the numbers.)
Burnt Orange is ecstatic. So is Annex. And Texas Politics, the Houston Chronicle's blog, advises taking the poll with "rock salt." Burka thinks the poll's probably pretty good.
Meanwhile, Panhandle's Perspective chooses to instead pimp the latest Rasmussen Poll showing Cornyn ahead of Noriega 48 to 35 percent. And Right up Front says Noriega's got as good of a chance as a sno-cone in the south Texas sun.
In other news, Noriega bested Minnesota's Al Franken in an online poll to win the support of Barbara Boxer's PAC for Change, says Burnt Orange.
And remember "Big Bad John?" Well, here's the remix by Noriega's camp. Half-Empty says that Boxer disseminated Noriega's video in the e-mail announcing that Noriega had won the online poll. Here's the text of the e-mail via Half-Empty, but without mention of the video. Burnt Orange heard a rumor (an untrue rumor, as it turned out) that Cornyn staffer David Beckwith got axed over the video. The Texas Medical Association dropped its endorsement of Cornyn for a Medicare vote the docs didn't like, says Postcards. "If Noriega can stay close in the polls and post some good fundraising numbers, the TMA won't be the last group to ditch Big John," says Burnt Orange. (Hutchison, who voted with Cornyn, isn't on the ballot this year and thus faced no immediate endorsement issues.)
Cornyn is already taking more notice of Noriega than Hutchison ever did of Democrat Barbara Radnofsky in 2006, says Eye on Williamson. And Burka says the Democratic House of Representatives screwed Noriega over by supporting Cornyn's GI Bill, while McBlogger makes a list of bad moves by the Cornyn camp.
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Top of the ticket
Brains and Eggs says the Obama campaign's plan to put 15 staffers in Texas is "well, something at least." Half-Empty's outlook is cheerier. "Such talk is music to Texas Democrats' ears," says Houtopia.
Eye on Williamson thinks the Texas GOP may have lost its stranglehold on the state.
Greg's Opinion is that Obama could "do a lot worse" for a running mate than U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco. "Now, I like Chet Edwards, but he is George Bush's congressman in more ways than one," says McBlogger. And Annex thinks Edwards would be better than Dan Quayle. Meanwhile, Burka says former state comptroller John Sharp wouldn't win a gig as Obama's energy secretary, judging by a recent op-ed.
There's still time to vote for the official anti-Obama bumper sticker of the state GOP, says Vaqueros & Wonkeros, the El Paso Times's blog.
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House Work
Last week brand-new pollsters Texas Poll Watch shook up the blogosphere a bit with some robo-polling on state House races, specifically the contest between Democratic state Rep. Juan Garcia, D-Corpus Christi, and Republican Todd Hunter. Burka is the first to defend the poll: "Clearly, the Democrats think Garcia is going to win this race. I think theyre wrong."
State Rep. Peña remembers Buddy West, R-Odessa, who died this week. The Capitol Crowd says West was nice to his staff, an unusually useful measure of character. Meanwhile, Burnt Orange gives an update on Democratic state Rep. Mark Strama's Campaign Academy in Austin.
TexBlog PAC, a coalition of progressive bloggers, is endorsing Democrat Chris Turner in his race against state Rep. Bill Zedler, R-Arlington. Annex touts numbers from the March primary.
This week, Annex ran a multi-parter on "the most endangered Republican in the Texas House that you don't know." We'll save you the suspense: It's state Rep. John Davis, R-Houston. (The first two posts are here and here.) (editor's note: This was also the rumor in the Republican primary, which Davis won handily. We're not saying he's safe — we're just saying.)
Vaqueros keeps everyone updated on the El Paso state House race. (Democratic candidate Joe Moody finally has a website that's not on the Facebook.com server, saysVaqueros.)
Someone with a shotgun blasted out the office window of HD-92 Democratic candidate Kalandra Wheeler, reports Burnt Orange. And a grand jury advised state House members to cut out the "ghost voting," says Tex Parte.
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Ex post facto
Some words on the new state business tax from state Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, via Burka, and state Rep. Ken Paxton, R-Frisco, via The Travis Monitor. Here's an update on a continuing claim against 2006 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell, courtesy of Tex Parte.
Mansion fire just one of many missteps by top Texas Republicans, says Austin Political Report. The Texas GOP is officially opposed to usury, says the county seat. Here's an interview with CD-32 candidate Eric Roberson, from Burnt Orange and a Sunset Commission meeting photoblog, from KVUE's Political Junkie.
Trooper Keeton's running as a write-in candidate against U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, according to Burnt Orange. (Keeton is cousin to Carole Keeton Strayhorn.)
How fast can you name all 50 states? via Mike Falick's Blog. State Senate candidate Austin Furse is standing in front of the wrong Capitol on his website, says Texas Politics.
Mean rachel spent the day with CD-10 candidate Larry Joe Doherty, while yeah, right, whatever hung out at a fundraiser for Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams.
Texas GOP chair Tina Benkiser's intro music at the state convention was the theme to Battlestar Galactica, says Blue Dot Blues, who also gives notice that Austin is hosting a conservative-leaning new media summit on July 18 and 19. That corresponds roughly to the dates of the liberal Netroots confab, also in Austin.
This edition of Out There was compiled and written by Patrick Brendel, who hails from Victoria has drifted north to Austin. We cherry-pick the state's political blogs each week, looking for news, info, gossip, and new jokes. The opinions here belong (mostly) to the bloggers, and we're including their links so you can hunt them down if you wish. Our blogroll — the list of Texas blogs we watch — is on our links page, and if you know of a Texas political blog that ought to be on it, just shoot us a note. Please send comments, suggestions, gripes or retorts to Texas Weekly editor Ross Ramsey.