Tag Archives: Texas Progressive Alliance

Texas Politics

Texoblogosphere: Week of October 28th

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The Texas Progressive Alliance says VOTE VOTE VOTE as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff published an index to all his interviews and judicial Q&As for the 2014 cycle.

Libby Shaw writing for Texas Kaos and Daily Kos is not going to be quiet about the blatantly discriminatory Voter Photo ID poll tax law. Texas Voter Photo ID Law Disenfranchises 600,000 to 744,980 American citizens.

From WCNews at Eye on Williamson. Proposition 1 will do little if anything to address the neglect of the last 20 plus years. Is it worth voting for? Probably not, but it’s likely to pass anyway. Proposition 1 – The Least They Could Do.

A very powerful statute designed to short-circuit the anti-First Amendment SLAPP suits filed in Texas is explained in this post at PDiddie’s Brains and Eggs.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme urges you to vote and support not only women’s health, but the health care for all Texans.

Neil at All People Have Value offered his 2014 ballot for elections in Texas and Harris County. APHV is one of many interesting pages to see at NeilAquino.com.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

BOR offers endorsements in the Austin City Council races.

Hair Balls profiles the outside agitators that are fighting to repeal the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance.

Texans for Public Justice documents just how much the payday lenders love Greg Abbott.

Lone Star Q rounds up Texas candidate endorsements by LGBT groups around the state.

The Texas Election Law Blog makes a valiant effort to calculate the administrative cost of voter ID in Texas.

Robert Rivard wants to know why you’re not voting.

Texas Clean Air Matters calls out the Heartland Institute for misinformation about wind energy.

Nancy Sims explains how voter ID disenfranchised her (straight-GOP-ticket-voting) father.

Mary Flood urges everyone to make informed votes for judicial candidates.

 

Today’s feature photo is the Mission San José y San Miguel de Aguayo in San Antonio, Texas, a national historic site and of major importance to Texas history.  Find out more by visiting San Antonio Missions National Historical Park.

Texas Politics

Texoblogosphere: Week of June 16th

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he Texas Progressive Alliance thinks it’s the Republican Party of Texas’ platform writers that need some therapy as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff emphatically reminds us that Greg Abbott owns the RPT platform, no matter how much he may try to avoid the subject.

Libby Shaw at Texas Kaos asks why bother to address issues of substance that matter to most of us when it is easier to scare voters with hate talk? The Texas GOP Unleashes its Hate Genie.

Almost as rare as Haley’s Comet, both houses of Congress actually did some WORK this week, overwhelmingly passing legislation to help our Veterans get better healthcare. But as Texas Leftist shares, helping our nation’s heroes is simply a bridge too far for some over at Fox News.

The latest poll taken of the Texas electorate for the 2014 elections is what it is, just as Texas voters are what they have been for at least twenty years. All it demonstrates is that everybody’s work is still cut out for them. But PDiddie at Brains and Eggs cautions everyone not to buy into the “It is inexorable” conservative spin of those numbers.

In the series “What Idiot Would….” Bay Area Houston adds another about Greg Abbott in “What Idiot would hide explosive chemicals from the public?”

WCNews at Eye on Williamson tells us we need candidates that can make undecided voters and non-voting Texas see the Texas GOP as extreme and frightening, In Order To Be A Hero, There Has To Be A Villian.

Neil at All People Have Value posted an updated list of ideas and thoughts for everyday resistance to our violent and money-owned culture. All People Have Value is part of NeilAquino.com.

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And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Fascist Dyke Motors tells her story of observing the opposition to the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance as it was being passed by City Council.

Scott Braddock reports on negative reactions to the Republican Party platform from Latino GOPers.

LGBTQ Insider laments the harsh homophobia of that same platform.

In the Loop reads deeper into the Bowe Bergdahl prisoner exchange.

Nancy Sims ponders the future of the RPT platform.

Grits wonders why we restrict the use of asset forfeiture funds to drug treatment only.

Susan Duty provides some helpful tips to straight people on how to avoid being converted to homosexuality.

Lone Star Q identifies the “ex-gay” man behind the “reparative therapy” plank in the RPT platform.

And finally, the TPA bids a fond and hopefully temporary farewell to In The Pink Texas, whose use of Sleepless in Seattle as a political metaphor remains a classic of the genre.

Houston Politics, Politics

Texoblogosphere: Week of June 2nd

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The Texas Progressive Alliance celebrates the passage of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff tries to figure out what the runoff results might mean for November.

Libby Shaw at Texas Kaos is disgusted by the low blow campaign tactics employed during this election cycle. Where are the issues? Texas GOP: No Blow is too Low. Bring on the Boats, Hoes and Abortion Barbie.

Letters from Texas contemplates the existential dilemma of Log Cabin Republicans.

Horwitz at Texpatriate laments the state of Texas after Dan Patrick moves one step closer to the Lieutenant Governor’s office.

How much does it cost for Greg Abbott to change his mind? PDiddie at Brains and Eggs is glad you asked! That’s on sale right now for $350,000, and if you buy before the end of the month, he might be flexible on the price.

After a landmark week in local politics, Texas Leftist shares the true importance of passing the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance. It’s not just about preventing discrimination. HERO actually makes Houston a safer city as well.

WCNews at Eye on Williamson points out that Congressman John Carter (R-Round Rock) didn’t care about the problems at the VA until he thought he could score political points with them, Carter Knew About VA Problems Back In 2012.

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wonders if your local paper was pushing the propaganda for the energy oligarchs. The Dallas Morning News, as well as others, did.

Neil at All People Have Value offered support to folks protesting against the huge wasteful amount of money being spent on World Cup soccer in Brazil while basic needs go unmet. Neil says the real money needs to go to everyday people and not only the well-connected few. All People Have Value is part of NeilAquino.com.

And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Nonsequiteuse relates a sadly too common tale of street harassment.

Grits worries about the high number of child abuse rulings that are subsequently overturned on appeal.

Todo Texas wonders who the next batch of rising Latino political stars in Texas will be once the Castro brothers go national.

Texas Vox notes the correlation between smart subsidies for solar energy and job growth.

The Lunch Tray pens a letter to Michelle Obama.

Texas Watch gives five things you need to do to get ready for hurricane season.

PTA Mom asserts that everything she needed to know about politics she learned from school board elections.

Juanita tells the best story ever about Pat Robertson and Saran Wrap.

And finally, BeyondBones commemorates the Normandy invasion on its 70th anniversary.

Uncategorized

Texoblogosphere: week of February 3rd

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The Texas Progressive Alliance still has a dozen or so Republican responses to the SOTU it needs to get through as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff takes a look at campaign finance reports for Harris County legislative and countywide candidates.

Horwitz at Texpatriate laments the loss of Algebra II as a High school graduation requirement.

In light of some of the more ridiculous back-and-forth between Wendy Davis and Greg Abbott and their campaigns — not to mention James O’Keefe and his clandestine, altered video — PDiddie at Brains and Eggs asks: “Is it insensitive to say that Abbott is ‘running’ for governor?”

CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants you to scream in horror over the Republican war on women. All Republican candidates for Lieutenant Governor are FOR keeping a brain dead woman with a severely abnormal fetus on life support against her family’s wishes.

This week, McBlogger has some advice for the Davis Campaign, the press and all the Democratic activists who are eager for a win this year.

Neil at All People Have Value wrote about the slate of Green Party candidates running in Texas in 2014. All People Have Value is part of NeilAquino.com.

And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Nonsequiteuse scoffs at the notion that Texas may turn into California.

Texas Redistricting updates us on the proposed fixes to the Voting Rights Act and other election law news.

John Coby names Randy Weber the frontrunner to replace Steve Stockman as the craziest Congressman from Southeast Texas.

Texas Clean Air Matters reports on the longrunning legal battle between Texas and the EPA over clean air regulations.

The Lunch Tray alerts us to potential changes to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act.

Randy Bear examines the reasoning behind various LGBT groups’ non-endorsement of Wendy Davis in the Democratic primary for Governor.

Greg Wythe has the data to analyze the actual impact of Texas’ voter ID law in Harris County.

BOR asks why the Texas Medical Association supports candidates who oppose their own stated positions, and gets a non-responsive answer from them.

Texas Politics

TPA’s 2013 Texan of the Year

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Texas Progressive Alliance Names Senator Wendy Davis 2013 Its ‘Texan Of The Year’

AUSTIN—The Texas Progressive Alliance, the nation’s largest state-based association of online and netroots activists, today named State Senator Wendy Davis recipient of its Texan of the Year Award for 2013.

“Senator Davis’ actions this year made her a clear choice. Our vote was unanimous,” said Vince Leibowitz, Chair of the Alliance. Leibowitz said Senator Davis’ June filibuster of Senate Bill 5 on behalf of Texas women and the preservation of reproductive rights was a courageous action that served to galvanize and energize Texas Democrats. “Senator Davis’ courage to stand up and block this outrageous legislation helped raise awareness in Texas of the assault on a woman’s right to choose that our legislature has waged for the last decade, as well as the extraordinary measures right-wing Republicans in Texas will take both to trample the rights of women and their own colleagues in government,” Leibowitz continued.

Not only did Davis’ actions draw national attention to Texas, but her filibuster and subsequent campaign for Texas Governor have galvanized Texas Democrats. “We have not seen this kind of excitement for a non-presidential election in Texas in many years. We see Democrats are energized, organized, and ready to take back our state for the people. To a great extend, we have Senator Davis and her courageous actions to thank for this; she served as a unifying figure for our party to rally around, and her actions will both strenghten the party in the long run and serve to expand our base,” said Charles Kuffner, Vice Chair of the Alliance.

Previous Texan of the Year recipients are: Carolyn Boyle of Texas Parent PAC (2006); Texas House Democratic Leaders State Reps. Jim Dunnam, Garnet F. Coleman, and Pete Gallego (2007); the Harris County Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign (2008); Houston Mayor Annise Parker (2009); Fort Worth City Councilman Joel Burns (2010); and the protesters of the Tar Sands Blockade (2012). There was no award given in 2011.

Houston Politics

Texoblogosphere: week of December 23rd

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The Texas Progressive Alliance wishes everyone a joyful and joyous holiday as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff wants to know why no one is taking responsibility for enforcing voting rights in Texas.

Eye On Williamson digs deeper into how the Democrats in Texas must move the policy discussion back to the left, so it can get to where it needs to be. More on Democratic message strategy in Texas – the Overton Window.

After the blogosphere’s sudden realization that next year’s City Council will have just two female members, Texas Leftist decided it was time for a more in-depth look at diversity in Houston’s municipal government, with some invaluable help from Charles Kuffner. And surprisingly, we’re not as diverse as we appear to be.

“What the Duck?!” asked PDiddie at Brains and Eggs. The reality show quacks opened a new front in the culture wars, and just in time for Christmas! While everyone quarreled about it on Facebook and Twitter, the US Senate quietly re-authorized the federal government to continue detaining Americans indefinitely. The real outrages again get supplanted by the fake ones, as the USA! USA! hurtles toward Idiocracy.

The Republican war on women continues with voter id cards. Who wouldn’t love to see their ex-husband’s name branded on their voter id. CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme wants to you imagine the horror.

Neil at All People Have Value said resistance to a wicked culture is an everyday thing and is hopeful. All People Have Value is part of NeilAquino.com.

Texpatriate releases a list of Best and Worst members of the Houston City Council.

And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Texans for Public Justice exposes corporate-funded campaign consultants.

Jason Stanford calls for an investigation into testing company Pearson.

Better Texas warns that the state’s navigator rules could have the (completely intended) effect of impeding health insurance enrollment.

The TSTA blog says Greg Abbott is not listening to real education needs.

New Media Texas invokes Beyonce in a discussion of how to engage millennials.

Hispanic Houston lauds the diversity of TV’s Major Crimes.

The Lunch Tray reminds us that a little preparedness can help save the life of a child that is choking.

The Lone Star Project presents Greg Abbott’s Top Five Blunders.

The Makeshift Academic ties raising to minimum wage to closing the Medicaid gap.

Hair Balls demonstrates how not to use Twitter, in a story that was broken by the TPA’s Noah Horwitz.

Concerned Citizens analyzes the federal court decision that invalidated Utah’s ban on same-sex marriage.

Houston Politics

Texoblogosphere: week of November 11th

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The Texas Progressive Alliance honors the service of America’s veterans as it brings you this week’s roundup.

Off the Kuff analyzed the favorable poll and the unfavorable poll that came out last week.

Texpatriate, while happy that Mayor Annise Parker was re-elected, laments nonetheless that Ben Hall ran one of the worst campaigns in history against her.

Eye On Williamson is still blogging at our temporary home. What kind of message to Democrats need to run on in Texas? Good question here are some Thoughts on a Democratic message in Texas.

Two polls released last week had good and bad news for Wendy Davis, but it was when President Obama came to Dallas that things got both better and worse for the Democratic gubernatorial candidate. PDiddie at Brains and Eggs broke it down.

People are getting poorer and poorer, just as Republicans and their backers wanted. No one knows poverty more than Brownsville and McAllen. CouldBeTrue of South Texas Chisme says “Lets vow to elect Democrats in 2014”.

With such anemic turnout, the 2013 elections were mostly a success. But some issues did still arise, and Texas Leftist was able to share a thorough account of one. If mass confusion is a goal of the Texas Voter ID law, then I’d say it’s working very well.

With Veterans’ Day here. Neil at All People Have Value offered a brief account of views regarding war held by the late Korean War veteran Tony Aquino. All People Have Value is part of NeilAquino.com.

And here are some posts of interest from other Texas blogs.

Greg Wythe gives the unvarnished view of how the new voter ID law actually works in practice.

Grits for Breakfast calls for the implementation of the “Barney Fife Rule” in the McLennan County DA’s office.

John Coby has some advice for future candidates. Better Texas tells the rest of the story on those health insurance cancellations.

Juanita is seeking help getting some non-binding referenda on the Democratic primary ballot.

And finally, this isn’t a blog post, but a petition calling on Ted Cruz to give up his own federally subsidized health care plan or work to support affordable healthcare coverage for all Americans definitely deserves a place here.