Capitol Annex On Tumblr

Testing a new iPhone app.

Pardon Our Dust While We Change Servers

Check out this post: http://capitolannex.com/2010/04/23/pardon-our-dust-while-we-change-servers/)
If you visit Capitol Annex over the weekend, if you see anything odd or out of place (of if the site doesn’t load at all), please note that we are in the process of moving from one host to another.

Please bear with us and pardon our dust while the move is in progress.

Commission Approves Addition To Governor’s Mansion

Check out this post: http://capitolannex.com/2010/04/23/commission-approves-addition-to-governors-mansion/) The Texas Historical Commission this week gave its approval to an addition to the Texas Governor’s Mansion. Interestingly, the Associated Press noted that, aside from the fact that this won’t be the gigantic two-story addition sought earlier, the Historical Commission’s staff will actually get to decide on the size of the addition:

But the commissioners took a cue from two other boards and didn’t specify Thursday how big the addition should be. It could be just a small one to include a fire stair or a larger one that would include another bedroom and storage areas. Adding on to the 154-year-old historic building has been a touchy subject since restoration officials announced plans for a two-story addition last fall. That plan was withdrawn in January.

Paul Moreno’s Sweet Revenge

Check out this post: http://capitolannex.com/2010/04/21/paul-morenos-sweet-revenge/)
Most readers will recall in 2008 when State Rep. Paul Moreno (D-El Paso), a longtime progressive Democrat, was defeated in the Democratic Primary by Marisa Marquez, who wasn’t quite as progressive as Moreno and was supported by State Rep. Norma Chavez (D-El Paso).

Now Moreno is relishing in the defeat of of Chavez, his former colleague.

TX-GOV: Bill White On NASA

Check out this post: http://capitolannex.com/2010/04/21/tx-gov-bill-white-on-nasa/) The Houston Chronicle’s Joe Holley managed to grab a few moments of Democratic Gubernatorial nominee Bill White’s time this week to ask a few questions about NASA late last week. Via the Chronicle’s Texas Politics blog are White’s comments:

“I think it was a mistake to discontinue the program until the new vehicle for manned space exploration was established, to avoid a gap,” he said Friday. “It takes strong advocacy from the governor and a united congressional delegation for both NASA and its Texas-based facilities,” he said. “It’s not a parochial issue,” he said. “I definitely believe we under-invest in cutting-edge research. The other huge benefit of NASA is the inspiration of young Americans who we want to interest in math, science and engineering.”

University Educators Ask SBOE To Delay Final Social Studies Curriculum Vote

Check out this post: http://capitolannex.com/2010/04/21/university-educators-ask-sboe-to-delay-final-social-studies-curriculum-vote/)
A group of university educators has asked the State Board of Education to delay a final voe on social studies curriculum standards until higher education experts have a chance to weigh in.

According to the Associated Press, the educators are seeking postponement of a May vote until a panel of educators actually qualified to review the standards can do so.

There is basically a fat chance of that happening. Rightwingers on the SBOE and their allies like Wallbuilders founder David Barton, who was on an early SBOE-appointed committee dealing with the standards, will fight this one to the finish and to a final vote.

Perry Named Among Worst Governors In The Nation

Check out this post: http://capitolannex.com/2010/04/21/perry-named-among-worst-governors-in-the-nation/) Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington this week named Texas Governor Rick Perry as one of the worst governors in the nation. The group cited the following as reasons for naming Perry to its worst list:

* Allegedly disregarded campaign finance laws and aided a business that was especially generous to his campaign * Refused to operate transparently, and has blocked access to information related to a death penalty case * Rejected federal stimulus funds in a manner that appeared to put partisan politics ahead of the interests of the citizens of Texas * Has perpetuated the revolving door between government and special interests * Accepted travel and campaign donations from a business that received benefits from his official actions * Used campaign funds for a personal trip with questionable relevance to his campaign for office

Looming Election Doesn’t Stop Lawmakers From Proposing Bills For Next Session

Check out this post: http://capitolannex.com/2010/04/15/looming-election-doesnt-stop-lawmakers-from-proposing-bills-for-next-session/) Never mind that the November election—some months off—still standing in between now and the first session of the 82nd Texas Legislature, because it isn’t stopping lawmakers from grabbing headlines with new bills they want to introduce. Case in point: State Sen. Jane Nelson, who this week proposed a “two strikes law” for DWI offenders that would result in a second-time DWI offender loosing their driver’s license:

Prompted by the Easter weekend crash in Lewisville that killed an Argyle mother and daughter, a state senator says she will propose legislation that would permanently revoke someone’s driver’s license for a second DWI conviction. State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, said Wednesday that she intends to pursue the legislation in the 2011 session. John Patrick Barton was on parole for his third DWI when, police said, he drank again and crashed into the back of a car on Interstate 35E in Lewisville, killing Kandace Hull, 33, and her daughter, Autumn Caudle, 13. Statewide, 78,395 people have three or more DWI convictions, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. “We must stop these serial DWI offenders whose illegal behavior is devastating our communities with the needless loss of precious lives,” Nelson said in a news release. “I intend to pursue a ‘two-strikes-and-you’re-out’ law that will ensure anyone who is convicted of a second DWI offense will lose their driver’s license forever.”

A Look At The 2010 Runoffs

Check out this post: http://capitolannex.com/2010/04/13/a-look-at-the-2010-runoffs/)
Today, voters across the state head to the polls to vote in a few remaining local—and, on the Republican side, statewide—runoffs for the primary.

Here is Capitol Annex’s look at the hottest 2010 runoff races, with our predictions on who wins.

STATEWIDE, REPUBLICAN

Texas Supreme Court, Place 3:  Debra Lehrmann v. Rick Green. This will be perhaps the most interesting runoff to watch tonight. It is basically a career judge versus a tea-bagger wingnut and former State Representative and infomercial spokesman to replace retiring Justice Harriet O’Neill.. This runoff will give us a pretty good picture—statewide—of how dedicated the teabagger segment of the electorate really is beyond primary day. If teabaggers turn out in good numbers, then Green could win by a nose. If they stay home, or forget to vote because they are too busy protesting unfair taxes or guarding their local laundromat from illegal aliens to vote, the race belongs to Lehrmann. Lehrmann has a ton of mainstream Republican endorsements, as well as the Texas Farm Bureau AgFund PAC, and most newspaper endorsements. OUR PREDICTION: Reading the tea bags, er, uh, tea leaves, is a little tricky on this one. It reminds me of the of the 1998 Barry Williamson v. John Cornyn runoff match-up. A lot of right-wing, ultra-Christian conservatives supported Williamson going into the runoff but in the end went with the more viable candidate or simply stayed away from the polls. Williamson, incidentally, is the campaign manager for teabagger David Porter, who defeated Railroad Commissioner Victor Carrillio in the  primary earlier this year. Our prediction: Lehrmann by 3.5 percent.Green bested Lehrmann by less than a percentage point going into the runoff.

DISTRICT RACES, REPUBLICAN

STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION, DISTRICT 10: Marsha Farney v. Brian Russell. In the race to replace wingnut Obama-hater Cynthia Dunbar, homeschooling patent lawyer Brian Russell faces Marsha Farney, a  more “mainstream” candidate and former educator in the GOP Primary. This race was pretty much a statistical dead-heat in the primary. Naturally, it is yet another SBOE contest where a rightwing loon with no education experience is running against a more mainstream conservative. Farney is endorsed by former Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings—which probably isn’t a huge plus. Either way, Farney is by far the more qualified candidate for Republicans. OUR PREDICTION: Again, this one depends upon how strong teabagger voting strength remains after the primary. Farney by 5 percent.

TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 14. Rep. Fred Brown v. Buddy Winn. A fairly bizarre contest for the central Texas House District 14 pits incumbent state Rep. Fred Brown against longtime Brazos County Tax Assessor Buddy Winn. Brown was well ahead of Winn going into the runoff and leads Winn in fundraising and cash on hand. Ironically, both candidates agree on major issues. Winn is counting on an anti-incumbency wave he likely won’t see to put him over Brown. OUR PREDICTION: Brown by 13 percent.

TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 66. Who knew that wealthy former marine Van Taylor, the man who went down in flames against Congressman Chet Edwards in 2006, would resurface so soon? He’s now the presumed darling of the teabagger movement in a district that is more good-government conservative than teabagger. Taylor has lent his campaign more than three-quarters of a million dollars making his race likely the most expensive legislative primary race in Texas history. His opponent, Mabrie Jackson, a former Plano City Councilwoman, is far from a liberal—taking cash from Houston home builder Bob Perry—but is far more mainstream than Taylor. OUR PREDICTION: Money won’t buy this district. In spite of its growth in the last decade and a half, Plano’s GOP electorate still includes a lot of old-line conservatives for whom paying your dues matters. Taylor’s teabagger ties will likely hurt him in this district, but his money will make him more competitive. Mabrie by 3.25 percent.

DISTRICT RACES, DEMOCRATIC

HOUSE DISTRICT 76. Norma Chavez v. Naomi R. Gonzalez. We’ve already summarized this race here, so we won’t spend a lot more time doing it again.. The long-and-short of it is that Norma Chaves fell out of favor of the lawsuit reform crowd, Gonzalez picked them up, and that El Paso has a nasty habit of turning out incumbents in runoffs like this. PREDICTION: Gonzalez by 4 percent.

There are also GOP runoffs in HD 47, HD 52, HD 83 (where incumbent Delwin Jones will face Charles Berry), HD 84, HD 127, and HD 149. Congressional Districts 17 and 23 will also see runoffs on the GOP side.

Biden Visits Wounded Soldiers In Texas

Check out this post: http://capitolannex.com/2010/04/08/biden-visits-wounded-soldiers-in-texas/)
Vice President Joe Biden visited with soldiers at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio yesterday. Via