April 18, 2014 3:39 PM PolitiFact Texas says Dewhurst's pants are ablaze over Patrick's name change But, Selby's outfit does note Patrick changed his name in case he ever ran for public office Gardner Selby over at PolitiFact Texas alerts us at Buzz Central to his fact-check of a claim made in a new ad being run by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst all over Texas. In the 30 second TV spot, it is asserted that Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, changed his last name from Goeb to Patrick because he wanted to "hide from the debts." The Dewhurst campaign did not provide Selby with any evidence to back up that claim, the article says. The article does note that one of the reasons Patrick gave for changing his name at the time he did it was because he wanted to be able to “present himself as Dan Patrick in any possible bid for elected office." The entire fact-check is here. |
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April 18, 2014 3:08 PM Newsclips will take Easter Sunday offBack at it on Monday |
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April 18, 2014 2:47 PM HK: Surprising twists in recent PPP pollDemocratic issues show strength but candidates remain weak Public
Policy Polling
turned its attention to Texas this week with two eye-opening reports. The
first half of the poll reported Wednesday knocked the wind out of Wendy Davis supporters suggesting that her
numbers had dropped and, even worse, she was losing ground with women. Ironically, the second half of the poll (released
Thursday) reported that near to substantial majorities of Texans agree with
Democratic positions on Medicaid expansion (49%), increasing the minimum wage
(55%) and paycheck fairness (93%). The rest of the story, subscribers only By Harvey Kronberg |
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April 18, 2014 10:52 AM Houston Chronicle endorses Gordy Bunch for Williams Senate seat Editorial board is quite unimpressed with Toth, Creighton, and Galloway The
other candidates in the race have legislative careers that are "not impressive"
and the Houston Chronicle says "Almost by default," their
endorsement goes to businessman and Woodlands Township Board member Gordy Bunch. Read the
editorial here. |
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April 18, 2014 8:50 AM Marketwatch: The hazards of BitcoinSubject to hacking, extremely volatile valuations After the Abbott Campaign announced it would accept Bitcoin contributions, Buzz Central did a little research on the product. A recent Marketwatch story shed light on some of the potential hazards of the "asset". They wrote: "What’s not great? The bitcoin exchanges are vulnerable to hacking. Just look at Mt. Gox, which collapsed after it managed to lose some 650,000 bitcoins, or Vircurex, which halted withdrawals after a run on the bank, so to speak. And if something like that happens, good luck getting your money back: This isn’t like an FDIC-insured bank account. The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or Finra, issued a warning recently that digital currencies are “more than a bit risky.” "...It’s also volatile as heck, which, come to think of it, seems like a given when you’ve got a currency that isn’t controlled by any central bank. Bitcoin was recently trading around $448, according to the bitcoin price index by CoinDesk. A few months ago, it was more than $1,000. A year ago, it was barely pushing $100. Two years ago, it was about $5. By Harvey Kronberg |
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April 17, 2014 5:34 PM Dewhust blasts Patrick as anti-woman, anti-immigrant and anti-Hispanic Before a mainly Latino crowd, Dewhurst ripped Patrick in Spanish and English Our sources in Houston tell Buzz Central on this Thursday afternoon that Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst ripped into his challenger Dan Patrick in some of the harshest rhetoric the incumbent has used yet about the Houston senator. Speaking to the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Luncheon – an event that drew about 2,000 people – Dewhurst spoke about Patrick in Spanish and English. "Mi oponente es anti-inmigrante, anti-Hispano, anti-mujer y yo no soy ningún de esas cosas,” he said, which means “My opponent is anti-immigrant, anti-Hispanic, anti-woman and I'm not any of those things." We’re told Dewhurst followed that with a variation on what is already a central attack on Patrick contained in television ads that started airing this week. “I am the only statewide elected official among all 29 with business experience, and you can tell from my record that I am a successful businessman, unlike my opponent who isn’t and filed for bankruptcy,” Dewhurst said. Patrick’s chief strategist Allen Blakemore has said Dewhurst’s campaign is “spewing raw sewage, and personally attacking Dan Patrick.” By Scott Braddock |
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April 17, 2014 5:33 PM Whitmire and others ask for investigation of sex offender housing plan Dean of the Senate is “shocked by the decisions” of the Office of Violent Sexual Offender Management Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, is asking the Travis County Public Integrity Unit, the State Auditor's office and the Office of the Attorney General to look into what has been reported as a "secret plan" to build a center for violent sex offenders east of Houston. The plan, as uncovered by the Houston Chronicle, was part of an agreement between the Office of Violent Sexual Offender Management and a company in Houston that’s owned, in part, by a Houston police officer who was implicated in the theft of funds from the police union. The center has been planned for a site in Liberty County. The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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April 17, 2014 1:10 PM Abbott Campaign says bring on the BitcoinsAlthough associated with secret transactions, campaign says full disclosures will be required of contributors
The
Greg
Abbott Campaign today announced that they would accept campaign
contributions using Bitcoin, a digital currency.
Although the electronic currency is most frequently associated with
confidential transactions because it sidesteps financial institutions, the Abbott
team says it will require that campaign contributors using Bitcoin divulge
information including name, address, employer and occupation – items required
for Texas
Ethics Commission campaign finance reports. The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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April 17, 2014 1:07 PM TER: Sitton will place company in blind trust and step down if elected to RRCFull report in the Texas Energy Report By Polly Ross Hughes |
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April 16, 2014 5:20 PM Notes from the campaign trail Momentum for Blanco in race against Chavez; “Boats ‘N Hoes PAC” is created Following the revelation that Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst has decided to get aggressive in his campaign against challenger Sen. Dan Patrick during Holy Week, a couple other items of note crossed the Buzz Central desk on Wednesday afternoon. First, QR has learned that
the entire El Paso delegation, with the exception of Rep. Joe Pickett, will endorse Cesar
Blanco over former Rep. Norma Chavez
in the race for House District 76. Sen. Jose Rodriguez and Reps. Marisa Marquez, Joe Moody and Mary Gonzalez, who are all Democrats, will gather for an event in El Paso tomorrow to make their endorsement official. What we're told is that none of them want to say anything negative about Chavez, but instead they feel Blanco, a former congressional aide to Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, will do a better job in the lower chamber. The rest of the story, subscribers only |
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April 16, 2014 5:19 PM Press Releases: A successful surgery for Davis, more reaction to the immigration debate and endorsements
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April 16, 2014 3:52 PM TLR PAC says Schofield leads Hodge 57-27 in HD132 RACEFormer Perry Asst General Counsel Mike Schofield leads Ann Hodge decisively says Baselice poll. The TLR PAC press release can be found here. |
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April 16, 2014 11:06 AM UPDATED: Dewhurst releases TV ad against Patrick: The Mother of all DebtLite Guv also keys on Julian Castro’s statement that Patrick is the D’s “meal ticket”; Patrick's camp says Dewhurst has gone "straight for the gutter" Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Wednesday released a scathing TV ad about his GOP challenger Sen. Dan Patrick in which the Tea Party-style candidate is criticized for his business practices as well as his name change. You can see the ad below. Per the Express News, Dewhurst has spent at least $445,000 on the broadcast buy and the number is expected to rise. Meantime, in a fundraising email this morning, Dewhurst said it was “funny” that during last night’s immigration debate, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro called Patrick “the most anti-immigration Republican running for state-wide office.” That is humorous, Dewhurst said, “because when Patrick was racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes, he was also employing illegal immigrants.” Dewhurst also pointed out that Castro said Patrick is the kind of Republican who represents the Democrats’ “meal ticket” for a win by the minority part in November. The incumbent’s campaign also posted this fact-check about Patrick’s history on their anti-Patrick blog called “Real Dan Patrick.” Allen Blakemore, chief strategist for Patrick, said Dewhurst has gone “right for the gutter” with attack ad. “"Over the next seven days, he is spending over $1,000,000 polluting the airwaves, spewing raw sewage, and personally attacking Dan Patrick. Mr. Dewhurst’s ad offers no excuse for his own record of failure to secure the border, failure to address property taxes that are driving people from their homes, and a failure to deliver a fiscally responsible budget," Blakemore said. |
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April 15, 2014 9:23 PM SB: Patrick and Castro clash in heated immigration debate Patrick: "I'm the only candidate the Democrats fear." Castro: "Actually you're our meal ticket back in."
QR readers will remember that Sen. Patrick
similarly debated State Board of Education Vice Chairman Thomas Ratliff in Tyler about an issue that, like immigration, had inflamed
some on the right: The CSCOPE lesson plans that had
been criticized as “un-American” by some but that educators have said are a
necessary tool. That, of course, is a fringe issue compared to immigration and border security, which will shape the state's economy and political reality for decades to come. In
Tuesday night’s debate in San Antonio, Sen. Patrick started off by saying he is
compassionate and added that it should concern Democrats like Castro to see
women being raped by those engaged in human smuggling and to likewise see communities
savaged by those in the drug trade. "You
can get emotional about this and political about this, but your job is to
protect the safety of the city," Patrick said. The frontrunner for the GOP
Lite Guv nomination faulted members of both parties in Washington for not
acting on immigration reform. He said that if legal immigration was expanded
and the border was secured, “illegal immigration would stop.” "Texas
is not being invaded by Mexico," Castro said and pointed out that the US
Senate has already passed a bipartisan bill to address both border
security as well as create a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants
who earn it. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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April 15, 2014 5:52 PM Dan Patrick and Julian Castro square off in San Antonio on immigration this hour
The link to watch live right at 6pm via the Houston Chronicle is here. |
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April 15, 2014 5:32 PM Press Releases: Everyone's calling out everyone it seems, tax returns released, a neck surgery and more
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April 15, 2014 1:19 PM New PPP poll says no change: Abbott-51%, Davis 37% with her negatives increasingPatrick leads Van de Putte by 16 The summary for Public Policy Polling can be found here. |
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April 14, 2014 5:21 PM Battleground Texas blasts the RPT for voter outreach and Republicans fire back Battleground says they knocked over 55,000 doors; RPT chair says it’s not possible and irrelevant The head of Battleground Texas and the chairman of the Republican Party of Texas each had harsh words for the other about their respective voter outreach efforts on Monday. There has, of course, been a lot of chatter about how much difference it will make in the governor’s race between Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis and Republican AG Greg Abbott to have Battleground here working to create Democratic political infrastructure, which has been on par with water and transportation infrastructure in Afghanistan. For now, they seem to be making some inroads. In an email to supporters, Battleground’s executive
director Jenn Brown said the RPT
had promised to knock on 60,000 doors in March, but ended up doing 10,000
instead. "They fell 50,000 doors short," Brown said. "While
enthusiasm is waning for Republicans, it's never been higher for us. That same
week, we set a goal of 100,000 phone calls for Wendy -- and made 145,287." Brown said "the GOP is no longer the only game in Texas. We're proving every day that our grassroots volunteers are a force to be reckoned with." Battleground volunteers set out with the goal of knocking on 48,000 doors this past weekend and ended up with a total of over 55,000, Brown said. The head of the majority party dismissed Brown’s claim out of hand. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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April 14, 2014 4:40 PM Press releases: Christi Craddick to chair GOP Victory; Davis ethical lapses, Ratcliffe endorsed by Senate Conservatives fund and more
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April 14, 2014 4:25 PM TER: House energy chief Jim Keffer sees Ryan Sitton facing conflicts at RRCIn Texas Energy Report: House Energy Resources chair says candidate holding onto energy interests ‘opens up this whole can of worms’ |
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April 14, 2014 3:23 PM Senate candidate Gordy Bunch releases TV spot: "Change Austin"Some have called Bunch the "dark horse" candidate in the race to succeed former Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands |
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April 14, 2014 3:05 PM Wallace Hall report officially referred to Travis County prosecutors
On another track, Coalition notes possible impeachable offenses, calls for Hall to resign The report
reviewing the conduct of UT Regent Wallace Hall prepared by attorney Rusty Hardin for the Select
Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations has been formally
referred to Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg and County Attorney David
Escamilla, QR has learned. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Harvey Kronberg |
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April 14, 2014 1:50 PM HK: How many special sessions to pass the next budget?Finding a governing coalition after previous budget maneuvers could be tough Whether
true or not, the endorsement of Dan
Patrick by both incumbent Senator Bob
Deuell and Texans for Lawsuit Reform have been
taken by many in the capitol community as
the last word on the viability of a Dewhurst
re-election. Given the even longer-shot
nature of the Democrats’ winning the Lt. Governor’s race, war-gaming for next
session has already begun The
only thing the Legislature must do is pass a budget. Call it armchair speculation, but even more
than a year away, it is not unreasonable to speculate that it will take multiple
special sessions to hammer out a budget.
Senator Patrick’s performance on state budgets has been erratic and
while Tea Party interests may dominate a mid-term primary election runoff, they
are minor players in the state’s trillion dollar economy and twenty-five
million residents. The
state’s budget is perhaps the most daunting task facing any Legislature. It requires good faith negotiation and buy-in
from myriad constituencies. The appropriators have to negotiate competing interests
– those both on camera and off. In
his freshman session, Patrick angered his colleagues by handing out several
pages of proposed cuts he claimed the Finance Committee could have made…as the
bill was coming to the floor. The anger
was generated not because it threatened passage of a session’s worth of work
but because it was seen as an effort to capture the narrative. Civilians outside the Capitol would see the
proposed cuts and remain clueless that they were introduced too late to be
considered or had already been rejected.
The rest of the story, subscribers only By Harvey Kronberg |
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April 14, 2014 12:49 PM Concerns about standardized tests are aired at Senate Education hearing Despite deep cuts in standardized testing, senators still worry about standards and the amount of testing A
greater percentage of Texas high school students are on track to graduate under
the STAAR testing system than had
been under the TAKS, members of the Senate
Education Committee were told on Monday. But lawmakers on the panel –
about a third of whom are seeking statewide office this year – are still concerned
that teachers are teaching to a test and that standards for passing it are low
enough that they leave kids ill-equipped for college or a career. For
about an hour, senators grilled the Texas Education Agency’s Associate
Commissioner of Assessment & Accountability Criss Cloudt. She told the panel that 76 percent of students in the
class of 2015 have successfully completed 4 of the 5 tests they’ll need to
graduate. It is the first class that has to pass the 5 assessments required
under reforms to standardized testing. Under
questioning by senators, Cloudt said that when the state used the Texas
Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, 28 percent were not on track to
graduate because of their test scores. That number has fallen to 24 percent
under the end-of-course exams called the State of Texas Assessments of Academic
Readiness, or STAAR. However, it is not
really an apples-to-apples comparison, Cloudt said, mainly because these are
very different tests. The rest of the story, subscribers only By Scott Braddock |
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Copyright April 18, 2014, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved 