February 8, 2010 8:37 PM
DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE FEATURES LITTLE HAND TO HAND COMBAT
The two Democratic hopefuls give each other room to hit their points but neither moves the needle appreciably
Bill White and Farouk Shami shared a stage in
Fort Worth tonight but, truth be told, the men weren’t in the same debate.
And that’s OK. They had different bars to clear and for the
most part they cleared them.
As the Houston Chronicle’s Rick Casey
pointed out in his column this morning, White won simply by having a debate at
which to show up. An hour on statewide TV where he was sharp and hit his marks
was probably worth millions that he otherwise would have had to spend on paid
TV.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By John Reynolds
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Copyright February 08, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 8, 2010 5:21 PM
PRESS RELEASE SECTION HEADLINES
Shami gets an endorsement and conflict erupts again between Kinky and Hank.
DALLAS MAYOR PRO TEM ENDORSES SHAMI FOR GOVERNOR
RP: TEXANS FOR RICK PERRY RELEASES NEW AD, “1993”
KBH: GLENN BECK SAYS RICK PERRY IS NOT WHAT HE SEEMS
RP: GOV. PERRY STRESSES BORDER SECURITY AS FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT NEGLECTS ITS RESPONSIBILITIES
PHARR'S MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION ENDORSE SERGIO MUÑOZ, JR.
FOR STATE REPRESENTATIVE D36
GILBERT: KINKY'S CAVEATS REEK OF DESPERATION
FRIEDMAN: KINKY AGREES TO DEBATE IF HANK RETURNS BRIBE
TEXAS FARM BUREAU AGFUND ENDORSES JUSTICE EVA GUZMAN FOR
TEXAS SUPREME COURT, PLACE 9
SHARP: EAST TEXAS ENDORSES JOHN SHARP FOR UNITED STATES
SENATE
PM TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS ENDORSES ROB ORR
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Copyright February 08, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 8, 2010 5:15 PM
HECTOR URIBE -- PEACEMAKER AMONG DEMOCRATS
The Land Commissioner candidate offers novel way to resolve dispute over Farouk Shami's $150,000 in contributions to Hank Gilbert -- give it to him.
Inboxes were burning again today as Democratic Agriculture
Commissioner candidates Hank Gilbert and Kinky Friedman traded
charge and counter-charge. The catalyst was the Friedman campaign’s
clarification that he would debate Gilbert with one minor stipulation – that
Gilbert return “his bribe money to Farouk Shami.”
The Friedman campaign was referring to the $150,000 given by
Shami to the Gilbert campaign after Gilbert dropped his bid for governor.
Friedman also initially sought the Democratic nod for governor before filing to
run for ag commissioner.
The Gilbert campaign responded by accusing Friedman of
hypocrisy.
Which brings us to Harold Cook. If you’re scratching
your head at this point, it must be acknowledged that Cook is never one to shy
away from putting overheated political arguments into the proper perspective.
So he put out a statement on behalf of Democratic Land Commissioner Hector
Uribe putting in a request for the cash if Gilbert sends it back. As of
Jan. 21, ethics commission records show that Uribe had exactly $2,053.27 in his
campaign account so we know he could use the money.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
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Copyright February 08, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 8, 2010 3:37 PM
NEW PERRY TV AD WITH STATEWIDE BUY -- 1993
Highlights KBH spending record
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Copyright February 08, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 7, 2010 9:45 PM
KBH SURPRISE SUPERBOWL AD: OUT MUCH
Ran right before second half began
No pre-game hype but it was a chuckler. The campaign says it has played in select markets, but we confess the Superbowl was the first we knew of it.
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Copyright February 07, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 7, 2010 9:11 PM
HELL HAS OFFICIALLY FROZEN OVER-- SAINTS WIN! HEY POCKEY WAY
Laissez les bons temps roulez!
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Copyright February 07, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 5, 2010 5:03 PM
PRESS RELEASE SECTION HEADLINES
Winding down for the weekend
RP: NEW VIDEO: HUTCHISON BILLS TAXPAYERS TO FLY
ON PRIVATE PLANES OWNED BY LOBBYISTS
KBH: NEW SLICKRICKPERRY.COM SECTION: “LIFE OF
LUXURY”
DIST. 105 STATE REPRESENTATIVE LINDA HARPER
BROWN RECEIVES ENDORSEMENT FROM NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION
TEXAS FARM BUREAU AGFUND ENDORSES JUSTICE
REBECCA SIMMONS FOR TEXAS SUPREME COURT, PLACE 3
DR. SUSAN CURLING ENDORSED BY TEXAS HOME SCHOOL
COALITION
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Copyright February 05, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 5, 2010 4:53 PM
FILE THIS IN THE -- YOU CAN NOT MAKE THIS UP -- FILE
And the hits keep coming
--- The Fort Worth Star Telegram’s Aman
Batheja has this nice catch on what seems to be the
word of the week over at the Texans for Rick Perry camp. Buzz
Central can only wonder what one word Carney might use to
describe the media’s current obsession over the “R-word”?
---Farouk Shami has accused opponent Bill White
of being a racist for saying that he is from San Antonio in a spanish language
TV spot. Shami was born near Jerusalem.
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Copyright February 05, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 5, 2010 4:38 PM
DOC ANDERSON STATEMENT ABOUT LIENS
Waco state rep concludes, "While I regret this dispute occurred, my constituents know that I have been recognized as a defender of Texas taxpayers in the Legislature and I will continue to work to see that Texans remain free of a State Income Tax and that Texas taxes are low as possible and that their collection will be fair and reasonable."
State Rep. Charles "Doc" Anderson's full statement can be found here.
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Copyright February 05, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 5, 2010 4:21 PM
HOW THE DOWN BALLOT STATEWIDE MONEY STACKS UP
New January reports included only those with primary challengers
One of the kinks thrown in the path of political soothsayers
this time of the year is the fact that 30-day out campaign reports are required
only of candidates in contested party primaries.
The situation is sort of reminiscent of Hollywood movies
made about the early space program where high drama occurs at the moment the
space capsule enters the atmosphere and Houston loses radio contact with the
astronauts for an agonizingly long few minutes.
Well, we’ve lost radio contact with all of the GOP
downballot statewide candidates since none of them are in contested primaries.
That means while pundits pick through the January fundraising numbers of Rick
and Kay and Debra, the public doesn’t know about the January
fundraising activities of GOP heavyweights like Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst
or Attorney General Greg Abbott.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By John Reynolds
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Copyright February 05, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 5, 2010 4:18 PM
B.L. PARKER -- LAST ELECTED SENATE SGT-AT-ARMS PASSED AWAY
Below, a few words from one of his friends
"For over
30 years B. L. Parker has dedicated his professional talents to the
State of Texas. He has served as the Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms and later was
elected the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Texas House of Representatives.
He served with distinction under four Governors in the State of Texas and most
recently has served in various capacities to then Governor Bush and now Governor
Perry.
'A native
of Tahoka, Texas, B. L. Parker attended Texas Tech University and
graduated from the Dallas Mortuary College. Upon graduation in
1951 he entered the United States Navy and served in the 1st
Marine Division in Korea as a Combat Corpsman. Some highlights of his
distinguished career include service as a legislative aid or special assistant
to 4 governors, Chair of the Texas Employees Retirement System,
Director of the Lower Colorado River Authority, Member of the Guaranteed
Student Loan Corporation. He is also an Ex-officio member of the Senate
Natural Resources Committee and the Senate Water Resources Committee.
Additionally, he was one of the founding directors of the Texas Ranger
Museum and Hall of Fame Foundation.
'Mr.
Parker was often called upon by many members of the Texas political
establishment for his advice and guidance in legislative matters. He was often
referred to as "Mr. Texas". Parker will be laid to rest at the Texas State Cemetary. We will have details next week.
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Copyright February 05, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 5, 2010 4:11 PM
FEWER DOLLARS FLOWING INTO ANYTHING OTHER THAN RACE FOR GOVERNOR DOWN THIS YEAR
Several theories for drop in contributions
One of the ongoing currents of conversation in the Austin
echo chamber is the widespread perception that not as much money is flowing
into primary races as in previous years. Well, a compadre in the lobby decided
that he would take a look at the numbers to see if that perception is being
borne out. He graciously allowed Buzz Central to share the
results of his research.
And what he found is that those perceptions are mostly
correct after he tallied up the non-governor’s race contributions on the
recently released 30-day reports. Contributions to races other than the
governor’s race totaled $1,425,730. That’s more than a half-million below the
$1,962,414 in contributions in 2008 and is even lower than the 2006 total of
$1,454,714.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By John Reynolds
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Copyright February 05, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 5, 2010 3:56 PM
PROVIDERS LIKELY TO TAKE MAJOR HIT AS HHS SEEKS TO FIND 5% IN CUTS
"...Those expenditures will leverage roughly $33.9 billion in federal funds. What that means is that for every dollar saved by a cut at HHS, the state actually saves less than a dollar because of the fewer federal dollars flowing into the state."
The leadership at the state agency in charge of
administering Texas’ social safety net is deep in the process of identifying 5
percent cuts in the current budget as part of an austerity exercise ordered by
the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and the House Speaker.
The list of spending cut options is due in to the Legislative
Budget Board at mid-month. To meet a savings target of $300 million in
general revenue, a spokeswoman at the Health and Human Services
Commission tells QR that Executive Commissioner Tom
Suehs is working hard “to do everything possible to find areas that can be
trimmed without affecting client services.”
“Given that our budget is overwhelming in services,” Stephanie
Goodman added, “that may be an impossible task.”
Among the possible funding cut options include Medicaid
provider rate cuts, Goodman said. Because Medicaid makes up 75
percent of HHSC’s budget, she said that it would be difficult to
make cuts without touching provider rates. Sparing provider rates would lead to
possibly deeper cuts in other areas, such as mental health or protective
services, she said.
Suehs has pressed hard to squeeze in at least one public
hearing on any proposed cuts before the Feb. 15 deadline to submit savings
options. The hearing will happen Thursday morning at HHSC
headquarters.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By John Reynolds
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Copyright February 05, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 5, 2010 3:53 PM
BILL WHITE BEGINS RUNNING SECOND SPANISH AD
"Meet Bill White" in Spanish
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Copyright February 05, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 5, 2010 3:49 PM
BILL WHITE BEGINS SECOND TV AD
"Meet Bill White" in english
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Copyright February 05, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 5, 2010 9:04 AM
PERRY INTERNET AD: KBH USED TAXPAYER $ TO REIMBURSE FOR PRIVATE JET TRAVEL
Says she should have used commercial flights
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Copyright February 05, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 4, 2010 5:17 PM
LATEST WACO STORY: SOURCES TELL QR SIBLEY CONSIDERING A RETURN TO THE TEXAS SENATE
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The former senator now lobbyist has not returned our call seeking comment
First, Senator Kip Averitt announces that he will stop campaigning. Then Rep. Doc Anderson is embroiled in series of tax liens. Could it get any worse for the Waco community to lose two incumbents in a redistricting year? While we are certainly not writing off either man, a lack of incumbency during a cutthroat redistricting process leaves the community at the mercy of long knives.
That is why we are told by pretty reliable sources that former Waco Mayor and Senator David Sibley is at least thinking about a run should Averitt win the primary but subsequently resign and have to be replaced on the ballot.
Although Sibley has been absent from the Senate since 2003, they still call him "Senator" in the back hall and outside the commmittee rooms.
We gave Sibley a call yesterday but have yet to hear back. Take the story for what it is worth, an interesting rumor in a truly interest election cycle.
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Copyright February 04, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 4, 2010 5:16 PM
PRESS RELEASE SECTION HEADLINES
The hits keep on coming (pun intended)
KBH: RICK PERRY’S TXDOT: “INTRACTABLE.
DEFENSIVE. SECRETIVE. BROKEN.”
RP: HUTCHISON’S REVOLVING DOOR ONE OF THE
BUSIEST FOR LOBBYISTS
BASALDUA RECEIVES “A” RATING FROM TEXAS STATE
RIFLE ASSOCIATION
PRESERVATION TEXAS HONORS LAWMAKERS
GARDERE WYNNE SEWELL ADDS TEAM OF NEW LITIGATORS
TO AUSTIN OFFICE
TEXAS PHYSICIANS ENDORSE CANDIDATES COMMITTED TO
IMPROVING HEALTH FOR ALL TEXANS
Even more for subscribers
The rest of the story, subscribers only
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Copyright February 04, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 4, 2010 4:42 PM
HK: A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PASSING OF WINSTON BODE
A wake at Scholz's on Saturday
Yesterday, we ran an item in our NewsClips about the passing of long time Austin journalist and commentator Winston Bode at age 84.
I remember Bode even back to my post-UT days when he hosted Capital Eye, one of the first public affairs programs in Austin.
In his later years, Bode self published a newsletter called Austin Ear to a small select mailing list that included many of the city and state's power brokers. It was a whimsical publication with some politics, some reflection and more than a little gossip about the goings on of the local glitterati of his time. You were just as likely to find folks like LBJ pressman Horace Buzbee and Jake Pickle gracing his pages along with his barely concealed crushes on the latest female broadcast anchor. He loved hanging out at the Headliners Club harkening back to the days when it truly was an intersection between journalists and movers and shakers.
As he got in in years, we took over the mechanical publishing portion of the business, freeing Winston up to do what he loved...writing
From 2002 to early 2005, QR ran a regular Friday piece from Winston called, Reflections on a Friday Afternoon. What interested Winston in those days was not a perfect fit with this publication, but offered a refreshing change and a window into an older, gentler and mellower view of Austin and its growing pains.
He had the look and demeanor of a classic southern gentleman, quick to smile and a memorable laugh. Despite their divorce in 1968, Winston never stopped loving fellow reporter and one time state Rep Mary Jane Bode. He mourned her passing in 1998 and spoke of her to me throughout the years we worked together.
The family will be holding a wake for Winston on Saturday from 1-6 at Scholz's in Austin.
If you knew him or knew of him, feel free to stop by.
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Copyright February 04, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 4, 2010 4:24 PM
BREAKING! MORE TAX TROUBLES FOR WACO REP DOC ANDERSON—2NDTAX LIEN FILED
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Local Dems call for Anderson's resignation
Waco TV is reporting that three term state Rep. Doc
Anderson has had a second federal tax lien filed on him last month. The first was for $58,122.40 on December 21,
2009. The second was filed on January
25 for another. $11,122.
Sources tell that the state Rep has called a press conference and will be speaking to the media this afternoon.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
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State Rep. Charles "Doc" Anderson |
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Copyright February 04, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 4, 2010 8:13 AM
NEW KBH SPOT HITS PERRY ON CRONYISM
Moves from focus on Trans Texas Corridor
The accompanying press release.
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Copyright February 04, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 3, 2010 5:31 PM
SUPER BOWL? WHAT SUPERBOWL? TED NUGENT TO JOIN SARAH PALIN IN RICK PERRY HOUSTON EVENT
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Republican icons expected to draw thousands to rally
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Copyright February 03, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 3, 2010 5:29 PM
HK: TWO RASMUSSEN POLLS CAPTURE NEWS CYCLE, BUT THIRD LESS NOTICED POLL IS PRETTY INTERESTING
Self identified independents back growing in numbers
Over the last two day, two
Rasmussen polls have generated more than their share of BUZZ. And a third, while little noted, also has
substantial implications.
The big event was Monday’s
Republican horse race poll demonstrating insurgent Debra Medina gaining
four points worth of momentum at the expense of Senator Kay Bailey
Hutchison.
But two subtext story lines
gathered little press. The first was that Governor Perry has remained
relatively static among likely Republican voters, hovering in the mid 40s for
the last year or so. The second
takeaway however, is that, “Eighty percent (80%) of likely primary voters
have a favorable opinion of Perry. Sixty-seven percent (67%) say the same about
Hutchison, and 50% are that upbeat about Medina. “
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Harvey Kronberg
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Copyright February 03, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 3, 2010 5:00 PM
PRESS RELEASE SECTION HEADLINES
Attacks and endorsements
RP: GOV. PERRY ANNOUNCES $3.5 MILLION INVESTMENT
TO ESTABLISH SUPERCONDUCTIVITY RESEARCH HUB AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON
KBH: HUTCHISON TOUTS EDUCATION PLAN IN EL PASO
TEXAS PHARMACY ASSOCIATION PAC ENDORSES GOV.
PERRY FOR RE-ELECTION
TURF: PERRY’S DEBATE FIB ABOUT STATE LAW
PROHIBITING TOLLING EXISTING FREEWAYS REPEATED IN NEWS REPORT THIS WEEK
REPUBLICAN LARRY GONZALES CAMPAIGN ADDS ANOTHER
ENDORSEMENT
KINKY FRIEDMAN OUT OF IDEAS; HIRES JOKESTER
VILLARREAL CAUTIONS CONSUMERS ON TAX REFUND
ANTICIPATION LOANS (RALS)
STATE REPRESENTATIVE CHUCK HOPSON EARNS
STATEWIDE AWARD FOR FIGHTING LAWSUIT ABUSE
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Copyright February 03, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 3, 2010 3:56 PM
IN NEWS 8 COMMENTARY, KRONBERG APPLAUDS POLITICAL TRUTH TESTS
In new age, urban myths hard to dislodge
In this week's News 8 commentary, Harvey Kronberg looks at some of the hoaxes perpetrated by politicians and a new truth test put together by the Austin American Statesman..
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Copyright February 03, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 3, 2010 9:07 AM
STATEMENT FROM TERRI HODGE
Explains plea deal and formally announces resignation
“I am sad to inform you that as of today I
will end my campaign for the Democratic nomination for State Representative of
the 100th Legislative District of Texas.
“I have reached an agreement with the United
States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas whereby I
will enter a plea of guilty to one criminal charge alleging that I made false
statements by failing to report income on my personal tax returns. I freely admit that I violated the federal
income tax laws in this regard, and I am prepared and willing to accept the
consequences of my actions.
“As a result of my guilty plea to a
criminal tax violation, I will not be able to continue to serve in the Texas
House of Representatives.
Therefore, I cannot in good conscience continue to seek reelection and I
believe that the only appropriate action for me to take is to immediately
terminate all of my campaign activities.
I will immediately begin the process of closing the affairs of my
district office in an orderly manner, and will resign my seat in the Texas
House of Representatives effective at the time I am sentenced by the court.
“I want to take this opportunity to
express my remorse to my colleagues in the Legislature, my friends, and my
family for my actions. Most of all, I want to apologize to all the citizens of
District 100 for letting them down. It
has been an honor to serve you for these last 14 years and I am truly sorry
that my actions will prevent me from providing a voice for you in the
Legislature. My prayer is that my
successor will stand up and fight for the people of our District in the future.
“Because
of the ongoing legal proceedings in my case, I will not make any further public
statement concerning this matter until the Court has assessed my sentence. I ask that the press respect my request that
my family and I not be contacted for any further statement concerning this matter.”
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Copyright February 03, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 3, 2010 7:28 AM
TERRI HODGE SET TO PLEA TO ONE COUNT AND STEP DOWN
Announcement scheduled within the hour
A reliable source tells QR that State Rep. Terri Hodge will plea to one count this morning and announce that she is stepping down from the Texas House of Representatives. The announcement is expected within the next hour.
The announcement sets the stage for primary opponent Eric Johnson to become the next state Rep.
Details to follow
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Copyright February 03, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 2, 2010 5:30 PM
PRESS RELEASE SECTION HEADLINES
New hires under the Dome and the gubernatorial potshots continue
RP: HUTCHISON NAMED “PORKER OF THE YEAR” RUNNER-UP FOR 2009
BY CITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE
KBH: TEXANS FOR KAY RELEASES NEW SLICKRICKPERRY.COM SECTION:
“THE HPV EMAILS”
RP: HUTCHISON BOWS TO LOBBYIST AGAINST VIEWS OF TEXANS
KBH: ON ANNIVERSARY OF PERRY HPV EXECUTIVE ORDER, HUTCHISON
CALLS FOR NEW LEADERSHIP THAT PUTS TEXAS FIRST
TEXAS MEDICAL ASSOCIATION: SEN. KIP AVERITT: A FRIEND OF
MEDICINE
TEXAS HOUSE DISTRICT 7 RACE HEATS UP AS REP. MERRITT TAKES
ON HIS OWN CONSTITUENTS
TEXAS SUPREME COURT JUSTICE EVA GUZMAN’S CAMPAIGN CONTINUES
TO GAIN MOMENTUM
TMA HONORS TWO PROMINENT HOUSTON LEGISLATORS
STATEMENT OF OFA-TX DIRECTOR LUKE HAYES ON PRESIDENT OBAMA’S
SMALL BUSINESS LENDING FUND
TEXAS PHYSICIANS ENDORSE JUDGE AL SCOGGINS FOR ELECTION TO
TENTH COURT OF APPEALS
BURKETT RECEIVES “A” RATING FROM TEXAS STATE RIFLE
ASSOCIATION
TUGGEY ENDORSED BY FORMER SBOE DISTRICT 5 REP DAN MONTGOMERY
SENATOR WENDY DAVIS HIRES VETERAN JOURNALIST ANTHONY
SPANGLER AS COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
WAXAHACHIE-AREA REP. PITTS NAMES NEW CHIEF OF STAFF
KINKY: HANK GILBERT SEES SHADOW, WILL HAVE ANOTHER MONTH OF
BAD PRESS
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Copyright February 02, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 2, 2010 5:12 PM
THE PROXY WARS FOUGHT OUT IN TWO DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES AT OPPOSITE ENDS OF THE STATE
TLR and "trials" battle it out; each defendning a different incumbent
Perhaps the single most surprising bit of news to emerge
from yesterday’s 30-day reports is the emergence of proxy wars between trial
lawyer and tort reform factions in a pair of House districts on opposite ends
of the state.
One of these proxy conflicts has been brewing for a while.
It’s long been acknowledged that trial lawyers were coming after Tara Rios
Ybarra in HD 43, the coastal district that stretches from northern Cameron
County in the south to the southern reaches of Corpus Christi in the north.
The surprise is the emergence of a Texans for Lawsuit
Reform-backed candidate in Norma Chavez’s HD 76 in El Paso. Naomi
Gonzalez is an assistant county attorney whose former boss, Jose
Rodriguez, is currently vying for the Democratic nomination to succeed Eliot
Shapleigh for El Paso’s state Senate seat.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By John Reynolds
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Copyright February 02, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 2, 2010 4:49 PM
SPREADSHEET OF 30 DAY OUT REPORTS
A few missing, but nearly complete
While not complete, QR has compiled a down and dirty summary of the 30 day out finance reports. The true battle ground campaigns won't show most of their activity until the 8 day out report, but it least it tells us more about what is going on in the trenches than we knew yesterday.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By John Reynolds
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Copyright February 02, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 2, 2010 4:48 PM
ABBOTT FILES PETITION TO REMOVE FOUR CITIES FROM OPEN RECORDS CASE
Only individual officeholder plaintiffs would remain
Attorney General Greg Abbott has filed a motion to
remove the four cities that have challenged his rulings on the Texas
Open Meetings Act.
Attorney Dick
DeGuerin, who represents the cities in their lawsuit, claimed the
prohibition on public and private discussion of elected officials was overly
broad. In a motion to dismiss, filed in US District Court in Pecos today,
the state argues that cities, as entities, do not the standing afforded to an
individual, nor can they sue the Attorney General, as so-called “creatures of
the state.”
Nor can cities have standing in a criminal penalty that does
not apply to them, the motion to dismiss argues. Nor does a city, as an entity,
be given First Amendment rights.
The four cities that remain in the open meetings lawsuit are
Alpine, Pflugerville, Rockport and Wichita Falls. The City Council of the City of Big Lake removed itself from
the open meetings challenge in mid-January.
This leaves the 16 individual officer holders as plaintiffs
in the case. The specifics on the state’s motion to dismiss can be found here.
The filing
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Copyright February 02, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 2, 2010 4:09 PM
RASMUSSEN: PERRY-44, HUTCHISON-29; MEDINA-16
First poll showing KBH below 30%
The Rasmussen poll
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Copyright February 02, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 1, 2010 5:55 PM
OBAMA SECRETARY OF EDUCATION SEEKS TO RE-FASHION NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND
Meanwhile, NCSL worries that DOE is supplanting states and creating two-tier system based on who can write better grant proposals
The federal school
accountability system created under No Child Left Behind was modeled on
Texas, but Education Secretary Arne
Duncan clearly plans to take that system in a new direction with the rewrite
of the education law.
President Barack
Obama wants the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, often referred to in
the last administration as the No Child Left Behind Act,
reauthorized this year. Duncan told reporters this afternoon that his recent
listening tour, which encompassed 37 states, left him with a good idea of how
the accountability system under No Child Left Behind had failed: a narrowing of
the curriculum and teaching only to the test; a temptation to ignore high and
low achievers in order to teach kids on “the bubble” to pass; and a choice by
states to dumb down standards and assessments in order to meet the federal
standard of adequate yearly progress.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
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Copyright February 01, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 1, 2010 5:33 PM
A FEW ODDS AND ENDS ON A WINTER DAY
Fundraising in Amarillo House race, Averitt files finance reports and Senator Davis hires a new communications director
--- Those 30-day reports have started trickling in. One of
the races being closely observed by Capitol insiders is the GOP primary in the
panhandle where Victor Leal of the Leal’s Mexican Restaurant
chain and Leal’s Mexican Foods line of chips and salsa is vying
with attorney Walter “Four” Price for their party’s nod in the election
to succeed longtime House member David Swinford. Because Swinford’s
decision to depart the House came late in the filing period, the filings by
Leal and Price in mid-January were not particularly informative.
Former Mac Thornbery consultant and aide Sylvia
Nugent is helping Price. She told QR
a few weeks ago that Price had loaned his campaign $30,000, already raised
$116K and had $85,000 or so cash on hand in the middle of January. We should have the report available
tomorrow and will update the cash on hand. She reports Mike Baselice
is doing the polling and local Mariwyn Webb is doing media and PR. Ed Ballantine is doing mail
The rest of the story, subscribers only
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Copyright February 01, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 1, 2010 5:20 PM
JOINT TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE DISMISSIVE OF PERRY AND HUTCHISON ROAD BUILDING PITCHES
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“I’m looking for someone to come and defend to me that a privately built toll road is less expensive than a free road ‘cause it just ain’t so,” Carona said.
Lawmakers at a
joint committee hearing on transportation funding hammered the issue, one after
another, that Texas has run out of money for new transportation projects, with
Chair Sen. John Carona pushing hard on the gas tax issue.
Funding for
transportation projects has been front-and-center in the gubernatorial
campaign. During the last debate, Sen.
Kay Bailey Hutchison cited agency
waste and the need for an audit. Gov.
Rick Perry said during the last
debate he preferred partnering with the private sector on toll roads rather
than a gas tax increase.
Carona never
hesitates to say what’s on his mind, and so it probably wasn’t surprising to
hear him tell his colleagues that claims there were no funding shortfalls at
the Texas Department of Transportation made him “want to puke.” He also brushed
aside toll roads as the most responsible way to proceed on transportation
funding, noting the financing came at a premium cost.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By Kimberly Reeves
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Senator John Carona |
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Copyright February 01, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 1, 2010 5:18 PM
PRESS RELEASE SECTION HEADLINES
Endorsements, Attacks and Appointments
SHAMI: WHITE'S FUZZY MATH ON JOB CREATION RAISES
QUESTIONS
RP: HUTCHISON ADMITS SHE CAN’T WIN REPUBLICAN
PRIMARY
KBH: RICK PERRY SAYS THE TTC WASN’T “A MISTAKE
AT ALL." TEXANS FOR KAY RELEASES NEW WEB VIDEO
RP: GOV. PERRY DISCUSSES FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
AND EDUCATION IN VISITS TO SMALL BUSINESSES IN WICHITA FALLS, TEXARKANA AND
TYLER
HUTCHISON: THE GOVERNOR IS WRONG, IT WAS A
MISTAKE TO RUN OVER PRIVATE PROPERTY RIGHTS
Even more releases for subscribers!
The rest of the story, subscribers only
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Copyright February 01, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 1, 2010 3:17 PM
GOPAC-TX CHAIRMAN RATES 10 TEXAS HOUSE DEMOCRATIC SEATS AS VERY COMPETITIVE
In case of political tsunami against Dems nationwide, Phil King says six more Texas House races could come into play
The man most in charge of taking the fight to Texas House
Democrats this fall tells QR today that he considers 10
challenges to Democratic incumbents as “very competitive” and that if the
national mood turns decisively against Democrats this year that up to another
six House seats could be in play.
Since its June launch, GOPAC-TX has been
actively recruiting and training candidates to fulfill its mission of “electing
more Republicans to the Texas Legislature,” as Chairman Phil King put it
on the front page of the group’s Web site.
The task of taking the fight to Dem-held seats falls to
King’s group mostly because Speaker Joe Straus has said that his focus
is on ensuring incumbents’ re-election and that he won’t campaign against
Democratic incumbents.
The rest of the story, subscribers only
By John Reynolds
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Copyright February 01, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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February 1, 2010 10:00 AM
BILL WHITE RELEASES FIRST TV AD
To run in both English and Spanish.
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Copyright February 01, 2010, Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved
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