Abbott’s ‘State of the State’ leaves little room for bipartisanship
Gov. Greg Abbott laid out his legislative priorities in his biennial “State of the State” address Monday evening. Speaking to Texans and the legislature virtually, Abbott began his speech by praising Texas’ entrepreneurial spirit and mourning those who were lost to...
Musings: How to Beat Greg Abbott
Last week’s social media showdown between Governor Greg Abbott and a refreshed but angry Beto O’Rourke still has Texas abuzz, but maybe not for the right reasons. No doubt, for erstwhile Texas Democrats, the prospect of having O’Rourke bring his magic to the top of...
A citizen’s guide to expelling Ted Cruz
Ted Cruz is one of the major proponents of the “Big Lie” that Donald Trump really won the election, and clearly played a role in inciting the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol. “I think Ted Cruz would want us to do this,” said one of the insurrectionists. Even...
Musings: Beto O’Rourke for Governor?
I had forgotten how this feels. It’s so hard not to feel disillusioned with the sordid state of our politics right now. The horrific images from January 6 have left a deep and lasting psychic scar on our entire country, and I, for one, have been feeling it pretty hard...
Jayapal, Escobar reveal progressive resolution on immigration reform
Several progressive House Democrats gathered virtually with immigrant activists on Wednesday to announce the introduction of a resolution outlining their immigration reform goals for the new Congress. Dubbed the Roadmap to Freedom, the resolution is exactly that, a...
Emerge Texas announces Serita Fontanesi as its inaugural Executive Director
The Lone Star State is getting even more support when it comes to training progressive candidates. This week Emerge officially announced that Serita Fontanesi has been named the Executive Director of Emerge Texas. Emerge is one of the largest organizations that...
Gov. Abbott continues to thwart local officials amid COVID surge and vaccine rollout
In mid-November, Gov. Abbott declared that Texas was “in the ninth inning of our challenge with COVID” and balked at the idea of more shutdowns. His unfounded optimism came as hospitalizations and deaths were on the rise, a trend that has persisted through the third...
Redistricting in Texas delayed by late Census data
A Census Bureau official on Wednesday announced that data used to apportion seats and draw state and federal district lines has been delayed. The delivery of apportionment data, which determines how many House seats Texas will gain, has been delayed until April 30. It...
What you need to know about the NRA moving to Texas
Now that the NRA is filing for (financial) bankruptcy and facing litigation from the state of New York, they’ve decided to move to Texas. Here’s what you need to know about the NRA coming to the Lone Star State. The NRA is in serious trouble As mentioned...
Democrats introduce bill to boost minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025
Congressional Democrats are introducing a bill that would see the federal minimum wage increase to $15 an hour by 2025. The "Raise the Wage Act" would increase the $7.25 federal minimum wage to $9.50 upon passage, and then raise wages by a little more than a dollar...
Ken Paxton attempts to halt Biden immigration efforts
Update: since publication, Judge Tipton blocked the 100-day deportation freeze, though the ruling will likely be appealed by the Biden administration. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton vowed to take on any policy from the Biden administration that allegedly runs...
February 4 Update: Tracking Biden’s cabinet appointments
Getting cabinet picks confirmed is one of the first things any president wants to get done, and it is especially critical for President Biden as he faces some of the toughest challenges of any incoming president. Here’s a list of Biden’s cabinet picks and their...
Castro reintroduces bill to end deportation of immigrants sheltering in Austin churches.
Confident with the new Biden administration and Democrat majority in Congress, Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio) has reintroduced three immigration bills from the last session. One of them is a private bill for sanctuary relief for three asylum seekers that are...
Texas redistricting kicks off with public input meetings.
Lawmakers in the Texas Senate will hold meetings every day this week to hear from Texans about the 2021 legislative redistricting process. The 12 scheduled public input meetings will allow Texans to speak their mind about any considerations, ideas, or complaints they...
Musings: Seth Rogen destroys Ted Cruz
You would be forgiven, dear readers, for thinking that Ted Cruz might have woken up on January 7th, or anytime thereafter, and realized the dangerous err of his ways. In the wake of one of the most appalling moments in our political history, surely the sight of an...