#TXLEGE: Rinaldi makes point that should be completely OBVIOUS (yet apparently isn't)

"But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying,"
Matthew 22:31

We made a Facebook post the other day about Allen West. It set off quite the debate in the comment section. Including this:

Honestly, it's sad is that is that this proposition is even remotely in dispute.

How many times do we need to play this game?!?

Your bills are already dead.

All you can do is make killing them as painful as possible.

Bottom Line: None of this is complicated.

#TXLEGE: Abbott's latest "anti-Riot" proposal has...quite the catch

"And when they say to you, 'Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,' should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living?"
Isaiah 8:19

Sounds great:

Gov. Greg Abbott proposed legislation Thursday that, if approved, could make certain actions during protests a felony, including destroying property and aiding or abetting an organization that takes part in a riot.

Abbott made the proposals after a volatile summer in many cities across the country and in Texas which led to major demonstrations and destruction of businesses, including in Downtown Dallas, following the death of George Floyd.

Except:

Is this is? Unlike @RonDeSantisFL’s proposal, every one of these items requires a DA willing to enforce them and every big city DA is a Democrat who will not do so. #txlege https://t.co/kWqOPrxjhB

— Matt Rinaldi (@MattRinaldiTX) September 24, 2020

The problem isn’t a lack of criminal penalties for rioting. It’s that (1) Democrat DA’s refuse to enforce the laws against rioters & (2) protect rioters by prosecuting civilians defending themselves. Nothing in @GregAbbott_TX’s proposals today addresses the core issues. #txlege

— Matt Rinaldi (@MattRinaldiTX) September 24, 2020

Allow civil suits against elected officials who refuse to enforce these laws and others protecting person or property. Strengthen protections against those exercising their right of self-defense against rioters a and mobs blocking roadways. #txlege

— Matt Rinaldi (@MattRinaldiTX) September 24, 2020

Bottom Line: When local DA's aren't enforcing laws that are already on the books, new laws for them to not enforce doesn't accomplish anything.

Apparently, Abbott doesn't even know his data

"The heart of him who has understanding seeks knowledge,

But the mouth of fools feeds on foolishness.
Proverbs 15:14

Apparently, the Governor was on (where else?!?) Fox News yesterday.  Due to formatting issues, we can't embed the video.  But you can watch it for yourself here.

More from PushJunction:

After his hollow flex, Abbott went on Fox News and biffed. When asked for specifics about the virus spread in Texas, Abbott, like a kid called on unexpectedly in class, told the anchor he left his stats at home.

And this:

How can @GregAbbott_TX not be able to answer basic questions about hospitalizations on @marthamaccallum? “I did not check with the data before I came on your show.” What kind of an answer is that? If you choose to control the lives of millions by edict, know the data.

— Matt Rinaldi (@MattRinaldiTX) June 23, 2020

Didn’t know basic questions about hospitalization data on a national news appearance. But you can always be confident he knows the poll numbers like the back of his hand. https://t.co/85gSporDPd

— Matt Rinaldi (@MattRinaldiTX) June 23, 2020

Bottom Line: When your decisions impact the economy and public health for 29 million people, you need to know this stuff...unless you want to admit that lobbyists are running everything.

#TXLEGE: No, seriously, good deal Matt Rinaldi

"Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built. And the one who sounded the trumpet was beside me."
Nehemiah 4:18

By now everyone's heard: Attempted mass shooting yesterday.  Stopped by a good guy with a gun.  Only reason why it was legal for the church in question to defend itself was because Matt Rinaldi got the church security amendment past the finish line.

We don't have a lot to add.

Matt was a champion in that effort.

Obviously, it's still the case that Matt's effort was only necessary because of deeper problems in how this state is governed.  Equally obvious, it's still the case that places besides churches should also be able to organize volunteer security forces.  Finally, it ought to be obvious that the scope of the amendment that passed in 2017 needs to be dramatically expanded.

There will be time for all that.

For now, however, let's just be glad that Matt Rinaldi's efforts two years ago averted a much worse tragedy.

Bottom Line: Yesterday could have been so, so, much worse.

About Tuesday Night....

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;"
Proverbs 3:5

Well it's done.

By now, you know the damage: 2 congressional seats, 2 Texas Senate seats, 11/12 Texas house seats.  Dozens of Judicial Races.

We've been analyzing and reflecting for several days, and we're starting to reach some conclusions.

It's impossible to know how much of a role each of these factors played, but together they combined to produce the results described above.

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Before we begin, let's clear up one myth (with two flipsides) that we've seen pop up in the media and in other discussions.

Tuesday's results had nothing to do with whether the GOP was either a) "Too Conservative" or b) "Not conservative enough."

Republicans from all over the ideological spectrum lost.  When Matt Rinaldi and Tony Dale both lose, it ain't ideological.  It might, however, have something to do with the similarities between their districts.

Anyone using Tuesday's results as an excuse to settle scores from the primary should be ignored.

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ANY Republican President:

On Tuesday night, we called Trump "toxic."  Having had several days to research history and talk with sources, we think that statement was a shortsighted exaggeration.  Trump definitely made it worse, but a lot of this would have happened under any Republican president.

Over the past three decades, down ballot races in Texas have tended to go against the party of the president.  This is especially true in the second half of the decade.  This was true in the 90's under Clinton (to the R's benefit).  It was true in the 2000's under both Bush and Obama (first for D's then for R's).  It's been true this decade under Obama and Trump (first for R's then for D's).  The only exception was during Dubya's post 9/11 honeymoon.

A lot of those districts had been blue in the not too distant past.  They only flipped in 2010.  If anything, our biggest mistake was to assume Obama-era partisan splits would continue indefinitely.

On Wednesday morning, Republican data guru Derek Ryan tweeted:

The following are totals for the Texas House.

In 1980, Democrats drew maps. They elected 114 Ds in 1982. By 1988, the total was down to 93.

In 1990, Democrats drew maps. They elected 92 Ds in 1992. By 1998, the total was down to 78.
(2/3)

— Derek Ryan (@longhornderek) November 8, 2018

In 2000, Republicans drew maps. They elected 88 Rs in 2002. By 2008, the total was down to 76.

In 2010, Republicans drew maps. They elected 95 Rs in 2012. In 2018, the total is now down to 83.
(3/3)

— Derek Ryan (@longhornderek) November 8, 2018

While Ryan was making a separate point about gerrymandering, his data is still consistent with our observation that these races tend to go against the party of the president.

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Trump:

While a lot of this would have happened under any Republican president, it's hard to escape the conclusion that the current Republican president made it worse.

Donald Trump causes a lot more people to vote.  2016 was the all time record for any Texas election.  2018 was the midterm record.  Across the political spectrum, turnout is up.

Here's the problem: While both sides are drawing more voters, this proportionally helps Democrats because they're starting from a lower base.

Consider the case of Glenn Hegar.  Glenn Hegar is probably the closest thing you've got to "generic Republican" on a statewide ballot.  The relationship between the raw vote totals and the percentages in Hegar's two elections is instructive.

2014:

2018:

In 2018, Glenn Hegar got approximately 1.7 million additional votes over his 2014 total.  His 2018 Democrat opponent got approximately 1.8 million additional votes over his 2014 opponent. While those raw vote totals are comparable, because the Democrats are starting from a lower base, that means it benefits them proportionally.

More people are voting on both sides.  But they're voting in a way that proportionally benefits Democrats.  It's worth a five point shift in the generic ballot.

Then there's the unprecedented DEBACLE in the judiciary.

"Before Trump's visit, Cruz's internal numbers had him leading by double digits statewide. In the days after, his lead dropped to 5 points."https://t.co/sqhGVkYjk1

— Aman Batheja (@amanbatheja) November 9, 2018

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Cruz:

While any Republican President would have dug a hole, and this one dug it deeper, Ted Cruz kept digging.  What kind of campaign gets into a two week argument with its top supporters over yard signs?!?

Cruz's biggest problem is baggage from the presidential campaign.  While each move made sense at the time, Cruz has been all over the map as it relates to Trump.  It's hurt him.  Badly.

Cruz's failures deserve their own blog post, but where national/Presidential factors cost the GOP 5 points, Cruz's personal failures cost him an additional 2.5 points in his own race.

It was the type of campaign David Dewhurst might have run.

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Godawful messaging:

Off the top of your head, what was the Texas GOP's message this year?!?

We can come up with two things: Abbott's MS-13 ad and the U.S. Senate's race's detour into the NFL protests; Chris Hooks has a longer list of some of the dumber aspects of this campaign here.

In recent years, the Texas GOP has run intellectually lazy general election campaigns against the boogeyman du jour.  They've stopped making a proactive case for liberty.  It's the old adage: Tell me what your for, not what you're against.

Not very long ago, it wasn't this way.  In 2010, Rick Perry campaigned on the tenth amendment.  In 2012, Cruz campaigned on restoring the federal government to its constitutional role.  In 2014, Abbott campaigned on the sanctity of life and fixing traffic.

In 2018, we got a lot less of that.

Imagine, instead, a world where Abbott spent the final months of the campaign talking about property taxes while Cruz spent the final month talking about health care freedom.

We suspect a lot of down-ballot Republicans wish they had.

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Voter Fraud:

We have no specific knowledge of specific cases.  But only a fool would discount the possibility.  Especially in the close races (look at Florida and Arizona).

As Hugh Hewitt famously wrote: "If it's not close, they can't cheat."

Unfortunately, for the reasons listed above, Republicans let it get close.

Who knows?!?

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Corrupt/Atrophied GOP leadership/infrastructure in Williamson and Hays Counties:

For many years, Republicans in Williamson and Hays counties have been more interested in crony capitalism than conservative governance.

For many years, activists warned the GOP leadership in those respective counties that such a course of action would wipe them out if a Democrat wave emerged.

That happened on Tuesday; especially in Hays.

Both county parties have needed a housecleaning for years.  Now they might get one.
They should both follow Montgomery County's lead.

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O'Rourke:

Given the myriad GOP failures, it's tough to know how much he created for himself.

At a minimum, he recognized the opportunity early and went for it.

There's no denying his fundraising haul was impressive.

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Bottom Line: There are any number of reasons why things went down the way that they did.  We need to address what we can.  But the scary part is how much was beyond our control.

Lessons for the Texas GOP:
1) Trump-like personality/demeanor is detrimental in the suburbs.
2) Failing to campaign on the GOP's natural advantage on pocketbook issues like tax reform in a personable manner is stupid.
3) There is no political campaign Jeff Roe cannot screw up.

— Michael Openshaw (@mopenshaw) November 7, 2018

Dan Crenshaw is a SERIOUSLY Impressive Dude

"Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water,
But a man of understanding will draw it out."
Proverbs 20:5

By now, we're sure you've heard about Saturday Night Live's asinine attack on Dan Crenshaw over the weekend.  If you're not familiar, you can learn about it here.  We don't want to dwell on the attack, we want to focus on Crenshaw's response.

Specifically, Crenshaw tweeted:

Good rule in life: I try hard not to offend; I try harder not to be offended. That being said, I hope @nbcsnl recognizes that vets don’t deserve to see their wounds used as punchlines for bad jokes.

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) November 4, 2018

This is GREAT. Two days before election day, Crenshaw had every incentive in the world to gin up the phony outrage. But he didn't. He chose the high road while still getting in a couple subtle jabs.

Crenshaw was on with Glenn Beck this morning.  Unfortunately, they haven't posted the video yet.  Suffice to say, in a longer form setting, Crenshaw kept his basic message while being really clever and funny about it!!!

Back in September, we had significant praise for Crenshaw's performance on a Tribfest panel.  We never reported on it, but we attended a private event that evening which Crenshaw also attended.  We thus had the opportunity to chat in a small group for multiple hours.  The dude is a seriously legit genius; we're talking Matt Rinaldi levels of intelligence.

Bottom Line: Dan Crenshaw is going to be an awesome Congressman.  We already knew that.  But the last few days reinforced it.

#TXLEGE: Guess who just endorsed Rinaldi's opponent!!!

Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”
1 Corinthians 15:33

FORMER President Obama [Note: That still feels good to say.] made news in Texas this afternoon:

Today, I’m proud to endorse even more Democratic candidates who aren’t just running against something, but for something—to expand opportunity for all of us and to restore dignity, honor, and compassion to public service. They deserve your vote: pic.twitter.com/NO5jnhX3XD

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 1, 2018

See here, specifically:

Most of these are obvious plays from a national Democrat perspective...but Julie Johnson?!?

If you think an endorsement from Barack Obama is helpful in a swing state rep district, in TEXAS, that's an...interesting strategy.

Rinaldi replies:

He’s just mad because I didn’t vote for him. #tcot #txlege https://t.co/v2P082fLvQ

— Matt Rinaldi (@MattRinaldiTX) October 1, 2018

Bottom Line: They do realize this is Texas...right?!?

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Note: We don't care enough to write a full blog post about it, but we do find it interesting that Obama's not showing any love to Bobby Francis or MJ Hegar.

#TXLEGE, #TribFest18: Freedom Caucus outlines plans for next session

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9

[Note: We lost our notes from this panel, so this post is written from memory.]

Three members of the Matt caucus (Krause, Rinaldi, Schaefer) discussed next session during a Tribfest panel this afternoon.

On the speaker's race, their "powder is still dry."  No decisions have been made.  This is probably the appropriate course until after November.  That being said, we found it interesting that Travis Clardy attended the panel:

As for priorities, property taxes and a more rational school funding system.  All were open to the idea of more state funding to "buy down" school taxes.  It's a worthwhile idea, although there have to be some conditions.

We asked if it was, realistically speaking, possible to improve the property tax system without first abolishing taxpayer funded lobbying.  All three seem to think it can be done.  Consider us skeptical.

Guns and babies were also discussed.  Schaefer gave a really good answer as to why red flag laws don't solve the problem at hand.  He also spoke eloquently about how the job of government is to protect life.

Bottom Line: It's too soon to make any predictions, but next session is going to be interesting....

#TXLEGE: Texas Association of Business endorses candidate who opposes their top legislative priority

"They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work."
Titus 1:16

Julie Johnson is Matt Rinaldi's Democrat general election opponent; she was just endorsed by the Texas Association of Business:

TXBIZ PAC is proud to endorse the following candidates. pic.twitter.com/fRheRrepnv

— TxBizPAC (@TxBizPAC) September 18, 2018

[Note: Johnson's endorsement is on the second page of TAB's press release.]

Just as a reminder, here's how the Texas Association of Business feels about mandatory municipal "sick leave" entitlements:

The Texas Association of Business intends to put the full weight of its organization behind legislation to stop paid sick leave ordinances passed by Austin and being considered in other Texas cities.

The biggest business organization in the state is “cautiously optimistic” Austin’s paid sick leave ordinance will get tossed out in a lawsuit filed by the Texas Public Policy Foundation,” Jeff Moseley, CEO of the TAB, said, in an interview with The Texas Monitor.

Moseley said TAB agreed to be the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit the Texas Monitor reported on at the end of April because “We had to stop the bleeding.” San Antonio advocates have gathered, unofficially, enough signatures to push for paid sick leave on a citywide ballot in November. Dallas advocates are gathering signatures in attempt to do the same thing.

Should there be delay in a court decision on the Austin ordinance and any other cities approve, however, it is clear paid sick leave will be a marquee issue in what has become a regular rite of the Legislature: blunting local overreach.

“We had heard the same thing was being done in other urban areas that was done in Austin, which is why we got involved, like Uber in Austin, which we consider an overreach in local authority,” Moseley said.

At the end of the 2015 session, Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation that overturned a ban on fracking in Denton. Two years later, Abbott signed legislation rescinding an Austin ordinance that required drivers for ridesharing companies to be fingerprinted by the city.

“We believe the best place for sick leave to be settled is with the employer and employee, not with some vague and unenforceable ordinance,” Moseley told The Texas Monitor.

 And how, pray tell, did Julie Johnson choose to attack Matt Rinaldi in a recent campaign video:

Sooo...the Texas Association of Business just endorsed a candidate who opposes legislative preemption of municipal "sick leave" entitlements.

Interesting.

The municipal "sick leave" entitlement observation speaks for itself, but in researching this Julie Johnson character, we found a couple other gems.

From her campaign website:

With all due respect to Ms. Johnson, allowing cities to set their own minimum wage rates is BONKERS.

But what's REALLY bonkers is that an alleged "business" organization would ever support such a thing.

But wait....there's more!!!

Guess who else has endorsed Ms. Johnson:

North Texas needs a state representative that is going to fight for all people. We are proud to endorse @juliejohnsonTX! We are proudly voting in November to see eleccted officials that will vote for our families, will you? pic.twitter.com/qS9jjqNo6A

— Workers Defense 💪🏽 (@WDActionFund) September 7, 2018

In other words, the Texas Association of Business just endorsed a candidate who's also been endorsed by the thugs and stormtroopers that are pushing these municipal "sick leave" entitlements in the first place.

Bottom Line: Real winner you've got there, Texas Association of Business....

#TXLEGE: Straus' loathsome "economic competitiveness" dog and pony show: Lawlessness, Crony Capitalism, and Spending....

"Awake to righteousness, and do not sin; for some do not have the knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame."
1 Corinthians 15:34

[Note: You can view the hearing yourself here.]

Team Straus' disgraceful effort to grandstand over "economic competitiveness" held it's first (of two) hearings today.  It began with a textbook example of the lawlessness that has plagued the House the past couple sessions.  Check out what happened to Matt Rinaldi:

The House Select Committee on Economic Competitiveness, chaired by retiring State Rep. Byron Cook (R-Corsicana), told State Rep. Matt Rinaldi (R-Irving) that he was not allowed to ask any questions or testify during today’s committee hearing.

“Clearly they aren’t confident in their ability to defend their position,” Rinaldi said in response.

“Being told by a committee that my district would not be extended the basic courtesy of a voice in this process is disappointing, but not unexpected, given the past practices of House leadership. I tried to give this committee the benefit of the doubt, but it is clear that they already know what their findings will be, and there is no intention of deliberation or a pursuit of the facts.

“I wish we had a real opportunity to discuss all perspectives on important economic drivers for our state, but this committee has made it clear that a diversity of views is not welcome. They have the result planned, now it’s just a matter of putting on a show to publish those results.”

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As to the hearing itself, it was a mix of the usual cliches and rent-seeking that you hear at these types of events.  Lots of talk about crony capitalism ("incentives!") and spending ("education!").  And, of course, plenty of fraudulent fear mongering over the Texas privacy act.

The most astounding aspect of the whole thing was the number of representatives they had bragging about the alleged economic benefit of professional sports.  This in spite of the fact that the national NFL protests have re-ignited a national discussion of the various subsidies the industry receives.  This seems slightly...tone deaf at best.

Dallas ?!? owner Mark Cuban proclaimed the need to spend prodigious sums on the education status quo.  Cuban would include pre-K "without question."  Cuban also spouted the usual cliches about economic doom and gloom from the Texas Privacy act.

The CEO of the Dallas Stars, a lifelong sports executive, tried to claim that "over 500 million" people have attended events at arenas he has managed without a bathroom assault. In the next sentence, he admitted that major public events at large arenas have above average security on hand. He also claimed "sports plays an oversized role" in how a community is percieved for economic purposes. Actually, it doesn't, but that was still a very revealing statement about ego.  At this point, we simply need to ask: how's pushing left-wing social policies working out for the NFL?!?

The mayor of Frisco bragged about having 6 sports team having office or practice space in the city.  He explained "you can't put a dollar figure" on having the Dallas Cowboys practice facility.  Actually, you can:

The site features a unique partnership among the Cowboys, the city of Frisco and Frisco ISD. They are sharing the costs on 20 acres for The Ford Center at The Star. The 12,000-seat indoor stadium will hold team practices as well as high school football games and other city and school events.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that the city and the school district "bought into our vision of joining at the hip."

The stadium -- along with two outdoor practice fields for the Cowboys and an underground parking garage -- make up the city-owned portion of the development. And while the city retains ownership, the Cowboys will handle all the maintenance and operations at the site.

On Tuesday, the price tag for that city-owned portion climbed to $261.6 million with approval by the Frisco City Council. The city's contribution in The Star is capped at $60 million while the school district put in $30 million.

Beyond the fixation on the exaggerated economic impact of professional sports, the most notable discussion surrounded incentives.  Committee chairman Byron Cook, the soon-to-be-former state representative [Note: Doesn't that feel good to type.], seemed determined to prove that "incentive" packages aren't corporate welfare.  Several witnesses claimed incentives would be unnecessary in a perfect world, but "in the real world" we've got to have them or else other states will take away all of Texas' rent-seeking crony capitalists.

That being said, Ross Perot Jr. (who is apparently a big deal in Dallas crony capitalist circles) unintentionally made a strong case against the policy.  Perot spoke of the need for "flexibility" in incentive packages because "these industries are changing so fast."  That's actually a fantastic reason for the government not engage this activity in the first place.

A few more observations:

• Apparently, the Republican Governor's Association is meeting in town today. Obviously, that means today's hearing was deliberately timed to embarrass Governor Abbott while the Vice President is in town.  This website's issues with Governor Abbott aren't a secret, but we appreciate his response:
  
  

  Businesses are rushing to get to Texas as fast as they can, fleeing burdensome regulations for the Texas brand of economic freedom. Texas is working, & we’re just getting started. #txlege pic.twitter.com/EOQKJwyTfL

  — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) November 15, 2017

• Lots of talk about Amazon, to which we have to say the same thing that we've said in the local discussion: It might make sense, but only up to a certain price tag.

• Lots of cliches about "education" and "workforce development" which is code for dramatic increases in spending.

Bottom Line: Barf bag.

#TXLEGE: How the LAWLESS Texas house operates (Part 2)....

"They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah"
Psalm 62:4

We finally found the third video we wanted to post yesterday:



Highlights:

• Murders row of Straus lieutenants signed Huberty's petition.

• Almost as many Democrats as Republicans signed the petition.

• Rinaldi: "The effect of the motion you're making is there's no more amendments and we're going to vote on the bill immediately, correct?!?"

• Huberty denies being aware there were pre-filed amendments.
• Note: He's lying.
• Note: Huberty does that a lot.

• Pre-filed amendments would have expanded the scope of the bill.
• Huberty refuses to pull the motion.

• Leach: "Does the chair have the authority to not recognize a motion to call the previous question?!?"
• Straus: "Yes."
• Translation: Straus could have overruled Huberty and allowed debate on the amendments.
• Straus refuses to answer questions about why he's making this ruling.

• Previous question motions have historically been used only after marathon floor debates.

• Briscoe Cain points out how Straus' ruling is a...creative...interpretation of house rules.

• Cain asks why the bill had been delayed 24 hours if getting it over to the Senate was the top priority.
• Note: This exchange happend before the Sine Die stunt.

• Schaefer: "When we objected to the bill being postponed yesterday, we had amendments ready to go that we wanted to put before the body."

• Stickland: "More games are being played in your Texas capitol."
• "There were three different amendments that sought to bring in more Texans."
• "Instead, there are members of this body who are moving to silence folks like myself who believe that people's property taxes are too high right now."
• Straus interrupts Stickland.
• "The substance of this motion is to silence our ability, as members, to bring forth amendments to make this bill stronger."
• None of Dennis Bonnen's constituents were included in the bill.
• Millions left out of the bill.

#TXLEGE: How the LAWLESS Texas house operates

"They only consult to cast him down from his high position;
They delight in lies;
They bless with their mouth,
But they curse inwardly. Selah"
Psalm 62:4

[Note: There was video we saw earlier on Facebook from when Huberty moved to vote on the property tax bill without considering amendments, but we can no longer find it; we'll include it in a separate post if it shows up.]

For as disappointing as the special session was on so many policy fronts, it certainly produced some humdinger examples of house leadership acting lawlessly....

Ending the session early with several of Governor Abbott's priorities left undone:



Highlights:

• You can hear the members both objecting and demanding a record vote on the motion.  Any member has the prerogative to make such a motion.  Yet Straus refuses to recognize either.

• Note: We have no idea why the audio doesn't line up with the video.

Leadership uses unprecedented procedural trickery to prevent amendments on retired teacher health care bill:

Highlights:

• The calendar rule under consideration would have made it impossible to end the rainy day fund raid.

• Hunter: "You won't be able to make an amendment that doesn't follow section 2A."

• Rinaldi: "With two days left in session obviously there's a shortage of time...why is the calendars committee opposed to allowing use to even vote on this opportunity?!?"

• It's kinda moot after the house's early sine die, but Hunter's comments about wanting to keep the bill moving are painfully disingenuous.  The rule Hunter was proposing would have forced a conference committee, which would have had the practical effect of killing the bill.  The amendment Rinaldi wanted to offer the only way to preserve that bill in a form where the Senate could concur and send it to the Governor.

#TXLEGE: Detailing today's house floor shady business....

Chris Paddie aggressively confronts Matt Krause

"And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ "
Matthew 7:23

Some notable, albeit predictable, items from today:

• Shady SB 19 calendar rule - The house adopted a calendar rule for to restrict the type of amendments eligible for the retired teacher health care bill up tomorrow.  Todd Hunter's stated reason for the amendment was to speed up the conference committee process.  Unfortunately, as Matt Rinaldi got Hunter to confess under questioning, Hunter's rule explicitly prohibits the type of amendment that would allow the Senate to concur and skip the conference committee process entirely.
  
  As Rinaldi correctly pointed out, adoption of this calendar rule will (because of time constraints) eliminate any chance for an agreement on helping retired teachers; so this was a vote against health care for retired teachers.
  
  Jonathan Stickland correctly described leadership's actions in arbitrarily and lawlessly restricting the type of amendments that can be offered as tyranny.
  
  
  
• Refusal to consider third reading amendments on SB 1 - As part of an agreed upon deal during last Saturday's floor debate on the property tax bill (to get the spending cap bill to the floor), the Freedom Caucus agreed to pull down several amendments and send the bill to conference committee.  Unfortunately, leadership reneged on their end of the deal.  Thus, the freedom caucus pre-filed the amendments and intended to bring them back on third reading today.
  
  But Dan Huberty had other plans: Afraid to cast a record vote on the freedom caucus amendments, Huberty produced 25 signatures and immediately "called the question" (ie. moving immediately to a vote on the bill without considering amendments).  Several freedom caucus members, led by but not limited to Stickland, vigorously questioned Huberty and Dennis Bonnen about the last minute change.  Bonnen attempted to argue that second reading was the appropriate time to discuss amendments, while omitting that leadership's about face on Saturday's deal happened after second reading on SB 1.
  
  Following the vote, Chris Paddie aggressively confronted Matt Krause on the floor and attempted to lie about leadership's action Saturday; Paddie was physically restrained, and eventually led away from the confrontation, by Byron Cook (Note: You know it's bad when Byron Cook is the voice of reason).

• Zedler's union dues amendment on the school finance commission bill - This one wasn't particularly shady, but it was really entertaining to watch.  During consideration of a bill to create a school finance commission, Bill Zedler offered an amendment to study how much the start.
  
  Dan Huberty acted particularly butthurt and claimed Zedler's amendment was some sort of restriction on the ability of teachers to participate int he political process.  Byron Cook claimed Zedler's amendment was "discrimination" against teachers.  Two separate points of order were called by democrats.
  
  The amendment ultimately got 49 votes, which was better than we thought it would do.

#TXLEGE: Rinaldi's tree bill interrogation of Phelan....

"This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things of the Lord, though he knew only the baptism of John."
Acts 18:25

Still don't know why they didn't amend the real tree bill onto this one, but this is brutal nevertheless:



Highlights:

• "Is this the same version of this bill that we passed out of the House during the regular session?!?"
• Phelan: "Identical, yes sir."

• "And this bill was ultimately vetoed by the Governor, correct?!?"
• Phelan: "Correct."

• "Is this the bill that, in conversation, the Governor has referred to as the wrong tree bill?!?"

• "Did the Governor say that this bill 'gives the imprimatur of state law to the municipal micromanagement of private property which should be abolished altogether'?!?
• Phelan: "He might have said that, yes sir."

#TXLEGE: Freedom Caucus DOMINATES Early House Fundraising!!!

"Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase."
Proverbs 13:11

We obviously know about the Governor and Lt. Governor's fundraising, but did you know that 7 out of the top ten fundraisers on the House side are Freedom caucus members?!?

Your 10 largest Republican fundraisers in the #TXHouse for the July reports. @BriscoeCain is #2, under @SpeakerStraus. #txlege pic.twitter.com/lywWqdB44y

— Luke Macias (@effectualchange) July 18, 2017

While we're on the subject, among challengers Thomas McNutt (running against Byron Cook) raised over $320k and has $250k cash on hand; Mayes Middleton (running against Wayne Faircloth) has $480k cash on hand and has over 100 individual donors including former good UT regent Alex Cranberg!

Bottom Line: This tells you everything you need to know about where the energy and momentum lie.

#TXLEGE: Observations from #SpecialSession Day 1

And it will be said in that day:
“Behold, this is our God;
We have waited for Him, and He will save us.
This is the Lord;
We have waited for Him;
We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
Isaiah 25:9

Obviously, today was day 1 of the legislature's special session.  The TL,DR version is that there are currently a lot of moving parts and we should know a lot more Thursday.  Nevertheless, some observations:

• Senate moves promptly on Sunset -- Shortly after they gavelled in, the Senate went into recess and held a committee hearing on the sunset bill  They're widely expected to vote the sunset bill out of the chamber tomorrow.  Expect Governor Abbott to formally amend the call to include the 19 other items tomorrow afternoon or early Thursday.
  
  

  

  Bud Kennedy outside the Senate chamber.

• Senate committee hearings on non-sunset items likely to start Thursday, get into full swing Friday...but that schedule is not set in stone.

• Straus refers sunset bill to Byron Cook's committee (Committee hearing tomorrow) -- LOL, don't ever change Joe....
  
  

• We chatted with a Texas Observer reporter about the pro-life bills -- We'll see what (or even if) they publish.  We explained that it's abhorrent to ask people to subsidize tearing up babies in their mama's womb either through local taxes or their health insurance.  We also explained how the Charlie Gard case in the UK creates a new sense of urgency on the DNR bill.

• The left holds a pathetically small rally -- The intersectional left of various persuasions came together for what they'd previously hyped as the biggest rally ever.  About 200 people showed up.  We didn't pay particular attention to what they were talking about but apparently "compassionate care" is a new euphemism for abortion.  Also, something or other about "transgender equality."
  
   Compare our photos from today with the left wing protests during the 2013 special session:

• But at least the commies showed up!!!
  
  

• And remember, at the end of the regular session, when Matt Rinaldi pointed out that left wing protesters we're openly advertising that they were in the country illegally?!?  Yeah, about that....
  
  
  
  
  
  [Note: The Central Texas office of Immigration and Customs enforcement can be reached at (210) 283-4750 or  SanAntonio.Outreach@ice.dhs.gov.]

About that New Yorker anti-Texas Hatchet Job

"Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,"
1 Peter 2:1

Today, the New Yorker put out a looooooooooong article about the Texas legislature.  It would be easy to pander for clicks and dismiss the whole thing as "fake news," but it's more accurate to say that it uses half-truths to cast wildly a misleading impression (very similar to how the Austin Chronicle operates).  This is not intended as a comprehensive take-down, but to give a more accurate accounting of several claims made in the article.

• The claim: "The state is as politically divided as the rest of the nation. One can drive across it and be in two different states at the same time: FM Texas and AM Texas. FM Texas is the silky voice of city dwellers, the kingdom of NPR. It is progressive, blue, reasonable, secular, and smug—almost like California. AM Texas speaks to the suburbs and the rural areas: Trumpland."
  
  Reality: This is stupid.  On the occasions we listen to terrestrial radio, we switch back and forth between AM and FM depending on the content.  Everyone we know does the same thing.

• The claim: "The eleventh largest [city in the U.S., population wise] is Austin, the capital, where I live. For the past five years, it has been one of the fastest-growing large cities in America; it now has nearly a million people, dwarfing the college town I fell in love with almost forty years ago."
  
  Reality: Austin has been one of the fastest growing cities in the country for at least a quarter century.

• The claim: "The state was always culturally conservative, religious, and militaristic, but a strain of pragmatism kept it from being fully swept up in racism and right-wing ideology."
  
  Reality: Setting aside the cheap shots embedded in the use of the words "militaristic" and "racism," the phrase "strain of pragmatism" is a euphemism for the corrupt good ol' boy network (ie. the Austin lobby) mixing business and government to protect incumbent industries from competition and put together shady real estate deals.

• The claim: "While George W. Bush was governor, between 1995 and 2000, a cordial détente between the political parties prevailed."
  
  Reality: Everyone's campaign contributors got paid...thank you very much Karl Rove.

• The claim: "In January, 2003, the Republicans finally took over the Texas legislature, and Laney lost the speakership to Tom Craddick, an ultraconservative Republican from Midland, the oil capital.
  
  Reality: LOL, Tom Craddick "ultra-conservative."  Consider the following Empower Texans scores for Tom Craddick since he left the speakers chair.  2015: 81, 2013: 61, 2011: B+.  While that puts Craddick among the more conservative half of the GOP conference, that's hardly "ultra conservative" (Note: While Empower is holding the 2017 index until after the special session, it's worth pointing out that Craddick fell into the bottom half of the GOP conference in the Mark Jones index).

• The claim: "When he entered the House, [Craddick] was twenty-five—the youngest member. “Back then, most of the other members were retired, and they ran for office as a civic duty,” he said. Now, at seventy-three, he is the longest-serving legislator in Texas history."
  
  Reality: That's an accurate statement, but we find it notable that the author doesn't have a problem with the fact that Tom Craddick has been in public office for nearly five decades.

• The claim: "Another Republican congressman, Lamar Smith, lives in San Antonio, but his district includes—and neutralizes—the liberal area surrounding the University of Texas at Austin. Smith, a member of the Tea Party Caucus, in Washington, denies that human activity affects global warming."
  
  Reality: LOL, Lamar Smith "Tea Party."  We said our piece about Lamar Smith's record during the 2012 campaign.  Our full archive on Lamar Smith can be viewed here.

• The claim: "In March, 2016, a man named Robert Morrow was elected the Republican Party chairman of Travis County, which contains Austin. Like many reporters in Texas, I received wild e-mails from Morrow for several years. He once claimed that George H. W. Bush was “a seriously addicted homosexual pedophile” who was also involved in a C.I.A. drug-smuggling ring with the Clintons. In 2011, Morrow took out a full-page ad in a local newspaper:

  HAVE YOU EVER HAD SEX WITH RICK PERRY?

  Are you a stripper, an escort, or just a “young hottie” impressed by an arrogant, entitled governor of Texas?

  Nothing came of the ad, which, Morrow said, was designed to expose Perry as “a Christian-buzzwords-spouting, ‘family values’ hypocrite and fraud.”
  Morrow, a fifty-three-year-old Princeton graduate with an M.B.A. from the University of Texas, describes himself as an independent investor. In 2015, he wrote a book with Roger Stone, the political operative and occasional adviser to Donald Trump, called “The Clintons’ War on Women.” The Austin American-Statesman noted that it appeared “to be serving as a playbook for Trump” in his attacks on Hillary Clinton. (Upon its publication, Trump tweeted, “The latest book on Hillary—Wow, a really tough one!”) Mainstream Party officials were mortified when Morrow won the Travis County election, with fifty-six per cent of the vote. They promised to “explore every single option that exists” to remove him from office. Morrow responded, “They can go fuck themselves.” In June, he tweeted, “Top priority for Travis GOP: beautiful Big Titty women!!”
  
  Reality: It's not a secret that Robert Morrow is a personal friend of this author, but for Robert Morrow to receive more discussion in this piece than Ted Cruz tells you everything you need to know.
  
  (As to the claims about George Bush 41, see here).

• We don't want to waste your time making you read it, but there's a seven paragraph ode to Ann Richards about 30% of the way through the piece.

• The claim: "Another emergency item on the Governor’s list for the 2017 session was ethics reform, but many legislators saw the move as hypocritical. Lyle Larson, a centrist Republican state representative from San Antonio, told me, “Some of the most egregious violations are in the governor’s office. It’s well known that pay-for-play has been going on in that office for years. For you to be on the Parks and Wildlife board, for instance, or to be a regent at the university, you have to make significant contributions”—to Abbott’s campaign fund."
  
  Reality: Empower Texans addressed the substance of Larson's claims here, but for the purposes of this piece we will simply note that the author accepted Larson's claim at face value.

• The Claim: "Since [Dan] Patrick became lieutenant governor, one of his signature accomplishments has been the passage of the open-carry gun law; he also successfully pushed to legalize the carrying of concealed weapons on public-college campuses."
  
  Reality: LOLOLOL.  For as much as we appreciate Dan Patrick's political savvy in terms of knowing just how far and where he can push the political envelope given the cast of Senators he has to work with, the Second Amendment has easily been the issue where the Texas Senate's performance has fallen short(est).  The only reason open carry and campus carry passed (Note: two sessions ago; the lege didn't do anything noteworthy on 2A this past regular session) was because groups like Open Carry Texas and Lone Star Gun Rights made the issue too hot to ignore.

• The Claim: "Patrick’s extremism is often countered by Joe Straus, the speaker of the House, a centrist, business-oriented conservative from San Antonio. Whereas the lieutenant governor is elected by the voters of the state, the speaker is chosen by the members. That makes a crucial difference in the way that Patrick and Straus govern."
  
  Reality: Given the extended discussion of Craddick earlier in the piece, one would think a mention of how Straus unseated Craddick might be relevant.  But for some reason, it doesn't appear.  Strange.

• The Claim: "[T]here was no actual evidence of voter fraud."
  
  Reality: LOL; see here, and here, and here, and here (we could go on).

• The Claim: "The business community in Texas fiercely opposed S.B. 6, and produced a report suggesting that its passage could cost the state up to eight and a half billion dollars. (PolitiFact determined that this figure was hyperbolic.)"
  
  Reality: The study in question was so laughably bad that it was instantly discredited; while we're on the subject, we find it notable that the author fails to discuss Kelly Hancock's brutal cross examination of the head of the Texas Association of Business.

• The Claim: "On March 2nd, I returned to the capitol to have lunch with the speaker of the House, Joe Straus....[W]e sat down to plates of delicious crab cakes."
  
  Reality: It's a minor quibble, but we find it notable that, on Texas Independence day, Joe Straus was eating crab cakes instead of brisket.

• The Claim: "[Straus'] speakership has focussed [sic] on providing the workforce and the infrastructure that Texas businesses need, by protecting public education, building roads, establishing more top-tier universities, and expanding job training. Perhaps his biggest victory was in 2013: in the middle of a devastating drought, he ushered through a two-billion-dollar revolving loan fund for state water projects.
  
  Reality: We said our piece about that monstrosity at the time.

• The Claim: "With each session, Straus has watched the Republican Party drift farther away from the “compassionate conservatism” of the Governor Bush era and become increasingly dominated by Christian ideologues, such as Patrick, for whom economic issues are secondary."
  
  Reality: REALLY?!?  Who's the guy pushing property tax limits, tighter spending caps and a higher ed. tuition freeze?!?

• The Claim: “I can only do so much to keep the focus on fiscal issues and away from the divisive stuff,” [Straus] told me.
  
  Reality: Then why did you kill the afore mentioned property tax limits, tighter spending caps, and higher ed. tuition freeze?!?

• The Claim: "Unlike Patrick, who decides which bills come to the floor in the Senate, Straus has to exercise influence by artfully appointing committee members, who can dull the fangs of fearsome bills (or let them languish until there’s no time to consider them)."
  
  Reality: That's completely true, they just normally don't say it out loud.

• The Claim: "Meanwhile, [Straus] was pressing his own legislative agenda, which included securing additional funds for public schools"
  
  Reality: MOAR MONEY FOR SOCIALIZED EDUCATION!!!  Why didn't anyone think of that before?!?

• The Claim: "Dr. John Zerwas, a Republican anesthesiologist from Richmond, Texas, is the chair of the Appropriations Committee. A business conservative in the Straus mold, he is deeply respected in the legislature, and Straus selected him to craft the House version of the budget."
  
  Reality: Only liberals respect John Zerwas.

• The Claim: "Stickland is plump, with an imposing beard, narrow-set brown eyes, and an occasional broad smile revealing beautiful teeth."
  
  Reality: LOL; we've never paid attention to Jonathan Stickland's teeth, so we can't comment one way or the other.

• The Claim: "As usual, the Texas legislature passed anti-abortion bills. One bans the safest and most common procedure for second-trimester abortions: dilation and evacuation. Supporters of the legislation call this a “dismemberment abortion.” "
  
  Reality: If you can stand to see it, learn more about dismemberment abortion here.

• The Claim: "[A]s Texas’s liberal cities have burgeoned, the state has grown markedly less red."
  
  Reality: Texas has grown significantly redder over the past decade; while it's an open question whether that trend will continue with a Republican president, it doesn't change the facts of recent history.

• The Claim: "On May 20th, Tom Mechler, the chairman of the state Republican Party, resigned, citing personal reasons. He issued a letter pleading for party unity. “A party that is fractured by anger and backbiting is a party that will not succeed,” he said. He also warned that the Republican Party had failed to attract voters outside the white demographic, and was therefore destined for electoral oblivion. “If we do not continue to make efforts to engage in the diverse communities across Texas, our state will turn blue,” he warned. He urged the next chairman to reshape the Party in the image of modern Texas.
  
  
  Soon after Mechler’s resignation, Rob Morrow—the former Travis County Republican Party chairman with the motley-fool hat—announced his candidacy for the statewide position.
  
  Reality: Another discussion of Robert Morrow, yet the author fails to mention James Dickey; odd.
  [Note: We wonder if the author attempted to speak to James Dickey at all?!?]

• The Claim: "Drew Springer, the representative from North Texas who killed Stickland’s anti-hog-abatement amendment, pleaded for H.B. 810, which would fund experimental stem-cell treatments. He spoke on behalf of his wife, who is in a wheelchair. Such treatments “might give somebody like my wife a chance to walk,” he said, between sobs. “I’d trade every one of my bills I’ve passed, every single one, to get the chance to hear H.B. 810.” The Freedom Caucus gave in on this one, and it passed."
  
  Reality: We discussed Springer's stupid little speech at the time, we only bring it up because if you follow the link to the post from May we also included a list of issues Springer considered more pressing than his wife's alleged ability to walk.

• The Claim: "The session concluded this year on Memorial Day, and so fallen soldiers were honored. Legislators said goodbye to colleagues with whom they had endured a hundred and forty of the most intense days of their lives.
  
  
  Meanwhile, buses began arriving at the capitol. Hundreds of protesters, some from distant states, burst through the doors, filling all four levels of the rotunda and spilling into the House gallery. They unfurled banners (“see you in court!”) and chanted, “S.B. 4 has got to go!” One of the protest organizers, Stephanie Gharakhanian, explained to reporters, “We wanted to make sure we gave them the sendoff they deserve.”
  
  A few of the Democrats in the chamber looked up at the chanting protesters and began to applaud. State troopers cleared the gallery and broke up the protest, but by that time some of the Republicans on the floor had taken offense. Matt Rinaldi, a member of the Freedom Caucus from Dallas County, who is sometimes rated the most conservative member of the House, later told Fox Business Network that he noticed several banners bearing the message “i am undocumented and here to stay.”
  
  Reality: This isn't a Rinaldi claim, there's video

Read the whole thing here.