The Noise Machine (10/07/10)

The winds of change......


Courtesy of BigJolly Politics: David Benzion takes a look back at "Beyond Bush: Texas Republicans in an Obama Era" and finds the Republican resurgence to be more about Democratic incompetence and misreading the electorate than about anything the Republicans have done right.


Another blow for Councilman Jarvis Johnson who, based on his erratic on-camera actions with Wayne Dolcefino last night (If you didn't watch, he called Wayne "L'il Wayne" and asked him if he was drunk or high.) is starting to feel the pressure.


The odd primary win of Stan Stanart* Don Sumners is probably going to result in Diane Trautman giving the Democrats a County win. If you consider Sumner's amateur campaign that's probably the result that should happen. Republicans blew it when they mysteriously went against Leo Vasquez*, who was the most qualified of candidates in their primary.


There are no winners when Homicide is politicized, none at all.


The headline to this Texas Tribune piece is "Challengers outraising incumbents in 15 races", a closer look at the data reveals that most of said challengers have an (R) behind their name. (The media narrative that this is an "anti-incumbent" election is not true when you start to examine who has the bulk of incumbents in trouble.)


A Statewide property tax to fix school funding? I can't see this receiving support from either the no-tax Tea Party OR the Income-Tax progressives so I would have to assume it's nothing more than a pipe-dream.


And finally....


Mark Blumnethal, writing for the Huffington Post, has a good overview of the "likely voter" screen in political polls. In case you were wondering.



*Thanks to Twitter member @Olsonleif for pointing out the error. HCA: The BEST group of volunteer editors in the business.