The Noise Machine (10/21/10)

Car in the shop (again) dangit.......



BigJolly on Early Voting Day 3. Numbers are still up, and the Inner-Belt is starting to show increases in line with the Outer-Belt. Which means that the Democrats have finally wound up their GOTV machines.


Kevin Whited of BlogHouston on The Narrative, specifically, how to correct it when it's flown off the rails. (As has been the case in this, very Colorado Model, election.)


On that note: (Also courtesy of Mr. Whited) How news organizations should be covering the story. As opposed to how they ARE covering the story. (Often through press release or over-reliance on reports from partisan Colorado Model news sources. Such is the state of the MSM today.)


Metro's hiring a mediator to cancel the controversial rail car contract and promising to (finally) pay what they owe to local municipalities for road and bridge construction. Maybe this is (New)Metro maybe not. We'll see. (Some of (New)Metro's ideas and actions feeling awfully similar to (Old)Metro after all)


What campaign finance reform hath wrought. A better way would be just to require 100% full disclosure, instead of the piecemeal system we have now. Trying to restrict cash from certain sources, and making some cash illegal while others are legal (Although I'm sympathetic to the foreign cash argument there are even ways around that wall) is a fool's dream. (The best reform is sunlight.)


The best reporting on HISD is currently being churned out By Lynn Walsh and Texas Watchdog. If you're not going there for your education news your missing out.


The Citizen's United decision is misunderstood, especially by Texas political journalists, many of whom stop digging after "the Republicans did it". (Texas needs an infusion of good political journalism in the worst way. Too much reliance on campaign press releases and relationships with political insiders....The King Street Patriots/Harris County Democratic Party story is evidence of that.)


Case in point: I'm Bill White and I approved this message. (This opinion piece is coming from the same guy who provides the AAS "straight" political coverage. Think about that.)


So much for White's "October surprise". Just another misstep by the little campaign that couldn't. (Perry by six or seven is looking too optimistic for White at right about now.)


Question: Is this intended as commentary or as a legit news piece? It isn't clearly labeled and it's listed on the website under "local_news". If this is a straight news piece some editor somewhere should be looking for a job tomorrow.



I'll say this: Bob Perry has himself a LOT of money. Because he's making it rain on Republicans during this campaign cycle like never before. (Think that has anything to do wit the TRCC being sun-setted and it's replacement being discussed in the next Lege?)


And finally.....


Five good things about Bill White & Five good things about Rick Perry courtesy of Evan @ Rick Perry vs. World.