The Noise Machine (12/04/09)

Bill White brings snow....


It could be a fun media Friday for a change. Bill White Texas Tribune (I keed) lays out the case for White jumping to the gubernatorial while ChronBlog claims the scoop reporting that he will officially make the jump today. Meanwhile, BlogHouston notes that White will be touting his crime record in his run for Governor....Good luck with that.


Speaking of crime, The Heights arsonist struck again last night, bringing the total suspicious blaze count to 19. Again, the target was an abandoned, run-down home, suggesting that these are either crimes of convenience or there's a well-off Heights area resident who's fed up with sub-standard structures in their neighborhood.


The Bill White Texas Tribune (I keed) gives readers a program for the ever-growing Texas Gubernatorial race. With White's entrance the fun scale gets points for potential (a White Showdown against Rick Perry's bare-knuckle campaign style) but moves very little in the actual catagory. (The Republican primary should be entertaining, but the Democratic primary is still going to be as bland as warm milk.)


I've called Sealy a lot of things, a nice small town, an awful long way to drive for an outlet mall (when it was there) but "suburban Houston"? That's kind of stretching it isn't it? *Senate Governor-Candidate Mayor White has an interest in the Sealy plant, Mayor White? Not so much. One of the problems White is going to have is his juggling of his remaining responsibilities as Mayor vs. his campaigning for higher office. Fortunately it seems that ChronBlog is ready to carry the water for him on this issue.**



Sometimes things that have no relation to each other are funny regardless. This is one of those times.


How bad has the "green" movement been botched? Pretty badly. While most pundits are turning their attention to where things went wrong all the green movement is left with are some celebrities with no financial sense beating the bushes because they (to be honest) they don't get it anyway. (economics or climate change)



The hospital deal is on hold. I'm only surprised it took this long to put on the breaks.


Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it. Locke's supporters are now saying that he didn't bring the diversity charges against Parker, so cries about his hypocrisy are ill-founded. (remember, Locke said that he wouldn't make race an issue) While he may not have "brought it up" he did issue press releases about it, which makes him at least as culpable in the situation as the organizations issuing the charge. There's something to be said about the state of the education system, our political system and culture and how they're all providing minorities with a severe disadvantage in life right now. I'm not talking about racism and bigotry (although both exist) I'm speaking of long-held beliefs in all communities that hold children down. The soft bigotry of low expectations etc. One of the descendants of racism is an education gap among races that needs to be addressed. However, the way we currently address the issue (lowering standards for certain groups) only adds fuel to the fire. There's a real opportunity here for a candidate to tackle these issues and promise to nudge HISD to re-examine what they are doing. Sadly, that's not going to happen with this crowd of also-ran candidates.



















**To be honest, that's about what you would expect the home-town media to do for a local candidate running for State-wide office. There's usually a sizable amount of homerism from the local media for local candidates seeking to expand their political horizons, especially when they agree with their ideology.

Things to do when the Danvolution is over.

Maybe it should be called the Dan-volution, the movement by Dan Patrick to export his particular brand of theism corporatism Neo-conservatism across the State. If you haven't been paying attention, it's all come crashing down under a wave of saag paneer and declining ratings. Not only is the movement dead, but the glorious leader has become that which he originally despised, the ultimate political insider. (Going so far as to be a Perry confidant & supporter and calling for a *GASP* INCREASE in the State gasoline tax. Listening to the Dan speak now is like listening to every other politician. Gone are the populist rants about our (the taxpayers) money and free markets, replaced with ruminations about State revenues and how the State of Texas can solve problems.

Correct that...How Dan Patrick can solve the State's problems. Perhaps it was inevitable, that an ambitious man with a short attention span would ultimately view himself as holding the keys to prosperity in the State, instead of being the voice for the little guy, an idea on which he built his campaign (not to mention much of his popularity).

As we look forward to whatever 2010 brings to the table one thing that's not in the offering is the Texas "conservative" Dan-volution. Oh sure, there were signs that the movement had ground to a halt, but nothing from Dan the man himself. Paul Bettencourt abandoning the property tax relief movement to profit off the current system is one thing, admitting there are more radio listeners of Indian descent in Dallas than there are true believers in the Cause of Dan?

Well...that's something else altogether.

Truth be told the staff here at HCA (well, ok me) is going to miss following the exploits of the Danner in a glass-falling-off-the-table kind of way. From his decidedly non-conservative attempts to prune the rosebush, to his clutching of selected parts of the Bible, (those not dealing with tolerance one would guess) to his oft-times zany radio speeches that were meant to sound sincere, his act was sort-of fun to check up on, from time to time. Lately however it's just been more of the same, a politician stumping to a small loyal core of support regarding the need for everyone in Texas to sit up and listen to his plan. Because...you know, his plan is from above....


The Dan-volution is dead...long live airtime lease fees.

The Noise Machine (12/03/09)

Baby it's cold outside. (With a possibility of snow, in early December...in Houston....Damn Climate Change)


The Bill White Texas Tribune (I keed) files a good report this morning on RINO hunters. It's an interesting take on the "purity" standard for Tea Party activists. (A standard that could be politically impossible to live up to.)


How bad of a guy must this death row inmate be to warrant a Chron-Eye write up this short? "No redeeming qualities" comes to mind


In a choice between Cap n' Trade and nothing, a carbon tax wouldn't be that bad. Most business leaders have resigned themselves to the fact that Governments are going to work hard to make them less profitable in the name of Gaia going forward. The new idea is to minimize the bleeding.


Through the red-tape and battles won, something ineffectual this way comes.


Diversity is beauty. Or...something like that.


If punishing medical schools for not producing the right kinds of Doctors seems wise to you why stop there? How about punishing Universities for not producing enough teachers, or engineers....(Doesn't sound so good now does it?)


Save your pennies because they might (should) be gone soon.


The real loser in ClimateGate? The broader scientific community. (When you realize that many, not all, climate change skeptics aren't all that fond of science anyway, and the general public isn't very well educated regarding the scientific method, you start to realize how damaging this really is. The politicization of science is a bigger threat than lack of funding.)


Even the UK is starting to see the folly of trying to "save the planet".


Rust Belt ed-boards, a region who's economies will take a brutal hit from proposed "fixes", are waking up as well....Too bad the ChronBlog Caucasian Think-Tank is still burying it's head in the sand (along with The Guardian -of course, people expect that from the Guardian, less a serious news source than an entertaining rag read on trains during the daily commute.)


Much ado about Hotze. (Ooooh....scandal...OK, what passes for scandal in the lukewarm slurry that is Houston's municipal government)


Lampson's thinking about jumping back in*. ...and in the InterLeft there was much rejoicing *All this election REALLY needs now is the return of Chris Bell. Maybe for Ag Commissioner? He could call on us to fire a "Moon shot" for Texas farmers, maybe even outdraw a corpse this time? (Or bring back the punching bag?)


Finally: This Fingerprinting lab story has broken at an inconvenient time for Bill White. Fortunately for him, it hasn't taken his partisans long to Pull out the "not his fault" card:

Some of these problems may have been going on for decades.

Decades...you got that!?! At least as far back as the last Republican Mayor. It'd be even better if they could tie all this to Tom DeLay or Rick Perry. (Admit it, you're waiting for that post just like I am...sort of like waiting for the anti-immigration comments in ChronBlog on a story that has nothing to do with immigration.) *Each side has their proclivities.

The Noise Machine (12/02/09)

Just about as crazy as snow in Houston.....(oh wait)



That's the thing about ill-conceived Gov't fees. They ultimately come back and bite the taxpayer in the... *Note: replace "Texas would fund" with "taxpayers would fund" in this story to get an idea how. The State can't fund anything without first collecting it from citizens


Yesterday's chub about problems in the HPD fingerprinting lab, has grown into a full-fledged the Houston taxpayer is about to get reamed story. I'd sure like to hear how the next Mayor, Controller and City Council candidates propose to deal with (and pay for) this wouldn't you? *You KNOW we're going to hear all about it on the Gubernatorial campaign trail


With all of the local grist to chew on, is anyone really surprised that the ChronBlog Caucasian Think-Tank chose to focus on Ms. Cohen's pet issue? (Silly us for wanting the local ed board to...you know...think about local issues, especially during an election)


Heat...with no light. Possibly the worst two Mayoral candidates in any major City in the U.S. not named Detroit. Possibly (Which is what you can expect from your political system when a 10% {or less} voter participation rate is the norm.)


Much ado about Hispanic candidates is starting to emanate from both party's partisans. For Democrats it's from the InterLeft and from Republicans on talk radio. Seems everyone wants them some Mariachi's at their 2010 election night parties. (And...who can blame them? Demographics is politics after all)


Hey...They don't mean to discriminate.....That makes it all better then. *snicker*


Note to John Cornyn: If you're being played by Al Franken....It's time to hang it up. (It seems somewhat akin to losing to the Texans doesn't it?)


No documents were faked during this interview. (At least that we know about)


Healthcare reform as Liberalism's savior...More likely however, in its current form, it will lead to a huge, unwieldy, cash-sucking bureaucracy that would make Kafka groan.


Your friend, the atom....


When editorial pieces pose as news stories, you often end up with predictable results.


There are holes in the Democratic ticket which is causing a lot of people to wonder how they are going to be filled. To me, the interesting slot is the one for Lt. Governor. If White catches fire and the Democrats put someone strong in that spot to challenge Dewhurst, then the rest of the ticket could ride to victory due to a coattails effect. (We've seen these other candidates before, and pretty much know what they (don't) bring to the table as far as ballot appeal.)


Looking back on four weeks of the Texas Tribune. So far, they've been a little disappointing. Advocacy, opinion-based journalism is OK, if you have enough content to keep things interesting. During their run-up I figured they were prepping enough content to really get things moving during the first month (or two) we haven't seen that at all. Still, they're finding their sea legs and are doing some things right. There's a lot of journo talent over there, so hopefully they'll really pick it up come the elections and the next Lege session.

Three stories that could matter

1. Here we go again with the Houston Crime Lab...This time in the Fingerprinting division, as ChronBlog's Moises Mendoza authors a chub letting us know that several officers are being placed on leave while up to six years worth of crimes are being investigated.

There are a couple of things this could impact, one more likely than the other. First, Mayor White's yet-to-be-finalized Gubernatorial switch. Not only will Rick Perry HAMMER White over this, but it's going to take away one of White's talking points as well. Second, and very unlikely, is the fact that the crime lab has consistently been an embarrassment for multiple Houston Mayors who fly (if unofficially) the Democratic party banner. If the Region had a decent Republican party machine, they'd make some hey with this and possibly use it to their advantage in the upcoming run-offs. That being said: This is the HCRP we're talking about, and given the proclivities of the local media any reports regarding fault will be sure to evenly distribute the blame.

2. It's time for the question: Do endorsements matter?

Thankfully the folks over at the Bill White Texas Tribune (I keed) do a better job digging for an answer than local (self described) insiders. They also come closer to the endorsement truth which is this: An endorsement is only as good as the size and loyalty of those following the endorser. For example: Stephen Hotze = Not so good. HPOU = Pretty good Cardinal DiNardo = Very good. *Not suggesting that DiNardo has endorsed, but if he did.....


3. Steve Miller of Texas Watchdog asks: Will a religious holiday impact the Dec. 12th election day?

My gut tells me no for two reasons: 1. Neither candidate is relying on the Hispanic vote as an integral part of their support. 2. Hispanics traditionally aren't that strong of a voting bloc anyway. (despite their many population advantages)

All that being said here's another question that would have been asked long ago in a good media town. What Texas Watchdog gives away in quantity to ChronBlog, they are making up in quality.

The Noise Machine (12/01/09)

Happy Divine Reserve Day!!!


Tired of mud-slinging politics? Want to see a (reasonably) intelligent political discussion ofr a change? Here's the e-mail back n' forth for you.


It's all about the Rainy Day Fund and how it relates to the budgetary shortfall (I made mention of the article Kuffner is quoting yesterday, but he offers a Democratic perspective on how to deal with the issue {Roll-back the property tax decrease -or, as Republicans would call it: raise taxes} that will be bandied around the Lege next session.) *This is an early shot to be sure. Knowing Texas politics however the serious solutions to this will be limited, and not especially creative. Basically you'll get a choice between "tax more" or "cut services" with nothing in the middle. Such is the cost of mixing low-turnout elections w/the fallacy that longevity in office leads to increased competence.


One thing is for sure: there's going to be less rain in the forecast. If you get my meaning.


Matt Stiles openly wonders whether Government agencies do whatever they can to circumvent the spirit of open records laws. He's right, of course. Public servants typically don't like having to serve the public. Some feel that it's not in their job description and veiw requests by "civilians" as nuicances to their daily work of Saving the city, state, nation, world etc.


Texas AG Greg Abbott is suing some price-comparison websites for allegedly not providing unbiased information in their comparisons. *I am SHOCKED! to find out that influence peddling occurs in business! SHOCKED! I tell you!


On top of the push for a State gas tax increase by State Sen. John Carona (R - Foul Mood) comes the news that the Feds are considering the same thing. Keep this in mind when you hear 2010 Congressional candidates moan and wail about "stopping the pain at the pump". *The Government idea being that the only entity to turn a profit in the economy of the future is the Government


Is Kay Bailey Hutchison really going to be a player in the 2010 Gubernatorial election? William McKenzie says yes, whether or not she can defeat Rick Perry. (increasingly unlikely)


Back in Houston ChronBlog reports on Gene Locke asking the question: Is Annise Parker soft on crime? While the HPOU has an issue with a line in a Parker ad. Meanwhile, despite the protestations of local political 'pundits' the candidates still sound remarkably similar on the issues when they get together and actually talk about them.


Former Houston City Council member Gordan Quan is considering a run against Ed Emmett for Harris County Commissioner. By all accounts Emmett has done a good job, he's worked with members of both parties and is, perhaps, the most competent politician in the region. Despite this, Democratic loyalists are lining up behind Quan because he's well....a Democrat. *Thus putting an end to the myth that calls for bi-partisanship have any real meaning at all. What the vast majority in politics want is for their side to win, and for the other side to go down in flaming, humiliating defeat.


Parker supporters are all over this Hotze thing. If he loses Locke will have no-one to blame other than himself. *Note to politicians in Houston: If endorsed by Hotze, the proper tack is to RUN AWAY.



I don't know about you, but when it comes to charity, can we please leave the immigration question at the door? (Especially when dealing with children)



Count me as one of those who would prefer to use a debit card for in-flight purchases. That being said, Why does it have to be an either/or proposition? Sometimes the airlines' customer service people seem clueless.