Politex

Craddick draws opponent in Midland: ruling

Republicans were hoping powerful House Speaker Tom Craddick wouldn't have to spend any time or money keeping his own seat in Midland. But it looks like Midland Democrat Bill Dingus will get a chance to run against the powerful incumbent after all.

The Republican Party tried to block Dingus from mounting a campaign against Craddick because he was a member of the local city council when he announced his candidacy. But an Austin judge ruled that Dingus, whose term on the council would not overlap with a term in the Legislature, is indeed eligible to run.

In 2003, Craddick became the first Texas Republican speaker in more than 130 years. He's hoping to remain in the post when the Legislature reconvenes in January.

-- Jay Root

Bush biopic movie shooting in Shreveport

Oliver Stone's biopic on the current president is shooting in Shreveport, LA, according to this writeup on W. in the LA Times.

Stone, determined to release the movie before his protagonist moves out of the White House, is hoping for an October release date.

Fun trivia from the article: Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. will have a conversation where they will discuss both the Texas Rangers and Saddam Hussein.

Worth noting: The movie poster for the film suggests the title is meant to be pronounced "dubya" and that, brace yourself, Stone may not be shooting a flattering portrayal of the former Texas governor's life. (Though the article says the filmmakers "believe they are crafting a biography so  honest that loyal Republicans and the Bushes themselves might see it.")

Also handy: this slideshow of the actors playing the key parts (including James Josh Brolin, shown left, made-up to look like Bush.).

Missing from the slideshow: a mug of Toby Jones (shown right) who will play Karl Rove.

-Aman Batheja

First hearing on 'Texas Two-Step' scheduled

The Texas Democratic Party will hold its first hearing on the controversial "Texas Two-Step" election process, which sparked widespread confusion and complaints in March. All of the hearings are open to the public, but this first one will feature invited testimony only. So if you just want to sound off about it, you're gonna have to wait.

The first hearing will be held in Austin a week from today on Monday, July 7 at the Austin Community College Health Science Building -- that's Building 9000 -- staring at 10 a.m. Party spokesman Hector Nieto said he expects there to be a hearing at some point in North Texas, but that will probably not happen until after the Democratic National Convention, to be held in Denver in late August.

Informally known as the "prima-caucus,'' the Texas presidential selection process includes both a primary and a caucus. Officials acknowledged they were overwhelmed by the interest in the caucus this year, which saw record participation but also a fair amount of mayhem and hand-wringing.

Texas Democratic Party chairman Boyd Richie said the committee will study the history of the Texas system, take expert testimony and then "consider this feedback and possibly make recommendations for changes.''

-- Jay Root

New Tarrant Dem. Chief Willing to Change His Mind

New Tarrant County Democratic Party chairman Steve Maxwell said he does not completely share the opposition of his predecessor, Art Brender, to the Trinity River Vision urban waterfront project.

"I think that any project that benefits the city of Fort Worth is a great project unless it benefits only a few people, which appears to be the case here,” said Maxwell.  “I am negative on this but my mind can be changed if it can be demonstrated that the project benefits more people.”

"I'm willing to have my mind changed."

Maxwell, who's only been chair since May, may find a welcome from Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, who's trying to secure Democratic suppport in Congress to get the project authorized for the latest projected $576 million cost, up from the previously authorized $220 million.

-- Maria Recio

Pro-life group targeting Texas as "potential swing state" with new ad

Tony Perkins, the head of the Family Research Council, is appearing in a new political ad questioning Barack Obama on his stance on abortion.

The ad, from FRC Action, the legislative arm of the FRM, will run in Cincinnati and Dallas media markets. Now, picking Cincinnati isn't exactly surprising. Ohio is the perennial swing state. But why Dallas?

"We were looking at potential swing states and those are the first two cities that we’ve chosen," said Maria Donovan, a spokesperson for FRC Action, told us.

So FRC Action considers Texas a swing state?

"We know that Obama is targeting Texas," Donovan said.

Here's the ad:

-Aman Batheja

Texas GOP announces finalists for Anti-Obama slogan contest

The five finalists are in for the Texas Republican Party's anti-Obama bumper sticker contest.

Out of 1,300 submissions, here are the five remaining contenders for the state party's official bumper sticker for 2008:

-Obama for Change? That's all you'll have left in your pockets! (a variation on this sticker)

-Obama won't change me -- I'm voting GOP

-High gas prices? Thank a Democrat this November

-Barack Obama? Liberal like McGovern, Prepared like Carter

-Barack Obama -- The Audacity of HYPE

Those interested can vote for their pick here.

-Aman Batheja

Hours after Supreme Court rejection, Louisiana governor signs castration bill

While some Texas lawmakers have expressed disappointment at yesterday's Supreme Court ruling striking down the death penalty option for child rapists, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal has taken things a step further.

Hours after the Supreme Court ruling which specifically struck down the Louisiana law, Jindal (the second Indian to be featured on this blog) signed a bill allowing for the castration of convicted sex offenders.

The bill will allow Louisiana courts to require certain sexual offenders to undergo chemical castration by taking the drug medroxyprogesterone acetate which reduces sexual urges.

According to the bill, the convicted sex offender may choose to undergo physical castration in lieu of the drug treatment "provided the defendant file a written motion with the court stating that he intelligently and knowingly, gives his voluntary consent."

Texas passed its own castration bill back in 1997, after habitual child molester Larry Don McQuay made headlines by requesting it. That law allows inmates convicted of sex crimes against children to be voluntarily castrated to curb their sex drive.

The offer has been rarely taken up.

-Aman Batheja

Poll shows a tight race for Texas

Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is running 5 points ahead Democrat Barack Obama in Texas, and first-term Sen. John Cornyn is in a nail-biter with Democratic state Rep. Rick Noriega, a new polls shows.

The survey of likely voters by the non-partisan Texas Lyceum, a statewide leadership group and think tank, could be a bit skewed in favor of the Democrats, pollster Daron Shaw of the University of Texas at Austin says, because he made an extra effort to make sure the random sample was reflective of the state's demographics.

The between-the-lines reading is that subgroups that lean Republican tend to vote in higher numbers than subgroups that lean toward the Democrats, which might explain why the GOP has run the table in every statewide election since 1996.

According to the raw numbers, McCain (top photo) was favored by 43 percent of the respondents while Obama was backed by 38 percent in the presidential race. A hefty chunk, 17 percent, had yet to settle on a preference while Libertarian Bob Barr drew 1 percent as did independent Ralph Nader.

Cornyn was backed by 38 percent of those polls; Noriega's share was 36 percent. The balance was still mulling over the choices for the November election.

Other polls in the Senate race have been all over the map with Cornyn holding either tiny leads or really big leads. The incumbent is far better financed than the challenger, and far more familiar to voters. He's been elected twice to the Texas Supreme Court, once as attorney general, and once as U.S. senator. Noriega, a five-term Houston-area lawmaker, is in his first statewide contest.

-- John Moritz

Democrats love Big Bad John

Sen. John Cornyn's folksy television ad, Big Bad John, isn't exactly playing well, or at least the way it was intended, in Democratic circles. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee got such a kick out of the version of the Jimmy Dean song-- replete with Texas stereotypes and Cornyn wearing a fringed suede jacket -- that it actually posted it on its blog, along with the Daily Show's Jon Stewart's mocking take on it. "We figure it helps our cause more than his," says the DSCC blog.

Cornyn's reaction? "I think it's hilarious," he laughed during a conference call with reporters today. "This was a good-natured introduction we did at the Houston convention a couple of weeks ago." Cornyn said it was meant to be light-hearted and that he told the state GOP gathering after the ad: "My staff convinced me that it would be a good idea. Maybe I need a new staff." Or at least a new songwriter. Check out these lyrics:"He rose to the top, in just one term. Kept Texas in power, made lesser states squirm. Big John."

http://www.dscc.org/blog?blog_entry_KEY=292 

Maria Recio

UPDATE: RE: John Cornyn's blog: Bill O'Reilly found the ad "very watchable" when he talked about it on his show this week.
 

The drip drip drip of appropriations

After sitting in a House Appropriations Committee meeting all day, U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, was somewhat happy with the $6 million she got for building the Trinity Uptown bypass channel.

But the Fort Worth Republican was bemused that her request was shaved somewhat as the committee cut funding to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers while adding, at the same time, 20 to 21 additional projects.

"It is a little confusing to me that you have enough confidence (in the Army Corps) for projects but cut the total funding," Granger said.

Granger said she will continue her fight to get the Trinity Uptown project included in the next Water Resources Development Act as well as boost the $220 million authorization she got from Congress for the project in 2004.

Since then, Trinity Uptown's size and cost has grown. It added 1,000 acres on the city's east side and the cost has gone up to about $576 million.

Max B. Baker