Politex

Bush reflects on last eight years, says he didn't "sell his soul"

President Bush, notoriously wary of the press, gave an interview to his sister last month. Before the brains of 1,000 journalists explode, note that the interview was for StoryCorps, NPR's national oral history initiative. The interviews for the project are normally conducted by loved ones.

The White House released excerpts from the interview today. Some notable remarks:

"I would like to be a person remembered as a person who, first and foremost, did not sell his soul in order to accommodate the political process."

"I'd like to be a President (known) as somebody who liberated 50 million people and helped achieve peace; that focused on individuals rather than process; that rallied people to serve their neighbor; that led an effort to help relieve HIV/AIDS and malaria on places like the continent of Africa; that helped elderly people get prescription drugs and Medicare as a part of the basic package; that came to Washington, D.C., with a set of political statements and worked as hard as I possibly could to do what I told the American people I would do."

"I would advise politicians, however, to be careful about faith in the public arena. ...In other words, politicians should not be judgmental people based upon their faith. They should recognize -- as least I have recognized I am a lowly sinner seeking redemption, and therefore have been very careful about saying (accept) my faith or you're bad. In other words, if you don't accept what I believe, you're a bad person."

The full text of the excerpt released by the White House is after the jump.

More political turkeys: Freddie, Fannie and forgetters of Ike

There were just too many political turkeys this year for us to keep it to just one blog post. Here's a couple of others birds worthy of sticking a fork in:

Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae

The whole economy is a turkey this year. There is Wall Street greed, $700 billion bailouts, bank failures, the imperiled auto industry and the fact that loans are hard to get. But we’re picking on Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae because they’re easy to anthropomorphize. The mortgage giants — more properly known as the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and Federal National Mortgage Association — were taken over by the government in September because, according to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, "failure of either of them would cause great turmoil in our financial markets here at home and around the globe."

The government takeover, of course, resulted in great turmoil in our financial markets at home and around the globe. Turmoil that continues, with no sign of stopping.

So thanks, economy. And don’t expect a dollop of whipped cream on your pie. We just can’t afford the luxury this year.

Ignoring Ike

When Hurricane Ike made landfall in the wee hours of Sept. 13, the damage to Galveston was devastating. And the nation paid attention for, well, about a day. The city was nearly wiped out, and it barely caused a blip on the national radar.

Perhaps it was a matter of timing: Ike hit the Texas coast just days before September’s economic freefall began. The financial panic, combined with an intense presidential race, managed to push the devastation off the front pages of most newspapers.

Meanwhile, more than two months later, some Galveston residents are still living in tents because their FEMA mobile homes are tied up in red tape. Dangerous debris is still everywhere, and 75 percent of homes have flood damage. And although The Washington Post reported that 79 percent of Galveston’s inhabitants had returned by November, the hurricane’s economic impact will displace many residents who can’t make a living in the island town anymore. Galveston’s University of Texas Medical Branch was so devastated by the damage that it was announced last week that about 3,000 of its 8,000 Galveston employees will be laid off.

The sad part is that not many people know the extent of the damage caused by Ike. In a world of catastrophes, Galveston isn’t getting the attention or the assistance it deserves. Come on, Americans and the news media: This holiday season, give Galveston the gift it deserves — your attention and help.

-Alyson Ward

Our turkeys of the year: Texas Two-Step, John Edwards

Now that you've cleaned off all the pumpkin pie and prepare to contend with leftover turkey sandwiches through Christmas, enjoy our picks for political turkeys of the year:

The Texas Two-Step: Prima-caucus chaos

On March 4, Texas Democrats voted in the state primary. And at 7 p.m., the polls closed and the votes were counted.

Just kidding. It wasn’t really that simple. The Democratic primary was not a winner-take-all, but instead delegates were allocated based on the percentage of votes that the candidates won. And to make matters more confusing, only 126 of the state’s 193 pledged delegates were divvied up to Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

What happened to the other 67 pledged delegates? Democrats would caucus in the evening to assign those.

The state party has used this method of determining delegates since 1976, but this year’s high turnout overwhelmed the system and the caucus lasted for hours at many precinct locations. The district conventions later that month were even more disastrous. People waited hours in long lines to check in and were stuck in schools and coliseums all day, sometimes with no food or water. People got cranky, left early, vowed never to caucus again. Tempers flared. In Dallas, a precinct chairwoman claimed she was chased to a police station by an angry mob. Oh, and did we tell you that another 35 delegates were superdelegates, which meant that voters had no say in which candidate got those votes?

Democrats, we are not impressed. We think this turkey has one seriously messed-up left wing.

John Edwards

In January, Edwards was running for president, flashing his toothy smile and $400 haircut, coming in second in the Iowa Democratic caucus. By July, he was hiding out in the men’s room of the Beverly Hilton at 2:30 in the morning, running from a National Enquirer photographer. How did it all go so wrong?

Edwards eventually admitted he had had an affair with Rielle Hunter, a videographer he’d hired to work on his presidential campaign. He went on ABC’s Nightline in August to confess. The shining moment? When, in an effort to look a little less terrible, Edwards pointed out that he started the affair while his wife Elizabeth’s cancer was in remission.

John Edwards, we take great pleasure in carving you up. You’ll be served with a garnish of bitter disappointment.

-Alyson Ward

Craddick comeback begins its PR push

Never count out Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick.

Written off as beaten after the election left Republicans with a 76-74 edge -- and Craddick with a slew of eager opponents -- the Midland Republican is now riding a PR push meant to pressure House members into keeping him.

First his hometown Midland Reporter-Telegram offered a fanciful summary of Craddick's chances to stay, including a Midland transportation official describing him as "warm and personable."

Now former Texas House candidate Bill Burch of Arlington has signed onto a letter calling for Republicans to "quit stepping into cow patties" and keep Craddick as speaker.

Co-author Jim Cardle of Austin is identified in detail from a leftward point of view in this Oklahoma political blog. He's a conservative activist with an email address of "lessgovt.:

Another activist sent a letter saying that "liberals" are trying to take over the House, referring to the Democrats who would have to vote with Republicans to elect, say, business Republicans Burt Solomons or Jim Keffer as speaker.

The House will vote Jan. 13.

--Bud Kennedy

  

American Airlines drops $40,000 for inauguration reception

Politico reports that Fort Worth-based American Airlines has committed $40,000 for an event at the Illinois State Society’s “Inaugural Gala."

The Illinois event is expected to be the hottest ticket in town in Washington, D.C. amidst the inauguration festivities (but may have trouble matching the recent Texas galas' star power.)

The $40,000 gets American "exclusive sponsorship of a cocktail reception that may include members of Congress," according to Politico.

The Illinois State Society is still looking for someone to plunk down $20,000 to sponsor the coat check.

As Trebor Banstetter at our Sky Talk blog notes, Obama has been flying in a chartered AA plane in recent weeks.

-Aman Batheja

Texas could fare best under Obama bailout

 With coffers shrinking, states are keeping a close eye on President-elect Barack Obama's call for a multi-billion dollar fiscal package to boost the U.S. economy.

Stateline.org reports that several states are urging Congress to make sure that any package includes money for infrastructure projects, thereby creating jobs while helping rebuild crumbling roads and bridges across the country.

And Texas looks most ready to take advantage of such a New Deal-type effort. The state has $1.8 billion in projects ready to go as soon as the check clears, according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. That's far more than any other state. (Who would have guessed New Mexico would come in second?)

(Graphic courtesy of Stateline.org)

-Aman Batheja

Lawmakers to target "zombies"

Zombies, as in computers taken over by hackers, not the brain-eating, slow-moving undead.

State Sen. Judith Zaffirini, D-Laredo, has filed a bill defining "zombies" and sharpening the law on hacking to include anyone who remotely takes over another person's computer to do things as nefarious as steal social security numbers, attack other computers or "manipulate online polls or games."

The bill is S.B. 28. Presumably this is just a coincidence and not a reference to zombie flick 28 Days Later.

(Below, a shot from Grapevine's Zombie Walk back in February.)

 

-Aman Batheja

'Tis the season for recounts and "Lizard People"

Election fever has mostly died down but there are still races all over that have yet to be decided.

Locally, the last Democrat standing in Johnson County has filed for a recount though he's already admitted that he probably lost.

In Irving, Democrat Bob Romano has ponied up for a manual recount of the more than 40,000 ballots cast in his race against Republican State Rep. Linda Harper-Brown, who won by just 20 votes. The outcome of that race will determine whether Republicans will have any kind of majority in the Texas House.

But none of that matches the drama in Minnesota, where SNL alum Al Franken and Sen. Norm Coleman are still waiting to see which one of them won by a few dozen votes out of 2.9 million cast.

As Minnesota Public Radio reports in this awesome interactive story, both sides are trying every argument imaginable to contest some of the ballots, including the one pictured here. Franken's team wants it to count for their guy. Coleman's backers disagree. Lizard People's people could not be reached for comment.

-Aman Batheja

Dr Pepper delivers on campaign promise, earmarks a free soda for every American

We noted last month that politicians could learn a thing or 23 from Plano-based Dr Pepper about sticking to campaign promises.

The soda maker launched a campaign earlier this year aimed at one man: Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose. The company declared that if the singer released his decade-in-the-making album Chinese Democracy before the end of 2008, it would give every American a free can of Dr Pepper.

A Dr Pepper rep told the NY Post last month that it would keep its promise if Rose delivered.

Since the album is finally scheduled to come out next week, the company has officially come through, announcing it will post a coupon for a free 20-ounce soda on its web site for 24 hours beginning Sunday at 12:01 a.m..

To all you newly elected and reelected politicians locally and nationwide: you have made a lot of promises this year. Do you really want a soda company to show you up?

UPDATE: Dr Pepper has extended the deadline for obtaining the coupon to 5 p.m. Monday CST due to high customer demand.

-Aman Batheja

Another moment in history for Democrats

"While the G.O.P. generally adheres to its eleventh commandment -- Never speak ill of another Republican -- Democrats eat their own with relish. After fractious primaries, Democrats will limp into the general election having spent most of their money defeating each other."

That's a passage from Time magazine, but it's not about this year's Democratic presidential primaries. It's about the bitter battle in the 1990 Texas Democratic gubernatorial primary runoff between Ann Richards and Jim Mattox. The 1990 governor's race was one of the ugliest -- and most fun to watch, in a spectator sport kind of way -- in Texas history. State Treasurer Richards and Attorney General Mattox first had to stave off former Gov. Mark White to make it to their runoff. Mattox, known as "the people's lawyer," tried to sink Richards with allegations of drug use but failed. Richards went on to whip Republican Clayton Williams in a bruising general election campaign.

I was one of the reporters stuck -- er, assigned -- to Mattox in the runoff, and he was a marvel to watch in action at the end of an era in which Democrats dominated Texas politics. The "general" was especially adept at working with unions, which still were a major political force in Texas. He was dogged, determined and ruthless when he thought it was necessary. As the runoff with Richards neared its climax, Mattox grew increasingly obsessed with pressuring the press corps to write more about his foe's alleged foibles. He'd rant. He'd rave. And he made headlines nationwide in doing so. But when it was all over with, he made peace with Richards and poured his energy into rebuilding party unity. It was time to get back to the business Mattox really loved -- helping his fellow Texans and looking out for the little guy.

That's the image of Mattox that popped into mind when news broke Thursday of his death at his home outside Austin. Some of the darkest moments I've witnessed covering politics came during that 1990 runoff. But Mattox's compassion for working people and their families provided some of the warmest moments I've witnessed, too.

-- John Gravois