Texas | Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion - Part 46
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Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 06, 2014 3 Comments

Texas-sized...

Posted by Leslie Eastman on May 13, 2014 23 Comments
Per its tradition in the second week of May, America's business leaders have voted for the states with the "best" and "worst" business climates. As usual, Chief Executive Magazine places California at the top....of the naughty list!
That’s 10 years in a row — a decade of dominance. Over that same period, California saw its unemployment rate go from mirroring the national rate to having consistently among the highest rates. The Golden State is now second worst in the nation when it comes to the percentage of adults who want to work full time but can’t find such jobs.
An executive officer's comments about the results summarizes many of the points I made recently when reporting about Toyota's move to Texas.
“California could hardly do more to discourage business if that was the goal. The regulatory, tax and political environment are crushing. The only saving grace is that there are still a lot of affluent areas that drive local economic zones, but the trend line on these is not good for the mid- to long-term.”
A good example of this dynamic involves one of the most popular exports of the state, Sriracha Hot Sauce. The company that makes the sauce, Huy Fong Foods, has been embroiled in a public battle with the Irwindale City Council over complaints that fumes from its busy plant are causing neighbors to get sick. A video report summarizes the controversy.
Team Texas is eager to offer the firm another option:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 19, 2014 63 Comments
Wendy Davis rose to national prominence when she conducted a filibuster to block a Texas bill restricting non-medically necessary abortions after 20-weeks. For that position, which is wildly unpopular, Davis became the next Elizabeth Warren -- the Great White Hope in pink sneakers. Erick Erickson dubbed her "Abortion Barbie," which led to howls of sexism. But as I explained in Why is “Abortion Barbie” off limits for Wendy Davis?, Barbie and Ken analogies in politics are quite common. Erickson's remark was directed not at Davis' gender, but her self-professed ignorance of the Kermit Gosnell House of Abortion Horrors. That someone running on a pro-late term abortion platform didn't know about the biggest abortion story of the year made her look, well, like a plastic impression. Like Elizabeth Warren, whose life story does not hold up to scrutiny, Davis appears to have narrative problems, as detailed today by The Dallas Morning News, As Wendy Davis touts life story in race for governor, key facts blurred:
Wendy Davis has made her personal story of struggle and success a centerpiece of her campaign to become the first Democrat elected governor of Texas in almost a quarter-century. While her state Senate filibuster last year captured national attention, it is her biography — a divorced teenage mother living in a trailer who earned her way to Harvard and political achievement — that her team is using to attract voters and boost fundraising.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on December 18, 2013 16 Comments

I just sent my first e-mail to a University President regarding the academic boycott of Israel by the American Studies Association, and the similar boycott just announced by the small and relatively new Native American and Indigenous Studies Association. I could not find a direct e-mail...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on September 27, 2013 34 Comments
Among the nicest things the Democratic smear machine called Sarah Palin was "Caribou Barbie." Just about everything else they called her was much worse. The term "Caribou Barbie" started within days of Palin's nomination for Veep in August 2008.  By September 2, 2008, the term was spreading throughout the left-blogosphere, as Michelle Malkin noted at the time. The term so took hold that it even was the subject of an SNL skit in October 2008, with Palin delivering the punch line in an attempt to make light of the term. It later was used by NY Times columnist Maureen Dowd:
"Caribou Barbie is one nutty puppy."
The treatment of Palin was sexist -- including liberal women who mocked Trig Palin and thought it the worst thing in the world that Palin had the audacity to bring him on stage with her -- but not just because of the term "Caribou Barbie."  That term was the least of it. The "Caribou Barbie" name was part of the myriad of accompanying photoshops and sexualizations of her, using any excuse to make sex jokes.  Palin wasn't just turned into any Barbie, but a sexy librarian and bikini model not just in the blogosphere, but from stars such as Stephen Colbert. With Palin it wasn't just the use of the term "Barbie," it was the full package of sexualized attacks, including from mainstream publications. [caption id="attachment_66047" align="alignnone" width="400"](Newsweek magazine, feature article, November 23, 2009) (Newsweek magazine, feature article, November 23, 2009)[/caption]

Posted by William A. Jacobson on June 28, 2013 13 Comments

I made the rare mistake of watching Morning Joe today. Wendy Davis was on the show to take a "victory" lap, a word used by Joe Scarborough. This clip was being described by Davis and all the panelists as one of the most outrageous personal attacks since...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on January 08, 2013 12 Comments

My home State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations is under the foot of the unions and the Democratic politicians they control. This tiny beautiful state is politically pathetic, with a voting death grip on big goverment. It's a death spiral, as witnessed by the...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 12, 2012 46 Comments

Saw the sign below on a bridge in Austin during my trip last month. The bridge is hundreds of feet above the water. Do you need to tell people not to dive? ...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 30, 2012 27 Comments

Texas is not doing well with federal judges in the District of Columbia.  Days ago a three judge panel threw out Texas' redistricting maps, now a different panel has thrown out the Voter I.D. law.  (Opinion embedded below) This analysis from Rick Hanson at Election Law...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 28, 2012 22 Comments

A three judge panel in D.C. has thrown out all Texas redistricing maps which were subject to challenge by the DOJ.  It's a monster 154-page decision, embedded below, so it will take time to figure out what was done to which districts. Because Texas is a...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 31, 2012 75 Comments

% Reporting - 95.4 Ted Cruz - 56.6 David Dewhurst - 43.4 Texas Sec. of State Election Results page is here.  Twitter hashtag #TXRunoff.  Politico has a map of results by county.  AP Results website is here. Related post - Ted Cruz serves Chick-fil-A at victory party -------------------------------------- Sarah Palin issued...

Posted by Anne Segal on July 12, 2012 20 Comments

New polling data released today by independent Public Policy Polling shows Ted Cruz leading Lt. Governor David Dewhurst in the Republican runoff for Senate in Texas. The numbers are the first released by a third-party pollster: Cruz's lead expands to a whooping 59-36 margin over Dewhurst...

Posted by William A. Jacobson on May 29, 2012 38 Comments

Overnight question: Since Dewhurst came close to a majority in a crowded field, what is Cruz's path to victory in a run-off? % Reporting 99.61 David Dewhurst - 44.59 Ted Cruz - 34.23 Tom Leppert - 13.33 According to @AP, the Republican #txsen race will go to a runoff between @DavidHDewhurst and...