Junior Leads Senior

Burkablog has a good take today about the Senior Senator from the Lone Star State following the Junior Senator’s lead.  Here is part:

The emergence of Ted Cruz has made life miserable for Minority Whip John Cornyn. Cruz constantly has the senior senator for Texas looking over his right shoulder. Cornyn voted against Kerry as secretary of state, as did Cruz, but it’s likely that he did so only to inoculate himself against further doubts being cast on his conservative bona fides.

Here is all of Burkablog.

The PPP poll says two thirds of the GOPers in the Lone Star State want to impeach The President.  So the Junior Senator will play to his base and red meat it for a while.  The Senior Senator will have to go along with Junior and won’t play much of a role in working out deals and agreements with the administration.  When two thirds of the state’s GOP want to impeach The President, it is probably not a good idea for a state GOPer to be seen working with the administration.  So much for statesmanship!

Speaking of GOPers:  How many times was Hall of Fame great Nolan Ryan selected to the MLB All Star Game?

Guv Dude had this to say yesterday:

Gov. Rick Perry said Wednesday that Attorney General Greg Abbott has agreed not to challenge him in the 2014 Republican primary if Perry chooses to seek re-election.

In an interview after a taping of "Inside Texas Politics" at the WFAA-TV studios in Dallas, Perry said he and his fellow Republican have a deal.

"Greg is a dear friend. He has said clearly that if I ran again he’s not going to be running against me, but that’s beside the point," he told the station and The Dallas Morning News.

Here is the entire Chron take on Guv Dude.

I am finally starting to believe that he won’t run again in 2014 but he wants to continue to be relevant of sorts.  He has seen the latest PPP poll numbers and can finally see a little bit of the handwriting that is starting to show up on the wall.

Hall of Fame great Nolan Ryan was selected to play in eight MLB All Star games of course.  Nolan is 66 today.  Happy Birthday Nolan Ryan!  We will see you two months from today on Opening Day at The Yard!

I wonder if Nelson Cruz will be in uniform for the Rangers that evening at The Yard.

 

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SD6 Special Chatter

A week or so before last Saturday’s election and the few days since I kept reading or hearing that some within the other camp were saying that they would win without a runoff.  I kind of dismissed the chatter but apparently it is true according to the so called reliable source.  Oh, well!

It looks like there may be several joint appearances involving the remaining candidates.  Stay tuned!

J.R. Richard’s numero 50 needs to be retired by the ‘Stros if you ask me.   How many times did he lead the NL in strikeouts?

CNN is making some much needed changes.  Commentary still watches CNN but at times it can become stale.  James Carville, Mary Matalin, and the Red State blogger are out the door.  Jeff Zucker, the new CNN honcho, is making some moves.  Zucker ought to impose a rule that prevents the partisan talking heads from using the day’s talking points.   He also ought to bring over Ann Curry since she is not happy at NBC.

The President set out a framework of sorts on immigration reform and the Texas GOP is still in no se puede mode.

One of the organizers of the Mexican American Democrats of Texas is no longer with us.  Sylvia Rodriguez of San Antonio was one of the trailblazers of the effort to organize Latinos within the Democratic Party of Texas and the U.S. of A.  She was one of the first Latinas to serve on the Democratic National Committee from the Lone Star State.  She will be missed and I will never forget her contributions to our community. 

Here is more about Sylvia from the SA Express News.

J.R. Richard led the NL in strikeouts in 1978 and 1979 of course with 303 and 313 respectively.

Probable Opening Day starter Bud Norris is rooting for the ‘Niners and that’s all I have from The Yard.

 

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On Immigration

Somehow it does not surprise me that the two U.S. Senators from the Lone Star State have not embraced pathway to citizenship for the 11 to 12 million that are here.  Four Democratic U.S. Senators and four Republican U.S. Senators put forward the outline of comprehensive immigration reform yesterday.  Most GOP elected officials from the Lone Star State are saying no se puede.  I guess they don’t have to because the Latino vote here has not been engaged so they can get away with it.

It is going to be interesting to see if Congress can enact immigration reform without the support of the largest GOP state delegation.  Stay tuned!

Name the six Orioles that have had their jersey retired?

The Big Jolly fella had a take on the SD6 Special results.  Here are selected lines:

Well, almost. Yes, I did give the edge going in to Sylvia Garcia, as did most people, but Carol Alvarado surprised most people with a much stronger showing than expected.

And:

If anything, Alvarado’s camp should be buoyed by her showing.

And:

And I wouldn’t bet against Alvarado taking this seat in the end. Her campaign “feels” like it has a lot more energy behind it.

Here is the entire Jolly take.

I guess they did think they were going  to win without a runoff.

Earl Weaver (4), Brooks Robinson (5), Cal Ripken, Jr. (8), Frank Robinson (20), Jim Palmer (22), and Eddie Murray (33) of course have had their jersey retire.

Congrats to the new Chair of the State Dem Caucus – Rep, Yvonne Davis. She has a tough job.

Not much from The Yard today.

 

 

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45-42

This is from Brains Saturday night:

The only question is whether Garcia can avoid a runoff. This was her stated intention, going all the way back at least as far as our blogger’s luncheon in December.

This is from Kuffer yesterday:

It’s about getting your people out, and as we can see it doesn’t necessarily take that many of them. I would not take any bets on the outcome of the runoff.

Carol Alvarado took a lot of incoming including six negative mailers, phone calls, and other attacks so 45-42 isn’t bad at all.

Bud Morris may be our Opening Day starting pitcher this season.  Does Bud have more career wins than losses?

The Chron E-Board lectured the HCC Board of Trustees yesterday.  Here is how it ended:

There was a time when HCC was considered relatively small potatoes politically; a backwater where cronyism could flourish under the radar. That time is long past. HCC matters. We encourage the Houston region’s business leadership, led by the Greater Houston Partnership, to join us in keeping careful watch over the workings of the system’s elected governance body at this critical juncture – for the benefit of the system and the dynamic economic region it serves.

Here is the entire lecture.

Bud Norris has a 28-37 career record.  Sadly, that’s about all you are going to get from The Yard these days.

 

 

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SD6 Special Again

The Chron’s Joe Holley has a piece on the SD6 Special today.  Here are parts:

(Carol) Alvarado said she was focusing on the issues the district’s voters care about: education, the economy and jobs, health care.

"We’re knocking on doors, phone-calling and keeping on message," she said. "I’m happy we haven’t lowered ourselves into the gutter the way our opponent has."

(Sylvia) Garcia rejected the negative-campaigning charge. "Any time you compare a record – and that’s all we’re doing – your opponent will say you’re going negative. We’ll just have to let the voters decide."

Garcia, a county commissioner from 2002 to 2010, when she lost to then-political unknown Jack Morman, came into the race with $700,000 in leftover campaign funds.

Earlier this week, in new disclosures required eight days prior to the election, Garcia reported receiving $2,250 from plaintiff’s lawyer Steven Mostyn, as well as in-kind contributions from Mostyn’s Texas Organizing Project PAC totaling $80,427.

Commentary knows the difference between negative and comparative mail.  It is definitely attack negative.  The 6^th attack negative piece hit yesterday.

According to the Chron, Back to Basics PAC and TOPPAC are owned by the same fella – interesting.

Here is the entire Joe Holley piece.

Oh yeah, the final day of voting is tomorrow.

My good friend Edgar should easily nail this one.  Name the 1971 World Serious MVP when the Pirates beat the Orioles in 7?

The DSCC sent out an email yesterday wanting folks to fill out a survey on what issues we want the President to address at his State of the Union address.  Here is a bit:

Now, he needs to know what issues are most important to us—so he can tackle those first.
So before the State of the Union next month, tell President Obama your number one priority! Make your voice heard right away:

1. Growing the economy and jobs
2. Reducing gun violence
3. Defending equal rights
4. Protecting Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security
5. Solving the climate change crisis

President Obama needs to know what issues are most important to you. Take a second to vote right here—before the State of the Union!

I guess the DSCC missed the part of the election where Latinos supported the President overwhelmingly in battleground states and immigration reform was a key issue.  I got a few emails from folks saying they were kind of flabbergasted about the DSCC’s omission of immigration reform.  I sure hope the Dem U.S. Senators are not on the same page as the DSCC staff.  If so, Latinos are in for a huge let down.

Robert Clemente of course hit .414 with 12 base hits and 4 RBIs won the 1971 World Serious MVP Award for the Pirates.

I don’t have much from The Yard today.

 

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On SD6 Special

The Brains fella said yesterday that Commentary might be conceding the race because I’m not saying much about the campaign.  Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

Here is the deal.  Every campaign is different.  With this one, Commentary has decided to keep my takes short.  I’m not going to get into the details about turnout, media, advertising, field, fundraising, C&E reports, or endorsements.  I’ll let others take the lead like Patti Hart from the Chron on the biggest donor by far in the SD6 Special.

Check it here.

That is a whole lot of loot.

Commentary mentioned the other day that Hall of Fame great skipper Earl Weaver who just left us managed the Orioles against the Mets in the 1969 World Serious.  Who was the 1969 World Serious MVP?

Politico’s lead story today is about Dems launching a program to turn the Lone Star State blue.  It is about time.  Here is the lead:

National Democrats are taking steps to create a large-scale independent group aimed at turning traditionally conservative Texas into a prime electoral battleground, crafting a new initiative to identify and mobilize progressive voters in the rapidly-changing state, strategists familiar with the plans told POLITICO.

The organization, dubbed “Battleground Texas,” plans to engage the state’s rapidly growing Latino population, as well as African-American voters and other Democratic-leaning constituencies that have been underrepresented at the ballot box in recent cycles. Two sources said the contemplated budget would run into the tens of millions of dollars over several years – a project Democrats hope has enough heft to help turn what has long been an electoral pipe dream into reality.

And:

One Democrat close to the planning process said the group intended to bring in “top campaign talent to Texas” for a long-term organizing push.

Here is the entire must read piece.

Let’s just hope the new blood takes charge of the Lone Star State Dem effort.

From Chron.com:

Due to redistricting, all 30 (Texas State) senators drew envelopes out of a crystal-bowl revealing whether they would serve a two- or four-year term. Inside the envelopes were numbers 1-31. An odd number resulted in a four-year term.

It turns out Dem Sen. Wendy Davis drew a two-year term meaning she will have to run in a non-presidential year in 2014.  The State GOP was elated.  Looks like that race will be the one to watch again.

SD6 drew a four-year term.  Oh, well.

Donn Clendenon of course of the Mets won the 1969 World Serious MVP with a .357 batting average, 3 dingers, and 4 RBIs.

I thought they got rid of Milo.  Why is he still hosting Astroline? 

 

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EV Over

Early Voting in Person in the SD 6 Special is over and 5,369 voted early in person.  Oh, well!

As of yesterday 2,876 had mailed in ballots.  So that is 8,245 that have cast ballots to date.

Yesterday Carol Alvarado had a terrific event with women that required adding more tables to the room.

One the SD6 Special candidates had an unusual press conference yesterday I was told.

No negative mail pieces from Carol landed in mail boxes yesterday.  We don’t know about today though.

Election Day is this Saturday.

Yesterday Commentary mentioned the Orioles winning the 1970 World Serious in 5 over the Reds.  Who was the 1970 World Serious MVP?

Don’t be surprised if the birthers come out and accuse The President of lip synching his inaugural address.

I really don’t have much to say about the shooting yesterday because these things seem to be a regular occurrence in the good old U.S. of A.

I was checking out the news last night and my old pal Michael Berry was on and he is sporting a new look these days.  Let’s just call him Grizzly Berry.

Hall of Fame great Brooks Robinson of course won the 1970 World Serious MVP by batting.429 and hitting two dingers and 6 RBIs.

Commentary missed Serge’s reception for the new skipper last night at Irma’s.  I hope it turned out well.

 

 

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Takers

I have to admit that it was kind of busy around here so I was only able to catch bits and pieces of what The President said yesterday but I did try to catch up last night on CNN’s recap.   A couple of the GOP talking heads thought The President took a cheap shot at Romney for mentioning “takers.”  Well, Romney and other 47% bashers brought it up first last year and all I can say is scoreboard.

Some GOPers were also not happy with The President’s liberal/progressive speech he made yesterday.  Well, again scoreboard.  If they think that moving forward on equality, immigration reform, voting rights, and climate change are liberal/progressive – then guess what, the U.S. of A. is liberal/progressive on these issues.  It looks like those GOP leaders are out of the mainstream on these issues.

We lost Hall of Fame great skipper Earl Weaver this past weekend.  Weaver guided the Orioles to 4 World Serious appearances in 1969, 1970, 1971 and 1979, winning the ring in 1970.  Name the Orioles’ World Serious opponents those four years?

At least the GOP talking heads didn’t diss The First Lady’s stunning look last night.   I wonder if anyone is going to diss Mana performing at one of the inaugural balls last night.  It was pretty cool. 

Today is the last day of Early Voting in Person in the SD6 Special.  I know Serge, Tiffany and J. Dominic voted this past weekend.   I wonder if Carol Alvarado’s opponent will continue to send out negative mailers this week.

Some GOP talking heads were complaining that The President didn’t reach out to them in his remarks yesterday.  I don’t have a problem with that.  Every time he does, he gets his hand bit by the tea baggers.

The Orioles lost to the Mets in 5 in 1969, beat the Reds in 5 in 1970, and lost to the Pirates in 7 in 1971 and 1979 of course.

The ‘Stros signed a pitcher who went 7-14 last season and had a 5.01 ERA – oh, no!

 

 

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Four More Years!

Four more years began yesterday.

Commentary watched The President take the oath of office yesterday on the tube.   I’ll watch him again today.

It will be interesting to see when The White House launches the immigration reform effort.  Si se puede!

You have to figure the birthers are going bananas hearing that The President will take the oath of office four times now.  Holy FDR!

Patti Hart of the Chron had a piece in yesterday’s paper about state legislative internship programs, their value, and who pays for them.  It was in the hard copy of the Chron and online available only to subscribers.  It is an interesting piece that a lot of folks have not read and will not read.  In the piece she mentions that former El Paso State Rep. Paul Moreno is no longer with us.  I wonder if my old friend Paul read the piece – yikes!

Stan “The Man” Musial is no longer with us.  How many World Serious rings did he win?

Bonus:  Musial’s career ended after the 1963.  How many dingers did he hit against the Colt 45s?

I’m not going to say much about Carol Alvarado’s opponent sending out their fifth negative mailer attacking Carol that landed in mailboxes last Friday.  That’s five in two weeks.  I can pretty much guarantee that folks won’t get another today.

I’m also not going to say much about “Viva Houston” yesterday.

There are two more days of Early Voting in Person in the SD6 Special.

My Brown Eyed Girl is the Chair of Central Houston.  She had a piece yesterday on the challenges facing Downtown H-Town. 

Check it out.

Now that we have the Ravens and the 49ers in the Super Bowl at least we can say we beat the Ravens and we beat them pretty bad.  That’s all I can say about that.

Stan “The Man” Musial won three World Serious rings of course in 1942, 1944 and 1946.

Stan “The Man” had one dinger against the Colt 45 and that one came in the 1963 season off of Turk Farrell of course.

I wonder what Mitt Romney is up to today.

I’m not going to say much about pitcher Bud Norris being the highest paid ‘Stro at $3 million a year.

 

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Go Anna!

Commentary’s good friend HISD Trustee Anna Eastman was elected Board President yesterday.   Commentary has said before that Anna Eastman is one of the brightest political people around.  Anna will be a darn good President.   Way to go Anna!

This has to be the quote of the day or week or month:

“My constituents have shown a lot of confidence that I’m a great public servant.”

Who said it?

The ‘Stros are inviting Rick Ankiel to spring training.  In 2000 as a member of San Luis, Ankiel was NL Rookie of the Year runner up.  Who won the award that year?

I’ve known Ben Hall since 1992 when he was picked by Bob Lanier to be City Attorney.  I was one of Lanier’s campaign consultants and help put together his administration.  I don’t have anything bad to say about Ben.  He and I have always gotten along.  Here is a bit of what he told the Chron about running for Mayor:

“This is really a world-class city, and we’re treating it as kind of nothing more than the fourth-largest city,” he said. “This city is in communication and dynamic relationships with the entire world, but we need a vision coming out of the mayor’s office that actually promotes that as a priority, as opposed to a tertiary or corollary idea.”

Here is the entire Chron post.

It kind of sounds like he’s saying we have a boring Mayor. Oh, well.

The Big Jolly fella has a take on the SD6 Special campaign reports. 

Check it out here.

Ali, err, The Dean says he’s the greatest.

The Texas Tribune has a very interesting piece today on The Dean that every Dem needs to check out here.

I wonder how The Dean feels about the piece.

Rafael Furcal of The ATL at the time won the NL Rookie of the Year in 2000 of course and now plays with San Luis.

I am really not impressed with who we are bringing to spring training.

 

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