67 Degrees with a 40% Chance of Rain

Housekeeping

2009-07-20T23:43:00.002-05:00

This has been my blog home for my entire post-college life, and I don't want to abandon it, really. But transparency is king these days and being semi-anonymous on this site has gotten, ironically, confining. So come with me to my new blog home, which I will launch sometime later this week.

67 Degrees will stay parked right here, a home for all the crazy memories of Waco and Spartanburg and Houston and Austin and beyond. It's been a helluva ride, and it continues. It'll just continue somewhere else. Thanks for sticking around.

Also, it's been quite a Monday.

Weekend on the Water

2009-07-06T18:02:00.002-05:00

Tim and Drew from the Mizzou days joined us for jour July 4th festivities this weekend, and it's safe to say no one was disappointed. Not only did we get a last minute invite to our friend Jimmy's lakehouse in the resort community of Horseshoe Bay, we reaped the benefits of Jimmy's years of culinary training in five-star restaurants. (The best baby back ribs ever.)

We came back to Austin to spend more time on the lake. Our friends Keith and Virginia happen to live in a lakeside pad that looks like it came straight out of MTV's Cribs. Took Keith's new pontoon boat on Lake Austin to watch the fireworks show amphibiously.

Some highlights:

-The endless effort to top each other with "that's what she said" responses

-Experimenting with numerous margaritas to find the perfect one

-The drunken midnight boat ride out to a dam, only to get stuck in a buoy and rescue ourselves

-Getting pulled over by boat cops but avoiding a ticket thanks to our foreknowledge of one of the officer's crush on Keith's friend Natalie

-Baby Sydney, the 17 month old who came with us to Horseshoe Bay

-All the awesome dogs... Saidee, Theo, Oscar

-Homemade biscuits and gravy

-Not really remembering details due to the aforementioned margarita experimentation

The Kind of Day That Makes A Gal Miss SC

2009-06-24T13:55:00.006-05:00

What a bombshell.

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who became the butt of jokes for "disappearing" for five days, returned to the Palmetto State yesterday only to get caught lying about his whereabouts (hiking in Appalachia was the first explanation). The scrutiny forced him to admit he was actually in Argentina, cheating on his wife with a woman who lives there that he met eight years ago. You cannot make this stuff up.

But the personal adventures of SC leaders has kept things interesting for years. It was just three years ago when then-South Carolina Treasurer, Thomas Ravenel, who had a fondness for the the phrase "that's just how I roll", was federally indicted on charges of dealing cocaine and forced to resign. That's how he rolled.

Before that, we had Lt. Governor Andre Bauer and his racy antics. I say "racy" literally -- Bachelor Bauer, who's known around SC as a sometimes-freewheelin' ladies man, got caught speeding in his Beemer at more than 100 m.p.h but avoided any official reprimands by using the state radio installed in his state vehicle to talk troopers into letting him go. Shortly thereafter, he accidentally crashed his single engine plane into the woods of Upstate South Carolina.

The interesting twist in all of this is that the beneficiary of the Sanford scandal may just BE Andre Bauer. He's actually the one who South Carolinians would most expect to be having an illicit affair with an Argentinian woman.

Houston, We Have a Problem

2009-06-22T20:40:00.002-05:00

Mr. Stiles's employer asked him to return to Houston after the legislative session ended. Neither of us thought that was very cool, especially considering it wouldn't have been much skin off their hides to let him stay in the paper's Austin bureau.

After dating for nearly four years separated by long car drives or thousand mile flights, we finally got a chance in January to share the same zip code. Then, Stiles' bosses wanted him back.

He went back today, as requested. But in a twist, he resigned. His four years at The Chronicle have allowed him to shine as a reporter, break stories that made people's lives better, and expose issues that allowed readers to better know their community. It's the mark of the man I love. But because we love each other, it's way past time for us to live our lives without the separation of time and distance.

After his final two weeks is over, we will begin an exciting journey together as journalists. But as they teach you in television, you gotta save some of the story for next time.

Brotherly Love

2009-06-08T20:11:00.006-05:00

Just returned from a weekend jaunt to Philadelphia, home of the most historic room in the most historic square mile in America. (That's what our tour guide at Independence Hall told us, anyway.)

Six years after graduating from college, I went to visit my senior year roommate, Fiscus. We were joined by my matchmaker and BFF Sudeep, who has been generally disapproving of my ways since the day I met him.

We ate and drank our way around Philly, winding up at a place called Jim's for cheesesteaks. (My other New England friends sent suggestions ranging from Pat's to some random place in New Jersey, so next time we'll hit up a different locale.)

I really wanted to try a duck salad at a place called Standard Tap, but was talked out of it by, of course, my disapproving friend mentioned above.

Drinking may be my only disappointment - the alcoholic drinks lacked enough of that familiar taste of... alcohol. In the randomly sampled bars we tried, anyway. I suspect there is a reason Austin is consistently-ranked as the hardest drinking city in America... the bartenders generous pourers.

Since Stiles did not come, I was charged with finding him a Benjamin Franklin bobblehead doll. I failed. Sorry. Freedom isn't free. (I have no idea what that means, it just sounds nice.)

Memorable Moments of Chubfest 2009

2009-05-26T14:24:00.000-05:00

The House descended into absurdity over the weekend as Democrats took the full time allotted to "chub", or talk-to-death, various minor bills. The chubfest resulted in all kinds of insane time-wasters on the floor that were just-serious-enough to be allowed. I started a list of memorable moments of random chubness, but please add your own favorite moments from the weekend.

-- Dunnam's demonstration of how to properly fold the Texas flag, before then being asked to mime it. "Hence you will find the properly folded official flag of the state of Texas..."

-- Al Edwards missing hat

-- The pun-off between Rob Eissler and Joe Pickett, culimating in the best possible pun of the weekend, "No man is an Eiland."

Another characteristic exchange:

"It's interesting that your water district has a MUD," said state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso. "Since you have a PUD, you have a PUD in a MUD.... or it could be a dud."

"Interestingly, it started with a HUD loan," said Rob Eissler, R-The Woodlands.

-- The Saturday monarch butterfly back-and-forth, where state Rep. Myra Crownover, R-Denton, is then questioned about perhaps having a monarch butterfly festival in Texas

--Voting down the bill making Grapevine the Christmas Capitol of Texas

--State Rep. Aaron Pena, D-Edinburg, using the extra time on his hands to get his name placard changed so it properly has the tilde above it

--Pena describing the quagmire as Pon Farr, perhaps the best metaphor for the weekend

--The childlike fight between state Reps Debbie Riddle, Charlie Howard, Dennis Bonnen and Tommy Merritt over Merritt's not-being-Republican-enough. "I am a member of the caucus," said Merritt. "You don't act like it", said Riddle. Charlie Howard was taping it all with his flipcam.

--Collectively confusing math: the various time calculations of "at this rate, this calendar will take...hours" to complete

--Activities to pass the time: Solitaire on the laptop, curling up under a fleece blanket and reading a book, carefully picking out the best candies from LHB's desk

--'Coffee goes with cream' comment by Senfronia Thompson

--All the side discussions of the various definitions of the word "chub"

--Any one of Kino Flores' near-meltdowns in the name of disabled veterans

Again, there are probably many that I missed, so please add your "most memorable moments" of Chubfest 09 in the comments.

The Things You Do for Love

2009-05-21T11:06:00.002-05:00

The mayor of San Angelo, Texas resigned abruptly, not "to spend more time with family", as they often say, but "to spend more time with his lover in Mexico".

SAN ANGELO, Texas — The mayor of a West Texas city abruptly resigned Wednesday, picking love over his love of office.

J.W. Lown told the San Angelo Standard-Times in a telephone interview from Mexico that he was involved in a relationship with someone who does not have legal status in the United States.

"I don't want to give his name," Lown, 32, told the newspaper.

He said the man attended Angelo State University and their relationship started earlier this year.

Lown said he didn't want to take the oath of office knowing he was "aiding and assisting" someone who is not a U.S. citizen.

"We had to do the right thing and come to Mexico and wait in line for a visa," Lown said.

Wet 'n Wild

2009-05-17T00:22:00.003-05:00

There's a line in the first Harry Potter book that I love, something about Ron, Harry and Hermione's first fight against a monster together. I can't find my copy of the book, but it said something like "there's nothing like fighting a snaggle-toothed monster to make you friends for life."

I inadvertently discovered a parallel. There's nothing like... embarking on a late-morning run only for the sky to turn and start pouring, rejecting a friend's offer to drive you to a dry spot to instead continue running through what becomes a drenching sideways rain for miles and miles, jumping and darting around street puddles, accelerating despite an added weight from all the water sloshing in your shoes, becoming so wet you can't get any wetter, making it four miles of a five mile misery run only to have a speeding bus splash you with a wave of water fast and heavy enough to temporarily blind you, nearly getting hit by a car and finally, finally making it to dryness... to make you friends for life.

"This must be what waterboarding feels like," said my friend Reeve. He, Brandi and I will at least have this bonding experience to remember forever. And it's instructional. It's the last time I'll ever try to outrun a storm system.

Boo Flu

2009-05-01T09:44:00.007-05:00

How useful for me to contract the hybrid/swine flu this week! It allows me to give a special "insider's perspective" of it all. (If you're going to get ill, get the "it" illness, right?)

I think I got the bug somewhere around the time I was stuck in a small room with Joe Biden. I followed him closely with a boom mic as he toured a domestic violence call center in Austin on Tuesday. He didn't take any questions. Two days later, I remembered why it's best not to let Biden answer questions.

As hysteria over the swine/hybrid flu reached into a new stratosphere, Biden, in his off-the-kuffness, accidentally told Americans to stop using mass transit.

When this all started Tuesday, I decided I'd beat it with a mojito and additional consumption of iceberg lettuce. Wrong. By Wednesday, my symptoms were exacerbated a migraine, only the third one of my life. Kept trying to work, writing about the killer flu while suffering from it at the same time.

Coworkers insisted I go home on Thursday since snot was getting all over the workstations and it sounded like my lungs might explode from my chest every time I coughed.

Of course, all my dreams of being a swine flu patient came crashing down this morning. The doctor said I have bronchitis.

Recipe for Becoming My Nemesis

2009-04-22T22:17:00.003-05:00

I've recently discovered that all the people I can't stand have certain character traits in common. So I thought this through and narrowed it down to two main issues I have with people, in general.

1.) People who take themselves too seriously
2.) People who have an over-inflated sense of self

Combine the two traits into one person, and you basically have created my nemesis. I don't currently have one set nemesis (like I did back in 2003), but I have a couple of options.

Now, I know "taking yourself too seriously" and "over-inflated sense of self" can be fairly subjective. But people who don't suck can generally agree on the levels of those traits at which tools become intolerable.

Euro Trip: Observations on The Journey So Far

2009-04-05T12:51:00.003-05:00

- Arrived at the Amsterdam airport but promptly got in a car for a trip to Belgium. Was sitting in a cafe in Nivelles, outside Brussels, where nothing, NOTHING was in English. Except of course, for the song over the radio, "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz.

- Other songs heard in Belgium: Hanson's "Mmmm Bop" in French.

- Waterloo was pretty cool. Nothing's there but a huge mound built in memory of a Dutch dude who got injured in the battle. I almost got injured climbing the gazillion steps to the top of the manmade hill.

-The dogs are ugly here. Seriously. Some really unfortunate mixed breeds.

-I learned at dinner the other night that the Dutch don't know what it means to "go Dutch". I guess I won't be making that joke now that I'm back in Holland.

-Needed to go to the ladies room today and wandered into a coffee shop... yeah, wrong kind of coffee shop.

SXSW 2009: The Highlights and Lone Star Lights

2009-03-22T16:00:00.002-05:00

Overheard at SXSW: "I can't believe they make Lone Star Light."
That's right, folks. If Lone Star wasn't quite cheap and watered down enough for your tastes, enter Lone Star Light.

Overdone at SXSW: Men in skinny jeans. Most of the jeans were black denim. Seriously, a LOT of skinny black jeans. I'm not even sure I like them on skinny women, but on skinny men, I definitely (or is it defiantly?) vote no.

Over There: Solange Knowles, younger sister of some woman named Beyonce, performed at the Perez Hilton "One Night in Austin" party inside an old Safeway building. She's a C-list entertainer, to be sure, but interestingly (or embarrassingly) it was actually the second time I've seen Solange live. She opened for Ja Rule in 2003, a concert I also (embarrassingly) attended.

Now Showing: I never take full advantage of SXSW Music because it comes AFTER SXSW Film and SXSW Interactive, and by the time music rolls around I'm already worn out from darting from one documentary to another. This year, my favorite docs were a.)Winnebago Man (a film about the angry Winnebago salesman you've seen on YouTube a million times; b.)We Live in Public (about a visionary that was too far ahead of his time and also a sociopath and c.)Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo (which made me laugh and cry).

Overloaded: SXSW can be surprisingly inexpensive because free booze parties are everywhere. We were enjoying the day party thrown by Do512, Sweet Leaf Tea and Savvy Vodka yesterday when someone handed me a big loaf of ciabatta bread. So, uh, bread is free too. Keep Austin Weird.

Last Published February 23rd?

2009-03-14T21:29:00.002-05:00

The session onslaught hit me like an avalanche, and as I mentioned earlier, social networking's also kicking my ass. And good god it's already March. Let's see... what have you missed...

*On Chinese New Year, I wore red for good luck but did not get a chance to eat dumplings and fish, which both represent prosperity or longevity or both.

We came home to find my house ransacked -- mattresses flipped over, cabinets open, clothes everywhere (well, that may have already been the case). Teen burglars broke in, took my computer, camera and other small electronics and get this -- they took a huge bottle of Jose Cuervo and DRANK HALF A BOTTLE OF BACARDI AT MY HOUSE, leaving half the empty bottle in my garage.

Oh, they helped themselves to two Red Bulls, too. And accidentally left an oversized T-shirt in the living room. From this evidence I can conclude they were likely just high school kids who played hooky that day and decided to get drunk and take off their clothes at SOMEONE ELSE'S HOUSE, a house they entered illegally.

*Celebrated a three-way birthday and resolved to put the unpleasantness of late January behind me. Things have gone swimmingly with Mr. Stiles moving in, mainly because he takes care of the stuff I'm usually too lazy to do, like put away the dishes and wipe off the counters.

*It's SXSW time in Austin! BJ Novak (aka Ryan from The Office) is in town but I didn't get to see him. However, Morgan Spurlock of Super Size Me fame did cut in front of us in line, and there's an entire documentary about the viral hit on YouTube, Winnebago Man. Mizzou prof and friend Jen Reeves is in town for the interactive part of SXSW, and we've hit my fave cheesy enchiladas and my fave local band, so times are good.

Someone may have broken into my house and helped themselves to my booze, but I love, love LOVE Austin.

Liveblogging Voter ID in the Senate

2009-03-10T16:36:00.004-05:00

12:35am: As the Senate continues into the early morning hours, I'm retiring to get a little shut eye. Senators will NOT vote tonight, they plan to take their first vote on this after they return tomorrow, a time which has yet to be determined. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess Voter ID passes on a vote of 19-12 (the R to D split in the Senate).

11:59pm: We've wandered into whether Gerry Hebert stole maps from the redistricting room. Hebert says he never took any maps. And as the clock strikes midnight, Senators take a break to allow a change out of stenographers. I think I'm hanging it up, so keep following the DMN, Statesman and their reporter tweets for more.

11:54pm: Tommy Williams points out that Hebert represented the Democrats in the 2003 redistricting. So we're back on redistricting. I can see the ties between that and this issue, but it's getting pretty late, shouldn't senators try and stay on task?

11:45pm: As a few hangers on from the public continue waiting for a chance to testify, Hegar questioning Hebert on one particular legal case of Hebert's in which his client was prosecuted by the AG for mail-in voter fraud.

11:37pm: We've wandered off into redistricting, another radioactive partisan issue. Wentworth questioning Hebert on the R to D divide of the Texas Congressional delegation... we've totally wandered off into another partisan issue.

11:17pm: Gerald Hebert (former fed prosecutor at US DOJ) now testifying against Voter ID, after Mr Taylor of GA doesn't get any questions.

"Republicans in the state of Texas today are using their majority status to enact legislation that can't be justified by urgency or need," Hebert says, right off the bat. There's some applause in the chamber that was quickly silenced by Duncan.

11:08pm: Witness from Georgia Secretary of State's office is now testifying about his experience as an elections administrator after Georgia adopted its voter ID requirements in 2006. Says GA trial lawyers have failed to find "even a single case of disenfrachisement" as a result of voter ID. He's knocking down each argument against voter ID based on what Georgia saw in 2007 and 2008.

10:21pm: Hinojosa questioning a witness from Georgia, which is one of two states that enacted controversial voter ID requirements. The witness is rocking the bow tie, which we really don't see enough of at the Texas Capitol. Not enough seersucker suits, either. Those were far more common when I covered the South Carolina general assembly.

10:15pm: Must continue watching this from home -- just finished the 10pm hits for KVUE and KENS. Stay tuned, if you're still into this...

9:34pm: Senator Williams questioning Toby Moore, statistician from Carter-Baker Commission, on whether requiring photo ID would present a constitutional problem. Cites Supreme Court's 5-4 decision that upheld Indiana's photo ID laws.

9:05pm: "We're going to go until we get all public testimony in," said Mike Wintemute, Comm Dir for the Lt. Gov. "But there's not going to be a vote tonight."

8:48pm: ALL NIGHTER FOLKS, Duncan informed Van de Putte they are bringing in additional court reporters to go into the wee hours of the morning.

8:45pm:OK fourth called witness is here, it's Toby Moore who was on the Carter-Baker Commission, speaking against SB 362. He's a statistician, so this stuff is not going to be very sexy, if you will. Meanwhile, state Sen. Glenn Hegar has taken his contact lenses out, preparing for an all nighter.

8:39pm: Just went upstairs to the gallery, where a handful of public witnesses are trying to stay long enough to get to testify. "We've been really frustrated about all the arbiting and back and forth between the senators," said Sheila Dean. "I've been here since nine am."

8:25pm: Gallery has really emptied out now, and no one from the public has gotten to speak because this has gone on so long. We're still only on the third of 15 witnesses.

7:57pm: Third witness begins. It's Cameron Quinn, who was not ON the Carter-Barker Commission but advised the commission, speaking FOR SB 362. "Photo ID... can enhance confidence," said Quinn. She reads from the Commission's report: "Any required photo ID must be widely available, easily accessible and free of cost."

7:42pm: Wang's knocking down why alternate forms of ID like utility bills may not work for some folks, either. It costs $22 to get a birth certificate, a marriage license is $20. "There are difficulties in obtaining all these types of IDs," she said.

7:31pm: Tova Andrea Wang testifying against SB 362. "This whole notion that everyone has ID is untrue," she says. "There's a lot of poor people who don't." Also says US Dept of Justice has never brought a case of voter impersonation fraud.

7:27pm: Some debate now between Ellis and HVS over whether Hans' group, The Heritage Foundation, is "conservative" or "extremely conservative". For the record we are still on the first invited witness. First of sixteen. Yes.

7:21pm: Ellis now questioning Hans, sarcastically asks him whether he's been in Texas before, knowing that Hans participated in the 2003 redistricting which Tom Delay had a hand in.

7:16pm: Sen. Williams citing a study from the University of Missouri (go Tigers) that shows higher Democratic turnout at the precinct level after voter ID policies were enacted in Indiana.

7:10pm: Texas Weekly's Ross Ramsey has some extra time on his hands. He's turning this Senate spectacle into cartoons, which some will argue is appropriate.

7:03pm: Committee of the Whole comes back and von Spakovsky is now taking questions from state Sen. Tommy Williams, R-The Woodlands. The Austin Chron sums up the earlier questioning of Hans (heretofore known as HVS) since I was off the floor.

6:56pm: State Sen. Jane Nelson says she's changed from heels to flats, and then does the math for us. 16 invited witnesses before we get to public testimony. Of the 16, only one is finished. Each testimony takes at least ten minutes, plus unlimited testimony. So we're here for at least three more hours, if we don't count questioning OR public testimony.

6:48pm: I'm back after a break to find some food and consume it. Some tough questioning for the first expert witness, Hans Van Spakovsky. Shapleigh challenged him on "real" cases of voter fraud. No cases of voter impersonation fraud (which photo ID would address) has been prosecuted in Texas.

Han Van Spakovsky (say that three times fast) testifying

5:51pm: "It's hard to prosecute something when you don't have the tools to detect it," von Spakovsky of The Heritage Foundation says. He lays out several examples of fraud from around the country.

5:47pm: Nearly eight hours after Senators got onto the floor, invited testimony begins. First person to testify is in favor of the bill, Hans von Spakovsky. As Selby points out, he was denied a confirmation vote by U.S. Senate years ago http://budurl.com/mhmx

5:36pm: Van de Putte now questioning Fraser, brings up concern about pictures on IDs not matching up with current look of voters. She says poll workers may disenfranchise folks whose pictures don't match.

5:28pm: The plan here is to hit KVUE in Austin and KENS-TV in San Antonio with live shots at 6pm, and then I'll head back to the floor for more action throughout the evening. Stay tuned on television or on this here blog.

5:07pm: West bringing up more issues with Fraser's bill during questioning. Meanwhile I just read this from the Texas Observer's Floor Pass blog:

Rep. Chuck Hopson filed an attempt at a compromise on Voter ID in the form of House Bill 2513. The bill requires the secretary of state to coordinate with the Department of Public Safety and other state agencies to obtain photographs that would be placed on individuals' voter registration certificates, which voters have to present at the polls.

4:50pm: We're back from the Senate's quick break. West jokes with Fraser, "Can you hear me now?" Fraser responds, "If you use your Barry White voice, I can hear ya."

4:28pm: Davis trying to pin down Fraser on whether his bill provides any mobile stations or additional offices to get people photo IDs. (The answer is no, but Fraser has not answered the question directly.)

4:17pm: That was longer than 45 minutes, sorry. Apparently my television writing skills have atrophied. Freshman state Sen. Wendy Davis, D-Fort Worth, is now questioning Senator Fraser. I guess every D is going to question him before we get to testimony. We're back on what was and what was not in the Carter Baker editorials in the New York Times. Here's a link to their February 2008 editorial.

2:49pm: I'm signing off for the next 45 minutes so I can focus on my day job -- the television story. Be back later. Follow @gardnerselby on Twitter, or the DMN Trailblazers blog for more updates.

2:42pm: Breaking for an estimated ten minutes so the court reporter can rest her typing fingers. Dewhurst comes over to say hi.

2:35pm: Watson points out the section in bill for education on the new change will only be an addition to the Secretary of State's website. Fraser says everyone in the body will be sympathetic to include funding, later on, to make sure voters are education.

"So you anticipate there will be some fiscal note, to this bill?" Watson asks.
"This bill has no fiscal note," Fraser said.
"So under the current bill, there will be no way to educate voters on the new requirements except they would be posted on the Secretary of State's website," Watson said.
"Yes, there will be education sent out with each registration card," said Fraser.
"So that is the substance and sum of what the education will be on new registration cards?" Watson says.

2:30pm: Watson giving Fraser the trial lawyer treatment. One trial lawyer told me once he never asks a question he doesn't already know the answer to first. Fraser says 98.5% of the people who registered to vote in 2006 used a photo ID in order to register, proving ID isn't a problem for most Texas voters.

Watson asks, do we know the racial breakdown of the 1.5% that didn't have photo ID?

2:18pm: Fraser and Watson are talking over each other during questioning, Duncan has to stop them from "talking over each other" because the court reporter can't get it all.

2:14pm: Fraser has an op-ed from Baker of his own. It's more recent and does call for some sort of photo ID to vote.

2:13pm: Lucio refers to an op-ed from Jimmy Carter and James Baker (who headed the Carter-Baker Commission on Federal Election Reform) saying that until there was universal ID, then it would be premature to make photo ID a condition of voting.

2:05pm: Fraser backs up his argument that voter ID won't affect the voting rolls by bringing up how vote totals in Indiana (strict voter ID) increased in 2008. "Largest increase in Democratic turnout in the nation," he said.

1:50pm: Gallegos formally tags the bill. The tag goes down in flames. Fraser now formally laying out the bill. "Voter fraud is not only alive and well in the US, it's alive and well in Texas, and that's why we're here today," Fraser said. "Voter fraud breeds distrust in our government. In a close election, even a small amount of fraud can make a difference."

1:34pm: Williams and West now sparring over whether the posting time was appropriate.

1:24pm: Gallegos appealing the ruling of the chair on the point of order. Williams moves to table the motion to table. Williams withdraws it upon realizing you can't do that in committee. West goes, "With all due respect Mr. Chairman, I'm trying to figure out what rules apply and what rules don't. I thought the Senate rules applied..."

1:20pm: More procedural delaying tactics. Shapleigh now raises other questions about the overruled point of order.

1:12pm: Point of order is overruled on grounds that the rules don't apply to meetings of committee of a whole. West gets him to clarify, "So essentially, the posting notice does not apply to committee of the whole?"

1:10pm: As we await a ruling on this point of order, Texas Weekly's Ross Ramsey jokes with State Sen. Fraser, who is carrying this bill. "Hey Senator, how's your bill going?" Fraser laughs.

Duncan consulting with the Democratic bill taggers.

12:53pm: Duncan lays out SC 362, recognizes Fraser to introduce the bill. West rises to object to further consideration on a point of order, saying it violates Rule 11.18 (not enough notice).

12:49pm: Thirty minutes after going into a five minute break, Senate returns to "resolve into committee of the whole", which is to say this is a committee meeting where all 31 senators take part. State Sen. Robert Duncan is at the dais. He's laying out some ground rules for public testimony.

12:13pm: Take a look at the Senate rules, as we head back into debate. Democratic senators have tagged the bill, hoping for a 48 hour delay, as outlined on page 97 of the rules:

Rule 11.19. (a) Except as provided in Subsection (d) of this rule, upon the presentation of a written request to the Secretary of the Senate on a form provided by the Secretary, a Senator shall receive at least 48 hours advance written notice of the time and place set for a public hearing on a specific bill or resolution which has been referred to a Senate committee.

So as I understand it, Democratic senators could tag on a technicality -- they got 48 hour notice on a 9am start time today, but instead the session gaveled in at 10am (a change that was made just last night). They did not get 48 hour notice on the 10am start time.

11:57am: Breaking for five, then coming back for C of Whole.

11:47am: Shapleigh concerned that the computer glitch is not connected to the live internet stream of the Senate. They are not connected. Livestream is going.

Whitmire votes

11:44am: Computer glitch creating a problem for voting. They can't use the electronic voting systems on their desks and instead will hold up hands to vote on whether to go into C of Whole on Voter ID. D's vote no, R's vote yes. 19 Ayes, 12 Nays.

11:33am: Shapleigh now questioning Duncan about how the Lt. Gov participates in the C of Whole. We still haven't actually started committee of the whole. Does Lt. Gov have right to debate in C of Whole on amendments?

11:25am: At this rate we're going to actually start the committee of the whole meeting around four o'clock in the afternoon.

11:22am: "I can't believe there's any distortion in the media," state Sen Duncan says, sarcastically. "They almost always get it right."

11:19am: Some assorted talk about possible litigation and the AG, and why he's not testifying.

11:17am: Why do Senators say "reduced" to writing? That hurts.

11:05am: "This is not about Voter ID. This bill echoes a history of voter suppression in our state, unfortunately it's not just minorities that are threatened," said Van de Putte. "It threatens seniors and low income Texans who can't drive or can't afford to get [an ID]. It would force thousands of poll workers to enforce voter ID requirements. Are you aware it's more likely for a person to be struck by lightning than for a person to impersonate a voter?"

11:01am:Duncan recommending that GOP Attorney General Greg Abbott not testify on the legality of the issue, despite Democrats desires that the "state's lawyer" participate.

"The AG did participate in this very piece of legislation on this very issue last session in the House," said Van de Putte.

10:59am: Van de Putte gets several assurances from Duncan to keep the entire debate public, via videotape and stenography.

10:57am:

A look at the gallery. Folks who support Voter ID were asked by the GOP to wear red when they came today.

10:54am: State Sen. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, says they will allow both sides' expert witnesses to testify, and do it in the order of one pro, one con.

"One of the things that I am going to ask the Senate to enforce is that we not have applause or demonstrations in the gallery," he said.

10:46am: "We went right into the weeds," said my friend J-Mo. In this case, weeds means procedural hijinks. Van de Putte pointing out to Duncan, who will lead today's Committee of the Whole meeting, that Democrats wanted to address other pieces of legislation important to Texans, besides voter ID.

10:40am: A note about today's live photoblog. We encourage your comments/ideas. I'll be connected via gtalk at, on twitter @elise who or @elise live, and you can always leave comments below.

10:39am: Senator Shapiro interrupts the awkwardness on the floor with a introduction of a visiting high school class. Lucky Hillcrest High School, they get to be here for Voter ID.

10:32am: State Sen. Royce West rises to ask about the more obscure rule. Dewhurst says they'll have to go back and look at the record. Silence.

"You're obviously asking a hypothetical question," said Dewhurst. "Chair will look at current set of rules, precedence in the record in the Senate, look for precedence in the House of Representatives, in the US Congress, and other parliamentary rules and laws to make the best judgement possible."

10:23am: There's a quirk in the law that allows Senators to "tag" any bill in committee, and the rules call for a 48 hour delay after the bill is tagged. State Sen. Leticia Van de Putte says the ball's now in the Republicans' court -- they can decide to honor the rules/tag, or they can find another procedural way to get around it.

Tweet You, Tweet You Very Much

2009-02-23T21:36:00.002-06:00

I think twitter is ruining my blogging. Not just 67 Degrees, but even Political Junkie is taking the hit. Let's face it, almost everything I blog about can actually be summed up in 140 characters or less, making the blog post itself totally irrelevant.

Or maybe there is still much, much to write and I'm just lazy. This seems like the best explanation. I think I get overloaded by social media these days - Facebook, Twitter, this blog, my other blog, my personal journal, my google products...

For nostalgia's sake, I took out my trusty old day planner, an arcane piece of equipment in which I used to handwrite my schedule and to-do list. It seems like a relic - yet refreshingly simple. Sure, there's no search function or email reminders of my friend's birthdays, but there's something about the way things were that makes me feel not relieved but overwhelmed about all these tools we invented to simplify our lives.

Perhaps I'm just getting old.

Proving Resolutions in the House Aren't Hard to Get...

2009-02-17T13:29:00.001-06:00

It's my 27th birthday, my friend April's 32nd birthday, and my friend John's 53rd birthday. We get HR 489 by the 81st Legislature of the State of Texas... in our honor.

The resolution.

OMG OMG OMG

2009-02-09T22:08:00.002-06:00

I think I just experienced the best night of my life. Most of the cast of Office Space, (aka The Best Movie of All Time) came back to Austin (where TBMOAT was filmed) for a 10th anniversary screening, complete with a red carpet and a post screening Q and A. OMG OMG OMG. Here's a slideshow of the event. As 67 Degrees readers know, I believe there is an Office Space quote for every situation in life. Now I got to come face-to-face with actors who played The Bobs, Bill Lumbergh, Michael Bolton and Samir. And more. Check it out!

That Explains It

2009-01-26T18:04:00.001-06:00

So, Happy Chinese New Year, friends! Wishing you a new year full of prosperity and good luck. It is the year of the ox, and while looking up the character traits of people born in the year of the ox, I looked up my year -- dog. Check out what it says about dog people:

"People born in this year tend to be difficult, upset and shocked more often than the other signs."

Difficult, upset and shocked? I think they meant OUTRAGED.

The Moment: Austin, Texas

2009-01-20T16:42:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the absence, blog friends. Have to work on television side of things... but more photos will come tonight from the scene at Scholz's, where Obama's Austin grassroots gathered to watch the swearing-in.

Crazy Lying Secret Agent Man

2009-01-18T19:28:00.002-06:00

67 Degrees blogging will be light for the next five months, as I dive into the 140 day Texas legislative session (which only happens every other year, so my schedule is clear for 2010). If you're into Texas politics, I recommend Political Junkie, (of course).

Meanwhile, I'm OUTRAGED, just OUTRAGED, by this guy in my weekly half marathon training group. He claims he's a secret service agent and runs with his stupid earpiece on. AND he pretends to talk on it. When pressed for who he protects, he says Barack Obama AND Texas Governor Rick Perry. And, on occassion, an Austin-area congressman. Loser. Not. Possible. The governor has protection, but it AIN'T FROM THE FEDS.

He ran with us last Saturday, with his stupid earpiece. And coincidentally, the governor, who he claims to protect, ran right by us on the trail. WITHOUT THE FAKE SECRET SERVICE MAN. Didn't seem to recognize him either.

He ran with us again yesterday. With the inauguration in two days, he claims he will be protecting Barack Obama in Washington on Tuesday. Why is he in Austin, someone asked. "Oh, I'm just taking a break," he says. And apparently he flies Southwest to cover the president. Yep.

We've gotta expose that guy. I'm getting his plates next time.

Liveblogging Opening Day in the House

2009-01-13T16:37:00.000-06:00

1:51pm: About to adjourn... more later!

1:44pm: Governor Rick Perry now at the dais. "The first day of session is a beautiful thing," he says. "It's like a blank canvas." Perry reflects on his time in the House for a minute, then tells members that his door will be open to them.

1:34pm: "Let there be no walls in this House," Speaker Straus concludes. "God bless the state of Texas, and keep her brave and strong."

1:31pm: Straus promises a chance to do something great for members' districts and for Texas, to create an atmosphere where different points of view are respected. "On a daily basis we will debate. But these disagreements and debates are necessary because the end result will result in stronger and better laws," he said.

1:29pm: Straus says to his wife and daughters, "I may be the speaker of THIS house, but I know it will still be hard to get in a word with you."

1:25pm: Straus taking oath of office, and I just noticed teleprompters were up. Straus is favoring the left teleprompter right now and he thanks everyone. A big round of applause when Straus pauses to thank Tom Craddick.

1:23pm: After a short delay, Straus hits the floor. He's standing in a line of people to get to the dais. Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court Wallace Jefferson will administer the oath of office.

1:13pm: A huge committee of reps, including what sounds like all the San Antonio representatives, will escort the new speaker to the floor.

1:11pm: Gonzalez moves that nominations cease and that Straus be elected by acclimation. No objection. Motion is unanimously adopted. Straus is speaker, House goes wild.

1:04pm: State Rep. Veronica Gonzalez, D-McAllen, making the final seconding speech to nominate Joe Straus. While my computer was frozen, I was unable to update you that Straus was elected fire marshal in his 6th grade class, and was class president in 12th grade.

12:57pm: Here comes State Rep. Jim McReynolds, D-Lufkin, for the 4th seconding speech. Ran into him earlier in the extension and he was on his way to practice it. "I was a bit surprised that Joe was chosen as the candidate for speaker," McReynolds said. "I suppose it was a surprise to him as well."

12:56pm: State Rep. Burt Solomons, R-Carrollton, now making another nominating speech, dicsussing how much he's looking forward to having an urban speaker.

12:51pm: State Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, who was temporarily running against Straus for speaker for about 24 hours, is now making a seconding nominating speech for Straus. He says his dad and Straus' dad played football together in the 1940's.

12:48pm: No other nominations for speaker. Whew. State Rep. Senfronia Thompson, D-Houston, is now speaking about Straus. "He is smart, he is fair, he listens," she said. "Most importantly, he is a man of his word."

12:39pm: State Rep Jose Menendez nominates Joe Straus for speaker. Straus family is welcomed with applause. "I believe it fitting that the next speaker of the Texas House was raised in the shadow of the Alamo," Menendez says.

12:38pm: Chair recognizing Republican state Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth and state Rep. Craig Eiland, D-Galveston to move adoption of temporary rules to elect a House speaker. Adopted unanimously.

12:37: Senators came over to tell the House that "the Senate is organized and ready to transact business." The lady behind me said, "They can text message that now, right?"

12:33pm: Oath of office time. We're focusing on Diana Maldonado, since she's the only freshman from the Central Texas delegation.

12:31pm: OK we're on district 126, so only 24 more to go in this voice roll call.

12:27pm: Roll call!

12:22pm: Denise Davis gets designated as temporary parliamentarian.

12:19pm: It sounds like Andrade is wrapping up. Meanwhile my computer battery seems to be going so I hope I get to make it through to the election of the speaker...

12:15pm: Hope Andrade's speech thanks family members, hits on the awesomeness of Texas and Texans, forefathers. "The focus should not be able where we got from or how we got here, instead we should focus on where we, together as one Texas, are headed," she said.

12:12pm: Hilarious. We had to do the Texas pledge, and not everyone seemed to remember the "Under God" phrase that was added in the 2007 session of the legislature. About a third of the room went with the "under God" part, and so part of the room finished the pledge before the other part.

12:09pm: National anthem time, gotta go...

12:04pm: Ok the bells are ringing like crazy...

12:01pm: Secretary of State Hope Andrade will gavel in the House, since it starts without a speaker. She's up on the dais right now, getting some last minute instruction. DENISE DAVIS is serving as parliamentarian.

12:00pm: My clock says noon, but the place hasn't quieted down yet.

11:58am: Spotted - Chris Griesel, former deputy parliamentarian. "Are you back, are you back?" I asked. He said no and kept walking... Meanwhile, former parliamentarian Denise Davis is on the floor right now, chatting with state Rep. Dan Gattis, R-Georgetown.

11:52am: T minus eight minutes. This feels a lot different than opening day 2007, when the speaker situation was unclear when we got to the floor. Pitts dropped out by around 5pm, knowing he didn't have the votes to win.

11:49am: Really can't see squat from where I'm sitting cause there are just too many people in here. Starting to wonder whether this is a fire hazard?

11:45am:Outgoing Speaker Tom Craddick spoke to some press outside the floor, he's with Nadine, daughter Christi, grandson and outgoing press secretary Alexis Delee. He said he's had a total of five offices since first coming here in 1968, so he doesn't mind having to leave his good digs behind.

11:41am: All kinds of craziness in here, my camera battery already died so the slideshow tonight will feature iPhone-quality photos (read=bad). Freshman lawmaker Marisa Marquez is passing out yellow roses to members, lots of babies and family members around.

Self-Awareness

2009-01-08T10:10:00.003-06:00

CBS news reporter Mark Knoller interviewed Vice President Dick Cheney yesterday. From the White House transcript:

Knoller: “You must know that there are people who just don’t disagree with you, they hate you.”

Cheney: “Yes, I’m aware of that.”

Every Acronym You Need to Know to Follow the Speaker's Race

2009-01-01T13:57:00.001-06:00

"The high-stakes contest is unfolding with characteristic flair and drama: Secret meetings. Public defections. Whispers of more to come." -Jay Root, AP

Oh the DRAMA! The Texas House elects its Speaker on the first day of the next session, January 13th. The Capital City is swirling with conversations and rumors and spin about how the vote will go down.

For those who are just joining in on the action, you don't have to feel like the Speaker-related conversations are in code. Here's a quick cheat sheet for those who are a little less Speaker-savvy:

76: The minimum number of votes needed in to win the House Speakership. Only the 150 member body can vote for speaker, and the winner must win with a majority, not just a plurality.

ABC: Short for "Anybody But Craddick". Considered to be Republican members (many former Craddick lieutenants) who now oppose him.

Craddick D: House Democrats who have supported Speaker Craddick in the past, and have received plum chairmanships and/or committees in return.

The following Democrats have not pledged to vote against Craddick, and they voted for him in previous sessions: Al Edwards, Houston, Aaron Pena, Edinburg, Tracy O. King, Eagle Pass, Helen Giddings, Dallas, Sylvester Turner, Houston, Ruth Jones McClendon, San Antonio, Ryan Guillen, Roma, Harold Dutton, Houston, Dawnna Dukes, Austin, Kino Flores, Palmview.

Gang of 11/Group of 11: Eleven Republican defectors from Speaker Craddick, who include original defectors from 2007, plus newly-minted members who join up to plot strategy. May wind up choosing one "consensus candidate" Friday and join up with the UNC's (see below). Includes defections from previous sessions (Pitts, McCall, Cook, Geren, Jones, Merritt, Kuempel, Keffer) and recent defections (Eissler, Solomons, Straus).

Insurgents: A term more popular during the 2007 session, used to describe the group of Republicans who lost their faith in Craddick and moved to unseat him. Many members of the original "insurgency" are not back because of retirement or failed re-election bids. They included Fred Hill, Mike Krusee, Pat Haggerty.

UNC, or 64: "Under No Circumstances". Democrats who signed a pledge vowing that "under no circumstances" would they support Tom Craddick for Speaker. There were 64 signatures.

RINO: Republican In Name Only. Many of the ABC's are accused of being RINO's for defecting from Craddick, despite the conservative voting records and backgrounds of many of the ABC's.

Secret Ballot v Open Ballot: The House determines its own rules on the first day of the session, which means it can decide whether to vote for Speaker by an open ballot (everyone sees how you voted) or secret ballot (no one does). Speaker Craddick's supporters support an open ballot on the grounds that every other vote they make is a "record" or "public" vote, and the public deserves that kind of transparency.

Opponents of an open ballot say that members should be able to vote for their leader just as American voters do -- in secret. They say allowing the candidates to see whether you voted for them opens members up to the possibility of "fear and retribution" from the winner. The secret v open ballot issue will be decided Jan 13th when the session opens.

Geren Amendment: As it is in all legislatures, how members vote on the actual measure isn't the most telling. You really see where people stand by looking at how they vote on persnickety amendments. Or amendments to amendments. Or motions to table the amendment.

In 2007, the vote that showed Craddick's then-challenger didn't have enough support to win was actually on the Geren Amendment (introduced by its namesake, state Rep Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth). The Geren Amendment (which was Amendment 2 in the journal) called for a secret ballot for speaker, and the votes eventually made public only AFTER committee assignments, so the eventual speaker wouldn't punish those who voted against him.

The Geren Amendment went down in flames (b/c a motion to table the amendment passed by an 80-68 vote)... This paved the way for Craddick to win his third term as Speaker. Geren is an ABC.

Friday Night Massacre: May 25, 2007. The night the wheels came off. On a seemingly newsless Friday evening, a challenge from the back mic turned into near-mutiny. Opponents of the speaker began asking questions from the back mic about ways to "vacate the chair", which is the first step to calling a new election for Speaker.

Craddick and his then-parliamentarian disagreed on answers to questions about a "vacate the chair" motion, and both she (Denise Davis) and her deputy (Chris Griesel) abruptly quit in protest. (The parliamentarian is in charge of interpreting house rules and usually guides the Speaker on what he can or cannot do from the chair.)

Craddick then abruptly adjourned for two hours. The House was in chaos, state Rep Rick Noriega rushed to the dais but got the mic turned off on him, and Craddick then returned with two new parliamentarians, former state Reps Terry Keel and Ron Wilson. They interpreted the rules to say that Craddick had "absolute authority" to recognize members or not. Using this interpretation, Craddick beat back all challenges to remove him from the floor until the session ended three days later.

(The term is a play on the infamous "Saturday Night Massacre" when Nixon fired the special prosecutor investigating Watergate, and resignations of the AG and Deputy AG followed.)

The Walkout: On May 27, 2007, one day before the required end of the session, insurgents who were frustrated with Speaker Craddick's refusal to allow a vote to remove him revolted in a futile walkout.

State Rep Pat Haggerty, R-El Paso, used his personal privilege speech to call a voice vote on support of Speaker Craddick. He'd gotten through a few dozen names before being stopped. Then, in a burst of floor histrionics, he urged those who were fed up to "take your key (which allows members to vote) and leave". Enough members walked out that a quorum of members was no longer present to continue deliberations of bills.

So...
Next time you're at a capitol cocktail party, just sprinkle in a little 76 and 64 into conversation, drop an "ABC" in there, and you'll sound like a speaker politics pro.

Every Acronym You Need to Know to Follow the Speaker's Race

2009-01-01T13:57:00.000-06:00

Every Acronym You Need To Know To Follow The Speaker's Race

8:49 PM Thu, Jan 01, 2009 | Permalink
Elise Hu