Category Archives: Politics

The people have spoken (sort of)

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imrsThere was an interesting study recently conducted in the Lone Star State.

The nonprofit, nonpartisan Texas Lyceum found many familiar answers, including Texans’ identification of immigration as the most important issue facing the state and strong support for children playing football.

But the poll also showed that in a state led by Republicans who oppose gay marriage, 49 percent of Texans support allowing same-sex couples the right to marry legally, as provided by this summer’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling. That is up from 25 percent in 2009.

To no one’s surprise, gay marriage is more divided between the major parties, with 69 percent of Democrats and 31 percent of Republicans showing support for it. Still, the issue is not as black and white as it seems.

The poll also found that 46 percent of Texans support legalizing the use of marijuana, up by 13 percentage points since 2011. Of those who oppose legalization, 57 percent support decriminalization.

Those kind of numbers don’t make Texas a blue state, but it also doesn’t’ make it as red as some people might think. So why do conservatives hold such sway? Two words: voter turnout.

Only 28.5 percent of Texans eligible to vote did so in the 2014 November elections, the second lowest percentage in the country behind Indiana. 32.1 percent voted in 2010, the last time Texas voted for a governor.

There are many reasons why people in Texas don’t vote. Some Democrats blame the new voter ID law. Another thought is that the when one party dominates, there is no real driving need to vote and there is the issue of carving up voting districts by gerrymandering.

Whatever the reason is, I just wish politicians would stop saying “the people of Texas have spoken”. Only the people who bothered to vote spoke. Good for them; shame on the rest.

The poll surveyed 1,000 adult Texans Sept. 8-21. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.

Pope Mania

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cookiePope Mania is sweeping the U.S. Not since the Beatles invaded America has the nation gone so bonkers. From Pope Francis Bobble Head Dolls to cookies with his face in the icing (do you really want to bite the Pope’s head?), Americans just can’t get enough of the holy Pontiff.

I find it interesting to watch politicians walk that tight rope between using the Pope to further their agendas, while trying to ignore the issues in which they differ.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz released a statement on how Pope Francis leads on abortion, marriage and religious liberty.

Cruz (or someone in his office) wrote:

Pope Francis has spoken to the world, proclaiming the inherent truth and goodness of life, marriage and religious liberty.

In the first-ever papal address to Congress, Pope Francis continues to blaze a trail by going where no predecessor has been. The media will cover that extensively, but will they cover his trip to feed the homeless in DC, or to meet with students in East Harlem, or to shake hands with prison inmates in Philadelphia? That’s the true heart of the church — beyond any four walls in Congress.

I guess Cruz doesn’t watch much news. If he did, he would see that the Pope is dominating both national and local newscasts that would even make a Kardashian blush.

What Cruz doesn’t mention is the Pope’s view on areas like immigration, the death penalty and global warming and there-in lies the problem. This is not your usual Pope. He has surprised many people with his views on a variety of issues (hey, if a gay person has God in his heart, who am I to judge?) and does not fit into a neat box.

Now to be fair, this tricky balancing act isn’t unique to Cruz. The silence is deafening from Democrats who will tout his holiness’s position on immigration, but fall quiet when he reminds them about the church’s opposition to abortion and gay marriage.

So can the Pope be right on some issues and wrong on others? And, how would we know?

Finding common ground on the war on religon

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The war on religion continues. By now, I’m sure you are familiar with the story surrounding Kim Davis, the clerk in Kentucky who was jailed for failing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Her plight has garnered international attention and prompted Republican presidential hopefuls Mike Huckabee and Ted Cruz to meet with her, pledging their support.

What you may not be aware of is Davis is not alone in having to decide between her duties and her faith. Meet Charee Stanley, a recently converted member of the Muslim faith and flight attendant for Express Jet. She has been suspended for refusing to serve alcohol which goes against her Islamic faith. Stanley has filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission claiming the airline refused to make a reasonable accommodation.

What is interesting is that both women are basically making the same claim that religion trumps law. It was not too long ago when a boxer named Muhammad Ali refused to be inducted into the armed forces during the Vietnam War. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually overturned his conviction. That defiance did not make him very popular during that time, but he some how overcame it to become “The Greatest” (even if it was self proclaimed).

So where does all of this leave us? The argument of religious freedom versus government will no doubt continue to be a moving target that will never be totally resolved. I just wonder if Huckabee and Cruz will fight as hard for Stanley’s religious freedom as they have for Davis.

Reality TV gets a little too real

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trumpAmerican’s love their reality TV. From The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Big Brother, America’s Got Talent, Chopped, Project Runway and others, viewers are keeping their eyeballs on the boob tube.

That’s why it should come as no surprise that America is obsessed with the latest reality show; the GOP Republican Presidential Nomination race.

The star of this latest show is no stranger to this genre of entertainment. Donald Trump, star of The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice, has literally sucked all the air out of the room with his flamboyant showmanship leaving all challengers to come up with ways to get noticed.

  • Rand Paul posted a video of him taking a chainsaw to the tax code promising to kill it much like the car salesman in Used Cars.
  • Lyndsey Graham took to YouTube to teach us all how to destroy your cell phone after The Donald gives out your number on network television. I was shocked that he still uses flip phone from era long, long ago.
  • And, in what may be the most bizarre episode yet, Ted Cruz posted a video entitled  “Making Machine-Gun Bacon with Ted Cruz,” with the final moments showing the junior senator peeling a piece of meat off the barrel with plastic fork, putting it in mouth, and humming, “Mmmm, machine-gun bacon.”

Sadly, all of these demonstrations of statesmanship have had little impact on the polls. Trump still leads by a large margin which leads to the question; why? Do republicans really believe Trump has the right stuff to be president?

My guess is that voters want someone on that campaign trail who is not afraid of having an “oops” moment and really say what they think (even if it’s a bit wacky). They want that infamous off-the-cuff style of talk that Trump is famous for. Immigration, the economy and the other issues of the day will be hit with a barrage of Trumpism’s that will be sure to keep the candidates on their toes.

It truly is Must See TV.

Media bias or stupidity?

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CincinnatiPoliceShootingThere’s a lot not to like about the story of University of Cincinnati Police Officer Ray Tensing being indicted on a murder charge in the shooting death of Samuel DuBose.

Much like the Sandra Brown being pulled over for failing to signal when changing lanes, DuBose was stopped because the car he was driving did not have front license plates. It is hard to fathom how two seemingly innocent events could turn so tragic, but something else caught my eye; how certain media outlets built graphic art to promote their coverage.

As you can see, the photo of Tensing shows him smiling, in uniform with an American flag behind him. DeBose’s photo was a mugshot taken when he was arrested for drug charges.

This of course blew up social media, calling the graphic everything from inconsiderate, to racist, to just plain stupid. Most of the outlets have removed the graphic, but as everyone should know, nothing dies on the internet.

It can be argued the graphic, just like the traffic stops were not meant to internally do harm, but if I was a black man, I think I might feel differently.

A state of confusion

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Rebel-Flag-WallpaperTexas can be a conundrum. Politicians fight to keep marriage between one man and one woman, yet the citizens elect an openly gay mayor to manage its largest city. The governor will sue the federal government at the drop of hat citing the need for local control, then over-turn a local community’s voter approved ban on fracking saying they must abide by Austin rules.

So it might surprise people to know that when it comes to honoring the Civil War, Texas is unexpectedly quiet. Yes, you will find your various statues of Civil War “heroes” along with streets, lakes and parks bearing the name of confederate soldiers, but when it comes to the rebel flag, Texas would rather say no thank you.

For years, the state of Texas has refused to put the rebel flag on its license plates. This caused such a contention among confederate groups that the issue made it all the way to the Supreme Court which ruled that Texas did not violate the First Amendment when it refused to allow the specialty license plates bearing the Confederate battle flag. The court ruled the plates were the government’s speech and are thus immune from First Amendment attacks.

Nine states currently let drivers choose specialty license plates featuring the Confederate battle flag and honoring the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which says it seeks to celebrate Southern heritage (although that could change following the recent events in Charleston). But Texas refused to allow the group’s plates, saying the flag was offensive.

Texas, it seems, has always followed its own path. Before the war broke out, Sam Houston said “I will endeavor to say a few words in behalf of the Union, and the necessity of union to preserve it, which I trust will not fall unheeded.”  Not exactly a ringing endorsement of breaking away from the north, but then again, not all Texans felt the same as Houston did.

More Texans care about the Alamo than any Civil War battle and Juneteenth (the day when Texas slaves learned they were free) is celebrated with more gusto than any Civil War remembrance, which again goes to the case that Texas can be a very tough state to figure out.

Rand Paul gets schooled

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RandPaulThere is much talk among educators on the importance of education, but it appears they should stand to do a little homework of their own.

Senator Rand Paul, who yesterday announced his candidacy for president, posted a “Stand with Rand: Kentucky” video on YouTube. The problem is the video violated copyright law.

YouTube’s Content ID system flagged a John Rich song in the video which the Warner Music Group, which owns the copyright yanked the campaign piece.

A big deal? Probably not, but does demonstrate the adage “the devil’s in the details” and how politicians and their campaigns need to pay attention to the little details, so the big messages does not get lost.

Tools of Satan

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satanI have often been called a “tool”, but Mary Hammer Menzel, who regularly volunteers to lead the prayer prior to Montgomery County Commissioner Court meetings, took it to another level by declaring that anyone opposed to the proposed transportation bond is “a tool of Satan” during her prayer.

Most of the attendees quickly distanced themselves from those comments, but Precinct 1 Commissioner Mike Meador said Menzel should not be criticized.

“She does a great job when she is called on,” said Meador. “To criticize a personal prayer is wrong; it’s offensive.”

And we certainly don’t want to offend anyone do we?

That’s their problem, not mine,” Menzel said of those offended. “I like to exercise my rights as a Christian.”

County Judge Craig Doyal said he was surprised by Menzel’s prayer. He added that the county may look at a different system to find volunteers for future meetings.

Ya think?

Who to blame?

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MoneySchoolIt’s been an interesting week in Austin. The locals like to quip that the circus is in town when the Texas Legislature is in session.

In todays’ uber-modern world, all the committee meetings and sessions are a mouse click away, allowing ordinary citizens to “watch the sausage being made” and much like the cliché, there some real funk in the air.

I have been watching/listening to the Senate Education Committee discuss school vouchers. Both sides have good points to debate, but many of the testimony in favor of vouchers talk about how dangerous public schools are, or poorly they perform. Proponents want to have a choice for their children, and it’s hard to argue with that.

What I find interesting is that no one is asking the question why public education is such a mess. Isn’t the legislature responsible for doing all it can to create a public education that provides a safe learning environment? If so, they appear to admit they are not doing a very good job and so we’re going to let families have the choice to get vouchers for private, for-profit institutes.

It was also interesting to hear two pastors who have private schools at their churches against vouchers because they don’t believe any religion, or faith-based organization receive money from the government even though they would stand to profit from the decision. Now that is standing on your conviction.

All the news that’s fit to opine

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NewsSo where do you go for news? CNN, Fox, the Houston Chronicle or maybe Facebook and Twitter?

The Pew Research Center recently released a study that showed “Liberals and conservatives turn to and trust strikingly different news sources. And across-the-board liberals and conservatives are more likely than others to interact with like-minded individuals” which is kinda like determining eating too much will make you obese.

What did catch my attention in the study was the different types of news sources cited. You have the obvious main news channels like Fox News and CNN, but people also mentioned they use Glen Beck, The Daily Show, The Rush Limbaugh Program and The Ed Schultz Show as a source for news about government and politics.

While all these shows cover what is in the news, respondents used them as a source for their news even though much, if not almost of the content relies on providing an opinion, and not factual reporting.

Responding via email, Jocelyn Kiley, associate director, research, Pew Research Center said, “to create our list of sources, we took into account audience numbers from past Pew Research Center media consumption surveys and other audience data. Before fielding the survey, we also ran a pilot test to determine if our final list matched where people said they were receiving their news about government and politics.”

While the study listed many different opinion shows, it did not have the O’Reilly Factor or Anderson Cooper 360 listed. Kiley said they were included as part of their overall respective networks and not on their own. That might make sense from a research standpoint, but I think they missed an opportunity to further differentiate between the two types of journalism we see today. Do more people feel they get their news from the O’Reilly Factor, or Anderson Cooper 360 over the regular news programming on Fox and CNN?

Political candidates are starting to catch on to this. Vincent Harris, Dan Patrick’s digital consultant for the Lt. Governor election said by using social media sites such as Facebook, Patrick could communicate with voters more directly and quicker. Harris told the Houston Chronicle “he can do it without needing to go through the media as a filter.”

So again the question is raised, does it matter if people’s primary news source was from a show that’s based more on opinion than the traditional, factual style of reporting? The line between what constitutes so-called traditional journalism versus spin journalism is growing increasingly blurred. Both provide audiences with news and information, but programs such as The Daily Show and Sean Hannity take that news and pass it through a sieve of ideology, humor and beliefs.

I remember once speaking with a crusty, “old-school” news director who told me he never voted because that would require him to make up his mind and have to decide who makes the better candidate. Making that decision could influence the way his news department would cover an election. I wonder if that type of journalist still exists today.