Rick Perry’s Gay-Baiting Ad Rivals Justin Bieber In YouTube Hatred Rick Perry’s gay-baiting Iowa ad may have ruffled some feathers within his campaign, but it’s nothing compared to the outpouring of hatred it’s received on YouTube, which now rivals even viral video lightning rod Justin Bieber. A spokesman for YouTube tells TPM the video is the most viewed video in America today, as well as the top video in Des Moines, IA and Manchester, NH. But the reaction isn’t exactly positive. The Perry c...

From: State Representative Scott Hochberg Dear friends, After much consideration, I have decided not to seek reelection in 2012. I am deeply and sincerely grateful to all my friends and supporters who have allowed me to hold this position of honor for what will be twenty years, especially those of ordinary means and busy schedules who, year after year, gave their time and financial contributions to my campaigns. I especially thank those who have worked so hard on my district and capitol ...

Perry Hoping He Can At Least Win Imaginary Nov. 12 Election Sooper jenius Rick Perry has finally stumbled on the secret to a 2012 victory! He invited a town hall audience in New Hampshire to make sure to vote for him on November 12, a week after the sucky November 6 presidential election nobody is enthusiastic about anyway, and when no one else will even be running anymore! Oh man, he’s got this one so locked up. And now see if you can spot Boozy Suzy’s other critical system error from the ver...

Daily Kos Elections Morning Digest: Texas redistricting fallout edition Leading Off: • Texas: This edition of the digest is stuffed to the gills with news related to the fallout from Texas's new court-drawn congressional and legislative maps—and man has there been a Texas-sized ton. So grab your scroll wheel and head on down to our House and Redistricting Roundup sections if you can't wait to read more. (snip) House: • TX-06: So far there's no reason to believe he's even looking at the race,...

Sheriff Arpaio to campaign with Perry Hudson, New Hampshire (CNN) – Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona will campaign with Rick Perry in New Hampshire on Tuesday, the Texas governor's campaign told CNN on Saturday. The man famous for his tough stance on illegal immigration has not endorsed a presidential candidate, though he has been courted by the likes of Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, businessman Herman Cain, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Perry. Arpaio is a hard-li...

Spending on Perry's Austin Mansion Hits $800,000 (snip) When Rick Perry recently attacked entrenched politicians for abusing their public positions and living large at taxpayers' expense, critics were quick to turn the tables on the governor. They said Perry, first elected to state office in 1984, has done some lavish living himself — particularly at his rental mansion in West Austin. The Texas Tribune has added up the state-paid expenses to lease and maintain Perry’s temporary home in Esta...

Breaking: Court-Drawn Congressional Maps Released Something staffers, journalists and politicos can truly be thankful for -- court-drawn Congressional redistricting maps were just released today. Filing begins Monday, so no rush, right? View the maps . You want to select map C220, Federal Court Proposed Congressional Plan. We'll update this post with early comments as analysis comes out. Your thoughts, as always, welcome in the comments. Observations, Tweets, and Analysis: 1. The first big...

Thought I would start a separate thread on the issue that . Map points to smaller GOP majority in Texas House (snip) The story of the last 24 hours in our fine state is redistricting — the maps that judges proposed to use in 2012 state House and Senate races. The House map is, on the whole, better for Democrats than the one approved by legislators earlier this year. One Capitol source who knows this stuff told me that it creates 89 seats that Republican John McCain would have carried in the ...

DOJ: Texas Has Provided ‘Incomplete’ Information In Probe Of Rick Perry Signed Voter ID Law Texas provided “incomplete” information that does not enable federal officials to determine whether their proposed voter ID law would be discriminatory, the Justice Department said in a letter Wednesday. Essentially, the letter from DOJ Civil Rights Division Voting Section Chief T. Christian Herren Jr. restarts the clock on when the Department has to make a decision about whether the law signed by Gov....

Texas water supply for the future is uncertain DALLAS - Texas has a powerful thirst, one that won't be quenched any time soon given projections that the state's population will double to 46 million over the next half-century. In the past, Texans - particularly those in the most populated areas - found water for all those extra showers, sprinklers and toilets by heading to where the water was and grabbing it. They did this with big reservoirs, deep wells and long pipelines. Whatever it took. ...

Project with ties to Perry OK'd despite objections State environmental regulators appointed by Gov. Rick Perry issued a permit in January for a Houston-area industrial waste injection well to a company whose top investors include some of Perry's close friends and campaign contributors. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved the permit over the objections of the Texas Railroad Commission and every state and local official representing Montgomery County, and in spite of an admin...

Top 10 Reasons Texans are Embarassed by our Governor Memo to Team Perry: when you're in a hole, quit digging! Perry's campaign seems to be, ahem, tripling down on his "Oops!" moment during Wednesday's debate. Last night he appeared on Letterman, where he presented the "Top 10 Rick Perry Excuses" for forgetting the 3rd federal agency he'd axe as president. Here's the video: Video included at the link above.

DMV board votes down Confederate plate The state Department of Motor Vehicles’ governing board this morning voted down a controversial proposal for a specialty license plate displaying the Confederate battle flag. The vote was 8-0, with Vice Chair Cheryl Johnson absent. The decision brought cheers and applause from the packed hearing room near the State Capitol. The decision came after nearly two hours of sometimes-emotional testimony, highlighted by U.S. Rep. Al Green, D-Houston, leading a r...

Lone Star Project 11/8/11] Breaking News: New Maps in Store for Texas DC Court denies summary judgment for preclearance of State House, State Senate and Congressional maps. Court will draw interim maps. Earlier today, a three-judge panel in the DC Federal District Court denied a motion by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott that all three Texas redistricting plans be approved without a trial on the merits of the plans. The Court ruling has the practical effect of blocking the use of the Repub...

The E-Mails The Feds Say Show Texas Lawmakers Trying To Limit Voting Power Of Hispanics The feds say there’s “ample circumstantial evidence” that the redistricting maps signed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry had the effect and intent of limiting the voting power of Hispanic voters. But what’s the evidence exactly? Let’s take a look. The most telling evidence Justice Department lawyers cite in terms of the state redistricting maps is a comment from state Rep. Beverly Woolley, who led the redistricti...

Feds: Rick Perry-Signed Texas Redistricting Plan Reduces Voting Power Of 479,704 Hispanics There is “ample circumstantial evidence” that the congressional and state representative redistricting maps signed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry had not only the effect but the intent of limiting the voting power of Hispanic voters, Justice Department lawyers said in a court filing late Tuesday. DOJ is seeking the block the maps, filing to deny Texas’ request for summary judgement in a case involving allegat...

Rick Perry: Standing Tall For The 1% Rick Perry’s Plan for the 1% Today, Rick Perry released his "Cut, Balance and Grow" economic plan. From his initial press release, this is clearly a plan designed for the wealthiest Americans. Perry would eliminate the estate tax that applies only to the wealthiest multimillion dollar estates. He would offer a choice between a quasi-flat tax of 20% (with deductions for mortgages, charities and state and local taxes) or the current code, essentially provi...

Texas League of Conservation Voters - Education Fund online Texas' constitutional amendment elections don't always grab the headlines, but this year's election is one that includes "a must vote yes" proposition. Proposition 8 - Water Stewardship Amendment (TLCVEF recommends a YES vote.) Access to a clean, reliable water supply is critical to every Texas family, business and community. How we ensure Texans are prepared to meet future water needs is a critical public policy concern. The Water ...

Perry now 6th in Iowa, poll says A new poll shows Gov. Rick Perry has continued a precipitous decline in support in Iowa, a state that once held the promise of a momentum-building victory to open the GOP primary season. Perry’s sixth-place finish in the latest Rasmussen Reports poll of likely caucus participants was a sharp decline from an early September survey that showed Perry leading with support from 29 percent of Iowa Republicans. A telephone poll taken Wednesday showed Perry’s support ...

"Dear Austinites, We invite all of you to join our brothers and sisters in New York and around the World for a Solidarity March this Saturday at 11:30am. This march is about making government accountable to the American people rather than a small group of corporations and financial institutions. If you believe in democracy by and for the people, please join us. We will meet at City Hall at 11:30am. At NOON we will march down march up Lavaca to 6th, stop at JP Morgan Chase, continue down Congres...

First Reading: Perry again panned in debate reviews The reviews are rolling in for last night’s Republican presidential debate, and once again, it was not a good night for Gov. Rick Perry. Not a terrible night. Perry didn’t do his opponents any obvious favors, such as when he suggested in the Sept. 22 debate that opposition to the in-state tuition plan was heartless. The problem for Perry last night was that he was often left out of the discussion, and when he was brought into the discussion,...

Rick Perry's Spectacular Fall From Grace Just to recap, in less than two months Rick Perry has: Suggested that maybe Ben Bernanke should be lynched. Declined to back off his contention that Social Security is an unconstitutional Ponzi scheme. Called climate change a climate change a "contrived phony mess" that was cooked up by scientists who have "manipulated data so that they will have dollars rolling in to their projects." Pissed off the conservative base by defending his decision to (...

I've started to notice that there are many republican elected officials deciding not to run for re-election in Texas. I don't mean people switching seats or running for a higher office necessarily. My opinion is that they created a huge mess with the budget fiasco and that Perry's national run is exposing all the cracks in their plan. They can not stand the scrutiny. So they're running away basically. Here's 4 just from the last couple of weeks. Hartnett Confirms He Won't Seek Reelection...

Draft Water Plan Says Texas "Will Not Have Enough" Every five years, the Texas Water Development Board publishes a water plan for the state. The 295-page draft of the 2012 plan, published last week in the midst of the worst-ever single-year drought Texas has ever experienced, is a sobering read. "The primary message of the 2012 state water plan is a simple one," the introduction states. "In serious drought conditions, Texas does not and will not have enough water to meet the needs of its peo...

Obama: Rick Perry Is 'Governor Whose State Is On Fire, Denying Climate Change' WOODSIDE, Calif. -- President Barack Obama swiped at Texas Gov. Rick Perry, criticizing him as "a governor whose state is on fire, denying climate change." Obama also poked at the audience reactions at recent GOP presidential debates, singling out those who cheered at the prospect of someone dying because he didn't have health insurance – and those who booed a gay service member. The president said "that's not re...

DOJ Has More Questions On Rick Perry's Voter ID Law The Justice Department hasn't yet precleared a voter ID law signed by Republican presidential candidate and Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R). In a Friday letter officials wrote that they need to know more about how the state would alert voters to the changes to the law. Federal officials also want a detailed description of when and where the state will make free identification certificates available, as well as specifics on how they will educate t...

I mentioned this at the DU meetup tonight to highlight what I thought was a sad state of affairs these days. I can not believe that in 2011 we have people living in this century who think they can get away with this kind of disgusting behavior. :puke: Racist Threats Escalate for Local Family; KKK Cited Before Shots Fired SPRING BRANCH – Children are being traumatized and getting an unfortunate look into the past, as racism and anti-semitism rears its ugly head towards one local family in th...

Thanks to DU member white cloud who sent me the link. Heartbreaking... :cry:

DOJ: Rick Perry's Texas Congressional Redistricting Map Violates Voting Rights Act Updated: September 19, 2011, 4:27PM The Justice Department said Monday that Texas' state House and congressional redistricting plans didn't comply with Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), indicating they thought the maps approved by Gov. Rick Perry (R) gave too little voting power to the growing Latino population in the state. Officials with DOJ's Civil Rights Division said the proposed redistricting pl...

Poverty grows in Rick Perry's Texas NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Texas Governor Rick Perry likes to brag that his state is an economic powerhouse. But don't tell that to the nearly one in five Texans who are living below the poverty line. While it's true that Texas is responsible for 40% of the jobs added in the U.S. over the past two years, its poverty rate also grew faster than the national average in 2010. Texas ranks 6th in terms of people living in poverty. Some 18.4% of Texans were impoveris...