It’s nearly midnight, and 2006 will be in the rear view mirror. So, what I’ve done is compile a list of some of the most important, strangest, and even best of the 2,170 posts that have been on Capitol Annex this year.
Thanks for the memories, the support and your readership. To my family, loved ones, and friends, thank you for your support of Capitol Annex, and of me.
I’ve been asked in these last few days what I think the most important writing I did this year was. It will surprise you, but it was my work on the Voting Rights Act. More than any election coverage, holding our Congressmen accountable when it came to the renewal of the VRA was probably the most important work of this blog this year.
I’ve got comments on for this post, so tell us what you think…was that our best work? Happy New Year! The list is after the jump, down by the comments section, in the “Related Items” section. If you are out celebrating tonight, please be safe.
Up to now, you’ve read here a lot at Capitol Annex about all of the various and sundry reasons that we believe it could be next to impossible to to unseat Speaker Tom Craddick (R-Midland).
You’ve also heard a lot from me concerning the concept of “eating our own” that has arisen among Democratic bloggers and activists when it comes to Democrats pledged to Craddick. We’ve noted previously that this strategy is pointless because of Craddick’s strength and because many of these Democrats are fearful of losing various things for their districts if they don’t support Craddick.
After thoughtful examination, the debate on Craddick’s speakership can be boiled down to two different things: school vouchers and secret ballots.
Is there any more sure sign that Democrats need to get on the stick in the Rio Grande Valley than this:
History could be in the making Monday when Texas Gov. Rick Perry swears in the Cameron County judge on New Year’s Day.
“I don’t recall any governor coming in to swear in a Cameron County judge,†said judge-elect Carlos Cascos. “What bigger honor can I have than have the governor†preside over the ceremony?
Cascos said he asked Perry if he would perform the ceremony a few days after winning the Nov. 7 general election.
If you could not tell this from the above three paragraphs, Cascos is a Republican. Yes—a Republican was elected County Judge of the county right on the Mexico border that has Brownsville as its County Seat.
We stumbled across the tail end of Nancy Grace’s show on CNN Headline News tonight and were surprised to see Houston Congressman Ted Poe, Republican from the 2nd District of Texas, discussing the apparent pitfalls for gaining child custody that the singer Britney Spears has presented for herself with her partyin’ ways.
Poe opined cheerily that neither Britney nor her soon-to-be ex-husband deserve custody of the two young boys who are caught in the middle of the couple’s divorce, but that Ms. Spears ultimately will prevail cause the mothers almost always do, even though she has been photographed out on the town a lot lately (including once without underpants!)
What is wrong with you, Ted Poe? Is being a Congressman not enough for you? Not exciting enough? Not taxing enough? Is that why you appear on Nancy Grace all the time?
And, this topic! Why? Do the people of CD-02 really feel a swelling of pride that their Congressman isn’t just a talking head for CNN but is a talking head for CNN when it comes to the Britney-KFed divorce?
I dare say that when CD-02 Democrats finally manage to un-elect you we’ll probably see you as the new legal correspondent on Entertainment Tonight.
PB: NBC Nightly News’ anchor Brian Williams wrote the following on his blog: “The truth is Jerry Ford was a nice man. He was decent, courageous, honest..and a loving and faithful partner to his wife, a wonderful and trailblazing woman. By today’s political standards, he just might be a liberal.†Was Gerald Ford a liberal?
CW: I don’t think that’s correct. He was pro-environment and would have probably been for stem-cell research, but he was the kind of conservative that I admire. Ford was a very strong fiscal conservative that abhorred deficit spending. He was a much better conservative than the current president as far as maintaining a conservative spending policy. And, he wouldn’t have started optional wars.
“Optional wars?” Gotta love Charlie Wilson for giving me a new phrase to use from time to time. I wonder what else you can slap “optional” in front of and have it sound as good as Wilson does? “Optional Speakership” perhaps?
If nothing else, 2006 could be considered a year of “second acts.”
Many things that had been dominant stories in recent years had rebirths during 2006: Redistricting, Tom DeLay (and the scandals and lawsuits stemming from the 2002 election cycle), etc.
The biggest “second act” of the year was, without a doubt, Redistricting. Or, perhaps we should say, “re-re-re-districting.”
The only non-signatories were Pitts, who is running for Speaker, and Talton, Ritter and Eiland, who are reportedly pledged to McCall. The list makes up almost 20 percent of the House membership.
Is this the deathknell for the opposition? I believe it is a pretty good indicator. The 27 co-signers of the letter (which wasn’t actually signed because it is pretty hard to get that many people together over the holidays) represent a wide cross-section of the House and the state.
To many, this letter would mean nothing.
However, keep in mind that each of these House Members can probably be counted upon to bring with them as a result of their support at least one (or as many as three) House members who will support them for one (or more) of the following reasons:
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes,
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Moments so dear.
Five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights
In cups of coffee
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife.
In five hundred twenty-five thousand
Six hundred minutes
How do you measure
A year in the life?
In addition to suffering from flu, there was another reason that posting has been a bit light here at Capitol Annex. But, since it was a surprise, I wanted to keep it under wraps.
Over the last few days, I’ve taken a lot of time culling through the more than 2,170 posts that have appeared on this blog.
Measuring a year is not an easy thing to do. As a former newspaper editor, it was something I enjoyed doing with my staff every year—divvying up various areas for rehashing and myself compiling a major “end-year review” in a month-by-month style.
But, with a focus as large as, well—all of Texas politics, how does one conduct such a review? Topically? Biographically? By major stories alone?
It’s a tough call to make. If we reviewed the year month by month, it would look like a connect-the-dots puzzle, as things from one month go back and relate to another month.
So, how will we “connect the dots” to complete a picture of the year here at Capitol Annex? Stay tuned and find out. Between now and Monday, we’ll have several different stories out.
With all of the seriousness of the speaker’s race (and this being Friday and all), we thought it was time for some Legislative Levity.
Folks, there is a bathroom bill filed this legislation.
But, before you start hootin’ & hollerin’ thinking this is the Sexy Cheerleader Bill of 2006, consider that this legislation (the “Restroom Access Act”) is actually something serious for folks with some disorders and diseases, and something that I thought was actually the law already (I’ll explain in a moment).
Representative Mark Strama (D-Austin) has introduced HB 416 which would require that citizens with medical conditions such as Chron’s Disease, colitis and some temporary pressing medical conditions like pregnancy be allowed to use employee’s only restrooms in public places.
As a result of significant population migration following Hurricane Katrina combined with ongoing population increases in Texas since the last census, Louisiana is poised to lose a seat in the House of Representatives and Texas is poised to gain one come in 2012 following the 2010 census.
The report, by Election Data Services, estimates the seat shifts based on 2006 population estimates of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Do you know that you can 
