MON brief 12.13.21
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Today’s Stories
HOUSTON ISD, over the weekend, saw two candidates backed by the GOP flip trustee seats, which is noteworthy for several reasons.
Primarily, it continues the nationwide rightward movement on education following the pandemic. All the standard observations about COVID closures, mask mandates, and crazy curricula on race/sex ed. apply.
However, what’s most noteworthy about Saturday’s results is that they occurred in an urban area.
There’s been a lot of keyboard strokes (correctly) spilled about how the national issues listed above have shifted the suburbs back to the GOP. At least to this point, less noticed has been a similar movement in the cities.
These Houston ISD results follow the election of a Republican mayor in Seattle and the rejection of an anti-police measure in Minneapolis.
The mayoral election in New York City, while technically a Democrat hold, saw the most ‘conservative’ Democrat emerge from the primary. Meanwhile, the GOP saw city council gains and surprising strength in the outer boroughs compared with four years ago.
These observations remain preliminary and might reverse if Joe Biden’s political position stabilizes.
However, ten years ago, South Texas moving to the right sounded inconceivable. Today, it’s a virtually foregone conclusion. Don’t be surprised if a similar movement occurs in big cities. (AC)
BROOKS LANDGRAF is joining Jared Patterson openly opposing a special session to deal with vaccine mandates that will cost Texans their jobs in December and January.
In the past week, both representatives have suggested that courts are where vaccine mandate battles should play out while their constituents are forced to get the jab or be fired.
SCOTUS didn’t do these two any favors today when the high court failed to take up a case challenging a vaccine mandate in News York for healthcare workers seeking a religious exemption.
This ruling further undermines Abbott, Landgraf, and Patterson’s insistence that Texans will be fine if courts are allowed to set vaccine policies.
Casey Gray, Landgraf’s opponent in the HD-81 GOP primary, has taken the opposing position that a special session is needed and should be advocated for vociferously.
The beef between Landgraf and Gray is well-timed. Today, Texans for Vaccine Choice released a Vaccine Mandate Protection Pledge, calling on candidates to oppose state and privatized state mandates.
ERIC JOHNSON, the Democrat mayor of Dallas, is once again tweaking his party’s leftward fringe.
Appearing on WFAA over the weekend, Johnson touted his public safety record compared to his party’s leadership in other locations. The follows Johnson’s rebuke of departing Lite Guv candidate Matthew Dowd’s condescending attitude toward the African American community last week.
Johnson is a capable politician positioning himself for a statewide run in the future (possibly 2026). Regardless, his party would be wise to listen to him. (AC)
RICK PERRY has filed to run for Governor. No, not the former occupant of that office, just a guy with the same name.
This clever maneuver is designed to pull Abbott into a runoff by exploiting the former Governor’s name ID. Whether it works remains TBD, but three cheers for creativity.
Still, this gambit should not be underestimated.
In 2016, Richard Scott Walker won a seat on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals by using his middle name to impersonate the former Wisconsin governor.
If Perry draws 5%, that can be the difference between Abbott 51% and Abbott 46%.
Hit the Links
Conflicted Congressmen Include Pat Fallon & Lance Gooden
Fort Worth ISD’s ‘racial equity committee’ member resigns after doxxing parents
Texas Education Officials Launch Probe of “Pornographic Books”
Musk: ‘Government is a corporation, with the monopoly on violence
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