Texas: Hutchison

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison got a lot of credit a couple months ago for sticking up to protect GM and Chrysler dealerships that were slated to close after the automaker bankruptcies. The automakers were forced to defend the closure of hundreds of dealerships, after Hutchison and other members of the Senate Commerce Committee complained about the way the dealer closures were done. The movement (there is no shortage of political sympathy for car dealers in Congress) spread to the House, where lawmakers inserted a provision in an appropriations bill that would require the car companies to reinstate their franchise agreements with the dealers.

This week from the Texas Progressive Alliance blogs, emission from drilling are more than cars and airports, women are running things in Denton County, Liberty University Democrats lose their recognition, President Obama's political coalition leaves out the far-right and the poor, and much more.

This week’s round-up was compiled by Teddy from Left of College Station.

John Coby at Bay Area Houston notes that Rick Perry signed a bill to stop electricity deregulation in East Texas while we poor saps continue to be screwed with high electricity rates.

On Bluedaze: Barnett Shale operators continued to endanger public health and safety by ignoring the peer-reviewed study that showed emission from drilling were more than all the cars and airports in the DFW area.

As the legislative session starts to wind down and eyes look towards 2010, the Texas Democratic Party lacks the serious, high-profile primary races needed to keep voters interested and motivated to vote for Democrats in Texas. We need to hold on to our gains from 2008, and get folks excited about a general election in which we can take back the Governor's mansion and the Texas House. It all starts with a vigorous Democratic primary.

In 2008, we saw unprecedented gains for Democrats here in Texas. Over 2.8 million Democrats voted in the primary, an over-threefold increase over the 830,000 cast in 2004 (granted, that primary was a done deal, but perhaps it further proves my point-no one turns out for an unexciting primary).

I guess all of the late-night TV punchlines have gotten to Rick Perry, who published a Letter to the Editor in the San Antonio Express-News today in which he asserts he's never been "secede from the union." Except for his comments at the Austin tea party on tax day where he pretty much insinuates just that.

FoxNews, April 15, 2009:

"There's a lot of different scenarios," Perry said. "We've got a great union. There's absolutely no reason to dissolve it. But if Washington continues to thumb their nose at the American people, you know, who knows what might come out of that. But Texas is a very unique place, and we're a pretty independent lot to boot.