Christopher Hooks
By Christopher Hooks:
The Jade Helm Fiasco Says More About Texas Than it Does Russia
Even if Russia had nothing to do with Jade Helm, the episode is still evidence for the proposition that the American body politic is weak and easy to manipulate.
Today in Gregwatch, the Observer’s trademarked series for enthusiasts of Governor Abbott, we have a new fan theory to discuss. First flagged by the Texas Democratic Party, it comes courtesy of Michael Hayden, former director of the CIA and NSA, … Read More
Texas Newspaper Readers Unite!
Simply by existing, journalism makes the incentives that guide government and culture marginally better, or at least that's the idea.
In March, the Austin American-Statesman announced that it was being sold by its corporate parent, Cox Media Group, to an ill-regarded New York company called GateHouse Media. Cox treated the Statesman poorly in recent years, laying off reporters and ensuring … Read More
The All-or-Nothing ‘Turning Texas Blue’ Narrative Needs to Be Retired
After the Texas primaries, it’s worth asking if the phrase and its variations are warping how we think about Texas politics.
Is Texas going to turn blue in 2018? Will the Blue Wave rend us asunder? Will the state wake up on the morning of November 7 looking like Tobias Fünke? What is our ETA to TTB? When I was first … Read More
Inconsistent Showing in Democratic Primary Raises Questions for Beto O’Rourke
O’Rourke, the Democrat running the most high-profile statewide race, is scoring only 61 percent in his primary and has room to work in South and West Texas.
On primary night in 2014, the candidate who headlined the Democratic ticket, Wendy Davis, got some bad news — her token opponent, Ray Madrigal, scored almost 22 percent of the vote, winning many Hispanic counties in South Texas and the … Read More
Greg Abbott’s Weird Primary Gamble
The governor tried love and botched it, so now he’s trying the politics of fear.
Greg Abbott’s Weird Primary Gamble The governor tried love and botched it, so now he’s trying the politics of fear. Governor Greg Abbott was born in Wichita Falls, the grandson of a country preacher, but his own political origin story … Read More
How Democrats Can Fix the Broken Two-Party System in Texas
What works poorly in other states doesn't work here at all.
Here’s how a two-party system works, in theory: One party wins office on the strength of its plans to fix problems, and its elected officials then use the power of government to partially implement policies. Over time, they start to … Read More
One Last Kick in the Nuts: On Joe Straus’ Republican Censure
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up men to gather wood, divide work and to give orders,” said Amy Clark, vice chair of the Republican Party of Texas, at a meeting of party leadership on Saturday. “If … Read More
Four Things to Watch as Election 2018 Gets Underway in Texas
Above all, this is a time for nutty, weird politics.
We have extremely bad news for you: It’s election season again. It has been a year filled with too much Politics, but more is coming, and will keep coming, ad infinitum, until the sun swallows the earth. Monday was the … Read More
Imperfect Ten: Taking Stock of the Crowded Democratic Slate for Texas Governor
What is a Texas Democrat, and why do they matter? That’s no easy task, because most Texas Democrats couldn’t tell you.
For much of the year, Texas Democrats have fretted at the possibility that they might not have a gubernatorial candidate — now, they have too many. It’s a bizarre problem in a year of bizarre problems. In the language of … Read More