Tag Archives: Dan Patrick
Texas (Kinda, Sorta) Accidentally Decriminalized Weed. Now What?
How harshly you’re punished for pot possession depends on where you’re caught, even more so now that a new law legalizing hemp has sowed confusion.
Texas lawmakers like to declare themselves leaders on criminal justice reform, but this session they mostly did nothing about it. During the 86th Texas Legislat...Read More
Dan Patrick’s Long History of Toxic Immigrant-Bashing
You know, the kind that might encourage violence in a place like El Paso.
On Saturday morning, a 21-year-old white man allegedly opened fire with a semi-automatic rifle in a Walmart just a few miles from the Bridge of the Americas con...Read More
White Terror on the Border
After an anti-immigrant shooting in El Paso, Texas’ GOP leaders blamed mental health and video games rather than gun laws and white supremacy.
On Sunday morning, less than 24 hours after a white gunman killed 20 people and injured two dozen more at an El Paso Walmart, Fox News called on Texas Lieutenan...Read More
Power Steering
The most interesting story in American politics in the coming year isn’t in Iowa, but on the outskirts of Houston and Dallas.
For years, the question asked of Texas politics has been whether or not the state would “turn blue” during a presidential election or high-profile statewide...Read More
Meet Maria Espinoza, the Texan Elevating ‘Angel Moms’ to the National Stage
Espinoza, a Houston native, is founder of the Trump-endorsed Remembrance Project. She seeks to squelch amnesty efforts, deport anyone who’s here illegally and harden the border.
On March 15, 2019, Donald Trump sat behind the Resolute desk in the Oval Office and signed the first veto of his presidency, blocking a resolution passed by Con...Read More
‘We Got Nothing:’ Few Wins for the Christian Right in the 86th Texas Legislature
Though Christian conservatives chalked up a few narrow victories in this year’s session, they may have run up against the limits of their legislative power.
A quiet surprise of the 86th Legislature was the failure of many of the Christian right’s priorities. While lawmakers closely aligned with religious conservat...Read More
I’m a Teen Activist in Texas, and I’m Tired of Being Ignored by Politicians
It is no longer acceptable for youth, especially people of color and those in the LGBTQ community, to be dismissed by our elected officials.
In an expression of dissent earlier this year, I got one of the state’s most powerful Republicans to show off an “Abolish ICE” / “Impeach Tr...Read More
The Power Politics Behind the House’s Bipartisan, Kumbaya, Feel-Good Session
House Speaker Dennis Bonnen altered his party’s near-term agenda in service of the GOP’s long-term political project: Power. Will it work?
Weeks before the 2019 legislative session even began, Jeff Leach foreshadowed the shifting political winds that would ultimately animate lawmakers. In early Dec...Read More
The GOP Failed to Ban Paid Sick Leave and the Business Lobby is Livid
Texas businesses are growing increasingly disgruntled that Dan Patrick appears unable to stop poisoning their political agenda with right-wing social warfare.
One of the the biggest priorities for Texas Republicans this session appears to be on the verge of legislative death. A series of bills that would broadly prohi...Read More
