Painting That Note On The Broad Side Of A Barn

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Intellitouch Tuner for guitars, made right here in Texas by the good folks at Onboard Research Corporation in Plano. It allows one to quickly, easily and accurately tune the guitar. For someone of my musical ability, this is a very valuable product. The company also makes tuners for a variety of other musical instruments, including trumpets, clarinets and saxophones. Their products can even teach me -- well, maybe not me, but certainly you -- to play the drums.

I saw one of these last weekend in Marathon. My new friends Chris and Andy, who are fabulous musicians, told me about it. so I bought one this week. Count me one satisfied -- and tuned-up -- customer.

Eating Krogh

Egil Krogh was the first member of the Nixon Administration to go to jail, convicted for his role in the burglary of the office of Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist. The Ellsberg break-in was ten months before the Watergate break-in that brought down the Nixon Administration, and was a sideshow to that spectacle.

Krogh has written an interesting op-ed piece in the New York Times, describing his role and the lessons he learned. Excerpts:

At no time did I or anyone else there question whether the operation was necessary, legal or moral. Convinced that we were responding legitimately to a national security crisis, we focused instead on the operational details: who would do what, when and where ...

The premise of our action was the strongly held view within certain precincts of the White House that the president and those functioning on his behalf could carry out illegal acts with impunity if they were convinced that the nation’s security demanded it. As President Nixon himself said to David Frost during an interview six years later, “When the president does it, that means it is not illegal.” To this day the implications of this statement are staggering ...

I finally realized that what had gone wrong in the Nixon White House was a meltdown in personal integrity. Without it, we failed to understand the constitutional limits on presidential power and comply with statutory law.

He says that he wrote a memo to the incoming Bush Administration in 2001, urging upon them the lessons he'd learned. He concludes, "I wonder if they received my message." Probably not.

Why Bush Is Out Of It

GQ has an interview with Dan Bartlett, President Bush's departing communications director, in this month's issue. You can read the interview, which is by Bartlett's fellow Texan Robert Draper, on its website. The most interesting exchange is reprinted below, wherein Draper asks Bartlett whether the White House is in touch with reality.

To read some of Karl Rove’s recent comments, you’d think the state of the administration has never been rosier. Does anyone provide a reality check for the White House?
The president’s closest advisers are paid to make sure he understands every aspect of the decision he has to make. And I can confidently say that in the five years I’ve had this job, we haven’t walked blindly into decisions. Now have there been missteps? Of course. But I don’t buy this notion that Bush lives in a bubble. You can disagree fundamentally with the decisions he makes, but I don’t think they are based on a lack of understanding of what’s going on around him.
So then how do you get your reality check?
I have an informal group of advisers who are in the communications field, who work in various jobs in corporate America or have served in government. They come in once a quarter, and we have a working session where I pick their brains about what they’re seeing from the president: What are the visuals, what’s working and not working. Kind of my own focus group—people who’ve served in my role as communications directors, people who’ve worked in Fortune 500 companies, people who are at the highest level of corporate communications who aren’t directly involved in politics but who follow it. They know my trade, and I can ask them, “I know this isn’t working. How do I communicate it better?” Or they’ll say, “We want to see Bush more personally—not from behind the podium.”

Now, Dan, I'm sure you're a smart guy, very articulate and a good American and all that. But -- and excuse me for putting this so bluntly -- ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FU*CKING MIND? Do you really think that serving as a reality check on this Administration involves meeting four time a year with a bunch of Madison Avenue schmucks to see whether "the visuals" are working? Do you really think that sitting down with a group of your peers, whom you describe as all working for Fortune 500 companies and the like, has anything to do with a "reality" check?

Here are some suggestions you can pass on to Ed Gillespie, your successor:

1. Once a week -- not once a month, much less four time a year -- go to a VA Hospital and talk with an Iraq vet, preferably one who's done two, three or even four tours over there. Don't talk to them about the missing limbs, ghost pain, or the nightmares that haunt them -- that'll be too intense for you. But just ask them about the day-to-day cluster-fu*cked life of people in Iraq, and see if that has the remotest resemblance to the "being greeted as liberators" or "the last throes of the insurgency" swill you've been up-chucking for the last four years.
2. Swap salaries for six months with your administrative assistant and give up your taxpayer-sponsored health care. See how far the money goes to paying the bills, and then re-evaluate some of your talking points on whether more tax cuts for the wealthiest one or two percent are necessary.
3. In a well-ventilated, preferably outdoor area, create three piles of money, with the following amounts in each: $22,218, $5,835, and $2,732. Next, burn them. Now, figure out how to give your children a college education. Those numbers represent the increased annual cost of a college education at, respectively, four-year private, four-year public, and two-year public colleges since George W. Bush took office. (Source)

You should try some of these too, Dan. Not only will they make you a better public servant, they'll make you a better person.

I Heart Eliza Gilkyson

I have been listening to Eliza Gilkyson's music for a long time. It's one of the perks of living in Austin that fantastic singer-songwriters like Eliza come tumbling out of your car radio (especially if you listen to KGSR) or appearing at coffee houses, beer joints, or outdoor patios at one-of-a-kind Austin restaurants.

Eliza has released eight albums, but in my humble opinion really hit her stride with 2000's Hard Times in Babylon. The title track is elegant and beautiful, and the other great track on that album is "Beauty Way." Take a listen to a live version, which includes some great patter from her about the song and its origins:

Eliza Gilkyson -- Beauty Way Mp3

I think this is about as good as songwriting gets.

COOL TRIVIA: Eliza's father, Terry Gilkyson, was a popular and prolific songwriter who wrote such classics as "Memories Are Made of This," which was a Number One hit for Dean Martin, and "Tell The Captain," which gained immensely popularity as "Sloop John B" by the Beach Boys. Cool, eh?

Grade A Hypocrisy From Ron Paul

The Dallas Morning News, Austin American-Statesman, and Victoria Advocate have all picked up a story about Ron Paul's hypocrisy in fighting for earmarks in approproations bills, then voting against the bills on final passage.

The article, by Suzanne Gamboa of the Associated Press, notes that Paul has requested over 50 earmarks for his district, including "$8.6 million for the Army Corps of Engineers to maintain the Texas City Channel and $10 million for the Galveston Rail Causeway Bridge. He also asked for money for a nursing program, expansion of a cancer center at Brazosport Hospital, a seafood testing program, a Children's Identification and Location Database and $8 million for Wild American Shrimp Marketing requested by the Texas Shrimp Association."

If past performance indicates future actions, Paul will fight to get those earmarks into the budget, then vote against the total document. Knowing that the vote to pass the budget will be overwhelming, he's in the best of both worlds: he can fight for all the pork he wants, sanctimoniously vote against the budget, then tell his colleagues, constituents, and citizens how he's voted against Bog Government Spending.

Paul's aide Tom Lizardo (I am not making that name up) defends Paul's speaking with forked tongue, saying "he feels the IRS takes the money and so it's (his) job to make sure money comes back in the district." Riiiiiiiight.

Political posturing and hypocrisy are nothing new, but Paul's hypocrisy points up the deeper problem with Libertarianism: it just doesn't work. You cannot live in the United States of America without paying the piper. We live in a complex, integrated, globalized society. In that environment, government plays a critical role -- not just in the "soft" health and human services issues, but in the coordination of basic institutions like transportation, public safety, finance, commerce, and education.

Libertarians are, I think, right about some things. I believe government should stay out of people's personal lives, for instance. Also, having watched George Bush and Rick Perry in action the last few years, I tend to agree with Thomas Paine that "that government is best that governs least." But Paul's knee-jerk libertarianism is, at its core, irresponsible.

Home Sweet Largest County In The U.S.

This is the view from the porch outside my cabin at the Marathon Motel. I got here yesterday for a quick weekend get-together hosted, as always, by Ty and Kate Fain. Their New Year's Eve parties -- when they and their Merry Band throw the best bash in the Big Bend -- are legendary, and this weekend is a summer version of that gathering. About 20 people are here, hanging out during the day and eating, drinking and making merry in the evenings.

This afternoon a large contingent went down to the Post, a county park five miles south of Marathon. The Post is like a little osais in this semi-arid country. It is luch and green, partly because there's been so much rain out here. While we were out there, a little storm washed over the area, freshening and cooling the air.



Tonight we'll have dinner, and then some musicians will entertain us for the balance of the evening.

UPDATE: I've posted some pictures from the weekend on Picasa, here.

Steve Murdock's Leaving

If demographers were rock stars, Steve Murdock would be Eric Clapton, even though he only ever wanted to be Johnny Unitas.

The Texas Observer blog reports that Steve Murdock, the State Demographer, has been nominated to be Director of the U.S. Census. This is surely good for the Census, but bad for Texas.

As Jake Bernstein points out in his post, Murdock has been a constant, if sometimes overly technical, prophet of a vastly different Texas, where Hispanics are the majority and our failure to invest in their education and empowerment turns us into a Third World state. He traveled the state extensively, making PowerPoint presentations to diverse groups and enlisting them in the cause of planning for a better future. He created well-researched by readable documents that explained the main points of his thesis. He even wrote a book.

I don't know who would replace Steve Murdock, but I hope his successor has his talent, energy and vision.

Hey, Craddick, Recognize THIS!

The Quorum Report providess a response from Speaker Craddick's office to reports that two House chairs are seeking a formal Attorney General opinion on whether the Speaker may be removed from office during the pendency of his term. I think Craddick's allies have already given up on the argument that he's a constitutional officer, and thus subject to removal only by impeachment.

What's left is the argument that, as Speaker, Craddick has absolute and non-appealable authority to recognize a member for a motion -- or not. Craddick and his supporters have endlessly repeated the excerpt from the rules to that effect, as Alexis DeLee does below in his statement:

June 18, 2007 4:09 PM
SPEAKERS OFFICE RESPONDS TO KEFFER/COOK REQUEST FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINION
We reprint the response in full, below:
Alexis DeLee, press secretary for Speaker Tom Craddick, released the following statement in response to Reps. Keffer and Cook's announcement that they are seeking an Advisory Opinion from Attorney General Greg Abbot [sic]:
"Speaker Craddick welcomes a review by the Attorney General. During the closing days of the session, Speaker Craddick sought the opinions of constitutional law and rules experts, and the advice was instrumental in the Speaker’s decision to move forward with the business of the session.
"The rules of the Texas House of Representatives do not provide for a motion to conduct a Speaker's race in the midst of a session’s business. Furthermore, the rules are clear with regard to the Speaker’s power of recognition.*
"Speaker Craddick acted correctly under the House Rules, the Texas Constitution, and was consistent with traditions of parliamentary practice. But more importantly, the citizens of this state were well-served in that the important business of the legislature prevailed over the internal politics of a speaker’s race."
*House Rule 1, Section 9 reads, "Responses to parliamentary inquiries and decisions of recognition made by the chair may not be appealed." House Rule 5, Section 24 reads, "There shall be no appeal from the speaker’s recognition….[the speaker decides] if recognition is to be granted."
Copyright June 18, 2007 by Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved.

They love to quote House Rule 5, Section 24 with its "no appeal from the speaker's recognition" language, but they always leave out the last part of that sentence. The complete sentence reads, "There shall be no appeal from the speaker’s recognition, but the speaker shall be governed by rules and usage in priority of entertaining motions from the floor." (Emphasis added for obvious reasons.)

Maybe Craddick's copy of the rules does not contain the complete sentence ...

Las Manitas

For well over ten years now, I have been eating regularly at Las Manitas on Congress Avenue. By "regularly," I mean at least once a week, although I've gone through periods where I've been there three, four or more times each week.

One of the things I love about Austin is that it is both a big city -- lots of interesting people, lots to do, the amenities of a big city (although I am sure there are those who would disagree) -- and a small town. Having been here for 20 years, it's rare that I can go to a movie or a restaurant or to the park without running into someone I know. That's a wonderful feeling, as anyone who experiences it knows. For those who do not get to experience it, Austin may seem to be too large, growing too fast, with too much traffic. But to me, it's all that -- plus a little town.

Las Manitas is one of those places where I get that small town sense. Rarely do I go there without seeing at least one person I know, and often I see many more. My friends tease me that Las Manitas is my "embassy" -- the place where I can hold court and visit with lots of people in one fell swoop.

Austin needs places like Las Manitas. In fact, every town needs places like Las Manitas, and the larger the town, the harder it is to find them. There's been lots of grumbling about the city's financial plan to assist Las Manitas, which includes the now-infamous "forgivable" loan. But the loan has some preconditions and stipulations which make it far from a giveaway. And besides, Las Manitas is an actual treasure. Thank goodness our city's leaders will work with the owners to hang on to it.

Texas Monthly's Ten Best, Ten Worst, Etc.

Texas Monthly has published its biennial list of the Ten Best and Ten Worst Legislators. This is always their follow-up to the legislative session.

The publication of the lists is always an event in itself. The lists are rolled out at a well-attended press conference held in the lobby of the Omni Hotel. (WHY? The magazine's offices are in that building.)

Above, Texas Monthly political writers Paul Burka and Patti Kilday Hart announce the list to the assembled media types. Burka is the one with the tie. Below, Elise Hu of Austin's KVUE (ABC Channel 11), T.J. Shroat of In The Pink Texas, Mike Rosen of Austin's KTBC (Fox Channel 7), and Ross Ramsey of Texas Weekly, listen as intently as possible as the press conference moves into its second half hour. I don't know who the other guy is.

For a day or two afterwards, reporters craft stories about the lists (some even saying whether they agree or not), and Capitol staffers and other political types pore over the story to unearth clues to who's up and who's down.

In the end, the Texas Monthly list is just that: a list. There's an interesting debate whether being on the Ten Best or the Ten Worst affects a politician's career.

With that caveat, here are the lists:

Ten Best: Rafael Anchia, Sen. John Carona, Byron Cook, Sen. Bob Deuell, Scott Hochberg, Lois Kolkhorst, Jerry Madden, Sen. Steve Ogden, Sylvester Turner, Sen. Tommy Williams.
Ten Worst: Lon Burnam, Warren Chisum, Speaker Tom Craddick, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Sen. Troy Fraser, Charlie Howard, Sen. Eddie Lucio, Sen. Dan Patrick, Gov. Rick Perry, Debbie Riddle.
Honorable mention: Rob Eissler, Sen. Craig Eltife, Dan Gattis, Fred Hill, Sen. Juan Hinojosa, John Smithee, Burt Solomons, Mark Strama, Senfronia Thompson, Sen. John Whitmire, the Insurgents (Dunnam, Talton, et al.).
Dishonorable mention: Kino Flores, Pat Haggerty, Linda Harper-Brown, S.id Miller, Mike O'Day, Chente Quintanilla, Bill Zedler.
Furniture: Alma Allen, Roberto Alonzo, Wayne Christian, Sen. Craig Estes, Joe Farias, Jim Jackson, Sen. Mike Jackson, Nathan Macias, Armando Martinez.

UPDATE: If you want to hear Burka's and Hart's reasoning re their choices, KVUE has put up a video of most of the press conference here. Thanks to KVUE.

Hangin'g With John Edwards -- No Photo Included

So, I go to Scholz's yesterday to see John Edwards. Along the way, I run into a couple friends, who in turn introduce me to a writer named Clayton Maxwell, who's written some great stuff for the Austin Chronicle, among other publications.

Anyway, it's hotter than hell there. The place is packed (over 1,000 people in that patio area) and, although some fans are blowing, the air is stifling. Wayne Slater of the Dallas Morning News reported that the temperature "hovered around 90 degrees," but it had to be 100 degrees in the shade with all those people packed in.

Anyway, John Edwards gives a great speech. Meanwhile, I run into Mike Lavigne, who's organizing the whole thing, and tell him I want to meet Edwards. He tells me to go back into Saengerrunde Hall, which is the holding area for Edwards and his entourage and is, not unimportantly, air conditioned.

I'm hanging out there with my friend Brooke when, to the roar of the crowd, Edwards finishes his speech, works the rope line for a few minutes, and then comes in. Kirk Watson, who's just endorsed him, is there, as are Fred Baron and Lisa Blue. Now, Fred is Edwards' national finance chairman, and has actually relocated from Dallas to North Carolina for the duration of the race. I chat with Lisa and him for a few minutes, and then ask him if I can meet Edwards and get a picture with him.

Fred, gracious to a fault as always, introduces me to Edwards and I grab Brooke and we get on either side of him, arms around shoulders like rugby players as Fred aims the camera. This is going to be a great picture, right?

Nothing happens. The batteries in my digital camera are dead. Fred shrugs, Edwards smiles, and off they go.

I told the story to Pink Lady from In the Pink Texas later on, and she had one word: "Amateur!"

REAL Voting Fraud: The Strange Case of the Disappearing ACVR, Part One

NPR had a story on Morning Edition today about the mysterious disappearance of the American Center for Voting Rights. The NPR story follows up on stories in Slate magazine and the McClatchy newspapers last month about the center's disappearance.

Here's the deal: The American Center for Voting Rights was founded in the spring of 2005 by some former Bush-Cheney campaign operatives, led by front man was Mark "Thor" Hearne. The Center emerged from the primordial soup a month before a congressional hearing (led by former Congressman, now felon Bob Ney) into electoral irregularities in Ohio. Rather than pursue the voter intimidation and suppression epidemic documented by Robert Kennedy, Jr., the committee keyed off on a report authored by the Center that purported to document widespread voter fraud. And so it went.

In 2005 and 2006, the ACVR was everywhere: testifying in congressional as well as state legislative hearings, issuing so-called "studies" and press releases. Then, sometime in mid- to late 2006, it disappeared. By the time he testified before the Election Assistance Commission in November 2006, Thor was no longer the group's counsel. In early 2007, its website disappeared. The center's disappearance occurred in the same time frame as the firing of nine U.S. Attorneys and the subsequent meltdown of the Attorney General's office. Are they connected?

The Slate article has a good summary of where things stand:

The death of ACVR says a lot about the Republican strategy of raising voter fraud as a crisis in American elections. Presidential adviser Karl Rove and his allies, who have been ghostbusting illusory dead and fictional voters since the contested 2000 election, apparently mounted a two-pronged attack. One part of that attack, at the heart of the current Justice Department scandals, involved getting the DoJ and various U.S. attorneys in battleground states to vigorously prosecute cases of voter fraud. That prong has failed. After exhaustive effort, the Department of Justice discovered virtually no polling-place voter fraud, and its efforts to fire the U.S. attorneys in battleground states who did not push the voter-fraud line enough has backfired. Even if Attorney General Gonzales declines to resign his position, his reputation has been irreparably damaged.

But the second prong of this attack may have proven more successful. This involved using ACVR to give "think tank" academic cachet to the unproven idea that voter fraud is a major problem in elections. That cachet would be used to support the passage of onerous voter-identification laws that depress turnout among the poor, minorities, and the elderly—groups more likely to vote Democratic. Where the Bush administration may have failed to nail illegal voters, the effort to suppress minority voting has borne more fruit, as more states pass these laws, and courts begin to uphold them in the name of beating back waves of largely imaginary voter fraud. Perhaps even with the demise of ACVR, the hard work—of giving credibility to a nonproblem—is done.

Read BradBlog's excellent coverage of the AVCR since it was first established.