Dr Forgione to Retire

Dr. Pat Forgione, the longtime Austin ISD Superintendent, announced his retirement today.

Forgione has been superintendent for nearly 10 years, and will be stepping down just as the state begins a review of the Texas public school accountability system. It'll be interesting, at least to those of us with school-aged kids, to see which candidates emerge to replace Forgione, and what issues arise during the ensuing debate.

Over the past few months, I've been meeting with a number of parents, teachers, principals and others in both the Austin and Round Rock ISDs. Anectdotally, there seems to be a lot of anger and anxiety regarding standardized testing, the overall testing culture, dropout rates, parental involvement and, at the most basic level, whether the school sysyems are effectively preparing our students for college and/or living wage jobs in the "new" economy.

I've heard that a third of central texas 9th graders will never graduate from high school. Of those that do graduate and go on to college, half will have to take remedial courses because they don't have the skills necessary for standard freshman classes. We can do better than that!

What education issues are most important to you and your family? What pressures do you feel as a parent, teacher or administrator? What do want to see the new superintendent tackle?

Tags: AISD; Austin; Forgione

Latest Texas Poll Shows Clinton, Obama About Even

The latest Texas poll numbers, released today from CNN/Opinion Research, show Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama running neck-and-neck with just a few short weeks before the 4 March primary. The numbers:

Clinton - 50%
Obama - 48%

On the GOP side:

McCain - 55%
Huckabee - 32%
Paul - 11%

The MOE was 4.5%. So, do these numbers suggest Clinton might eke out a slim victory in the Lone Star State? Or will Obama continue his winning streak? Which candidate will get more voters to actually cast their ballots and caucus on election day? It's, obviously, too close to call at this point.

Hat Tip: The Page
Tags: 2008; Clinton; Obama; poll; POTUS; Texas

New Texas Presidential Polls Differ

I just stumbled across the new Texas Credit Union League Poll of Texas Primary Voters, which offers a different take than the most recent ARG data (which I posted earlier today).

Here's the Democratic data from TCUL:

Clinton - 49%
Obama - 41%

And for the GOP:

McCain - 45%
Huckabee - 41%
Paul - 6%

ARG shows Obama ahead, while TCUL has Clinton in the lead. Both polls were released in the last day or two, and both were based on very recent data (within the past week). Why the difference?

It looks like the TCUL poll reached voters identified specifically as Democratic party members, while the ARG data targeted voters who were likely to vote in the Democratic primary, regardless of their current party affiliation. The results appear to suggest that Obama is picking up significant support from Republican and independent voters who plan to cross party lines and vote on the Democratic ballot come 4 March.

What's your take on these dueling polls? Will Obama's crossover appeal hold on election day?

Related Posts:
New Texas Poll Numbers (3 February)
(Another) New Texas Poll Released (15 February)

Hat Tip: Postcards
Tags: 2008; Clinton; Obama; poll; POTUS; Texas

(Another) New Texas Poll Released

ARG released the results of a new Texas presidential primary preferences poll this morning. This is the first poll I've seen since the IRV poll I mentioned back on 3 February, and the first one that shows Barack Obama leading Hillary Clinton. Evidence of Obamamentum hitting the Lone Star State?

Here's the breakdown for the Democratic race:

Obama - 48%
Clinton - 42%
Someone Else - 3%
Undecided - 7%

And for the Republicans:

McCain - 42%
Huckabee - 36%
Paul - 11%
Someone Else - 2%
Undecided - 9%

Interesting stuff and exciting times for us political junkies! Your thoughts?

UPDATE: Yet another poll released today, with different results.

Tags: 2008; Clinton; Obama; poll; POTUS; Texas

Clinton and Obama Coming to Austin

It appears that Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, still fighting it out for the Democratic Presidential nomination, will be holding a debate here in Austin next week. The Page is reporting that the debate will be at the LBJ Library next Thursday, February 21.

More today from Postcards.

I haven't heard if the debate will be open to the public, but I'd be interested in attending. Anybody out there know how to get a seat?

UPDATE: I understand that the debate will be on the UT campus, not at the LBJ Library. Also, there will be 100 tickets available for the general public. They'll be distributed using a lottery system. You can enter the ticket drawing on the Texas Democrats website.

Tags: 2008; Austin; Clinton; debate; Obama; Texas

Mail Call: McCain x 3; DCCC; NRCC

Alright, it's been three weeks since I've gone through the Political Yak mail bag and things seem to have picked up a bit even though my (new) home state of Texas doesn't vote until next month. Both parties' nominations are still up for grabs, with no overwhelming lead in the races on either side of the aisle, so it looks like those of us in yet-to-vote states are primarily being tapped for funding the nomination fights and party building, at least so far, on the direct mail side of things.

Senator John McCain has been quite prolific since the first of the year, with 3 fundraising appeals in the last 4 weeks (all similar to his last piece) as he attempts to make up lost ground. I haven't seen any recent fundraising totals, but it's fairly obvious that McCain, even though he now leads most national polls, will need to substantially buildup his warchest to compete against Governor Mitt Romney who can self-fund his campaign, if he desires.

I also received my first direct mail fundraising pieces of the year from the Dems' DCCC and the GOP's NRCC. The Dem's piece offers the recipient "membership" in the organization, while the GOP includes a "Nationwide Policy Survey."

It'll be interesting to see how the direct mail campaigns change, if the nomination battles are still being waged come March, when the Lone Star state votes.

Tags: 2008; DCCC; direct mail; fundraising; McCain; NRCC

New Texas Poll Numbers

IVR has some new poll numbers on the presidential primary race in Texas.

Here's the breakdown for the GOP:

Romney 30% (11%)
McCain 29% (24%)
Huckabee 20% (26%)
Paul 8% (4%)
Keyes 3% (0%)
Undecided 10% (8%)

And the Dems:

Clinton 48% (46%)
Obama 38% (28%)
Gravel 3% (0%)
Undecided 10% (8%)

Polls can be wrong, but it's interesting nonetheless to see how the numbers have shifted since the last count.

UPDATE: Another poll was released 15 February (click for the results).

UPDATE 2: Yet another poll released 15 February, with different results.

Hat Tip: Postcards
Tags: 2008; poll; POTUS; Texas

American-Statesman Endorses McCain, Obama

This morning the editorial board of the Austin American-Statesman jumped into the fray of presidential primary politics and endorsed Senator John McCain on the GOP ticket. Tommorow's paper will carry their endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for the Dems.

On McCain:

A conservative, McCain also is pragmatic - he tries to solve problems, not just make the world, or the nation, work the way ideologues say it should....

We’re also confident that, in fighting terrorism, McCain would not besmirch the honor of the American people. When McCain demanded that Americans be barred from torturing this nation’s enemies, he wielded a moral authority that no other U.S. leader could match....

But he knows that politics is supposed to be about working together to solve problems, not just crushing political enemies. And so he worked with Democrats in Congress to pass campaign finance reform legislation and on a major immigration reform bill that ultimately did not pass.

McCain’s record in Congress is that of a solid Republican. He has a lifetime rating of 82.3 percent from the American Conservative Union. Some conservatives say that rating isn’t nearly high enough. For us, though, it’s an indication that McCain cannot be zipped into anyone’s straitjacket.

On Obama:

At home, we’re divided into red and blue camps. Democrats and Republicans have stoked divisions to advance their party’s interests. Meanwhile, Washington is stumbling along with its red leg moving right and blue one lurching left.

Along the way, elected officials - and the public - have forgotten that those legs are part of the same body. It’s not surprising, therefore, that we’ve danced in place, failing to make progress on the big challenges that confront our country. Young people, disillusioned and disheartened with their government, have tuned out.

No other candidate except Obama offers a way out of that rut. He has articulated a vision that would allow the legs of government to again move fluidly in a natural motion that takes the country forward.

I'm curious as to the timing of the Austin paper's picks. Super Tuesday is just days away, but Texas is not part of it. One would think a local (regional?) paper like the Statesman wouldn't have much influence beyond its subscriber base. Perhaps the editors believe their opinions will be moot by the time Texans go to the polls until 4 March?

Tags: 2008; Austin American-Statesman; endorsements; McCain; Obama; POTUS

Texas Governor Settles for Second Choice

Texas Governor Rick Perry, who found himself suddenly without a candidate when Rudy Giuliani dropped out of the presidential race Wednesday, wasted no time in throwing his support behind another candidate, Senator John McCain.

Perry officially endorsed McCain yesterday, saying that the maverick Republican "can and will win the war on terror.... Everything else is kind of secondary."

Tags: 2008; endorsements; McCain; Perry; POTUS

State of the Union in 60 Seconds

Didn't have time to watch all 50 minutes of President Bush's State of the Union address? No problem. Here are the highlights in 60 seconds.

Hat Tip: Clicked
Tags: 2008; Bush; SOTU

Mail Call: McCain Strikes First in New Year

Ah, now I know it's an election year! The first piece of political junk direct mail of 2008 arrived in my mail box last week! Senator John McCain strikes first this year (at least here at the Political Yak HQ) with a request for an "emergency campaign contribution."

The fundraising letter mentions "Mitt Romney's deep pockets," touts McCain as "the only Republican... who can beat Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama" and says he "must raise $1.7 million in the next 7 days."

Tags: 2008; fundraising; mail; John McCain

Texas Dems Force Kucinich Off Primary Ballot

Texas Democratic Party officials have cut Congressman Dennis Kucinich from the state's March 3 Presidential Primary ballot, citing a "defective" application. Kucinich responded by filing a lawsuit in federal court and seeking a judicial injunction to prevent his name from being dropped. An initial hearing was held in an Austin courthouse this morning.

The legal rangling appears to be over a section of the Texas Democratic Party candidate application that requires candidates to sign what Kucinich calls a "blind loyalty oath," a promise to "fully support" the eventual Democratic Party nominee. The six-term Ohio Congressman apparently crossed out that section of his application (.pdf) when filing the required paperwork. He has since said he would sign the oath, provided he is allowed to write in a statement that his support would be conditional on the eventual nominee's refusal to use war as an instrument of foreign policy. The party will not allow such an edit.

Aside from the loyalty oath, Kucinich's application is in compliance with Democratic party rules.

My take? I'd refuse to sign the statement as well! What Dem officials say is necessary to unite the party, is instead a heavy-handed tactic to censor individual candidate's opinions and to maintain control of an outdated party apparatus that stifles debate and attempts to stomp out unpopular views. The Texas Republican Party requires no such oath. Why do the Dems insist on it?

Hat Tip: MSNBC; Texas Politics
Tags: 2008; Democrats; Kucinich; President; Texas

One Person, One Vote? Not in the Texas Legislature!

Well, let's say you a fine, civic-minded citizen who recently moved to Texas. You're a bit concerned when you find out that election officials can change your vote after it's been cast. But you really start to get pissed off when you discover that after the election, once whoever won the official tally is in office, he or she may not actually get to vote on all those bills making there way through the Texas legislature... because one of their colleagues managed to steal their vote!

WTF!?!




Hat Tip: Austin American-Statesman
Tag: fraud; legislature; Texas; voting

Welcome to Texas, Where Big Brother Can Change Your Vote

Last year I posted several items about potential problems with the electronic voting machines used in Maryland (a few samples are here, here, and here). Well, another year has gone by, I'm in Texas now and election day is fast approaching.... Imagine my chagrin when I stumbled across this:

At least one of the electronic voting systems used in Texas "allows anyone with access and a passcode to modify vote totals from an election without leaving any record of the modification."

Doh!

Ah, well, at least Texas isn't alone, Verified Voting reports that the same system is used in 16 other states as well. Nice!

Hat Tip: Clicked
Tags: electronic voting; elections; Texas

Colbert Denied Ballot Access

Sad news for my friends and readers in South Carolina:

Reuters is reporting that Steven Colbert has lost his bid to appear on the Democratic Party presidential primary ballot in the Palmetto State. The state party's executive committee voted 13-3 to reject his application and refund his $2,500 application fee.

As for his appearance on the Republican ticket.... It's a no-go as well. During last night's broadcast of the Colbert Report, he informed viewers that he had decided against filing the necessary paperwork for the GOP ballot because of the excessive fee, saying, "There's no way I'm giving $35,000 to the Republicans!"

Well, it was fun while it lasted Mr. Colbert!

My question? Why does the Republican Party of South Carolina require a $35,000 fee to run for office, while the Dems only charge $2,500?

UPDATE (10:55pm): Colbert just confirmed the Dems decision on tonight's show. So, one more question.... Can anybody say write-in candidacy?

Tags: 2008; comedy; Stephen Colbert; president; South Carolina

More State Deciders Deciding Who They Want to Decide

There seems to have been a flurry of gubernatorial endorsements for the 2008 presidential race in recent days, so I thought I would do a quick search and check on those that I may have missed. Here's the tally of what I found:

Rudy Giuliani:

• Texas Governor Rick Perry

Mike Huckabee:

• South Dakota Governor Mike Rounds

John McCain:

• Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels
• Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty
• Utah Governor Jon Huntsman

Mitt Romney:

• Missouri Governor Matt Blunt
• Rhode Island Governor Don Carcieri

Hillary Clinton:

• Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley
• Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm
• New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine
• New York Governor Eliot Spitzer

Barack Obama:

• Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich
• Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick
• Virginia Governor Tim Kaine

Oh, almost forgot, I suppose the only sitting governor to also be a candidate, could be construed as having endorsed himself....

Bill Richardson:

• New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson

Well, there you have it. It looks like Clinton is in the lead currently with four endorsements, followed closely by McCain and Obama with three each. Will her lead hold? Will it make a difference? Only time, and votes, will tell.

Hat Tip: Previously linked news reports and an analysis by Stateline.org
Tags: 2008; endorsements; Governor; President

What if You gave a Primary and Nobody Came?

Due to Michigan's encroachment on New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation primary, most of the Democratic candidtes for president have withdrawn from the state's January 15th ballot. Those remaining? Chris Dodd, Mike Gravel, Hillary Clinton and Dennis Kucinich (who's is trying to withdraw). So, when you're snubbed by most of your party's candidates, what's a governor to do? Endorse their chief rival, of course!

Which is exactly what Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm did today when she endorsed Senator Hillary Clinton in the 2008 presidential race. Hey, maybe she thought Clinton was the best candidate. Maybe she just wanted to take a swipe at the other guys for boycotting the state. Who knows?

The real question is, does this endorsement matter... at all?

Look, Clinton's the only top-tier candidate left on the ballot, so she's probably going to win with or without the endorsement. Also, the DNC may strip the state of its delegates (for breaking the rules on primary dates) so her win could well be negated when it counts, on the convention floor. Will the Michigan governor's choice impact voters in other states? Probably not much.

So, my take? At most it's another feather in Clinton's cap, but it's a feather that's not worth a whole lot.

Hat Tip: The Page
Tags: 2008; Clinton; endorsements; Governor; Granholm; Michigan; President