the weaker party

If you don't know the rules, you don't know how to play the game.

Tuesday, November 10, 2026

From the Houston Chronicle:

- How James Talarico turned Texas blue: Inside the voting numbers behind his Senate win.

- How Republicans lost Texas, in three maps.

 

Posted by The Weaker Party at 12:56 PM
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Sections

  • Section One - Power, Authority, Government, and Politics
  • Section Two - Constitutions and Charters
  • Section Three - Federalism and Budgeting
  • Section Four - Civil Liberties and Criminal Justice
  • Section Five - Political Institutions
  • Section Six - Elections and Campaigns
  • Section Seven - Politics Parties, Interest Groups, and Lobbyists
  • Section Eight - The Media, Public Opinion, and Public Relations
  • Section Nine - The Governing Institutions
  • Section Ten - The Legislature
  • Section Eleven - The Executive
  • Section Twelve - The Judiciary
  • Section Thirteen - Public Policy and Equal Treatment
  • Section Fourteen - Public Finance and Economic Policy
  • Section Fifteen - Domestic Policy
  • Section Sixteen - Foreign Policy

Section 1 - GOVT 2305 (Constitutions and Budgets)

  • The Deficiencies of the Articles of Confederation
  • Aristotle and His Classification of Government
  • Britain's Unwritten Constitution
  • British Colonization of the Americas - Merchant Adventurers
  • Checks and Balances
  • Civil Liberties
  • Constitutions, Charters, Statutory Code, etc . . .
  • Declaration of Independence - United States
  • Fiscal Federalism
  • Laws enacted by the First General Assembly of Virginia
  • Limits on Judges
  • Limits on Police
  • Limits on Prosecutors
  • Limits on Punishment
  • Max Weber: Power and Authority
  • Political Liberty: Speech, Press, Assembly, Petition
  • Public Finance: Government Expenditures
  • Public Finance: Government Revenue
  • Religious Liberty: Establishment and Free Exercise
  • Substantive Liberties
  • Territorial History of the USA: Every Month for 400 Years
  • The _______ Powers (fill in the blank)
  • The 10th Amendment - The Reserved Powers
  • The 14th Amendment
  • The 27 Amendments to the Unites States Constitution
  • The 9th Amendment: The Unenumerated Rights
  • The Enumerated Powers
  • The First Virginia Charter 1606
  • The Incorporation of the Bill of Rights to the States
  • The Original United States Constitution
  • The Procedural Liberties
  • The Separation of Powers
  • What is a Government?
  • What is Corruption?
  • What is Federalism?
  • What is Politics?
  • Why do you have to take this class? Part 1
  • Why do you have to take this class? Part 2

Section 2 - GOVT 2305 (The Political Institutions)

  • A History of Interests in the United States
  • A rage for paper money . . .
  • Campaign Finance
  • Campaigns
  • Collective Action, the Free Rider Problem and Selective Incentives
  • Elections - Basic Concepts
  • Elections in the United States Constitution
  • Elections, Appointments, and the Separated Powers
  • Federalist 10
  • Freedom of Assembly: Interest Groups and Political Parties
  • Freedom of Speech: Public Opinion
  • Freedom of the Press: The Media
  • Freedom to Petition: Lobbying
  • Information, Disinformation, and Misinformation
  • Interest Groups
  • Is a Campaign Finance Constitutionally Protected Free Speech? Buckley v Valeo
  • Is Voting a Right Guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution?
  • Issue Networks, Iron Triangles, and the Revolving Door
  • Parties as Organizations
  • Parties in the Electorate
  • Parties in the Government
  • Political Culture
  • Political Eras of the United States
  • Political Parties
  • Public Opinion and Ideology
  • Suffrage
  • The Battle Over Suffrage
  • The First Amendment and the Political Institutions
  • The Political Institutions
  • The Voting Rights Act and Shelby v Holder
  • U.S. Election Code
  • Voter Registration
  • What is a Mega Donor?
  • What is a Political Action Committee (PAC)?
  • What is a Super PAC?
  • What is Democracy?

Section 3 - GOVT 2305 (The Governing Institutions)

  • The Governing Institutions
  • The Separation of Powers
  • Representation, Efficiency, and Fairness
  • What is a representative? What is an administrator? What is a judge?
  • The Checks and Balances
  • The Legislative Power
  • The U.S. Constitution - Article One
  • Congress
  • United States Code
  • The Executive Power
  • The U.S. Constitution - Article Two
  • U.S. Administrative Law
  • The Presidency
  • The Bureaucracy
  • The Judicial Power
  • The U.S. Constitution - Article Three
  • U.S. Case Law
  • The U.S. Supreme Court
  • The Federal Courts

Section 4 - GOVT 2305

  • What Is Public Policy?
  • Market Failure
  • Public Goods - What are they? What types exist?
  • Federalism and Public Policy
  • Public Policy and the Enumerated Powers
  • Foreign Policy

Section 1 - GOVT 2306 (Constitutions and Budgets)

  • A collection of videos regarding counties in Texas
  • All About the 2024-2025 Texas Budget
  • Amendments to the 1876 Texas Constitution
  • Constitutions, Charters, Statutory Code, etc . . .
  • Declaration of Independence - Texas
  • Federalism
  • Fiscal Size-Up: Areas of Spending
  • From the Texas Education Agency: Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for K - 12. Government
  • Local Government
  • Terminology for GOVT 2306 Module 1
  • Texas Constitution, Article 11: Municipal Corporations
  • Texas Constitution, Article 9: Counties
  • Texas Local Government Code
  • The Constitutions of Texas
  • The Current Texas Constitution
  • The First Virginia Charter 1606
  • The Harris County 2024 Budget
  • The original 1876 Texas Constitution
  • The States within the United States Constitutional System
  • Video: Annexation History - Planning and Development Department - City of Houston
  • Video: How the Texas Budget Works: An Overview
  • Video: Territorial History of the USA: Every Month for 400 Years
  • Video: What is a Constitution's Purpose?
  • Video: What is the Purpose of Article IV?
  • What are Single Purpose Governments?

Section 2 - GOVT 2306 (The Political Institutions)

  • Campaign Finance
  • Campaigns
  • Collective Action, the Free Rider Problem and Selective Incentives
  • Elections
  • Elections in the Unites States Constitution
  • For Comparison: The U.S. and Texas Bills of Rights
  • Interest Groups
  • Political Culture
  • Political Freedom
  • Political Parties
  • Public Opinion and Ideology
  • Suffrage
  • Terminology for GOVT 2306 Module 2
  • Texas Constitution - Article 6 - Suffrage
  • Texas Election Code
  • Texas Party Platforms
  • The First Amendment and the Political Institutions
  • The Political Institutions
  • What is a Megadonor?
  • What is a Political Action Committee?
  • What is a Super PAC?
  • What is Democracy?

Section 3 - GOVT 2306 (The Governing Institutions)

  • Terminology for GOVT 2306 Module 3
  • The Governing Institutions
  • The Separation of Powers
  • The Texas Legislature - Relevant Links
  • The Texas Executive: Elective Offices - Relevant Links
  • The Texas Executive: The Bureaucracy - Relevant Links
  • The Texas Judiciary - Relevant Links
  • The Legislative Power
  • The Executive Power
  • The Judicial Power

Section 4 - GOVT 2306 (Public Policy)

  • Terminology for GOVT 2306 Module 4
  • Market Failure
  • What Is Public Policy?
  • Categories of Public Policies
  • Federalism and Public Policy
  • Fiscal Size-Up - Areas of Public Policy in Texas
  • Education Policy in Texas
  • Health and Human Services Policy in Texas
  • Business and Economic Development Policy in Texas
  • Criminal Justice and Public Safety in Texas
  • Natural Resources Policy in Texas
  • Regulatory Policy in Texas
  • Laws related to Women, Children, Families, and Marriage
  • The Culture Wars

Terms and Lecture Notes

  • . . . A rage for paper money
  • 117th Congress - Major Laws
  • 1st United States Congress
  • An Overview of Public Policy
  • Appointments
  • Campaign Finance
  • Campaign Professionals
  • Campaigns
  • Candidates
  • Checks and Balances
  • City Ordinances
  • Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights
  • Constitutions and Charters
  • Declaration of Independence - Texas
  • Declaration of Independence - United States
  • Disinformation
  • Economic Policy
  • Elections
  • Elections in the United States Constitution
  • Equal Protection / Civil Rights
  • Executive Departments and Agencies
  • Federalism
  • Federalism and Public Policy
  • Federalist 10
  • Federalist 51
  • For Comparison: The U.S. and Texas Bills of Rights
  • Foreign Policy
  • Forms of Government: Aristotle and His Classification of Government
  • Interest Groups
  • Lobbying
  • Local Government
  • Market Failure
  • No Really . . . why do you have to take this class? Part 1
  • No really . . . why do you have to take this class? Part 2
  • Political Culture
  • Political Parties
  • Political Polarization
  • Popular Sovereignty - Dual Sovereignty - Tribal Sovereignty
  • Public Goods - What are they? What types exist?
  • Public Opinion
  • Public Policy
  • Public Policy and the Enumerated Powers
  • Regulatory Policy
  • Social Policy
  • State Political Culture
  • Suffrage
  • Territorial History of the USA: Every Month for 400 Years
  • Texas Constitution - Amendments
  • Texas Constitution - current version
  • Texas Constitution - Development
  • Texas Constitution - original 1876 versiobn
  • Texas Election Code
  • Texas Legislature - 88th Regular Session
  • Texas Public Policy - Fiscal Size-Up: Areas of Spending / State Agencies
  • The Bureaucracy
  • The Culture Wars
  • The deficiencies of the confederated system
  • The Executive
  • The Federal System
  • The First Amendment and the Political Institutions
  • The First Virginia Charter 1606
  • The Fiscal Size-Up
  • The Governing Institutions
  • The Judiciary
  • The Legislature
  • The Political Institutions
  • The Powell Memo
  • The Press
  • The Separated Powers
  • The Separated Powers and The Checks and Balances
  • The States within the United States Constitutional System
  • U.S. Constitution: The Enumerated Powers - Article 1, Section 8
  • U.S. Executive Departments - The First Three
  • United States Executive Agencies created in the 19th Century
  • United States Executive Departments Created in the 20th Century
  • Voter Turnout and Political Behavior
  • Washington's Farewell Address 1796
  • What is Power
  • What Is Public Policy?

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