From 538: Everybody Hates Chris Christie

I'm not linking to this because it has anything to do with Governor Christie, but because of this graph the article (click here for it) contains:



Here's a description of what you're looking at:

I’ve matched the net favorability rating (favorable rating minus unfavorable rating) of every major party nominee among their party’s members since 1980 against the percentage of party members who could form an opinion of them during the first six months of the year before the primaries.

Some nominees, such as Democrats Michael Dukakis and Bill Clinton, weren’t well known at this point in the campaign. Some, such as Republicans Bob Dole and Ronald Reagan, were very well known and popular. There was George W. Bush in 1999, who was particularly well liked, even if he wasn’t universally known. But no prior nominee had a net favorability rating more than 10 percentage points below where you’d expect given his name recognition.

Christie is 25 percentage points off the pace.

This provides another look at the range of candidates for the Republican nomination and compares them with where successful candidates in the past - for either party - fit in terms of recognition and favorability.

What is a college education? David Ray at TEDxOU

One of your fellow students sent this to me and I think it might be worth your time to watch it. This fits with the theme of the opening section of both 2305 and 2306.

Enjoy!

From the Washington Post: Arizona will require high school students to pass citizenship test to graduate. Can you pass?

They want their high school students to know as much as newly naturalized citizens.

- Click here for the article.

Arizona high school students will have to pass the same test that immigrants must take to obtain citizenship before they graduate under a new law signed Thursday by Gov. Doug Ducey (R).

The first-of-its-kind law will require students to take the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization civics test, a set of 100 basic questions on U.S. government and history. Students will have to get 60 of the 100 questions correct in order to graduate.

The measure passed the state House and Senate in a single day. It’s one of the first measures Ducey, inaugurated earlier this week, signed into law.

Arizona is just the first state to require citizenship tests for high school students. The Civics Education Initiative is pursuing similar legislation in dozens of states, with the goal of mandating the test in all 50 states by Sept. 17, 2017 — the 230th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution. In Arizona, CEI’s effort was spearheaded by former senators Dennis DeConcini (D) and Jon Kyl (R).

In total, 18 states are likely to consider civics test requirements this year. North Dakota legislators this week advanced their own version through a state House committee.

We'll take some of this in class.

From the NYT: Koch Brothers’ Budget of $889 Million for 2016 Is on Par With Both Parties’ Spending

Much has been - and will continue to be - written about the influence of money in politics, especially that of deep pocketed individuals with agendas. The Koch Brothers stand out from the crowd because of their aggressiveness.

Soon enough - in 2305 - we will discuss the Citizens United decision and its impact on the amount of money private individuals can spend on campaigns, but here's an interesting twist. The Koch Brothers reportedly plan to spend as much money as either of the major political parties on the next presidential election. Meaning that they effectively are establishing their own political party - or at least put themselves in a position where they can influence the candidates of either party they choose.

This news was leaked from a recent retreat held by the brothers that was attended by several potential 2016 candidates.

- Click here for the NYT article. 

“It’s no wonder the candidates show up when the Koch brothers call,” said David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Mr. Obama. “That’s exponentially more money than any party organization will spend. In many ways, they have superseded the party.”

The group’s budget, disclosed by a conference attendee, reflects the rising ambition and expanded reach of the Koch operation, which has sought to distinguish itself from other outside groups by emphasizing the role of donors over consultants and political operatives.

While the Koch’s expansive network houses groups with discretely political functions — a data and analytics firm, a state-focused issue-advocacy group and affinity groups aimed at young voters and Hispanics — it also includes groups like Freedom Partners, a trade organization overseen by Koch advisers that plans the retreat and helps corral contributions; Americans for Prosperity, a national grass-roots group; and Concerned Veterans for America, which organizes conservative veterans

While almost no Republican Party leaders were invited to the Koch event, it has become a coveted invitation for the party’s rising stars, for whom the gathered billionaires and multimillionaires are a potential source of financing for campaigns and super PACs. Officials said this year’s conference was the largest ever.

At least five potential presidential candidates were invited this year, and four attended, including Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin. On Sunday evening, three of them — Senators Marco Rubio of Florida, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas — took part in a candidate forum on economic issues.

From the Monkey Cage: The decline of local news is threatening citizen engagement

The authors find that the loss of local newspapers - and presumably less information about local matters - leads to less interest and engagement. The problems this posses for "keeping the republic" seem obvious.

Just as interesting, the authors argue that the decline in competitive races for the US House of Representatives has led to less coverage of these races, which in turn has led to less knowledge about them and then less engagement.

And there's more: The increasing number of options available for information has meant that those who follow politics know more and more because they have access to more information and those who want to avoid it have other places to go. They know less and less.

File this under: "important thing to read"

- Click here for the article.

The author does link to this cool cat video.

These guys do a better job than I do outlining the legislative process.

From The Texas Tribune: Patrick Sets Committees; Taylor Gets Education

Lieutenant Governor Patrick announced his committee picks, along with his decision about who will chair these committees, for this session. This is a key power granted to the lieutenant governor and provides a degree of control over the legislative process in that chamber.

ACC's state senator Larry Taylor will chair the Education Committee.

- Click here for the article.

I found this an interesting look at power in the chamber:

There had been speculation among Capitol observers that the higher education committee, chaired by Seliger, who has been an occasional critic of Patrick's, might be folded into the education committee. Not only did it survive, however, but Seliger, who sponsored a fundraiser for Patrick and contributed to his campaign, retained his chairmanship.

And there's this about Taylor:

Who Patrick would pick to chair Education, the committee he headed as a state senator, was a subject of much discussion heading into the session.

Taylor, a sophomore, served on the committee he will now lead during the 2013 legislative session. Before elected to the Senate in 2012, he spent 10 years in the House.

During his time in the lower chamber, he was perhaps best known for leading the charge, along with tort reform groups, to overhaul the Texas Windstorm Insurance Association, a state-funded insurance pool that has paid out millions in damages for hurricane-related lawsuits. The fight became a proxy battle between Texans for Lawsuit Reform and the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, and later resulted in top trial lawyer and Democratic donor Steve Mostyn pouring money into an unsuccessful attempt to defeat Taylor's bid for Senate in 2012.

In his first year as a senator, Taylor carried two education bills, both co-sponsored with Patrick. One was a so-called "parent trigger" bill, which requires the state to convert failing campuses to charter schools if enough parents petition. The other was legislation similar to House Bill 5, which ultimately became law, making changes to curriculum requirements and reducing the number of state standardized tests for high school students.

Texas Legislature set to limit scope of city ordinances

Despite the historical importance of local government in the state, the legislature - with the support of Governor Abbott - will try to place restrictions on the ability to cities to pass ordinances on a variety of matters.

He frames the matter in ideological terms we're covering in 2305: individualism v collectivism.

The tension reflects the ideological differences between the state government and local governments.

- New Texas Governor Adds To Tension Between State, City Governments.

"The truth is, Texas is being California-ized with bag bans, fracking bans, tree-cutting bans," Abbott said. "We're forming a patchwork quilt of bans and rules and regulations that is eroding the Texas model."

The Texas model Abbott refers to is a conservative vision of the state's business interests unburdened by regulation, legal obligations and taxes. But while state government is Republican through and through, Texas cities are mostly Democratic.

As the Texas Legislature has become more and more conservative, it's become clear to the state's cities that if they don't pass environmental regulations — requiring business permits for junkyards, charging developers for clear-cutting lots, surcharges on plastic grocery bags — nobody will.

The Dallas Morning News thinks this effort is misguided

- Editorial: Since when did a plastic bag ordinance become a collectivist plot?

Gee, we didn’t think a city ban on polluting plastic bags meant we were turning into socialists. Collectivism? We just have bags in trees.

. . . When possible, decision-making should rest in the hands of local officials and citizens who are trying to solve a specific problem. Certainly, there are exceptions; we’ve favored a few. But the burden of proof for the exception should be on Austin to make its case. Short of that, we would urge Abbott to respect the decisions of cities like Dallas and Denton that don’t want noisy, polluting fracking operations and have found solutions that fit their communities. The same is true for plastic bags and junk yards and other local quality-of-life issues.

Enacting local limits on drilling or tree cutting or plastic bags or junk dealers isn’t collectivism. It’s good local government.

Here's a good look at the coalitions within the Republican Party as of early 2015

Mitt Doesn’t Know When To Quit
Romney And The GOP’s Five-Ring Circus.

From Vox: The real state of the union, in 33 maps and charts

If you like maps and charts, you'll like this page.

- Click here for it.

It contains info about both the state of the union and the relative status of each state. So it's useful for both 2305 and 2306.

Here's a sampling:

From boom to bust?

The Dallas Morning News thinks we're in bad shape.

- Click here for the article.

I'll look for other opinions, but think about this in terms of revenue collection for the state.

The Texas Legislature Online

For 2306 students, this should be a go to site this semester. It's the best place to track bills, among other things.

- Click here for it.

Tracking the 84th Legislature - Part One

Here's the first batch of articles related to the recently begun legislative session in Austin. I have some catching up to do, but this should give you an idea about what's up so far.

We'll go over highlights in class.

- Dan Patrick Moves to Set Agenda at Lege.
- Dan Patrick Kills the Two-Thirds Rule.

The Texas Tribune highlights four key issues this session:

1 - Consolidating Texas’ health agencies.

The Sunset Advisory Commission has recommended that lawmakers in 2015 consolidate the state’s five health departments into one “mega-agency,” a move the commission says would make Texas’ health bureaucracy less fragmented and more efficient.

- Click here for the Sunset Advisory Commission.

2 - Combating local drilling ordinances.

Texas officials have become acutely aware of Denton, home to two universities, 277 gas wells and, now, Texas’ first ban on hydraulic fracturing. In November, voters in the Barnett Shale town overwhelmingly supported a ballot proposal to ban the oil and gas extraction method — widely known as fracking — within city limits.

Proponents called the measure a last-ditch effort to address noise and toxic fumes that spew from wells just beyond their backyards, after loopholes and previous zoning decisions rendered changes to the city’s drilling ordinance unenforceable. Critics — including Republican state regulators and lawmakers — argue that state drilling regulations trump Denton’s. And because of current shale economics, they argue that the measure amounts to a ban on all drilling — denying mineral owners their property rights.

Just hours after voters approved the ban, the Texas General Land Office and Texas Oil and Gas Association challenged it in separate lawsuits. Some state lawmakers have also promised to fight the ban in the statehouse, though Denton-area Republicans say they will leave the decision to the judges.

 3 - Enhancing gun rights.

Since 1995, Texans have been able to carry concealed handguns if they take training and obtain a license. Today, it is one of six states that specifically prohibit the unconcealed display of handguns. Multiple bills have been filed targeting handgun restrictions, and one calls for lifting licensing requirements altogether.

4 - Reducing property taxes.

State lawmakers, and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in particular, have expressed a strong interest in finding a way to reduce property taxes this session. The Texas Constitution prohibits a statewide property tax and empowers local governments and schools and special districts to levy those taxes. Most property tax revenue goes to public schools.

The state has previously attempted to ease pressure on higher local property tax rates by increasing what it spends on education. But the state cannot set the local rates because of the constitutional ban on state property taxes, and other local taxing entities, including counties and cities, also collect property taxes.

Proposals likely to draw interest include capping how much local entities can increase property taxes and increasing the homestead exemption.

Today's Chart

Lower and middle classes have done worse in the United States than in comparable countries.

Catching up with the "Donor Class"

The new attention given to the middle class is very likely in response to the rise of the donor class - the relatively small groups of wealthy people who have the funds - and recently the legal ability - to bankroll the candidacies of their preferred politicians.

At some point in class we'll look over the question about how democratic the United States and Texas really are. If these small groups can control who wins and what they stand for, then doesn't that make us an oligarchy?

- The Rise of the Political Donor Class.
- Clinton plans to astound, intimidate with fundraising ‘like nothing you’ve seen’
- In America; The Donor Class.
- Why the 'donor class' matters, especially in the GOP presidential scrum.

"middle-class populism"

That seems to be the phrase used most often to refer to the proposals the president made in Tuesday's speech - so it's the new hip political buzzword. It stems from the multiple proposals the president made the direct resources and benefits to the middle class - as opposed to the wealthy or the poor. These proposals include tax credits and no tuition for community college. Both parties seem attuned finally to the fact that middle class wages have stagnated for several decades.

The section on ideology discusses populism - here's are a few definitions, some positive, some negative:

- "A political philosophy supporting the rights and power of the people in their struggle against the privileged elite."

- "A political strategy based on a calculated appeal to the interests or prejudices of ordinary people."

- "An egalitarian political philosophy or movement that promotes the interests of the common people."

- "A political doctrine that appeals to the interests and conceptions (such as hopes and fears) of the general people, especially contrasting those interests with the interests of the elite."

The Tea Party is often described as a middle class populist movement as well, so perhaps these proposals are intended to defuse the movement a bit - perhaps bring some back into the Democratic fold. Obama is out of office in two years so any animosity towards the party that is based attitudes toward him will likely dissipate - assuming Democrats nominate a candidate that doesn't punch the same nerves as Obama has with that part of the electorate.

Here's a sampling of news items using the phrase "middle-class populism."

- Time: Barack Obama Is Ready to Rejoin the Battle.
- Vox: America just got its first glimpse at Hillarynomics — here's what it looks like.
- Michael Gerson: The reality conservatives must face.
- The Brooklyn Rail: WHITHER THE REPUBLICAN PARTY? The 2014 Election and the Future of Capital’s “A-Team”

From the Dish: Obama Has Changed The Debate

This might help 2305 students formulate answer to this week's written assignment. It touches on the ideological implications of Obama's SOTU speech, and how it might frame the issues of concern in the 2016 election.

- Click here for the post.

A debate concerning the proper foundation of governments

SOTU word graph

This think is pretty fun.

- Click here for it.

You can compare the frequency of words used in SOTU's over American history.

From the New Critereon: Augustus & the birth of the West

The Dish flags a the latest story on the person most responsible for Romes' shift from republic to empire - Augustus Caesar. He recently turned 2000.

- Click here for the Dish's appraisal.
- Click here for the article - which is behind a paywall.

Along with his better known uncle Julius - Augustus was considered a warning by the framers of the Constitution. An ambitious person who was able to consolidate power and rule directly - no input was necessary from the general population unless he thought it expeditious.

The irony is that despite all this, it's the Roman Empire (with the coliseum and aqueducts and the rest) that we remember and what is emulated in the architecture American government. Consolidated governments can sometimes enhance peace and prosperity - at least for a while. This creates the obvious dilemma.

From the article:

Bereft of historical sensitivity and untutored in the milestones of world history, Americans let slip by, all but unnoticed, the bimillennium of the death of one of the truly towering figures in Western history. While the works of Alexander the Great and Napoleon disappeared with their exit from the stage of history, and where George Washington and Winston Churchill worked on a smaller canvas, Imperator Caesar Divi Filius Augustus created and dominated a political system that set the Western world on its path for the succeeding two thousand years. In forgetting the death of Rome’s first emperor and ignoring his legacy, Americans continue to impoverish their understanding of the world they now bestride.

. . . After the Ides of March, the teenaged Octavian figured in no one’s political calculations. Mark Antony was the dominant figure, and Brutus and Cassius retained significant forces. Yet within just a few years, it would be Antony and Octavian fighting for the ultimate supremacy of the Western world. To read of Octavian’s cautious, calculating, and sure moves during the two decades of civil war, leading to his victory at Actium in 31 B.C., is to encounter political genius of the rarest kind. With his indispensable partner, Agrippa, Octavian then did what had escaped even the great Caesar: establish a durable and impregnable political system to capitalize on his military victory. Thus ended both a century of civil war and Rome’s traditional freedoms. To a world desperate for stability, Augustus was accepted as the unquestioned and irreplaceable arbiter of order.

Augustus’s legacy did not stop with politics, for the Rome of our dreams, too, is largely his creation, carried to its ultimate expression by his successors. The world might not still be fascinated with a city of brick had not Augustus left it one of marble, to paraphrase his famous saying. The fora, baths, Colosseum, and palaces of eternal Rome maintained, even enhanced, their spell over men’s imaginations by their ruins, as much as in their pristine prime. Even the anti-monarchical Americans drew legitimacy from Rome’s material forms. Washington, D.C. is modeled more on imperial Rome than Greece, with its Capitol Hill and classic architecture.

Dates of Interest for the 84th Texas Legislative General Session

For context in GOVT 2306:

Tuesday, March 4, 2014
Primary election for legislative and other offices is held
[Election Code, Sec. 41.007]

Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Primary runoff election for legislative and other offices is held
[Election Code, Sec. 41.007]

Tuesday, November 4, 2014
General election for legislative and other offices is held
[Election Code, Sec. 41.002]

Monday, November 10, 2014
Prefiling of legislation for the 84th Legislature begins
[House Rule 8, Sec. 7, and Senate Rule 7.04(a)]

Session Begins

Tuesday, January 13, 2015 (1st day)
84th Legislature convenes at noon
[Government Code, Sec. 301.001]

Friday, March 13, 2015 (60th day)
Deadline for filing bills and joint resolutions other than local bills, emergency appropriations, and bills that have been declared an emergency by the governor
[House Rule 8, Sec. 8; Senate Rules 7.07(b); Senate Rule 10.01 subjects joint resolutions to the rules
governing proceedings on bills]

Monday, June 1, 2015 (140th day)
Last day of 84th Regular Session; corrections only in house and senate
[Sec. 24(b), Art. III, Texas Constitution]

Session Ends

Sunday, June 21, 2015 (20th day following final adjournment)
Last day governor can sign or veto bills passed during the regular legislative session
[Sec. 14, Art. IV, Texas Constitution]

Monday, August 31, 2015 (91st day following final adjournment)
Date that bills without specific effective dates (that could not be effective immediately) become law
[Sec. 39, Art. III, Texas Constitution]

Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Uniform election date in November
[Election Code, Sec. 41.001]

Transcripts and fact checks of the SOTU and the Republican response

For 2305's first assignment:

- Transcript of the SOTU.
- Fact check from Politifact.
- Transcript of the GOP response.
- Fact check from Politifact.

A sampling of legislative agendas for the 84th Session

For 2306's first written assignment, here are a few links to legislative agendas from different groups in the state. Remember that I'd like you to focus on conflict between conservative groups - primarily because that's where conflict is likely to be during the session.

- Young Conservatives of Texas.
- Texas Association of Business.
- Move Texas Forward.
- Texas Climate News.
- Texas Partnership for Out of School Time.
- Texas Freedom Network.
- Dan Patrick Moves to Set Agenda at Lege.
- One Texas Legislature, many agendas.

I'll add more - but here's a start for you.

From RCP: Top 10 State of the Union Addresses

Here's the first of a few random posts related to the state of the union address.

Real Clear Politics lists its top ten speeches and explains why:

- Click here for the article.

#1? Lincoln's 1862 address - his second - click here for it.

Here's their description of it:

In 1862, Lincoln used his annual message to Congress to make a clear connection between the preservation of the Union and the abolition of slavery. "Without slavery the rebellion could never have existed; without slavery it could not continue," he argues.

The message came a little more than two months after Lincoln announced the Emancipation Proclamation (it would officially go into effect a month later, on January 1, 1863). It also took place in the wake of an electoral rebuke to his Republican Party in the November elections. As a result, Lincoln attempts to strike a conciliatory tone, acknowledging the "great diversity of sentiment, and of policy, in regard to slavery, and the African race amongst us." He pushes a plan of "compensated emancipation" that would compensate states that abolished slavery before 1900, making more of a practical and financial case for the policy than a moral case.

He concludes, however, by returning to his thematic centerpiece, contending that freedom for the slaves is integral to the survival of the nation.

Welcome to class

The spring semester starts today, so hopefully you've found your way here.

I'll post material related to the class - especially whatever relates to current events and your written assignments. Feel free to email me items you think are worth posting.

Good luck.