Races I've Been Watching

It's primary election night in Texas. I've been watching a few races. The polls are still open, but some of the results appear clear already.

After the jump, my last prognostications before the results are announced.

Repeat Tweets: Our Sophomoric State Senator

Repeat tweets from June, 2015:

• Jun 1 2015: RT @KonniBurton: "No longer Freshmen!" Now merely sophomoric. @DonHuffines
  
• Jun 1 2015: Headline: "RISD school bus involved in chase, recovered in Louisiana." Yikes! kltv.com
  
• Jun 2 2015: Headline: "Ratliff not seeking re-election to SBOE next year." No! Please don't let Creationist Don McLeroy back in. trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com
  
• Jun 7 2015: Is there a way the NBA could redesign their product so that bad officiating isn't an inherent part of the game? Or do they just don't care?
  
• Jun 8 2015: "The most informed voters are often the most badly misled." Why "citizens' town hall" meetings" will lead you astray. vox.com
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Repeat Tweets: Stefani Carter Says Goodbye

Repeat tweets from November, 2014:

• Nov 2 2014: "I lost my seat, partly because my consultants encouraged me to run for higher office." Stefani Carter, taking ownership for poor decisions.
  
• Nov 10 2014: Shouldn't Dallas Morning News say somewhere that Richardson Real Heroes is a product of a political action committee? yourrichardson.dallasnews.com
  
• Nov 10 2014: "Are The Concerns About Water Fluoridation Legit?" Short answer: No. fivethirtyeight.com
  
• Nov 10 2014: Headline: "The Chicago Bears are dead. The Green Bay Packers killed them." Almost as satisfying as a Super Bowl win. ftw.usatoday.com
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

RISD Election: Put the Popcorn Away

The deadline to file to run as as candidate for the school board of the Richardson ISD (RISD) was March 1. It turns out that wasn't the only deadline of consequence. Another was March 4, the deadline to withdraw. One candidate who had filed to run withdrew in that three day period. Why didn't he withdraw before the March 1 filing deadline? The more you know about the candidate, the less surprised you ought to be.

After the jump, the disappearing candidate.

George Clayton, DINO

George Clayton is the Democratic candidate for Texas House District 102. He is running against Linda Koop, the Republican candidate. I call Clayton the Democratic candidate loosely. Sometimes, people use the term RINO (Republican In Name Only) or DINO (Democrat In Name Only), but that's mostly done when one faction of the party wants to write a person out of the party. In this case, however, George Clayton appears to be trying to write himself out of the Democratic party tent.

After the jump, Clayton's strange response to The Dallas Morning News's endorsement of his opponent, Linda Koop.

George Clayton is Running for School Board

George Clayton says he is running for RISD school board. You remember him, right? He's a one-term Republican member of the State Board of Education. He lost his re-election bid in the GOP primary. Then, as a Democrat, he lost his race for Texas State Representative to Linda Koop. Currently, he says he's the co-chair of the Trump for President Campaign for Congressional District 32. And now he says he'll be running for Richardson ISD board of trustees.

Chair Tests For School Board Candidates

The band booster clubs of the Richardson ISD sponsored a forum for RISD school board candidates Tuesday evening in the Richardson High School band hall. Six candidates for three seats participated. I don't intend to endorse or oppose any candidate, but I do want to make some random comments about what was said at the forum. Just like the last forum, I won't be mentioning names.

After the jump, my impression of the forum.

10 Lessons From Creationist School Books

On its website, PBS has a story, "10 Interesting Lessons from Creationist-Inspired School Books," inspired by The Revisionaries, a documentary film about conservatives on the Texas State Board of Education and their drive to introduce creationism into the school curriculum. The documentary airs this week at various times on KERA 13. According to PBS, "Don McLeroy, a dentist, Sunday school teacher, and avowed young-earth creationist, leads the Religious Right charge." McLeroy was defeated in 2010 in his bid for re-election to the SBOE, but that hasn't kept him from continuing to lead the charge for creationism.

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know what I think of Don McLeroy. I think he's still enough of a threat to good public education in Texas to warrant keeping an eye on him. After the jump, what's McLeroy up to now?

Repeat Tweets: Ride the Atomic Bomb Down

Repeat tweets from March, 2016:

• Mar 1 2016: Trump supporter: "I might as well be like Slim Pickens and just ride the atomic bomb down and see what happens." washingtonpost.com
  
• Mar 2 2016: If Clinton picks Julian Castro for veep, this Dallas segregation story will get the public attention it deserves. dallasobserver.com
  
• Mar 2 2016: "Obama has a soft spot for homosexuals because of the years he spent as a male prostitute." -- likely SBOE member Mary Lou Bruner. texastribune.org
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Chinese History and Texas Education

Members of the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) lately have been making direct appeals to the public to rally support for their vision for education in Texas. Recently, for example, I blogged about Thomas Ratliff's appeal to voters to contact their state representatives to ask them to quit making our schools try to do more with less. Ratliff argued for more local control: "In my opinion, the term 'Independent School District' is misleading at best. In fact, I would argue there's hardly anything 'independent' about them."

After the jump, David Bradley's turn.

Repeat Tweets: Cruz's Last Days as Presidential Candidate

Repeat tweets from May, 2016:

• May 1 2016: RT @NBCPolitics: "Cruz Defends Fiorina's Business Record." Who'd have guessed that Cruz would spend the days before Indiana this way?
  
• May 2 2016: Spare Parts: Poor Hispanic kids in Phoenix enter an underwater robotics contest. Inspiring, infuriating. A call for immigration reform. B-
  
• May 3 2016: Try to get people's attention about urban planning. Crickets. But watch them go all ape-shit over a new standalone, drive-thru Chick-fil-A.
  
• May 3 2016: Run, Ted, Run. Don't come back to Texas. Head to California and Oregon and then back to Canada. Please?
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Texas House Candidates Jockey for Position

The 2014 primary elections are still months away, but the candidates are already jockeying for position. The races for Texas House Districts 102 and 112, both of which include parts of Richardson, are particularly active, especially given the early date.

After the jump, a look at who's who.

Texas House District 102: Koop vs Clayton

A candidate forum for Texas House District 102 was held on October 8, 2014, at RISD's Westwood Junior High School. Linda Koop (R) and George Clayton (D) answered questions from the audience.

After the jump, where the two candidates stand on a wide range of issues.

Repeat Tweets: Election Edition

Repeat tweets from October, 2012:

• 1 Oct 2012: Libertarian candidate upset by treatment by WFAA. Complains to government for help. Can you say irony? http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2012/10/libertarian_senate_candidate_j_1.php
  
• 1 Oct 2012: Bring Up the Bodies, by Hilary Mantel: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell. Intrigue. Treachery. Smart dialog. Rich characters. A-
  
• 2 Oct 2012: Romney sounded like a moderate Dem. I wonder how his answers would have gone over at GOP primary debate.
  
• 3 Oct 2012: Romney's for good things in Obamacare, and good things in Wall St regulations, and against tax cuts. He's a closet Democrat!
  
• 3 Oct 2012: Romney promised tax rate cuts, no education cuts, bigger military, more Medicare spending, reduced deficits. But no plan how.
  
• 3 Oct 2012: My previous tweets focused on substance. But let's get real. Many people care only about style. Stylistically, Romney won.
  
• 3 Oct 2012: "I'm not going to say I've done a poor job." -- Jim Lehrer. Sadly, not the biggest lie told on that stage in debate full of them.
  
• 3 Oct 2012: "Richard Nixon is a no good, lying bastard. He can lie out of both sides of his mouth at the same time." -- Harry Truman. Listen up, Obama.
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Repeat Tweets: Time for Washington to Listen

Repeat tweets from Septemter, 2013:

• 1 Sep 2013: MT @SenTedCruz: "It's time for Washington to listen to the people!" Yeah, that 2012 Presidential election was like so 10 months ago. #wacko
  
• 2 Sep 2013: MT @SenTedCruz: "Right to vote is fundamental building block of our democratic process." Making it easier to buy guns than to vote is #wacko
  
• 2 Sep 2013: Headline: "CBS, Time Warner Cable Agreement Reached." w00t! I've been having withdrawal symptoms without @CraigyFerg. www.huffingtonpost.com
  
• 5 Sep 2013: The Butler (2013): Civil rights movement seen through prism of White House black butler's family. Works as both history & drama. Moving. A+
  
• 5 Sep 2013: The Master (2012): Acting A+. Depiction of mentality behind cults B+. Overall, empty and depressing. Characters, scenes don't connect. C+
  
• 5 Sep 2013: MT @SenTedCruz: "Voter ID protects election integrity. Despite AG Holder's claims, in GA minority turnout INCREASED." Minorities are pissed.
  
• 5 Sep 2013: Amour (2012): Elderly man cares for his invalid wife. What do you do when nothing can be done? Heartbreaking. Oscar-worthy performances. B+
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

How Texas is Whitewashing History

The white supremacists might be on the defensive in South Carolina, where there are calls to haul down the Confederate flag from the state capitol, but in Texas the whitewashing of history is standing strong. If you have a child in Texas public schools, he or she is probably being taught shameful lies about American history.

Repeat Tweets: ISIS Bans Evolution

Repeat tweets from March, 2015:

• Mar 2 2015: Headline: "ISIS Bans Teaching Evolution In Schools." I must have missed it. When did Texas SBOE join ISIS? talkingpointsmemo.com
• Mar 2 2015: MT @TexasTechMBB "I think the future is very bright." -- Tubby Smith. Well, d'oh. He's got Berkner's Keenan Evans!
• Mar 3 2015: 3rd round playoffs. Final: Berkner 59, Skyline 53. It's a great time to be a Ram. #txhshoops
• Mar 3 2015: Headline: "Congress approves Homeland Security Funding." 166 GOP reps voted not to fund border security. So much for that coming first.
• Mar 3 2015: Headline: "Alabama Supreme Court halts same-sex marriage." Time for some federal marshals in Alabama again. cbsnews.com

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Repeat Tweets: A Bake Sale for Science

Repeat tweets from July, 2012:

• 2012 07 01 - "Bake sales can't fund the exploration of space" http://t.co/T5cFajnz
  
• 2012 07 03 - My theory why Texas GOP is on record against teaching "critical thinking skills." They mistake critical for faultfinding, not analytical.
  
• 2012 07 04 - Mark's Stylebook: Be careful this year sorting the photos that accompany your stories. Don't confuse Higgs boson tracks with fireworks pics.
  
• 2012 07 05 - Organizers of petition drive to force referendum on direct election of Richardson's mayor claim to have the signatures needed. Submit today.
  
• 2012 07 06 - Texas. Dead last in adults with HS diploma. Now, dead last in health care. You get what you pay for. http://t.co/SfvhoZj7
  
• 2012 07 06 - Richardson Public Library's new long-range plan includes the goal "Continue to dream and plan for the future." Dreaming is good.
  
• 2012 07 06 - Kudos to David Morgan, new City of Richardson Deputy City Manager and winner of the Eddie Munster lookalike contest. http://t.co/J9Lt4zh3
  

After the jump, more repeat tweets.

Exceptionalism or Tribalism

I've never been a fan of Exceptionalism, the notion that the U.S. is favored by God and is exempt from historical forces that have affected other countries. I've believed those who hold this notion to be guilty of, at best, hubris and at worst, preposterousness.

Even though I can't subscribe to (capital "E") Exceptionalism, I do believe that American history is (small "e") exceptional. I used to think the difference between (capital "E") Exceptionalism and (small "e") exceptional was a difference of degree, not kind. But something Paul Krugman said recently has changed my mind.

Repeat Tweets: Why Europe Needs the EU

Repeat tweets from April, 2017:

• Apr 2 2017: RT @Bencjacobs: "Theresa May would go to war to protect Gibraltar, Michael Howard says." Makes you understand why Europe needs the EU.
• Apr 2 2017: Today is International Fact-checking Day. There are 111,214 fact-checking teams in 11,047 countries.
• Apr 4 2017: RT @DonMcLeroy: "It's Time for Conservatives to Celebrate This President." Which President? Putin?
• Apr 5 2017: "Caltech claims first conference win in 29 years." Hooray for student-athletes. Go Beavers.

After the jump, more repeat tweets.