Tuesday Daily Reads

» Tom Tancredo brings his anti-immigration Presidential campaign to a restaurant in Houston. One has to wonder whether he'll check the citizenship of the folks refilling his drink. Personally, I think it'd be hilarious if the entire staff walked out moments before the event.

» More good charter school news today. This time, from the local rag.

» More John Coby blogging to pass on ... this one the word that Amber Moon is looking at taking on HD144. It's still not quite the stereotype I've got in my mind for a candidate in that district, but it's a dramatic step up. I'd blockwalk for her.

» In other candidate news, Richard Morrison (via Kuff) makes it official for his Ft. Bend County Commissioner contest in Precinct One. Ya gotta admire that man's willingness to fight uphill. Best of luck Richard!

» In even more candidate-related news, Kuff has another must-read as it pertains to Saint Dan Patrick's turf in the northwestern part of the county. One part of the post pertains to Trey Fleming, running in HD135 by "put[ting] together a campaign to knock on 8 to 9,000 1-R Republican doors and bring them my way." A better idea is to locate 0-R Republicans - folks who may not really even identify as Republican. My counts show 6000 1/3Rs and 39k+ that didn't vote in any of the last three primaries but did vote in at least one of the last 4 general elections. That's a far richer (and smarter) pool to go fishing in.

Secondly, there's Kuff's take on Danno ...

As for Danno and his full dance card, I'll just say this: For a guy who reportedly has statewide ambitions, he's sure taking a path that will accumulate enemies. I can't think offhand of a State Senator who's been that vocal about State House members and the possibility of primary opponents for them. Lots of folks don't care for this kind of meddling in other people's races - ask Sue Lovell about that. I will say that Patrick has certainly been true to his promise to not be a "business as usual" politician - well, other than taking lobbyist money - and this is consistent with that approach. I just wonder how sustainable it is. Maybe we'll find out the next time Patrick himself is on the ballot.

... to which can only agree with wholeheartedly. But don't let that stop Dan from accumulating his intraparty enemies. If Dan wants to be nothing more than a State Senator, and possibly a Congressman, for life, then his approach won't have many negative side effects. But a rule in politics is that people don't just go away. They have a way of sticking around and remembering stuff. And while the folks with a reason for animus toward Patrick may not go by some fancy elected official title, they'll still be around ... and eventually matter.

» Kurt Campbell pens what should be the most important read of the day. Brooks' column can be seen somewhat as an alternate take. I think the truth is somewhat inbetween the two points. It is possible to have fragmentation and still recognize some binding forces in other cultures whose albums I don't own. I mean, try going to a sporting event when Cotton Eyed Joe breaks out. Tell me you don't see some kid wearing a Ramones t-shirt with the Hot Topic price tag still on it doing a hoe-down ... in Massachusetts!

» Amazon has rolled out their alternate concept for the book. Scads of links out there for the item to break down the pros and cons of the initial product. I'm intrigued enough about it to keep an eye on future development, at least. The price is clearly a hundred or so too steep. I'd definitely want to play around with the thing before plunking down that kind of jack for it. But the $9.99 price point is sweet. Read the Newsweek link's story about one of the publishing honchos being startled to learn that his books are being sold at that price. It's clear that Amazon is giving blades away in order to make money on the razor. So to speak. I'll likely be a target customer for version 2.0 assuming it comes down in price a bit and starts getting a few tweaks.

» Up at my old school, Andy Cargile retires as principal. I'm trying to jog my memory here - and I'm not willing to go through storage to dig up any old yearbooks - but I think Cargile was a counselor during my day. Even less sure, but I think he was in charge of my range in the alphabet for a year or two. Either way, hats off Mr. Cargile! On a football sidenote, it's perhaps no surprise that all of the local reporters are picking a Trinity-Permian showdown after this week's round of playoff fun.
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