The Brief: November 12, 2009

THE BIG CONVERSATION:

One little speech and everybody’s all atwitter.

On Wednesday, Gov. Rick Perry kicked his anti-Washington rhetoric up a notch during a Midland Republican Women’s lunch.  Here are some choice quotes:

• “I think it’s past, 'Doesn’t care about Texas'.  I think this administration is interested in punishing Texas.”

• “I say it’s time to make tea parties twice as big as what they were.”

• “This is an administration hell-bent toward taking America towards a socialist country. And we all don’t need to be afraid to say that because that’s what it is.”

• “Go take a look at that cap and trade legislation.  You want to shut down Midland Texas?  That ought to be called the Shut Down Midland Texas Act, not Cap and Trade.”

In addition to cap and trade legislation and the healthcare reform bill making its way through Congress, Perry is particularly unhappy about the Alien Transfer and Exit Program that is shipping illegal immigrants from Arizona to Mexico via Presidio.

The speech is getting lots of play around the Internet, but both the Perry’s camp and the Kay Bailey Hutchison campaign agree that it is no different from what Perry been doing — though there’s disagreement on whether that’s standing up for the people of Texas against the bad policies of Washington or “blustering.” Tomato, Tomahto.

Today, Perry is speaking before an even bigger women’s group — the 10th Annual Texas Conference for Women.  Can Internet stardom strike twice in two days?

CULLED

• Rancher Hank Gilbert, a Democrat running for Governor, unveiled yet another detailed policy proposal yesterday — his sixth.  This time he laid out his plan for Texas to “go green” by, among other things, raising energy efficiency standards, allotting money for more state parks, and creating incentives for wind, solar, and biomass capacity.  Gilbert plans to roll out at least three more by Christmas.  Today he will be speaking at a press conference in Austin in his capacity as a board member of Texans United for Reform and Freedom. The group will be releasing a report detailing which law makers are responsible for which transportation projects happening — or not, as the case may be.

• Environmental group Environment Texas will release a report today showing that, from 2004-2007, carbon dioxide pollution dropped 2 percent. They say that credit is due, in part, to Texas’ “leadership in producing wind energy.”

• U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, D-Mercedes, announced that he will run for reelection in Texas’ CD-15.  He was first elected in 1996.  If he returns to Washington, he said, he intends to draft legislation on border security and trade, job creation and water conservation in South Texas.  Republican Eddie Zamora is running against Hinojosa for the third-straight time because many in the district are fed up with excessive federal spending. U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-El Paso , also announced that he will run for an eighth term in Congress.  Reyes serves as as chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and is the first Hispanic in U.S. history to lead that committee.

• Photographer Courtney Perry and reporter Lee Hancock, both of The Dallas Morning News, got access to Fort Hood shooter Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan’s apartment. They came back with some eerie photos that are worth taking a minute to check out.

“It’d be like someone standing at the Alamo going, ‘I’m not gonna survive this thing,’ and all of a sudden he jumps up and starts speaking Spanish!” – state Rep. Mark Homer, D-Paris, on switching parties.

MUST READ:

• Broken Border, Part Five: Safer? –The Texas Tribune

• Selby: State elections official fired after poking fun at Spanish-speaking voters –Austin American-Statesman

• Is Hutchison preparing to go up on TV? – Trail Blazers 

• Heat index: A fact check of Schieffer's claim on unemployment taxes – Trail Blazers

• Perry encounters string of setbacks – El Paso Times