Saturday, June 6, 2009

Texas Monthly's Biased Best and Worst Legislator List

Texas Monthly put out their top 10 Best and Worst legislators. Someone claimed here that the Texas Monthly couldn't possibly have a liberal bias because they had Republicans on their best and worst list:

"Don't blame it on the "liberal media" either, as the "liberal media" Texas Monthly picked a Republican as the best!" ... Ha ha, very funny.

The Texas Monthly picked the most liberal Republicans - the ones who dumped Craddick and pushed the gas tax - as their 'best' and the most liberal Democrats as their 'best'. Like Senator Carona, over whom they they panted: "Despite vociferous opposition from antitax ideologues, Carona sponsored ..." See, ALL IT TAKES TO BE LOVED BY TEXAS MONTHLY IS TO PROPOSE A TAX HIKE!

Then they picked the most conservative Republicans and the most conservative Democrats as their 'worst'. One they got right was Rep Jim Dunham, for leading the 'chubbing' stunt that with fellow Democrats pretty much annihilated hundreds of bills in their desperate bid to stop a *vote* on Voter ID. But that is partly because the annihilation included a lot of liberal priorities and bills.

Here's why they hated Rep Christian, a conservative: "He unsuccessfully tried to cut all funding for the prosecutorial unit that oversees state ethics laws and shift the responsibility to the attorney general." ... wait a sec. That's the Travis DA they are talking about, you know that liberal Democrat DA Ronnie Earle (now Rosemary Lemberg) that indicted Delay years ago and has yet to give him the 'speedy trial' that any person is entitled to. You know why the Delay case won't see the light of day? Because it was a political indictment from the get-go by a partisan DA. If the shoe were on other foot, partisan Republicans indicting Democrats like that, Texas Monthly *themselves* would be clamoring for a more balanced and professional Public Integrity Unit run at the state level. It's long past time to put state-level matters in state-level hands; a county DA is not a reliable nor sufficient unbiased (since elected) special prosecutor. Get an appointed person with integrity.

Here's what they said about another worst legislator. Senator Tommy Williams: "“Be gentle,” he said, as he sat in his Capitol office a few days before sine die, telegraphing his tacit understanding that he would be on the Worst list for his contribution to the deadly voter ID debacle." ... In other words, Senator Tommy Williams wouldnt be in their gunsights were he not pushing for the dreaded Voter ID bill. Texas Monthly, BIZARRELY, puts the blame on a Republican Senator for the filibuster done by Democrats, in the House.

And so it goes. Take the Texas Monthly list with an extra large and kosher handful of salt. It's the 10 best and worst from a bunch of liberals' point of view. They may hits some of the targets right, but it still is very biased.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

THANK GOD FOR THE "CHUBBING" LEGISLATIVE CHAOS AND LEGISLATIVE GRIDLOCK IS GOOD FOR CITIZENS. REMEMBER YOU ARE IN DANGER ANYTIME THE LEGISLATURE IS IN SESSION.