Winter has crept on Austin on an odd year; and around these parts, it only means one thing: the Leg is back in session for its 77th go-around seeing what it can mess up this time. WHAT'S HOT--AND WHAT'S NOT? See for yourself in this FIRST edition of several of our gavel-to-gavel coverage of the 77th Texas Legislature in our LEGISLATIVE ROUNDUP!!
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(I.) LIFE AFTER BUSH (OR THE NEW POWERS THAT BE)
Well, George W. is now safely enscounced in his new position as our Commander-In-Chief of the entire nation and taking the message of "bipartisanship" he preached on the road to the White House and Capitol Hill in D.C. (despite what proved to be a VERY heated electoral debate). What's left for the rest of us here in TX now that W. isn't here to smooth things over with the Leg? [Another unrelated question--will W. FINALLY decide to have an e-mail address now that he's not Gov.? DEFINITELY a hindrance to a reporter like myself when a POLITICIAN doesn't have the courage to step in my world and walk a few miles in it!]
It's interesting that the same man that about three years ago wouldn't back his own party's candidate for Gov. even if a tinpot dictator forced him to do otherwise was the very one that Bush used as his main prop to introduce W. to the rest of the world and help serve Bush a bit in his final formal exit off the stage of TX politics. How Speaker Laney and the Dems managed to hold on to the House is stuff of legend. The Speaker is pretty well-known around here for his ferocity in campaigning for his fellow Dem. Reps. He STILL seems to want to continue the bipartisan mood in the Leg.--but the main question is how long that mood will hold up (especially since W. ain't there to prop it up anymore).
