The Midday Brief: February 5, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

“All were in awe of the work that must be done in the next year – Super Bowl XLV is exactly a year from Saturday – but determined to make the North Texas Super Bowl the biggest party that the NFL has ever seen. And each one mentioned a second, and just as ambitious goal – to get in a regular rotation for the big game and to host Super Bowl L (50).” — North Texas mayors huddle on Super Bowl XLV plans — Dallas Morning News

“He’s been criticizing White at every turn—raising the possibility of the Democrats’ nightmare scenario: an expensive, nasty primary fight that will leave the eventual winner weakened and lacking funds against a Republican favorite. White’s campaign says it plans to raise and spend more than $5 million on a primary race against Shami. Those are dollars the White campaign would surely prefer to hoard for the general election.” — The Mayor & The Mogul — Texas Observer

“Senate Republicans don’t have much of an appetite to give President Barack Obama their version of question-and-answer time - not after seeing how Obama handled House Republicans last week.” — John Cornyn: No thanks to President Obama Q & A — Politico

“Texas has the honor — dishonor??? — of having three of the ten hardest-drinking cities in the USofA.” — Austin is Texas' drunkest city. Dallas is most sober. — Houston Chronicle

New in the Texas Tribune:

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison's prolific travel on private jets has inspired a sleek Perry campaign web video, edited to a well-known tune by Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas — HuTube: G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S

State Rep. Al Edwards, D-Houston, and former State Rep. Borris Miles are vying for the same Texas House seat for the third time. In a district with a high dropout rate, a high incidence of HIV infection, and a high percentage of people without health insurance, they predictably disagree about who can best deliver on promises of help, hope and change — Primary Color: HD-146

The six Texas congressional candidates who ended the year with $1 million or more on hand are incumbents. Only two of the candidates with the 20 biggest bank accounts are not. — The Capital Gang