Rick Perry is still the Republican governor of a strongly Republican state. He controls the executive branch, maintains strong ties with business, has relatively weak opponents, and has run circles around the media.

When the Legislature decamped from Austin in July, there was a sense of order in Texas politics. And yet, as Rick Perry returns a mere seven months later, conditions on the ground in Texas border on the chaotic.

If the October 2011 University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll captured Texans in a lukewarm mood about Gov. Rick Perry’s presidential bid, the Texas Tribune/Texas Weekly Inside Intelligence survey found Texas insiders edging into downright cranky territory in their assessments of the governor.

One of the oddest moments of the GOP presidential primary debate occurred when the audience burst into applause in response to a recap of Gov. Rick Perry’s record of presiding over 234 executions. Should anyone be surprised by the reaction?

It's not that Tea Party self-identifiers have different positions on immigration than regular old Republicans. They just feel more strongly about it.

Whatever Gov. Rick Perry's place in the party and his political future, immigration politics are built into the coalition of interests in the Texas GOP.

Some critics of the state budget process, including here at the Tribune, argue the Legislature suffers from a lack of leadership in the face of a confused public that doesn't understand. But check the poll numbers: Republicans are giving voters what they seem to want.

Republican skepticism about public education spending joined with the governor’s determination to hold the line on spending, including on public education, is likely to carry the day — whether it takes a few hours or 30 more days.

Call it the Justin Timberlake Treatment: The Legislature has found itself boxed in as it searches for a way out of the budget divide.