The Midday Brief: February 19, 2010

Your afternoon reading:

“Republicans are in the final stage of a primary election widely billed as a Texas-sized “battle of the titans. Yet veteran Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (who’d rather have GOP Gov. Rick Perry ’s job than stay in Washington) enters the final week and a half of the gubernatorial nomination race with a campaign that has looked a bit “capital T” Titanic.” —  What to Watch for in Texas — Congressional Quarterly

“Early Vote is running a little over twice what it was in the last gubernatorial election in 2006 for Democrats. The Republican turnout in Travis County is running higher than the Democratic turnout and is about 3 times what the GOP turnout was in 2006.” —  New Travis County PrimaryTurnout Estimate:36,030 — Burnt Orange Report

 “The concept under discussion in Austin has been to index the tax so it would automatically rise with inflation or the cost of construction.” — Is this a better gas tax idea? — The Dallas Morning News

 “You know you have entered the twilight zone of Texas politics when Glenn Beck becomes the spokesman for rationality.” — Point Austin: We’re All Flakes Here — The Austin Chronicle

 “The rally in Austin is being titled: “Texas Convention for Immigrant Integration: A Call for Reform.” It is being organized by dozens of groups from around Texas and could attract as many as 1,000 people.” — Checkpoints will stop hundreds attending major immigration reform rally — Rio Grande Guardian