The Midday Brief: Nov. 2, 2011

Your afternoon reading:

• "The Romney video has no narrator or anyone speaking — just elevator music over a backdrop of text and images — and it attacks Mr. Perry over his immigration policies as governor, linking him to Gov. Jerry Brown of California." — Romney Ad Compares Perry to Jerry Brown, The New York Times

• "Our take: The tone of the speech — regardless of the reason(s) for it — was a clear break from the more reserved and even stiff public persona that Perry has projected in the race to date.  That, in and of itself, is somewhat newsworthy. Was this Perry trying out a new approach as he seeks to re-energize his candidacy? Is this actually Perry’s private persona? Or was this not strategic at all?" — Rick Perry’s New Hampshire speech: Playful or plain odd?, The Washington Post

• "Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) on Wednesday suggested that another GOP presidential campaign might be responsible for the allegations of past sexual harassment lawsuits currently gripping the campaign of rival Herman Cain." — Ron Paul suggests another campaign promoted Cain scandal, The Hill

• "Herman Cain struggled Tuesday to regain his footing after a second day of damage control efforts that failed to quell the controversy over allegations of sexual harassment dating to his time as president of the National Restaurant Association." — Herman Cain accuser shouldn't be kept silent, lawyer argues

• "A typically dapper-looking member of the Texas state Senate, who often wears double-breasted suits, reimbursed his campaign after an ethics watchdog raised questions about Sen. Troy Fraser, R-Horseshoe Bay spending nearly $8,000 on clothing from political contributions." — Complaint alleges Fraser spent $7,800 in political money on suits, San Antonio Express-News

New in The Texas Tribune:

• "Want to see where in Texas Gov. Rick Perry, his GOP opponent Mitt Romney or President Barack Obama have received the most financial support? Explore our visualization of presidential contributions broken down by ZIP Code to find out where in Austin Perry and Obama went toe-to-toe for supporters, who picked up the most donations in West Houston and which candidate has the most support on the border." — Interactive: Presidential Donors by ZIP Code

• "The Pulizer Prize-winning author and leading authority on energy on his new book, The Quest; the future of Texas energy, including wind, solar and natural gas prices; and the burning national debate on how to spell 'fracking.'" — Daniel Yergin: The TT Interview