The Brief: Oct. 28, 2014

The Big Conversation

Monday night was a big one for a pair of Texas politicos who were both given a national stage from which to galvanize support among their respective voter bases.

In California, Gov. Rick Perry gave a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library as part of a forum commemorating the 50th anniversary of Reagan's "A Time for Choosing" speech. The address, in subsequent years, has gained significance as a harbinger of the arrival of the modern conservative movement.

Perry's participation was, therefore, fraught with meaning as he looks at a second run for the White House. The Los Angeles Times described the speech as an attempt to grasp "the mantle of Ronald Reagan ... with a scathing denunciation of President Obama that asserted the Democrat was so lacking in competence his tenure would usher in a new season of victories for Republicans."

“I believe that come 2016, if the American people are given the choice, they will be ready for a clean break from the Obama agenda and anything like it,” Perry said, as reported by the Tribune's Jay Root.

And in Austin, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis sat down with The Daily Show's Jon Stewart, where she insisted that she would win despite any number of polls that sh0w her trailing by significant margins.

"I'm going to be the governor, Jon," Davis said, as reported by the Houston Chronicle's Patrick Svitek.

The Day Ahead

•    GOP nominees for governor and lieutenant governor — Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick — will travel to Lubbock and Amarillo for "get out the vote" activities. The Democratic nominee for governor, Wendy Davis, will hold a "get out the vote" block walk in Buda.

•    The House Select Committee on Transportation Funding, Expenditures & Finance meets at 10 a.m. in the Capitol Extension to discuss recommendations that could be made to the Legislature. (agenda)

•    The Senate Criminal Justice Committee meets at 10 a.m. in the Capitol Extension to look at medical and mental health treatment in the state prison system. (agenda)

Trib Must-Reads

UT/TT Poll: Texans Favor Voter ID by 3-to-1 Margin, by Ross Ramsey

HD-23 Rivals Hope Insurance Debate Pays Dividends, by Reeve Hamilton

Program Helping to Reduce Wait Times at Border Bridges, by Julián Aguilar

San Antonio Man Set To Be Executed Tuesday, by Terri Langford

Elsewhere

Texas gay marriage advocates disappointed with 2015 hearing date, Houston Chronicle

Voters could give highway funding a boost — but dollars are erratic, Austin American-Statesman

Crude to fall to $70 next year, report predicts, Houston Chronicle

Mansfield residents want tighter drilling regulations, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

'Serious deficiency' in shale's health providers, San Antonio Express-News

Political dartboards raise eyebrows in Galveston, KTRK-TV

Low-key Dallas County judge race could turn on Ebola issue, The Dallas Morning News

Quote to Note

"It's the Republican Party that is not only ideological but also the Republican Party that's able to govern. That's really exciting."

— Lubbock County Republican Party Chairman Carl Tepper, talking about the excitement among South Plains Republicans at having Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick campaigning there tomorrow

Today in TribTalk

Water pipeline project is right for San Antonio, by Robert Puente

5 takeaways from the new UT/TT Poll, by Jim Henson and Joshua Blank

Trib Events for the Calendar

•    A Conversation With Railroad Commission Candidates Steve Brown and Ryan Sitton, on Oct. 30 at The Austin Club in Austin

•    A One-Day Symposium on the Impact of the Shale Boom on Oct. 31 at the University of Texas San Antonio

•    A Live Post-Election TribCast, featuring Tribune editors and reporters on the election results, on Nov. 5 at The Austin Club

•    A Conversation With Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick on Nov. 6 at The Austin Club

•    A Conversation With Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst on Dec. 4 at The Austin Club