Grissom on the fall of Norma Chávez; M. Smith and Ramsey on the runoffs, the results, and the aftermath; Hu on the Tea Party’s birthday party; Thevenot and Stiles on the path between schools and prisons; Ramshaw on prosecutors’ reaction to helping hands from Austin; Hamilton on self-appointed lawyers; Galbraith on property rights and power lines; Aguilar and Grissom sit down with the mayor of Juárez to talk about his crime-ridden city; Kraft on telling the stories of Texans and other Americans who died in Vietnam; Ramsey on slots and horses and casinos; and Hamilton goes on a field trip with Jim Hightower to hear the history of populism. The best of our best from April 5 to 9, 2010.
Rick Perry
T-Squared: Rick Perry, Newsweek and the Trib
Now it can be told: The Governor of Texas is on the cover of this week’s issue of the venerable newsmagazine as part of its first-ever collaboration with The Texas Tribune.
The Last Populist
Like his hero Little Richard, Jim Hightower knew how to scream and piss off the establishment. As a tour of his archives led by the man himself reveals, his is the story of a Texas-style progressive movement that peaked before the young Texans of today can even remember.
The Middle-Finger Vote
It’s embodied in the Tea Party movement, in this week’s runoff election results from Lubbock and Plano, in last month’s primaries, in Gov. Rick Perry’s embrace of states’ rights and the 10th Amendment, even in Barack Obama’s campaign against the status quo in 2008. Voters are furious, and politicians are listening.
Ads Infinitum: White’s ‘Don’t Mess With…’
Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White’s campaign is buying student newspaper ads that accuse his Republican opponent, Rick Perry, of playing politics with state universities.
2010: Reaching Across the Aisle?
The Texas Democratic Party wants you to know that 49 percent of the people who voted in last month’s GOP primary voted against Gov. Rick Perry.
2010: Step Into My Triple-Wide
For all they have in common as possible 2012 GOP presidential nominees, Gov. Rick Perry and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee have different tastes in living quarters.
2010: Perry Speech Fuels 2012 Talk [Updated]
Governor Rick Perry’s speech at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference has national media pundits talking about Perry for president in 2012.
Fee for All!
Every candidate vying for a legislative seat knows what lies ahead in 2011: a budget shortfall of at least $11 billion, probably higher, and state agency cuts to save as much of that amount as possible. But new revenue is a possibility as well, even if lawmakers are expert at the old sleight of hand, employing creative accounting and semantic trickery to avoid stepping on that political third rail, the tax hike.
TribBlog: Drop-Out Throw-Down!
Bill White and Rick Perry fought over the hotly contested high school drop-out rate on Tuesday. Is it 30 percent (White)? 10 percent (Perry)? Or, more likely, somewhere in between?



