Watch Out, Tim! Steve Blow is Coming For You.

He got so fired up about this post he even dropped a “good grief” on you. That’s how they roll in Sunnyvale.

Kirk: Dems Don’t Win Working-Class White Voters Anyway

Sen. Hillary Clinton has everyone’s knickers in a twist today after commenting that she alone–not Sen. Barack Obama–can win the presidential votes of all those “hardworking…white Americans”–i.e., Reagan Democrats. But in an interview here last week, Obama’s pal and adviser Ron Kirk, the former Dallas mayor, scoffed at Hillary’s perceived popularity with the white working class, saying, “We haven’t won their votes in years.” So, does that mean the Obama camp has written those folks off already?

Belo’s Conflict of Interest With the Convention Center Hotel

The DMN, as you know, is pushing for the convention center hotel. For the moment, I’m not arguing one way or the other. But if I were going to argue for the hotel, and if I owned, say, $44,620,350 worth of land (in taxable value, and we all know how that game works) near the proposed site of said hotel, don’t you think I’d be remiss if, in making my argument, I didn’t at some point mention all that land?

The image you see here was generated by the good people at Crow Holdings (click to expand). You know where Crow Holdings stands on the issue (I’m looking at you, Hilton Anatole), but that doesn’t diminish the point of this map. As I say, if you add up everything in red, it comes to about $44.6 million. That number, as we’ve learned, is probably low. But if the hotel gets built, you can bet that land will be worth even more.

A fact worth mentioning.

Rep. Dan Branch Has a Sock Puppet in His Office

“Socket puppetry,” in the online sense, is the practice of making anonymous comments about someone or something in which you have a professional interest. The most famous recent case of sock puppetry was perpetrated by John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, who used a fake identity on Yahoo message boards for years to attack his competition and pump his company’s stock.

With that background, I point you to a FrontBurner post last month about Rep. Dan Branch’s horrible parking job at Love Field (and thanks again to the FrontBurnervian in the field who sent the pic). Here’s the first comment on that post, from someone using the handle “frequent flyer”:

Has this person parked at Love recently? They’re ALWAYS out of spots- I’ve used the end of the aisle a number of times (when it’s available) because there’s no signs prohibiting it. Must be a slow news day…

To be sure, this is a small matter — inconsiderate behavior on the part of an elected official (or someone driving that elected official’s car). But that comment from “frequent flyer,” I believe, is a case of sock puppetry. A tipster told me that the post was made by a senior Branch staff member. The IP address of the computer used to make the post appears to confirm it. The post definitely came from a Texas Lege computer.

I wanted to ask Candice Shapiro, Branch’s chief of staff, about this. She hasn’t returned my call or e-mail.

We Shot JR Obama Benefit Postponed

Your Thursday night is now free. Says WSJR’s Stonedranger:

we had to cancel the obama event due to security issues, but we will be doing the same show with the same line up at a different venue some time in the next couple of weeks.

Where You Should Be Thursday: We Shot JR’s Barack Obama Benefit

Stonedranger and the rest of the anonymity-craving gang at We Shot JR have organized a Barack Obama benefit, but the lineup works whether you’re an Obamaniac or just a local hip-hop head. Lil Wil, a Dallas rapper whose single “My Dougie” has topped 1.2 million views on YouTube, is the headliner. The rest of the bill is filled out by Hawatha and Johnny Moog, with Sober and Prince William spinning records between sets. Admission is $6, it’s BYOB, and it all goes down at 3612 Commerce, a gallery space down the street from Doublewide, on Thursday night. “I think it’s pretty great that these rappers, none of whom are very political, are coming together to donate their time to this,” Stonedranger says. (And yes, it’s weird calling someone that, but I play by the rules. Usually.)

George Bush Moving to Lakewood?

Well, probably not, but each community covered by our sisters and brothers at People Newspapers gets a once-over as a potential spot for POTUS’ pad. Check it out here.

How “Dallas” Won The Cold War

On the 30th anniversary of its debut, two Reason editors reflect on the power of our favorite TV series.

Fort Worth City Council Goes Touchy-Feely

Bud Kennedy over the S-T sends a note contrasting the Rhome council agenda with the Fort Worth council’s love-in today.

All Politics Is Local

And the more local it is, the more, er, spirited it gets. Here’s the agenda for the city council’s upcoming meeting in Rhome, Texas.

Watts Warns Of ‘Culture Of Arrogance’ Around McCain

Former Oklahoma congressman J.C. Watts, who’s now a businessman and political commentator, had some words of warning in Fort Worth Wednesday morning for John McCain, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee. Jump for the details.

(more…)

Jeb Hensarling’s Impossible Job

The Dallas Congressman keeps trying to prevent House Republicans from committing suicide. But to no avail. Despite his attempts to invoke a one-year moratorium on earmarks — only one year, for godssake — his colleagues seem intent on continuing their free spending ways. The problem seems to be mental dimness, to wit:

“I think it would be very tricky to get members to support an earmark moratorium at this point in the appropriations process,” said an aide to one top Republican on the Appropriations Committee. “Our members have already submitted thousands of project requests — and then to turn around and support a [moratorium] would allow [Rep. Dave] Obey to say, ‘OK, let’s get rid of all Republican earmarks.’ And then where would we be?”

Then where would you be? Um, in the majority maybe?

Mayor Tom Leppert Has a Stalker

As far as stalkers go, he’s a pretty good one. David Hopkins writes the semi-regular comic strip called Souvenir of Dallas that appears in the “print product” (Paul Milligan makes the pretty pictures that go with the words). David is working on a strip about Mayor Leppert’s freakishly large hands. Toward that end, he spent some time this weekend trailing Leppert and making him feel self-conscious about his hands (check em out). Jump for David’s report:

(more…)

I Went Birding With Mayor Tom Leppert

And most of the Dallas City Council. We all boarded a bus at City Hall and munched on pimento cheese sandwiches as we made the 12-minute trek to the $11.8 million Trinity River Audubon Center that is nearing completion. I tagged along as the councilmembers toured the 21,000 square-foot facility which is situated on 120 reclaimed acres of land in the southernmost section of The Trinity River Corridor. What a knockout building. Almost 50 % of the space is devoted to an educational wing with 2 labs and three classrooms. The architectural design mimics a bird with outstretched wings rising into flight and the windows are sloped at 12 and 20 degree angles to avoid the reflection of the sky and to keep birds from flying into the glass. (That is thinking ahead, and yes, this is all happening in Dallas.) It’s all, as it should be, eco-friendly and upon completion the center will be LEED gold certified. There will be miles of hiking trails (hey, Jim Schutze: they will be part of the Master Trails Plan but won’t be paved!) winding through grasslands, woodlands, and wetlands. Timmy will be happy to know that the facility will host organized camp outs, bird watching classes, and water conservation awareness programs along with yoga, guided hikes, and club meetings. I got so excited when I met with all of the Texas Audubon Society staff who will manage the property, I applied for a job—and I didn’t even see one bird while I was there! However, Ben Jones, the director of education for the Audubon Center, told me the other day he charted 55 species in an hour and a half. Dallas, birders from all over the world will, sorry, flock here to see those kind of numbers. Note to City Council: do not underestimate the effect this facility will have on the tourism biz in Dallas. Twitchers have lots of time and money. (photos by R. P. W.: (left) Mayor Tom Leppart and a woman who resembles me; (right) Ben Jones in front of the Audubon Center.)

The Other Side Of The Convention-Center Hotel Issue

Gromer Jeffers’ column in the DMN today about the big push for a taxpayer-funded convention-center hotel neglects to mention the quiet, behind-the-scenes campaign that Crow Holdings CEO Harlan Crow is waging against the plan. Luckily, you can find out all about what Crow and other skeptics think in the May issue of D CEO. Also in that new issue: Top execs like Stan Richards, Roger Staubach and Kip Tindell tell how they’re positioning their companies to survive–and thrive–in the economic downturn. Get smart and check it out.

Rep. Dan Branch Needs to Have His Keys Taken Away

The photo you see below of Rep. Dan Branch’s car was taken by an alert, iPhone-wielding FrontBurnervian at Love Field. The Mercedes is clearly parked on Level 3, Row E — but it is also clearly NOT parked in a parking spot. The photo raises two questions: 1) Seriously, dude? 2) Why hasn’t it been towed yet?

Who’s The Most Powerful Democrat In Texas?

The S-T’s Jay Root raises the question, then answers it.

The Sheriff’s Election is Near(er)

Jim Bowles to go back to complaining about kids on his lawn.

UPDATE: The final results defy the definition of blowout: Lowell Cannaday received 88.58 percent of the vote, in a fairly aggressive turnout for a runoff.

Bruce Bartlett On Taxes

He’s an intellectual hero of the conservative movement, a stalwart of the Reagan White House, coiner of the word “Reagonomics,” and author of Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy. He emails:

I’m glad to see that a few conservatives other than myself are admitting that Bush’s policies are eventually going to necessitate a major tax increase. As you probably know, I have been saying this for five years and all it did was get me fired from my job and treated like a pariah by most conservative institutions in this country.

Such is the price of truth-telling when an idea fixe becomes the only standard of a political party, facts and history be damned. It’s sort of like being an anti-abortion Democrat. Bruce, I’m going to buy a copy of your book and send it to Kay Bailey Hutchison. I may even buy a copy for Trey.

Last Word On Tax Cuts, I Promise

To say that ”we’re taxed plenty enough, good and hard” (per Trey) is an assertion, not an argument. Let’s try to see if the assertion proves out. A comparison of personal tax rates by country is notoriously difficult because of all the different tiers. Therefore I go to this comparison of personal taxes as a percentage of GNP, which is measurable.  Then I go to this recent listing of the world’s most stable and prosperous countries. If the objective is to have a stable and prosperous country, and not a bankrupt one, then the assertion falls flat. (Senator Hutchison, take note.)

Tax Cuts: The New Religion

The sainted Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison may have a point in her News op-ed today about not eliminating the Bush tax cuts during a recession. However, she quickly lowers herself into the same tired — and easily discredited — mumbo-jumbo that comes directly from the Republican Nat’l Committee, circa 1985. First, dear Kay, “tax-and-spend” is preferable to the borrow-and-spend philosophy of the current GOP administration, which has created the highest deficits and the largest increases to the national debt in our history. Second, if the Bush tax cuts are responsible for the economy’s job creation, why did the Clinton-era tax increases result in even more jobs? Third, besides opposing a redesign of the Bush tax cuts, what exactly do you, as a United States Senator, propose to do to restore fiscal sanity to a federal government whose spending has run amok during your last seven years in office?

Really, this has gotten to be too much. This is a party — my GOP — that wouldn’t even raise taxes to pay for a war. It is locked in an ideological mind-set whose chief attribute is recklessness. It stands against everything that conservatism once stood for: pragmatism, prudence, and the idea of safeguarding our country’s patrimony to future generations. (And, beloved Senator, what have you done today about Medicare and Social Security, besides, of course, voting to expand its costs?)

Lowell Cannaday For Sheriff

The Republican run-off election is tomorrow. Here Park Cities People lays out the case for Cannaday. In summary,

Lupe Valdez is a disaster, Jim Bowles is an angry old man. It’s time for a manager to run the sheriff’s department.

Re: Leading Off (Shaws’ Death Item)

Eric, that comment from John Wiley Price had me scratching my head, too. Even if he thought that Rufus Shaw didn’t have cancer (which is odd enough), why would he say that to a reporter? Read this post from Schutze. I’m with him. The mayor ought to convene a hearing. Otherwise, you know what? I just might start believing Sandra Crenshaw:

“That was not a voluntary suicide. There is nobody in the African-American community who knows everything that’s going on here knows that Mr. Shaw and his wife did not voluntarily take their lives.”

Film News That’s Not AFI Related: State Rep. Allen Vaught, Matt Damon in Green Zone

A little while ago, I told you that State Rep. Allen Vaught was going to be in a movie with Matt Damon based on Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s book Imperial Life in the Emerald City. The flick, now titled Green Zone, is currently shooting in London, which is where Vaught is now. He’s basically playing the same part he played in the Iraq war, albeit with less responsibility (he was “The Mayor of Fallujah,” after all) and way fewer lines. Besides for Damon, Green Zone also stars Greg Kinnear, Amy Ryan, and Jason Isaacs, and is directed by the somewhat divisive Paul Greengrass. Will this be the first Iraq war film to succeed? I mean, one has to, right?

Obama Wins Texas, 99-94

That’s the latest from NBC News.

Jim Bowles Is the Sheriff of Dallas County

Thanks to this site and the alert FrontBurnervian who pointed me to it, I got a look at Jim Bowles’ campaign yard sign, seen here next to Lowell Cannaday’s. Bowles, as you probably know is the sheriff, and he wants us to re-elec — hey, wait a second! Well, split my britches and shiver my timbers! I just noticed that little word “former” before “sheriff.” Pretty sneaky, sis.

Chaos At The 23rd Senatorial District Convention

Reports are that the Clintonites have been challenging delegates since 8 a.m. this morning, so the convention hasn’t even started yet. Delegates with children are starting to leave, which could seriously erode Obama voting strength. Meanwhile, reports from the 26th 16th indicate all is going (sorta) smoothly.

Re: Did Jim Bowles “Split His Britches” Or Not?

As I was typing that, an FBvian was sending me a link to this story in the DMN about the runoff. The dust-up at the meeting is covered. Kinda buried the lead, though, guys.

Did Jim Bowles “Split His Britches” Or Not?

The ladies of the Park Cities Republican Women’s club got more than they bargained for at their Tuesday afternoon meeting. According to some in attendance, Jim Bowles experienced a good old-fashioned 500 Internal Error.

(more…)

Leading Off: Nipple Rings

Let’s pass on the easy jokes for a second. Instead, let’s consider how emblematic this incident is of a national security apparatus run amok. Nipple rings that have to be removed with a pair of pliers are a threat to an airplane — really? It is laughable until one realizes that this sort of bureaucratic enforcement of the national security “rules” happens every day. Unless we get sensible about how a free society deals with the threat of terrorism (which, to my mind, means realizing the existence of a certain level of danger and learning to live with it), we are slowly acquiescing to our own destruction as a free society. A good step in the opposite direction would be to fire the Lubbock TSA supervisor. (Meanwhile, Mandi Hamlin, you are my new civil liberties heroine.)

Dallas Mayor Chats With Austin Editor

The Austin editor in question is Evan Smith, who sits down with Tom Leppert for this week’s Texas Monthly Talks. I’ve watched the first half of the interview. So far, zero mentions of Leppert’s ultra-lengthy digits.

James Fantroy Might Soon Be Homeless

Correction: James L. Fantroy might soon be homeless — but not James L. Fantroy, the former City Council member. The plaintiff in the below mentioned suit is James L. Fantroy Jr., son of the former councilman (though the filing doesn’t include the “Jr.”). A gross error that I regret.

—

Usually when corrupt political officials get their comeuppance, it warms the cockles of my heart and puts wind beneath my wings. And ever since Paul Adrian broke the story in 2005 about then City Councilman James Fantroy stealing money from Paul Quinn College — an especially dastardly crime given how Fantroy cast himself as a hero of the black community — I’ve been eager to see the guy get what he deserves. But you know what? This just makes me sad. Jump for details about his looming eviction:

(more…)

Sandra Crenshaw to Protest Tomorrow at Wick’s House

Just a few minutes ago, Sandra Crenshaw sent the following e-mail to officials at Henry S. Miller, the Highland Park Department of Public Safety, and Dallas City Hall:

(more…)

Re: A Conversation With Sandra Crenshaw

Now word comes that Sandra Crenshaw aims to approach our advertisers about my unethical blogging. In fact, she went to Highland Park Village today, looking to meet with Vance Miller, apparently (though Crenshaw needs to get her Millers straight). And somehow Charlie Terrell, himself a former City Council member, got caught in the crossfire. Terrell was coming out of Larry North, having just finished his morning workout, when Crenshaw waylaid him for 30 minutes — about the Shaws, about FrontBurner, about Schutze, etc., etc.

Note to D Magazine advertisers: get your cactus juice ready.

Wilmer Wannabe Mayor Gets Order of Sex Scandal Wrong

Memo to James Brian Sliter: You get elected first, then you get exposed in a sex scandal. You don’t get yourself arrested for trying to meet up with a girl on the Internet whom you thought was 15 years old, get sentenced to 10 years probation, then run for mayor. That’s just not how it’s done anymore.

Re: A Conversation With Sandra Crenshaw

As promised, here is the transcription of my conversation with Sandra Crenshaw. Thanks to intern Holly Bauman for her help.

(more…)

A Conversation With Sandra Crenshaw

Was a hit put out on Lynn Flint Shaw and Rufus Shaw? That’s what those “in the know” believe, according to Sandra Crenshaw. I had a 15-minute conversation with her yesterday, and I invite you to listen to it.

First, do you need to catch up? Go here. Gird yourself for a post with 131 comments. They are all worth reading. But to sum up: Crenshaw, a former Dallas City Council member, was the chairperson for precinct 3549 on caucus night. Things did not go smoothly, to say the least. And there was much blogging.

Lynn Flint Shaw and her husband Rufus Shaw are dead. It looks to be a murder-suicide pact. But serious questions remain about their involvement with the DART board and City Hall.

Against that backdrop, Sandra Crenshaw called our office yesterday. As is my wont, I recorded the conversation. With two points, I offer a (poor quality) audio file of that phone call. 1) She at no point asked to talk off the record. 2) The call originated and was received within Texas, so I was free to record it without telling her.

Enjoy.

Ms. Navratilova Speaks Out

As many of you already know, Martina Navratilova and I have been friends since 1980. When I met her, she was technically still in the closet. When she was “outed” by her lover, Rita Mae Brown, Martina, who was living in Dallas at the time, hid out at my parent’s house in North Dallas. Besides winning tennis championships, Martina has dealt with tremendous personal controversies on and off the court and has emerged, at 51, as a gentle well-rounded soul. Yesterday when I was flying back from Holland, I flipped open a British newspaper that proclaimed Martina, who defected from Czechoslovakia in 1975, was “ashamed” of the United States and was taking back her Czech citizenship. The British media dug up one of Martina’s anti-Bush comments from last year and paired it with the news that, on January 9^th, Martina was recognized by the Czech government which restored her citizenship. What should have been a real feel-good story—one that Martina never even made light of—has been painted into a political picture. I reached Martina in Tokyo this morning. She says this exclusively, via e-mail, to the FrontBurner Nation: “Of course they are saying that I got the Czech citizenship because of Bush. What a load of crock. As if I was not controversial enough, they need to create controversy where there is none.”

Playwright Mamet Changes His Mind

David Mamet, America’s greatest living playwright (Glengarry Glen Ross, among others.), will speak in Dallas in April at the Dallas Institute’s awarding of its annual Hiett Prize. As it happens, today he published a piece on why he is no longer a liberal, which is well worth the read. 

(Warning: The Village Voice is apparently unprepared for the amount of hits the Mamet piece is getting, so the server may take a while.)

Who Won Texas? Obama Now Leads 109-106

The latest report from CNN is here.

Obama 108, Clinton 107

Still think Hillary won the Texas primary? The media seem to. But the the unofficial count of the Texas Democratic Party, with 13 super-delegates still undecided, gives it to Obama. The count won’t be resolved until the March 29, when the two sides will battle at the state senatorial district conventions.

Sandra Crenshaw to Write a Book?

Loyal FrontBurnervians will know the name Bethany. She is a prolific and often sage commentor on this blog. And now she’s BFF with Sandra Crenshaw. Get your cactus juice ready!

What To Do On Monday

If you’re free from 5:30-7 p.m. and have a spare $10,000 or $15,000 lying around, that is. Actually, you can get in if you only have $1,000 lying around, too. Those are some of the prices of admission to a March 10 event to “thank” Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick at the Beverly Drive home of Terry and Robert Rowling. Thank the speaker for what exactly, we’re not sure. Rowling, Forbes magazine readers know, is the Omni Hotels magnate whose fortune is estimated at $6.2 billion. Wonder if they’d take a “check.”

The Primary That Never Ends

Tried to upload the latest unoffical results from the Texas Democratic Party, but I’m too klutzy to figure out how to do it. So you’ll have to do the work yourself. Start by going here.

Motorcade Mystery Solved

Anyone else delayed by a motorcade this morning? (When I hit it on Lemmon, it was heading north on Turtle Creek.) Turns out, it was none other than Tony Blair, in town to receive an award at SMU.

Sandra Crenshaw: the Greatest Hits

In this thread, Crenshaw is now up to 3,085 words in the comments section. Again, Ms. Crenshaw, thank you for keeping it lively. But for those of you who don’t have time to read her full contribution — if you’re planning to do it this weekend, but you crave a little taste now — here’s a more easily digestible 672 words of highlights. Crenshaw on the Tuesday caucus and so much more:

(more…)

Sandra Crenshaw Responds

The Morning News has a story this morning about what happened with Sandra Crenshaw Tuesday night. Man, it sounds like it was a wild scene. Meanwhile, Crenshaw herself has set a record for the longest comment in FrontBurner’s history. Check out her 2,370-word explanation of what happened here (scroll down — and then keep scrolling down). If you don’t have time to read the entire thing, here’s a highlight:

My lawyer is reviewing the description in the headlines here [ed: on FrontBurner] for a libel suit, and I suspect this was the job of a Sandra Crenshaw haters in Dallas. Now print that, D Magazine.

Update: … and Crenshaw continues to respond. Refresh this post frequently. It seems to have become the official Crenshaw discussion forum. Personal note to Ms. Crenshaw: thank you for keeping it lively. I’ve deleted several comments that were racist and didn’t add to the discussion. I’ll continue to moderate them.

Re: Precinct 3549: Sandra Crenshaw Goes Berserk

At long last, here are the photos taken last night at Precinct 3549 of Sandra Crenshaw allegedly and supposedly trying to “take the sheets home to correct them.” The photos were taken by New Mexico attorney Laura E. Sanchez.

Re: Precinct 3549: Sandra Crenshaw Goes Berserk

Here’s everything I know about the Crenshaw matter: the voicemail on her cell phone is full. I can’t leave her a message, and she isn’t picking up. Meanwhile, I’m told by someone who works in the media that the fellow who has shot the video that supposedly shows Crenshaw trying to hijack her precinct and the ensuing brouhaha — that fellow is weighing offers, trying to figure out how best to use this video as leverage. He’s a student. He wants to meet Obama. He thinks Obama might give him a job. Something along those lines. Reminds me of the South Park episode where the Underpants Gnomes reveal their genius business plan:

Step 1: collect underpants
Step 2: ???
Step 3: profit

Developing? Not Really

Sam Merten has a solid piece in this week’s Dallas Observer about Fairfield Residential’s fight to tear down the dilapidated, crime-infested Signature Pointe Apartments and replace the complex with a mixed-use development (with retail, restaurants, and residential). Trey wrote about the dust-up in our March issue. City councilwoman Angela Hunt, apparently, was not a fan:

“The developer is well-represented by PR people who can contact folks in the media, can frame this a certain way, and can get photos and stories in D magazine. Neighbors with concerns about it aren’t represented by anybody.”

That is Angela’s reasoning as to why it’s not a big deal that she met with the opposition, but hasn’t yet met with supporters of the necessary zoning change. Let’s go ahead and jump, because this is long and about to get longer.

(more…)