Progress Texas Podcasts

The March 1 primary elections will be upon us before we know it. Glenn Smith joins us this week to provide some historical background and the reasons Texas is particularly weird in this department, and why primaries in Texas tend to favor incumbents. Brett Isaacs joins us as well, as we run thru the races and candidates as they stand today, including the race for Governor: is Beto O'Rourke off to a good start, or is there more he could do? What do we know about new Democratic contenders Joy Diaz and Michael Cooper? Our cup runneth over with quality Dems running to replace long-double-indicted Trump bootlicker Ken Paxton at Attorney General. And how does LG candidate Mike Collier have such amazing hair? Lots to discuss, and caution: you are entering an extreme hot take zone.

We come to you, beverages in hand, at a moment when the U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to do away with the Roe v Wade precedent that has protected abortion rights for women in our country since 1973. Proud to welcome special guest Marva Sadler of Whole Woman's Health, an eminent expert on reproductive rights. Our hats are off (and our glasses are up) to Justice Sonia Sotomayor for her courageous and correct view on the matter...we are enormous fans. How will American women react? What does all of this mean for the legitimacy of the Court itself? What's in store for the whole country if Roe falls? We are more motivated for the fight than ever, and we hope you are too. Welcome to "interesting times", and thanks for your support.

What a GREAT time at Toller Patio in downtown Dallas as we gathered with a group of friends and allies for a terrific conversation with State Reps Rafael Anchia and Jessica Gonzales on their experiences during this tough year at the Lege, why they're hopeful that things are about to get a lot better, and how we can all join in that fight. What a pleasure to be in Dallas, and we hope to do many more live tapings in coming months - stay tuned for your chance to join us!

Glenn Smith joins us this week as we conduct a post-mortem of election results across the country, and find that, while there are definite lessons to be learned, the negative takes from national media and hand-wringing from Democrats everywhere over results in New Jersey and Virginia might be just a little over-wrought, as there were actually many progressive wins to savor - in Austin, including the overwhelming defeat of Prop A. We also consider the very curious legislative career of Bexar County's John Lujan, who's now been elected twice but has never actually served! We're gearing up for what's sure not going to be a boring '22 political season, and we hope you are too - thanks for your support.

It's our first (and maybe...our last) Halloween Spooky Special! And believe us, there's plenty haunting us this year, but there's also hopeful news: the new GOP electoral maps threaten to make life frightening for the next decade, but there are challenges advancing. And the U.S. Supreme Court is set to consider the new Texas abortion restrictions, maybe as soon as in the next few days. Speaking of frightening, we share our spookiest stories: why did Mitt Romney and Kyrsten Sinema have to go and ruin Ted Lasso for us? Who can convince us that Ted Cruz isn't not only a zombie, but a Nazi zombie? We sure are spooked by North Texas Rep. Matt Krause's new book-burning adventure - only a couple of steps from a full-on witch hunt. Maybe we're still in shock from the horror of four gruesome Lege sessions? Let's just hope that when the lights go out this winter, it's just because of ghosts. Thanks for your support in these perilous times.

The November 2 election is upon us - with early voting happening now - including eight proposed state constitutional amendments: we summarize each of them, get reactions from Brett Isaacs and give recommendations on how to vote. Other important items are on the ballot too, depending on where you live. Smart voters are the best voters - go get it done! We've also got updates on Governor Abbott's new appointee as Secretary of State - a veteran of Donald Trump's war on democracy - and an update on the federal Freedom To Vote Act.

A LOT to cover again this week. Right under all of our noses - and in the middle of the night - Republicans at the Texas Legislature are drawing and approving district maps that will unfairly solidify their power, at the expense of the Texans of color who now comprise the majority in the Lone Star State, FOR THE NEXT DECADE. Also, we discuss Governor Abbott's new wholesale ban on vaccine mandates: what exactly is the strategy in aiding and abetting a deadly pathogen? On that note, we welcome Progress Texas Board Member Kathleen Thompson, who's in the midst of a clash with her kids' school district in the DFW area over their decision not to enforce masking. And after months of opposition, Texas Republicans finally succeeded in victimizing trans kids - what's next on that front? Crazy times in Texas = a jam-packed episode this week. Thanks for your ongoing support!

To exactly nobody's surprise, Texas Republicans are exceeding expectations when it comes to redistricting - drawing themselves into undeserved power while drawing non-white and urban Texans out of the representation they are due. How does this change the game for Democrats? Also: to help recap last weekend's Women's Marches and the ever-shifting legal status of the pernicious new Texas abortion ban, we welcome special guest and famed civil rights attorney Austin Kaplan, while Diana and Wesley fill us in on their trip to D.C. The latest on the multi-front fight for justice and progress in Texas, and how to help us fight back!

Lots to cover this week in Texas politics! The Legislature is in the middle of taking up redistricting. It's all about the distinction between partisan gerrymandering (which is allowed), and racial gerrymandering (which is not) and Republicans aren't typically good at drawing the distinction.

Who’s running for Governor? We're entering the orbit of our next election cycle, still without a big-name Democrat declared. Considering the stakes, this is concerning for sure. We expect some word from Beto O'Rourke on whether he'll run - and notably, we still lack any women candidates in major races, which is surprising considering the terrific talent among Texas Democratic women. And at the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, we'd also love to see our Latinx powerhouse players jump in, especially considering recent Census data - people of color in general. Also, believe it or not, here comes ANOTHER special Lege session, with redistricting as the main event, presenting yet another opportunity for the Texas GOP to further cement its illegitimate advantage via gerrymandering and the negating of the power of our major cities and underserved communities. And, GOP antics around COVID continue - seemingly ANYTHING to avoid masks and vaccines - "freedom" at the expense of the safety and freedom of ALL Texans...almost NONE of whom are especially jazzed about the direction of the state.