I'm not sure I remember the exact name on the book. Hope you enjoyed The Swamp. I will try to look it up. Usually when I get obsessed with a subject I read quite a few books and short order on it. By far the best one the Troubles, although it didn't report to be comprehensive, just a single story, was Patrick Radden Keefe's Say Nothing. And I'm talking about an organizing principle for the movement as a whole. It doesn't describe a single individual. Although one of the things TNC stated after the 2016 election that is a tangentially relevant, is that voting for Trump didn't make one a racist, but it did mean that you didn't think racism was disqualifying.
Yes, I enjoyed The Swamp very much. Making Sense is not available on Hoopla or Libby as an audiobook, so I’m listening to Say Nothing now.
Say Nothing is the best. PR Keefe is a master writer. Making Sense was available as an e-book (my preference), but you really got the best one. Love Hoopla and the public library in general - glad to find someone else. Hoopla has Nixon Agonistes by Garry Wills (former Jesuit novitiate) as a n ebook. That was hard to find; most scholars deem it better than Lincoln at Gettysburg, which is hard to believe. May read next week
Texas AG Ken Paxton acquitted in impeachment trial, returned to office | The Texas Tribune The Texas Senate on Saturday acquitted Attorney General Ken Paxton of 16 articles of impeachment alleging corruption and bribery, his most artful escape in a career spent courting controversy and skirting consequences of scandal. No article received more than 14 of the required 21 votes to convict. Only two of 19 Republican Senators, Bob Nichols of Jacksonville and Kelly Hancock of North Richland Hills, voted in favor of convicting for any article — a stark contrast to the more than 70% of House Republicans who impeached the attorney general in May. Paxton, who attended just two days of the trial and was not present to witness his exoneration, was characteristically defiant. “The sham impeachment coordinated by the Biden Administration with liberal House Speaker Dade Phelan and his kangaroo court has cost taxpayers millions of dollars, disrupted the work of the Office of Attorney General and left a dark and permanent stain on the Texas House,” Paxton said in a statement. “The weaponization of the impeachment process to settle political differences is not only wrong, it is immoral and corrupt.”
This outcome was hard to fathom. The guy is as crooked as a barrel of snakes. Just politics at work I suppose. Texas politics is a hot mess. Added to the places I will never move to.
This is a very disappointing outcome, but I wouldn’t write off the whole state for it. Unfortunately both national parties have begun to demand almost total fealty. And the voters allow it. More over, perhaps the voters themselves demand it. There will be no political costs to pay for this outcome, except for maybe those two souls that voted to convict.
You know, this would be my argument too. Life is too short to be maligning a group of people for acting of their own time. I’m not saying you should definitely move there. I’m not going to do that either, but the flaws in their one party state government aren’t the deciding factor. After all, I live in Florida.
I live in Tx. The politics are terrible. But for the most part it doesn’t affect my day to day life and will only be a secondary factor as to whether we stay here. The 111 degree summer heat on the other hand…….
Trump and the GOP powers that be told their senators that anyone who voted for conviction would have a well funded primary challenger the next time they ran. The GOP has become a party entirely outside the law.
The acquittal isn't the end..many props to the whistleblowers for continuing their pursuit of this corruption. Can the DOJ charge Paxton for the same crime or will they just pursue the securities fraud case? MSN The political trial is over, and it’s time for the case to return to a real court,” said Blake Brickman, one of the whistleblowers.
and now the judge has finally ruled that the whistleblowers can force Paxton and his minions into a deposition and present their evidence as to why they were fired, ie the favors that Paxton did for others. Paxton tried to plead guilty and say punish me but they wanted him in depositions and the judge agreed hopefully a real court of law, and not a political body, will make judgements about the legality of what Paxton did Ken Paxton could face public trial in whistleblower lawsuit | The Texas Tribune The former aides filed the lawsuit in 2020, alleging Paxton fired them for reporting him to the FBI for allegedly abusing his office to help a wealthy friend and political donor, Nate Paul. Their claims were the basis for Paxton’s impeachment by the Texas House last year. He was acquitted by the Senate after a trial in September. Earlier this month, Paxton sought to stave off the depositions by announcing he would no longer contest the facts of the case and accept any judgment. But his stunning move did not sway the whistleblowers, who pressed forward with seeking the depositions of Paxton and three aides: Michelle Smith, Brent Webster and Lesley French Henneke. A judge sided with the whistleblowers last week and ordered the depositions to be taken on Feb. 1. Then on Tuesday, the all-Republican Texas Supreme Court issued an order staying the depositions and giving the parties until Feb. 29 to respond with their broader legal arguments. The decision was made public within hours of Paxton’s top political ally — former President Donald Trump — calling on the court to end the case.
Then Trump says Texas Supreme should stop it and they do his bidding and issue a tro to halt the deposition. Our judiciary has become corrupted by politics and that is a very bad sign for our future Texas Was All Geared Up for Depositions In the Ken Paxton Whistleblower Case Until Guess Who Stepped In (msn.com) The all-GOP court issued an order Tuesday blocking the depositions and giving the parties until Feb. 29 to respond with their broader legal arguments. The decision was made public within hours of Paxton’s top political ally — former President Donald Trump — calling on the court to end the case. The Supreme Court did not elaborate on its decision to block the depositions. Lawyers for the whistleblowers emphasized that it was not a ruling on the substantive argument by Paxton's office against the depositions. "This was not a ruling on the merits and we look forward to continuing the fight for justice in this case," two whistleblower attorneys, Tom Nesbitt and TJ Turner said, in a statement. "The people of Texas deserve answers from Ken Paxton."
Paxton's revenge continues. MAGA going hard after any pubs that didn't support school choice (rural school districts don't have enough students/funding for existing schools, let alone two schools competing) and anyone that voted to impeach Paxton the author frames it as populism vs cronyism but I see it as MAGA vs republican party and MAGA won in Texas Opinion: Political earthquake in Texas: Austin’s oligarchy cracked on Tuesday (msn.com) In Tuesday’s primary, all three Court of Criminal Appeals justices who were on the ballot lost. At least six (mostly rural) anti-school choice Republicans were defeated, and several more are headed to runoffs. At least nine Republicans who voted for the Paxton impeachment lost renomination. Several more are headed to runoffs. Most notably, the speaker of the Texas house, Dade Phelan, faces a runoff. Although Phelan is largely perceived as a puppet for the Austin lobby, he was nevertheless the public face of the Paxton impeachment. Additionally, Phelan provided political cover for anti-school choice Republicans and has helped boost Democrats’ influence in the House. Phelan will defend his Beaumont-area seat against local activist David Covey, who is endorsed by Donald Trump, in the May 28 runoff.
and Paxton skated again, settled for a fine, no loss of law license, no real penalty. Ken Paxton's securities fraud deal shows different standards of justice apply | Letters (msn.com) Texans should be outraged at the settlement deal for Attorney General Ken Paxton. Rather than putting this matter to rest, it serves only to demonstrate the difference between how public officials with deep pocketed allies are treated differently than other alleged criminals. The Harris County prosecutor stated he was "confident a Harris County jury would have found our proof beyond a reasonable doubt." Why then didn't Mr. (special prosecutor Brian) Wice put a state level public official through the same trial he certainly would have tried for lesser mortals?
Disappointing but I believe he's still facing federal charges from the DOJ that will be harder for his buddies to bail him out on.
hopefully the feds investigation into this will lead to federal charges Texas AG Ken Paxton reaches deal to end securities fraud charges after 9 years - POLITICO Under the 18-month pre-trial agreement, the special prosecutors in the case would drop three felony counts against Paxton. As part of the deal, Paxton must pay full restitution to victims — roughly $300,000 — and must also complete 100 hours of community service and 15 hours of legal ethics education. The resolution lets Paxton avoid a trial, which had been set to begin in less than three weeks on April 15. Paxton was first indicted in 2015 after being accused of duping investors in a tech startup near Dallas before he was elected attorney general. If he had been convicted at trial, Paxton could have been sentenced to life in prison. The agreement with prosecutors, which lets Paxton remain in his elected position and doesn’t affect his law license, is another huge legal and political victory for one of the nation’s most visible Republican state attorney generals. The end of the case comes six months after Paxton was acquitted of corruption charges in an impeachment trial in the Texas Senate. The resolution of the securities fraud case furthers a dramatic reversal of political fortune for Paxton, who just a year ago appeared imperiled by both the criminal case and the threat of being removed from office after his top aides reported him to the FBI. ................................... But Paxton has emerged emboldened. He waged war against dozens of GOP lawmakers who were part of the 2023 effort to impeach him, with his biggest target being state House Speaker Dade Phelan, who was forced into a May 28 runoff. Paxton’s revenge campaign also included helping defeat three Republican judges on the state Court of Criminal Appeals because they were part of a majority that stripped his office of the power to prosecute election fraud without permission from local district attorneys. He has not ruled out a primary challenge to Republican Sen. John Cornyn in 2026. Paxton still faces legal troubles, however. A federal investigation has been probing some of the same charges presented in his impeachment. He is also fighting efforts by former top aides to make him testify in a whistleblower civil lawsuit that also includes allegations central to the impeachment.
