Your Mid-Week Experiment

Something's happening in Texas. Not sure what.

Since I sent out last weekend’s essay on the most corrupt politician in America, a few things have changed in Texas. Dan Patrick, the politician who made Forget the Alamo a best seller, went on the air attacking Mike Collier, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor. It’s stunning to me that he’s even acknowledging that there’s an election! Their internal polling numbers must show a competitive race. And Rochelle Garza, the Democratic nominee for attorney general, is on the air statewide attacking Ken Paxton not on the staggering record of corruption he has rung up but abortion, and it appears her fundraising has ticked up a good bit.

Not sure what is happening in Texas, but it’s something.

Rochelle Garza @RochelleMGarza

Sometimes criminals carry guns to rob you on the streets. Sometimes they carry briefcases to rob you of your personal freedoms. I’m running for Texas Attorney General to protect us from both.

Patrick Svitek @PatrickSvitek

New TEC reports in AG race (July 1-Sept. 29): - @KenPaxtonTX: $2.1M raised, $808K spent and $4.9M cash on hand - @RochelleMGarza: $1.6M raised, $475K spent and $1.5M cash on hand

Sara Cress @saracress

“He is the top law enforcement official in Texas and quite possibly the most corrupt politician in America, and the only thing of any consequence that has happened to him is that he had to return a fountain pen.” I’m donating to @RochelleMGarza right now. Join me?

Jason Stanford @JasStanford

Ken Paxton might be the most corrupt politician in American, and he's certainly one of the vulnerable incumbents in Texas. So why aren't Texas Democratic donors acting like it?https://t.co/Ac0Tydvz9B

Let’s start with Abby Livingston’s absolutely must-read adios from the Texas Tribune.

“The rudest, most disrespectful tweets garner eight times as many likes and ten times as many retweets as civil ones.” (Nieman Lab)

“Most people on Twitter don’t live in political echo chambers — but mostly because they don’t care enough to bother building one” (NiemanLab)

“Leaders cannot improve corporate culture unless they are willing to hold themselves and their colleagues accountable for toxic behavior.” (MIT Sloan)

“Just how racist is the MAGA movement? This survey measures it.” (Jennifer Rubin)

“Black, Hispanic and Asian respondents were notably more open than white respondents to AI replacing hiring managers and trial judges…” (Boston University College of Communication)

Do you like super fun, poppy music? Check out Dayglow’s latest album.

I don’t know why I resisted watching For All Mankind on Apple TV+, the show that posits the Soviets beat us to the moon, but I’m glad S and I finally did. It’s a great funhouse mirror for the last few decades.

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Buy the book Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick banned from the Bullock Texas History Museum: Forget the Alamo: The Rise and Fall of the American Myth by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and myself is out from Penguin Random House. Out in paperback now!