It's that frisky season when politicians of the same stripe nonetheless go neck to neck with their sometimes-allies to differentiate themselves while ripping their brothers-in-arms a new one. In the presidential primary, the corn belt has been shaken with a barrage of negative ads from Republican party hopefuls - Mitt Romney (who isn't taking responsibility for said ads) blasts Newt Gingrich, and now Newt's associates are blasting back. It's all very exciting, but even with two Texas dogs in the hunt it feels very removed. The good news is that a debate is headed not just to Texas, but to Austin - and though it probably won't have the vim and vigor of the Perry Vs. Perry debates we've seen, at least this one doesn't take place in Iowa. more ›

UT student and College Republican representative Lauren Pierce's 129 characters on assassinating (or not assassinating) the president literally traveled around the world before coming home to roost. more ›

• Senate Republicans block Don't Ask Don't Tell
• ...and put a hold on the DREAM Act
• Obama seeks divine intervention on health care reform

• More depressing news from the Gulf: BP oil reaches Lake Pontchartrain
• 27,000 abandoned wells in the Gulf of Mexico
• Republicans for immigration amnesty?

• Nuclear proliferation summit convenes in D.C.
• Our Dangerous World: Could terrorists get hold of a nuclear bomb?
• Pilot error suggested in Polish plane crash

• Obama still working on that bipartisanship thing
• Iran still enriching uranium
• Palin still all winky and mavericky and stuff

• Republican DeMint to continue blocking Obama's TSA chief nominee
• Obama effigy found hanging in Plains, Ga.
• The taxman cometh, chapter one: IRS to regulate tax prep industry for the first time ever

• Suspected serial killer in Ohio denied bail.
• In case you hadn't heard, the Yankees have won the 2009 World Series.
• Conservatives mock the 72-hour window that requested to review health care legislation.

• Obama offering "incentives" to Sudan
• Flow of Western terrorist recruits increasing
• Administration: Stimulus saving education jobs...

• Civilian goals still unmet in Afghanistan
• Two Americans share Nobel economics prize; this is the first year a female has been awarded the prize for economics.
• Insurance industry advocacy group claims premiums will rise under healthcare reform

House passes proposal allowing concealed, loaded handguns in national parks. Rail = jobs. Minnesota parent and cancer-stricken son on the run. American Idol results: we're still totally stunned anyone cares. Making his party proud. OpenAustin: crowdsourcing the unemployed for the city's new website. The Uber-Rich meet about "philanthropy." more ›

• Geithner: The man with (yet another) plan for those toxic assets
• Rolling Stones' Matt Taibbi on the global economic crisis: "We're officially, royally f$^%ed."
• More Signs of the Economic Times: Women needing cash go from jobless to topless

Now that you have voted (and picked up your freebies rewarding you for participating in our democratic process), perhaps you are wondering where you can watch the election results with people of like mind. Here are some options for you: more ›

Unlike past primaries where the Presidential nominees were already decided by the time we voted, Texas' votes are quite significant this year. After the polls close this evening, the party's not over; it's precinct convention time! This whole caucus thing is new to us, so we thought it was worth posting a refresher. more ›

Clinton campaign seeks to control local caucus sessions? more ›

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It shouldn’t take more than 350 words to explain why I intended to vote Ron Paul for President, and roughly two words to explain why there’s now no chance in hell. more ›

This weekend, while many of our friends are shaking their fists across town at the Fun Fun Fun Fest, the bookworms among us will climb the Capitol steps to get our “shhh!” on at the Texas Book Festival. We’ve waited all year for this, the biggest literary event in Austin. All the great local writers will be on hand, along with a smattering of nationally recognized authors. For anyone looking for a thorough introduction to... more ›

Unfortunately for the frogs, Japanese scientists have made them transparent. Transcript: What Clinton actually said about 24-Bauer-style torture. Every upcoming VW model is scheduled to have a hybrid option, with some models hybrid-ready as early as next year. By raising tons of money from his dedicated supporters, Ron Paul becomes harder for Republicans to ignore. There is a new world record for ear lifting, folks. It's exactly what you think it is. Well, mostly.... more ›

Seattlest watches as a S.L.U.T. is born and Seattle Flickr users go nuts over a local art installation. A restaurant critic demands a Diner's Bill of Rights over a gnat next to her drink, and, in lieu of a Portlandist, Seattlest debates with itself over the identity of the Northwest's crown jewel. Seattlest also joins the guys from Fantagraphics for an ill-fated gun party in the woods. Bostonist got a crash course in what not... more ›

Police in Maryland unearthed the bodies of at least three aborted infants One of Michael Vick's cohorts gives up, pleads guilty to dogfighting conspiracy charges R&B performer Usher gets cold feet, breaks off wedding with his pregnant fiance The one thing that scares Republicans more than sunlight, garlic cloves, and holy water? YouTube. A Houston-based auto shop may have plans to bring back the DeLorean... more ›

Last week, Senate Bill 1317 passed the Senate in a highly partisan vote thanks in large part to lobbying efforts by Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst. The bill itself, if made law, would limit the scope of a city's jurisdiction by making it illegal for any city to regulate air pollution (or, presumably, anything else) beyond its borders. However, despite what many Senators who voted for this bill will tell you, this bill isn't about municipal... more ›

Movie critics, quilters, environmentalists, these types. The blog landscape is packed with these niche bloggers. Well, you can add former exterminators cum failed politicians with dubious pasts to the long list of those on the internets. Former US Representative Tom DeLay has started a blog. Glory be! Finally the voice of reason comes to Al Gore’s invention. [excerpted TomDelay.com]Over the course of my political life I have learned many things, one of which is that... more ›

Ever wonder where all of that campaign money comes form each year? Who’s really running this state/country/etc? Well, to find out who’s got some of those most pull among politicians, you have to look no further than Texas’ own Bob Perry. The Houston homebuilder gave more money to candidates in the last election cycle than any other individual, according to a report issued by Texans for Public Justice. The non-profit group, which believes campaign... more ›

The war in Iraq is an unqualified mess, confidence in elected officials seems to be at a low and Republican leaders are scrambling trying to get some cover. Enter John Kerry. The former presidential candidate made a “botched joke” (his words, not ours) involving college students, the Iraqi quagmire and George Bush, and Republicans are taking the opportunity to turn the tables on the Democrats in hopes of generating some traction before next week’s mid-term... more ›

Halloween is Tuesday, which means this weekend is really the time for all of the –ists to celebrate. And whether they’re designing super-spooky costumes or talking about the super-spooky upcoming elections, we’d say that they’re doing a fine job of it. Austinist knows that few things in life are scarier than zombies, people with way too much money, and politicians who try too hard to be funny. Slightly less scary, depending on whom you... more ›

Chris Bell recently received a $5 million donation commitment from Houston lawyer John O'Quinn. That oughta help. But what Bell knows would really help would be for Independent Kinky Friedman to bow out of the race, freeing up thousands of votes for the Democratic candidate. And he called the Jewish Cowboy yesterday to ask him to do just that. We imagine there are quite a few folks voting for Kinky who would normally vote... more ›

Generally, people don’t think “Democrat” when they think about Texas. It wasn’t always like that, though. The Lone Star State was decidedly “blue” for over a hundred years before the Republicans swept in during the last decade. As a consequence, the Democratic Party, trying to allocate resources wisely, doesn’t generally send a lot of clout or cash our way. The times they are a-changin', though. Howard Dean, head of the Democratic Party, came down to Scholz Garden last Tuesday to help support local candidates and spread word of the Dem’s agenda. more ›

Attempting to understand what makes middle-America tick - what motivates their purchasing and voting decisions, as well as how everyday Americans form their political and consumer allegiances - former political consultants Douglas Sosnik (Clinton administration) and Matthew Dowd (Bush administration) teamed up with former AP political reporter Ron Fournier to pen Applebee’s America. The bi-partisan trio set out to uncover what factors influenced major socio-political phenomena over the past 15 years. How did Bill Clinton... more ›

Big Brother really will be watching soon enough. In one of the more disgusting turn of Pentagon-related paranoia events, the Department of Defense (under the auspice of the US command in Baghdad) announced yesterday that it will be putting out a contract on the media. Well, to be more precise, it will be spending $20 million to hire a public relations firm to monitor the media's coverage on the quagmire in Iraq. The AP reports... more ›