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The Masked Resistance Fights Back in Texas Aug 12, 2021

Show notes

The resistance is underway in Texas and growing by the day. And more cities, counties and school districts are expected to challenge the Governor’s ban on mask mandates in the coming days. For many parents who’ve already sent their kids back to school – or are about to – the issue is one of life-or-death. In this emergency episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons are joined by two Superintendents who find themselves squarely in the middle of this debate. Dr. Stephanie Elizalde leads the Austin ISD, which started mandating masks today in defiance of Governor Greg Abbott. Within hours of that decision, hundreds of parents re-enrolled their kids for in-person learning when students return Tuesday, August 17. And Dr. Elizalde walks you through the thought process and the reaction. The Jasons are also joined by Dr. Brian Woods the Northside ISD Superintendent in San Antonio. They have yet to make a decision on mask requirements there, but they don’t start school until Monday, August 23. For both Superintendents, the issue boils down to local control and having the ability to make the best decisions for their individual communities. And both fully recognize local control was once religion to the GOP, but that these days Republican leadership is telling them what they can and can’t do from Austin.

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Guests:

Dr. Stephanie Elizalde, Austin ISD Superintendent

https://www.austinisd.org

Dr. Brian Woods, Northside ISD Superintendent

https://www.nisd.net

Redistricting: ”What used to be a dark art has become a dark science” Aug 10, 2021

Show notes

Passions have already been flaring in Austin. But the temperature may get hotter under the Capitol dome as new Census numbers arrive and the thorny process of divvying up the state's 38 Congressional districts commences. Before he became the senior counsel for the Brennan Center's Democracy Program, Michael Li went to school and worked in Texas. He knows the state well. And he regards Texas as one of the "highest risk states" for what he warns could be the most aggressive gerrymandering in U.S. history in this cycle. Li explains why a heavily partisan redraw of Congressional boundaries is a threat to democracy and undermines the concept that each Texan’s vote matters equally. Republicans have total control in Texas government, which is why Democrats walked out at the end of the regular legislative session and decamped for D.C. throughout the first special session and now into the second special session. Will the Dems stay away from a third legislative overtime to prevent a quorum and grind the redistricting gears to a halt? Li talks about what we can expect as we head into what he calls the "10-year Olympics" in Texas. This time it may look like a cross between a sprint, a marathon and wrestling... possibly with some legislative gymnastics thrown in.
Michael Li- Brennan Center’s Democracy Program

Why the right is running against Greg Abbott and Ken Paxton Aug 03, 2021

Show notes

Conservatives are lining up to run against incumbent Governor Greg Abbott and incumbent Attorney General Ken Paxton. Who has a shot? Does anyone have a shot? Could Abbott or Paxton face a loss? The Jasons called up two Texas Republicans from different sides of the party. Former state Sen. Konni Burton, R-Fort Worth, explains why she thinks Abbott is in political trouble. Former state Rep. Jason Villalba, R-Dallas, says he thinks Paxton could face a runoff. Sure, the GOP primary is a long way off, but the campaigns are already ramping up and that got the Jasons talking in this episode.

Could this school year actually be more challenging than the last? Jul 27, 2021

Show notes

When the first school bells ring across Texas just weeks from now, students, parents, and educators will head back into the pandemic unknown. The Jasons check back in with Dallas ISD Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa. He was on Y’all-itics a year ago when there was so much uncertainty heading into a new school term. It feels like that all over again as he readies his mega-district for the start of the ’21-‘22 session. In fact, he’ll preside over three different school start dates this year. His district and others are getting creative and sharing ideas with each other. Critics say there isn’t much guidance coming from the state, except for orders that schools can’t mandate masks or offer a virtual learning option. So, what happens if kids have to quarantine? Flush with federal cash from Covid relief legislation, Dr. Hinojosa says DISD is hiring an army of tutors. The district also plans to self-fund a virtual option if the state doesn’t agree to foot the bill for it. Also joining the Jasons for this episode is Texas PTA President Suzi Kennon, with what the state PTA will be doing to help make a tough year easier and what she’s hearing from parents across the state. Kennon also gets real---as a mom---and shares her concerns for her own child as kids head back to class at a time when the highly transmissible Delta variant of coronavirus is aggressively spreading across Texas, which continues to struggle with a lackluster vaccination rate.

D.C., Miller Lite, & Monopoly: The Politics of Voting in Texas Jul 19, 2021

Show notes

There’s no end in sight to this political standoff. Texas House Democrats remain in D.C. Austin remains at a standstill. The inevitable is likely only delayed. But is there any room for compromise? Will this legislation change how you vote? And what’s up with that case of Miller Lite on the bus with Democrats? Wheeler took off to put his feet in the sand for a few days leaving Whitely on his own to pop the top on a Miller Lite with the youngest member of the Texas legislature, state Rep. James Tallarico. In this episode, state Rep. Craig Goldman, a Fort Worth Republican, also joined Y’all-itics to talk about the lonely days in the legislature and the backchannel conversations that the GOP is having with Democrats in D.C.

Are Republicans Unraveling a Texas President's Proudest Achievement? Jul 13, 2021

Show notes

In a special legislative session underway right now, Texas Republicans are once trying to change voting laws in this state. And the Supreme Court of the United States just dealt another blow to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. That watershed law was pushed through by President Lyndon Baines Johnson, a Texas native, who rightly predicted that by signing it, he was also signing away his party's chance to hold political power in the south. But LBJ made the political sacrifice without regret because of one formative thing that happened to him in college. In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons go back in time with Mark Updegrove, President and CEO of the LBJ Foundation. Mark shares what he believes LBJ would think and do in response to Republican efforts that some say have weakened one of his signature achievements. Mark also shares what ordinary people should do to have a voice as this state and this country faces a reckoning on voting rights and restrictions.

http://www.lbjlibrary.org/page/foundation

Can Texas Republicans even agree with each other in the special session? Jul 06, 2021

Show notes

On Thursday, Texas lawmakers are returning to the state capital for a special legislative session. Changing voting laws is paramount for Texas’ Republican leaders who are intent on avenging Donald Trump’s defeat. But the bill they consider during the 30-day special session, likely will not be as strict as the one that failed during the regular session. Still, do Democrats have a shot of stopping any of it? Joining the Jasons for this episode is Scott Braddock, editor of The Quorum Report, and one of the most sourced journalists in Austin. Scott shares insight on Abbott’s primary challenge from the right and explains why the governor is not making the same mistake he did when he called the last special session in 2017.

The New Political Party in Texas Jun 29, 2021

Show notes

There’s a new political party in Texas looking to shake things up. But instead of running towards the edges, the Serve America Movement (SAM) has its roots planted firmly in the middle. While SAM already has parties established in four states, Texas could be the linchpin of its overall success. The rest of the country will be closely watching to see if SAM has a fighting chance in a deep red state. But how can it succeed where so many other new parties have failed? What is it offering that would allow it to crash the nation’s longstanding two-party juggernaut? In this episode of Y’all-itics, the Jasons talk to SAM’s founding chairman in Texas Bill King who tells them the party and its supporters are convinced there’s a big chunk of Texans who just “want somebody to do the damn job.”

Serve America Movement: https://joinsam.org

You Might Not Recognize Downtown Dallas In A Few Years Jun 22, 2021

Show notes

Inside the skyline, the transformation has been subtle and taken time but downtown Dallas has a new story to tell. In their first in-person podcast episode in almost a year and a half, the Jasons pile into a booth at the stylish Catbird restaurant and bar in the newly renovated 50-story National building for a conversation with Kourtny Garrett, the president & CEO of Downtown Dallas, Inc. In 1996, 200 people lived downtown. Today, it’s home to 12,000. Twenty years ago, downtown Dallas had 40 vacant buildings. Today, there are none. During the pandemic, downtown not only survived but it thrived. No construction projects here were lost, rents are increasing, scooters are coming back and there are four new parks. Kourtny also explains how the city is ‘activating blocks’ to make the city center more walkable.

Texas has a different kind of ‘foundation problem’ right now Jun 15, 2021

Show notes

We use it every day for freeways and foundations, pools and patios. In fact, Texas uses more cement than any other state, says Ed Sullivan, the Chief Economist and Senior Vice President of Market Intelligence for the Portland Cement Association. But Covid-19 caused cement supply chain disruptions. And then the February winter storm hit, temporarily knocking cement plants offline and doing serious damage to at least one major facility. Now, this crucial ingredient for concrete is in tight supply just as the peak summer construction season gets underway, and Sullivan says Dallas is the tightest market in the country right now. Home builder Michael Turner can back that up. He tells the Jasons that the daily ration he is getting sometimes isn’t enough to pour a complete foundation for just one new home! Sullivan predicts this will “bridle” economic activity as Texas tries to fully rebound from the Covid slowdown. But in this episode of Y’all-itics, this foremost expert in the industry also forecasts when he thinks this important commodity Texas needs so much…will be back in full supply.

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