Follow-Up On Last Week's Show

Sorry to be late with a post about last week's show, especially since IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS WE'VE HAD. Our guests were State Representative Eddie Rodriguez and Texas Monthly CEO Evan Smith.

Representative Rodriguez talked about the recently completed legislative session and his accomplishments in transportation, affordable housing, public education, health care, enviromental protection. Then we visited with him about his future political plans. He mentioned how Austin's Senator Kirk Watson is being discussed as a potential Democratic candidate for Governor in 2010. If he runs for Governor, his state Senate seat will open up. Eddie announced that, if Watson jumps into the Governor's race, he will most likely be a candidate for the Senate seat.

Evan Smith visited about his recently-announced decision to leave Texas Monthly, where he's been an editor for almost two decades and as President and CEO since last year. Evan is leaving to become the CEO of the Texas Tribune, an non-profit, non-partisan, non-paper "public media organization whose mission is to promote civic engagement and discourse on public policy, politics, government, and other matters of statewide interest." Evan will lead an extraordinary bunch of journalists, headed by Ross Ramsey, editor of Texas Weekly (which the Texas Tribune has purchased) and friend of the show. Other writers include Elise Hu, political reporter for Austin KVUE Channel 11 News (and friend of the show); Matt Stiles, staff reporter for the Houston Chronicle; Brandi Grissom, Capitol reporter for the El Paso Times; Emily Ramshaw, from the Capitol staff of the Dallas Morning News.

This coming Friday (the 31st), Ann Kitchen joins us to help make sense of the national debate over health care.

July 17 -- SD-25, Campaign Finance Reports

In 20o6 JOHN COURAGE ran a, well, courageous campaign against Republican congressman Lamar Smith, who's represented his custom-gerrymandered district since the Civil War. After his loss, Courage founded the True Courage Action Network to encourage political and legislative activism.

John Courage is out guest today, announcing his run for state senator against incumbent Jeff Wentworth. Wentworth represents SD-25, which runs from San Antonio to South Austin. Courage will make his case for the race.

Also, longtime Capitol reporter PEGGY FIKAC, who writes for the Houston Chronicle and the San Antonio Express-News, will visit with us about the campaign finance reports that came out this week and the SD-25 race.

TEXAS POLITICS TODAY airs every Friday from 2-3 pm Central on KOOP, Austin's community radio station. Tune in at 91.7 FM or over the Web at http://www.koop.org/.

Palin To Step Down As Alaska Governor

Check it out. More later.

The Sharpest Tool in the Box

In 1998, John Sharp -- Comptroller and former Railroad Commissioner, Senator and House member -- narrowly lost to Rick Perry in a very close Lieutenant Governor's race. Sharp ran for Lieutenant Governor again, in 2002, and lost to multimillionaire David Dewhurst (whose tenure as Lieutenant Governor has been less than stellar).

Sharp is running again, this time for the U.S. Senate seat likely to be vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison. Sharp is our guest today on Texas Politics Today. We also interview some Texans old and new about what Independence Day means to them.

Texas Politics Today airs every Friday from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. Central time on KOOP, Austin's community radio station. KOOP can be heard at 91.7 FM in Austin and live over the Web at http://www.koop.org/. Tune in, and have a Happy Independence Day!!