Katherine Haenschen Posts

I hope I wasn't the sole woman in Texas tuned in to last night's US Senate debate. The Republican war on women was on full display as candidates battled to take the most regressive stance on women's health issues. What was clear from the Republican candidates' answers is that all four are staunchly out of touch with what women and Texans think about Planned Parenthood and the Women's Health Program.

As my colleague Ben Sherman reported earlier, the debate was a fairly staid format in which the four leading Republican candidates (David Dewhurst, Ted Cruz, Craig James and Tom Leppert) and the two leading Democratic candidates (Paul Sadler and Sean Hubbard) sat down for a one-on-one with the moderator before engaging in some short Q&A and a bit of brief back-and-forth on the issues of the day. It was during the Q&A that two questions in particular emphasized the degree to which women's reproductive rights and basic access to healthcare have become a political football kicked around like so much special teams practice.

Candidates were asked how they plan to get women to vote for them, and to take a stand on a woman's right to choose. Evidently the Republicans' answer was to patronize women, deny them access to healthcare, and reiterate that women can't make their own medical choices. The responses from the Republicans ranged from laughable to infuriating, as all emphasized their hatred of Planned Parenthood and desire to defund the program that provides services to 40% of women enrolled in Texas's Women's Health Program.

Dewhurst stated that he was asking "all good Republicans to vote for me," which I guess means he's Ok with independent and Democratic women abandoning him over his whacktacular views on women's issues. He emphasized his work to both defund Planned Parenthood and find state money to continue the WHP without the provider (which is in violation of Federal rules regarding exclusion of qualified providers, but NBD, right?). Leppert followed up that he's also against funding Planned Parenthood, and has strong anti-choice viewpoints. He then actually gave a better answer than the rest of his knuckle-dragging Republican brothers when he noted that he was raised by a single mom and that women were concerned about the economy and job opportunities. Then he said something about women being concerned about career politicians? Eh, get your talking points in where you can, I guess. James emphasized his pro-life credentials. I didn't really take many other notes since his voice makes chunks of my brain drip out of my ears. Sorry.

Ted Cruz had perhaps the most laughable and awful answer, as he claimed that "a significant majority" of women are pro-life. Unfortunately for Cruz, the facts say otherwise: a Rasmussen poll (yes, Ras the Republican polling firm) conducted last month found that 51 percent of women identify as pro-choice, and only 40 percent pro-life. The pro-life tally dropped 3 points since Ras's previous January poll. Thanks for telling us what we ladyfolks think, Ted! Unfortunately you're wrong.

On the Democratic side, our candidates did women right on this issue, standing up for our ability to make informed medical decisions and choose our own healthcare decisions. Sean Hubbard, who had a solid debate performance on the whole, said that it was "embarrassing" that we're still discussing whether or not women can make their own healthcare decisions. He noted that his wife had gone to Planned Parenthood earlier in her life not for abortions, but cancer screenings. He said that Planned Parenthood provides "invaluable services to low-income women, women with no health insurances." Sadler also made clear that he supports choice and Planned Parenthood, and disagreed with the state's efforts to defund the entire Women's Health Program just because certain individuals don't like Planned Parenthood. "It's the wrong position that we're taking as a state."

Let's be really clear: Republicans' opposition to Planned Parenthood is out of touch with what Texas voters want. A PPP poll conducted in March showed that 59% of likely Texas voters oppose Governor Perry's efforts to kick the provider out of the Women's Health Program. Planned Parenthood itself enjoys enviably high support in public opinion polls. A Quinnipiac University poll found that 53% of voters nationally oppose cutting off federal government funding to Planned Parenthood. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll ound that 53 percent of Americans found it "mostly or totally unacceptable" to eliminate funding to Planned Parenthood for family planning and preventive health services. Republicans are going against the wishes of voters in Texas and nationally in their efforts to defund Planned Parenthood.

The participating candidates -- all male, as the females in both parties are apparently not considered viable candidates worthy of inclusion -- were also asked where they stand on reproductive choice. Unsurprisingly this broke down along party lines as well, with the men emphatically opposing a woman's right to make her own medical decisions, and the Democrats supporting it. Ladies, gird your loins, because one of these people will be voting on Supreme Court nominees. Cruz reiterated that he's strongly pro-life, from "conception to natural death." I'm unsure how that reconciles with the death penalty. Dewhurst said he's always been pro-life, and bragged about passing some of the worst anti-choice legislation of the last decade. Leppert said he was pro-life because of his faith. Perhaps the best answer was from Craig James of all people, who said that he was 100% pro-life, and declared that the morality in our country in decline! People used to open doors for women, and say "sir" and "ma'am!" He didn't mention anything about killing five hookers, instead immediately retiring to his fainting couch to clutch his pearls.

The Democrats, again, were a beacon of sanity in this portion of the debate. Hubbard stated clearly, "I trust women to make the right decisions about their reproductive health. A group of men in Washington, DC or Austin should not make decisions for them." Amen! Sadler noted that he is a person of faith, a Christian, and that he thinks a woman has the right to make this decision for herself, with her own counsel. He made clear that for him, there's room in his faith to disagree on this issue. It was a solid, nuanced answer.  

Women of Texas: the four leading Republican candidates for US Senate are all vehemently opposed to your right to choose, your ability to get healthcare from Planned Parenthood, and your knowledge of whether or not you can make your own reproductive decisions. Good times!

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

This week, in honor of BOR's 9th Birthday, we're using our Video of the Day feature to promote our 9-9-9 Plan. We're asking you to please donate $9 a month to BOR for 9 months in honor of our 9th birthday, and help support our increased online outreach and help us elect great Democratic candidates up and down the ballot this November. What better way to reinforce this request than with 9 days of videos that harken back to the glory days of the Republican Presidential campaign that brought us the original 9-9-9 Plan, that of Herman Cain?  

Tonight, we look back at some of Cain's more unorthodox policy proposals, which propelled him to a short-lived lead in the GOP Presidential primary polls.

Sign up for Burnt Orange Report's 9-9-9 Plan today, and we'll send you a flag pin the size of a fat baby's head. Ok, probably not. But we will show you that secret handshake he talks about. Good deal, right?

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

Have you heard about our 9-9-9 Plan?  For the next 9 days, we're asking folks to donate $9 a month to BOR for 9 months in honor of our 9th birthday. What better way to reinforce this request than with 9 days of videos that harken back to the glory days of the Republican Presidential campaign that brought us the original 9-9-9 Plan, that of Herman Cain?  

To kick things off, Herman Cain has a sad song for everyone. One thing: when he says "pizza," I want you to pretend he's saying "Burnt Orange Report." Then you'll feel like Cain here feels. Take it away, Herman:

Imagine a world in which there's no Burnt Orange Report! Who would blog about Texas politics, help Democratic candidates get the word out about their Republican opponents, break major stories about racist College Republicans, and distract you from your work day? Can't bear to think of it? Neither can we. Sign up for our 9-9-9 Plan and support our efforts with $9 a month for 9 months in honor of our 9th year.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

The 2012 State Senate elections here in Texas will be important, no doubt. Due to redistricting, all 31 seats are on the ballot this year. While there are only a handful of races that will have any major impact on the partisan and ideological swing of the upper chamber, nevertheless Texans should expect the upper chamber to tilt rightward in the coming session, due in part to redistricting, and also to the efforts of right-wing groups to rid their party of moderates.

However, two competitive GOP primaries will give a clear indication of the direction of the modern-day Republican Party of Texas, and largely determine to what degree the entire chamber will tilt even more ideologically conservative. Make no mistake, next year's Senate will be further to the right than our current one, due several retirements of more moderate Republicans, who in turn will be replaced by more right-wing members of the party. Of late, the Republican party has been dominated by an alphabet soup of conservative activist groups -- TLR, TAL, TRL, the NRA, YCT's, and the infamous MQS, Michael Quinn Sullivan, of Texans for Fiscal Ruin, a deeply right-wing anti-tax organization that won't stop until the entire state government shuts down. In SD-9, these groups tend to be backing the more right-wing Kelly Hancock over the more moderate Todd Smith. Arguably Smith is the more competent, capable public servant, yet he doesn't always kow-tow to the Republican purity trolls.

Additionally, the one genuinely competitive race -- SD-10, featuring incumbent Democrat Wendy Davis and Republican challenger Mark Shelton -- which will either help the Democrats hold that crucial 12th seat, or slip back to a slim 11 seat caucus that needs lock-step voting to block the Republicans via the two-thirds rule. The Davis-Shelton race is one of the most important, must-win races for the Democrats this year, and should be a high profile affair post primary season.

The Texas Senate will see at least four new members next year due to retirements -- Republicans Steve Ogden, Florence Shapiro, Chris Harris, and Mike Jackson are all stepping down. Additionally, Republican incumbent Jeff Wentworth has a real challenge in the form of Elizabeth Ames Jones and Dr. Donna Campbell, both of whom charge the Senator with being too moderate. There's a handful of other less-likely primary upsets on the Republican side, and of course the Davis race will go down to the wire. Regardless, there will be several new faces in the Senate -- though it's likely none will be truly new to the Pink Dome, as most are State Reps.

The question is which power faction prevails in key GOP Senate primaries. The race to succeed Chris Harris in SD-9, and the three-way involving SD-25 will demonstrate whether center-right Republicans can still win a primary in Texas, or if the far-right conservatives have taken over the party's nominating process.

Below the fold you'll find a chart with every candidate running, the incumbent's years in office, and the margin in the 2008 Presidential, 2008 SCOTX, 2010 Gubernatorial, and 2010 SCOTX elections, and our rating of the races. Since this is Texas, we're rating them in Scoville units -- or, in laymen's terms, if this race was a chile pepper, how hot of a chile pepper would the race be?
Below is a list of every candidate filed in the 2012 State Senate Republican and Democratic primaries. I've rated each race according to its hotness in Scoville units, or how chile peppers' heat is measured. Basically, in descending order of hotness:

Pepper Spray! Weapons-grade pepper spray is hotter than almost any pepper known to man. Expect an angry, vitriolic, aggressive race.  

Habanero! Hot hot hot! These races will be fiercely contested between several excellent candidates, in the primary or in November.

Jalapeno Popper: Spicy entertainment. These races can always be hotter than expected, depending on what's in the filling and how long it's been in the deep fryer.

Green Bell Pepper. No measurable heat.

Peppermint Patty: So not hot, it's almost cold.

In terms of methodology, I've listed the margin in the 2008 Presidential election and the average of the three 2008 Supreme Court of Texas (SCOTX) races, as well as the margin in the 2010 Gubernatorial race and three 2010 SCOTX races, so you can see some relative partisan-ness of each district. I've also added the January 2012 TEC reports to gauge how much funding these folks have available. Incumbents have an asterisk, in case -- like many readers -- you've never even heard of half of these incumbent Republicans.

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This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

OMG you guys! This ad for Railroad Commissioner is the campaign equivalent of what would happen if Michael Bay, There Will Be Blood, and that infamous "Big John" ad had a three-way while wearing hard-hats. Take a look:

Totally hilarious! I'm sorry, was this meant to be serious? Chisum looks so goofy in that hard hat. Can he give up his campaign and just make this into a B movie? It makes me giggle.

GOP Ad Checklist:

"Obamacare" -- No, but he does promise to stand up to the EPA.

Slamming the Feds -- See above.

Women's Health -- No; also, not relevant here.

Guns, God, Gays -- Total shotgun shell glamour shots.

Bonus points: "fighting the liberals," image of candidate atop a horse. After all, why explain what a railroad commissioner does when you can show yourself hunting and saying grace? Hilarious.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

This week, our daily videos will feature TV ads from ongoing Texas Republican primaries. Fun! I promise relentless mocking.

First off, the last Texan standing in the Republican presidential primary, one Mr. Ron Paul. Paul released the video as part of a statewide six-figure media buy... which in Texas doesn't necessarily go very far, unless it's all on cable or daytime. Maybe the ad follows the "we buy gold" commercials. Paul also ventured down to our state for a three-day campaign swing last week. Apparently he is trying to make a last stand here of sorts.

The ad is slickly produced, and mainly plays to Texans' strong sense of cultural identity. Basically, it's like those Texan-themed car ads, except it's selling a crazy federal agency-shuttering gnome instead of a truck. Anyways, here it is:

GOP Ad Checklist:

"Obamacare" -- Nope.

Slamming the Feds -- Yeah, if shutting down 5 federal agencies counts.

Women's Health -- No attacks on abortion, birth control, or Planned Parenthood here.

Guns, God, Gays -- Nope.

However, it does have a disembodied finger flicking our nation's capital out of frame. Bonus points for the visual reference to Mitt "Etch-a-Sketch" Romney. The ad is fast-paced, and while that lends itself to repeat YouTube viewing, it might be a bit too quick for TV advertising.

All in all, Paul's the only candidate left who can credibly make the Texan nationalist argument. It fits well with his "Get Washington off your back" argument. However, it remains to be seen if Paul's passionate supporters can wrangle the complex GOP delegate selection process this year and get themselves out to county conventions that don't occur on primary night. I guess we'll see what happens at the RPT convention.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

We here at BOR owe a huge thank you to everyone who came out to our first fundraiser last night. The event was a huge success, and we're really grateful and humbled by the outpouring of support from our readers, friends, and elected officials.

Joining us at the event were Congressman Lloyd Doggett, Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Council Member Mike Martinez, Constable and candidate for Travis Co. Tax Assessor Bruce Elfant, State Rep. Elliott Naishtat, Travis County Attorney David Escamilla, municipal judge Ramey Ko, and Travis County Democratic Party chair Andy Brown. We were also glad to see a wide range of candidates for office this year, including judicial candidates Efrain de la Fuente and David Wahlberg, constable candidate Carlos Lopez, SBOE candidates Judy Jennings and Rebecca Bell-Metereau, 3rd Court of Appeals candidate Judge Andy Hathcock, Travis Co. Sheriff Candidate John Sisson. Also in attendance were former State Representatives Valinda Bolton and Glen Maxey, and Lonny Paris, campaign manager for Pete Gallego. Completing the scene were a delegation of Hermanos de East Austin, a passel of University Democrats, and a host of campaign and legislative staffers, former and future candidates, and Democratic activists.  

A special thanks goes to our generous hosts, Chuck Herring & Ginny Agnew, who were instrumental in making this event happen. When Chuck first offered to host the event, I don't think any of us imagined that it would be such an overwhelming success. Our staff is profoundly grateful that so many people pitched in to support this event. It is you, dear reader, who keep BOR going strong, and motivate us to keep writing and commenting on the events of the day. We are so thankful for this support -- not only does it provide us the material resources to expand our various operations, it provides tremendous moral support and reminds us that we're a valued part of the Texas political landscape. We will keep working harder than ever to expand our coverage and increase our original reporting, and make good on the faith that has been placed in us.

Thanks to all of our sponsors and donors for helping to make sure that Burnt Orange Report can keep going strong in 2012 and beyond!

If you were unable to join us last night, you can still make a donation through ActBlue. We will be continuing this fundraising push through April 30th, when we will celebrate the 9th Anniversary of Burnt Orange Report, so save the date for that event as well.  

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

Guess who supports the Buffett Rule? Noted socialist Ronald Reagan. Take a look:

The Obama campaign has a widget with which you can calculate how much higher a percentage of their income millionnaires like Mitt Romney would pay in taxes if Congress passed the Buffett Rule.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

Some good news from the ongoing Republican war on women's health: today Planned Parenthood filed a federal lawsuit to block Texas's unconstitutional rule that excludes Planned Parenthood from the state's Women's Health Program.

From the Planned Parenthood media release:

Governor Rick Perry and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission adopted the rule excluding Planned Parenthood health centers, which makes the state ineligible to receive Medicaid funding.  The rule could deprive tens of thousands of Texan women of preventive health services, as more than 40 percent rely on Planned Parenthood for critical health care through the program.

The lawsuit filed in federal court in Austin today asks the court to enter a preliminary injunction that would stop enforcement of the unconstitutional rule excluding Planned Parenthood affiliates from the Women's Health Program.  Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas, represented by attorneys from the Texas firm Graves, Dougherty, Hearon & Moody and Planned Parenthood Federation of America, challenge the rule as violating their constitutional rights because it imposes an unconstitutional condition on their participation in WHP.  The lawsuit also claims that the rule violates Texas state law because the Health and Human Services Commission overstepped its authority in adopting a rule that conflicts with the purpose of the laws that created the program.

Planned Parenthood has been fighting back hard against Rick Perry and Texas Republicans' efforts to end women's healthcare in Texas. Republicans are so desperate to defund the provider that they passed a rule preventing federal Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood, the #1 provider of services to women enrolled in the Women's Health Program. Medicaid provided a 9-to-1 match of federal dollars for every one state dollar spent. The program saved the state $42 million per year by enabling women to prevent unwanted pregnancies. However, federal rules prohibit banning a qualified provider from participating in the Medicaid WHP. Planned Parenthood is a qualified provider, so Secretary of Health and Human Services had no choice but to deny Texas the funds. As a result, Perry has turned to his usual schtick -- blaming the Feds and Obama -- for shutting down the program, when in reality it is his own administration that supported the illegal effort to block Planned Parenthood from participating in the program.

However, Perry's desire to score cheap political points on the backs of Texas women resulted in his defunding the Medicaid WHP, promising instead to pay for it in-state. First Perry said he would find the money elsewhere in the Health & Human Services budget, jeopardizing the health of our children and seniors. Now he's claiming that he can get other Federal money to fund other programs, and shift state funds over to recreate the WHP here in Texas. He's playing a reckless shell game with the women's health program just to impress his GOP base.

Don't forget, Perry also signed a budget that slashed $73 million from the state's family planning budget, causing many clinics to lay off workers, reduce hours, or shut down entirely. That first cut caused 180,000 Texas women to lose access to family planning. Ending the Medicaid program would cut off access to another 130,000 women, meaning that in a short period of time.

Let's not forget what Planned Parenthood does each year, as the most efficient provider of services in the Medicaid WHP. Planned Parenthood's 65 health centers in Texas provide over 100,000 cervical cancer screenings, 120,000 breast cancer screenings, and 440,931 tests and treatments for sexually transmitted infections annually.

In trying to shut down Planned Parenthood for political reasons, Rick Perry is putting the lives of Texas women at risk. Women are lucky to have Planned Parenthood on our side, fighting back to make sure that we have access to affordable, quality healthcare.  

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

If you've ever wanted the President to read you a bed time story, here's your chance. At the 2009 White House Easter Egg Roll, President Obama read the classic children's book Where the Wild Things Are. He also explained it a little. Here it is, courtesy of the White House YouTube channel:

Too much or not enough? Get the animated GIF on our Tumblr.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

It's not like there weren't abortions before Roe v Wade. There were. Women have been ending their pregnancies since at least Ancient Egypt. What the SCOTUS decision did here in America, however, was make the process safe and legal, so that hospitals no longer needed septic wards, or had to save women from the repercussions of botched back-alley abortions.

In tonight's video, Dr. Mildred Hanson explains how she and other U.S. doctors worked around the law to provide abortions before the procedure was legalized in 1973 through Roe v. Wade. This is the era that Republicans want to take us back to. This is the end-point of the Republican war on women -- women dying when they can't get a safe, legal abortion, and can't go through with their pregnancy.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

For nine years, Burnt Orange Report has been an all-volunteer, shoe-string operation, with dedicated writers who volunteered their time to cover Texas politics. However, as we enter our ninth year of operation, it has become clear that to keep BOR going strong, we need greater resources to support and expand our efforts.

To play a bigger role in electing Democrats, we filed Burnt Orange Report PAC, and this week BOR PAC will launch our statewide polling series, which will provide 6 polls throughout the calendar year. We're also begin expanded online mobilization programs focused on the county conventions, and will be planning a big online push to help Democrats in close races this November.

This year, the business side of Burnt Orange Report has also been growing steadily. We've added an intern to assist with marketing, events planning, and research, and we have also begun providing our staff writers with small stipends for meeting monthly performance metrics. We're pleased with the results: page views are up, social sharing is up, and links to Burnt Orange Report from media sources far and wide are up as well. With our expanded capacity we've been able to launch a number of new features this year, and there's plenty more to come.

We believe in the importance of the progressive blogosphere, and we know what a valuable role a strong state-based blog can play in highlighting good and bad legislation, tracking candidates and officeholders from the beginnings of their career, and breaking stories that the mainstream media won't always cover. We hope that what we do on BOR this year and in the future provides a road map for other blogs to

To keep it going, we need the support of our dedicated readers and people who believe in the need for greater progressive infrastructure here in Texas.

To that end, we're launching our first major capital campaign, to raise money for BOR and our continued operations. This Friday the 13th, we're holding a fundraiser here in Austin, hosted by a wide range of Democratic and progressive elected officials. We hope you can join us. If you can't make it on Friday, please consider making a donation to our ActBlue page for the event. The invite is below. Thanks to all of our hosts!  

Please Join Our Hosts
Senator Kirk Watson' Congressman Lloyd Doggett' Hon. Chuck Herring & Ginny Agnew Sen. Carlos Uresti Mark Strama Campaign Academy' Rep. Garnet Coleman Rep. Joe Deshotel' Rep. Dawnna Dukes Rep. Jessica Farrar Rep. Carol Alvarado Rep. Rafael Anchia Rep. Donna Howard Rep. Eddie Rodriguez		Hon. David Escamilla Mayor Lee Leffingwell Lone Star Project Hon. Mike Martinez & Lara Wendler Rep. Elliott Naishtat Rep. Richard Peña Raymond Ed Espinoza Jan Soifer & Pat O'Connell Rep. Mike Villarreal Hon. Sarah Eckhardt' Hon. Chris Riley Sherrie Matula & Martha Griffin Travis County Democratic Party'
for Raising the BOR: A Fundraiser in Support of Burnt Orange Report and BOR PAC Friday, April 13, 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the home of Chuck Herring & Ginny Agnew 1204 Castle Hill Street, Austin Texas RSVP on Facebook For nine years, Burnt Orange Report has provided coverage of Texas politics at the national, statewide, and local level. Now, we're expanding our operations, with a statewide polling series, increased support for Democratic candidates, and expanded online outreach. While traditional media outlets are laying off reporters and closing bureaus, Burnt Orange Report is only getting bigger and stronger. Support the biggest progressive blog in Texas and most widely read progressive state blog in the United States. Please join us for this event as we raise support to keep our operation going strong through 2012 and beyond. Sponsorships Are Available: Stephen F. Austin: $2000 | Sam Houston: $1000 Davy Crockett: $500 | Mirabeau B. Lamar: $250 Suggested Donation: $25 Reserve Your Tickets or Donate Securely Online Through ActBlue If you would like to be a sponsor, please email us with your desired level and we'll work out all of the details. Advertising packages are also available. Sponsors with an ' by their name have purchased an advertising package instead of donating to the PAC. With your support, we will be able to make Burnt Orange Report even bigger and better, for the 2012 cycle and beyond. Please join us for this event and help Burnt Orange Report keep more eyes on Texas politics.

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

Last night's cold open on SNL. Sorry, there's an ad first.

The episode was mixed. The highlight was arguably Taran Killam's impression of Michael Cera. The musical act was mundane, but thankfully a Numb3rs re-run was on an adjacent channel.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

This past Friday, April 6th was Paul Qui Day here in Austin, Texas, in recognition of the Uchiko executive chef's recent win on Bravo's Top Chef Texas, the season-long culinary contest. The celebration was much deserved, as Qui was the only Texan to make the regular season (24 Diner chef Andrew Curren failed to make it through the qualifying rounds), and proceeded to practically run the table on his opponents. On Thursday at the Austin City Council meeting, Council Member Mike Martinez read a proclamation in honor of Qui, and Friday, during a reception on the Mayor's balcony, Qui was presented with a key to the city and a proclamation from the State of Texas in honor of his victory. Guests were treated to an amazing summery fruity drink, the best segment of a beet I've ever eaten in or around a government building, and a miraculous duo of sashimi, courtesy of Uchi, the culinary "parent" of Uchiko.

Martinez watched the show -- along with what seemed like 95% of my Twitter feed -- and once Qui won, immediately vowed to issue a proclamation and celebrate the win at City Hall on behalf of the city Qui calls home. During the ceremony, the characteristically humble Qui made a few remarks. For all of his success and accolades, Qui is remarkably genuine and laid back. He's probably the platonic ideal of an Austin "celebrity chef," in that he's a down-to-earth guy doing really amazing things, yet carries himself in a decidedly low-key manner. Here's a photo from the ceremony Friday:

This most recent Top Chef season filmed in San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas -- deliberately snubbing Houston -- before jetting off to Vancouver for the finale. The producers touched on some of the easier -- dare I say "lazier" -- elements of Texas culinary history and culture, including a chili cook-off, a rodeo, the Cattle Baron's ball, and Pee Wee Herman at the Alamo -- and some of the inexplicable, such as cooking rattlesnake. There was also a strange "cook in a field with what you have in your backpack" interlude between San Antonio and Dallas that was like no trip up I-35 that I've ever experienced, thank God.

Much like his food, Qui was the most interesting and complex representation of Texas on the show. Other than a challenge to cater a quinceañera, there wasn't much to really illustrate the diversity of Texas, and our culinary traditions that span more than just big steaks and all other things bovine. (Even the tequila quickfire challenge was more like a weekend in South Padre than a recognition of the Mexican influence on much of Texas eating and drinking.) Qui immigrated with his family from the Philippines to Virginia at age 10, attended college in Houston, and found his calling in the kitchen, eventually studying at Austin's Texas Culinary Academy. Qui's training in Asian and European cuisines and experience with Vietnamese, Cambodian, and Thai cooking gave him a broad range of flavors and techniques to draw on throughout the season, and always seemed to be cooking food that was uniquely his own. There is a great diversity of experience in Qui, and perhaps that's not only what makes him such a great chef, but also made him the Texas contestant of choice. That the finale came down to Qui and another former Houstonian was fitting given the Texas theme of the season, but it was Qui who most Texas Top Chef fans I knew seemed to be rooting for.

The Qui key celebration was a fun and fitting denouement for those of us who watched Top Chef weekly, breathless with anticipation to see if Qui's precision and subtlety would prevail over the cuisine of his opponents. Each week, my best friend and I watched the show together, cooking elaborate-for-us meals while cheering on Paul, booing the meaner contestants (cough, Heather, cough), and critiquing the food based solely on its appearance. (Can someone invent taste-o-vision already?) We were elated when he would tweet back at us as he watched the show from an undisclosed location, contractually forbidden from joining the watch parties at Uchiko or East Side Kings.

Oh, how we fretted whether or not he would win. When we saw the promotional materials for the upcoming Austin Food & Wine Festival, several friends and I became intensely concerned that runner-up Sarah Grueneberg (a graduate of the Art Institute of Houston, now a chef in Chicago) would win, since she was featured more prominently on the promotional materials than Austin-based Qui. Yet as he won challenge after challenge, our confidence in the Texan contestant only increased. Paul's confidence seemed to remain self-contained and steady throughout, as he won a cool $20K for a coconut soup with ghost chile peppers, prevailed in a snooty Highland Park dinner party with brussels sprouts, enchanted Charlize Theron with his beat salad, and made a transformative sunchoke dashi soup for his mentor and Uchi chef Tyson Cole. He even won the Salt Lick challenge with an Asian-inspired barbecue, which was no small feat given how Texans are about their BBQ.

And then he won! And my Twitter feed roared with approval.

For those of us who are extremely fortunate to have eaten at Uchiko, it's no surprise that Qui won. His food is a transformative experience -- it makes you recognize all of the amazing new and nuanced ways he's prepared and combined his ingredients. The two times I have been lucky enough to eat there, the food was simply astonishing. When in Austin, you can also taste his food at one of the three East Side Kings trailers, which feed hungry hipsters and bar crawlers east of I-35 at Shangri-La, The Liberty, and The Grackle. The outpost at The Grackle is perhaps my favorite, with another remarkable brussels sprouts dish and a pork belly entree that will have you, too, wiping a faux tear from the corner of your eye. Amazing food can be accessible and affordable to all, and based on simple ingredients that leave you asking, "why aren't my sprouts this good?"

The answer is that we are not Paul Qui, winner of Top Chef Texas and excellent Austinite who is helping to put the modern culinary scene in our state on the map. So congrats to Paul on your key to the city, in honor of your great success on Top Chef this past season. We could not have asked for a finer representative of Texas in the show.  

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

Tomorrow, Monday March 19, marks the 9 year anniversary of President George W. Bush sending American military personnel to Iraq for what some called a war, and others called an illegal occupation. The invasion of Iraq is widely considered to be one of the worst foreign policy decisions in the history of the United States.

In 2002, when he was still a State Senator representing the South Side of Chicago, President Obama opposed the invasion of Iraq, and spoke out in bold terms about why he was against it:

I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.

What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income, to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression.

That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.

As President, Barack Obama kept his campaign promise to end combat operations in Iraq. He didn't just hang up a "Mission Accomplished" banner, he got the job done.

Now, nine years after the Iraq War began on March 19, 2003, Mitt Romney has chosen to surround himself with the same people who advised George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and counseled invading Iraq. There is no reason to think the outcome for American foreign policy would be any different from the last time this group of neo-conservatives was in office.

Tonight's video is a look back at Obama's stalwart opposition to the invasion of Iraq, his work to end it, and his thanks to our troops who served.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

Tomorrow, Monday March 19, marks the 9 year anniversary of President George W. Bush sending American military personnel to Iraq for what some called a war, and others called an illegal occupation. The invasion of Iraq is widely considered to be one of the worst foreign policy decisions in the history of the United States.

In 2002, when he was still a State Senator representing the South Side of Chicago, President Obama opposed the invasion of Iraq, and spoke out in bold terms about why he was against it:

I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.

What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income, to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression.

That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.

As President, Barack Obama kept his campaign promise to end combat operations in Iraq. He didn't just hang up a "Mission Accomplished" banner, he got the job done.

Now, nine years after the Iraq War began on March 19, 2003, Mitt Romney has chosen to surround himself with the same people who advised George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and counseled invading Iraq. There is no reason to think the outcome for American foreign policy would be any different from the last time this group of neo-conservatives was in office.

Tonight's video is a look back at Obama's stalwart opposition to the invasion of Iraq, his work to end it, and his thanks to our troops who served.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

Tomorrow, Monday March 19, marks the 9 year anniversary of President George W. Bush sending American military personnel to Iraq for what some called a war, and others called an illegal occupation. The invasion of Iraq is widely considered to be one of the worst foreign policy decisions in the history of the United States.

In 2002, when he was still a State Senator representing the South Side of Chicago, President Obama opposed the invasion of Iraq, and spoke out in bold terms about why he was against it:

I don't oppose all wars. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other armchair, weekend warriors in this administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.

What I am opposed to is the attempt by political hacks like Karl Rove to distract us from a rise in the uninsured, a rise in the poverty rate, a drop in the median income, to distract us from corporate scandals and a stock market that has just gone through the worst month since the Great Depression.

That's what I'm opposed to. A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.

As President, Barack Obama kept his campaign promise to end combat operations in Iraq. He didn't just hang up a "Mission Accomplished" banner, he got the job done.

Now, nine years after the Iraq War began on March 19, 2003, Mitt Romney has chosen to surround himself with the same people who advised George Bush, Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld and counseled invading Iraq. There is no reason to think the outcome for American foreign policy would be any different from the last time this group of neo-conservatives was in office.

Tonight's video is a look back at Obama's stalwart opposition to the invasion of Iraq, his work to end it, and his thanks to our troops who served.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

It was a big day for really ugly Southern racism. An ugly bumper sticker spotted on a car in Williamson County went viral. At an NCAA game today, the Southern Miss band chanted a racial slur at a Hispanic player, asking where his green card was. (The player was Puerto Rican, and thus a citizen.)

And making the rounds thanks to Andrew Sullivan is a clip from Bill Maher, a series of outtakes from a set of interviews by Alexandra Pelosi conducted in Mississippi. It's jaw-dropping, and it's got the Republicans in a bit of a snit for showing who their base really is in this day and age. And by "this day and age" I mean "these people want to take us back to the 1800's."

(If the video doesn't play, hit refresh, or click here to go to Andrew Sullivan's blog and try it there.)

Let's see.

"Adam and Steve?" Check.

"Muslim?" Check.

"Half-breed?" Check.

Confederate imagery? Check.

Failure to separate church and state? Check.

Overt white supremacy? Check.

Illogical opposition to public assistance? Check.

The GOP is increasingly becoming the party of these people. That's why Mitt Romney is pandering to these folks, and that's why Rick Santorum performed so well in Tuesday's primaries. And that's why educated swing voters need to take a good, hard look at what Republicans really stand for these days and think twice about whether these sad, uneducated, ignorant Southerners should really be setting the direction for our country.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

It was a big day for really ugly Southern racism. An ugly bumper sticker spotted on a car in Williamson County went viral. At an NCAA game today, the Southern Miss band chanted a racial slur at a Hispanic player, asking where his green card was. (The player was Puerto Rican, and thus a citizen.)

And making the rounds thanks to Andrew Sullivan is a clip from Bill Maher, a series of outtakes from a set of interviews by Alexandra Pelosi conducted in Mississippi. It's jaw-dropping, and it's got the Republicans in a bit of a snit for showing who their base really is in this day and age. And by "this day and age" I mean "these people want to take us back to the 1800's."

(If the video doesn't play, hit refresh, or click here to go to Andrew Sullivan's blog and try it there.)

Let's see.

"Adam and Steve?" Check.

"Muslim?" Check.

"Half-breed?" Check.

Confederate imagery? Check.

Failure to separate church and state? Check.

Overt white supremacy? Check.

Illogical opposition to public assistance? Check.

The GOP is increasingly becoming the party of these people. That's why Mitt Romney is pandering to these folks, and that's why Rick Santorum performed so well in Tuesday's primaries. And that's why educated swing voters need to take a good, hard look at what Republicans really stand for these days and think twice about whether these sad, uneducated, ignorant Southerners should really be setting the direction for our country.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.  

This is BOR's Video of the Day, or VOTD, our nightly video clip segment that hopefully provides you with a laugh or a chance to think at the end of the day.

It was a big day for really ugly Southern racism. An ugly bumper sticker spotted on a car in Williamson County went viral. At an NCAA game today, the Southern Miss band chanted a racial slur at a Hispanic player, asking where his green card was. (The player was Puerto Rican, and thus a citizen.)

And making the rounds thanks to Andrew Sullivan is a clip from Bill Maher, a series of outtakes from a set of interviews by Alexandra Pelosi conducted in Mississippi. It's jaw-dropping, and it's got the Republicans in a bit of a snit for showing who their base really is in this day and age. And by "this day and age" I mean "these people want to take us back to the 1800's."

(If the video doesn't play, hit refresh, or click here to go to Andrew Sullivan's blog and try it there.)

Let's see.

"Adam and Steve?" Check.

"Muslim?" Check.

"Half-breed?" Check.

Confederate imagery? Check.

Failure to separate church and state? Check.

Overt white supremacy? Check.

Illogical opposition to public assistance? Check.

The GOP is increasingly becoming the party of these people. That's why Mitt Romney is pandering to these folks, and that's why Rick Santorum performed so well in Tuesday's primaries. And that's why educated swing voters need to take a good, hard look at what Republicans really stand for these days and think twice about whether these sad, uneducated, ignorant Southerners should really be setting the direction for our country.

Check out all of our BOR videos of the day on the VOTD tag.