School Rankings
TEA’s school rankings from 2008 are in. RRISD is Academically Acceptable.
No word yet on the Texas Education Agency’s ranking for Mr. Osman… 
Flip-Flops aren’t just for the beach!
In the 2004 presidential campaign John Kerry’s (D) presidential bid was almost entirely destroyed by accusations that he was a ‘flip-flopper.’ This came mostly after he said about the war in Iraq, “I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it…”
It appeared that 1) he couldn’t make his mind up, and 2) he changed his positions for political gain. Kerry did not look Presidential. He looked weak. To mock him, people dressed up like flip-flops, George W. Bush repeated the accusation, and it stuck. It stuck good. John Kerry lost.
This election both John McCain (R) and Barack Obama (R) have been accused of being ‘flip-flopers.’
What both of them have going against them is their time in the U.S. Senate. A body that only gets things done when Senators compromise and change their positions on issues. Unfortunately for John McCain, he has been in the Senate many, many more years than Barack Obama. This allows people to dig up times where he has changed his position and ‘flopped.’
Politico, along with PoliFact, has an excellent analysis that lays out the major issues that both presidential candidates (especially Obama) have ‘flip-flopped’ on. They rate each ‘flop’ on a ‘flip-o-meter‘ (Ratings of No-Flip, Half-Flip, and Full-Flip) However, the mere existence of a ‘meter’ seems to mock any charges of ‘flip-flopping.’ Politico itself notes:
[T]he presidential race has featured so many alleged flip-flops by either Obama or John McCain … that the charge itself is in danger of losing some of its potency. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to determine on which issues the candidates have actually reversed their positions, and whether their shifts were indeed motivated by political expediency (the implication behind most flip-flop charges) or changing circumstances.
We’ll see if charges of ‘flip-flopping’ resonate like the did in 2004, but I somehow don’t think they will.
Paris calls McCain “Like Super-Old”
John McCain referenced Paris Hilton in an ad attacking Barack Obama a few weeks ago.
Paris didn’t take kindly to it and struck back!
She closes the ‘ad’ with the semi-presidential line, “I’m Paris Hilton, and I approve this message — because I think it’s totally hot.”
McCain’s camp responded wittily.
“It sounds like Paris Hilton supports John McCain’s ‘all of the above’ approach to America’s energy crisis – -including both alternatives and drilling. In reality, Paris Hilton may have a more substantive energy policy than Barack Obama,” spokesman Tucker Bounds said.
No word yet on if Paris Hilton is registered to vote.
Texas Senate Race
Texas’ race for Senator is getting a little closer in the polls. John Cornyn (R), the incumbent, is up against Rick Noriega (D).
This is the second poll in a row where Cornyn’s numbers are below 50%. But don’t read too much into it. Cornyn has raised A LOT more money than Noriega. In addition, a Democrat hasn’t won a state-wide office in Texas in 10 years! The Dallas Morning News doesn’t think Noriega really has a shot, and CQ Politics rates the race as ‘Republican Favorite.’
A Texan may be in the White House again
Speaker of the House Nanci Pelosi keeps touting Waco’s Congressman Chet Edwards as a ‘good choice’ to be Barack Obama’s running mate.
“I just wanted people to be aware of the extraordinary credentials of Chet Edwards. And I hope he will be the nominee,” Pelosi said. “He is an extraordinarily talented person. He is a champion for veterans in the Congress.”
The Dallas Morning News gives five reasons why Edwards makes a good VP. Note, however, the reader comments following the article.
Perhaps Pelosi really wants Edwards to be VP. Perhaps she’s merely giving him some free media exposure to help a future run for Governor or Senator in 2008.