Chad’s Morning Brief: Sanctuary Cities Bill Blocked in Texas Senate for Now, Rick Perry With a New Game Plan for Iowa, and Other Top Stories
Here is your Morning Brief for March 10, 2015.
Sanctuary Cities Bill Blocked for Now
Senate Bill 185 dealing with Sanctuary Cities was supposed to have a public hearing on Monday, but Democrats used a procedural maneuver to block Senator Charles Perry's bill, at least temporarily. According to the Texas Tribune, Republican Senator Brian Birdwell took the blame.
The proposal was scheduled for an 8 a.m. hearing before a subcommittee of the Senate Veteran Affairs & Military Installations Committee. But state Sen. Jose Rodriguez, D-El Paso, used a procedural move called “tagging” – or blocking — to get the item knocked off the agenda because the notice for the hearing was posted online Friday. It should have been posted earlier, state Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, the committee chairman, said at the hearing.
“The bill should have been posted as early as Thursday to ensure compliance with Senate rules,” Birdwell said. “It was my fault. I personally apologize.”
Under the chamber's rules, senators are allowed to request an additional 48 hours of notice for hearings that are posted 72 hours or less in advance. Rodriguez requested that notice Monday morning.
It’s unclear when the hearing will be rescheduled.
Rodriguez said he fielded several phone calls over the weekend from constituents, including El Paso County Sheriff Richard Wiles, who wanted to speak against the bill but couldn’t make it to Austin in time.
“We refer to it, and I think some of you refer to it, as the ‘show-me-your-papers’ bill,” Rodriguez told reporters at a news conference Monday. “We made a procedural move to allow for more time for people to come before this committee and be able to have their views heard on this major, major legislation.”
Perry, the bill's author, said in a statement that he remained committed to passing the bill.
"Today, unfortunately, some placed political posturing over public safety and common sense," he said. "Our bill is simple, cities cannot pick and choose the laws they want to enforce; public safety, not political correctness should be the priority. I look forward to working with my fellow legislators to pass this bill and place this crucial legislation on the Governor's desk by the end of Session."
As the Tribune pointed out, this will be a short-lived victory by the Democrats. It is widely thought that this bill will make it out of the Senate. The question is whether or not Republicans will go for it in the House.
Of course Democrats are against the bill claiming it will lead to racial profiling and hurt the economy.
Rick Perry's New Tactics in Iowa
As I said yesterday on the show, Rick Perry is getting a lot of positive press everywhere he goes. However, the positive press isn't doing much for his polling numbers in Iowa, New Hampshire, or anywhere else. According to the Texas Tribune though, Perry has a new tactic for Iowa that has proven to be a winner in the past.
"It would be foolish to sleep on Rick Perry's prospects in Iowa at this point," said former Iowa GOP Chairman Matt Strawn, an unaligned political consultant, reflecting many other operatives' opinions. "While other candidates deliberate on how to compete in Iowa, he's been quietly traveling the state and building relationships that weren't there for him four years ago."
The argument goes that Perry's ability to connect one-on-one with voters could quietly pull him to a surprise showing in the Iowa caucuses, which are known to reward retail politicking. It’s a counterintuitive strategy, given that Perry placed fifth there overall in 2012, winning only two of the state’s 99 counties.
But he's doing things differently now. He set up shop early and recruited noteworthy Iowa political talent for his operation, specifically Robert Haus and Andy Swanson.
Perry's weekend trip to the Iowa Ag Summit was his third visit to the state so far in 2015, and Iowans recall his frequent trips to the state to campaign for down-ballot candidates during the 2014 midterms.
That early Iowa organization mimics the strategies of the two most recent GOP caucus winners.
As I have said before, these early primary and caucus states love one on one attention from candidates. Rick Perry is excellent at connecting with people one on one and this will only help him as the race for 2016 continues.
If Perry can avoid the big mistakes, while still connecting with the voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, I think he case pose a real threat to Jeb Bush.
Other Must Read Links:
These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of The Chad Hasty Show. Tune in mornings 8:30-11am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard on our KFYO YouTube page after the show and online at kfyo.com.
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