Texas Monthly's Liberal Best

Submitted by MQSullivan on Thu, 06/11/2009 - 10:11am.

The Texas Monthly Best & Worst lists are little more than a front for a left-wing ideological agendas. Remember who chooses the Best and Worst: liberal reporters anchored by editor Paul Burka. One of his lead writers, Patricia Kilday Hart, even wrote that the ten-best slots were open for anyone pushing liberal causes. I snidely suggested conservatives would find more friends on the "ten worst" list.

Turns out I wasn't too far off.

TMs "Ten Best" includes six Republicans versus four Democrats. See how bipartisan they are; Texas Monthly (hearts) Republicans! The Ten Worst? Five Republicans and five Democrats. Bipartisanship blooms!

Ah, but not where it counts. Texas Monthly peppered their "Ten Best" with big-taxers and spenders. The "Ten Worst" with fiscal heroes.

Let's look at the Republicans on the lists.

The average rating on the Fiscal Responsibility Index of the Texas Monthly "Ten Best" Republicans is a 56.25%. Big-time failing. Among TMs heroes is State Sen. John Carona, who distinguished himself this Session by pushing for higher taxes and fees to fund boondoggle transportation projects without any accountability or transparency.

TM, of course, specifically praised Carona for seeking to impose new taxes and fees.

Seven of the "Ten Best" legislators had failing scores on the Fiscal Responsibility Index.

The average rating for the Texas Monthly "Ten Worst" Republicans is 82.43%. TM scolded stalwart taxpayer heroes like Sen. Troy Fraser and Reps. Debbie Riddle and Wayne Christian.

The magazine's bias against conservatives runs deeper; their "honorable" and "dishonorable" mentions make for an even stronger case of their bias. In issue after issue, the magazine does little to reflect the common-sense conservativism that runs deep in the state whose name they varry.

With their corporate owners in Indiana, Texas Monthly has become little more than a barely entertaining style magazine, catering to liberal "sensibilities" with a slight Texas twang. In the upside down world of politics, read Texas Monthly in a mirror. The best tend to be the worst. The worst, the best friends of taxpayers.

Burka Responds

Texas Monthly's Paul Burka responds to this posting on his blog: Burkablog.

Kudos Sullivan! Texas

Kudos guys! Texas Monthly on the one hand says Sullivan and Empower Texans are meaningless and small, but then spend a lot of time and space not addressing the criticism. Liberals are so sad.

LOL @ Texas Monthly being

LOL @ Texas Monthly being liberals. Idiots.

Texas Monthly

I used to enjoy this publication when I first moved to Houston in the 70's. However, the magazine has become just another liberal rag. I stopped purchasing it decades ago.

Poor Burka

He just doesn't like being challenged. Those guys at Texas Monthly hide behind "process" and "bipartisanship" and all that. In reality, they are just big (or, in Burka's case, VERY big) liberals. Way to go for calling them out!

Facts

Hard to argue with facts. Empower Texans has an objective measure by which to compile a score card while Texas Monthly is subjective in its top ten selection process.

Also, since it has not been mentioned, the folks at TM actually reward politicians who reject the platforms on which they run and are elected. Now that is what I call moral high ground.

If John Carona or any other Republican had said "I'm going to raise taxes to make Texas Monthly's 10 best list" while on the campaign trail, they would have been at home for the last six months not in Austin.

When Republicans run as conservatives and legislate like liberals why would we reward them?

Didn't know you guys existed

Didn't know you guys existed until I saw Burkablog chastising you. Glad to know you are out there! Keep up the good work!

You 10 Best

I find it ironic that your best list includes the key players who who killed legislation this session that would have saved consumer's money...both Dem's and Repub's.

You grade them on how they fight to keep taxes low, yet you seem to overlook the fact that Sen. Fraser killed bills that came through his committee that would have allowed a 100 city coalition to negotiate electricity prices for their residents, put market share limits on the two giant power generators, and put new retrictions on when utilties may disconnet power service for certain disadvantage customers. Another bill that would have put some limits on the deregulated electricity market was killed by Sid Miller. Phil King and Tan Parker introduced bills that would allow the two giant electricity generating companies in Texas to receive umpteen million in tax abatements for projects they were already slated to build without tax abatements. Go figure.

These are some of your Empower Texans heroes?

You have a little over 300 contributors to your PAC, and 5 individuals account for over 95% of your money. These guys all support many other PAC's and all have personal agendas. Their agendas have nothing to do with helping the average Texan save money. Their motives are not altruistic. Neither are yours.

Texas Monthly

Used to be a good entertaining magazine years back, but now just another political media, bahhumbug on TM.