Free Republic

Rick Perry’s decision to head back to Texas to deal with wildfires across his state may have annoyed the organizers of a conference in South Carolina, but it left an impression with some media outlets. As Jim Geraghty notes, the Washington Post isn’t too likely to give Perry many friendly headlines, but the Texas governor has to like this one — “Rick Perry’s response to Texas wildfires offers glimpse of leadership“: With wildfires raging across his state, Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) assumed a familiar role this week: crisis commander in chief. His abrupt decision this week to cut short...

Tongue-lash, arm-twist and back-stab, sure, but no other California lawmaker has done this decade what Assemblyman Juan Arambula did last year – dump his own party. Arambula left the Democratic Party to become the state's first legislator not aligned with a major party since Audie Bock in 2000. His June 2009 defection has resounded far beyond his Central Valley district, echoing Field Poll findings that fewer than two of every 10 voters approve of the Legislature's performance. Explaining his decision, Arambula raises the same allegations of legislative game-playing and special-interest influence that critics have leveled for years. "You have to...