Cruz can’t help build the future because he’s focused solely on his present.
THIS WEEK: There’s one element of the Senate race in Texas that has gotten surprisingly little attention: Ted Cruz’s astonishingly thin legislative record. As his first term comes to a close, he might as well have not been in Congress at all, writes columnist Chris Hooks.
With less than two weeks before Election Day, all eyes are on the Beto O'Rourke and Ted Cruz race. To help cut through the noise and get readers the most important facts, we've launched a limited-run weekly newsletter — your one-stop shop for everything Texas Senate. Subscribe here.
The Lede
In Arlington, How Not to Respond to a Police Shooting
On October 9, about 50 people gathered inside Arlington’s New Life Fellowship church for an NAACP meeting on the investigation into the September 1 death of O'Shae Terry, a black man killed during a traffic stop he’d attempted to flee. Deputy Chief Carol Riddle, tasked with fielding questions, answered almost none of them.
People at the NAACP meeting said Terry’s killing, like Jean’s, fits a larger pattern, one where police smear victims publicly while remaining tight-lipped about the officers who kill them.
Meanwhile, the DA has gone radio silent ahead of the election.
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From the archives
Dominion Theology
Even devout Christians should fear these influential leaders' refusal to separate church and state, writes Dr. David Brockman in this 2016 story.
From the story: “Perhaps the most powerful dominionist in Texas politics is Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. In a 2012 sermon and again at the 2015 Texas Tribune Festival, he said that the United States was founded on the Bible. Patrick has also made it clear he believes the Bible should determine public policy. In 2014, Patrick said that elected officials must look to Scripture when they make policy, ‘because every problem we have in America has a solution in the Bible.’ (Where the Bible addresses problems like greenhouse gas emissions or cybersecurity, I’m at a loss to explain, even with 20 years of biblical study behind me.) His call for a ‘biblically-based’ policy mindset “doesn’t mean we want a theocracy,’ he insisted. ‘But it does mean we can’t walk away from what we believe.’”
What’s Happening at the Observer
We’re happy to extend an invitation to hear reporter Melissa del Bosque discuss “Checkpoint Nation” with Harper’s associate editor Rachel Poser in Austin at the North Door on Tuesday, October 30. The event is free and open to the public. Space is limited, so please RSVP.
The Observer will be at the Texas Book Festival! Stop by our table to chat with staff, check out the magazine, and grab some merch. Headed to the LitCrawl? We are too! Join the Observer, 2018 Short Story Contest finalist Jenny Staff Johnson and winner Heath Dollar for readings of their work on Saturday, 10/27 at Gelateria Gemelli, 1009 E 6th St here in Austin. The event starts at 9:30 p.m.
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