Brennan
@brennangriffin.bsky.social
TxLege, urbanist, local government policy junkie.
Without liberal/progressives like me, not enough Dems don't get on board and a split Republican caucus doesn't pass reform. Without folks like Lehman (not him specifically, but some fellow travelers) *nothing* gets done in Texas.
September 5, 2025 at 1:53 AM
Without liberal/progressives like me, not enough Dems don't get on board and a split Republican caucus doesn't pass reform. Without folks like Lehman (not him specifically, but some fellow travelers) *nothing* gets done in Texas.
Now you're just lying about what I've said. *You don't have to sign up for a whole agenda to work on a small set of issues together.* We just won some big reforms to build housing in Texas, working with people I agree with maybe 10-20% of the time.
September 5, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Now you're just lying about what I've said. *You don't have to sign up for a whole agenda to work on a small set of issues together.* We just won some big reforms to build housing in Texas, working with people I agree with maybe 10-20% of the time.
I guess that's your answer - nothing happens in Texas, you give no one a reason to vote for anyone other than Republicans, and you lose the electoral college for the next 50 years. Normalize practicing coalitional politics.
September 5, 2025 at 1:36 AM
I guess that's your answer - nothing happens in Texas, you give no one a reason to vote for anyone other than Republicans, and you lose the electoral college for the next 50 years. Normalize practicing coalitional politics.
Yes, that's exactly what's happening in Texas, a famously almost only white state. No people of color here! Especially none who would benefit from having more housing available and rents coming down.
September 5, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Yes, that's exactly what's happening in Texas, a famously almost only white state. No people of color here! Especially none who would benefit from having more housing available and rents coming down.
So just give up on anything in Texas, Florida, Missouri, etc for the next 20 years because we're too pure to work with people with whom we disagree on other issues?
September 5, 2025 at 12:48 AM
So just give up on anything in Texas, Florida, Missouri, etc for the next 20 years because we're too pure to work with people with whom we disagree on other issues?
Have you ever tried to get anything done in a red state? You don't have to sign on to their whole program to win incremental improvements in coalition with people you disagree with on other issues. I also don't think Lehman thinks what you attribute to him.
September 5, 2025 at 12:09 AM
Have you ever tried to get anything done in a red state? You don't have to sign on to their whole program to win incremental improvements in coalition with people you disagree with on other issues. I also don't think Lehman thinks what you attribute to him.
A narrow one based on the Venn diagram of actual shared policy preferences.
September 4, 2025 at 11:55 PM
A narrow one based on the Venn diagram of actual shared policy preferences.
*taps the don't define Nazism down sign*
September 4, 2025 at 11:54 PM
*taps the don't define Nazism down sign*
Yes, everyone should just lose on all issues all the time until the Revolution. It's impossible to form narrow issue coalitions that can get positive things done before that hallowed time.
September 4, 2025 at 11:02 PM
Yes, everyone should just lose on all issues all the time until the Revolution. It's impossible to form narrow issue coalitions that can get positive things done before that hallowed time.
How can Austin and Amarillo have no or negligible long term debt? We have basically no outstanding bonds? Seems weird! Or am I misreading the chat somehow?
July 24, 2025 at 3:58 PM
How can Austin and Amarillo have no or negligible long term debt? We have basically no outstanding bonds? Seems weird! Or am I misreading the chat somehow?
I don't suppose you have access to a non pay walled version - a gift link or whatever?
December 27, 2024 at 11:48 AM
I don't suppose you have access to a non pay walled version - a gift link or whatever?
We live in a capitalist society, so whose hands are clean? Who funds TAP? Did they all make their money in totally clean ways selling widgets or something?
December 12, 2024 at 2:37 AM
We live in a capitalist society, so whose hands are clean? Who funds TAP? Did they all make their money in totally clean ways selling widgets or something?
As sins go, making some money from government funded health insurance that is widely accepted and provides some real benefits seems pretty defensible.
December 12, 2024 at 2:31 AM
As sins go, making some money from government funded health insurance that is widely accepted and provides some real benefits seems pretty defensible.
The AARP is one of the last advocacy/member organizations standing not totally beholden to billionaires and foundations (which are mostly the legacy of past billionaires).
December 12, 2024 at 2:28 AM
The AARP is one of the last advocacy/member organizations standing not totally beholden to billionaires and foundations (which are mostly the legacy of past billionaires).
The classic boarding house is the latter, but I think we should do both.
December 10, 2024 at 5:10 PM
The classic boarding house is the latter, but I think we should do both.
Honestly no idea!
December 10, 2024 at 5:07 PM
Honestly no idea!
Not exactly developer issues, but various legal arrangements would help: make cooperative housing arrangements easier to set up legally. Legalize internal ADUs and boarding house arrangements. Legalize manufactured housing throughout the city.
December 10, 2024 at 4:25 PM
Not exactly developer issues, but various legal arrangements would help: make cooperative housing arrangements easier to set up legally. Legalize internal ADUs and boarding house arrangements. Legalize manufactured housing throughout the city.
Hah! I didn't know if this reassures me or terrifies me. I'm probably about the median age for this concert or a little above if I'm being honest. Although plenty of older guys, TBF. Mostly guys, though.
December 7, 2024 at 4:11 AM
Hah! I didn't know if this reassures me or terrifies me. I'm probably about the median age for this concert or a little above if I'm being honest. Although plenty of older guys, TBF. Mostly guys, though.
So you have virtually no moderate business people vouching for Harris. They're either holding fire like Bezos or dumping money in Trump's coffers like Musk. Maybe you don't need the tech bros, but I think you need some organized industry on your side when everyone is mad about inflation.
December 3, 2024 at 11:25 PM
So you have virtually no moderate business people vouching for Harris. They're either holding fire like Bezos or dumping money in Trump's coffers like Musk. Maybe you don't need the tech bros, but I think you need some organized industry on your side when everyone is mad about inflation.
And a bunch of appointees then alienated some potential constituencies. Justifiably so, IMO. Crypto and much of tech has huge problems, and so does the financialization of everything. But then there were few moderate, business-friendly voices vouching for Harris on those grounds.
December 3, 2024 at 11:22 PM
And a bunch of appointees then alienated some potential constituencies. Justifiably so, IMO. Crypto and much of tech has huge problems, and so does the financialization of everything. But then there were few moderate, business-friendly voices vouching for Harris on those grounds.
On 1), I think Biden governed on the leftward side - Build Back Better, covid relief, union support, a bunch of Warren approved appointees. TBC - I like this stuff a lot! But it didn't help popularity. And most campaign staffers are pretty left of center, compared to the median Democrat.
December 3, 2024 at 11:19 PM
On 1), I think Biden governed on the leftward side - Build Back Better, covid relief, union support, a bunch of Warren approved appointees. TBC - I like this stuff a lot! But it didn't help popularity. And most campaign staffers are pretty left of center, compared to the median Democrat.
Small-dollar donors are very good financially for a certain kind of politician, but they generally are much more leftwing than the general populace. So you may get small-dollar donors, but are you going to win a popular vote in a swing district/state/presidential race?
December 3, 2024 at 7:49 PM
Small-dollar donors are very good financially for a certain kind of politician, but they generally are much more leftwing than the general populace. So you may get small-dollar donors, but are you going to win a popular vote in a swing district/state/presidential race?
"But the tech bros were always conservative - look at Thiel". Yeah, Thiel has always been bad, but Musk, while always a troll, mostly gave to Dems until recently. And a bunch of others gave quietly, but have become more and more disillusioned.
December 3, 2024 at 7:47 PM
"But the tech bros were always conservative - look at Thiel". Yeah, Thiel has always been bad, but Musk, while always a troll, mostly gave to Dems until recently. And a bunch of others gave quietly, but have become more and more disillusioned.