Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 09/10/2026Brutal morning of headlines for Ken Paxton. 21465100
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 08/10/2026An Austin American Statesman reporter was eventually let in, but under some truly bizarre parameters in which she was told she was not to behave like a “reporter.” 717535
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Interesting subplots happening right now in the (mostly on pause) fight between the Texas GOP far right v. moderate flanks: Charlie Geren, a well-respected GOP House member, is sharing anti-Paxton stuff; and State Sen. Paul Bettencourt is touting a meeting with Karl Rove, a major Paxton critic. 0258
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026"Blasphemy laws and blue laws are discussed far less often than how terrible Rabbinical Judaism is, how flawed democracy is, and female voting." In which a prominent Christian nationalist writer declares the Christian nationalist movement dead - for now. jonharris.substack.com/p/whatever-h... 3309
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Per Texas media, it’s looking like +100K registrations were affected. Secretary of State is saying that it shouldn’t affect voting. 38786420
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026New Marist poll has Talarico with 50% of the vote and, wait for it, with a 56-point lead among 18 to 29 year olds. 99919
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Honestly think that the whole Bo French stuff may be a turning point for the far right. They have fundamentally misunderstood why they won in 2024, and are now poisoning the one break that people have from a horrible economy with the most noxious part of their platform. 2657575
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Next week: Come see me say things festival.texastribune.org/schedule 090
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Robert Morris, the former megachurch pastor and Trump spiritual advisor who just finished a sentence for sexual abuse charges, has an...interesting new photo on the sex offender website 1329771
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 13/09/2026After months of staying quiet on his gutter racism, top Texas Republicans are now condemning a post in which Bo French, candidate for Texas Railroad Commission, posted a photo of brown UT students at yesterday's game and said "the problem is now obviously far worse than anyone imagined." 1924164
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 31/08/2026A donkey named HeeHaw was fatally shot by Georgia police after "braying" at them during a 1AM search. Farm owners say police did not have permission to be there. www.fox5atlanta.com/news/donkey-... 74216
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 30/08/2026Increasingly looking like Adam Lazarra will be the only 2000s-era frontman left standing 4110
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 27/08/2026gonna get so much mileage out of this if Talarico wins 020
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 27/08/2026New poll has James Talarico up six points on Ken Paxton, buoyed by majority support from independents (51%) and significant crossover from Republican voters (12%). 816735
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Falangists are planning rallies in Texas next month. Notably, the call to "stop the invasion" is no different than what many prominent Texas Republicans have said about Islam in recent months. 3162
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 21/08/2026Gorgeous but haunting story and photos here. 02512
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller apparently took a lil nap yesterday 314440
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Clemishire's attorney, Texas Rep. Jeff Leach, says the ruling gives "religious organizations sweeping immunity from civil accountability—even when they are alleged to have knowingly concealed, enabled, or protected child sexual predators." 3164
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Patrick was joined by Bonnie Wallace, a rightwing activist who has compiled a list of +2K books for removal. Like Patrick, she insists this is not about banning books (and goes out of her way to argue so, including on the back of her business card) 82310
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Patrick ends by handing out copies of one book, passages of which his staff had flagged. “Butt plugs?” reads one. “Porn is a fun, sugary treat?” Reads another. 7537
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 19/08/2026Happening now: After what he says was a widely watched episode of his podcast on the issue, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick vows to go after “filthy” books and the “leftist” American Library Association. “We’re not banning books,” he says. “Taking them out of our schools is not banning books.” 4620872
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 16/08/2026FWIW it looks like his involvement was strictly limited to shrot virtual (and Im assuming prerecorded) remarks. They definitely hyped a lot of big-name electeds for this who ended up having minimal involvement. 170
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 15/08/2026Put it in the museum next to the David Guetta “I Have a Dream” drop 1282
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 15/08/2026Happening now at a “Democracy Summit 2026”: A debate between live streamer Destiny and Alex Stein, the internet troll most famous for calling AOC a “big booty Latina” who recently was pretending to be a poop-eating Indian at a Frisco city council meeting 9398
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 11/08/2026Never seen this before: Gov. Greg Abbott's campaign just launched an app that gives people points for voter outreach that are redeemable at an Abbott "Swag Store." 10,000 points gets a Yeti Rambler. 15K gets a VIP invite to the Governor's Mansion. For 25K? A "whole brisket." 145821
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 10/08/2026We are ~15 years away from the possible collapse of numerous American Christian denominations. 1513321
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 08/08/2026I have watched this 5 times and laughed harder each time 2181
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 08/08/2026Here’s one of Paxton’s top advisors accusing Jesse Waters of fake news. 5113
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 08/08/2026How things are going: This is how the recently former mayor of Southlake, a Dallas/Fort Worth suburb that was the epicenter of the CRT/book banning movement, is talking about the Paxton/Talarico race on his Substack. 1022245
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026An average of major polls shows James Talarico leading Ken Paxton by 2.7 points — and far outpacing where Beto stood over the same period. www.texastribune.org/2026/08/07/t... 75913
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026The right wing has spent decades trying to redefine Islam as a political ideology as a pretext for the type of repression that inevitably leads to state sponsored violence. Texas lawmakers are now bragging about it. This should be a top national story. 812249
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 04/08/2026"I call upon all the schools of hirer learning and all of the thinking branches of academia to do an immediate audit upon this false statement of 1 x 1 =(ing) 1" is still an all-time sentence. x.com/terrencehowa... 3162
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 04/08/2026Terrence Howard, of "Crash," not believing in the mathematical concept of zero and insisting that 1 x 1 = 2 fame, is apparently eyeing the University of Texas-RGV for his new "omnidirectional flight" company. “Imagine a drone that could move at any degree necessary,” his nephew said. 7205
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 02/08/2026Right now, for $25, you can get two years of Texas Monthly in print + two unlimited digital subscriptions + access to a half-century of online archives. For. Twenty. Five. Dollars. subscription.texasmonthly.com/servlet/Orde... 34834
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 31/07/2026Thank you to @allegrahobbs.bsky.social for letting me put "Ten-Gender Ken" in the newspaper 1856
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 31/07/2026Here's a typical sermon from Mercy Culture pastor Landon Schott, a hardcore anti-vaxer who believes he's fighting warlocks and witches. We obtained personnel records that show Schatzline included Schott as a reference while applying to join Abbott's office. www.texasmonthly.com/news-politic... 1165
Robert Downen @robertdownen.bsky.social · 31/07/2026For those wondering if this was supposed to be a hostile crowd: Ramaswamy is one of three people with a featured testimonial currently on the Young Americans For Liberty website. (Other two are Rand and Ron Paul.) 512328