Top Ten Texas News Stories of 2013

In addition to the top ten worst Texans of 2013, here's a look at the top ten news stories of 2013 - all of which we were proud to work on and impact throughout the year. Help us keep up the fight in 201

  1. Tea Party Upset the IRS Makes Them Play by the Rules

    "Ignore the hysterica - get the facts" became a motto of ours in 2013, following a series of nonsense stories perpetuated by Tea Party lies about the IRS, Benghazi, and even Nelson Mandela's funeral services. The IRS story, though, really jumped the shark:

  2. Amid Ongoing Pressure, ALEC Loses Corporations, Legislators

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    One of our longest-standing efforts has been the fight to expose the influence of ALEC in Texas and their work pushing corporate-approved legislation and corporate talking points into the states:

  3. Nuclear Option: Fight to Fill Texas Judicial Vacancies Leads to Filibuster Reform

    For years, we have worked day after day to raise awareness about judicial vacancies in Texas. At every turn, Texas' U.S. Senators have dragged their feet. Highlights from this ongoing story include:

  4. Jerry Patterson Forced to Stop Hoarding $300 Million from Texas Students

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    One of our biggest wins came right away in January 2013 - not bad for a bunch of slacktivists

  5. Thousands Boycott Macy's for Urging Rick Perry to Veto Equal Pay Law

    Greg Abbott remains silent about whether or not he would have supported Texas' equal pay law. Our campaign to hold Macy's accountable for jeopardizing equal pay for equal work led to over 10,000 Texans taking action in a large protest that generated lots of great TV stories (Dallas, Houston, El Paso, Austin) and showed Macy's - and any other business - that they can't fight against Texas women and get away with it. Story highlights:

  6. Ted Cruz and the Government Shutdown

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    Senator Ted Cruz wanted to torpedo the Affordable Care Act, even at the expense of the U.S. economy - all so Cruz could raise some money and cement his street cred with the Tea Party. One of the biggest national stories of the year is #5 here at home:

  7. Got ID Website Informs Texans of Voter ID Law While Abbott Pretends There Are No Problems

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    2013 was the first year Texas' restrictive and discriminatory voter ID law was in effect. Though Abbott tried to pretend there were no problems with the law, that statement was found "mostly false" by Politifact. The back-story and recent highlights include:

  8. Fighting for Better Health Care in Texas by Defending the Affordable Care Act

     

    hroughout 2013, we have stayed at the forefront of advocating in support of the Affordable Care Act. We worked with the Texas Organizing Project to organize a protest outside a press conference with Perry, Cruz, and Cornyn that was so loud the press called it a "deafening roar." We published a report detailing how Ted Cruz created a model for opposing ACA and shopped it across the naiton through ALEC. We even wrote up some Thanksgiving Day talking points for debate help around the dinner table on the law. Here's more on a story that will continue rolling throughout 2014:

  9. CPRIT Scandal Erupts as Abbott's Failure to Exercise Oversight Uncovered

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    The Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) was created in 2007 to make Texas a leader in the fight against cancer. Failures by Greg Abbott and Rick Perry have, unfortunately, put the agency at the center of one of the biggest political scandals in years: 

  10. The Stand With Texas Women Movement

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    The biggest story of the year: the Stand With Texas Women movement from the summer. Though the law passed, it still faces serious hurdles in court. Ultimately, Senator Davis' historic filibuster led to a 10,000-person protest at the Capitol and a revitalized movement for progressives and women's rights that is setting the stage for 2014. Highlights included: