Rick Perry: Pretend Outsider, Real Insider

Texas Gov. Rick Perry likes to pretend that he’s leading an insurgent battle against a tyrannical federal government, even going so far as to flirt with secessionists. Now the Republican presidential candidate is also trying to persuade voters that he wants to crack down on elected officials who use their office and political connections for […]

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Perry’s Weekend Confab

The Texas Tribune this morning published what is the most complete account to date of what happened last weekend when Gov. Rick Perry traveled to Fredericksburg to attend a confab of social conservatives hosted by the so-called “sugar daddy” of the far right in Texas, Dr. James Leininger. […]

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The Return of James Leininger

When one discusses Gov. Rick Perry’s rise to power, the name Dr. James Leininger has to be part of the conversation. Dr. Leininger, a hospital bed magnate from San Antonio with a historical willingness to use his wealth to influence elections in favor of far-right candidates and causes, has been termed the “Sugar Daddy” of […]

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Sec. Spellings, Meet the Facts

A Republican Congress instituted the first federally funded private school voucher program, the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, in the District of Columbia in 2004. The program was a political victory for far-right groups and individuals such as voucher sugardaddy James Leininger of Texas. But it looked likely to fade out of existence due to the efforts […]

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