Bob Bullock: God Bless Texas (Clifton & Shirley Caldwell Texas Heritage Series)
Dave McNeely,Jim Henderson | 2008-02-01 00:00:00 | University of Texas Press | 328 | Political
Renowned for his fierce devotion to the people of Texas--as well as his equally fierce rages and unpredictable temper--Bob Bullock was the most powerful political figure in Texas at the end of the twentieth century. First elected to the Texas House of Representatives in 1956, Bullock held several key statewide posts before capturing the lieutenant governor's office in 1990. Though nominally the state's number two official, Bullock in fact became Texas's top power broker, wielding tremendous influence over the legislative agenda and state budget through the 1990s while also mentoring and supporting a future president--George W. Bush. In this lively, yet thoroughly researched biography, award-winning journalists Dave McNeely and Jim Henderson craft a well-rounded portrait of Bob Bullock, underscoring both his political adroitness and his personal demons. They trace Bullock's rise through state government as Assistant Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Comptroller, and Lieutenant Governor, showing how he increased the power of every office he held. The authors spotlight Bullock's substantial achievements, which included hiring an unprecedented number of women and minorities, instituting a performance review to increase the efficiency of state agencies, restructuring the public school funding system, and creating the state's first water conservation and management plan.
Reviews
This was an engaging book. It is written by a reporter whom Bullock was at odds with, so one must take it with a grain of salt. But, bless his heart, Bob Bullock gave many years to the people of Texas. When I was done reading the book, I resolved to visit his grave at the Texas state cemetery. This is a riveting read!
Reviews
If you have kept up with Texas politics and enjoy it, you will want to read this book.
Reviews
This is not a scholarly piece of Texas history. This is similar to
what Sandra Brown writes and I love her books (look up her web site if you don't know who she is). It is a tall, Texas tale. It is quite simply historical fiction. It is not researched, not attributed, not fact checked. It is an old reporter with an axe to grind taking an important historical and political figure and elaborating and attributing the worst of intentions and actions to someone that owned up to a plethora of personal problems. Bullock's demons and his attempts to carry on in spite of them are what counts. Most of what counts is what he did for Texas and how much he loved this State. He loved this State so much that he overcame enormous personal odds. He was all too human and wasn't afraid to talk about it and admit it.
Bullock should be cast as an inspiration to all those poor souls
still struggling with addiction problems and those that suffer from
chemical imbalances/neurological problems that make their life a
living hell. Bullock is living proof that you can overcome it all
and achieve great things.
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