The Texas gubernatorial race is heating up, and we’ve got some old and new faces involved.
So far, the Republicans and Democrats have multiple candidates, each vying for their party’s nomination. The plucky Libertarians have two and the lowly independents have one. All have quite a battle on their hands in trying to defeat Gov. Rick Perry, the longest-serving Texas governor.
The main Democrat front runners, former U.S. Ambassador to Australia and Japan Tom Schieffer, 2006 Texas Agriculture Commissioner candidate Hank Gilbert, and musician, humorist and former Independent gubernatorial candidate Kinky Friedman, are all competing for their party’s nomination in the March 2, 2010 primary.
Most people haven’t heard of Schieffer or Gilbert, and Friedman, aside from his music, books and absolutely horrendous cigar line, is still not going to be taken seriously as a candidate.
We all know these candidates, as well as the Libertarians and the lone Independent, don’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell to become Texas governor, so this is the last time they’ll be mentioned here.
Republican secessionist Larry Kilgore also is running, the same man who gave a speech at a secession rally in Austin and said, “I hate that flag up there. I hate the United States government. ... The U.S. flag is coming down from over Texas. It will not be part of Texas anymore.”
Despite my disapproval of the current administration’s abominable handling of the country’s business, I have no interest in secession. Since Kilgore’s not electable either, the race is between incumbent Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas.
In perusing Hutchison’s campaign Web site, it’s quite clear they don’t know what issues the campaign wants to stress. The site has some vague quotes from Hutchison, such as, “On behalf of every Texas taxpayer an effective, transparent and accountable state government should be our first priority. Our elected officials work for the tax payers not the other way around.”
The area also has links to allow visitors to give their feedback on how they feel on the generic issue categories like taxes and education. The Web site’s ambiguity seems to be a way to stay completely non-committal while letting the visitors believe she cares how they feel about issues.
Hutchison has made one stance clearly known. She’s said she believes Perry has been in office too long. Perry was sworn in as Texas’ 47th governor in December of 2000. Hutchison was sworn in as a senator in 1993.
She’s also taken to advocating term limits for Texas governor to two four-year terms. Funny how she didn’t mind staying in the senate for 16 years, but takes umbrage at Perry’s nine years. Hutchison also hasn’t been able to give many reasons as to why she considers Perry’s tenure too lengthy, other than she believes the position should be hers.
Her dedication is also questionable. Just recently, Hutchison missed a vote that’s most likely important to the Republicans she expects to support her as their candidate for governor. She chose to campaign instead of voting to deny funds to the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now, otherwise known as ACORN.
While her colleagues were working for their constituents to ensure taxpayer dollars wouldn’t possibly be spent on brothels and the like, she attended a fund-raiser at the home of former Dallas Cowboys football player Roger Staubach.
Perry, however, has worked to promote a low-tax, pro-business state, which has made Texas the best place to weather the economic downturn.
Texas created more jobs than all other 49 states combined in 2008, has been the best exporting state for seven years in a row, and averages more than a thousand new residents moving into the state every day. Texas was named the best state for business and job growth for the fourth consecutive year by Chief Executive Magazine in March 2009, as well as rated among the most free states in the nation by George Mason University’s Mercatus Center.
Perry has worked to cut millions from the budget to keep the state’s debt load low, bring more opportunities to all of the state’s higher education programs, and he tirelessly has promoted Texas to bring in new businesses and residents. Hutchison can’t even be torn away from a fund-raiser to help ensure her constituents’ dollars won’t be spent on a corrupt organization.
Hutchison’s campaign slogan is “because Texas can do better.” The state is in such fine shape though, that Hutchison’s campaign can’t find many issues to stand up for. We can most certainly do better than Hutchison, and that’s by re-electing Perry.
