2010 Gubernatorial Endorsement

Well, without any further fanfare, I am hereby endorsing Rick Perry for Governor of the Great State of Texas. Granted, this is not the strongest of endorsements, since Perry has had his share of screwups. But, why is he being endorsed? Simple--there are two reasons. First, because through the economic crisis that has swept the country, Texas has maintained one of the strongest economies, and lowest unemployment rate, and I think at least some of the credit should go to our Governor. The main reason is that there simply is no one else whom I can support. Larry Kilgore is a joke. Debra Medina supported Ron Paul, which in my mind makes her a joke as well. Kay Bailey Hutchinson claims to be a fiscal conservative, even though she voted for the 700 billion dollar bailout. She is also pro-choice (don't believe me? Go here), and I absolutely refuse to support a pro-choice candidate under any circumstances. So, in light of the other options, vote for Rick Perry for Governor!

Texas Governor's Race 2010 (Continuation)

Well, I must admit something to you. I incorrectly predicted which race would be the really big one. I assumed that it would be for the Governor's Mansion, but I was wrong. The big race for 2010 (or a special election before that) is for Kay's Senate seat. Several of my main ideas for candidates have announced, or are discussing a run for her Senate seat (Michael Williams, Roger Williams, Greg Abbot, David Dewhurst, Bill White, etc). So, this post will conclude my analysis of the Governor's Race. I will soon start analyzing the Senate race.

Kay Bailey Hutchinson

Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Everyone has been talking about her. But who really knows who she is? Hutchinson was born on July 22^nd, 1943. She was raised in Texas City. She went to University of Texas, and got a Law degree. She was unable to get a job as a lawyer, and so she started working for a Houston news channel as a reporter. In 1972, she was elected to the State House, its first Republican woman. In 1990, she was elected to the office of State Treasurer. This was in a Republican year, which also swept Perry into office. Her big break came in 1993, when Lloyd Bentsen resigned his seat to become Secretary of the Treasury. In the election to finish his term, she won with 29%. In the runoff, she won 67% of the vote. Hutchinson cruised to easy victories every time she has run for re-election. In 2006, she became chairwoman of the Republican Conference, widely considered to be the number 3 position in the Republican leadership ladder. In 2008, she announced that she would not seek re-election to her leadership post, and that she would retire in 2010. On December 4^th, she formed an exploratory committee for a gubernatorial run in 2010.

Hutchinson is an extremely popular Republican who stands a good chance of defeating Perry. Perry really has only one issue that h can use. Kay Bailey Hutchinson is mildly pro-choice. This is unknown to most Republicans, and is a serious problem if they can be told that she is. She was a member of WISH List, which is the largest PAC for pro-choice Republican women. She has stated that she does not believe that abortion should be outlawed, and that Roe v. Wade was the correct decision by the Supreme Court. This is extremely alarming for me, as an ultra-conservative. I am extremely unhappy with Rick Perry, but I simply cannot support someone who is pro-choice. I will feel a little more sure about her if she resigns her seat. Soon.

Texas Governor's Race 2010

2010 Texas Gubernatorial Candidates

With the election over, it is time to start looking at the future. I will start discussing the 2010 gubernatorial election. I will be discussing each candidate, posting my article on each, one at a time. I will order the article with the first part being a biography of the politician, and the second part being my analysis of their chances. One thing is for sure: this election is going to be a battle of heavy weights, and it will be played for keeps. At the time of this writing, it appears that at least three of our most powerful politicians will be running, leaving only one of them an office when this is over. This will also create some room for younger politicians to move up the political “food chain” into the vacant offices.

Rick Perry

Rick Perry was born on March 4^th 1950, near the family ranch in Paint Creek, Texas. He received his Eagle Scout, and then went to Texas A&M University to study Animal Science, hoping to become a veterinarian. Becoming a veterinarian didn’t pan out, but he did spend time as a yell leader at A&M, a coveted position. After school he spent five years piloting C-130s in the Air Force. In 1977 he returned to the family ranch to take up the family trade. In 1984, he won his first public office, as a state representative. He was elected as a Democrat. He remained a Democrat until 1989, when he was passed up for a leadership position, and then switched parties. In 1990, an up and coming political consultant named Karl Rove saw an empty suit where he could put hi talents to work. Perry became one of his creations, and ran for his first statewide office, winning a surprise victory for the position of Agriculture Commissioner against a popular incumbent. This was one of the first signs that the Democrats’ control of the state was starting to fade. In 1998, Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock announced that he was retiring, and Perry announced that he would run for the seat. Now, in many lesser states, the office of Lieutenant Governor is nothing more than an honorary, meaningless office. However, in Texas, the Lt. Governor is more powerful than the Governor, because no legislation can come to the Senate floor, and sub-sequentially be passes, without his personal approval. This puts him in an excellent bargaining position. He served in this office until 2000, when Governor George Bush resigned to become President. Perry survived his re-election, coasting to a 58%-40% victory even though he was outspent by more than 2 to 1. One of his more controversial issues was his role in forcing through the new redistricting plan that was masterminded by Tom Delay. He also pushed through a plan for a new superhighway from Dallas, through Austin, to the Mexican border. This was approved, but two years later, was stopped by the state legislature. The most controversial issue, was when he signed an executive order requiring all Texas teenage girls to receive the HPV vaccination. This made the conservative state incredibly angry, with the state legislature overturning his order with an almost unanimous vote. He won re-election in a 4 way race, with a 39% “majority”. This has caused his nickname of “Governor Goodhair” to be replaced with “39% Perry”. On December 21^st, he will become the longest serving governor in Texas history.

Perry has many problems with the conservative base of the Republican party, and must survive a definite nomination battle. However, he does have a few advantages. First, is that he has a fundraising advantage, with over insert number million dollars. Second, he is the sitting governor of the state which will cause many loyalists to vote for him. Third, he is 100% pro-life, which is in opposition to one of his primary opponents.

Ins and Outs

Let me explain the top two boxes on the right, labeled "Ins" and "Outs". These are my speculation as to who I think will and will not run for the GOP nomination in 2012. When I update it, I will always tell you in a post, why I am moving someone.

Ins:
Newt Gingrich-Many of his staff members are hinting that this may finally be his year. Also, Robert Novak, typically plugged in, seems to think that Gingrich is running.
Tim Pawlenty- He is non-commital, and after being runner up in the veepstakes, is widely expected to run.
Mike Huckabee-He has a Fox talk show, and is starting a nationwide book tour. Need I say more?
John Thune-He needs to win reelection to the Senate, and then he would be a powerful candidate.

Outs:
Rick Perry-He was considered by many as a candidate, but he told reporters:
"Being the Texas governor is the greatest job in the world and I'm not interested in change," he said. "As a matter of fact, I'm running for re-election in 2010." So, it sounds like he will not be running.