Wild Texas Governor Race

Still can't get over the fact that Kinky has an actual chance...

Dividing the pie like that creates new possibilities.

Wondering if Kinky might desire the assistance of a windmill tilting MennoKnight.

It should be interesting, but the last poll I saw gave Perry a very good chance.

I would imagine that Texas is as red a state as they come. Take George Bush, please...

(Though there's one thing I've never understood: Bush is about as genuine a Texan as I am, and I've spent all of four days there. How the hell did that phony ever pass as a Texan? I though you all prided yourself on authenticity...)

The majority of voters here pride themselves on this: White male Republican bedrock ultra conservative. If you have those qualifications, election is usually automatic. We have our pockets of liberalism, but not in sufficient numbers. Bush is an oddity even for Texas. I've never seen another person he could be compared to. DeLay is the ideal, without the scandals, for many many Texans.

Gammage: Perry a Weak Governor with a Failed Record
(Austin)// Texas Democrat for Governor Bob Gammage today concluded his successful four-day, 13-stop "Set the Record Straight" Tour with a press conference in Austin, blasting Rick Perry as a weak governor with a record of failure on the issues important to Texans.

Gammage attacked Perry for putting special interests and wealthy campaign contributors before the needs of hard-working Texans.

"Rick Perry is a weak Governor with a record of failure on the issues important to Texans," Gammage said. "He failed on education; failed on the environment; failed on taxes; failed on health care; failed on corruption. On issue after issue, Perry ignored the needs of Texas families and, instead, fought to reward and enrich the special interests and his big campaign contributors."

Gammage continued to link Rick Perry and Tom DeLay as part of a corrupt political machine that has betrayed the public trust and damaged Texas.

"Today there is a corrupt political machine which stretches from Washington, D.C. all the way to Austin," Gammage said. "DeLay and his cronies are at one end, and Rick Perry and his pals are at the other. The money flows both ways. It has corrupted our politics, corrupted our government and, more importantly, corrupted public policy and betrayed the public trust."

In contrast to Perry's agenda for the elite special interests, Gammage laid out an historic progressive agenda for Texas, pledging to:


Raise the state minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $6.50 an hour.

Pass a state constitutional amendment guaranteeing every Texan the right to clean air and clean water.

Pass an Ethics Reform Act to make it illegal for any state legislator or high agency official to become a lobbyist for at least two years after leaving state service.

Pass a Corporate Responsibility Act to strengthen Texas regulatory and consumer protection agencies to stop price gouging in gas and utility prices and protect our citizens from corporate fraud.

Pass a Texas Tax Reform Act. No more state taxes on the middle class unless we close the special corporate loopholes that save Rick Perry's yachting friends billions while ordinary families have to pay and pay.

Work for a Prescription Drug Price Relief Act to regulate prescription drug costs and stop the gouging of consumers.

Work for Affordable Health Insurance for all families in times of catastrophic illness and injury.

Pass a Texas Excellence in Education Act to guarantee fair funding for every school district in Texas-with the standard set at "excellence" for all, not just an elite few.
"These are my goals for Texas," Gammage said. "Some of them we can pass immediately. Some will require action both at the state and national level. Some will require a struggle against elite interests who care more about their private greed than the common good. That is why we need a Governor who will fight for reform in the Texas Legislature and before the U.S. Congress. Above all, we need a Governor with the guts to tell the truth."

Gammage called the "Set the Record Straight" Tour a tremendous success.

"I was overwhelmed by the support we received during the 'Set the Record Straight' tour," Gammage said. "Over the past three days, we met with hundreds and hundreds of Texans eager for change in Austin. They told me they were glad to finally have a candidate who will tell it like it is and take the fight to Rick Perry and the Republicans."