Are you ready to rumble?
Posted on 08/15/2009 12:56:21 AM PDT by BuckeyeTexan
HOUSTON - Gov. Rick Perry looks as if he stepped out of a Marlboro billboard: square-jawed, weathered face, a shock of black hair, steely eyes. He even says "howdy" when he enters the room. His public persona is so folksy that many opponents have underestimated his political skills.
-snip-
Mr. Perry's opponent is Kay Bailey Hutchison, the state's senior senator. On most issues, Ms. Hutchison is also a steady conservative hand, but her tone is more moderate, her positions on social issues are more nuanced, her votes on government spending are more pragmatic.
-snip-
"I do not want a governor who is going to narrow our base, make it dwindle," Ms. Hutchison said in a speech this week. "That is what has happened at the national level, and that is not going to happen in Texas. I will work to build the Republican Party," she added, "not make it narrower. I am for Ronald Reagan's big tent."
-snip-
In years when there is no presidential election, fewer voters generally turn out for the primaries. Since Republicans typically dominate statewide races in Texas, the winner of their primary usually cruises through the general election. That means a relatively small number of highly motivated conservative voters play a pivotal role in choosing the governor, strategists say.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Freepmail me or ping me from the original thread to get on/off the 2010 Texas Governor's Race ping list.
Are you ready to rumble?
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That’s a clever image, if you’re going for disinformation.
Kay is a consistent conservative.
But don’t let the record get in the way of rhetoric.
While both candidates say taxes and fiscal policy will be leading issues in the campaign, they can both claim to be tightfisted with the public’s money, and so their differences on some social issues are likely to become a battleground.He is firmly against abortion, for instance, while she backs many restrictions on it but opposes overturning Roe v. Wade. He is against embryonic stem cell research; she supports it.
Against that kind of backdrop, Ms. Hutchison was led to tell Republicans gathered this week in Horseshoe Bay, near Austin, that she was just as conservative as the governor.
“I’m not from Washington,” she said. “I’m from Texas.”
In other words..... A RINO
Yeah, I’m none too happy about that issue.
That moving to the Left to 'expand the base" worked for your friend McCain, didn't it?
i hope perry prevails.
May the New York Slime continue to lose revenue and eventually roll up their sidewalks due to total bankruptcy.
mark to monitor replies to post 7
Make no mistake, this is more of a swipe at Sarah Palin than Perry. Kay still has her panties in a twist because Sarah endorsed Perry over her. And who can blame Sarah? Baily was less than enthusiastic about Sarah being the VP candidate. Sour grapes, of course.
Two Democrats.
These posts just show how thoughtless these discussions become. FR needs more sophisticated, nuanced political analysis. So, let me help everyone. The blonde airhead is 75% rhino, while Tex Perry is 55% rhino. I hope this helps ;-)
You are completely ignorant of her record. If she ends up getting elected she will do FAR more damage than Perry could ever hope for.
She makes RINOs look consistently conservative.
Heck, she’s made Perry look almost Conservative!
A narrow committed base will be more effective than a wide, lukewarm base.
I have to agree with others. Hutchinson is not a dependable conservative. Although I have problems with Perry, he is much better than her. Hutchinson has been in Washington too long. She’s become part of the problem instead of the solution. I’m glad we can replace her!
I agree. You can be part of making that discussion more thoughtful rather then posting off the cuff ignorant responses
http://www.acuratings.org/2008all.htm#TX
American Conservative Union rankings.
Senator Kay Baily Hutchinson Life time ranking
HUTCHISON 89.38
They don’t do state by state ranking so there is no listing for Governor Perry.
Corrected your mistake.
Her lifetime rating is irrelevant. It’s the recent record that matters. She got a paltry 76 in 2008, that’s not even a “solid” Conservative (which is generally considered above 85). I detest Perry, and he’s been in too long as Governor, but Kay is WORSE and has been in more than 7 years longer than that. Both should be replaced... with Conservatives.
Do I understand your request to imply that his positions on the issues should be set aside for the moment and that you want me to cite 3 or 4 acutal accomplishments that he can claim as Governor of Texas? (Not meant to be adversarial, just need clarification as to how you want me to respond.)
Perhaps you don’t live in Texas, or perhaps you do and don’t pay attention. The grassroots here have to be constantly exerting pressure on the blonde airhead on abortion, immigration, and other key issues to keep her from voting against us. As bad as Perry is, the primary voters know enough about her to make it fairly certain that she will lose the primary. Cornyn is better but has to be kept on the reservation on immigration and some other issues.
KBH and Perry reflect a need to clean out the Republican Party leadership in Texas. We could elect conservatives, but the leadership serves up “pragmatists” and unprincipled semi-demi rhinos.
Thanks. I want to know 3 or 4 things he has actually accomplished in his 10 years as Governor. I want to know why we need to increase his time as the longest serving man in Texas history.
You took the words out of my mouth. Coming out with numbers off the top of his head really sounds intelligent.
Yeah, that's why every letter of mine she responds to says how we must 'seek federal guidance' on damn near everything.
GAG!
LMAO
Hutchison is the pro-ponogrophy, pro-abortion, senator from American Airlines.
A few years ago conservatives almost kept her out of the state GOP convention. But they caved in and invited her when Phil Graham said he wouldn't come if she wasn't invited.
Not real happy about Gov gaurdicil either.
LOL! Me neither, but if I have to choose, I'll choose the sometimes RINO over the always RINO.
At least Perry had enough sense to back down off the vaccine issue when we all started raising hell with the Texas AG.
Alright. IOU. I’ll assemble a list and get back to you.
There is some difference between KBH and Perry, but not much. The TTC is a good example. Thanks.
just another rip off gimmic
Oh, no. Not really. I just thought you’d want facts, figures, and references. So I was going to be thorough.
If you just want subject matter bullet points, I can provide that:
- Tort reform, a major accomplishment IMHO
- $9 billion in the state rainy day fund when states like CA are bankrupt.
- 7.5% unemployment vs. the national level of 10% and rising
- Fought efforts to implement a state income tax
- Influx of new business and new jobs due to business-friendly laws & regs that he fought to implement
That’s off the top of my head as requested. If you’d like a more thorough list, let me know.
I’m not happy with Perry about a few things, but overall he’s way better for Texas than KBH. She’ll be a disaster for Texas - financially and politically. On her watch, the state legislature will go to a Dem majority very quickly and the once guaranteed conservative counties will no longer be guaranteed as KBH reaches toward the middle to invite everyone and their horse into her Big Tent.
i beg to differ. She voted for TARP. She has voted 75% conservative on abortion votes. She Voted for CHIP. Plus many more RHINO positions. She always reads the polls and waits until the day of the vote to take a position.
- Tort reform, a major accomplishment IMHO
I will look into this as I seem to remember the legislature taking the lead on this. I do remember that he supported the idea.
- $9 billion in the state rainy day fund when states like CA are bankrupt.
I will look into this too. I suspect state law did most of that, but am not sure.
- 7.5% unemployment vs. the national level of 10% and rising
The Governor has nothing to do with this.
- Fought efforts to implement a state income tax
Along with every Republican and many Democrats since the idea came up. I also believe he supported it a few years ago when he was still a Democrat.
- Influx of new business and new jobs due to business-friendly laws & regs that he fought to implement
Little or nothing to do with this. We have lead in this for years and continue to do so. He may help attract hair care products however! ;-0 OK that was smart a$$
First, you said “off the top of my head” so that’s what you got. If you wanted an impressive list with facts, figures, and, references, then I told you I’d put that together for you. So, “I’ll check into this” and “the Governor had nothing to do with this” and “the state legislature led on this” are cockamamy, unhelpful responses.
Secondly, according to you the state legislature does all the work apparently. So why do you care who sits in the governor’s chair with good looking hair?
Finally, if you think that unemployment would be “low” in Texas and that business would flock here with just anyone sitting in the governor’s chair (because that position carries no weight, right?) then I’m left wondering why you care about this race.
In rereading that response, it sounds angry, but it wasn’t really written with a “tone.”
I care because in TEN DAMN YEARS SOMETHING should have come out of that office other than forced vaccines, toll roads and the MEXICAN DOPE Corridor. SOMETHING!
Something did. Tort reform has been a major accomplishment of Perry’s. In the first five years after tort reform passed, 14,500 doctors returned to practice or began their initial practice in Texas.
In rural Texas, practicing OB/Gyns are up 27% and 12 counties now each have their first OB/Gyn. Orthopedic surgery, pediatrics, neurosurgery, and ER medicine are significantly up.
Malpractice insurance rates are down. Money is being poured into equipment and technology upgrades. My step-dad is an ER doc and has his own pain management clinic. Because his insurance rates have dropped, he’s able to hire more nurses, expand his practice and provide discounted and free care to individuals he couldn’t previously afford to help.
Their economic policies are a disaster and it is to everyones' advantage to stop them.
It does me no good to have a RAT in power. I want to stop them.
I also hope to gain information from an intelligent debate of the candidates and issues, and I hope all Freepers will keep in mind one thing - We're all on the same side!
I can't find common ground with "moderate Republicans" who have no principles. And by that I mean KBH. She's pro-choice, pro-amnesty, anti-border control, pro-stem cell, and a bunch of other pros I don't like. I don't give a crap if she's a fiscal conservative, which she isn't. RR said someone who agrees with you 80% of the time is your friend and not your enemy. That's probably true. But KBH isn't an 80% kind of gal. She's more like a 50/50 gal.
I want the whole package: fiscal and social conservative. (But I'll make room for 80/20 friends.) Anyone else can hightail it for the other side of the Red River or the Rio.
Every single time we run a moderate, we lose the election. Every time we run a conservative, we win. All this talk about expanding the base and moving toward the center is a bunch of hogwash made up by liberals to confuse the issues and divide the party. You don't see liberals preaching to their own base that they need to move towards to the center and make nice.
KBH can take her Big Tent and pitch it in Washington where she fits in nicely with the rest of the elitist political class.
Don’t vote for her in the primary but if she would win the primary, she’s still a heck of a lot better than a RAT.
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