Candidate Farouk Shami airs first Democratic ad in gubernatorial race - Texas

WFAA ^ | 11/27/2009 | Brad Watson

[BuckeyeTexan]

Farouk Shami of Houston, who made a fortune in the hair care business, is the first Democrat running for governor to start airing TV ads.

And he plans to air a lot of them so voters can get to know the relatively unknown candidate.

It's not surprising, then, that his first ad is long on image and short on details.

The ad describes Shami's early business career this way: "Arriving with $71 in his pocket, a man came to Texas and turned a dream into a reality."

Shami made millions by founding Farouk Systems in Houston that makes hair care products. His ad claims his entrepreneurial skill would also create jobs as a politician.

"He just brought 1,200 jobs to Texas by moving his factories here from China," according to the ad.

But it doesn't mention any policy he'd back as governor to create new jobs.

And there are no solutions listed for his top issues: to improve schools, reform health care and protect the environment.

His campaign said details will come later.

But the ad also noticeably lacks two other factors.

One is that he doesn't speak -- an announcer does the talking.

Shami is Palestinian by birth and talks with an accent.

Will that be a factor with voters?

And secondly, the ad doesn't show he's running as a Democrat.

His campaign said the omission is because the ad's purpose is to introduce him to all voters.

But core Democratic voters may question his true colors when they learn that, in addition to Democrats, he's given money to Republican candidates and the Republican National Committee.

Shami says he's now a Democrat "to the bone," and criticizes Gov. Rick Perry for not taking stimulus money for jobless benefits, although he happily appeared with Perry in July when Shami announced the new manufacturing jobs.

Shami is expected to spend millions of dollars on campaign ads in Texas' roughly 20 media markets to spread his name to voters before the primary March 2.

[Candor7]

Hey Ta’qia Shami, Go to Fort Hood and put up your campaign posters, see what happens!

[Bad~Rodeo]

From IMEU

Farouk Shami

As a child in the Palestinian village of Beit Ur, Farouk Systems founder and chairman Farouk Shami helped his mother make dyes from local plants and vegetables. Today, he runs a leading hair care and spa products company. Houston, Texas-based Farouk Systems earns roughly $1 billion in revenue and employs more than 2,000 Americans. Loyal users of Farouk products include celebrities like Madonna, Renee Zellweger, Gwyneth Paltrow, Courtney Cox, and Demi Moore.

"Necessity is the mother of invention," notes Shami. "When you leave your country for another, with nothing in your pockets, first you need to survive. Then you need to succeed." Shami holds numerous patents today for safe and environmentally-friendly hair care products and technologies. His BioSilk and CHI lines are industry leaders.

"Before I could walk, I could help mix color for my mother," Shami said. "Coloring hair became an art for me - art on a live canvas."

Shami attended cosmetology school in the U.S. and returned to Palestine to open a salon just before the 1967 War. "We woke up to find ourselves living under Israeli military occupation. Because of the curfews we couldn't get the supplies we needed to stay in business," said Shami. Not easily deterred, Shami decided to teach himself cosmetic chemistry. He began developing his own products using locally-available materials.

He brought that innovative spirit with him when he immigrated to the U.S. in 1972. After more than a decade as a successful hair colorist, he developed an allergy to ammonia and his doctor told him to leave his profession. Instead, with his garage as a laboratory, Shami invented the first ammonia-free hair color - SunGlitz - in 1985. One year later, the largest American distributor of hair care products, asked Shami if he could make enough for them to sell. Shami's business took off when Armstrong McCall signed a 20-year agreement to carry his products.

Shami's ammonia allergy led to a lifelong commitment to develop products that are safe for hairdressers and the environment. He collaborated with NASA scientists to create CHI, a product line that includes blow dryers that emit considerably less electromagnetic fields than regular dryers. And through PetSilk, Farouk Systems also offers chemical-free products for pets.

Shami is using his success to give back to his homeland. "Because of Israeli occupation, Palestine is dependent on donor countries," Shami says. "But there are many Palestinians with the means to help, and we need to share our success with our people." In 1999, Shami opened a science high school for girls in Beit Ur. And in 2009, in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), he sponsored an infrastructure project that includes sidewalk and road electrification projects for the benefit of Beit Ur’s 5,000 residents and 20,000 people from the surrounding communities who regularly pass through the village. The project will create an estimated 4,500 job days for approximately 70 workers.

"When I meet Israeli business counterparts, we eat steaks in fine restaurants. But nearly 80 percent of my relatives are unemployed because of Israeli travel restrictions," Shami says. "I don't know much about politics. But I know that we deserve our rights and our freedom just like people everywhere."

[livius]

I realize this is total trash, but when I was in the checkout line at my local grocery store, I read some scandal sheet that said that Michelle Ma Belle sees herself as the next Oprah and wants a show. I don’t know if this is true at all, or anything more than tabloid “My Martian Baby from the Space Ship” fantasizing, but it wouldn’t surprise me to find out that it’s true.

[patriot08]

REMEMBER THIS, FELLOW TEXANS:

“One reason DHS has been able to do this is an amendment that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Texas) slipped into an omnibus appropriations bill that Congress passed on December 18, 2007. Hutchison’s amendment put a loophole in the fence law that allowed the secretary of Homeland Security not to build the fence Congress had mandated the year before.” http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/43422

REMEMBER THIS WHEN YOU VOTE FOR GOVERNOR

[patriot08]

Muzzie sob.

______________

REMEMBER THIS, FELLOW TEXANS:

“One reason DHS has been able to do this is an amendment that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R.-Texas) slipped into an omnibus appropriations bill that Congress passed on December 18, 2007. Hutchison’s amendment put a loophole in the fence law that allowed the secretary of Homeland Security not to build the fence Congress had mandated the year before.” http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/43422

REMEMBER THIS WHEN YOU VOTE FOR GOVERNOR

[SuperLuminal]

"...the chair behind his desk is a throne..."

Hmmm...

"I asked him, what religion are you? Shami said, “I am an American.”

Hmmmmmm....

"“Obviously it will come up. I believe in all religions. My oldest brother is a Catholic. His mother is Catholic. That's my stepmother. My mother is Muslim. I was born a Muslim. I was raised by a Quaker. My mother's stepbrothers are Jewish. My grandfather married a Jewish woman. I am a good mix.” "

Yikes! Is that an air-raid siren I hear? Too bad Johnny Cash didn't have that paragraph to write a song about instead of that 1956,57,58,59,60,61,....Cadillac....

And the comment by by Debbie Schlussel says it all....for me...:
"It’s not that I don’t know where Farouk donates his money. He openly says so. He’s Muslim, Palestinian, and very anti-Israel, and says that Farouk Systems supports those views. And he’s for open borders and illegal alien amnesty on our own borders. I can’t be sure that he’s not donating money to Islamic terrorists in the called Palestinian territories, where much of his family still lives. And I also can’t be sure that he’s not donating to illegal alien advocacy groups."

Yep!

[mojitojoe]

Farouk Shami.... in Texas????? Are you fing kidding me?

[mojitojoe]

The islamists have figured out how to take over America.
____________________
Let ‘em give it their best shot. Hope they are seriously armed and have lots of ammo because about 100 million Americans will show them what they think of their attempt to take over.

[mojitojoe]

MO is a huge attention whore. I can see that being true. Maybe she and Oprah can do a show together. How cute would that be? GAG!

[mojitojoe]

Ping a ling

[bgill]

And the comment by by Debbie Schlussel says it all....for me...

You picked up on that too, huh.

[Vigilanteman]

Your average Texan is smarter than your average American. BO managed to fool only 43.6% of Texas voters versus 52.9% of American voters.

[no dems]

The article does NOT mention the fact that he is a Muslim. Heck, a $1,000 donation from every convenience store owner in Texas will bank roll him without him spending his own money.

[no dems]

And 50% of the Obama voters in Texas were black the other half were bleeding heart liberals and ignorant, red neck, Union thugs.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Separated at birth?

[TheThinker]

Your average Texan is smarter than your average American. BO managed to fool only 43.6% of Texas voters versus 52.9% of American voter

Then Kentuckians must be genius level since we favored McCain by 17% but alas we have a puny number of electoral votes compared to Texas and that's what counts.

[Einherjar]

Did he attend University in Egypt?....the one named after the last King Of Egypt?

Is he the one wearing the college sweatshirt ?
Farouk U.

[exnavy]

A Pali. Mooslim gobner of Texas, If that happens I’m moving to New Zealand.

[bustinchops]

TX didn’t go for zero, for one thing. For another, there is no doubt that Texans who did vote for zero are suffering buyer’s remorse. Farouk would have a much better chance in MI, MN, WI, or even IL. The upper midwest folks seem to love ragheads.

[Stultis]

This guy has no chance in Texas.

This cycle I don't see how ANY Democrat has a chance in hell. Even (God forbid) Kay Bailey Liarson couldn't screw this one up. Texas Republicans would have to run a successful primary write-in campaign for Dee Dee Scuzzlebut.

I wonder if Shami might have a real shot at the Dem nomination, though? If he's well connected in Houston (Texas' version of Chicago) he could have the dead vote. And there are large numbers of Muslims in Texas. Not checking the statistic just now, but I wanna say off the top of my head that we have about a million immigrants from mostly Pakistan, and secondarily India. (Tend to be a boon economically, btw, as most are well educated, or quickly become so. Lots of engineers and doctors and such.)