Posted on 09/04/2004 11:25:02 AM PDT by Dubya
President Bush's speech Thursday night left me with a question.
Were those really the Texas Republicans in the crowd or the Kilgore Rangerettes?
The last time I saw anyone waving white cowboy hats and wearing a red-white-and-blue get-up like that, it was in the Cotton Bowl parade in Dallas and the Rangerettes were high-kicking their way down the street.
Since the TV cameras only showed the Texans from the waist up, I have no idea whether Gov. Rick Perry was wearing a skimpy skirt and white boots. Nor do I want to know.
What I do know is that Bush created dozens of American jobs in only one hour.
An El Paso western-wear company will be hiring more workers -- mostly Democrats -- to fill orders for Texas flag shirts.
The phones rang wildly Friday morning at Republican Party offices across the state and also at Ruddock Shirts, where the Texas Republican delegation's Lone Star shirts were sewn at a family-owned plant eight blocks from the Rio Grande.
In heavily Democratic El Paso, most of Ruddock's 100 workers vote a straight party ticket, said Bill Ruddock, a grandson of founder Les Ruddock.
"There was some joking around," he said Friday, "especially when they embroidered the 'Bush 2004.' "
The same workers talked Friday about how good their shirts looked on TV. They passed around the El Paso Times' front-page color photo of the Texans.
The TV coverage "was like $1 million in free advertising," Ruddock said.
"Everybody's proud," Bonnie Ortiz said in between taking phone orders for the $49.95 shirts. "It's because those shirts are made right here in El Paso."
Ruddock's mother, Charlene, said Republicans in El Paso started wearing the shirts first. Party officials eventually noticed the 50-year-old family business.
When she went to vote in the spring party primary runoff election, a precinct worker was wearing a Ruddock flag shirt. Charlene Ruddock said the worker started telling her all about this beautiful shirt she had found.
"Finally, I said, 'Yes, I know about those shirts.' "
The company sold about 150 for Texas delegates, she said, and another 500 from a booth at the GOP state convention.
Officially, the Ruddock shirt is the "100% Cotton Lone Star Shirt," an oxford button-down with left-front blocks of red and white and a right front of solid navy blue with the white Lone Star.
It sells in every size from a children's 2 up to a men's XXXXL big enough to fly at a car dealership.
Ruddock also sells Texas flag knit shirts, leather vests and aprons, but the button-down is the company's bestseller, Ortiz said.
Ruddock's other brands include Texas Cotton shirts and Flying R ranch-wear. The company sells by phone, online and in western-wear stores and in the gift shop at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum in Austin.
The company Web page, www.ruddockshirts.com, promotes its product as "Born & Bred in the U.S.A." Bill Ruddock said all Ruddock-brand merchandise is made in the El Paso plant, although the company also distributes private-label shirts sewn in other countries. I found a Times clipping about Ruddock importing a handful of its shirts from -- surprise -- Canada.
Ruddock thinks his company might be the last making western shirts in the United States. According to the Texas Department of Agriculture Web site, the company received an $89,516 state grant to promote a Texas-made line of woven cotton shirts.
The Ruddocks themselves are mostly Republicans, he said. The family has given a couple of $500 campaign contributions to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Bill Ruddock said he thinks the family has also donated to Bush's campaigns.
Charlene Ruddock said she's "very much an admirer of President Bush."
She liked his speech.
"We don't always agree with him," she said. "But I think he's sensitive. I think he's a good person."
Her phone started ringing with the first camera shot of the Texas delegates.
Callers from all over the country shouted: "Those are your shirts!"
"They looked great," she said. "They're not only Texas shirts. They're shirts made in the U.S.A."
Democrats are welcome to buy the shirts, too. They'd better be, since Democrats sew them.
Texas Republicans proved to New York that our stars at night really are big and bright. At least on our shirts.
Good picture.
I was there. The Iowa Delegates sat across the isle from the Texas Delegates.
I am here to tell you that there were black pants, a few jeans, some red skirts, and some denim skirts combined with those shirts. One lady was wearing red cowboy boots with W '04 stitched onto the front of them.
Another observation. Those Texans really know how to party. They must take double shots of Geritol!
Not a shill for the shirt, read about my "brush with copyright laws about this t-shirt on my profile page.
And just so I don't get in trouble with this guy again, here's a link to his online t-shirt shop: http://www.cafepress.com/bush316
http://www.ruddockshirts.com
Click "Texas Collection". Very nice.
I am in the shirt printing and embroidery business and let me tell you, the Texas flag is big. There are polos, denims, and several styles of caps manufactured blank to be embroidered with a custom logo later all made in the the colors and stars of the Texas flag. Last week I was trying to find a Tri-Color baseball cap in teh colors of the Italian flag. Every hat manufacturere I talked to said sorry no Italian but we've got Texas!
Okay, I want a Come and take It shirt. Where do I get one?
Yeah, I want one too.
bump
This is something for you to snarf at:
"Were those really the Texas Republicans in the crowd or the Kilgore Rangerettes?
The last time I saw anyone waving white cowboy hats and wearing a red-white-and-blue get-up like that, it was in the Cotton Bowl parade in Dallas and the Rangerettes were high-kicking their way down the street.
Since the TV cameras only showed the Texans from the waist up, I have no idea whether Gov. Rick Perry was wearing a skimpy skirt and white boots. Nor do I want to know."
Clicking on the image takes you to the site that sells them. http://www.arizonacap.com/texastshirts.htm
I'd say it was in the jeans [sic] but it's really in the long neck.
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