Posted on 02/11/2005 9:49:41 AM PST by SwinneySwitch
A Houston attorney running for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison stopped in Tyler on Tuesday to explain why she's entered the race.
"I solve problems," says Barbara Ann Radnofsky, 48, who refers to herself as a moderate Democrat. "That's what I do as a mediator, as a mommy, and as a teacher. I wanted to make a difference. My children are old enough now, with one in college and one going off to A&M in the fall, and my baby is in high school now. I realized that I could finally sit down and plan my dream. And my dream is to be a United States senator."
But it's not just a pipe dream; she's been able to raise substantial funds for the 2006 race.
"I raised about $200,000 in January," said Ms. Radnofsky. "And more importantly, I'm getting lots of grassroots support, as well. Even though I'm a fresh face to public office, people from both parties are welcoming a moderate."
Ms. Radnofsky faces an as-yet-determined field of opponents. Sen. Hutchison, a Republican, could be a candidate for governor in 2006. But if she decides to stay in the Senate, she's got a campaign war chest of $6.5 million, according to Texas Lawyer magazine.
Democratic contenders for the seat could include former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk and former Congressman Jim Turner, a Crockett Democrat who lost his seat in November due to redistricting.
Still, Ms. Radnofsky is rising in the Democratic ranks, working her way up from a Harris County precinct chair to giving the seconding speech for the state party chairman at the 2004 Texas Democratic Convention.
It's time for a vigorous Democratic presence in Texas, she contends.
"We don't have any Democrats elected on a statewide basis," she pointed out. "We have plenty of Democrats below the state level, but we don't have a two-party system at the state level."
The result, she added, is that Texas gets overlooked when federal funds are doled out.
"Texas is getting hurt, getting disadvantaged in federal funds," said Ms. Radnofsky. "It's the same with our transportation dollars. Texas is a net giver to the country. It's because there are Republicans beholden to folks who are making policy, that we're not getting those dollars back. We do not have folks who will speak up."
She faults the Bush administration for budgetary sleight-of-hand.
"We need to reduce the deficit, and but we need to do it in a more straightforward way," she said. "For example, today's news is all about a budget that doesn't take into account the cost of the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. It doesn't take into account the tremendous cost of financing the proposed privatization of Social Security. Clearly, the government will have to borrow to finance privatization. It's not reflected in the budget."
She also says some specific cuts in President George W. Bush's budget are misguided.
"We're cutting Upward Bound, a program with tangible, proven benefits," she said. "And we're dumping that money into No Child Left Behind. That's a flat-out mistake."
But voters have told her their biggest concern is health care.
"The comments I hear are that people don't have access to health insurance, or that they don't have adequate insurance," she said. "Businesses are hurting."
She says cutting or privatizing Medicare would be a disservice to senior citizens.
"I'm not saying I have the answer to every problem, but I do know we need to have an intelligent discussion," she said.
On the issue of national security, she says that the Bush administration puts too much of the burden on the airline industry.
"The center of terror is not at our airports," she said. "You can't expect the airlines to take on all the defense needs of the United States. I do have tremendous respect for our intelligence gathering folks, but we need more human intelligence."
Ms. Radnofsky, a partner in the law firm of Vinson & Elkins, graduated from the University of Houston and The University of Texas School of Law. She is a trained mediator and teaches mediation in public schools throughout Houston.
She's board certified in personal injury and civil trial law. She is married to Marshall native Ed Supkis, M.D.
Roy Maynard covers county government and politics. He can be reached at 903.596.6291. e-mail: news@tylerpaper.com
Thanks for the ping!
Maybe we should circulate a petition asking the President not to overlook us.
I wonder if we can just mail it to him in care of 'general delivery" to the new Crawford post office.
Moderate Dems are like moderate Muslims. They're just Trojan horses for left wing Dems to sneak into conservative districts.
"We have plenty of Democrats below the state level..."
And the ones remaining at the county level are joining the Republican Party, three in my county alone...County Judge, DA, Tax Assessor-Collector.
The grass root support for the Democrat Party in non-metropolitan counties is slowly eroding away!
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