Posted on 02/26/2006 2:42:57 PM PST by SolidSupplySide
Coming around the far turn with the primary finish-line in sight, Congressional District 22 Republican challenger Tom Campbell is leaning hard on his polls, Democratic challenger Nick Lampson is flashing his wallet, and incumbent Tom DeLay is counting his endorsements.Weekend Politics
Last week Campbell sat in a mobile campaign RV across a Houston street from an event in which 10 members of the Texas Congressional Delegation endorsed DeLay.
Campbell brushed aside the endorsements and instead emphasized a poll he had conducted by something called OneNet Info, showing him with 47.7% of the votes in the Republican primary, to 38.4% by DeLay and 13.9% to “other.”
But the poll has a margin of error of 9% (it looks like they reached fewer than 200 Republican voters), which is pretty far out there. Thus, if 9% swung one way, DeLay could have 47.4% of the vote to 38.7% for Campbell, if you believe the numbers.
Campbell acknowledges 9% is a big margin, but insists that DeLay’s camp is attacking his and “he’s walking the neighborhoods for the first time,” because “his polls are showing the same thing.”
Lampson’s campaign chimed in on the polling, too.
“Every public poll since May has shown Tom DeLay with 38% or less approval rating,” Lampson campaign manager Mike Malaise maintained on Thursday.
The next day, Lampson’s camp announced “it has passed that of Tom DeLay in cash on hand. If DeLay can win his Party’s Primary race in March, he will enter the General Election with his legal defense fund spending much more than it is bringing in, his federal political action committee deep in the red, and his campaign fund raising lagging.”
DeLay, meanwhile, kept himself busy picking up endorsements from local elected officials, including the first-ever endorsement from the Fort Bend County Mayor & Council Association.
“This is a key endorsement in this race and Congressman DeLay is very honored to receive this endorsement from the mayors and city officials he has worked with over the last 20 years,” said DeLay press spokeswoman Shannon Flaherty.
While his opponents have hammered DeLay over the charges he faces in Travis County, and his reputed links to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, another endorser says DeLay’s real crime is “being an outspoken advocate of conservative principles.”
“In other words, Tom stands accused by the Democrats of doing those things we Republicans have demanded from our elected officials over the years,” Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert said in endorsing DeLay. “In short, Tom has done what we asked him to do and now Ronnie Earle wants to punish him for that. I cannot stand by and let Earle win. I must stand with Tom in this election year. He is my candidate in March and he is my candidate for November.”
Word
Another Republican challenger for DeLay’s seat, Pat Baig, was in the lobby of the Rosenberg Civic Center before the mayor’s association candidate speeches began, working the crowd.
“I’m Pat Baig, Republican candidate for Congress,” she told a slightly bewildered-looking fellow as she shook his hand. “Can I count on your vote?”
“My daddy would roll over in his grave if I voted for a Republican in the primary,” the guy replied. Turned out it was Don Bankston, former Fort Bend County Democratic Party chairman.
Word II
Republican Fort Bend County District Attorney challenger Larry McDougal was making an emphatic point in his speech to the mayors, that he’d been known to them as a policeman before he became an attorney.
“Mr. Willis remembers me coming to his house in the middle of the night in the early 80s,” he said, pointing to Cecil Willis sitting at a back table in the full house, and offering no explanation about that night.
People began laughing, hard. Finally Willis held up his arms. “It was the wrong house,” he yelled.
Robocall of the Week
We’re going to start offering these audio files for those unfortunate folks who may have been out of town and missed them.
Today’s offering informs select Fort Bend County residents that County Clerk Diane Wilson “sued taxpayers for a higher salary and for her legal fees when she was indicted for theft.” The message doesn’t inform residents the indictment is 15 years old, and was tossed out, or that Wilson’s record was expunged. It’s a long story for a rainy day sometime.
But now it’s become a campaign issue. Go ahead, click here and have a listen.
Wilson’s Republican opponent for county clerk, D. Ann Criswell, said she hasn’t actually heard the call, but said it’s one of two or three that have been circulated on behalf of her campaign.
“Some people don’t like it,” she said of the computer-generated calls. “Others are fine, and they didn’t really know what was going on, and they were glad to get the information. You want your voting public to be an informed public.”
As do we here at FortBendNow. So if you’ve received any fun or interesting political robocalls on your answering machines lately, contact us and help share them with your less-fortunate brethren.
I fear that these kind of insults will drive some Republicans to vote for Stockman in the general. Not you personally; I don't think you have that influence. But that insulting attitude is widely held by DeLay supporters.
Wrong.
If your little coup works, Dim DAs everywhere will know that all they have to do is sucker some GJ in order to bring down a Republican... because spineless voters such as yourself will flee to someone else.
Never mind if the charges are false.
You give the impression that when DeLay wins the primary, you would rather see Lampson win in the general election than for Tom DeLay to have another term. You really do HATE Tom DeLay, don't you?
I yield to your closer analysis of the situation. Even in this era where information is a fingertip away, I still believe that being there trumps everything else.
If Dem DAs believe that Campbell's support is a result of Earle's indictment, they are as mistaken as you.
Honestly, it appears your argument boils down to "We should support DeLay *because* he has been indicted." That is very strange.
As for me, I recognize that Earle's indictment is politically motivated. Your continued mischaracterization is insulting. Unfortunately, you are not alone with that attitude.
You might as well write checks straight to Ronnie Earle and be done with it.
I do find his behavior unethical. Particularly in the Blankenship case. I hold my elected officials to the highest level of ethical behavior.
There is zero chance I will vote for Lampson in the general.
But would you deny a vote to DeLay, by not voting at all or by voting for Stockman? -- either of which is just as good as a vote for Lampson.
Okay, okay. Allow me to back off from attack-mode for a moment.
Do you really believe that Campbell is a better candidate than DeLay?
I'll concede that I will vote for your guy in the general, but not against Tom. Especially because of the precedent it would set.
It's the precedent that you don't seem to understand.
So you fell for the Dim BS. Hook, line and sinker.
No wonder.
BTW, I accused you of murder last night. You have yet to prove your innocence, murderer.
You didn't answer the question that I asked in #23 (is it correct that you would rather see Lampson win in the general election than for Tom DeLay to have another term), or my question in #28 (would you deny a vote to DeLay, by not voting at all or by voting for Stockman?). The absence of an answer to those questions just makes me go hmmmm .......
You really are getting emotionally involved with this. Even in a pure rhetorical sense that you are using, calling someone a murderer is a bit much.
Give me counting yard signs anyday over a poll with a 9 point margin of error.
Nah, just holding SSS to the same standard he's holding Tom to.
Then you would be interested in my yard sign count posted three days ago. When I posted this data on the campaign signs in my neighborhood to SolidSupplySide then, he didn't comment on the difference in his neighborhood. He waited three days to do disclose it on another thread. Why hide that type of information if it's true? It would have been the *perfect* place to point out the disparity! (If the shoe was on the other foot, I wouldn't have been able to resist)!
And I wonder why he/she won't answer my questions on this thread regarding who will get their vote in the general election should Campbell lose?
Delay will win, and he will win easily.
Right on!
The worst outcome would be for Lampson to win. That's why I support Campbell. Campbell has a better chance at winning the general election than DeLay does.
As far as voting for DeLay . . . I haven't voted for him in 10 years. (I've mentioned this on many threads for many years; I don't try to hide it.) I hold elected officials to the highest level of ethical behavior. DeLay's behavior in the Milton Wright election of 1996 is in the grey area, but his contradictory statements under oath in the Blankenship case is an undeniable case of poor character.
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