Newspapers' poll: Perry has comfortable lead as voting starts [TxGov]

American Statesman ^ | Feb. 13, 2010 | Jason Embry and Corrie MacLaggan

[deport]

Gov. Rick Perry heads into the start of early voting Tuesday with a comfortable lead over his two Republican primary challengers, but he could be in for a tough November fight against the Democratic nominee, a poll commissioned by the Austin American-Statesman and other Texas newspapers shows.

Perry has the support of 45 percent of likely Republican primary voters, while 29 percent back U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and 17 percent support Wharton activist Debra Medina. Just 8 percent are undecided.

The telephone survey was conducted Feb. 2-10, before Medina said important questions had been raised about whether the U.S. government aided in the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Medina later said she has never believed the government was involved, but her initial remarks could weaken her momentum.

In fact, Medina's comments could allow Perry to win more than 50 percent of the vote in the March 2 primary and avoid a runoff, said pollster Mickey Blum of Blum & Weprin Associates, which conducted the survey.

Usually, incumbents don't build support in the final weeks of an election, Blum said. But Perry could break the 50 percent threshold if Medina's comments cause her supporters to break toward Perry or stay home.

Poll results

end excerpts.....

[SeattleBruce]

“While I do not care for everything that Rcik Perry does, he at least has fought the communist POTUS Obama at evey turn...Am requesting all Texas Pubbies vote for Rick Perry on primary day!!!”

Agreed.

[The Anti-One]

Two words SmokingJoe. They are “Black Boxes.” ;-)

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

That’s what they said about Scott Brown too.

[SeattleBruce]

“people like you slandered Medina so effectively that she couldn’t recover.”

Are you cool with how she handled that question about 9/11? Why blame her response on others?

[deport]

Texas has done well but there maybe some tough things ahead such as the next budget and maybe some economic downturns with the loss of some jobs across the state. Texas may be on the backend of where a lot of states have already been. Perry has done okay but I personally would like him to move on as 10 years is enough for me. The people have had to hold Perry in check at times and so far have basically been able to do that. Medina isn’t going to even smell the office of Gov. imo.

[SmokingJoe]

“Basically Medina gave the same answer Palin did when she was asked about Obama’s birth. Said that people should have the right to question the government on these things”

No.
Not even close.

[Dubya]

I wasn't polled.

SHE HAS MY VOTE
I am helping find good places to put large signs.
This one is at my place.

[deport]

If Perry wins it will only be because people like you slandered Medina so effectively that she couldn’t recover.

---

Yep me and others held Medina’s mouth open and made her parrot a truther position. LOL. She was asked two straight forward questions and failed to give a straight forward answer to either as she was doing the Texas Two-step. Dancing shows her capabilities better than anything anyone could plant in her mouth for her.

1. Do you believe ........

2. would you disavow them or allow them to continue to advise you........

[dusttoyou]

Agree 100%!
During the first debate Nedinia had what I assumed was a slight mis-step when she mentioned de-crim drugs, but I let it go because the lady had some other very good fiscal points. In the second debate (which I fought for her being on the debate against the MSM), she seemed to have learned to leave off the Libertarian stuff and like many other “Texas” voters T too was more impressed with Medina, which showed in her polling.

I was very hopeful she would be able to use Beck’s interview as a platform to get more attention from conservative Texas voters. It was too bad Medina was not willing to stay away from her libertarian thinking! I think she mistakenly assumed there were lots of paulista Libertarian types tuned in to Beck and felt she had a moderately free hand to be frank.

[The Anti-One]

Are you cool with how she handled that question about 9/11? Why blame her response on others?

Did you listen to her response? You may want to. Here it is: Medina on Beck.

She didn't say anything I wouldn't have. To state something as a fact when you don't know the facts as supported by empirical evidence is foolishness. For example, and I say it again, where are the black boxes? I also say that Glenn Beck has lost a lot of my respect. He knows full well that that question is irrelevant when it comes to how well Medina will govern. He is now just a little above Katie Couric in my book. She was disingenuous with Sarah Palin just as Beck was with Medina.

I wonder how much each were paid to try to trip up their guests?

[SeattleBruce]

Extremely Extreme Extremist: “Until you have irrefutable EVIDENCE that Medina was involved in Trutherism or made statements prior to the Beck interview then you got nothing.”

Bruce: OK, best case scenario - she didn't know what she was talking about, and said it anyway.

---

GLENN: Right. Here's then let me be more frank and ask you the question: Do you believe the government was any way involved with the bringing down of the World Trade Centers on 9/11?

MEDINA: I don't, I don't have all of the evidence there, Glenn. So I don't I'm not in a place, I have not been out publicly questioning that. I think some very good questions have been raised in that regard. There are some very good arguments, and I think the American people have not seen all of the evidence there. So I've not taken a position on that.

---

Bruce: What? By saying you ‘don't take a position on that’ you leave yourself open to suggesting that our government or parts of our government slaughtered 3,000+ of our own citizens and the subsequent wars were complete and utter treason.

That's all.

So either she's idiotic/horrible with the media or a 9/11 truther.

Pick your poison.

[deport]

Why blame her response on others?

---

IMO... They can’t accept that she did the Texas Two-Step so it has to be someone else’s fault. Appears the ‘ol gal maybe quite a dancer.

[The Anti-One]

And her answers were "I don't know" and "I don't know."

You have a problem with people admitting their ignorance about something? Since you know everything yourself maybe you can produce the black boxes eh?

[SeattleBruce]

“There are some very good arguments, and I think the American people have not seen all of the evidence there.”

Medina is leaving herself open to 9/11 trutherism - at the very least, and probably worse. How can anyone begin to defend that?

[deport]

What black boxes? The ones following Medina around giving her the answers to parrot? Either she believes or is incapable of giving a straight forward NO I don’t believe. No need for the Texas Two Step to a simple question.

[SeattleBruce]

“Did you listen to her response?”

I read her response. Will it help if I listen to it?

“For example, and I say it again, where are the black boxes?”

Please state your implications clearly. Are you saying that the government murdered our citizens, and will you hold a sign that says, “Mulsims didn’t do it?” As to the black boxes, if the government whisked those away, and didn’t let us hear what was on there, as we sometimes do in airplane crashes, that would be unusual, even highly unusual but certainly no proof that the US government was complicit or carried out 9/11 for its own untoward ends.

[dusttoyou]

You have a problem with people admitting their ignorance about something?

OK, Anti-, we’re waiting.

[deport]

And her answers were "I don't know" and "I don't know."

---

The question was: DO YOU BELIEVE

And her answer was according to you; "I don't know"

Damn, that's even worse that she doesn't even know what she believes. ....... great show Medina. LOL

[SeattleBruce]

“it has to be someone else’s fault.”

I’m tired of people pointing fingers at others and conspiracy theories both. Let’s grow up, clearly state what we mean and take responsiblity for our own actions and words.

I’m not huge Perry fan (although he’s done some nice things publicly to contend with obambi) and was intrigued and supporting Medina until this very bad answer.

She needs to take responsiblity for her own words, and the implications of those words.

Honestly, that she would then completely backpedal [http://www.dallasblog.com/201002131006132/dallas-blog/is-medina-s-9/11-gaffe-a-game-changer.html] shows she either didn’t know what she was talking about initially (why would she risk her political capital on such a thing that she doesn’t even believe??), or she *did* know what she was saying, and then just basically backpedaled to save her bacon.

That seems so much like politics as usual, for this tea party activist.

I have nothing personally against Medina, but she was VERY unwise in how she handled this, best case, and she’s a truther, worst case.

That’s her own doing.

The last thing the Tea Party needs is to give the RATS ammunition that they’re we’re a bunch of wacko conspiracy theorists...that’s not a successful path, and we’re generally on a path to take this country back to its conservative/Constitutional roots.

[onyx]

H/T hocndoc

In her news conference Friday, it is clear Medina was trying to clean up the mess. But in our interview with her hours after the Beck radio show, she repeated there are still questions that need to be answered.

On Friday, she told reporters she is curious why no New York City police officers died in the towers when so many firefighters did.

!!!!!

That's not true, however, as 60 police officers were killed.

LINK