"Dang...Read My Lips, 'Dull-Be-You', I'm on record as backing Kay Bailey in this fight!"
"Shucks, 'Forty One', be a compassionate conservative ... just tell her she done a 'heckuva job'!"
Posted on 03/03/2010 6:11:01 AM PST by Kaslin
Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has conceded to incumbent Gov. Rick Perry in the Texas GOP gubernatorial primary, making Perry the Republican nominee in November's general election. There, Perry is certain beat out challenger Democrat Bill White, the former three-term mayor of Houston.
That likely means that Perry will enjoy a fourth term as Texas governor — the longest serving governor in Texas history. That's remarkable, considering Texans' longstanding aversion to incumbent politicians, especially during an era of tea parties, which are especially strong in the Lone Star State.
Early primary returns accurately reflected polling in late hours of the race, with Perry eking out an early 20+ percent margin over Hutchison. Spoiler candidate Debra Medina, a self-proclaimed tea party activist who is actively endorsed and supported by Texas secessionists, won 17 percent of the vote, with Hutchison getting 30 and Perry getting 52 percent.
The method by which Hutchison conceded was curious. She threw in the towel while returns were still coming in — and while Perry only had 52 percent of the vote. If Perry eventually would've slipped below 50, a runoff would be required. But Hutchison said she would concede no matter if a runoff was required or not.
The move will probably benefit her in the long-run. Hutchison had been stockpiling campaign cash to fight Perry in a runoff, but now that she doesn't have to do that, she can keep presumptively keep the cash for her Senate re-election bid.
Perry's lead seemed to indicate that Texas voters are warmer towards Texas insiderism than Washington insiderism — Hutchison has been in the Senate for sixteen years, compared with Perry's ten year stint as governor. But Perry also benefitted from Hutchison’s off-kilter campaign. She paraded around endorsements by James Baker and the first President Bush, two entrenched Texas politicos that have no resonance with independent tea party voters. She flip-flopped on when she would leave her Senate post while making her gubernatorial bid. And she was tripped up last-minute by an abortion question during a televised debate, which made her widely perceived as was far to the left of Perry on abortion despite a 94% approval rating by the National Right to Life.
Perhaps the larger narrative of Hutchison is that she has needed to transition from a time when bringing home earmarks for one’s state was considered a basic necessity to a time when earmarks are considered a dirty word. Perry suffered from that dissonance as well, having promised to reject federal bailout money then using them to give benefits to his state’s unemployment rolls. But Hutchison’s Washington connections were too much to overcome, and Perry was seen as the far more conservative choice in a state where being conservative is everything. Topped off with endorsements from Sarah Palin, the NRA, and other big conservative players, and Perry had no trouble maintaining a strong lead throughout the campaign.
Perry’s biggest threat, Medina, faded away after Medina made the comment that she would entertain 9/11 truther conspiracy theories live on Glen Beck’s radio program. She quickly issued a retraction, but the damage was done. The conservatives who were considering Medina rushed back to Perry, and the possibility of Medina siphoning off votes disappeared along with the possibility that Hutchison might enjoy the spoils.
My ass, we did. Just because Medina's a nut I can't vote for doesn't make the Perry sandwich any shinier.
So long, Medina!
Back to bedpans for you. And don’t come back.
I believe (from the outside looking in) that a lot of Conservatives rushed back to Perry because they saw the alternatives.
True. Poor choices all around.
I have to confess, that describes my position pretty accurately. I had great hopes for Medina until that boneheaded comment. God only knows what other kooky ideas are rattling around in there. At least with Perry, I know what I'm getting myself into.
Any conservative who was supporting Medina was not your typical conservative with her views. Anytime you discover a candidate is attached to Ron Paul, the conservative label should immediately disappear and that knowledge was front and center for a long time before she was outed on Beck.
Paul is a porker/earmarker so right there along with his doesn’t like tax cuts should say it all — he is not a fiscal conservative — not even a little, but he talks a great tune to suck some people in that should know better. In his district they like the porker for what he brings in pork and earmarks. They don’t look past that.
“My ass, we did. Just because Medina’s a nut I can’t vote for doesn’t make the Perry sandwich any shinier.”
Just out of curosity, what is it about Perry that you find so offensive?
BS.
"Dang...Read My Lips, 'Dull-Be-You', I'm on record as backing Kay Bailey in this fight!"
"Shucks, 'Forty One', be a compassionate conservative ... just tell her she done a 'heckuva job'!"
You’d think by now our choices would no longer be limited to the lesser of the evils. THAT is what needs to change.
Rick Perry was simply the best choice of the people running.
Amen.
Perfect summary of the dilemma, although I am still trying to mentally process the “shiny sandwich” metaphor . . .
LOL!
Yeah, Perry is a RINO, and we’re in for years of fighting to stave off his state socialist programs. I can’t figure out why “conservatives” on this site think socialism is bad when it comes from the feds, but if it comes from Austin, it’s Perry-tastic!
My big concern now is getting rid of Hutchison. Let’s hope someone better than Medina steps forward.
PS, for all you RINO Perrytards, you can oppose RINOs and not be a Paultard. I’ve never followed *any* politician the way some people follow Paul and Medina. Not even RINOs like Perry.
A drunken, toothless, Spanish-speaking skid row bum is better than Medina.
TTC fiasco
Pushing mandatory Gardasil immunizations
Supporting/defending in state tuition for illegal immigrants
Continual flip flopping on the border fence and illegal immigration for political convenience
Torpedoing a sitting conservative on the Texas Supreme Court bench (Smith).
20M grant to failing Countrywide Financial and pushing the Franchise Tax scheme
Other than that, he's great ex-democrat party towing republican and the least stinkiest part of the Texas governor race s%*t sandwich.
won't happen as long as you stick with the current two major parties.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.