Nolan Ryan joins Sharp campaign

Fort Worth Star-Telegram ^ | 03/22/02 | John Moritz

[ThJ1800]

Nolan Ryan joins Sharp campaign
By JOHN MORITZ
Star-Telegram
03/22/02

AUSTIN -- Texas baseball legend and Republican activist Nolan Ryan will be pitching for Democrat John Sharp this year, heading a committee to put the former state comptroller into the lieutenant governor's office.

Ryan, a Hall of Fame right-hander who has been a loyal ally of Republican President George W. Bush, will officially join Sharp's team today, the Democrat's campaign confirmed Thursday.

"No candidate in Texas is better qualified to guide the state through the current budget challenges than John," Ryan said in a news release announcing the formation of Republican and Independent Texans for Sharp.

"It's critical that we elect him lieutenant governor."

The state faces a projected budget shortfall of at least $5 billion when the Legislature reconvenes in January 2003.

Ryan briefly contemplated running for governor as a Republican in 1994 and then considered running for Texas agriculture commissioner in 1998.

He was appointed by Bush to the Parks and Wildlife Commission after his 27-year career in baseball ended. Bush was the managing partner of the Texas Rangers in Arlington when Ryan pitched for the ballclub.

Ryan's decision to join the Sharp camp came as a surprise blow to Land Commissioner David Dewhurst, the GOP nominee for lieutenant governor. Dewhurst spokesman Nick Voinis said the campaign had no advance warning and did not comment further.

Sharp, who narrowly lost a bid to become lieutenant governor four years ago, has been making a concerted effort to win the support of several Republican-leaning organizations in this year's battle against Dewhurst, an independently wealthy businessman who is expected to spend heavily in the fall campaign.

"I am honored to have the support of Nolan Ryan," Sharp said. "His endorsement further validates my efforts to do what's best for Texas."

Ryan, who retired from baseball in 1993 but remains a presence on television in commercials for products ranging from pain relievers to hamburgers, backed Bush in both of his campaigns for governor and for the presidency.

He has contributed money to Republican Gov. Rick Perry's campaign and has appeared in radio commercials on behalf of several GOP state lawmakers in recent election cycles.

Harvey Kronberg, a political analyst who publishes on online newsletter for Austin insiders, said Ryan's backing could be pivotal for Sharp.

"Advertisers love Nolan Ryan because people trust him for his folksy personality and nice-guy image," Kronberg said. "If he stands next to John Sharp in a TV spot, it'll be effective."

[ThJ1800]

Interseting.

[LoneGOPinCT]

Interesting, too!

[dakine]

I know who Robin Ventura won't be voting for.

[OldFriend]

Guess he's taken a few too many of those pain relievers.

[foreverfree]

bump

[Tigercap]

Nolan Ryan was over-rated.

...And "strikeouts are fascist" (- Crash Davis, Bull Durham)

[Dallas]

Sharp is a fiscal conservative, but has always rebuffed the GOP when asked to switch sides.

The main problem here, is that the Lt Gov wields more power than the Gov in the Texas political system.

[Phantom Lord]

Nolan Ryan was not over rated.

[Svenge]

Oh well, I'll still admire his pitching, though.

[Phantom Lord]

And as a side note, i work next to the Bulls stadium.

Hit Bull, Win a steak. Hit Grass, win a salad.

[F16Fighter]

Nolan Ryan, like Doug Flutie (who posed and campaigned with Hitlery in NY State) has become either a political mercenary OR been completely conned.

[lentulusgracchus]

Bite your tongue, when speaking of Nolan Ryan!

He is supporting arguably the most conservative statewide Democrat in the state, who did us all a fat favor about nine years ago when a hardscrabble school district pitching a court suit to a Texas Supreme Court stacked with DemonRats, including Lloyd Doggett (a Daschle wannabe, now in the U.S. House), threw the state's supplementary education funding formula into a shredder.

Power DemonRats, led by the then Lite Gov (whom Dubya lists as a mentor -- urp!) used the melee to insist that it was time for Texas to roll over for a state income tax. They got a corporate income tax by overhauling the existing franchise tax, but public opposition was firmed up by John Sharp, who scrubbed the budget and proved that the DemonRat leadership was just lying like a rug about not being able to find any more budget cuts -- Sharp came up with hundreds of millions in possible cuts and trade-offs. The bigtime DemonRats hated his guts for it, but he kept the state income-tax wolf away from the door.

Now Sharp is being used as the only white guy near the top of the ticket as they roll out the "new Democratic Party" -- all black and brown at the top. The Rats are relying on Sharp to get the East Texas Piney Woods "yellow dog" Democrats to come out, but they didn't show for the primaries.......the Rats' consultants think the "yellow dogs" are toast, they're staying home for the primaries and the menfolk will break for the GOP in the fall. The 'Rats are running a slackwire act, trying to keep from losing Piney Woods white votes faster than they can machine up race-driven straight-ticket votes in the barrio and in the black community. Hence the endorsement from Ryan, which could be big. If it works.

[Consort]

Intrestering, also.

[Southack]

Having a prominent, popular Republican campaign for one of the last of the Conservative Texas Democrats increases the leverage on Sharp to switch parties at a later date or to at least remain true to Conservative principles.

Sharp is of the Charles Stenholm, Zell Miller sort of mold. One wonders how long it will be before the radical Lefties (who now own the Democratic Party) begin eating their own (esp., Conservative Democrats who stand firm for principles).

The Democratic Party is now devoid of young Conservatives. The last of the line are old and gray. It is a generational problem.

[Gysmo]

As a man or as a baseball player?

[writmeister]

Once again. Excellent analysis of the Texas-RAT problem with Anglo voters.

[pbranham]

I wonder if Ryan has a problem with Dewhurst.

[Dog Gone]

John Sharp would be a Republican in just about any other state in the union. He's far more conservative than our RINOs in Washington.

But I don't want him as Lt. Governor because of the power he wields over the legislature. We're going to have an all-Republican legislature for the first time since Reconstruction, and the current rules give the Lt. Gov complete power over what bills make it to the floor.

Poop on that.

[KSCITYBOY]

Ryan had the best right arm in baseball history.

[Zack Nguyen]

John Sharp is pro-choice. To me that settles it - he is no conservative. Maybe he is a little more moderate than Ann Richards, but only a bit.