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Thu Jul 15, 2010 at 05:30 PM CDT
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| Candidates and elected officials are held to a higher standard in terms of honesty, integrity, and character. However, an emerging and rather disturbing trend among Texas Republican candidates and elected officials give reason for many voters to question whether possessing those qualities and upholding those standards are an integral part of the GOP candidate vetting process.
Voters are beginning to ask a fair question, which is whether the Republican Party cares about not only vetting candidates that live up to high standards that we as citizens expect of our elected officials, or if the Texas GOP simply takes for granted what power they hold as a Party and suffer from a dual case of incompetence and arrogance about who they are and what they stand for. We have no choice but to presume the latter based on the following evidence:
- From a candidate perspective, the challenger to Representative Paula Pierson, Republican Barbara Nash, had serious questions raised about whether she was less than honest to voters about past business affairs nor was she forthcoming about horrendous allegations of elderly abuse at nursing homes managed by companies she and her husband owned. All of this leads one to question the character and integrity of the individual seeking to be a Texas Legislator representing House District 93. If you attempt and hide troubling allegations, attempt and hide questionable business affairs, and potentially falsify state documents in answering questions related to those allegations and business affairs, do you really believe Republican Barbara Nash is capable of being honest with District 93 voters?
- Yet another candidate, Stefani Carter, the Republican challenger to Representative Carol Kent, raises questions about her character and integrity when she was caught on tape plagiarizing President Barack Obama's famous 2004 Democratic Convention speech. Republican Carter also embellished on her resume. If Republican Carter isn't original enough to articulate her own viewpoints without copying and pasting, or fails to be honest about her real background and work history, can voters in House District 102 expect Carter to be honest with them?
- And finally the character and integrity of Republican Linda Harper-Brown, the State Representative from House District 105, is questioned because she was driving a $55,000 luxury car compliments of a highway contractor headquartered in her district. This contractor, with the help of Republican Harper-Brown, received over $12 million dollars in business with the state of Texas. Republican Harper-Brown is being challenged by Democrat Loretta Haldenwang. Can voters in House District 105 honestly say that Harper-Brown possess the character and integrity they expect from their elected officials?
Enough evidence has come forward to suggest that Republicans care little about the high standards and overall qualities that we as voters expect in candidates and elected officials. The ideas that politicians should be honest, possess integrity, and have moral character worthy of the office they seek or hold, are bedrock principles that Texas voters not only demand, but deserve. So far this election cycle a handful of Republican candidates and elected officials have fallen well short of voter standards. |
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