Well this is disappointing: Democratic legislative candidate Hector Enriquez, one of three candidates in HD-75, donated not once, not twice, but thrice to Texans for Rick Perry. Here's the TEC data:
Our friends over at The Lion Star Blog reported on Enriquez's ties to Perry, as well as his use of a photo of himself with George W. Bush. Democrats in a Democratic primary flaunting their Republican ties? Bizarre. Even worse, Enriquez appparently sought support from Texans for Lawsuit Reform, a group that traditionally backs Republicans, as well as Democrats who support "tort reform," i.e. denying their fellow citizens a chance to gain justice in a civil court of law.
But wait, there's more! The Texas Association for Business, the ultra-conservative right wing group that was involved in Tom DeLay's money-laundering scheme, which previously endorsed Mitt Romney for President and David Dewhurst for US Senate, also endorsed Enriquez for HD-75! To his credit, at least he's trying to hide their endorsement. The bigger issue, however, is that TAB evidently finds Enriquez acceptable just as they find Romney and Dewhurst. With friends like these...
It's a strange turn of events, given the district. As Annie's List pointed out in an email yesterday, HD-75 is one of the most Democratic in Texas, and also one where Rick Perry's draconian budget has caused tremendous harm:
House District 75 is one of the most Democratic districts in Texas. President Obama received 74% of the vote in 2008 and Bill White received 69% in 2010. It is also predominantly Hispanic, lower income and one of the areas hardest hit by the shameful budget cuts supported by Perry during his term as Governor. Perry has proudly championed over $5 billion in cuts in public education alone.
These cuts are devastating El Paso public schools, causing teachers to be fired and class size limits to rise. Perry also pushed for billions more in health care cuts for women, children and seniors--all while leaving over $6 billion untouched in the Rainy Day Fund. Perry's policies are disastrous, shameful and particularly harmful to communities like El Paso. Enriquez knew this about Perry and endorsed his values with a financial contribution anyway.
Thankfully, voters in El Paso have other choices: Mary Gonzalez and Tony San Roman. Democratic voters should make sure that when they're deciding who to send to the Legislature they pick -- oh, I don't know -- an actual Democrat! |
