Rick Noriega Discusses Watts

Honoring Mikal Watts (3.00 / 1)

Rick Noriega's eloquent comments about Mikal Watts' decision say it all. Well, almost all. I am a former reporter, ya know, so I gotta get in my 2 cents (actually 8 cents in inflation hollers).

We shouldn't overlook the fact that while we will avoid a hard-fought primary, we are at least temporarily losing a a smart, committed candidate whose intellectual and strategic contributions to the cause are enormous.

Watts spoke about the conflicting demands of family and public life. Everyone from activists to reporters who cover politics to candidates to consultants feel this pressure. How many quality leaders are out there who can't step forward because the demands of contemporary campaigns simply put too much strain on their families?

Sooner or later, we have to address this issue. It's nothing but a kind of in-the-spotlight version of the struggle most families face today.

I hope everyone noticed that over the last few months, Noriega and Watts both remained on the high road, discussing -- with courage and vision -- issues that mattered to Texans.

Congratulations, Mr. Watts. And thanks. For all you've done for us, and for the future you are helping us build.

Rep. Noriega, the stage is yours. 

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by: Glenn Smith @ Tue Oct 23, 2007 at 16:42:32 PM UTC

I'll go one further (5.00 / 1)

How many quality leaders are out there who can't step forward because they don't have the money Watts had to contribute to his campaign? 

It's no secret the reason you don't have more men and women, who actually have lived the trials and tribulations of middle class and poor america, step forward because they don't have the money or can't afford to pursue an endeavor like that.

Running for office is demanding in many ways.  The reason congress and the state house is full of doctors and lawyers is because only they have the capacity to launch such campaigns.  But does a doctor or lawyer know what it is like to live by a prayer?  Have they ever been one bill away from falling into a pit of debt?  Do they have trouble paying health care bills, or even affording health care?  Can they tell us the current price of a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk?  Do they have trouble paying for their kids college?

I suspect not, but some may truly be an example of the American dream.  Good for them.

I don't say that to demean anyone at all.  I appreciate a man of Watt's caliber stepping forward and doing what he did, then stepping back for the sake of his family.  What pains me about politics is that it limits the opportunities real people have, who have a true pulse of what it is like living in a hard economy or troubled neighborhood, from stepping forward and running. 

Todd 

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

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by: Todd Hill @ Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 12:39:35 PM UTC

Open Race (0.00 / 0)

This race is back to being open now for the Dems.

Y'all "Drafted Noriega", but now he's peaked.

the only question is...who's coming out of the shadows!?


Conservative Yet Pragmatic

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by: rightoftexas @ Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 14:25:00 PM UTC

I dont think so (0.00 / 0)

I think Noriega got so much coverage since the race WAS shaping up to be a a hotly contested and potentially divisive primary that he's got the nod in the bag.

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by: NickC @ Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 15:24:17 PM UTC

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We're just beginning. (0.00 / 0)

For my part, I'm taking nothing for granted.

I doubt the Noriega campaign is either. This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Before you win, you have to fight. Come fight along with us at TexasKaos.

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by: boadicea @ Wed Oct 24, 2007 at 18:54:31 PM UTC

[ Parent ]