| Running for office makes it hard to do your elected job. The reason few elected members of Congress win a bid for President is in part because of the massive amounts of votes they have to miss. Before President Barack Obama, the last member of Congress to be elected as President was Democrat John Kennedy.
Now, it is unintentional to draw a parallel between President of the United States and Governor of Texas. The only way the two jobs would be the same is if the Texas legislature gave more power to our Governor and if Rick Perry got his way and Texas seceded from the union.
The point is simply, Kay Bailey Hutchison is between a rock and a hard place.
KBH has work to do in Washington as an elected member of the Senate. If she skips that work to campaign against Perry, Perry can attack her for not doing her job. If she stays in Washington to do her job, Perry gets to attack her for being a failed Washington Republican.
The Dallas Morning News sums up the position nicely.
If it wasn't ACORN, it would have been something else. The fact that the first Senate vote Kay Bailey Hutchison missed since entering the governor's race happened to be on ACORN - a group Republicans love to hate - was just a bonus.
"She should be ashamed and apologize to the people of Texas for ignoring her responsibilities in the U.S. Senate," said Gov. Rick Perry's spokesman, Mark Miner.
As the DMN points out, "the Senate voted 83-7 to block the community activist group from getting federal housing funds."
Which means two simple things. One, 10 others missed the vote. Two, those 10 people didn't matter at all.
As the primary season continues, Hutchison can't expect to be in two places at once. She will need to make a commitment to the campaign or running for Governor. The longer she waits, the less likely it seems Hutchison will either run or that she will run from Washington.
Again, the Dallas Morning News:
Until she resigns, Hutchison faces a minefield of choices each week, between campaigning back home or sticking close to the Senate, just in case a politically sensitive vote pops up on short notice.
It is untenable to cling to the Senate seat much longer. |
