Above is a picture of Mr. Shami and myself. This picture was taken a few hours ago.
I heard Mr. Shami speak at Martin Luther King Day festivities here in Houston. He struck an economically populist tone in his remarks. He was clear that he viewed himself as a racially inclusive candidate. These are things that I want to hear.
Unfortunately, Mr. Shami was not disciplined in his remarks and I feel this absence of discipline will make it difficult for him to win the primary or move the agenda in Texas to the left.
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Please look at the picture at the top of this post. Mr. Shami is wearing a scarf. That is fine. You don't have to be Audrey Hepburn to pull off a scarf.
The problem is what the scarf says. On one side it says "Palestine" and on the other side it says "Jerusalem is ours." I read that scarf and I thought to myself-"Isn't this race difficult enough for you already?" You're a guy named Farouk Shami running for Governor of Texas against a strong primary opponent. So in addition to all that, you offer your views on an emotional issue that has nothing to do with Texas?
I wish Mr. Shami would run a focused campaign that would productively discuss issues that maybe an establishment candidate like former Houston Mayor Bill White will not likely discuss.
I am generally an advocate of campaigns where candidates give voice to unrepresented communities in politics. Sometimes candidates run, or issues are talked about in order to highlight their importance and give a platform where one would not otherwise exist. Farouk Shami should have no reason to be ashamed of his faith or of his heritage, but Neil is right in that things like this distract from issues that actually are relevant to Texas and that the Governor can do something about.
