Burnt Orange Report

Should be interesting to see what the next round of polls indicates.

So the Democrat candidate for Governor will now have less than zero in the bank after the primary. Ultimately it will be:

1. Perry
2. Kinky
3. Democrat

OR

1. Perry
2. Strayhorn
3. Democrat
4. Kinky

Kinky loses votes to Carole Four Names - she has too much $$$$ in the bank.

Isn't that assuming Democratic candidates for Governor had money to begin with?

Seriously, now that there is a contested primary it will give reason for the media to cover that fact, which is money that we'd never had been able to buy outright. Plus, a contested primary keeps Democrats from screwing up the voter file by voting in Republican primaries, and reduces the pool of potential petition signers for the Kinky campaign.

"...and reduces the pool of potential petition signers for the Kinky campaign."

Bob Gammage has my vote. Kinky Friedman has my signature. Called hedging the bets. And keeping everyone on their toes.

And before Marie calls me stupid, nothing would please me more than to see Gammage win while Kinky Friedman ended up with more votes than Perry. Could happen.

Bob Gammage has my vote. Kinky Friedman has my signature.

You can't do both. 'Quite a few' will certainly try, though...

Could happen.

When monkeys fly outta yer...

Take a break from the crack pipe, Snooks.

If only two people vote in the Democratic primary, my bet is on Bob Gammage winning by a landslide. Both votes. The Democrats will probably turn out in large numbers to vote for Gammage. Something Chris Bell can't pull off.

That leaves the Republicans. Who may split their vote towards Kinky Friedman. But he has to get on the ballot first. Why I and others aren't going to waste our votes on the Democratic primary. Because most of us would not vote for Bell. The ones who will vote in the primary will vote for Gammage. You can call it a prediction if you like.

It wouldn't be a Texas primary without at least one Congressman failing to win the higher primary.

Chris Bell will run for State Comptroller, not Governor.

Kinky will get little or no support from disgruntled Republicans. Republicans, unlike Democrats (and I'm saying this as a Democrat), generally don't split off from the party in the final vote. They understand the meaning of party loyalty. If you look at polls now, you'll see that Kinky pulls almost entirely all his support from Democrats or Democrat-leaners, and anecdotally, I have yet to see a Kinky sticker on a car with GOP bumperstickers on it, while I've seen plenty on cars with Kerry-Edwards stickers on them.

Anyone who claims that Kinky will pull from both sides and is some sort of boon for liberals is kidding themselves, or worse. If Kinky does well in 2006, that will be proof of how politically un-serious many liberals in this state still are, and how despite their penchant for complaining about how bad the world is, many liberals won't step up to do anything about it. And I'm saying that as a Democrat, too.

"Republicans, unlike Democrats (and I'm saying this as a Democrat), generally don't split off from the party in the final vote."

I used to think the same thing. Never say never. Particularly in Texas politics.

If only two people vote in the Democratic primary, my bet is on Bob Gammage winning by a landslide.

I'll bet you're wrong on both counts; that is, more than two people will vote, and it won't be a landslide.

How much?

Why I and others aren't going to waste our votes on the Democratic primary.

Good. Stay home. I doubt whether you'll get to cast that vote for Gammage in the general, which means you'll probably be staying away from the polls in November if Kinky doesn't make it onto the ballot.

That would be devastating for you, wouldn't it? I can only imagine your seething rage at that turn of events.

Your postings grow increasingly and frightfully confused. Which -- if they are truthful and reflect your eventual action -- might actually be to Bell's advantage, so I suppose I won't complain.

Chris Bell if nothing else has very loyal supporters. Just not enough of them.

Listen, there is a huge buzz for Gammmage in the grassroots, and he gave a dynamic speech yesterday. Say what you will but he is a Democratic veteran and we need a veteran such as Bob, who fought in tho Democrat VS Republican trenches, a seasoned and eloquent messenger who stood up to corruption and fought for political reform bipartisanly, and against his own party. We need him to show new and young Democrats how to fight, season us and show us how it is done. He will unify our message and our platform, and it is something we can all be proud of, and Texans will eagerly vote for.

Gammage is a grassroots guy, that was Clark's campaign all the way. That is how all of Gammage's campaigns have been, grassroots oriented. He's a clean house type of guy, and one who takes time to educate and mentor up and coming talent. Must be the teacher in him.

This is an exciting time for Texas politics. Maybe even Wes Clark himself will weigh in at some point. That's star power for you.

Bob's been skipping the fight the rest of us have been waging for the past ten years against the Texas GOP fundies and freaks.

He abruptly resigned his seat on the TSC in 1995, which allowed then-Gov. Dubya to appoint James Baker -- no, not that one -- who ran as an incumbent in '96, hastening the Republican takeover.

His actions for the past decade don't match up with his words.

We need a fighter, all right. That doesn't appear to be Bob.

Greta resume', but he represents the old guard (which has a miserable track record, if you've been paying attention).

I had the pleasure of joining Bob for dinner last week, I left with this sense of excitement Not only about his race for Governor but about all(except one) Democrats statewide as well as countywide. It's going to take hard work and constant talking up of our candidates. A large number of Texans are tired of Governor Good Hair and his cronies. We now have an opportunity to really get things done in the Lege.. tom

"His actions for the past decade don't match up with his words."

Some of Chris Bell's actions don't match up with his words.

PDiddie--you are all wet about the "skipping out on the fight against the fundies" thing. You must not run in the right circles. I'm an avid Democratic grassrooter and I've been tripping over Bob Gammage for the last two years at Meet-Ups, house parties, fundraisers, calling parties, state conventions etc. I thought so much of his opinion that I gave him a link to a research paper I helped with on Bush et al and torture and his comments would have turned the room blue. Further you try to make it sound like he hasn't already given many years to the Democratic fight in Texas. I think you can't beat his combination of current and past involvement plus the fact he has some fire in his belly.

PDiddie--you are all wet...

One of the less vicious ad hominem assaults I have enjoyed from the Gammageites here.

Here are a few online polls in which to cast a ballot.