Burnt Orange Report

That is such a stupid question. Of course we're going to throw more weight behind the guy that owns Chuy's than behind Dunnam. I mean, c'mon. Caucus v. Queso? Queso wins everytime.

The Waco area is important to Gammage, so Dunnam's endorsement may help him there. But really - does anyone else in Texas really know Rep. Dunnam? We know who he is, but call your mom or your neighbor across the street and ask if they do.
Name recognition is key to any endorsement.

Most Democrats in Texas know who Jim Dunnam is since he led the boycott of the redistricting session. His title alone bears a lot of weight. House Democratic Caucus chair. His endorsement bears a lot more weight than the has-beens also known as the Dirty Dozen. One of whom turned around and showed up at a fundraiser for Kinky Friedman. Which doesn't say much for her endorsement of Chris Bell.

The Dirty Thirty versus the Dirty Dozen. Most Democrats will go with the Dirty Thirty. And their successors. One of whom is Jim Dunnam.

Representative Dunnam's endorsement carries a great deal of weight, I think, with the people who matter the most at this point, i.e., the people who vote in the primaries. Marie is probably right about the importance (or lack thereof) of Dunnam's endorsement in the general election, but in a primary, where it's the activists who do all the heavy lifting, someone of Dunnam's stature within the Party makes a lot of difference. I'll say this much: I've been kind of sitting on the fence, and this certainly pushes me toward Gammage. That, and the fact that Bell is running such a crappy campaign.

Matt - Chuy's blows... you need some http://enchiladasymas.com/.

What makes you think it's the only endorsement Gammage has garnered. If I know Bob, it's just the first.

davew--How can you say that Chris Bell is running a 'crappy' campaign?

He's out there not only responding to everything that Democratic and Republican opposition throw out, but also creating new waves of his own, like on the voucher issue with Strayhorn. His campaign is getting headlines, and getting its message out to voters. That's far from a crappy campaign.

crappy candidate

Vince, what do you mean "He's out there not only responding to everything that Democratic and Republican opposition throw out?" Gammage directs all of his attacks against Perry; and I don't think I have seen anything where Jafer has attacked Chris. So what Democrat is attacking Chris?

And speaking of headlines, you should check out the headlines Gammage is receiving. He has been in the vast majority of media markets during the **last 2 weeks.**

Hello Vince, seems like that might be getting the message out when you see the cameras, papers, and radio stations he has been on or in. And the attacks have been on the real Democratic enemy - Rick Perry.

and....ahhhh you are so right. Candidates need to be into wavemaking...so let's see what positive stuff Chris's opponent has been talking about...Hmmm, Gammage says he will fight for:

* a Texas Excellence in Education Act to guarantee fair funding for every school district in Texas-with the standard set at “excellence” for all, not just an elite few

* affordable Health Care for all families in times of illness and injury

* a Prescription Drug Price Relief Act to regulate prescription drug costs and stop the gouging of consumers

* strengthening campaign finance laws to prevent corporations and the elite from buying our elections

* raising the state minimum wage from $5.15 an hour to $6.50 an hour. It is wrong for a man or woman to work 40 hours a week and take home only $840 a month----before taxes - something Chris voted against in Houston

* passing a state constitutional amendment guaranteeing every Texan the right to clean air and clean water

* passing an Ethics Reform Act to make it illegal for any state legislator or high agency official to become a lobbyist for at least two years after leaving state service

* passing a Corporate Responsibility Act to strengthen Texas regulatory and consumer protection agencies to stop price gouging in gas and utility prices and protect our citizens from corporate fraud

* passing a Texas Tax Reform Act. No more state taxes on the middle class unless we close the special corporate loopholes that save Rick Perry's corporate friends billions while ordinary families have to pay and pay.

Seems to me these are positions we should require our Democratic candidate for governor to fight for. If you read the articles, not just the headlines, you'll see Gammage has been talking about these issues all over the state.

So let's wrap it up with a bow. Gammage has been in more media markets than Chris has, especially during the last 2 weeks. He's making waves and has a Democratic platform we Democrats should be advocating for. He only attacks Rick Perry and his cronies. Gammage's campaign must be doing something right to create a message and deliver it across the stare.

Mary Beth Malcolm, a party giant?

Oh, what a sad party this is if that is true...

Bob Gammage is a dedicated public servant who has won a bunch of races and has class.

Chris Bell lost to Chip Staniswalis.

-30-

RedDog - if we look at it from the google news standpoint (and excise a professional athlete of the same name) we end up 3-to-2 more media for Bell than Gammage over the last month. We also have to take into consideration that Gammage has just launched his campaign (which should give him a flurry of headlines). this is unscientific, but even with a campaign launch he isn't winning the media war.

Karl-T: whether or not people like Molly Beth Malcom, you have to admit she's a major player in the TDP even in retirement from her chairmanship.

She's got her hand in a lot of political pies, especially in East Texas.

Red Dog: Who cares, at this point, who has been in more media markets in the last two weeks. That's natural; he just announced his campaign; Bell has been doing this for months and months. Second, if you're trying to say that Bell doesn't have a platform, you might check again. I believe both candidates have formulated platforms.

And I feel that fact that MBM still is a big enough player at the TDP is also a sad state of affairs. You have a state party which ACTIVELY DISRECRUITED candidates from running statewide this year. Yeah, that's a real winner, by not having candidates. I'm not gonna ever defend actions like that.

She can have her hand in as many pies as she wants, but I ain't eating them.

Obviously Wesley Clark has endorsed him as well.

The point about the party activists, the "movers and shakers" is well-taken and those are the ones who will be motivated by the endorsement by Jim Dunnam as well as Wesley Clark in both the primary and the general election.

Thank you, RedDog, for helping me make my point. I'd just like to add some of the dumb stuff, like the food fight story, and the fact that the first thing out of Bell's mouth when Gammage entered the race was that BS about cut'n'run Bob. Plus, he's had nigh onto a year to get his message out there, and he's still a cipher to most Texans. I mean, having gone after DeLay is all well and good, but by the time the election rolls around, that will have been more than 2 years in the past.

Matth honey, you've been spending too long at the keyboard, I think. Are you seriously suggesting that if google doesn't pick it up, it didn't happen? Wow, kinda says a lot about the pitfalls of being a keyboard warrior.

I have family all over the Valley. Gammage was everywhere last week. TV, radio, UNIVISION for pete's sake.

Only 5 people in my very large family regularly use the Internet -- but all of them do watch the local news. They're the ones who are so excited by him. I'd been leaning towards Bell, but anybody who can get MY family interested in voting for a Democrat again, I'll have to take a second look at.

So, take a few minutes to repeat after me: The Universe is not limited to Google, the Universe is not limited to Google.....

Valley girl - Grrlll... most girls don't start calling me honey until the second date. I like your style. The way the "google news" search works is it takes news stories listed on TV, newspaper and some blog sites. So stories that get filed by your local paper or tv station will appear on the google news site, thus addressing your issue.

But I'm glad to see Dems getting people interesting in the Valley area. We need the votes.

OOOh matth, you're cute.

Thanks for the Google lesson. Tell you what... go type in "Bob Gammage" in Google News. See if you can find the love letter from the Laredo paper to Bob Gammage.

Didn't find it?

It was posted on their site (and published in the newspaper on January 21) and gets archived probably next week. Google may have missed it, but my 2 uncles and sister-in-law sure didn't. They read it in the local paper and sent it to me.

It's a good thing the Gammage people saved it. http://www.gammageforgovernor.com/node/55

Y'all don't be too hard on Chris Bell. I haven't personally heard anyone call him a 'crappy' candidate.

"Hapless' is the word they used.

Chris Bell a crappy candidate? You can say that again! There were any number of concerned people that considered getting into the Gov's race because Chris was so underwhelming..... I hear former Sen. Ted Lyon for one and former Ambassador Lyndon Olson for another. Hats off to Bob Gammage for rescuing us from Mossbacher's best boy Bell.

Im still up in the air on these guys. I dont like Chris Bell's stance on gay marriage. However, when I emailed the Gammage campaign on his opinion of any gay issue, they did not respond at all. Yeah thats not the only issue out there but its one that is unanswered so Id at least like an idea of what he thinks.

I don't want to come across as insensitive--I voted against Prop 2--but the "gay issue" is resolved for the moment. It sucks, but it seems ridiculous to focus on that now. We need to look at the relevant issues and decide which Dem candidate has the best plan for righting the wrongs we can still do something about--education, health care and reform. We need to unify behind the candidate that gives us the best chance of beating Perry in November--not nitpick over every stance on every issue. Gammage has my vote.

Gammage will carry South Texas.

Gammage will carry South Texas. Chip Staniswalis will lose South Texas.

John - I know that one because I asked as well. He was against prop 2 and thinks the government should allow whatever two people want to do. Call it marriage, union, whatever. Basically, it should be left to the two women, two men or one man and one woman to decide for themselves.

Granted, it's moot now as the Amendment passed and to overturn it will be difficult. However, that's his position.