After last week's flare up in the Bell vs. Gammage showdown here on BOR, I thought it would be well worth having a cooling off period and I hoped that the campaigns would agree to a cease-fire more or less. But in politics what you think is positive chit-chat on the surface does not always reflect what goes on behind the scenes.
I had been getting e-mails from a number of people about supposed Bell mail pieces which had been hitting over the last week, as series of 2-3 in which a negative "Gammage: Damage to Texas" section was included in increasing size in each mailer. The first evidence of that came to me a couple days ago in digital and physical copies of the Bell "Guts mailer". You can see the first smallest attack piece here. From the campaign expenditures on the TEC reports, it looks like 2-3 direct mail pieces to statewide Triple-D's, somewhere around 210,000 households. That came up in comment threads about the Gammage camp chosing to invest in statewide yardsign distribution instead of mail, which have indeed been appearing all over the state, and UDems helped put about 1,000 of them together this on Wednesday night.
So when this ad (not sure where it's running yet) came my way, I figured it was a response to the Bell camp continuing to keep up the attacks in the mailers. But more importantly, regardless of which side you are on, this is one of the funniest, yet effective political ads I have seen this cycle. And apparently the Dallas Morning-News has an article on it in today's paper.
(If you are reading this entry by RSS, you may not see the embedded ad, open the entry.)
I can't wait to train this kind of creativity against Perry and Carol. For other entertainment, you can check our former Gubernatorial candidate Felix Alvarado's post on the Latinos for Texas Blog.
The El Paso Times localized their profile on Gammage with this:
El Paso lawyer Terry Hammond worked as a briefing attorney for Gammage while he was an appeals court judge. Hammond, now a nationally known attorney for the elderly, said it was while working for Gammage that he first came "to believe I could be something other than an average run-of-the-mill lawyer."
"He inspires people to be public servants, and even if you're in the private sector, he believes you can do more than just make money," Hammond said.
Monday The Daily Texan had a great article up about Chris Bell's inability to file his financial disclosure on time as the ethics laws in Texas require. Here's a quote:
"This was really just nothing more than a mistake. I wasn't trying to hide anything," Bell said.
No one's saying you were, Chris. The problem is that it's state law and if your entire campaign is going to be based on ethics then how in the hell do you do something like this? It's enough to make one think that you are either not serious about ethics or the campaign. Either way, it's not a good omen of things to come should Bell become the Democratic candidate for Governor.
Of course, the fun didn't stop there from the Bell camp. In the February 24th issue of The Texas Observer on page 12 there is an article entitled 'Accentuate the Negative'written by none other than the Bell Campaign's Jason Stanford. Here are some of the choicer quotes...
"If only we could get campaigns to stop throwing mud and stick to the
issues, armies of disaffected citizens would come out to vote. That's
all great, except for one small problem. It's a load of horse spit and
bull corn."
"Shaking hands with strangers poses risks for a candidate running a
negative television campaign. Little old ladies are liable to whack you
with their canes while they shriek about how much they hate negative
campaigning."
"Turns out, negative campaigning helps turnout -- and democracy -- if
it's done well."
So, I guess the Bell campaign's strategy with from the get-go was to drag Bob Gammage through the mud. It's unfortunate for them none of it is sticking.
I'm happy to see Bob Gammage put out the word to help Katy Hubener in her special election. This was a particularly gracious move as Katy's race will not even be on the same ballot as Bob Gammage, so he can't be certain how much crossover support he will get.
Which brings me to my point; watch out for the confusion on the February 28th election day! For those of you living in the 106th who want to be sure you are getting your voted counted in all elections, these elections will be held in two separate places on two separate ballots. The special election will be held in where your local precinct normally votes (you can contact Katy's campaign at 972-282-9301 if you need help), and the primary early voting will be held at the normal early voting locations (201. W. Church at the Grand Prairie Development center, and at Irving City Hall for 106th voters)
Just be all the more confusing, Katy Hubener is going to be on both ballots. She is on the primary ballot where she is in one of many races that have no opponent, and she is on the special election ballot where she is in the only race with two opponents. For the sake of memory, remember to not only vote for Katy, but against the clueless Republican daddy's boy, Kirk England. If he isn't on your ballot also, then you aren't voting in the special election.
If you only have time to make one of the elections in the day, be sure that it is the special election (not at early voting). There is still time after the 28th to make early primary voting and cast that important vote for Bob Gammage (I already did this, myself!), but it will be too late for the special election.
Beyond party affiliation, Katy has the competance on the issues necessary to not be taken advantage of by special interest lobbyists, whereas Kirk has proven again and again (both for the Dallas Morning News, and in the Irving Cable Television Network candidates forum) that he is not yet ready for the job if he ever will be. The man doesn't even seem to know what a lobbyist is. He said he would wait 'til he got to Austin to figure that one out, but I'm guessing they will find out who he is sooner if the Koolaid drinkers succeed in putting him there.
What's happening in Texas should be seen in the context of what's going on in Washington.
Making a difference in Texas means turning the tide against the Bush/Cheney/Rove machine in Washington -authoritarian to a fault and at the same time incompetent -driving us into a financial ditch, failing to cope with serious problems such as Hurricane Katrina that devastated the Gulf Coast, putting the country and our soldiers at risk in an unnecessary war, soiling our reputation in the eyes of the world. All the while allowing special interests to dictate our priorities.
What do the San Antonio Express News, Austin-American Statesman, Dallas Morning News, Fort Worth Star Telegram, Coupus Christi Caller-Times and the Victoria Advocate all have in common?
First a little background on why I find the following statement very moving.
Ken Molberg (being a registered user here on BOR) and my father were both McGovern delegates at the precinct conventions in 1972 back home in Gillespie County where they caused a bit of a stir in taking over the county's precincts and casting the (then) 10 votes all for McGovern. Molberg has been on the SDEC (since 1982) longer than any other person, representing three senate districts, without interruption.
When he attended St. Mary’s Elementary School in Fredericksburg, he was in the Kennedy-Johnson bumpersticker brigade, and Lyndon Johnson introduced him to JFK when he was 11. Just a little history of dedication there for you, some of which I just learned today actually.
That being said, Mr. Molberg has just written up one of the most ringing person endorsements for Bob Gammage that I have seen to date here in Texas over at DallasBlog.com. It is only because of these things that I am posting this in full, which I do not like to make a habit of here on BOR.
Democrats have a chance on March 7 to help put a grownup back in charge of the governor’s mansion. How? By voting for Bob Gammage.
Gammage offers a distinguished background of responsible leadership and experience coupled with a forward-looking vision for the future of our state that is in marked contrast to his rivals of March and November.
I’ve known Bob Gammage for three decades, maybe more. We have not always been on the same side of every political battle, but I can tell you this for certain: he has the intellectual wherewithal, political skills, dedication and stamina to serve the people well, and he will bring those qualities to bear on the important but neglected issues that face us: school finance and property tax reform, ethics, health care, open government, working conditions, and the environment, to name but a few.
Some newspaper editorialists who have endorsed Gammage’s opponent, former Congressman Chris Bell of Houston, a genuinely good man, have done so largely on the argument that Bell would more readily cooperate with a rancorous Republican House and Senate. That’s hardly an inducement for Democrats to nominate Bell. Cooperate to what end? In repeatedly failing to enact school finance and property tax reform? In burning millions in taxpayer dollars to enact a partisan congressional redistricting scheme of doubtful legality because Tom DeLay insisted on it?
Perhaps it’s best for those editorial writers to remember that it is Republicans like Tom Craddick and Rick Perry who have turned Austin into a mirror image of D.C. partisanship and influence peddling. The last thing this state needs, or the people want, is a governor who will simply go along with the status quo. Bob Gammage, former soldier, state and federal legislator, and state supreme court and appellate court justice, knows the difference between the value of true legislative compromise and rolling over and playing dead. He has made a career of successfully working with disparate forces, but he will not sell out his principles, integrity or constituents.
For all of the positive traits that would make him a better governor than anyone else but Bob Gammage, Chris Bell has nevertheless failed to exude the confidence and excitement that Gammage brings to the campaign. Nor has he adequately explained his support while in Congress for the devastating Bush tax cuts that have led to unfathomable deficits, drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and a bank and credit card-sponsored bankruptcy bill aimed like an arrow at the heart of struggling working families and those overwhelmed by huge medical debts. If you did not know Gammage and Bell by sight, Gammage sounds like the “fresh face” with the “new ideas” in this campaign.
Bob Gammage has called on Texas Democrats to return to their progressive roots, with a focus on educational excellence, affordable prescription drugs, an increase in the state minimum wage, and strengthening campaign finance laws to subdue the “politician for sale” odor that flares our political nostrils. Gammage, a “Dirty Thirty” veteran in the fight against corrupt political machines of the past, offers a true alternative to the mess this state has become under Republican rule—a state now run by the powerful special interests as much as Washington, D.C. is run by the Jack Abramoffs and their ilk. Straight talk, integrity and solid proposals, not hidden agendas or higher ambitions, are Gammage’s stock-in-trade.
If you’re one of those people accustomed to rooting for Goliath at David’s expense, Gammage is not your guy for November. On the other hand, if you want a Democrat who has been tempered on the anvil of experience, hard work and dedication to duty, one who will not bend to undue pressure or place his own ambitions ahead of the people’s interests, then give Gammage your vote.
Ken Molberg is the former Democratic Chairman of Dallas County and longtime Texas Democratic Party leader. He also is an attorney who specializes in employment law.
Ken, I'm going to have trouble getting anywhere close to that when we start rolling out our Burnt Orange Endorsements.
First we had PinkDome alert us to the striking similarity between Bob Gammage and President Johnson. That was impressive, but looking to the past (as the Chris Bell campaign will be quick to note whenever mentioning Gammage) we have found another possibility for separation at birth.
Jack Malone from Without a Trace anyone? Like I have anything better to do at 1 AM... Poll on the flip.
DMN random telephone poll of 1,482 registered voters Feb. 9-Feb 15. It has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points. Of those polled, 301 say they are likely to vote in the Democratic primary. The error margin for those voters' responses is 5.5 percentage points. (Update: Interesting poll results when I cross-posted this to dkos.)
The full report on the polling for the Texas Governor's race is here. If the 301 people who said they would vote in the Democratic primary are the only Democrats sampled, that gives the overall poll only a 20% Dem base, which even for Texas is far too low, though I'm thinking that was a self selection question. In any case let's look at the numbers shall we?
First, Job Approval (approve/disapprove)
(R) Perry - 47%/38%
(R) Strayhorn - 53%/16%
Our job as Democrats after the primary will be to work on Carol because as her unfavorables go up, it's doubtful those voters will shift back to Perry.
Now, some favorability numbers. (fav/unfav/not heard enough)
(I) Kinky Friedman - 20%/15%/63%
(D) Chris Bell - 12%/5%/80%
(D) Bob Gammage - 6%/2%/89%
I'd like to think that Kinky is a little more well known than that, but since I'd also like to think that the Democrats are as well, it's probably has to do with the poll. Previous polling has shown Kinky with higher unfavorables than favorables as well so... Once a Democrat wins the primary, there will be a bump in name ID since there will be focus and free statewide media in just about every market.
Now, some general election matchups. Looks like Dems are tied or edging Carol for 2nd in this poll, though past polls have not shown this.
Rick Perry: 36% Chris Bell: 19%
Carole Keeton Strayhorn: 16%
Kinky Friedman: 10%
Rick Perry: 36% Bob Gammage: 17%
Carole Keeton Strayhorn: 17%
Kinky Friedman: 10%
Our Democrats are trading votes within the margin or error with Strayhorn though 2-3 points at this point is probably a factor of that 9 point differece in name ID we saw above.
Now, within the Democratic Primary, the winner is still Mr. Not Sure (who's standing in for Mr. Undecided in this poll). This answer has that plus/minus 5.5% error due to the smaller sample.
(?) Not sure: 60%
(D) Chris Bell: 28%
(D) Bob Gammage: 12%
Like before, Bell has been campaigning for the nomination for a year and still has yet to convince 1/3 of the base voters to make up their mind. Gammage would have to win over only 56% of 'undecideds' to take the nomination, still anyone's game. As primary day nears though, there is less time to make up this gap so Bell of course will have an edge. The key is how undecideds break when they actually have to decide.
An interesting thing in this poll is what was done with Kinky's supporters. This can be read one of two ways- where does Kinky's support go if he's out of the race, or who does Kinky draw support from if he's in the race. Matchups with both Democrats.
Carole Keeton Strayhorn: 34%
Chris Bell: 25%
Rick Perry: 18%
Would not vote: 12%
Carole Keeton Strayhorn: 36%
Bob Gammage: 20%
Rick Perry: 18%
Would not vote: 14%
Now while some of this may be a name ID issue once again, in either case, Perry is static in his 3rd place ranking. It appears that Kinky draws away more support from Bell than Gammage. But the big point is that Kinky's supporters will follow the Carol 4-Names route if he fails. It's because of this I believe that many Kinky voters, like the ones I know personally in the Hill Country, are upset Republicans who will end up voting for Strayhorn in the end.
The fact that Kinky draws more partisan support from Democrats than Republicans is another reason why I'll be happy to not see him on the ballot. If he's off, Dems pick up more direct votes than Perry does, and then we'd have to work on peeling off those Strayhorn votes (because if they go to Strayhorn after Kinky, they've already decided that they don't want to vote for Perry twice).
And for fun, this last question that was asked twice, first with no prompts for response, then with choices...
What do you think has been Mr. Perry's most important accomplishment as governor?
(no choices provided) None: 20%
Hurricane Katrina/disaster relief: 8%
(Missed this one yesterday. - promoted by Karl-Thomas Musselman)
The El Paso Times today announced their endorsements in the March 7th Democratic Primary.
Governor: Bob Gammage has wide experience, from soldier to lawmaker to state Supreme Court justice, and a desire for open government and restoring public trust. He's the best Democratic candidate
Of course this is just one of many endorsements that Bob has earned this week, including one that is deeply impressive to me, that of Houston Representative Senfronia Thompson. She was one of the courageous few in the House who stood firm against bigotry and spoke out publicly during the debate over HJR 6, the bill that led to Prop 2's placement on the ballot last November. Needless to say, it's deeply encouraging to see a Democrat like Thompson endorse Gammage.
