Before reading any further, read KT's great post, Attention Democrats: Farouk Shami Can't Win in November. Now, this isn't going to be a rehashing of KT's greater points about polls or advertising. Instead, we are going to talk about hypocrisy and broken promises.
Rather than agreeing with the Farouk Shami of yesterday, I want to agree with the Shami campaign of December 4:
White can't even muster enough points in the pool to defeat Debra Medina, the darling of the Tea Party movement in Texas. Medina struggles to get 16% support in the Republican polls, but still bests the establishment-anointed "Democratic Frontrunner" Bill White. Medina now edges White 41% to 38%. Last month, White had a 44% to 38% lead on her. While the Democratic Party establishment focuses on a career politician, Farouk Shami has been gaining support among rank-and-file Democratic Primary voters across the state.
"It is time to end politics as usual. This poll is proof positive that the Texas Democratic establishment couldn't lead a silent prayer, much less designate our party's standard bearer," Farouk Shami said when he saw these results.
[...]
"We need real courage, real leadership and a candidate that's out there listening to the voters, not pandering to donors and reciting tired talking points. That's the kind of campaign Farouk Shami is running. We look forward to a healthy debate on February 8," Vince Leibowitz, Campaign Director added.
Again, KT already took on most of these claims. I wanted to highlight one important part:
It is time to end the game of politics as usual. On that, I completely agree. The nasty, negative campaigning hurts the party and does nothing to solve real problems in Texas. Perry has been in elected office for a quarter century; Kay Bailey Hutchison for two decades. Bill White has been a politician for 6 years. Again, I agree with Shami that we should end the era of career politicians in Texas, but White's 6 years as Mayor, does not a career politician make.
Bill White "very favorables" are stronger than any other candidate.
Only 16% of voters "strongly approve" of RP job performance.
White has strength among women.
If Texas Democrats want to win, we have to get serious and this kind of ridiculous attack on a fellow Democrat does not move us forward. It's the kind of tactic you see from a desperate campaign in the final throes.
Shami and every other candidate needs to make a case for why they are the best person for the job. A negative narrative doesn't work if it doesn't have a positive to counter-balance it. Shami is in the tall grass with no public poll, a message that fails to resonate with any voters, a complete lack of experience in governing, and now his only message appears to be an anti-party, anti-White commentary.
Here's hoping that Farouk Shami and his Campaign Director, Vince Leibowitz, follow their own advice and end politics as usual. Let's have a discussion. Let's have a debate. But let's not blast out foolish press releases that reek of hypocrisy and the worst kind of politics.
P.S. If you advocate for new ideas, then don't recycle the same old lines about the Democratic party not being able to lead a silent prayer.
It's not often that you get to see such screaming headlines like this, but it's an appropriate response to a press release from Farouk Shami's campaign sent out yesterday by the same name. The staff has had multiple opinions and responses to the release but I think it fair to point out some major technical and factual failures behind the argument of Shami's release.
To do so, I'll reprint portions of that release with commentary below.
Attention Democrats: Bill White Can't Win In November
A Rasmussen Poll released Wednesday shows that Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White can't win against any of the Republican gubernatorial candidates this November.
White can't even muster enough points in the pool to defeat Debra Medina, the darling of the Tea Party movement in Texas. Medina struggles to get 16% support in the Republican polls, but still bests the establishment-anointed "Democratic Frontrunner" Bill White. Medina now edges White 41% to 38%. Last month, White had a 44% to 38% lead on her.
This is the crux of the Shami campaign's argument- that since White is losing head to head polls against the Republican candidates in February of 2010 there is no way for him to beat the GOP nominee in November.
+ Nevermind the fact that at the time of the poll White hadn't aired a single TV ad while Perry, Hutchison, and Medina have spent millions.
+ Nevermind the fact that in the last two weeks White gained a point in the spread between himself and Perry, and gained two points in the spread between himself and Hutchison- the only two candidates with a chance at being the nominee.
But the reason why this line of attack is so incredulous is that there is no comparative polling that shows Shami performing any better. If the Shami campaign had polling that proved their point (and there is no shortage of money to pay for it in his campaign), they'd have released it. They haven't and that speaks volumes.
While the Democratic Party establishment focuses on a career politician, Farouk Shami has been gaining support among rank-and-file Democratic Primary voters across the state.
"It is time to end politics as usual. This poll is proof positive that the Texas Democratic establishment couldn't lead a silent prayer, much less designate our party's standard bearer," Farouk Shami said when he saw these results.
It's truly skillful how in the same sentence you can attack the Democratic Party establishment for supporting your opponent and then claim to have support of the Democratic Party rank-and-file. The rank-and-file in a traditional small primary turnout is the establishment. The rank-and-file are the precinct chairs, the activists, the people who spend their time analyzing party primary press releases. They are the people that vote in local club or organizational endorsements- which have nearly unanimously endorsed Bill White.
And come on- if the Texas Democratic establishment could designate the party's standard bearer in a race, then Linda Chavez-Thompson would have blown Ronnie Earle and Marc Katz out of the water by now in the Lt. Governor's race. The only thing being blown in that race is my mind for how mind-numbingly boring it has been between the "leading" candidates.
"While career politicians like Bill White focus on their next political office, I'm focused on Texans and bringing jobs to this state," he said. "I may be an unconventional candidate but Texans are ready for some fresh ideas. That's evident in how Debra Medina's numbers are improving. The establishment needs to listen up, because Texas Democrats aren't buying the goods they are selling anymore," Shami said during a swing through the Rio Grande Valley today.
Calling Bill White a career politician bends reality to such a point that it nearly breaks the truth. White has held one elected political office, Mayor of Houston, and served in that capacity a total of 3 terms. By that measure, my father, who last year was re-elected for his third term as a Fredericksburg City Councilman is a career politician. Please.
And if Farouk Shami is using Debra Medina as the measuring stick for "fresh ideas" I'll be more than happy to help him find his marbles because he has clearly lost them. Eliminating the property tax in favor of a regressive sales tax that increases taxes on lower and middle income Texas isn't "fresh". Making Texas Sovereignty a thinly veiled cover for support of pro-secessionist beliefs isn't a "fresh idea". That idea is about 150 years old and settled by a war that killed more Americans than any war in our nation's history.
And finally...
"We need real courage, real leadership and a candidate that's out there listening to the voters, not pandering to donors and reciting tired talking points. That's the kind of campaign Farouk Shami is running. We look forward to a healthy debate on February 8," Vince Leibowitz, Campaign Director added.
At least Bill White has donors he could pander to if he wanted. As noted yesterday, while White raised over $750,000 last month, more than any Democratic or Republican candidate, Shami raised $2,778- slightly more than Hank Gilbert has spent on suits in his Ag Commissioner race.
In closing, and now that I have your attention Democrats, remember... Farouk Shami Can't Win in November because not a single poll published to date shows that he can.
This post is thanks entirely to a report posted by Texas Blogger Neil Aquino on his Texas Liberal blog where he was reporting on hearing Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Farouk Shami speak at an MLK Day event in Houston yesterday. You can read his full post for some additional details and tone, but his thoughts on one particularly aspect of the day's event is the reference point for this post's headline.
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.
...
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.
Inspired by Martha who posted the list of contributions made by Farouk Shami during the last reporting period, here is the complete list of contributions on record at the Texas Ethics Commission made by Democratic candidate Farouk Shami to Texas campaigns and committees.
1) Shami's giving to campaigns surges in number and size once it was clear he was going to a Democratic candidate for Governor.
2) Those contributions became a lot more Democratic during the same time. Obvious exceptions are the previously known $24,400 to then Independent candidate Kinky Friedman for Governor in 2006, $500 to Republican incumbent State Representative Martha Wong of Houston, and $5,000 to Republican primary challenger of Attorney Greg Abbott Ted Cruz made in May of last year.
3) Farouk gave former Gubernatorial candidate Hank Gilbert a total of $150,000 after he dropped of the race to run for Ag Commissioner and endorsed Shami on his way out. The optics of that can't really be described as anything positive at all and looks really bad so I'll leave that for the campaigns to respond to if/when they get asked about it.
Of course, the money to Gilbert isn't entirely unexpected given that Democratic insiders had heard numbers as high as a million thrown around. In fact, there was a lot of talk of millions going to the various party entities, PACs, county parties, etc. Frankly, if you were going to contribute your way into the good graces of the Democratic Party infrastructure, these sorts of numbers aren't impressive at all.
And of that, I count about $3.6 million in paid media which was spent across the last three months of the year in some form or fashion.
Just because money has been spent in one race doesn't mean it would have been spent for other purposes, but I'll leave you to think about how much you could accomplish in terms of infrastructure building in the Democratic Party of Texas with that much money. Even the Texas Democratic Trust hasn't been able to move that much money that quickly through the veins of the Party.
I suppose we will know what the return on investment is in 6 weeks.
Just over a week ago, Dr. Richard Murray, who regularly contributes some really good political analysis for ABC 13 in Houston, posted his thoughts as to why he believed that now former Houston Mayor Bill White would win the Democratic primary- and without a runoff.
I've been meaning for some time to write down some thoughts on the matter and with campaign finance reports now release, it's as good as time as any to use his points as a starting place. Let's walk through Dr. Murray's six points, keeping in mind they were posted on Jan 8th. For reference, the following seven candidates will appear on the ballot for the Democratic nomination for Governor.
It looks like Bill White all the way from my corner for a half dozen reasons.
(1) While not widely known outside of the Houston area, the other six candidates have virtually no name identity with Democratic voters anywhere in the state. So White starts with a significant advantage.
(2) Five of the other six candidates are not only unknown, but also have no realistic way of overcoming that huge problem in 54 days. Getting your name out to voters in a megastate like Texas takes a lot of money, and Ms. Aguado, and Messrs. Alavado, Dear, Glenn, and Locke do not have the millions of dollars required for a quick fix.
Bill White starting out with the most name identification is of course an advantage but Farouk Shami has been advertising statewide for the last month to the tune of what I can tell is about $2.5-3.0 million over $3.5 million dollars. White hasn't spent money on TV ads to date and it's unclear when or if that will happen prior to March 2nd's primary. I'm a little curious how effective Shami's ads in December will be for a March primary but considering he's probably going to be on air all the way through the next month and a half, that could solve the problem of people forgetting your name/brand if they aren't reminded about it. Of course, if he got himself listed on the ballot as Farouk "CHI IRON" Shami he'd win the name id game in a pinch. Alas...
(3) That leaves Bill White with just one real contender, Farouk Shami, who is very, very, wealthy, to beat in the March primary. Mr. Shami has told media he will spend ten million dollars to present himself to voters before the primary. He has hired professional campaign consultants like Dan McClung and Robert Jara of Campaign Strategies; and his TV ads, yard signs, and other visible indicators suggest he is following through on his promise.
Yes, there are TV ads and yes, yardsigns are appearing around the state- although those yardsigns might be breaking state law; I thought there was requirement that the word "FOR" had to be at least 50% of the size of the office for which you are running and they very clearly are not.
That point aside, Peter Brown proved you can buy yourself 3rd place with an excess of TV and as of yet, we haven't seen supporting field, endorsements, or positive news coverage to supplement the paid media campaign. For uninformed voters, seeing a bunch of "stuff" about a candidate they otherwise know nothing about might raise their curiosity, but without anyone validating the campaign message, or having trusted establishment figures concurring that it's "ok" to indeed vote for said candidate... I'm just not sure what that gets you.
(4) But the odds are strongly against Mr. Shami succeeding in the March primary for several reasons. First, big personal spenders lose three times out of four on average. (Remember Peter Brown in the November 3rd Houston city election?) Farouk Shami's odds are a lot worse than one in four because he has no history in Democratic party politics - a big liability in a primary dominated by party loyalists - and his background of immigrating to the United States from the Middle East and building a hugely successful business is an inspiring personal story, but it does little for him politically in a race where most of the voters are African Americans, Latinos, rural Anglos, and urban white liberals.
So I got a little head of myself on the Peter Brown reference here. I'm not sure if Murray's "three our of four" stat is based on Texas self-funders or national races or federal vs non-federal, but some of the most recent and related cases do back that. Tony Sanchez's tens of millions money earned him below 40% of the general election vote for Governor in 2002, below the ticket average. Jon Corzine's millions couldn't save his governorship in New Jersey last fall. Peter Brown didn't make the Houston Mayoral Runoff. Marc Katz's personal money got him 3rd Place and 13% of the vote for Mayor of Austin in 2003. Michael Bloomberg spent nearly $100 Million to get re-elected as a Republican mayor of New York City last year, but it was by less than 5%.
So are there constituencies that Shami will tap into?
African-Americans- Of the seven candidates running, none black, it's unlikely we would see any of them rolling up 75% margins of this community as could happen if there was an African-American candidate running. Given that a large chunk of black voters in Texas are in the greater Houston area and have voted for and been part of White's re-election coalitions in the past, he could grab a majority of the black vote given that he's been endorsed by most of the elected leaders in the community. But who knows; I don't have a feel for this one.
**Correction- As pointed out in the comments Clement Glenn is African-American, though the lack of stories, websites, or much of any information about him or his campaign online was the reason for my oversight here. Still, I'm doubting there is any organized underground Clement Glenn organizing going on out there across the state and most voters will be in the same boat knowing noting about him or his race.
Hispanics- A certain chunk of the vote will end up in Alma Aguado and Felix Alvardo's vote totals based upon part primary voting patterns. But Bill White's South Texas Tour and local leaders endorsements fit into a scenario where no one probably gets an outright majority of the Hispanic vote- and that doesn't get Shami any closer to a win.
White Urban Liberals- I think that the white urban liberals are the most likely people to be Bill White's urban liberals. They are paying attention to this race and are being organized by White's field campaign which is clearly evident in Austin. I really don't see these folks voting for the oddball candidates or passively voting for a candidate just because they have seen more of their signs or TV ads. Shami could compete here of course with issues, message, and conversations with voters so we'll see how that develops.
Rural Anglos- If there is a place the "Farouk Shami is a Muslim" type of crap to exist, I'm going to unfortunately place it into this category. I'm also willing to predict that the "also ran" candidates will do marginally better than their statewide average here. The bigger point though, is that this pool of voters isn't the one that determines Democratic primaries anymore.
Not included in Murray's list was Asian American or Middle Eastern voters. It's certainly a growing population in Texas, and Houston has a lot of this group, but it's very diverse, very segmented, and not particularly a heavyweight in Democratic primary politics. For Shami to win, clearly, it's a group he should plan on registering, ID'ing, and turning out and one which he could very likely win a majority of. As a party, we should be doing this anyways, and Shami could be the person who helps make that happen in a serious way, but with the voter registration deadline just 2 weeks away- time is running out.
(5) And then there is Bill White. The former mayor has a strong base in the Houston area, good fund-raising capability in a contest where there is no limit on the size of the checks written, and the support of virtually all establishment Democrats across the state who are hungry to recapture the governor position after 16 years in the wilderness.
(6) Finally, we know from watching the 2003 mayoral race in Houston that Bill White is an extremely hard-working campaigner, who has a veteran team in place to support his statewide effort, and a deserved reputation for getting the maximum benefit from his political expenditures.
Bill White is running a campaign worthy of being called a campaign. If he wins the primary, and wins the general, future statewide candidate will be looking back at his campaign operation and mimicking it because his team and operation will have very much been the reason as to why he won. These people believe in White, they are dedicated to White, they have a plan, and they execute. It's metric-based, blends the old-school and new-school of organizing, and will produce new useful personnel for candidates running in 2012 and 2014.
The caveat is that field & people are long terms investments (and more expensive) for a campaign, and early voting starts in less than 1 month. Shami will end up following what was John Sharp's strategy against Bill White back in the "KBH Mythical US Senate Special Election" scenario...
1) Acquire Millions of Dollars
2) Acquire Short Election Period
3) TV, TV, Mail, TV, Attack Bill White, Mail, TV, Attack Bill White, TV, TV, Mail
4) Repeat for Runoff
Ah, runoffs. Dr. Murray doesn't think there will be one. I'm less convinced. I need to spend a little more time looking through past statewide primaries to better estimate how the major metro regions could break or if indeed, the former Mayor of Houston is headed to a fairytale ending entitled Bill White and the (not quite) Seven Dwarves.
Earlier this week, I posted on an disappointing attack made by one of the minor Democratic gubernatorial candidates on Farouk Shami's faith. A number of other Texas media outlets wrote about some confusion and apparent backtracking by Shami as to whether he was Quaker, Muslim, or none of the above. In talking with representatives from Shami's campaign, I promised earlier this week to write a follow up with the campaign's statements which I have been delayed in posted until now for which I apologize.
First, the following release from the campaign director Vince Liebowitz in reaction to the media hoopla over the issue.
"With record unemployment rates, skyrocketing utility rates, and all of the other problems facing Texans today, it is beyond our comprehension why the media refuses to focus on actual issues and substantive public policy and instead chooses to swamp an entire media cycle with garbage process stories about whether Farouk Shami practices the religion of Mohammad or William Penn."
"Instead of focusing on what matters to everyday Texans, such as where their next mortgage payment will come from or if their jobs are about to be outsourced to China or Mexico, the media has made its primary concern something that is intensely private to most individuals, including Farouk Shami," he continued. "More bandwith and newsprint has been expended on this issue than has been dedicated to any of Farouk Shami's policy ideas since he got into the race."
"The economy, job creation, transportation, and the environment are all more worthy issues for discourse. The media, however, shies away from discussing real issues because 'gotcha' journalism' is more amusing. Ask the 800,000 unemployed Texans which is more important: how many times a day Farouk Shami prays or whether we can lift our economy out of the toilet it has been flushed following nearly two decades of iron-fisted, pro-special interest, Republican rule."
Farouk Shami is an unconventional candidate with new and innovative ideas. The media ignores that in favor of trying to parse statements about his religion. The media has done a disservice to Texas Democrats. Texas Democrats want a meaningful dialogue in this primary, not an election cycle driven by process stories on subjects with no bearing on how Farouk Shami will run the state as Governor. It is enough to make one wonder if Shami's religious beliefs are the issue here, or if there is something darker and racially motivated underlying the recent media attention to whether or not our candidate is a Christian. "This is the same line of questions and attack people made against Barack Obama during the election for President," says Leibowitz. "Apparently, if you're not lily white, some people will require you to pass a religious test in order to run for office in this country."
I was a little disappointed at first that the release addressing the issue didn't answer the question which was raised as to what the actual response should be to attacks on Shami's faith- simply, what does he identify as? Thankfully, that has now been addressed with an official statement from Farouk Shami posted on this website.
"I want to clarify what has been reported in the press concerning my religion. I was born in the land of Abraham, believing in Moses, Jesus and Mohammad, and believing in one God. I grew up with members of my family and friends practicing multiple faiths: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity. I was also educated at a Quaker school. All of these things contributes to my relationship with God. To say simply 'I'm a Muslim' or 'I'm a Quaker' is to ignore major parts of my faith. I know it seems complicated that I do not have a pat answer to questions about what religion I am, but without my exposure to many different cultures and religious beliefs I wouldn't be the person I am today.
Although I'm not a member of any specific religious tradition, I do begin every day with prayer and meditation and have a strong personal relationship with God. I respect those who practice all faiths because I believe God gave us life to help one another, the poor, the sick and the oppressed. It is through God we can achieve peace, freedom and bring justice to the world. As Governor, I know, with God's help and guidance, I will be able to help every Texan have access to the American Dream just like I did-a good job, access to healthcare, and an excellent education for their children. That's why I feel called to run for office."
I hope that answers people's questions. To address the points made in Vince's first statement, I've posted Shami's Transportation and Border Policy plan releases in the extended entry.
Last night Katherine posted the first of the major candidate's statements on the GOP Gubernatorial debate. The other candidates' statements we have received are now posted below.
Farouk Shami (D)
Responding to tonight's debate between Governor Rick Perry, Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, and Debra Medina, Farouk Shami's campaign says that the debate was "a childish squabbling match to see who can be the most far right reactionary candidate."
Despite the argumentative nature of the debate with regard to Perry and Hutchison's voting records and prior communication, it appears that the three Republican candidates agree on most issues. For instance, all three candidates endorsed the same failed border policy, which has proven to be an unmitigated disaster. What we need is a candidate with a new approach that embraces an economic partnership with Mexico while cracking down on drug trafficking and gang violence.
Farouk Shami has stated previously, "things in Texas are heading in the wrong direction. The cost of health care and health insurance are out of control, the quality of basic public education is falling, and our air, land and water are under constant threat from polluters. We simply can't settle for more business as usual." Tonight's debate was more business as usual.
What really matters to the average Texan is the state's economy, whether or not they will have a job next month or next year, where their mortgage payment will come from, or what they're going to do when their unemployment benefits run out. Some 800,000 Texans are currently unemployed. We heard from one of them tonight during the debate. Farouk Shami has pledged to bring 100,000 new jobs to the state of Texas during his first two years of office, and he's backing up that pledge with 10 million dollars of his own money. Tonight, none of the Republicans offered a real solution to our record unemployment.
"After tonight's debate, I now feel that it is more important than ever for the other Democratic candidates for Governor to have the opportunity for meaningful dialogue," says Shami. "I hope Bill White will rethink his decision to not debate the other candidates in a public forum."
While there may be seven candidates running for the Democratic nomination for Governor, I'm sure many Democrats wouldn't mind if Bill Dear was not among them.
As Dear's website states up front, he is a self described conservative Democrat and private investigator. That doesn't give him license to be a racist one though as the following statement on his site proclaims.
You better have a governor in office who looks around, finding the answers to who, what, when, where, and why, before it is too late. There is a reason. And it is time we lift up the rug and see what is being swept underneath. As a private investigator, I have looked under many rugs, opened many files, documents and found that what it appears to be is really not what it appears to be on the outside. We need a governor who can wear jeans as well as pretty suits and ties. I do both. Texas needs someone who is not afraid to get down on their hands and knees and get a little dirt on them for a change. That's what is wrong with Washington and Texas, but it will not be that way when I am elected Governor of Texas.
Now we have a Muslim wanting the highest office in Texas, Governor. Wanting to spend 10 million dollars and receive $1 in salary, why? According to the internet they are asking Muslims to rally and support their candidate for Governor. It is time for a change, but not that kind of change.
Now, none of us at Burnt Orange Report particularly care if Farouk Shami is Muslim or not, that's irrelevant. But what would be nice is if we could get a clear answer from him or his campaign as to what religion he does consider himself as just today, new questions have arisen that statements last November that he was Quaker instead of Muslim may no longer be right. Shami's grandson claims the entire family is Muslim, whereas last month Shami stated his religion was "American" (oh please) and that he was a Muslim Quaker.
I'd like to defend and correct racist attacks from the likes of Bill Dear, but until we get a straight answer, we're going to be stuck in a tea-bagger's delight right next to Barack Obama's birth certificate. And knowing the Texas GOP's ability to fixate on "the crazy" they could easily fixate on this for the next 11 months if Shami won the nomination.
A few weekends ago you'll recall that Democratic candidate for governor Farouk Shami appeared on WFAA's Inside Politics in the Dallas/Fort-Worth media market. Shami took a swing at his primary opponent, Houston Mayor Bill White, that most folks may have missed but that I caught and have been looking into.
Oftentimes in campaigns a great deal of misinformation gets bandied about that if not nipped in the bud immediately can eventually become what I like to call a political myth---which is to say, a lie. Look no farther than the 2009 debate on reforming our country's health care system and how Republicans went out of their way to lie about important elements of emerging legislation.
During his interview with WFAA's Brad Watson, Shami made the following remarks when asked about platform specifics such as balancing the upcoming state budget in 2011 or how he'd create jobs:
By creating more jobs here. When you create more jobs you are creating more taxpayers and that is the only solution to create money is to create jobs. The current people in this state with the current governor, a Republican, not doing anything about it. Neither is the candidate from Houston. He is on the verge of bankrupting the city. We need to get rid of those things that really delays our budget and put us in a worse recession that we are in.
This morning on WFAA's Inside Politics, Democratic candidate for governor Farouk Shami defended his voting record and lackluster Democratic primary performance as resulting from his focus on business and jobs:
Well, you know, I never was involved in the Party. I voted for a person normally. My focus was on my business and I'm not saying I did the right thing, but my focus was on my business and to me it didn't make a difference normally, you know, one candidate versus the other because as a minority I didn't think I could make a change. But since we have a new president that is minority my view of politics has changed and I feel we can make a difference. That is my history of voting.
Well guess what my business is, Mr. Shami? It's your business. As an active Democrat and active Democratic primary voter, I have a big problem with the fact that you haven't felt compelled to show support to the Party and our candidates through the primary process, or join many of us at the grassroots level and beyond as we rebuild our Democratic Party here in Texas from the ground up. You've made the decision to become a public figure running for public office and now your business is our business.
Going just a bit farther, to say that your vote never made a difference and that because you are minority you didn't feel you could make a change is simply nonsensical. It's a slap in the face to the thousands of minorities within the Democratic Party ranks who work tirelessly and aggressively within their communities to organize, mobilize, and energize voters every single election cycle to get out and vote. The power of democracy is the right to vote. It's no one's fault but your own that you have chosen not to exercise that fundamental right. And citing the president of the United States, Barack Obama, as sudden inspiration for you to enter the public domain of politics, yet not see fit to even vote for him in the primary or general election, makes this Democrat question your sincerity in running for governor.
