This post is long, but important for anyone who wants a better look at the conventional wisdom out there in the Texas House. The three topics of this post are:
Paul Burka
Bob Perry
Karen Hughes
Without further ado...
Despite what Burka wrote, Republican Party runoffs are not indicators for Democratic performance in November
I'm not a huge fan of Burka's analysis of House races. He often misses the ball, as he himself admitted Tuesday night after results from the primary runoffs started to come in. From his post, titled, "Better Luck Next Time":
I made a lot of calls yesterday about these races and got a lot of information. Most of it turned out to be wrong.
Gracious, humble. I appreciated it. But then, just twelve hours later, we get a post called "Storm Warnings for Democrats" and this nonsense:
The message sent by voters in the Republican primary is that they have little use for establishment politicians...All of the energy right now is being supplied by angry Republican voters who can’t wait to get to the polls and kick out incumbents.
Democrats should be very worried about this political climate.
Now, Paul has a pretty strong history of Democratic doom-and-gloom. He's predicted Democrats would lose House races in the '06 cycle. (Wrong.) He predicted Democrats would lose House races in the '08 cycle. (Wrong.) He predicted Craddick would reatin his Speakership in 2009. (Wrong). So I'm not really shocked or surprised about his doom-and-gloom predictions. But I do have to ask this question:
How are Republican Party primary runoffs any indication of how Democrats are going to perform in November? Especially when you consider the following runoff...
"Tea Party" Republican Charles Perry Received $20,000 from Millionaire Republican Donor, Bob Perry
One of the races Burka pointed to was the Delwin Jones race, where Charles Perry won handily. Jason Embry and Tim Eaton with the Statesman, in writing about the Tea Party in yesterday's paper ("A year later, Tea Party has evolved into a political force"), also pointed to the Delwin Jones race as an example of conservative anger taking hold. Ross Ramsey, writing in the Texas Tribune this morning, did the same.
No Democrat would ever get away with claiming they are a "grassroots activist" candidate if they took tens of thousands of dollars from a prominent trial lawyer. But that's basically what the conventional wisdom is right now -- somehow Charles Perry is a Tea Party guy. Go figure.
Karen Hughes Comments on House Republicans Pledging Against Joe Straus
Karen Hughes, who is the communications advisor for Speaker Joe Straus, commented on the idea that State Senator Dan Patrick group and 44 House Republicans are attempting to start an anti-Straus group with their Independent Conservative Republicans of Texas. Hughes, saying she read BOR, comments below:
In the video, Karen Hughes mentions the following:
[Speaker Straus] was not aware, however, that there was going to be a process that would invite some and not invite others. And I think a lot of some of the other mebmers of the House, who feel they are very conservative as well, who weren't invited were a little distressed to find out. It sort of seems a little undemocratic that -- who decides this? One person decides if you're conservative or you're not...
I think it, understandably, has caused some consternation in the House. I think as a legislative strategy, though in the room who worked in the Legislature, will know that not including members of the Calendars Committee or the Appropriations Committee is probably not a smart legislative strategy if you're interested in getting your legislation heard in the House of Representatives.
Perhaps a not-too-subtle pushback on Senator Patrick and the 44 House Republicans. There is absolutely division among House Republiacns -- Hughes acknowledges that in her own remarks -- and anyone who thinks that the division will go away soon is absolutely going to miss the point.
Those are my takeaways from this week's Republican Party primary runoffs. Please share any thoughts, additional observations, and other inisights in the comments below.
Honestly, I have to stop drinking coffee when reading political pieces in the Houston Chronicle in the morning. I've unintentionally spewed coffee from my mouth and nostrils more than once when I've read something by or about Texas Republican politicians.
But before I venture into a story about Texas Republican shills for corporate lobbyists in big business and insurance, let me share some breaking news about how 73% of U.S. physicians are totally on board with a public option in health care reform.
From the New England Journal of Medicine, and, according to NPR:
When polled, "nearly three-quarters of physicians supported some form of a public option, either alone or in combination with private insurance options," says Dr. Salomeh Keyhani. She and Dr. Alex Federman, both internists and researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, conducted a random survey, by mail and by phone, of 2,130 doctors. They surveyed them from June right up to early September.
Most doctors - 63 percent - say they favor giving patients a choice that would include both public and private insurance. That's the position of President Obama and of many congressional Democrats. In addition, another 10 percent of doctors say they favor a public option only; they'd like to see a single-payer health care system. Together, the two groups add up to 73 percent.
Predictable GOP response from the psycho wacko right: The doctors are a bunch of witch doctors from Africa. All are undocumented workers who were not born here. All are nazis, communists, fascists, Hitler, Stalin, Lenin, socialists and blah, blah, blah.
Moving along as to why I could not hold my morning coffee. Hint: it has something to do with plastering lipstick on rather large and really dirty pigs.
Why is it that Texans get stuck with gawd awful lawmakers who are completely out of synch with the majority of sentiments and beliefs held by the American people? Why do they continue to serve as endless sources of shame, ignorance and embarrassment to those they supposedly represent? Why do they continue to bring the scorn of the rest of the nation into our living rooms on an almost daily basis? Tom Delay, Karl Rove, Alberto Gonzales and George W. Bush, Harriet Miers and Karen Hughes comprise the short list of Texas jackasses. It will take at least four Presidential Administrations to clean up after them. We will endure very hard times in the process, thanks to the brilliance of the Texas Brigade of Douche Nozzles.
W. & Co. may have left Washington but tragically we have other jackasses who are serving there. One of the biggest, John Cornyn, held up the nomination of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton earlier this week. Of course he voted for Clinton when it was all said and done. Cornyn's intentions were merely a typical douche nozzle style political stunt. He and his right wing nutjob buddies are gunning for Hillary just like they went after Bill during his Presidency. While the right wing extremists railed against Clinton over inane silliness, Osama bin Laden busily plotted and schemed against us. Washington was too tied up in knots over Monica to notice.
Obstructing Clinton's confirmation did not satisfy Cornyn. No folks, he is doing another douche nozzle dance that brings us more scorn. The jackass became yet a bigger jackass by throwing a road block into the path of Attorney General Nominee Eric Holder, too. It seems that Cornyn doesn't have a problem with torture. Holder does. So do the majority of the American people.
Bipartisan Greedballism ...Karen Hughes and Mark Penn Join Hands To Make A Buck
When somebody linked me to the press release, I couldn't believe it at first. Even Beltway heavyweights usually display a little discretion and some sense of public propriety. But noooooo...it's true:
"Karen Hughes, former Counselor to President George Bush, will join the public relations firm of Burson-Marsteller, as Global Vice Chair. Hughes will be based in Austin and report to Worldwide President and CEO Mark Penn, known for his work as Democratic Party pollster and adviser to President Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton...Hughes will also serve as a member of the Burson-Marsteller's newly formed client Strategy Team..."
Jesus save us all. This should be Exhibit A in a lawsuit filed by the American people against the Washington Establishment. I can't think of a better piece of evidence to illustrate the corruption of the modern American ruling class.
Here is the chief strategist for Bill and Hillary Clinton going into business with the chief propagandist for George Bush---for the express purpose of lobbying our government on behalf of rich special interests who want to fleece the taxpayers. It's sad and it's sickening. Nothing matters to these people but money and power. These are the kind of opportunists who are ruining our country.
This illustrates a fundamental fact of politics: Politicians come and go, but money endures.
It also illustrates why the Democratic Party reform movement must clean out not only the decadent Republican elite, but a layer of decadent Democrats as well. Democrats are the best hope for reform in America; but the Party of Reform has enemies in its own house.
There are 50,000 lobbyists in Washington. Much of the work of the U.S. Government has been outsourced to corporate cronies. Our foreign policy is a disaster. Our domestic policy is slowly strangling the middle class. The people in charge are paralyzed and incapable of solving the health care crisis, or acting on the energy crisis, or dealing with our fundamental economic crisis.
In the midst of all that, these two respected senior statespersons and all-around greedballs have joined hands across the partisan divide---in order to form a more perfect lobbying operation.
God help America.
(Dean Rindy is a Democratic political consultant, based in Austin, who works up down the ballot around the country.)
It looks like we've finally found her. Of all things she's working with Mark Penn at the PR firm Burson-Marsteller. According the Washington Post she will be helping provide "clients with senior level communications strategy."
Penn was probably one of the worst things to happen to Sen. Clinton's campaign. Who knows, with Karen Hughes he can wander into the Republican ranks and help screw their campaigns up. Maybe this is a great pairing for us Dems.
It's not often you hear about the consultants or campaign operatives on the campaign trail, but since "Big Bad John" aired at the Republican convention, two names keep popping up on our radar-Karen Hughes and David Beckwith. Now there our rumors swirling about both Karen Hughes and David Beckwith.
Karen Hughes is a highly prominent Republican consultant and most recognize her from her work with the Governor and President Bush and as former Executive Director of the Republican Party of Texas. Hughes is a talented operative with a long track record of working on tough campaigns with other consultants like Karl Rove.
David Beckwith is probably a new name to most people. While he is a former Time reporter and staffer to both Vice President Dan Quale and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, he is best known for his flubs and firings than his successes.
Back in 2005, Beckwith left Hutchison's camp to go work for Junior Senator John Cornyn, a move that brought a few eyes with it.
Beckwith has been in the public eye frequently, but he has always stayed slightly under the radar. While good at what he does, he does have a tendency to make huge and erroneous errors. Back in 2005, our own Byron LaMasters saw Hutchison's hire of Beckwith as a signal she was gearing up for a run to be Governor in Texas. However, Beckwith's history of yap first, think second has absolutely gotten him in trouble.
In 2003, Kuff highlighted a series of huge blunders and bad quotes from Beckwith when he was working with Lt. Gov David Dewherst.
Senators said a spokesman for Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst made inappropriate comments in a published report by suggesting the Democrats consider themselves akin to Rosa Parks, whose refusal to yield her seat at the front of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama contributed to the civil rights movement.
The spokesman, David Beckwith, was quoted by Scripps Howard's Austin bureau today saying of the absent Democrats: "After they got" to New Mexico "thinking they were going to stay a few days and then declare victory or whatever they thought they were going to do, they got captured by the Democratic National Committee blowing smoke up their rears and telling them what great Americans they were. So now they've gone from making a statement to 'doing the right thing.' They think they are Rosa Parks II."
Sen. Rodney Ellis of Houston, who is African American, said he was "personally offended" by the comment and contended the comment reflected a history of similar lapses by Beckwith, who once worked for Vice President Dan Quayle.
"He owes the entire state of Texas an apology," Ellis said.
Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos of Austin said Beckwith deserves a kick in the rear.
"He's pulled the race card," Barrientos said. "He's dealt himself a very bad hand."
Sen. Royce West of Dallas said he started to give Beckwith "a sheet and a hood" but decided that was too reactive.
Beckwith, informed of the criticism, said today he was simply telling Scripps Howard that the Democratic flight was "not a historic event. I'm sorry if anybody is offended."
This of course, is the same Beckwith that said the 2002 statewide Democratic candidates are "based on a racial quota system" causing then candidate John Cornyn to totally disavow Beckwith and his racist language.
Now, it appears Beckwith is at it again. Rumors circulating within the campaign world are now saying Beckwith has been fired by long time co-worker Karen Hughes on the John Cornyn re-elect campaign.
Beckwith appears to be the genius behind, "Big Bad John" and as Cornyn has already said, "My staff convinced me it was a good idea. Maybe I need a new staff." It appears that is what he is doing. Hughes already has a track record of firing Beckwith, so this isn't the jump it originally appears to be.
Cornyn is at worst having a hard time cracking the 50% approval mark and Texas does look like the Democratic wave could hit it. Firing Beckwith now is less of a story than firing him in September, and it is absolutely clear that Beckwith is more of a liability than an asset. For now it seems like Cornyn is fulfilling his promise to get new staff before the staff completely sinks his re-elect chances.
Update: I actually called the Cornyn campaign today and they stand by the fact Karen Hughes does not work for the campaign. However, nobody is confirming David Beckwith still works for the campaign. Even if Karen Hughes is not a paid member of the campaign, the bigger story still seems to stand. More at noon.
