|
Some have asked for a list of good reasons to vote for Chris Bell for governor. I have been reluctant because I have not made my final choice between Bell and Carole Strayhorn.
While I think Chris Bell would make an excellent governor, I think our top priority must be to defeat Rick Perry in November. I consider this goal so important that I will vote for Strayhorn if, on the eve of the election, Strayhorn has a realistic chance of beating Perry and it clearly appears that Chris Bell does not. Many people are skeptical about Strayhorn, and I share some of the skepticism while I try to remain hopeful. If you accept Strayhorn's current platform at its face value (and I understand that many do not), Strayhorn would be a marked improvement over Perry.
I believe that Chris Bell would be the best governor, and progressives need to work to make sure that he is in a position to win in November.
With the understanding that I have not fully made up my mind, which I may not do until the eve of the election, here are some of the reasons why I think Chris Bell would be the best governor for Texas.
1. Bell is the only candidate who would work to repeal Texas' anti-choice abortion law which requires Texas doctors to misinform women about their reproductive health and the only candidate who has committed to vetoing Dan Patrick’s anti-choice trigger bill and who has a 100% pro-choice rating from NARAL,
2. Bell is the only candidate who has advocated for health care that would expand the prescription drug benefit without the current Medicare limitations and which would allow for prescription to be filled from Canada,
3. Bell is the only candidate who has called for homeowner's insurance rate rollbacks and who supports an audit of Texas Residential Construction Commission,
4. Bell is the only candidate who has actually voted in favor of raising the minimum wage and who has the AFL-CIO endorsement,
5. Bell is the only candidate who has actually voted in favor of equal marriage rights and co-sponsored equal marriage rights legislation,
6. Bell is the only candidate who hasn't been a cheerleader for Bush's Iraq foreign policy debacle and who has proposed state funding for $250,000 in life insurance for Texas National Guard combat soldiers and who has a 100% pro-peace rating from SANE,
7. Bell is the only candidate who respects the First Amendment's separation of church and state,
8. Bell is the only candidate who hasn't voted for Bush/Cheney,
9. Bell is the only candidate who has never run for office as a Republican and who hasn't flip-flopped with regard to his political party,
10. Bell is the only candidate who did anything to bring down the DeLay empire of corruption and who has passed laws against lobbyist abuses and the improper influence of undocumented political action committee money on public policy.
Chris Bell's personal history also says much about why he would be a good and effective governor for Texas.
From the beginning of his public service career on the Houston City Council and as chairman of the city’s ethics committee in the ‘90s, Chris Bell has fought hard for tougher ethics rules, anti-insider-lobbying regulations, and campaign finance reform to limit shady political action committee money in city elections.
In Congress, Chris Bell was an effective Democratic representative and so he was one of Tom DeLay’s top targets in the illegal mid-decade redistricting scheme that is now the subject of criminal investigation. When other representatives stood on the sidelines while DeLay gerrymandered their districts, Chris Bell – with his history of fighting government corruption – filed a formal ethics complaint against DeLay. Chris Bell was the first representative in a decade to stand up to ethical abuses in Congress.
As a direct result of Chris Bell’s stand against DeLay’s ethics violations, the house ethics committee censured DeLay and a criminal investigation was opened. Chris Bell deserves much of the credit for tearing down DeLay's empire of corruption.
After the current administration, Texas will need a governor with a proven record of fighting against improper lobbying, campaign finance abuses, and outright corruption.
|
