Rick Perry lags in home state of Texas
Tuesday only got worse for Texas Governor Rick Perry whose comments about Turkey in a debate last night got him lambasted by foreign policy experts, the Turkish press, and the Turkish government in Ankara.
Perry, the longest serving governor in Texas history, polled only third in a survey of his fellow Longhorn Republicans, according to a poll released Tuesday.
Less than a fifth of those polled by the Democratic polling firm, Public Policy Polling said they would choose Perry over his rivals. He lagged frontrunner Mitt Romney as well as former Speaker of the House Gingrich.
Romney polled at 24 percent and Gingrich at 23 percent, compared to Perry’s 18 percent.
Perry’s conservative credentials once endeared him to Republicans looking for a candidate other than Romney, suspected of moderate leanings. He shot to the top in August when he first entered the race but fell back after consistently fumbling debates and interviews.
“Republicans aren’t simply looking at which of these candidates most ideologically is appealing to them. They’re really focused on who has the political skill set that they think will be required to beat Obama,” said Thomas Hollihan, an expert in political campaigns at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School School for Communication and Journalism. “Perry’s performance in the debate suggested that he just wasn’t a very capable candidate. That probably more than anything else drove his support down.”
Perry’s national favorability rating is 7.0 percent, according to RealClearPolitics.com.
With prison looming, DeLay looks to Citizens United and the Supremes
Tom DeLay stands eyeball-to-eyeball with the prospect of years in prison. But he figures he still has friends in high places. Like the U.S. Supreme Court, maybe.
That would be the majority of justices who authored the 2010 campaign finance ruling known as Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, which has been decried by Democrats and reformers as a danger to U.S. electoral integrity.
DeLay, whose hard-driving style as a congressional powerbroker earned him the nickname “The Hammer,” was sentenced this week to three years in prison on money laundering and conspiracy charges. A Texas jury said he helped funnel money illegally to Republican candidates in the state in 2002.
But DeLay’s lawyer Dick DeGuerin believes the Supreme Court altered the landscape a year ago when it ruled in a 5-4 decision that corporations can spend unlimited sums of money on political campaigns that advocate or oppose candidates for office.
“The underlying crime was that corporate money was spent on political races in Texas and that’s not true,” DeGuerin explains to NBC.
“However, the Supreme Court says that corporations have a right to participate in the political process and that’ll be part of our appeal.”
The attorney did not say whether he intends to appeal all the way to the Supremes. It’s also not clear how directly Citizens United would apply to DeLay’s case, since it preserves federal limits on direct contributions to political candidates.
I’ll be surprised if this guy ever serves a day in jail. Not only does he have the 5 Supremes if it gets that far but he has the huge super majority of Republicans in the Texas legislature who are clamoring for him to be given a full pardon. Since this trial was in a state court the governor, Rick Perry, could issue a pardon.
Wasn’t it in the movie, History of The World Part 1, that the lines “It’s good to be the king” were spoken. That’s how sure DeLay is to avoid serving a lick behind bars. Republicans always know how to take care of their own.
Arizona immigration law controversy hits border governors’ conference
The simmering row over Arizona’s tough-as-nails immigration law has led to a shift in venue for the U.S.-Mexico border governors’ meeting, an annual event usually characterized by unity and good will.
Arizona Governor Jan Brewer, a Republican, canceled the bash she was due to host after six border governors from Mexico pulled out in protest at the desert state’s crackdown on unauthorized immigrants she inked into law in late April.
New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, a Democrat, stepped in this week to save the meeting which is now set to take place in Santa Fe in late September — although full attendance looks doubtful in the poisoned atmosphere that lingers.
“Governor Richardson is working with other governors to craft a tight, but productive agenda that focuses on the most pressing issues in the border region,” Gilbert Gallegos, Richardson’s deputy chief of staff, told Reuters on Friday.
“Obviously, all border governors are welcome and encouraged to attend, although the governors of Arizona and Texas have said they are not interested in joining a dialogue with their border colleagues,” he added.
Arizona’s controversial new law requires state and local police to investigate the immigration status of anyone that they reasonably suspect to be in the country illegally, in the course of a lawful contact such as a traffic stop.
A majority of Americans support it, according to recent polls, although President Barack Obama’s administration is trying to overturn it, arguing that it is unlawful and will sap police resources.
SB1070 does not “… make it a crime to be in the country without proper documents.” SB1070 makes it a crime to be in *Arizona* without proper documents.
2012 may be an open door for Palin, but first comes 2010
Sarah Palin’s right. It would be absurd for her not to consider a White House bid in 2012, especially while Tea Partiers are chanting, “Run, Sarah, run!” But first come this November’s elections, which could help build Palin’s credibility if her high-profile public appearances (and repeated attacks on President Barack Obama) actually help conservative candidates get elected to Congress and important state offices around the country. If.
Some political experts say Palin’s weekend keynote speech at the big Tea party in Nashville was her best since the 2008 GOP convention — detailed, focused and high on energy. Lucrative, too, given the $100,000 speaker’s fee, though the on-stage interview seemed a bit scripted, especially the part about what she’d do if she were president. The appearance also kicked off a busy travel schedule to help candidates in this year’s campaign. On Super Bowl Sunday, she was in Texas helping Republican Gov. Rick Perry with his March gubernatorial primary contest against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison. Polling results show Hutchison trailing the incumbent by 15 percentage points and losing ground to a third candidate, Tea Party activist Debra Medina.
Palin spent much of her time in the Lone Star State assailing Washington, and by implication, Hutchison. She raised a huge cheer by pointing out in non-establishment fashion that Texans might like to secede. But moving the national political applause needle to the right in 2010 could be much more difficult than rallying friendly audiences or using a talking hand to bash that “charismatic guy with a TelePrompTer.” A state-by-state analysis of Obama’s job approval ratings by Gallup may offer a glimpse of the voter sentiment challenge that Palin and her conservative allies face this year.
The data show the president’s average approval for 2009 above 50 percent in 40 states including Gov. Perry’s Texas and the Tea Party conventioneers’ Tennessee. In fact, his ratings were substantially above 50 percent in more than 30 states including many in the Southeast, the Midwest and the Southwest, regions where Palin might hope to do well on behalf of conservative Republicans.
Whether Obama’s numbers can translate into good news for Democrats in November is an open question. And the doubts are palpable. In Massachusetts, where his 2009 approval rating was 66.8 percent, Tea Partiers helped Republican Scott Brown capture Teddy Kennedy’s Senate seat.
Photo credits: Reuters/Josh Anderson (Palin); Reuters/Jonathan Ernst (U.S. Capitol); Reuters/Jason Reed (Candidate Obama and Youngster)
Republican northern light sparks up Southern town
Sarah Palin remains the hottest Republican ticket if the crowds and enthusiasm at her book signings are anything to go by.
On Friday she brought her “Going Rogue” book tour to Plano, an affluent town just north of Dallas that is in deeply red Republican country. About 1,500 people lined up for hours in the winter cold to wait for Palin’s bus. A lucky 1,000 among them had advance tickets to get their copy of her new autobiography signed.
The former Alaska governor and 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee clearly remains the northern light of the Republican Party that can spark up its Southern and conservative base. She now reigns almost unchallenged with this base after the apparent downfall of former Arkansas governor and Republican White House hopeful Mike Huckabee.
His political future was dealt a blow this week by the revelation that he had once pardoned the man who killed four police officers in Washington state on Sunday.
“I hope she makes a run for president, I wouldn’t hesitate to vote for her,” said Steve Yurasits, a 59-year-old school bus driver, expressing a sentiment shared by many in the crowd.
The whole event had a campaign kind of feel to it — the music, the bus, the crowd, the waving of Palin banners. And the book has reportedly sold 1 million copies already.
Sounds like the magazines people subscribe to are a stroke of genius on the part of the magazine marketers. They still aren’t free because the magazines buy the books and use them as a way to “increase” new subscribers. It’s a win win for everyone. Palin and the publisher get millions and the magazines get a huge increase in subscribers. And all because Sarah Palin has a blockbuster bestseller people want to read and to know more about her. BTW, polls show Palin and Obama are virtually tied in approval (within one point). Yeah, try to spin that one.
If this wasn’t true, then the magazines wouldn’t offer it to new subscribers.
So, your point is really not relevant and is just sour grapes at someone who is successful. Her book is a huge bestseller and everyone wants in on the action.
BTW, at our local Costco, I remember Hillary Clinton’s book sitting there with no one interested in it. However, Sarah Palin’s book is hard to keep on the table as shoppers put copies in their carts.
The progressive authors aren’t anywhere to be seen on any bestseller list. Guess no one wants to lose money, so they aren’t added as an incentive to purchase magazines. Ask Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Ted Kennedy and even Barak Obama how many copies they sold. You can probably add them all together and still not equal Palin’s book sales in one week alone.
DeLay’s Last Dance
Former Congressman Tom DeLay, aka “The Hammer,” hung up his dancing shoes on Tuesday, but we may not have seen the last of his smooth moves.
The Texas Republican scored low in the polling, but still got enough votes to remain in the running in ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars.”
DeLay lived up to his nickname during his years as the tough Republican majority leader in the House of Representatives. But he could not hang tough with two sore feet, so he bowed out of the dance competition.
DeLay ignored doctor’s advice on Monday and danced anyway, aggravating stress fractures in both feet. Was that the softer side of the Hammer talking when he said he would not be able to continue?.
“You can’t practice and if you can’t practice you make a fool out of somebody. I don’t want to do that to Cheryl,” DeLay said of dancing partner Cheryl Burke.
Had he not been forced to sit out the rest of the season, DeLay said his next dance would have been the Texas Two-Step. He may get another chance to strut his stuff. He left the show with an open invitation to come back at the end of the season — if he’s feeling better.
DeLay was House majority leader from 2003-2005 before being forced to step down on charges of violating campaign finance laws.
The First Draft: Backlash against Obama’s classroom message
What could be more mainstream than the president of the United States addressing the country’s school kids on their first day in class after the Labor Day weekend? That must have been what White House officials were thinking when they set up a speech by Barack Obama for next Tuesday.
The theme, according to the presidential Web site, couldn’t be blander: work hard, be responsible and stay in school. Even the White House recognized the possibly low excitement level of the subject and in addition to a video promo by the president, there’s also one featuring NASCAR drivers, urging students and their parents to tune in.
That’s not how some parents — and political conservatives — saw it, especially in Texas.
Houston radio station KTRH made it the question of the day: “How do you feel about President Obama’s plan to speak directly to school children in an address next week?” Some parents worried the speech would be laced with politics and others were concerned that it hadn’t been reviewed by the state board of education, according to a front-page New York Times story. CNN’s morning news headline on the subject read, “Obama talk to my kids? No thanks!”
UPDATE: White House spokesman Robert Gibbs responding to the controversy says: “I think we’ve reached a little bit of the silly season when the president of the United States can’t tell kids in school to study hard and stay in school.”
At issue for some was a line in government materials made available to teachers that suggested students write themselves a letter asking what they could do to help the president. That was later deleted. Material from the Department of Education now suggests asking older students:
“Why does President Obama want to speak with us today? How will he inspire us? How will he challenge us? What might he say?”
Our school here in IL chose not to air the speech. There was small demonstration but it was done in good taste and there were no major incidents.Personally, after reading the speech and it turned out harmless, it’s okay that he spoke to the nation yeaterday…However, after I voted NO that I would rather not have my kids daily education interupted in on line poll. One of my old high school aquaintances made what I thought was disturbing remark on my facebaook page:”I just finished watching the speech with my 8 year old and afterwards he asked me if he could go read for an extra half hour to become a better student. Can you believe the nerve of the president to encourage this type of behavior in my eight year old. Should we hang him or lynch him? Get a life Mike!”Gee, I guess if you’re a parent that relies on a politician to motivate your kids then you’re also the one’s that are first in line for the hand out… My kids don’t need ANY politician to motivate them. They have their Mom, me and their TEACHERS to do that. If their teachers cann’t do it, then they need to find another profession… “Weel, the world needs ditch diggers too…” Judge Smails ~ CaddyshackAfter I removed him from what I thought was my “friend” list he messaged me: “No big loss for me! I hope you enjoy your right wing racist life!”Good choice of words in a “friendly debate” I thought…Why is it that the Left always turn a friendly debate into personal attacks?Signed,”the God fearing, bible clutching, gun toting, right wing racist”
Texas gubernatorial race heats up
A looming battle between two prominent Texas Republicans is heating up after U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison confirmed that she’ll leave the Senate this fall to challenge Texas Gov. Rick Perry for his post in 2010.
Hutchison, Texas’ senior senator whose term ends in 2012, has not formally decided to run against Perry — the longest-serving governor in the state’s history — and will likely make that announcement in August, she told Dallas radio host Mark Davis in an interview on Wednesday.
Hutchison told Davis that she will likely resign her U.S. Senate seat “sometime in October, November … in that timeframe,” and return to Texas to focus on her gubernatorial campaign, with a primary run-off by May 2010.
“I’m coming home to try to give leadership to Texas,” said Hutchison, a television news reporter before she entered politics. “For him to try to stay on for 15 years is too long,” she said, referring to Perry.
A big question is the possibility that Texas could turn Democratic in coming years. In a recent article, The Economist said Texas — a long-time bastion of conservative Republicanism and home of former U.S. President George W. Bush — could swing Democratic in coming years due to a rising population of immigrants.
The last time a Democratic governor sat in the Austin statehouse was 1990, when Anne Richards won the governorship. She was replaced by Republican George W. Bush, who went on to become U.S. president.
Photo credit: Reuters/Jason Reed (Hutchison at hurricane briefing in Austin in 2008, across the table from Perry and then-president Bush)
Paint Texas blue? Kaine won’t guarantee it
WASHINGTON – New Democratic Party head Tim Kaine wants to continue to win territory from Republicans, but he’s not ready to guarantee victory in George W. Bush’s home state.
As he took control of the Democratic National Committee from outgoing chairman Howard Dean on Wednesday, Kaine said he would continue Dean’s “50 State Strategy” to win votes in conservative places like Idaho and Utah.
“We will never again be a party that writes off states or regions or people,” Kaine said. “The 50 state strategy is now and forever what Democrats do.”
Kaine noted that was among the strategy’s first beneficiaries when he ran for Virginia governor in 2005.
But he declined to match Dean’s prediction that President Barack Obama will carry Texas when he runs for re-election in 2012. Obama lost Texas to Republican John McCain by 11 percentage points in the November election.
“I’m kind of more of the say-you’re-an-underdog-everywhere-and-sneak-up-on-people (school), rather than tell them you’re going to win, but I will say this: the trends in Texas are very positive,” Kaine told reporters.
Dean’s party-building in conservative areas helped Democrats win sweeping victories in 2006 and 2008, even though some Democrats – including Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel – viewed the strategy as a waste of money.
Eric H. You are right about Johnson but he knew he would not be re-elected. Either way he did not serve past his one term. The Great Society and Vietnam (now there is a conflict/war that was a true waste of our precious resources) conflict.
BTW, just a side point, I don’t disagree with many of your points about what you would like to see. Your ideas of what you would like to see in the world are not necessarily middle of the road viewpoints. However I part ways with you on abortion for ethical/moral reasons (please don’t read into it any deeper than that and try not to categorize me again. It is just a simple difference of opinion).
It is also a matter of opinion of what a strong military entails. You might think it is overgrown, whereas I don’t think it is strong enough. I happen to have a lot of experience in this area. Let’s just say we differ here too. Nothing personal at all.
I am not sure I see your point about climate change and sending money to the Saudis as anything more than comparing apples to oranges. However, I am a strong believer we should heavily invest in solar and wind energy as a way to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. In the meantime, we do what we have to do as a nation. Change takes time.
I am 100 percent with you on owning guns. The government better leave my right to own a gun alone. That is one way the democrats may try to overextend and it will prove fatal to their cause. There are plenty of conservative and blue blood democrats who agree with the right to own guns.
As for Bush. Yes, I happen to believe he did the best he could and I agree with him on a lot of things (not everything, just a lot of things). He wasn’t the worst president ever and history through the test of time will show this to be true. Even Obama is continuing many of Bush’s policies. We can split hairs on this, but he doesn’t deserve the bum rap he has been given since the first day he took office. All I know is I have been safe and free since 9/11 and I thank Bush for making it happen. Just my humble opinion.
As for Obama. I don’t have anything against him, I really don’t. However, the cult status he has doesn’t add up to his election victory with only 52 percent of the vote. The frenzy is undeserved (it is something you would expect had he won with 80-90 percent of the vote, then I would see the logic). However, there are still nearly 50 percent of the voters who did not vote for him. For all the money he spent to be elected, he could only muster 52 percent of the vote? Something is wrong with the picture. Only time will tell.
Also, for as bad as McCain/Palin were supposed to be, they got nearly 50 percent of the vote with hardly any money and the media telling us how bad they were. Again, the Obama frenzy just doesn’t add up.
Bottom line, we aren’t as far apart as you think. I just happen to believe Bush got a bum rap for his entire presidency and Obama gets undeserved adulation. Either way, it is undeserved for both of them.
Bush looking forward to new domestic agenda
Former President George W. Bush says he’s got a new domestic agenda — mowing the lawn and taking out the trash.
He says he’s looking forward to his wife Laura’s home cooking, sort of, and plans on relaxing Wednesday on his first morning out of the White House – making Laura coffee, skimming the newspaper, calling friends, reading a book, going fishing, and taking a walk – all before 8 a.m.
“That’s what happens when you’re a Type A personality,” he said.
At a welcome back rally in Midland, Texas, just hours after Barack Obama’s inauguration as the new POTUS (President of the United States), Bush reflected on his time at the White House.
“We came face-to-face with kings, presidents, popes and a son-in-law,” he said, referring to his daughter getting married during his second term.
Bush said he had kept the same values that he left with from the Lone Star State.
“When I get home tonight and look in the mirror, I’m not going to regret what I see, except maybe some grey hair.”
The anti-Bush whiners never stop. Thank God we had an honorable man willing to do the right thing. For the dolts who think Bush – or any President – has a significant affect on the economy, go back to school.
