Rick Perry vs World

14 June 2005

Back in action

I was pretty busy this weekend, but I guess I've also just been a little lazy about updating the blog.

Perry has not had a good week since I updated. The guv has been getting a good deal of flak for his comment that:

Asked by a reporter what he would tell gay and lesbian veterans returning from Iraq who want to wed, Mr. Perry said, "If there is some other state that has a more lenient view than Texas, then maybe that's a better place for them to live."

There have been quite a few editorials around the state criticizing Perry for both that comment and for holding his bill signing in the gym of a church in Fort Worth. Quite a few of the national papers have picked up the story as well, generally with a critical tone and lots of comments from folks like Barry Lynn from Americans United for the Separation of Church and State.

Perry's response to the criticism of the location:

"We could have signed it in a lot of different locations," Perry said on Fox News. "We could have signed it in a Wal-Mart parking lot, and those who are against people of faith being involved in the electoral process would still have been very much against this bill."

Fortunately for Perry, I'm guessing that the New York Times doesn't have much credibility with most Texas GOP primary voters.

The same Wayne Slater DMN article linked above also has Dave Carney, Perry's political guy, quoted:

"[The homosexual marriage ban] will be an important battle," he said, and a measure of who will vote in the March GOP primary.

"People who turn out Nov. 8 to support of the marriage amendment will clearly be potential Perry supporters," he said, "and it will be incumbent on our campaign to go out, talk to them and turn them out to vote in March."

Is KBH on the record yet as to how she'll vote in the homosexual marriages ban? If so, I missed it.

The rest of Slater's article (which is worth a read) basically details how Perry is planning a similar George W. Bush - Karl Rove 2004 strategy: high turnout among the conservative base. Like BushCheney in 2004, Perry is not running towards the center.

Meanwhile, the Dallas Morning News op-ed board likes Kay Bailey Hutchison's flirtation with running:

Mrs. Hutchison clearly understands the nuances of the game. Monday's thrust at Mr. Perry was followed by Tuesday's ultra-coy parley with Washington reporters, who pressed her to declare her intentions.

"I am not going to answer a question that would lead to a conclusion," she said primly. "I'll be the Alan Greenspan of today's press op. I will talk a lot, but if you think you've understood anything I've said, you're misunderstanding."

Of course, even Peter Jackson can't keep an audience on the hook forever. Milk the suspense too long, and they're likely to get testy.

...

As for the rest of us, we can sit back and enjoy the show. Face it, in a virtual one-wing-of-one-party state, we don't get many opportunities to savor this type of high-level political gamesmanship. Only the most veteran politicos can remember the last time the dominant party produced two (or more) well-matched gubernatorial contenders, playing for keeps. Popcorn, anyone?

School finance: Jay Root writes in the FWST that it still boils down to Craddick. He's got an interesting article on Craddick's reputation as a take-it-or-leave-it negotiator. Dewhurst, so the narrative goes, is tired of being portrayed as the loser in negotiations between the two.

Posted by Evan @ 06/14/05 07:20 PM | Comments (0)

08 June 2005

Stranger things have happened

AP report on Perry's attempts to broker a deal:

Perry has said he'll summon lawmakers back to Austin for a special session if they can agree on a solution beforehand.

The governor today met with Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick.

Perry yesterday got together with Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst.

An aide to Perry says as a result of those two meetings, the pace has quickened substantially.

I wouldn't hold my breath. But stranger things have happened.

Posted by Evan @ 06/08/05 09:58 PM | Comments (0)

Gubernatorial blogging

1. Safety for Dummies has a post on KBH:

Hutchison is exhibiting a keen desire to play out this primary under her rules and under her timing . . . Its a shrewd strategy, but its important to remember that this race is to be run among GOP primary voters. Unless Kay can convince enough new primary voters to come out and support her, the saucy behavior might backfire.

2. Chris Bell posts at BOR on his "man date for the new mainstream"

3. Firedancing Pink Lady has a source that claims John Sharp hasn't given up his dream of being governor. (Isn't that a bit skeptical? -- Ed.)

Posted by Evan @ 06/08/05 09:52 PM | Comments (0)

As the Hutch turns...

This is great:

Asked about her intentions [to run for governor], she said in the halls of the Senate, "Obviously, I am not going to answer a question that would lead to a conclusion. I'll be the (Federal Reserve chairman) Alan Greenspan of today's (press conference).

"I will talk a lot, but if you think you've understood anything I've said, you're misunderstanding."

This is more entertaining than a soap opera.

Meanwhile, Hutchison continued to call for a special session. The KBH campaign issued a press release calling for a special session to "address not only the inordinately high property taxes in Texas, but also teacher pay raises, textbook funding, university revenue bonds and judicial compensation."

This prompted Kent Grusendorf (R-Arlington), the chair of the House Education Committee, to issue his own statement.

I read with interest Sen. Hutchison's comments urging the governor to call a special session on school finance. Since I have spent the last 24 months almost exclusively on this issue, I too would like to see the issue resolved as soon as possible. School finance and its corollary, property tax relief, are the most pressing issues facing the state. The education of over four million students is at stake and nothing could be more important.

I would urge Senator Hutchison, along with any other state leader who wishes to do so, to offer a coherent plan for solving this critical issue. As Governors Bush, Clements, and Richards all learned before, there is nothing as complicated, complex, or challenging as school finance.

Cheers to Harvey Kronberg at Quorum Report for the links.

Posted by Evan @ 06/08/05 07:27 AM | Comments (0)

06 June 2005

Weekend roundup

1. Statesmen: State's leaders should wait for court to sort out the mess. The Statesman op-ed board doesn't think it's worth it to call a special session for school finance.

Likewise, neither does the HouChron's Clay Robison.

2. Outgoing San Antonio Mayor Ed Garza, a Democrat, is considering endorsing Perry for re-election. Must be that they are both Aggies.

3. Carolyn Barta, a former journalist according to the byline, counters Bill Clements' recent op-ed arguing that a primary would hurt Republicans with an opinion piece for a GOP gubernatorial primary.

4. The NYTimes covers criticism of Perry's bill signing at a Christian school.

5. Meanwhile, the Hotline covers the KBH direct mail piece, and it seems quite possible they got it from this blog (they attribute it to "Hotline sources, 6/6"). Either way, it was here first, four days before the Hotline.

6. Kinky Friedman speaks to the Galveston County Pachyderms and admits that the campaign started "as a lark; some would say a joke." Probably not what you should be saying if you want folks to take you seriously, Kinky.

7. The FWST op-ed board doesn't like Perry's bill signing at a Fort Worth Christian school.

Posted by Evan @ 06/06/05 07:42 PM | Comments (0)

Hutchison wants Perry to call special session

From QR:

"I do hope that the Governor chooses to call a special session now," Hutchison said. "In the budget there is an allocation for teacher pay raises, for judge pay raises, for the buying of textbooks on time. I think it's time that we have that session to do what's right. It's in the budget and I don't think our teachers should start in the fall not having the pay raise that was intended for them to have."

Hutchison spoke outside of the Texas Supreme Court, where Justice Owen was sworn in to become Judge Owen on the 5th Circuit Court.

She also said that Texas needs "leadership to be shown now more than ever."

Seems like a smart move by Hutchison to me. It's a win-win situation for her. Hutchison is highlighting Perry's failure to broker a deal between Dewhurst and Craddick. By doing so, she lays the foundation for her run and she gets to criticize Perry obliquely.

Plus, though it seems unlikely to me, she may even goad Perry into calling a special session.

UPDATE: Gary Scharrer's SAEN take is here.

Posted by Evan @ 06/06/05 03:43 PM | Comments (0)

04 June 2005

Houston Strategies

Houston Strategies is a blog by a fellow Rice alum named Tony Gattis.

The blog is, according to Gattis, "An open dialogue on serious strategies for making Houston a better city, as well as a coalition-builder to make them happen."

For someone who loves this city as much as I do, I have to give it a plug. He even has a post on why Houston has such an amazing restaurant scene.

Posted by Evan @ 06/04/05 12:43 AM | Comments (1)

03 June 2005

Shorts

1. Wayne Slater has an article in the DMN on evangelicals attempt to energize voter turnout.

In related news, Perry is going to a Christian school in Fort Worth to sign the parental consent abortion bill and the constitutional amendment to ban homosexual marriages.

2. RG Ratcliffe in the Chron on the developments in the downballot statewide races in 06. Ag Commish Susan Combs is running for Strayhorn's Comptroller seat, in anticipation of Strayhorn's jumping into another race. State Sen. Todd Staples is running for Ag Commish.

3. Strayhorn is the headline speaker tonight at an anti-Trans Texas Corridor rally in Bell County.

Meanwhile, Strayhorn certified the state budget, saying she is "very comfortable that this budget balances."

4. Special session -- AP wire says Craddick prefers to wait for the Supreme Court ruling before doing anything about school finance.

Update: I should note that the constitutional amendment banning homosexual marriages does not need Perry's signature. That "bill signing" is purely ceremonial.

Posted by Evan @ 06/03/05 07:11 PM | Comments (0)

02 June 2005

New KBH direct mail piece

Kay Bailey Hutchison has sent out a new direct mail fundraising piece dated May 19. Apparently it began reaching mailboxes late last week and early this week.

The piece raises money for her federal "Kay Bailey Hutchison for Senate Committee." She has not yet opened a state campaign account, according to my searches at the Texas Ethics Commission.

There are mild hints of running for governor, but the letter mainly focuses on federal issues -- what KBH has accomplished and is working on in DC.

Here's the part most hinting at running for guv:

Leaders unite. Leaders are consensus builders. Leaders stand firm on their convictions.

Texans need that kind of proven leadership now more than ever...one who will stop liberal from playing partisan games to block qualified judicial nominees, brings new, well-paying jobs home to Texas and promote the morals and values we hold dear.

Here are the links:
*The letter, page 1
*The letter, page 2
*KBH: A National Conservative Leader. A comparison scorecard of her vote ratings.
*Reply Card 1
*Reply Card 2

Given that she's said she's not running for Senate* and that she's still fundraising...I think it's safe to say we know what she's running for.

Thanks very much to my source.

* That is, I'm referring to the fact that she's promised not to serve more than two full terms in the Senate.

Posted by Evan @ 06/02/05 04:04 PM | Comments (1)

School finance and special sessions

Chris Elam has an insightful post on school finance and Perry's problem of brokering a deal between Craddick, Dewhurst, and the votes behind each leader.

Let's examine the motivations behind these men's comments and attempt to gain an informed insight.

Rick Perry, as you may have heard, faces a tough battle for his job in the upcoming. He stands to lose a lot of political support by being perceived as the man who failed to broker a deal on school finance. Therefore, as Charlie K. points out, he will take every opportunity to blame the House for dragging their feet. But, if a deal is reached, he will be quick to take credit for creating consensus. GOP primary voters are certain to respond to either situation... and, as Perry hopes, they will forget last May's worst shutout in Aggie history.

David Dewhurst, is rumored to be a potential candidate for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison. It can be argued that it is to his benefit if Perry is weakened (even short-term) this summer by a special session collapse because that will entice KBH out of the Senate and into the Governor's mansion. It can also be argued that its to his benefit to be seen completely immersing himself in the negotiations and forcing the Legislature to reach a compromise. Then, like Perry, smile big, send out self-congratulatory e-mails to your campaign list about the special session accomplishments, and pray like heck that you have more cash on hand than Henry Bonilla.

Tom Craddick... well. He gets to play kingmaker. As Chas K. pointed out earlier, he is the man with the least to fear from Texas voters and his peers in the House. Today, the Waco Tribune-Herald reports that Craddick has locked up enough votes to assure his re-election as Speaker in the next session. He enjoys a certain job security, that Perry and Dewhurst can only dream of. He obviously feels no pressure to shoulder the load for either man. Therefore, I tend to think that his words carry, and will continue to carry, the most credence in the press - and his wishes will be the end result.

There's one important motivation that I think Chris forgot: Dewhurst isn't happy about the perception around the Capitol that Craddick rolls him every time they disagree.

One might wonder of KBH: can she do better with Craddick and his legislators?

One further thought: I don't know why Perry keeps saying that special session is likely. Is he trying to put pressure on Craddick? Craddick certainly seems to this outsider to be oblivious to pressure.

Perry is in a tough spot: he wants a deal, presumably both for his own political health and for Texas' future. He certainly wants to appears to have done everything possible. But the writing seems to be on the wall that school finance reform is dead.

If Perry calls a special session again and fails to get a deal, I think it looks very bad for him. Unless he gets Craddick and Dewhurst to agree, he should probably stop mentioning special sessions.

Posted by Evan @ 06/02/05 09:47 AM | Comments (0)

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