Rick Perry vs World

18 May 2005

Texas Monthly's Burka on Strayhorn

Paul Burka has a feature on Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn in next month's Texas Monthly.

The headline is: "Carole Keeton Strayhorn Has Guts. Carole Keeton Strayhorn Is Nuts. Discuss." You can preview the piece here.

I may comment more later.

Posted by Evan @ 05/18/05 04:54 PM | Comments (1)

McConnell speaks

Senate Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-KY) apparently says that Kay Bailey Hutchison is likely to become chair of the Senate Republican Conference -- #3 in the Senate leadership. McConnell is expected to succeed Bill Frist as Majority Leader and current #3 Rick Santorum ought move into McConnell's Majority Whip position.

"A lot of us hope she will spend a long time with us," McConnell said.

...

If Santorum were defeated — he is facing a very tough race — Hutchison could move into the high-ranking whip position.

Hutchison did not respond to McConnell's statements, which may have been a hint that GOP leaders want her to avoid opposing Perry.

Her press secretary, Chris Paulitz, played down McConnell's statement, saying it was only logical she would become the conference chair because she is currently the vice chair.

McConnell's statements will not influence Hutchison's gubernatorial decision, which is expected in July, Paulitz said.

When Hutchison was elected to a 1995-2000 term, she said, "I've always said that I would serve no more than two full terms. This may be my last term, or I could run for one more. But no more after that. I firmly believe in term limitations, and I plan to adhere to that."

She repeated the pledge in 1994 TV campaign ads.

Regardless, the push-and-pull over her possible gubernatorial candidacy is under way.

Hutchison has expressed a desire to return home to raise her young son and daughter. Her latest approval rating of 67 percent among Texans far exceeds Perry's 45 percent, according to a recent Scripps Howard Texas poll.

In late April, Dallas GOP chairman and Perry contributor Nate Crain said Hutchison should drop the race because her considerations are dangerously dividing Texas Republicans.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee also wouldn't want to see her go.

"When you have a figure like her in the Senate, you are absolutely going to want to continue having her as part of your team," NRSC spokesman Brian Nick said. "Will there be senators encouraging her to stay in the Senate? The answer is yes."

These are all elected by the Senate Republican Caucus, of course, so it is possible that Hutchison could face a challenge for the leadership positions.

Senate Republicans don't want Hutchison to run for governor because then they would have to send campaign money to Texas to defend Kay's open seat. Since Texas is a big state, that takes up lots of millions that could be spent elsewhere.

Still, it's surprising that McConnell would publicly hint that Hutchison should remain in the Senate.

Posted by Evan @ 05/18/05 01:17 AM | Comments (0)

17 May 2005

Hutchison denies ambassador rumor

Todd Gillman gets Senator Hutchison to deny the rumor that she's in line to be the next ambassador to Britain.

Choice Kay Bailey quotes:

"Is that the craziest thing you've ever heard?" she said, adding that she has no interest in the job.

"I am absolutely not interested, nor has anyone talked to me about it. This is manufactured – by that little fly on the ceiling there," she said, laughing again and looking up at the ornate tiling in the lobby off the Senate chamber.

A White House spokesman dismissed talk of a Hutchison appointment.

Ms. Hutchison said unequivocally that she will appear on the Texas ballot next year – though she remained coy as ever about whether she'll be running for re-election or taking on Gov. Rick Perry in the Republican primary. She has promised an announcement by late June.

...

"It's just crazy. It's totally out of the realm of possibility. I have never ... said I wanted anything, any appointment in this administration or any administration, I might add. That's just nuts," the senator said. "I'm not saying that it's malicious. Just, those things happen."

Posted by Evan @ 05/17/05 12:30 AM | Comments (0)

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Welcome to the new home of Rick Perry versus the World.

It looks great, doesn't it? I think so, and it's entirely due to Kevin Whited and Chris Elam for the site design and graphics, respectively. Kevin in particular put a good deal of work into the site, for which I am inordinately grateful.

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Posted by Evan @ 05/17/05 12:22 AM | Comments (1)

16 May 2005

Texas Monthly on Strayhorn

Texas Monthly should have a "major piece" coming out on Comptroller Strayhorn in next month's edition.

We hope to have a preview link for you in the next week or so, courtesy of Texas Monthly.

Posted by Evan @ 05/16/05 07:30 PM | Comments (0)

Weyrich on KBH vs Perry

Paul Weyrich, one of the patriarchs of the conservative movement, writes up his view of Perry and Hutchison:

Senator Hutchison said she would make up her mind about running against Governor Perry or running for another term in the Senate. She would have no trouble getting re-elected. The Democrats most likely would endorse a sacrificial candidate to run against her. Senator Hutchison is more liberal than her colleague, Fellow Republican Senator John Cornyn, and almost all other Republicans in the Texas Congressional Delegation. In fact, one motivation for Senator Hutchison, we are told, is her frustration over continually having to take more conservative stands than she would like but she tries to be loyal to President Bush and the more conservative GOP leadership in the Senate. When she served one term as Chairman of the Senate Steering Committee she would cringe when advised of positions she should take with the Senate’s conservative leadership. Most Senators serve multiple terms as chairman of this caucus of conservative Senators. She did not.

The incumbent Governor may be tough to beat. While not having the engaging personality of a George W. Bush or even an Ann Richards Governor Perry nevertheless is a solid conservative who vowed he would run on his record. He adamantly opposes tax increases. He was victorious over the budget crisis, (which nearly every Governor has experienced). Texas had a $10 billion deficit. Perry is the ONLY Governor to have balanced the budget without raising taxes. In fact, in this session of the Texas State Legislature Governor Perry is tangling with some fellow Republicans, a few of whom want to raise taxes and revenues. The Governor's answer has been consistently "no."

Perry has the support of social conservatives who have become a very important part of the Texas GOP. Indeed the expanded party base has developed at the expense of pro-life and pro-family Democrats who left their party after it was dominated by Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and other leftwing groups. In the last session of the Texas Legislature, Governor Perry led the passage of the Defense of Marriage Act. He led the passage of a unique “women’s right-to-know” law, which requires that prior to seeking abortions women receive information about the possible consequences of such a procedure. It is an informed-consent law which other states are reviewing as a possible model for regulating abortion. Perry also led and passed the "Pre-Natal Protection Act," which is really the Lacy and Connor Peterson Law for Texas. This session the Governor supports enactment of a parental-consent abortion law and wants a Constitutional amendment on marriage approved at the federal level.

Already the Governor and Senator Hutchison have clashed over embryonic stem cell research. Senator Hutchison favors expanding the available lines for stem cell research. Governor Perry takes President Bush's position that one does not destroy potential human life in the name of scientific research. It is not clear what Senator Hutchison's position is on pro-family issues that Governor Perry has advocated but she came to the Senate as a supporter of abortion rights. She has voted for most pro-life issues in the intervening years, however, because most abortion votes have involved funding and other marginal issues rather than abortion itself.

Posted by Evan @ 05/16/05 07:19 PM | Comments (0)

Shorts

1. Kay Bailey Hutchison completed the Capital Challenge to again claim the title of fastest female senator.

2. KBH received "enthusiastically" by the mostly black congregation at T.D. Jakes' church in Dallas. Unfortunately for Kay, probably not many are Republican primary voters.

3. The Statesman blog has rumors that Wentworth and others in the House were planning to prohibit federal campaign funds from being used in state races. That would mean KBH wouldn't be able to use her $7 million in federal accounts to run for governor.

4. Rocker and activist Ted Nugent "has developed a friendship with Republican Gov. Rick Perry. He said the two send e-mails and talk regularly. They met a few years ago through a mutual hunting pal, and Nugent plans to help Perry's re-election campaign next year." (AP)

5. Perry and Hutchison temporarily make nice in fighting for Texas to keep its military installations.

Posted by Evan @ 05/16/05 07:18 PM | Comments (0)

Ambassador Hutchison rumors

Douglas, Recio and Moritz in the FWST:

It may not have much basis in fact, but the latest rumor about U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has Austin buzzing again.

It has Hutchison, a Dallas Republican reportedly considering a bid for Texas governor, getting tapped by President Bush as U.S. ambassador to the Court of St. James's, the plum United Kingdom position now vacant.

That would clear a major hurdle to Gov. Rick Perry's re-election and open up the coveted Senate nomination for U.S. Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-San Antonio, or Republican Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.

Hutchison spokesman Chris Paulitz dismissed the rumors.

"She's never been offered an ambassadorship," he said.

The U.S. ambassador's London residence is one of the most luxurious in the U.S. Foreign Service. Winfield House, a gift to the United States by heiress Barbara Hutton, is an antique-filled mansion on 12 1/2 acres in Regent's Park.

Hutchison might want to consider it.

Posted by Evan @ 05/16/05 07:17 PM | Comments (0)

12 May 2005

New Texas poll has Perry and Hutch sliding

The new Texas Poll shows Rick Perry's job approval rating at 45%, with 35% disapproving. That's down from 51% in a poll released in mid-February. The poll was done from 4/14 to 5/4.

KBH's approval shows a similar slide, from 72% approving in the previous poll to 67% now. Strayhorn moved slightly downward from 53% to 51%. By contrast, Bush's approval is 58% in the poll.

Among Republicans, job approval is 68% for Hutchison and 63% for Perry.

These results do make you wonder how Survey USA found a 38/48 job approval/disapproval in a 5/6 to 5/8 poll. The SUSA poll seems low.

Full writeup in the HouChron by Polly Ross Hughes.

Posted by Evan @ 05/12/05 07:36 AM | Comments (0)

11 May 2005

Are we having fun yet?

Suzanne Gamboa, AP:

Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison was the target of criticism from Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Tuesday after she proposed a highway measure that Perry supported.

Hutchison, R-Texas, is considering challenging Perry in the 2006 GOP gubernatorial primary. Perry has announced he will seek another term.

Hutchison proposed an amendment to a U.S. Senate bill authorizing spending levels for transportation and federal highways. Her amendment would prohibit states from assessing tolls on existing highways.

Perry said in a statement he agrees Hutchison's proposal. But then came the criticism.

"We're glad Sen. Hutchison is following Gov. Perry's lead in opposing the conversion of existing highway lanes to be used as toll roads," press secretary Kathy Walt said in a statement.

"But instead of solving a problem that doesn't exist in Texas, we hope she will solve one that does," Walt said. Walt said the state needs "real leadership to ensure Texas gets treated fairly when it comes to highway funding."

Heh. Sounds like the Perry campaign is not going to commit to the "she's so effective in the Senate, she ought to stay there" line.

Posted by Evan @ 05/11/05 07:58 PM | Comments (0)

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