Blogging from Richardson, Texas.Bill White came across as more serious on the issues and challenges, and I am not just talking about who winked the most or showed off his seriously gorgeous boots or said clever or funny things, which both of them did as to the last part. White seemed more reasoned in general without being dispassionate. For them to have come this far in the political food chain means they are both cunning, in addition to being hardworking, but I have weighed what I know to this point about both of them (publicly available information) and their policies and performance and if the vote were today, I would vote for White.
I think both of them have a lot going for them and both of them have some baggage.
I think both of them have a lot going for them and both of them have some baggage.
Ads.
I saw the ad that was run about Gov. Perry trying to have mandatory anti HPV vaccination of girls and I think that one ad will help quite a number of votes go to White because what Perry did is so the opposite of what he says he is for (or against). That and the handling of the Trans Texas Corridor idea. And remarks about Texas succeeding from the U.S. It's like a box of chocolates. (Hey, maybe chocolate can get you pregnant after all, or maybe just shot up with a govmint mandated pharm). Some complain he is predictable. Some delight he is conservative. I think that is only half it. (It's really like when you heard that Collin County Judge Keith Self voted for eminent domain but you just don't want to believe it's true. So it's all like when Ludacris finds out there's no Cognac left in France when he lands there for a party.)
I saw the real time equivalent of an ad that Gov. Perry did very well, whether that was his intentions or not, by meeting the POTUS on the tarmac and giving VJ standing behind the POTUS this letter about border security, a very serious issue. This contrasted with, well, not White. He wasn't there.
So much politiking to do, so little time.
I haven't seen any anti-White ads but I am sure they are out there or on their way. I have seen one of White's ads and I think it will be effective with only some people whose top worry is that he will help to go haywire on government spending and government growth. That is a worry I do have about him (and all politicians).
Contrasting that with Gov. Perry I feel Gov. Perry has taken a lot of power and put it all under his gumbrella that I feel has changed the nature of the Govoffice (Govrole) in Texas, which is also a contradiction to what he has said about what he stands for.
Gov. Perry has also not come through with offering more workable ideas to Texas' biggest challenges. Of course, I guess the same could be said when it comes to certain aspects of Mayor White's performance in Houston. In fairness, I'm not saying any single leader can do all that or should do all that. It's like they can make a positive dent, or peck. But if you are going to grab or seek power, you need to take an equal amount of responsibility for it according to how much you grab or seek. Some things don't need to be grabbed at all.
If I were a one or two or three issue voter, I would vote for Gov. Perry because I think he has the right stand on them, but they are issues that he doesn't have that much leverage on overall because already enough people support it to secure the issue well enough or the issue isn't what he is spending his time on anyway (not his focus). And he cancels them out to a large degree with me because of what he has said about gay people (they should just "leave" the state) when he didn't have to go there (regardless of his or anyone's position on gay marriage).
(That reminds me, I might want to blog about Mel Gibson and his consecutive rants against what some people think are different "classes of people.")
If Gov. Perry was actually politically who he claimed he was politically, I would vote for him to be governor again. The dime seems run out. For giving the governorship a go-go.
I think Gov. Perry will still probably win the race. I base this on two areas. The first is on image, coupled with his stated philosophy (whether he always practices it or not). Gov. Perry's image and stated philosophy just fits more with what more of the people who go out and vote think Texas was and is supposed to be, whether he is that image or whether Texas is that. It would feel like disloyalty to Texas to some voters to not vote for Perry. I like Rick Perry as a Texan. I love Texas. I don't think they are the same thing. The second reason is that his political machine and game is more organized, in power and focused than White's. He shows that at the beginning, with every primary.
(I liked George Bush as governor somewhat more than I like Rick Perry as governor. George Bush didn't act like an actor as much. Like he would go mountain bike riding on his ranch but it was just in a t-shirt and whatever and he wasn't so rehersed about these set up photo ops so it all seemed more real than when they put on all the logo swamped gear and ham for the cameras. George Bush as governor versus George Bush as president seemed like two different guys part of the time. The influence of political machinery is real strange sometimes.
That reminds me about something when I was trying to watch Glenn Beck and hear his review of his own rally that drew an incredible number of people, the one that it seemed most of the media was trying to make fun of and that hurt the feelings of some people who thought he picked the date and location as a swipe, which I think he probably did, but the rally can't be reduced to merely that. It was a big rally. It also reminds me of the Confederate Flag debate. I may blog about all that later. This all may seem disparate, but it isn't.)
Not with regard to this particular gubernatorial race, I usually find myself voting for the candidate I feel will be the least worst for now and for later (legacy impact). There have been a few times I have really wanted to vote for someone because I wanted to and not because they were the only choices of not that great a field. I have been pleasantly surprised a couple of times when someone has outperformed general expectations while in office. I also respect those who take political hits when they know it can potentially take them down with voters or with other politicians in the club who can break them politically but they do it because it is the right thing to do. Why can't those be the norm and who wind up staying a while.
I might blog about the Pete Session/whoever his opponent is contest next (edit: I mean Grier Raggio. edit: I mean and John Jay Myers.). Or the Kent/Carter contest. Edit: or Johnson/Lingenfelder or Self/Smith.
