Open Thread: Texas Standoff
Today is a big day in Texas as the race to replace retiring GOP senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is finally facing its first vote. While there is a Democratic primary today, more people are paying attention to the Republican race since the winner of that contest is heavily favored to win in November.
Because the primary has so many candidates, it's likely that the top two candidates are going to have to face each other again in a runoff election. In polls, the top two candidates are David Dewhurst, the more establishment-oriented liuetenant governor, and Ted Cruz, an attorney who is going after the Tea Party vote:
Recent polls show Dewhurst well ahead of Cruz, and the consistent front-runner in the race. But in order to avoid a run-off this July, he needs to earn at least 50 percent of the vote - a threshold he has yet to breach in recent surveys. If Cruz can maintain his second-place positioning and keep Dewhurst under the 50 percent mark, he could build on a recent surge in momentum and publicity. [...]
Cruz, Texas' 41-year-old fomer solicitor general, has never been elected for statewide office - but the candidate has racked up considerable support from high-profile conservatives in his bid for the Republican nomination. Last Thursday, former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum gave Cruz his backing, citing what he called his "wow factor." Earlier this month, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin endorsed Cruz, as has Texas Rep. Ron Paul, S.C. Sen. Jim DeMint, and Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey. In the Washington Post, George Will called him "a candidate as good as it gets." [...]
Despite his seemingly impressive conservative credentials, Cruz has from the get-go faced a formidable challenge in going up against Dewhurst. The lieutenant to popular Texas Governor Rick Perry, Dewhurst has several endorsements racked up, including that of Perry and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. [...]
"For people that like Gov. Perry's record, then he can make the point that they should like his record," said Texas Republican Party chair Steve Munisteri. "All of the pieces of legislation that Perry got through that are popular, the lieutenant governor can take credit for as well."
Texas NBers, feel free to weigh in with your comments on the race right here.
- Matthew Sheffield's blog
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Comments
Fellow Texans: PLEASE VOTE!
Submitted by drsamherman on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 9:26am.
Just a reminder to all of my fellow Texans on this board who have not yet voted--DO IT NOW!
Choose Cruz
Submitted by mom_rox on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 10:14am.
Cruz had an early endorsement of Mark Levin (where I first heard of Cruz). What's really interesting is that state senator, Dan Patrick, is endorsing Dewhurst. hmmm - quid pro quo perhaps? I don't have another explanation.
I think Patrick is trying to endorse the winner
Submitted by ArcherB on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 10:28am.
Everyone wants to endorse the winner, especially if you are in politics and may need favors later on. Notice who the conservative non-politicians are endorsing.
Also, it seems that all of the RINO's are endorsing Dewhurst and that Dewhurst is what the TEA Partiers call the "establishment" candidate.
Read my opinion of Dewhurst below. Pay special attention to the back door income tax he supported.
"To send men to the firing squad, judicial proof is unnecessary."
--Ernesto "Che" Guevara
DONE......
Submitted by OldJarhead77 on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 1:34pm.
VOTED
Thanks for the reminder.
Submitted by Order270 on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 3:12pm.
Just got back a minute ago.
Jack Welch
Submitted by Radical1979 on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 9:35am.
I saw him on CNBC this morning. He presented a good explanation and defense of private equity. He and his wife also said Romney cannot afford to stand back and not be aggressive in countering BO's campaigning. They have to get out there and put out their arguments. I was very impressed, Romney should use him if Welch will help him.
They also expressed the dismay of other business people they know. They thought BO would govern towards the center and voted for him. Now they know the truth and will support Romney. My question, why didn't they believe what BO told them in the first place?
Dewhurst went negative
Submitted by ArcherB on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 10:24am.
I was leaning Cruz, but would be OK with Dewhurst until Dewhurst went negative. Cruz would air ads about how his father taught him the value of freedom (his father came from Cuba) and what it's like to live without it. Dewhurst aired an ad slamming Cruz for a case he took years ago as a lawyer. That ad said that Cruz supported a Chinese company over an American company and cost American jobs. What Dewhurst didn't tell you in the ad is that the "American" company had all of their factories in China as well and no American jobs were lost. Also, Cruz won the case so at least in the eyes of the court, he was correct in the suit.
Now, Dewhurst is airing that the lawfirm Cruz worked for years ago gave $200,000 to the Obama campaign. So Cruz is not a "true conservative". Now go back and read that first sentence again... THE LAW FIRM that Cruz worked for... NOT Cruz... but his former employer supported Obama. If you hear the ad, though, it doesn't seem that way. It shows a picture of Cruz with dollars floating down all around him and says, "CRUZ's lawfirm GAVE $200,000 TO OBAMA IN 2008". Notice the case? That's how the ad came across.
I've done research and found that Dewhurst floated the idea of a Texas income tax, but a hidden one. Basically, he'd tax employers a percentage of income payed to each employee. It's an income tax, but one that doesn't show up on the paycheck stubs.
Now, I don't know if Dewhurst is honest or not, but his ads are not and that's really all I have to go on. His ads are extremely negative and extremely dishonest. Add that to the fact that Dewhurst wanted to sneak a Texas income tax in the back door makes me certain that I won't be voting for Dewhurst EVER, in any election. I'll just skip that section of the ballot.
If you are supporting Dewhurst, please tell me why and explain how you are OK with the negative and dishonest campaigning started by the Dewhurst campaign.
I've already voted in the primary.
"To send men to the firing squad, judicial proof is unnecessary."
--Ernesto "Che" Guevara
dewhurst is bad news
Submitted by jon_torlin on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 10:31am.
Ever since his part in how the ban on the TSA in Texas went down, I consider Dewhurst to be real bad news. I wouldn't trust that son of a bitch as far as I could throw him.
-Jon
Don't know enough about the two....
Submitted by c5then on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 10:44am.
But....If the Tea Partiers are backing Cruz, that's good enough for me.
Look at what the Tea Parties have done in the last election and in some recent primaries
We need Conservatives/Libertarians in government, not Republicans. And certaintly not Democrats!
Madison and Jefferson and Franklin built a Republic - Roberts killed it!
So...
Submitted by Unsane on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 8:59pm.
How can we begin "rebuilding the Republic" by making lazy voters lazier?
So sad for romantics like you that professional politicians have existed since before the ink dried on the Constitution (a document written by quite a few professional politicians).
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
Cruz has my vote.
Submitted by Trix Rabbit on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 10:49am.
Cruz has my vote.
For the MSM: In your pomp and all your glory, you're a poorer man than me. As you lick the boots of death born out of fear.
Ian Anderson "Wind up"
More BS from the CIC
Submitted by ricklail on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 11:14am.
I am still fumming from the remarks made by the Chicago Jesus yesterday. If he was serious about the way Veitnam Vets had been treated he'd have denounced Ayer and Dorn yesterday in that speech. Now comes this BS. He is going to force retirees into the VA system by limiting or doing away with Tricare.
This morning I read this BS:
http://www.stripes.com/opinion/keeping-faith-with-vietnam-veterans-1.178777
Okay, can someone explain the AP's analysis on this for me?
Submitted by bkeyser on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 11:30am.
Tom Blumer? I hope you blog this today.
Huh?
Quarter vs Month
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 12:07pm.
Home prices falling refers to a quarter-by-quarter comparison. Home prices up in March represents an increases in prices over February prices. As long as the trend is still down, it really doesn't matter if we have a one month "blip" where prices go up.
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
That was my point
Submitted by bkeyser on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 3:13pm.
The increase in March of .1% -which was below expectations of .2%- surely does not indicate any sort of bright spot in the overall housing trend. The AP tries to make the case of a "slow recovery" when in the very same article they indicate a new post-recession low.
Saw a Reuters piece after I read this one that focused entirely on the March numbers as a sign of good news. Despicable how dishonest they are.
Exactly
Submitted by Kingfish17 on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 6:16pm.
The other day I heard Obama saying that he inherited a 1 trillion dollar deficit, but he instituted 2 trillion in savings. I guess our budget deficit fell by a trillion.
"You can’t go take a trip to Las Vegas...on the taxpayer’s dime." Barack Obama
Look for the Union Label
Submitted by ricklail on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 12:03pm.
http://moonbattery.com/?p=12258
1st Amendment Rights TRAMPLED ALERT
Submitted by Jack Bauer on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 3:58pm.
Conservative (and attorney) blogger ARRESTED and taken into custody for commentary and comments on his blog regarding a convicted DOMESTIC TERRORIST and murderer.
Senile fascist judge* has the conservative TARGET of a convicted terrorist led from court in handcuffs.
http://twitchy.com/2012/05/29/blogger-and-brett-kimberlin-target-aaron-w...
http://theothermccain.com/
* Just my opinion, thank goodness I am out of this judge's jurisdiction.
All of the above Mr Obama? --- How about ALL OF THE BELOW, instead.
"A woman's right to choose" now upgraded with extra choose!
Submitted by SickofLibs on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 4:39pm.
Now also includes aborting if the baby is not the sex you wanted!
Despite ten minutes of tape proving this beyond a shadow of doubt, MMFA still says it's "purported."
So feel free to rob your local liquor store tonight even if they have surveillance cameras all over the place - they'll never be able to pin it on ya.
New Gaffe!!!!
Submitted by Scuba Dude on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 7:30pm.
Blonde!!! New gaffe (if you haven't already seen it.)
Obama Confuses NAACP with NCAA.
Is anyone else bothered
Submitted by Radical1979 on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 7:43pm.
by a basketball coach being given this honor?
I guess she deserves it as
Submitted by motherbelt on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 7:52pm.
I guess she deserves it as much as Bob Dylan does.
Another one of Obama's "Winning the Future?" moments.
And yet, another one Scoob
Submitted by bkeyser on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 9:25pm.
I just emailed and tweeted J so hopefully she'll pick this one up.
More:
Bold, italic and underlined.
And here's the vid: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9m9REW6v0M&feature=player_embedded
Oh My!!! That one is far
Submitted by Scuba Dude on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 9:31pm.
Oh My!!!
That one is far worse than the one I found. I wonder how many gaffes will be made trying to correct this?
Scoob:
Submitted by bkeyser on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 9:32pm.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/obama-polish-death-camps-comment-spurs...
BK, I wonder if Odumbo enjoys
Submitted by Scuba Dude on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 9:46pm.
BK,
I wonder if Odumbo enjoys the taste of shoe leather? He seems to be following the following steps quite a bit:
1) Open Mouth
2) Insert Foot
3) Close Mouth
TOTUS gaffe?
Submitted by jon_torlin on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 9:15am.
Since he was reading from the TOTUS(as indicated by his ever present tennis match effect), are they going to blame the speech writers?(they being the WH, make someone fall on their sword)
You'd think someone would proof-read these things or at least look them over before committing them to TOTUS.
In reality, it just tells me the WH won't really care if it's a gaffe or not, and also in reality, while the Poles try to paint DuhOne as "incompetent" and "ignorant," he's anything but incompetent or ignorant and has designs to bring this country down since he first came on the scene.
Ah, what fools they be to believe that this was an innocent mistake.
-Jon
A Texas perspective
Submitted by Unsane on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 8:56pm.
Well, I wanted to call my shot before the polls in TX are totally closed in the Mountain Time Zone portion of the state:
I voted "uncommitted" for President and for Ted Cruz for Senate.
Why Cruz and not Dewhurst? Dewhurst was endorsed by Suckabee, which is enough for me to kill any support I have for a candidate. And Dewhurst decided to be a populist by shrieking about America's Scapegoat of China. (My motto is very simple: F*** CHINA.)
I voted for Susan Narvaiz for Rep, but I will take ANYBODY over the idiot Dogmeat.
"CONSUMED DEMOCRACY RETURNS A SOCIALIST REGIME" - Slayer, "Fictional Reality", from Divine Intervention (1994)
➚ Ditto on the "Ted Cruz"
Submitted by Cool Arrow on Tue, 05/29/2012 - 9:20pm.
Dewhurst ain't never dun nothin' for me.
"I voted "uncommitted" for
Submitted by Martin2717 on Wed, 05/30/2012 - 2:45am.
"I voted "uncommitted" for President and for Ted Cruz for Senate."
Ditto here.