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Campaign for Texas governor heating up
Published November 6, 2009
Need a job? Millions of Texans do. Some are unemployed — Allen Stanford springs to mind — and some are underemployed, as I was telling my yardman, Dr. Wang Woo. Well, here’s good news! Get a job with the government which includes decent salary, lots of perks, a good health plan and pension.
But everything depends on one person: Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who says she is running in the Republican primary for governor, against Rick “Secede” Perry. Last July she began serious campaigning and, given the current lameness, disorganization and ineptitude of the Texas Democratic Party, a GOP nomination for statewide office is tantamount to victory.
Hutchison said she would resign her senate seat by December to devote full time to her gubernatorial campaign. This would allow Perry to appoint a senator to fill the vacancy until a special election could be held. Wait! Now Hutchison says she might not resign in December but later. This could really screw up our ballots because the deadline for filing for next year’s elections is Jan. 4.
Even the newly elected chairwoman of the Republican Party of Texas, Cathie Adams of Dallas, has called on Hutchison to clarify if and when she will resign. Hutchison could hold on to her senate seat just in case she loses her bid to live in the burned out Governor’s Mansion. Once elected governor, she would resign her senate seat. Or Perry could appoint himself senator.
The situation is muddy. Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams is emerging as a favorite to get the nod as temporary senator. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst plans to run for re-election, but he might be appointed. If so, Attorney General Greg Abbott, who also plans to run for re-election, then might run for lite guv. Other GOPers have also announced they will seek their party’s nomination for senator in the primary: Former Secretary of State Roger Williams of Fort Worth, state Sen. Florence Shapiro of Plano, Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones of San Antonio and Debra Medina, GOP chairwoman of Wharton County.
This complicates the governor’s race. Tom Schieffer is seeking the Dem nomination, but he was a business partner and friend of with George W. Bush. Kinky Friedman is running for governor again, but this time in the Democratic primary. A wealthy Houston hair care executive Farouk Shami and rancher Hank Gilbert say they’ll run, too.
But how does such a mess lower our unemployment rate? This is my plan: You get off the bread line by running for office. Why not? The possible ballots of both parities are totally screwed up, no one knows what to do, where to file or for what position. Collect donations from anyone who wants to buy your governmental influence. Even if you don’t win, the laws on contributions are so vague as to be meaningless. Just keep the cash. Remember, primary elections are March 2, Texas Independence Day. Strike a blow for your own freedom. Get on the government dole.
Ashby is scheming at ashby2(at)comcast.net
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