Hutchison to get Farm Bureau endorsement?
A commenter to my blog post, “More on the Perry Agenda,” suggests that because of Perry’s support for the Trans-Texas Corridor, Hutchison is likely to get the Farm Bureau endorsement. While comments on blogs are hardly reliable sources, I find this one credible because (1) a Republican consultant told me earlier today that Hutchison would be getting a big endorsement this week; and (2) the Farm Bureau has never had a lot of love for Perry, going back to his days as commissioner of agriculture. Not being a consultant myself, my initial reaction is that a lot of Farm Bureau members will vote for Rick Perry anyway, just as I believe a lot of Realtors will vote for Kay Bailey Hutchison.
Tagged: kay bailey hutchison, rick perry, Texas Farm Bureau, trans-texas corridor.
brazosconservative says:
Here is what my Hubby said four days ago. Farm Bureau is against eminent domain, it is a long standing tradition. Don’t count on rural land owners to vote for a man willing to use eminent domain for profit.
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paulburka says:
A friend reports getting an e-mail invite from Hutchison to attend the Farm Bureau endorsement on Monday.
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Alan Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:17 pm
I received a similar email. It simply says Hutchison is receiving a “Big Endorsement” without specifically mentioning from who/what.
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Goober's Revenge says:
Isn’t Farm Aid this weekend? Endorsing Kay Bailey Hutchison fits well with the national farmer bailout weekend theme.
If the Farm Bureau’s leadership bases its endorsement on the Trans-Texas Corridor then the Farm Bureau will fit nicely with the Hutchison campaign’s transportation program: Oppose everything, do nothing, put your head in the sand. (She puts her head in the sand screaming, but it is in the sand nonetheless.)
The Farm Bureau’s leadership and staff ranks are populated with luddites and scaremongers. Their members are generally common sense people, having known some of them in my lifetime. However the lying rubes they send to work the Texas Legislature know good and well that the Trans-Texas Corridor has been shelved, as does the Senator. It was as much their failure as it was anyone else’s last session that that body of law remains intact. You can say the exact same thing about eminent domain laws that didn’t make it across the goal line.
No, really, it’s true. Just call the guy who gives KBH her talking points: Jim Dunnam.
These are the same people who opposed the Farm to Market road system when it was first proposed (yep, not kidding), demand that we all subsidize with our taxes their “salt-of-the-earth” agrarian lifestyle (yep, we pay them not to farm), and they fight against every form of progress they can (yep, they’re going to derail Hutchison-Obama’s magic high speed rail—-have they told her yet?).
They’re not saving their land for farming; their kids are waiting to sell them to the next developer who wants to build a subdivision. You and I just keep shoveling money at them to do nothing other than wait for the next big land deal.
So the next time you find someone from the Farm Bureau’s leadership, ask him what he supports to actually help Texas, especially the real economic engines, the metropolitan areas. At that point he’ll probably look through his truck box for some insecticide to kill the crickets. Or jam his head in the sand.
The Farm Bureau’s leadership fits perfectly with the Kay Bailey Hutchison Republican Welfare Program (gimme but don’t charge me). Just like her transportation policy, it’s all about handing people something for nothing.
And as for the woman who whose hubby doesn’t like eminent domain, he should know good and well (and should have told his wife) that Governor Perry worked hard to change state law last session and he and everyone else were thwarted by the antics in the House. If her hubby isn’t happy then her hubby should call House Democrats to complain.
What did Sen. Hutchison do? She issued press releases 1500 miles away about it. I mean, doesn’t she work at a place that can change laws, too?
Cue the crickets.
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Horns up Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Wow – seems like you had the post all ready to go. The Perry Blog Team defending Gov. Goodhair against the farmers. Luddites….Really?!?!?!
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Anonymous Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:05 pm
“The…Republican Welfare Program (gimme but don’t charge me)…it’s all about handing people something for nothing.” And before you start sqwaking, Perry fan, the fact that you’ll sell it as that to the average voter but give all the money to your political supporters doesn’t make it any better.
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Gene Hall Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 8:47 am
Just a Farm Bureau Luddite here. Farm Bureau was NOT opposed to Farm to Market Roads. This is easily verifiable and makes you look like you didn’t check the facts. That’s the trouble with the Internet, something gets posted by someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about and then it’s treated like a fact. TFB and Dolph Briscoe, together, won the fight for FM roads.
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paulburka Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
The slogan of the Colson-Briscoe Act was “Get the Farmer out of the Mud.” The Farm Bureau was totally behind it. Then the farmer used the roads to move to the city.
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Joplin, TX says:
Agreed about their leadership being out of touch with their membership.
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Goober's Revenge says:
Sorry–I don’t have anything to do with the Perry campaign. I have, however, watched the nonsense of the Farm Bureau leadership up close for a number of years. No one ever seems to call them out on their antics.
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Anonymous Forever Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:03 pm
I’m sure you’re right. They must be holed up somewhere tonight trying to figure out what to do next.
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Goober's Revenge says:
I don’t get this statement from Anonymous at 8:05 p.m.: “… but give all the money to your political supporters doesn’t make it any better.” What does that mean?
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Anonymous Forever Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:29 pm
Goober, after that rant, I find it hard to believe you have to ask, “What does that mean”?
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Goober's Revenge Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 8:32 pm
Okay, if you can’t explain it, that’s cool.
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Anonymous Forever Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 9:09 pm
I take it to mean that Perry and his ilk offer “welfare for the rich,” by providing nice tax breaks to the country club set who fill up his campaign coffers with large donations. At least that’s what I take it to mean. Hope that helps ya.
Goober's Revenge Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Is there any evidence of a big company getting a tax break from any road program in the state? I haven’t seen any but if there is direct evidence I would really like to see it. I’ve heard the criticism before but have never seen any evidence. As far as the Senator is concerned, her husband and his law firm make some nice money off of toll road financing when it’s done by local governments. That’s simply a matter of public record.
Anonymous says:
The Farm Bureau opposed the Intestate Highway System. They opposed the Farm-to-Market road system. Some things never change. They’re more than a little short-sighted.
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Gene Hall Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 8:42 am
Farm Bureau opposed Farm-to-Market Roads? Where do these things come from? Texas Farm Bureau led the fight for these roads, working with then state Rep. Dolph Briscoe. Check your facts. This is bogus.
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Anonymous Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Tell that to Dolph Briscoe. So I guess by inference you are admitting the Farm bureau opposed the interstate highway system…. You know, the most important transportation infrastructure in our country and the backbone of our economic strength.
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Goober's Revenge Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 10:51 am
No Gene, you need to check your facts on the FM system. They opposed it. They also opposed the Interstate system. I can’t imagine how things would get from the farm to my plate without either of those.
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Gene Hall Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
On numerous occasions, in many venues, I’ve heard Gov. Briscoe thank TFB for helping him achieve FB roads. You’ll have to convince him otherwise to give any credibility to this entirely bogus statement. The endorsement that will be announced Monday was unanimous and came with recommendation of most County Farm Bureaus. For the record, Gov. Perry has received AGFUND endorsment in 4 state wide races. He thought it was peachy then. Interstate roads another issue. Early on, there was some oppostion from the national organization. That was half a century ago, man. We may have gotten that one wrong. But, like all TFB policies, it came from the grassroots, where all such policies originate, and from folks that had the most to lose via eminent domain.
Anonymous says:
Wow…a 10 paragraph retort, a reference to bailouts, Jim Dunnam and accusing the Farm Bureau of “antics.”
Me thinks one doth protesteth to mucheth…
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Goober's Revenge Reply:
October 3rd, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Technically it was 11.
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Anonymous says:
Is this really news? Perry has received every other trade group endorsement with little notice from the press. The Farm Bureau has shown it’s knack over the years of picking wrong in big races, which just shows how out of touch the boys in Waco are from their membership. This endorsement isn’t what it used to be. The realtors…. now that’s a good endorsement.
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Gene Hall Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 8:52 am
85 percent success rate for AGFUND. Including some big races. Can’t win all of them, I guess. No AGFUND endorsement is ever made without recommendation from leaders in the 207 organized County FBs. As for news, we’ll see what happens tomorrow.
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Anonymous Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 9:33 am
Big deal you pick right on state rep races. Whoop dee do! Let’s look at the most contested races of the past decade: 1998 farm bureau endorses John sharp for Lt gov = fail. 2002 endorse sharp again = fail. And as I recall in both instances, your membership was vocally against those choices.
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Gene Hall Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
Some controversy in 1998, but majority of membership was with Sharp. In 2002, another bogus “fact” that is easy to check. AGFUND endorsed Rick Perry in 2002 – and he won. Again in 2006. This is fact – I was there and I can show you the publicatons that announced it. It’s always easy to find a few members that oppose the choice. It’s a grassroots thing, alwasy. Check Harvey Kronberg’s story. He knows.
Anonymous Reply:
October 5th, 2009 at 9:32 am
Gene I can’t help it if you can’t read. I said farm bureau endorsed sharp in 2002 over Dewhurst.
Cow Droppings Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
90 percent of seats are safe. You are under-performing
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Anonymous Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Only if the goal is to pick the winner…which wouldn’t say much for an organization’s principles now, would it, CD? You really should work on your peripheral vision. The peep hole through which you see the world is awfully small.
paulburka says:
I have not reported endorsements up to this point because I don’t consider them to be news, and that will be my position in the future. As news goes, the Farm Bureau endorsing Rick Perry’s opponent is “dog bites man.” Perry is going to get most of the endorsements because he is the incumbent and trade associations go with the incumbent most of the time. The only reason that I did a post on the Farm Bureau endorsement is that I had picked up some information that was not generally known.
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Cow Droppings Reply:
October 4th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
Anon 1:56 I was refuting gene’s premise and not sharing it. Look for context before knee-jerk blathering
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ATTICUS says:
Goober has really nailed the Farm Bureau for what it is — a puppet group that’s more about insurance than farming with big bidness pulling the strings.
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Pauls other inbox (retired) says:
My God Paul, “man bites dog” the Farm Bureau staff have always disliked Perry cause he did not do their bidding at AG in the 1900’s When big insurance endorses a GOP US Senator which is what this the Texas farm bureau is just a huge insurance entity that’s not news. The farm bureau staff pushed for the TRAP bail out and how many farmers in Texas think that was a good idea! By the way TX Realtors® 160 member board voted for Perry unanimously.
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paulburka says:
Did you read my post? Or do you just not understand the use of “dog bites man?” To wit: It is commonplace, therefore not news. Then you go off on how the Farm Bureau has disliked Perry since he was at Agriculture. That was in my post too. Try reading before you engage in histrionics (”My God Paul”). Goes back to when the head of his beef marketing program was a vegetarian and the Farm Bureau wanted him to hire her. Your batting average for intelligent comments is falling fast.
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The Breakfast Klub, Houston says:
Rick Perry has a lot more endorsements than KBH does, that’s for sure.
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Anonymous says:
Interesting exchange on Meet the Press today — Mike Murphy, responding to E.J. Dionne, says Perry is going to win, but not because of his secession comments. I think I heard him also say that he was involved in the race…on Hutchison’s side!? Wow!
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Anonymous says:
Tomorrow’s Headline:
“Hutchison Gets Farm Bureau Endorsement One Day After Her Political Consultant Concedes Race to Perry”
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Brisoce Democrat Reply:
October 6th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
Anon, don’t forget that Gene Locke will NOT be the next Mayor of Houston next month because he fired a KBH supporter when she got sick.
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