The campaign to drive Hutchison out of the race has begun
This undated letter from former state party chairman George Strake Jr. was forwarded to me by a Perry loyalist.
Dear Friend,
As someone who helped build our Republican Majority in Texas since the days Democrats dominated every statewide office and both houses of the legislature, and as someone who has supported Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison’s four campaigns for the U.S. Senate, I write to you today with great concern about the damage that is about to be done when our Republican Governor and Republican U.S. Senator collide in what will be a bloody primary, AND the blood will be all Republican.
As of today we have 39 Republican U.S. Senate seats. We need 40 in order to sustain a filibuster. When Senator Hutchison vacates her Senate seat we could well lose this Texas Senate seat to the Democrats, thus dropping our number to 38. Also important to note is the fact that if Senator Hutchison vacates her seat, Senator Olympia Snowe, a liberal from Maine, will be in line to become Ranking Member of the powerful Commerce Committee in the US Senate. She will not be an advocate for Texas businesses – which could be detrimental when the Senate takes up carbon cap and trade legislation that harms Texas the most.
We took a terrible beating in the 2008 national elections but we have a chance of picking up gains across the board in 2010 if we do not destroy ourselves in bloody and expensive primaries. By Senator Hutchison vacating her U.S. Senate seat and running in the gubernatorial primary, she jeopardizes the Republican Majority, taking needed funds from local races in an election year that will determine who writes congressional and legislative district lines. This election year is critical to us as Texas Republicans. Now is the time for patriotism and unity. The future of our nation is at risk. We need to come together as Republicans and deliver a clear message to our fellow Texans that we are a united party, united in opposition to the radical liberalism of Obama, Pelosi and the Democratic Party.
If we do not destroy ourselves, we can take advantage of Obama’s falling approval numbers brought about by massive debt, record deficits and boondoggle bailouts. You can serve your country by making a strong plea to Senator Hutchison to remain in her Senate seat and pulling together as a team of quality Republican candidates. I support Governor Rick Perry for re-election and would ask, for the sake of the party, that you do the same.
* * * *
Maybe George Strake did this on his own, but I suspect that it will not be the only such letter that is sent out, and that the Perry campaign is about to put on a full-court press for “strong pleas” to Senator Hutchison to get out of the race. Perry has said before that he wasn’t convinced that he would have an opponent. This is a smart time to make this move, with the filing period coming up in a couple of weeks and with Hutchison lagging in the polls. Depending upon how many letters the Perry campaign can gin up, it could work.
What do you think the odds are that Hutchison will run? I’d make it 65-35.
Tagged: george strake, kay bailey hutchison, republican primary, rick perry.
Harry Doghiney (D-TX) says:
I make it 65-35 against.
And she’ll resign from the Senate and retire from public life after the Democrats increase their Senate majority in the 2010 election. It’s no fun going to a caucus meeting alone.
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Anonymous Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Harry may be a dog hiney, but he’s right on this call! Even the TFRW ladies are disgusted. She’s toast and she knows it. Perry is doing her a favor by giving her a graceful way out. . . “I sacrificed (again, btw), all for the good of my beloved Texas and the Party.”
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Rog says:
Perry should bring in Palin to give KBH tips on how to quit early.
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Fiftycal Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
HAR, HAR, HAR. You funny. Maybe you could get Obammy to come down and tell us about writing a health care plan. Or about how to issue a directive on “rationing” (changing breast xray protocol) and then backpedaling ASAFP the next day.
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Bart Simpson says:
I got the same “undated” letter about three weeks ago. But it is dated October 26, 2009.
Question: were you furnished an original copy of the “undated” letter, or did your Perry source feed you a doctored version, with the date removed, to make it appear this was newsworthy?
So you know, the Strake letter went out to a big list, and didn’t even make a ripple in the pond. It’s not surprising that the Perry camp is now making an effort to get some traction for it by “leaking” it to you as “news.”
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paulburka Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 4:21 pm
My copy was sent by e-mail. If I had had it earlier, I would have published it earlier.
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paulburka Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
It wasn’t sent by the Perry campaign. It was sent by a friend of Rick’s who was as unaware of its history as I was. Today was the first time he, or I, had seen it.
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Anonymous Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 5:06 pm
The Strake letter went out and a couple of weeks later, Wayne Slater reports that KBH started taking polls of her donors about whether she should resign? I’d say the letter not only made a ripple, it was a tsumani.
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Go Bears! says:
Don’t you need 41 to maintain a filibuster?
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paulburka Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
The majority needs 60, the minority needs 41.
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Nachtwarheight says:
If he is so intent on having a strong Republican in Washington.. why doesn’t he just appoint himself to the the seat when she resigns. That way everyone would be happy.
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BIGMACTEX says:
Now if we could just get former state GOP chairmen and women to write a similar letter encouraging Perry to step aside for the good of Texas. We desperately need new leadership in the statehouse. If Hutchison stays in the Senate, we need a viable alternative to Perry.
A pox on them both for putting Republicans in this quandary.
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Briscoe Democrat Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
BigMacTex,
Perry has made it clear he’s RUNNING for reelection and will likely win the primary based on recent polling having him ahead by double-digits.
http://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=309125
In the Houston Mayor’s race, they’ve even got City Controller Annise Parker (D) way ahead by 13 points over former city attorney Gene Locke (D) in the upcoming Dec. 12th runoff.
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Briscoe Democrat says:
Once Perry wins the primary, I expect KBH to resign her Senate seat on March 3rd and disappear FOREVER.
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Anonymous Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
from your lips to God’s ears. . .
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Soothsayer says:
She can’t withdraw because she would be permanently disgraced if she did. After all her waffling in past election cycles, she’s made too many specific, definitive promises to run in this election cycle – to friends, donors, voters, other elected officials – that any decision by her to the contrary will be personally and permanently disgraceful.
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Aqua Net says:
Two thoughts.
1) If Perry is as far ahead of KBH as everyone thinks why is he constantly attacking her? Pushovers don’t get attacked – threats do. This is a tough race for Perry and he knows it.
2) Team Perry’s Strake letter makes the case for KBH to stay in the Senate and keep doing a good job in Warshington. With one hand Perry attacks her for being in DC and with the other hand team Perry applauds her DC work and urges her to stay there. Perry is disingenuous to the CORPS and this exposes what he knows to be true – he is in for a fight and he has to fight any which way he can.
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John says:
90-10 she stays in the race. 95-5 says she resigns her seat after the primary regardless of what happens.
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paulburka Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
100-0
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Anonymous says:
Judging from the comments this posting has received, I’d say this has hit a nerve with Team Kay.
(P.S. Team Kay, using your own “logic,” you’re acknoweldging Kay is losing due to the nothing-but-attacks she is launched in this campaign. Not one new idea. Just attacks.)
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Briscoe Democrat says:
Burka, according to CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, President Obama is not even sure whether he’ll seek reelection to a 2nd term in 2012 IF the economy continues to implode.
PS: Perry is more likely to WIN the primary due to having an itch for successful negative attack ads (which he is a seasoned pro at) for years and years.
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WUSRPH says:
Perry is attacking her because attacking is what Perry does. Building, No. Compromising, No. Inovating, No. But Attacking, YES!
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grain of salt says:
100-0, Paul?
4 years ago, she was 100% running…then 50%…then 0%
2 months ago, she was 100% resigning…then 50%…now who knows.
Can’t trust what she’s saying about that. She’ll do whatever she feels like…nevermind the TX GOP and candidates suffering
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Grain of Pepper Reply:
November 18th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
4 yrs ago—-agreed.
2 months ago—-I disagree.
The only Texas candidates “suffering” are those whose ambitions outstrip their desire to truly serve the people of Texas.
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Courtney Robertson says:
It really doesn’t matter what pressure people try to put on the Senator. She is at the top of the political heap for a reason: she knows what she is doing, she has lead Texas for years, and–despite what people who can only dream of achieving what she has say–she is not losing this race. It’s up for grabs. And Perry is really not that popular, except with some–some–Republicans. Ask around. Ask your friends. People like Kay more. This race is close.
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Greg Abbott Fan Club President says:
Team Kay is in Kay-os according to a friend who works there. Sullivan is clueless about Texas. Norfleet is calling his old boss daily for help. Hans was Hans at a lunch today — still bumbling. They are all upset that Perry and his team has beat them to every punch. Kay, Ray and Jim Francis are spinning mad at everyone on that team. She has had supporters say no thanks to requests for more help and they are bugging donors for more and more money from the same people. They had to do the robocall to prove she was definitely, for sure, certain, without-a-doubt, in the race. And not radio has to run? Those well paid consultants and staff over there will be lucky to get on another campaign after the way they have destroyed this one.
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Anon. says:
Anyone else notice that Strake has a little math problem, in that there are 40 Republican US Senators, not 39?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Conference_of_the_United_States_Senate
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TX Accountant says:
Kay Bailey Hutchison is toast. 65% chance she stays in sounds right, but I could see that becoming 50/50 if more bad polls come out for her.
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Jamie says:
KBH’s campaign staffers are mostly from out of state, so they probably won’t face the kind of ramifications they ought to for messing this up so badly for her. They’ll just go back to DC.
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Briscoe Democrat Reply:
November 19th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Jamie, Perry is a very AGGRESSIVE campaigner and he’ll win because he’s going to talk about the good things economically in the state like more people moving to the Lone Star State at a record pace each and everyday.
Look how Arnold managed to win reelection in CA back in 2006 despite s*** approval ratings.
‘
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