KBH and the Wise Latina
I’m with Carl Leubsdorf, who wrote in the Dallas Morning News a few days ago that Kay Bailey Hutchison has a tough call to make when it comes time to vote on Sonia Sotomayor’s Supreme Court nomination.
Running for governor means every Senate vote carries potential political impact, especially since she could face two very different groups of Texas voters.
If she supports Sotomayor, that would become an issue in the GOP primary against Gov. Rick Perry, with most of that electorate likely to be white conservatives.
If she votes against confirmation and wins the primary, it could become an issue for the far more diverse electorate in November 2010.
This is why she should have already bolted the Senate — not getting into these kind of predicaments is worth whatever price she would have paid for being called a quitter — though Rick Perry’s resurgence in the polls, and his shoring up of the conservative base, is proof enough. I’m not with Burka, who has always believed that Kay could decide, in the end, not to run. I think she’s definitely running. But waiting this long to come home and take on the governor toe to toe, minute to minute, is costing her plenty. I do wonder if waiting until early October, as the latest rumors suggest, gives her enough time to change the increasingly pervasive conventional wisdom, which is that she’s in trouble.
Prince Royal says:
It is a double edged sword. If she leaves now, HUGE advantage for Bill White in the special election as it would trigger a November election date since Houston has a November election and the rest of the state pretty much doesn’t, making the place where White has a 80%+ approval rating comprise 40% of the vote that day. That would anger GOPers big time.
I also think Kay is nervous about her fundraising if she is NOT in an elected position.
But I think her greatest reason not to quit is she doesn’t want to join the No Mas Club of Sarah Palin and Evan Smith.
I kid because I love.
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Kristi Schiller says:
She should do the right thing – STAY IN DC IN HER SEAT WHERE SHE HAS THE POWER
She should also vote in Sotomayor — I personally think the Latina would be a great asset
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Texas Democrat Reply:
July 20th, 2009 at 12:42 pm
Didn’t Cornyn say that KBH will resign her Senate seat this September to focus on the governor’s race ?
I’m going out on a limb and predicting KBH will vote for Sotomayor, who is all but certain to be on the Supreme Court.
Perry and Co., are going to hammer KBH very hard and very ugly, hence why the governor has won 5 statewide elections for a reason: he’s a cold-face backstabbing campaigner who will do anything to get reelected (ala Curtis Taylor Jr., on Dreamgirls).
Just ask Jim Hightower, John Sharp (who should have prevented all of this by winning the LG’s gig in ‘98), Tony Sanchez, Chris Bell and Strayhorn, etc.,
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Bishop Two Two says:
Omigod, Back in your cage Texas Democrat, back in your cage!!!
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Texas Democrat Reply:
July 20th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Bishop, you’re an IDIOT and I’m not crazy.
You need to go back where you came from BOY.
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Bishop Two Two says:
I’m Episcopal. I could be a GIRL.
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Texas Democrat Reply:
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:55 am
VIVA PERRY 2010, let’s keep the good times going for 14 years until January 20, 2015.
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Reality Bites says:
Back on your medication Texas Democrat! Nurse, who has the shock collar?
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Texas Democrat says:
VIVA PERRY 2010.
Reality Bites, you are a WHITE CRACKER who needs to go back to your white supremacist club and stay there.
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Alan says:
I think she should bite the bullet and vote for Sotomayor. There are other moderate-conservatives who’ve already pledged their votes for her (Dick Lugar, Lindsey Graham).
The fallout for her in the GOP primary will probably not be as bad as many think; it’s seven months away and by that time Sonia will have long been settled into her spot on the SCOTUS. And if the Dems can’t produce anyone worth showing up to vote for (seriously, John Sharp?) most independents and some Dems will probably just vote in the Republican primary (for Kay).
The Sotomayor vote will matter even less in the general election, mainly because it has nothing to do with being Governor of Texas (Perry certainly can’t say: “Keep me in the Governor’s Mansion and I will vote against any and all activist Supreme Court judges!”). Hutchison has done better among Hispanics than most Republicans (in 2006, she carried a few mainly Hispanic counties that voted Democratic for Governor and other offices).
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Texas Democrat Reply:
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:17 pm
KBH also won 26 percent of the African American vote back in 2006, but Perry will rally the hard-core Right-Wing Evangelical Christians, who are likely to come out in massive droves for him in the primary.
I still see him winning the primary when all is said and done.
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Reality Bites says:
Well my Black Mother and my Cuban Father would certainly be surprised that I’m called a ‘White Cracker.’ Maybe a whole grain saltine…
If that doesn’t confirm that Texas Democrat is looney tunes, then the claim that any Republican got 26 percent of the ‘brotha’ vote in 2006 shows that Texas Democrat has clearly departed from the real world – assuming they were ever really part of it to begin with.
Back to the electro shock therapy room, Texas Democrat, back, back you go.
Nurse, fire up the electrodes!
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Texas Democrat Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Reality Bites, I will NOT go away from this site anytime soon.
You are a racist who hates me because I’m of Argentine descent who despises you Cuban BASTARDS.
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Reality Bites says:
Look for my new book entitled “Texas Democrat: A Blog Commenters slide into racist psychotic delusions at the State Mental Hospital.”
I’ll be signing copies at Barnes & Noble this fall.
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Texas Democrat Reply:
July 27th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
Reality, I dare YOU to tell the media about it, sonny boy.
VIVA PERRY.
PS: I plan on killing myself, so see ya.
BANG.
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Texas Monthly Talker says:
Suicide threats? What did we tell ya folks – that Texas Democrat – Patsy Cline Crazy.
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BREAKING Reply:
July 28th, 2009 at 4:58 pm
A friend of mine who lives in the Miami, FL area told me that Texas Democrat’s ex-girlfriend found out he broke lose from the mental hospital and tried to rape her, but she shot him five times dead.
His family plans to fly his body back to Seattle, WA for burial once the autopsy is completed.
Sad.
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cow droppings says:
so evan is moving on to a venture that leverages the Internet to change the delivery of news, but it has taken him more than a week to post about his new gig in the new medium?
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BREAKING says:
Sad news, Texas Democrat was found dead in an apparent murder-suicide in Miami, Florida.
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Texas Monthly Talker says:
Since Texas Democrat was of Argentine descent, did his ex-girlfriend/killer think she was Eva Peron reincarnated?
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paul burka says:
No, Evan, I do not think that Kay might not run. (Feel free to edit the double negative.) I do think she should stay in the Senate, as you may have read in Burkablog, in case you still read it. She can cast a lot of no votes against bills Republicans hate. She can be on national television opposing these bills. I think it’s a mistake to resign.
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