The Houston Chronicle this morning endorsed Carole Keeton Strayhorn for governor. Editorial endorsements don’t carry the weight that they once did, and the Chronicle tends to be viewed by Republicans as a liberal paper, but they do carry some weight, particularly when they are unpredictable. (The sun would fail to rise if the Dallas Morning News did not endorse Perry.) Perhaps their greatest influence these days is when they are used as props for TV spots, which this one surely will be.
Here is the salient paragraph: “Gov. Rick Perry has missed his chance to make the kind of changes Texas needs. The other two candidates have not shown the kind of vision and leadership to do any better. The Chronicle believes only Carole Keeton Strayhorn has the experience and savvy to win election to the governorship and then use the office to improve public education and change the course of Texas for the better.”
This was the LAST paragraph in a long editorial about Texas’s shortcomings. Can’t these guys write? It should have been the FIRST paragraph. This is the only time Perry’s name is mentioned in the entire piece. Reading the editorial was like watching one of those grating Strayhorn commercials in which she says she wants to shake “Austin” up, as if some nameless establishment were the problem instead of Rick Perry. The Chronicle soberly notes, “The state is failing…,” “Texas officials have not acted…,” “Texas badly needs to change….” Rick Perry has appointed virtually every member of every state agency board and commission in this state, and filled every court vacancy. (A few appointments belong to the lieutenant governor and the speaker.) “Texas officials” are the governor’s officials. If “Texas” badly needs to change, the governor is the person who is supposed to change it. If you think Rick Perry is the problem, say so.
