The main effect of Hans Klingler’s hire is that it is yet another signal from the Hutchison camp that she is in the race for the long haul and no matter how mean it gets. Otherwise, it doesn’t move the needle. Staffers switch jobs all the time. The RPT is a dead end. The party is exceeded in its impotence only by the Democrats. Tina Benkiser’s effort to to become vice-chair of the Republican National Committee resulted in her defeat. Parties only mean something when the chairman is not some mere functionary who has been put into the job. Fred Meyer was the model of the perfect chairman–he had money, time, influence, and contacts. And he hired Karen Hughes. (Has anyone out there heard, as I have, that Hughes might be interested in running for chairman?) I have had only one dealing with Mr. Klingler. I tried to assure him that a press release he was about to disseminate–it concerned Texas Monthly–was false. He published it anyway. Well, let’s let bygone be bygones. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Statesman’s blog was the number of commenters who leaped to Perry’s defense with attacks on Klingler and/or Kay. Three samples: Kay’s going to need all the help she can get with the negative sides to her campaign stacking up from day to day. First, we had the milti billion dollar bailout, then she promised to resign from her senate seat (a lie), then there’s the fact that she’s one of the nations leaders in scandalous earmarking, not to mention her stance on abortion. The fact that she tries to run as a conservative is a joke and her voting record and policy stances prove it. Texans want no more of pay to play, business as usual politics. Kay’s leadership has already made a mess of things for our national economy. Heaven forbid we allow her to do the same things here. [Kingler’s] Working history with “deregulating king and Enron pillager” Phil Gramm and “your money is my money” Dewhurst is enough of a liability for any campaign. Texans don’t want to be held hostage to authoritarian power $$ grabbers. Hans hasn’t done much for the RPT. Look at all the races the R’s lost. The R’s lack a message. It’s PR during the presidential election was a mediocre bumper sticker. Doesn’t sound like KBH will be getting much. What I have seen in the responses to attacks on various state leaders in my blog, and now in the Statesman’s blog, is that more people rush to the defense of Perry than anyone else. No one ever rushes to the defense of Dewhurst. A few defended Craddick. I think that some of these responses must be coming directly from the Perry camp. Hey guys, we’re just lowly bloggers. Let it go.