Texas Megathread

[tmthforu94]

I don't necessarily have a problem with her story herself - personal lives should mostly stay out of politics. It's that she withheld the truth from the voters and tried to completely cast herself as the victim instead of owning up to her mistakes.

[badgate]

I don't necessarily have a problem with her story herself - personal lives should mostly stay out of politics. It's that she withheld the truth from the voters and tried to completely cast herself as the victim instead of owning up to her mistakes.

What specifically are you referring to when you say she "withheld the truth"?

[Indy Texas]

I don't necessarily have a problem with her story herself - personal lives should mostly stay out of politics. It's that she withheld the truth from the voters and tried to completely cast herself as the victim instead of owning up to her mistakes.

What mistakes? Marrying someone you later wish you didn't? You know how many Americans feel the same way?

[badgate]

^I assumed he meant the bio discrepancies there. Tmthforu is pretty much always a respectful poster so I doubt he was inferring something like not giving her ex-husband a shout out in every stump speech as a "mistake"

[TX Conservative Dem]

The point is that Abbott has won 5 statewide elections while Davis' experience is light.

[tmthforu94]

^I assumed he meant the bio discrepancies there. Tmthforu is pretty much always a respectful poster so I doubt he was inferring something like not giving her ex-husband a shout out in every stump speech as a "mistake"

You are correct - I don't think it's something that people should hold against her when running for office, but I don't think it necessarily looks good when some of the "weaknesses" in her bio were conveniently left out to paint a better picture of her.

Something should be stated though about her supporters mocking Abbott for being wheelchair bound - I felt pretty disgusted watching that video. Her campaign needs to be flawless to win in November, and so far, it's anything but. "Stand with Wendy" as the campaign slogan was poorly thought out, also.

[TX Conservative Dem]

Abbott was just on Megyn Kelly's show, "The Kelly File" on Fox News

[Skill and Chance]

The real problems for her are the mounting wheelchair gaffes.  That is Coakley level.  You don't tell your opponent that they don't understand struggle when they have been wheelchair-bound since age 26.  Why is she trying to look like more of a victim than someone who is paralyzed?  That's disgusting!  It's the kind of thing that could make a Republican in Texas lose.

[Beet]

The real problems for her are the mounting wheelchair gaffes.  That is Coakley level.  You don't tell your opponent that they don't understand struggle when they have been wheelchair-bound since age 26.  Why is she trying to look like more of a victim than someone who is paralyzed?  That's disgusting!  It's the kind of thing that could make a Republican in Texas lose.

She didn't say he doesn't "understand struggle", she said "his desperate attacks" prove he doesn't understand "these Texas stories of struggle." She was clearly referring to her own struggles. Granted Abbott understands personal struggle as a general thing very well but that doesn't mean he understands every kind of struggle there is. This sounds like a deliberate twisting of her words to fit the Abbott campaign pre determined narrative of where they want the convo to go... Namely, his disability.

The O'Keefes of the world will always be able to find dumb volunteers; no matter how good your people are, volunteers are by nature undisciplined. It has nothing to do with the candidate herself.

As for the bio, who cares? Story X doesn't seem materially different from Story Y, except perhaps the 19 thing, but I don't know enough about her life to say how accurate it was.

[badgate]

^I assumed he meant the bio discrepancies there. Tmthforu is pretty much always a respectful poster so I doubt he was inferring something like not giving her ex-husband a shout out in every stump speech as a "mistake"

You are correct - I don't think it's something that people should hold against her when running for office, but I don't think it necessarily looks good when some of the "weaknesses" in her bio were conveniently left out to paint a better picture of her.

Something should be stated though about her supporters mocking Abbott for being wheelchair bound - I felt pretty disgusted watching that video. Her campaign needs to be flawless to win in November, and so far, it's anything but. "Stand with Wendy" as the campaign slogan was poorly thought out, also.

It should be noted the slogan "Stand With Wendy" is from June, and was the Twitter slogan (aka "hashtag") surrounding her filibuster. Her gubernatorial campaign has never embraced that slogan. If we're going to parse every moment of Wendy Davis' life let's not let ourselves generalize when it suits the narrative we prefer.

I really do want to know if you can specifically point to something to back up your "withheld the truth" claim. Highlighting certain periods in her life is one thing, but I don't believe that in any of this bio debacle that there has been something where she legitimately "withheld the truth."

[SteveRogers]

^I assumed he meant the bio discrepancies there. Tmthforu is pretty much always a respectful poster so I doubt he was inferring something like not giving her ex-husband a shout out in every stump speech as a "mistake"

You are correct - I don't think it's something that people should hold against her when running for office, but I don't think it necessarily looks good when some of the "weaknesses" in her bio were conveniently left out to paint a better picture of her.

Something should be stated though about her supporters mocking Abbott for being wheelchair bound - I felt pretty disgusted watching that video. Her campaign needs to be flawless to win in November, and so far, it's anything but. "Stand with Wendy" as the campaign slogan was poorly thought out, also.

It should be noted the slogan "Stand With Wendy" is from June, and was the Twitter slogan (aka "hashtag") surrounding her filibuster. Her gubernatorial campaign has never embraced that slogan. If we're going to parse every moment of Wendy Davis' life let's not let ourselves generalize when it suits the narrative we prefer.

I really do want to know if you can specifically point to something to back up your "withheld the truth" claim. Highlighting certain periods in her life is one thing, but I don't believe that in any of this bio debacle that there has been something where she legitimately "withheld the truth."

THIS. She really was a young single mother. She really did graduate from Harvard Law. Where did she withhold the truth???

[Indy Texas]

^I assumed he meant the bio discrepancies there. Tmthforu is pretty much always a respectful poster so I doubt he was inferring something like not giving her ex-husband a shout out in every stump speech as a "mistake"

You are correct - I don't think it's something that people should hold against her when running for office, but I don't think it necessarily looks good when some of the "weaknesses" in her bio were conveniently left out to paint a better picture of her.

Something should be stated though about her supporters mocking Abbott for being wheelchair bound - I felt pretty disgusted watching that video. Her campaign needs to be flawless to win in November, and so far, it's anything but. "Stand with Wendy" as the campaign slogan was poorly thought out, also.

I don't see anything "wrong" about her saying she was 19 when she divorced when she was 21. She separated from him when she was 19 and was 21 by the time everything was finalized by the courts. That's how most people speak of marriage - they pinpoint the separation as the "end" of their marriage when speaking informally and outside a court of law. The marriage was effectively over when they separated - that is when she was "on her own" and that is what is relevant to a personal narrative.

I didn't see Abbott being "mocked" in the video. The fact that he is paraplegic was mentioned as a potential negative to his campaign and the fact is that it is a negative - not from a character standpoint but from a simple optics/logistics standpoint. It limits photo ops; he can never be seen standing behind a podium or dais looking authoritative; his range of motion is limited, making it hard to express himself with body language in public. He will always appear smaller than whoever he is with unless they are also seated. It looks terrible to see a photograph where a supporter is bending down to shake his hand while he looks up at them. I'm sorry if that sound shallow or petty but what about political campaigns isn't shallow or petty?

And as for his accident, yes, I will go there and I see no reason it shouldn't be fair game. This is a man who is very wealthy today because he got a very big legal settlement years ago that a Texan in his position could not receive today because of tort reform and that Greg Abbott does not want other Texans to be able to receive. Franklin Roosevelt's physical handicaps and his struggles to lead a normal life helped him to empathize with the millions of Americans who were simply struggling to feed and shelter their families during his early presidency.

Greg Abbott doesn't seem to have learned from his experience at all. He was a victim of bad luck and yet he prefers, like most of his party, to believe that there is no such thing as bad luck, that we all control every aspect of our lives and that if someone is poor or unemployed or sick, it is all their fault, they must be lazy or unmotivated and they are undeserving of help.

[smoltchanov]

Well, Texas this year disappoints me)) Out of myriad races - very few potentially interesting and competitive. Out of 36 for House - at most 1 (Gallego), and may be - zero. Boring!))))

[TX Conservative Dem]

Folks think Abbott will be Perry's 4th term and pick up where he left off

[TX Conservative Dem]

You and I know Wayne Slater will never be invited by liberal news networks again after he published the scoop on Davis' lies.

[Gass3268]

You and I know Wayne Slater will never be invited by liberal news networks again after he published the scoop on Davis' lies.

Yes he will...

[badgate]

Dem pundit Jason Stanford had a Q&A today with the DMN journalist Wayne Slater. Good read, though Slater dodges honest answers if you ask me.

http://jasonstanford.org/?p=408

[DrScholl]

The real problems for her are the mounting wheelchair gaffes.  That is Coakley level.  You don't tell your opponent that they don't understand struggle when they have been wheelchair-bound since age 26.  Why is she trying to look like more of a victim than someone who is paralyzed?  That's disgusting!  It's the kind of thing that could make a Republican in Texas lose.

What is with the victim thing? I didn't think elections were supposed to be about who is the bigger victim. I don't see any gaffes at all, her statements are about his positions on policy, which are not very down to earth when it comes to everyday people. I'm not seeing where Davis was trying to make herself a victim, but it seems as if Abbott is headed in that direction. In politics, you can't expect to not be criticized just because of a disability.

[Indy Texas]

State Rep. Sarah Davis (R-Houston) has been endorsed by the LGBT group Equality Texas, making her the first Republican ever to receive the group's endorsement.

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Davis is being challenged in the GOP primary for her seat by conservative activist Bonnie Parker (yes, that is her real name) who disagrees with the incumbent's views on abortion and LGBT issues.

[Chancellor Tanterterg]

This "controversy" reminds me of how some Republicans acted like Elizabeth Warren not having Native-American ancestry was the worst scandal since Watergate.  Davis is going to lose, but not because of the bio stuff, which I doubt will determine anyone's vote.  She'll lose because she is a poor fit for the state and because she's facing a strong opponent in a state where the Republican has to do everything wrong and the Democrat has to do everything right in order for the latter to have a shot at winning statewide (and even then it is far from a given).

[badgate]

Greg Abbot spoke at a Pro-Life rally in Austin today.

Texas Tribune - Abbott: Davis Wants "Late-Term Abortion on Demand"

http://www.texastribune.org/2014/01/25/abbott-and-davis-spar-roe-anniverary/


Thank you Mr. Abbott for changing the conversation, taking a false and extreme claim, and giving Davis an opening.

[badgate]

The McAllen Monitor calling on the Dem Party to raise Van De Putte's profile in the election - http://www.themonitor.com/opinion/columnists/carlos_sanchez/article_684cdca2-8557-11e3-97b4-001a4bcf6878.html


POLITICO profiles George P. Bush
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/01/george-p-bush-texas-the-next-george-bush-102619.html#.UuXBBnl6iia

POLITICO also has what I think is the best piece on Davis:
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/01/wendy-davis-the-most-judged-woman-in-america-102598.html?hp=t1#.UuXCR3l6iiZ

[Indy Texas]

Texas Republican Lieutenant Governor's Debate Livestreaming on YouTube

Dewhurst vs. Patrick vs. Patterson vs. Staples


8:06 PM -- Candidates vie to determine who loves fetuses more.

8:07 PM -- Jerry Patterson tries to channel Mitt Romney, pivoting from "When you're dead, you're dead" to "We must protect life" in the same response.

8:09 PM -- Dan Patrick, if you talk about the need to secure the border and cite the millions of illegal aliens who have been apprehended, doesn't that suggest the border is already pretty secure?

8:14 PM -- Whose idea was it to have everyone answer the same question twice? Asking a politician to be "more specific" is a futile effort.

8:16 PM -- Todd Staples, it's never a good sign when the moderator forgets you're there.

8:17 PM -- Dewhurst's nose grew two inches when he called himself a "strong conservative leader."

8:24 PM -- Todd Staples: Two thirds filibuster rule worked well when my party was the minority and now that we're the majority it doesn't. (paraphrasing)

8:26 PM -- Jerry Patterson on how he's about to starve to death on his $120K/yr salary.

8:27 PM -- Patterson is the "Second Amendment" candidate and is daring his opponents to try to get to his right on that issue.

8:29 PM -- Staples: "We need to care for mothers" who we are going to force to have babies instead of an abortion. Commie...

8:30 PM -- Patterson: no abortion exception for rape or incest

8:31 PM -- Patrick: need an exception for life of mother but a good mother will die so her baby can live. Whaaaaa.....?

8:32 PM -- David Dewhurst wants to make it clear that unlike Senator Patrick he will not peer pressure a woman into unnecessarily dying in childbirth.

8:34 PM -- Moderator: Money for poor women and their babies? Patrick: "Absolutely."

8:37 PM -- Marijuana Decriminalization? Dewhurst says no. Staples says no. Patrick says no ("We're not going to go the way of Colorado.") Patterson says no, but open to medicinal use.

8:40 PM -- Dewhurst and Patrick are still bickering about the infamous 2013 abortion bill and ignoring the moderator questions.

8:41 PM -- Medical marijuana? Dewhurst says no. Staples says no. Patrick says no, complains about how dang hippies are ruining Colorado for everybody, and goes there yet again on Dewhurst and the abortion bill. Patterson says yes - "I see nothing wrong with it."

8:43 PM -- Patterson: Creationism (but probably not in science class), Intelligent Design and Evolution should all be taught in school.

8:44 PM -- Todd Staples will not apologize for being a Christian. "Our children need to be exposed to [creationism]." Randomly hits Dewhurst on having personal security detail.

8:45 PM -- Dan Patrick: children will be "confused" if they only hear about creationism in church an don't get to hear about it in school too. "Not only should it be taught...it should be heralded!"

8:46 PM -- Dewhurst: Believes in creationism but thinks kids should be taught about evolution and ID in schools also.

8:47 PM -- Patterson thinks children should learn about different religions in school. (SHARIA LAW OMG WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?)

8:48 PM -- Staples brings up Dewhurst's loss to Cruz in 2012, compares him to Charlie Crist.

8:50 PM -- Term limits for statewide offices? Patrick says yes (2 terms). Dewhurst only wants them if legislators get them too. Staples and Patterson say yes.

8:52 PM -- Dewhurst: "I'm severely an unashamed conservative."

8:55 PM -- Patrick: "The Establishment doesn't want me elected."

[TX Conservative Dem]

Dewhurst will win the runoff over 3-term Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson (R) in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor, as Dewhurst is campaigning for a 4th term.

Recent polls have Dewhurst leading by double digits, but not enough in getting the 50%

[badgate]

Thanks for the run down, Indy. Missed the debate while I was at work but from what it sounds like, Leticia Van De Putte came away from the debate the clear winner.


Dallas Morning News - Is Greg Abbott Sponsoring a Super Bowl Pool? You Bet!
http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2014/01/is-greg-abbott-sponsoring-a-super-bowl-pool-you-bet.html/