http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/4868648.htmlThe GOP loves to bash "frivolous lawsuits" and relishes the chance to turn trial attorneys into political punching bags. Once in office, these GOP candidates score easy points with middle class voters on tort reform, an issue which is a key tenet of Karl Rove's strategy to shrink the Democratic fundraising base. A prime example of the success of this strategy is Texas, a state now entirely controlled by the GOP.
BusinessWeek recently ran an article about Texas trial lawyers who have been so stymied by recent tort reform legislation that they've now signed up to defend the corporations they once admonished. The remaining Texas trial lawyers are harder to find than a South Dakota rancher who likes black tailed prairie dogs.
One of the hardy few trial lawyers is Mikal Watts, a 30 something balding lawyer who more closely resembles a bespectacled technocrat than a menacing attorney. Whether or not his wealth will allow him to compete with Sen. John Cornyn, a fundamental unremarkable Senator who thrives on his party affiliation alone, is questionable especially in a Presidential year like 2008. The last competitive Southern Senate seats in a Presidential election year went in favor of the Republicans by a score of 5 seats to 0.
Watts candidacy hinges on his ability to reach out to Texas's burgeoning minority population (like Hubert Vo did in 2004) and his views on the issues. If Watts can run as a 1998 version of John Edwards with a splash of Brad Ellsworth macho Democrat splashed in, he may have a chance.
