Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Corny Hearts Watt$

I have a theory that I’d like to unfold for you here. I think that of the two Democratic candidates for US Senator from Texas, the two who have filed papers with the FEC, the junior Republican Senator from Texas, John “Corny” Cornyn would much prefer to run against Mikal Watt$ in November.

The idea started gelling as I watched Karl Rove go on three, count ‘em three Sunday news programs and turn questions about who among the Democrats will be the nominee into a deluxe version of Hillary bashing. He wouldn’t say “Boo” about 2nd in the polls Barack Obama. And it dawned on me why he was doing this: Rove, and nearly every Republican I have talked to about this, very much wants the Democratic nominee to be Hillary Clinton, because he thinks she among the field of 8 candidates, is beatable.

Likewise, Corny thinks that Watt$ is beatable.

The Republican hand that will be played if Watt$ is the nominee is the rich-liberal-trial-lawyer-who-drives-up-insurance-rates hand. Republicans just love that play. They’d rather deflect from the issues and go on personal attacks and assaults on personal integrity.

Mainly because on the issues, Republicans are universally holding the short straw.

But don’t just take my word for it. Republican Party of Texas state chair Tina Benkiser just sent out a letter to the party faithful (I didn’t get one) that was excerpted on the Chron Blog.

Benkiser writes:

"When it comes to trial lawyers, what you don't know will hurt you. Take, for instance, Democrat trial lawyer Mikal Watts, who's recently announced his Campaign to defeat our great friend, United States Senator John Cornyn."

"Mikal Watts may be unfamiliar to you now -- but as a liberal trial lawyer who has already spent more than $4 million of his personal fortune on his campaign -- his record proves he's not afraid to go into attack mode, and do or spend whatever it takes to win."

"Consider this:"

"Watts sued one of the world's largest automakers for millions of dollars, claiming that its product had caused serious injuries to occupants of the vehicle." "But when the facts of the case came to light -- Watts' clients had been driving from California to Texas, taking drugs all along the way -- Watts had to move for a mistrial! (source: http://www.overlawyered.com/)"

"I'm sure you'll agree the last thing Texas and America needs is another liberal trial lawyer -- armed with flimsy facts and skilled in telling half-truths -- in the U.S. Senate."

See what I mean? This is going to be the play and the Republicans are so enthralled with it that they came out months and months before the primary to give Mikal Watt$ lots and lots of press. Didn’t see Rick Noriega mentioned once, did you?

Corny will never mention Rick Noriega, mark my words. He will promote the candidacy of Mikal Watt$ because he has all the right negatives that are super big red buttons that Republicans push to get you to vote for their candidate.

In the months running up to the primary, you are going to see two groups of people putting Mikal Watt$’ name in front of the voters, the Watts Campaign Committee and the Cornyn Campaign Committee.

Cornyn is toast in a run against Rick Noriega. While a progressive Democrat, Rick Noriega has wide bipartisan appeal. I mentioned here that a Republican Hispanics for Noriega group has formed. Even Bob “Swift Boat” Perry is taken with Rick’s many fine qualities despite the fact that they probably disagree on many issues. Cornyn can’t attack Rick in the same terms as he can Watt$. It’s almost sad. His campaign will have to come up with out-and-out falsehoods and truth-stretching on Rick that will make them look very bad in today’s climate.

Want to tell the Repulicans that we Democrats are perfectly able to decide for ourselves who we want to run in our senatorial primary? Go and get your wallet and take out that credit card and drop a few bucks in Rick Noriega’s ActBlue website. They’re trying to get those numbers up to 20 large in two days. As I type this they have a goal to raise just under $8000 on that site in the next two days. You go be one of those that gets this done.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Oh Hal of the most clearest of crystal balls,

You are absolutely correct.

But Tina, Tina, Tina. The irony of your words:
"...not afraid to go into attack mode..."
"...do or spend whatever it takes to win."
"...armed with flimsy facts..."
"...skilled in telling half-truths -- in the U.S. Senate."

Like there has never been a REPUBLICAN guilty of any of these? You've never seen DeLay bribe fellow US representatives with cash on the House floor? Let's see...flimsy facts...just why was it exactly why we went to war in Iraq? Does the term WMD ring a bell?

I wasn't raised a rebel-rousing, Bible-thumping, singing Hallelujah, proselytizing, in-your-face-Christian, and even I know the lesson about casting stones that you must have slept through the many times it was presented to you. Hmmm, selective memory, just like my kids when they were toddlers and my dog who refuses to be house-trained.

People, vote for brains, integrity, honesty, loyalty, patriotism, love of God, family and fellow people. He's just good to his bones and born and raised in a family that is also. He had the foresight to marry in to a family that's also of pure goodness.

Vote for Rick Noriega and help us spread the word that although you can't buy these things, it does take money to spread the message and fight those who bear false witness against our guy.