Despite some commentators and bloggers saying that the race for Governor is decided, in fact it's not, it's just beginning. What happened over the last six months will pale in comparison to what will happen over the next seven months.
That said, TCR thinks the KBH (Kay Bailey Hutchison) announcement tour was just fine with crowds building throughout the week, and most importantly, she began to lay out her vision for Texas. TCR particularly applauds Property Tax Reform, Government Reform, Transportation Reform and revitalization, Education Reform, and she drew distinctions with Rick Perry. She pointed out problems with his long record in office. TCR would note the problems are a failure of Perry's alleged conservative vision in many instances. To mention a couple; HPV vaccinations and the Trans-Texas Corridor scam. Perry's campaign response was sophomoric at best by attacking KBH as a Washington insider. TCR is interested in more from both candidates on their respective vision for Texas that they hope to accomplish over the next four years.
Overreaching By Democratic Leadership Creates Opening For GOP
So soon after the massive Democratic victory in November, the Democratic Congress and President Barak Obama's popularity are in free fall with Congress at a historic low.
This has occurred due to significant overreaching on such matters as: the massive pork barrel stimulus bill, which is not helping unless the goal was to bailout state governments (like Texas to the tune of $12+ billion), or to blow a hole in the deficit so deep that the international value of our dollar is now threatened (see below), the House of Representatives passed an ill conceived Cap and Trade bill which will help the environment, but will cost Americans with increased energy and related costs, and finally, the Obamacare medical plan, which is the wrong solution to the problems we face.
Overreaching is something GOP'ers know about, as we were also guilty of this. If the Democrats were smart, they'd work for a true bipartisan approach to some of their problems. If you need an example, go no further than last week's edition of Red, White & Blue on PBS Houston (August 21, 2009), where liberal State Rep. Sylvester Turner (D-Houston) and conservative talk show host (KSEV-AM 700) Ed Hendee found common ground on how to reform medical care!
Welcome Back Karen Hughes
This week's reemergence of one of former President George W. Bush's key advisers, Karen Hughes, was a reminder of what we have been missing. Hearing her talk (for Kay Hutchison) brought back memories of what a great ship of state then-Governor Bush ran, in which Karen Hughes was a key part. One forgets of her long history of high-level service to the GOP, including Executive Director of the Republican Party of Texas.
TCR Comment: Karen joining the KBH team is a significant addition to what promises to be a rock 'em sock 'em campaign for Texas Governor.
The Ongoing Economic Crisis: Inflation, Deflation, or Stagflation?
The U.S. has been facing a choice of reducing our deficit and accepting a deep recession/depression or sacrificing the dollar. The Obama plan was to talk about a strong dollar while letting it decline in terms of other currencies. The problem is that now one of our top trading partners, China, has told the U.S. government to protect the value of the dollar or else they will stop buying our government's debt. And for those who say programs like the Cash for Clunkers work, but here's a scary thought: this effort merely accelerated car purchases from late 2009 and 2010 sales. What will the impact be on the economy then? Not favorable. In addition, we seem to be entering an era of persistent unemployment, which we need to address by growing the private sector so we can grow jobs.
TCR on the Air
Red, White & Blue, featuring TCR Editor Gary Polland and liberal commentator David Jones. Coming next is John Sharp, Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate in the forthcoming special election. Coming soon: Attorney General Greg Abbott and the Houston Mayoral Debate (a one hour special). As a new fun feature, visit Red, White & Blue on the Houston PBS website, where you can see commentary about the show and its guests by Gary and David.
About Your Editor
Gary Polland is a long-time conservative and Republican spokesman, fund-raiser, and leader who completed three terms as the Harris County Republican Chairman. During his three terms, Gary was described as the most successful county Chairman in America by Human Events - The National Conservative Weekly. He is in his twelfth year of editing a newsletter dealing with key conservative and Republican issues. The last seven years he has edited Texas Conservative Review. Gary is a practicing attorney and strategic consultant. He can be reached at (713) 621-6335.
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