06.11.07
Are Texas Pundits Attempting To Starting A False Narrative For 2008 Election?
The Message For 2008 – Democrats Rising, Republicans Falling
While the fact that the Democrats prospects are rising and the Republicans prospects are falling has, to a certain extent, to do with the depths one had fallen to and the heights the other had reached, the fact is the Democrats are rising in Texas. It came to mind after reading Gardner Selby’s article from the AAS last week. He attended the town hall meeting with Texas Democratic Chair Boyd Richie and wrote this article, Democrats raring to go for ’08, despite history.
While he correctly points our it’s been over 30 years since a Democratic presidential candidate carried Texas it’s the next paragraph I take issue with. It’s the already tired, and what seems to be the beginnings of a Texas pundit created truth (first pushed by Burka), that the Democratic presidential nominee will hurt Democrats down ballot in 2008:
It went unsaid at an Austin town hall meeting held by the Texas Democratic Party on Saturday that the ’08 presidential election could tip down-ballot races toward Republicans, diminishing Democratic gains.
Of course it went unsaid because it’s BS. This is one of those false narratives, a straw man argument, that the pundits appear to want to make the Democrats defend at every turn.
Pundit: You’d sure have a great chance of winning this year if it wasn’t for the fact that there’s a Democrat at the top of your ticket. What’s your plan for dealing with that?
Candidate: I wasn’t aware of that was a problem.
Just because this is Tom Craddick’s wishful thinking strategy to keep his apartment doesn’t make it fact Paul and W. The Republicans many issues to be concerned about in the coming election cycle. The biggest are the coming bloodbath and many GOP primaray races for Texas house seats after the late session move to remove the Speaker. Also the should be concerned about turning out their own voters when they’ll have a uninspiring candidate, no matter who wins the nomination, with little if any chance of winning after the 8 year disaster of this Bush Administration – that Molly Ivins so eloquently compared to A Rotting, Dead Chicken.
Mr. Selby does have a quote from Williamson County Democratic Party Chair Richard Torres in the article:
In the crowd, Richard Torres, who leads Democrats in historically Republican Williamson County, advised: “We had a good year last year. We’ll have a better one next year.” Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Bell won 25 of 92 county precincts last year. Democrats seek to win half the precincts in the 2010 governor’s race.
That’s right Richard. The GOP is also hemorrhaging rural voters, which is occurring in Williamson County. While Democrats aren’t assured of anything in 2008 in Texas neither are the Republicans. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to say that. But all signs are pointing to Democrats being on the ascent in Texas and Republicans descending.
PDiddie said,
June 12, 2007 at 7:41 am
I want to believe, but this makes me cringe.
wcnews said,
June 12, 2007 at 10:50 am
There’s still a long way to the general election and much, much more of the Bush disaster for Americans and Texans to endure before they make their choice.
My biggest problem with Hillary may be that she won’t draw a clear line between herself and Bush on issues of trade, health care, big business/corporations, labor, immigration, etc..
If we had a candidate that was not trying to be the “middle” candidate Democrats would have a much better chance if the above scenario was true. I think the Wall Street money (Rubin, etc.) will stay with Clinton and would very much enjoy and prosper with her as president. She would back down the egregious Bush policies but I can’t see her saying we need to abolish the Bush tax cuts.
I think Texas isn’t in play no matter who the Democratic nominee is and that’s one reason I think the R’s coming out in Texas just to vote against Hillary is bunk. Also more R’s will stay home because of the fact that the GOP has no chance to win in ’08.
Craddick’s scenario may work in the primary where the base will crush some of those house members that went against him. Then the GOP will be stuck with a “wing-nut” running against a more sane Democratic candidate and hopefully that will bring us the 7 seats we need.