While everyone’s talking about the extreme Right’s trashing of Kay Baily Hutchison and Rick Perry’s easy victory, other results seem to indicate the Tea Party is weak (if poisonous) tea indeed. Don’t get me wrong, I believe the Glenn Beck extremists remain one of the most unhinged and dangerous political phenomena of my lifetime. Consider for a moment that the black-shirted nutjobs that are the John Birch Society. They are back and part of mainstream Republican politics. Hell, they are not even the most extreme.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: the GOP consultants and lobbyists who empower these paranoid and dangerous extremists just to win elections (or, say, defeat health care reform) are cynical Dr. Frankensteins. I really wonder how they can explain it to their children.
In any case, voters kicked some of the extremists off the State Board of Education yesterday. Both Don McLeroy and Tincy Miller lost, and the Democrat who sometimes voted with the anti-science and anti-reason block didn’t even run. Tea Partiers didn’t succeed in any congressional challenges in the GOP primary, though they did defeat longtime East Texas Rep. Tommy Merritt and force another, Delwin Jones into a runoff.
The extremists did pad Perry’s margin of victory over Hutchison, but that’s about all. Hutchison ran a campaign just about as bad as oddball Democrat Farouk Shami, who got what, 13 percent of the vote? Perry’s been in office so long that just his appointees and their families and friends probably give him a healthy 20 percent head start!
If Texans wake up, the extremists might turn out to be the best weapon Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White has. Perry can’t run away with them. He has national ambitions of some sort. Maybe he’s posing as a presidential aspirant simply to leverage a cabinet appointment or something. Whatever he’s doing, he can’t run away from the Right. It’s the racists, the ranters and the night riders that Perry brings to the table. They’re the only reason the national GOP will let him in the door.
No one should forget that Perry is running as an old timey Southern racist, hence his talk of secession and so-called “Tenth Amendment” support. No one should forget the corruption that’s marked his administration. Or the lies. He goes begging for federal money to balance the budget (and funnel to his cronies) while pretending he hates the same federal government benefactors that saved his bacon. He is a transparent phony.
Democrats (please read this Mayor White) would be wise to hit Perry hard now and never let up. He should be unelectable. He can’t be allowed to succeed with his dangerous masquerade.
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About Glenn W. Smith
Glenn W. Smith has spent the past 30 years in journalism and politics, where he’s made a name for himself as a writer, campaign manager, activist, think tank analyst and, as Daily Kos founder Markos Moulitsas says, a “legendary political consultant and all-around good guy.” “There’s no one like him,” says author George Lakoff. CNN commentator Paul Begala says, “He has unmatched experience, a graceful pen (or pixel nowadays) and deep insight into the best and worst of us.” Novelist Sarah Bird speaks of his “lucid and lyrical” prose. And, she says, he’s fun. Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington says Glenn writes with “grace and abundant humor” and “uses his colorful experiences in Texas to enlighten us all.”
Smith led Ann Richards’ successful 1990 campaign for Governor of Texas. He worked for former Texas Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby and U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen. Earlier, Smith was a political reporter for the Houston Chronicle and the Houston Post. He’s coordinated national campaigns for groups such as MoveOn.org. In 2004, he authored the highly acclaimed book, The Politics of Deceit: Saving Freedom and Democracy from Extinction. He also wrote Unfit Commander, a book that detailed George W. Bush’s mysterious disappearance from military service.
In 2004, Smith was featured in the film, Bush’s Brain, a documentary about Karl Rove. Smith provided commentary on Rove’s role as then-President Bush’s senior advisor. He has made numerous media appearances with Chris Mathews on Hardball, Joe Scarborough, Brit Hume, and many others. He writes a regularly for top national web sites, including FireDogLake and Huffington Post.
As a senior fellow at George Lakoff’s prestigious Rockridge Institute in Berkeley he studied, wrote and taught on the power of metaphor and narrative in political communications. He also lectured on religion and politics at the Starr King School for Ministry in Berkeley. As a sponsor and organizer, he has pulled together numerous national events with progressive religious leaders. He also organized a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King at Riverside Church in New York City as well as “Freedom and Faith” bus tours, which was a nationwide campaign for social justice and progressive values.
Smith’s play, Double Play, which explored American Western myths and legends, was held over to sold-out audiences. He’s even written and performed songs in the Americana tradition, such as his best-known song, “Helping Marty Robbins,” a tribute to his hometown, Houston.
Most recently, Smith is the creator of DogCanyon, a political and cultural web site covering state, national and global issues from a Texas perspective. DogCanyon is an exhilarating and unique site that gets the connections between politics and culture and explores both the personal side of politics and the ups, down, craziness and beauty of “life its ownself,” as humorist Dan Jenkins would say. DogCanyon offers heartfelt personal essays, hard-hitting political analysis, and, most importantly, laughs.
As Paul Begala said, Smith writes in “the finest, firmest, fearless tradition of Texas essayists like Molly Ivins.”
I’d say you are WAY over-estimating the higher intellect of the average Texas citizen to see beyond Perry’s appeal to the lowest common denominator – fear of big federal government telling Texans what to do and when to do it.
I’m about as card-carrying Democratic Party as one can find in Texas. But if yesterday indicated anything it is that there will be a back-lash against the Obama administration and incumbent democrats in DC and Austin that will make 1994 seem like a bi-partisan love fest.
This basic political message appeals to the most basic of human emotions: fear and anger. It’s easy to grasp and rally behind and Bubba and Mrs. Bubba will eat it lock, stock and barrel. Heck, I’m surprised there is not an blue-plate special served at Applebee’s called “Democrats for breakfast.”
Perry’s 10th amendment hype of protecting states rights and kicking the “commies” out of office is working, is palatable and will clean the D slate come November – I’m afraid.
I’m hoping, not estimating, that enough Texas voters will see through the deception and the fundamental bigotry behind the Perry effort.
I don’t pretend to have much expertise of Texas politics, but I think one of the most important factors is whether Democrats like Bill White can stand tall and espouse Democratic values and fight back.
When Republicans spew fear and Democrats offer technocratic responses that don’t engage people as people, then our politics brings out the worst in people. But that doesn’t mean that a different approach can’t bring out a different response.
David, you are exactly right. The bad habit grew out of the 70s (in part, there are other historical reasons), when establishment Southern Democrats, scared to death of the racist reaction to Civil Rights, avoided the issue altogether. Let me put this another way, and I’m going to expand on this later. Imagine an election takes place in a room of 100 people. Democrats judge where the opinion in that room is, and try to accommodate to it. Republicans try to change the opinion. This is worse in the South than anywhere else because Democrats here know in their hearts that at least some of those 100 people are bigoted, and they are afraid to challenge and change that bigotry.
You’ve touched on something very important: articulating our values would be less, not more polarizing. Very important point.
We need to get Bill White and all of the statewide candidates to read some of your fine work from the Rockridge Institute so that they can effectively articulate our values – simply and directly – preferably in “bumper sticker” phrases of seven words or less that even Republicans can understand. Copies of “Thinking Points” for everyone!
…and you’ve summarized what I said far better than I said it – thanks.