An Excellent Suggestion For Tx Democrats

It's no secret that the Texas Democratic Party is in pitiful shape. Republicans have ruled the state for a couple of decades now and currently the Democratic Party doesn't have a single statewide office holder. And all of their candidates were soundly defeated in the last election.

But Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is retiring at the end of her current term, and with the rather sad crop of Republicans who have indicated they want her seat this should be a golden opportunity for Democrats to take that seat back -- especially with the re-energizing of Democratic and Independent voters in light of recent draconian cuts proposed by state and national Republicans. The problem is that the Democratic Party doesn't have a strong candidate to offer the voters. The candidates suggested so far (John White, Chet Edwards, Chris Bell) are unlikely to win even against a weak Republican candidate.

So what are Democrats to do? Giving up is not an option, even for a struggling and virtually leaderless party. Radio commentator and Houston Chronicle blogger Geoff Berg has an idea. He thinks the state's Democrats should draft Tommy Lee Jones (pictured) -- the very popular and respected Texas actor (and resident).

At first this suggestion took me back a bit, but the more I think about it the more I like it. He is very popular and well-respected in Texas, and he has always struck me as being an imminently sensible person. He's not as far to the left as I personally would like, but I have no doubt he would do what is best for all the citizens of Texas -- not just the rich. I doubt he would want the job, but if he could be talked into it I think he would make a great candidate. Here is what Berg had to say about it:

So why not give the Democratic nomination to somebody capable of electrifying the race and energizing the Texas' dispirited Democratic base? And why shouldn't that be Tommy Lee Jones? There'd be no need for him to introduce himself to the state, he'd have no trouble raising money and he'd bring a ton of charisma to a party that lacks it. Independents and Republicans -- voters any Democrat will need to attract to win --  already like him, giving him an additional advantage no other Texas Democrat has. (Jones is a Democrat, by the way. He placed the name of his college roommate, Al Gore, in nomination at the 2000 Democratic Convention and has given money to the DNC and John Kerry.). . .He's from here (and talks like it), speaks Spanish fluently, and lives full-time on a ranch near San Antonio.

Frankly, I think this might be the only real hope of a Democratic victory in Texas in 2012. The state party is in such bad shape that they need a game changer, and Jones could be it. Here's how fellow Texas blogger Perry Dorrell of Brains and Eggs puts it:

The Texas Democratic Party is in the same shape as the California Republican Party: impotent, toothless, and all but extinct. There's lots of excited liberals and progressives throughout Texas -- just look at the rallies taking place yesterday and next Tuesday --  but the TDP has spectacularly weak management at the top, little money, less enthusiasm, and no improved prospects for the future. All that after seventeen years of 100% Republican rule at the statewide level, all nine SCOTX justices, and in the wake of the 2010 Red Tea Tide, near-supermajorities in the Texas House and Senate. . .Every time a famous person's name gets floated for office anywhere, it makes me cringe. Still, seventeen years wandering in the desert is too long. It's past time for a saviour, and Jones will do until one gets here.


That sums it up perfectly. I just wish I had said it.