Debate - Didn't Watch it

If you came to this blog today to get my take on the debate last night between Blue Dog Bill White and Farouk Moneybags Shami, you will be disappointed. I didn't watch it. It wasn't that I forgot it was on, just that I had no interest in seeing it.

I personally don't think either man is qualified and believe both would be a total disaster in the governor's office. Of course, the Republicans would be a disaster also, but why trade one disaster for another. A corporate conservative is a corporate conservative regardless of what party label they have.

I refuse to vote for either one in the Democratic primary, and if one of them becomes the party nominee (probably Blue Dog Bill), then I'll be looking for a third party candidate or leave that space on the ballot blank in November. Maybe the Green Party will make it on the ballot this year.

Do Texas Dems Have Racist County Chair ?

Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I always thought it was improper for party officials to publicly support or disparage any legal candidate running in the party's primary. It is my opinion that party officials should remain impartial (although they may vote as they wish) and let the party's voters study the candidates and make their own choice on primary day.

But evidently that view is not shared by Democrats in Anderson County, Texas (located about 100 miles southeast of Dallas) -- at least it is not shared by the Democratic County Chairman of that county. It seems that county chair has made his preference very clear, and sadly, it smacks of more than a tinge of ethnic bigotry.

It seems that Democratic candidate for governor in the upcoming primary, Farouk Shami, sent a mailing to many of the state's Democrats touting his job creation proposals. Anderson County Chair J. Larry Davis took it upon himself to e-mail the Shami campaign with some unsolicited and rather racist advice.

Davis told the campaign, "You are wasting your time and your money in this absurd run for governor. In today's paranoid political climate, nobody is going to vote for anybody named Farouk for any elected office. That is just a fact of post 9/11 life." When questioned about his improper e-mail, Davis tried to cover by saying, "That was just the benefit of my expertise as a political observer out here in East Texas."

He then jammed his foot even further down his throat by saying East Texas voters are "not going to vote for a black, Hispanic or anybody with an Arab name. That's their bias." Davis obviously has a very low opinion of his fellow Anderson County Democrats. I think Davis would do good to keep his mouth shut and let his fellow Democrats vote without being pigeon-holed -- he might be surprised at who they would support.

Meanwhile Shami's campaign director, Vince Leibowitz, said, "We find it hurtful that our party -- the party of inclusion -- would find its own leadership making statements like this. It makes me wonder how much of the party establishment shares these racist views."

State Party Chair Boyd Richie also signaled his disappointment with Davis' statement by saying, "Texans of all backgrounds contribute to our great state and to the Texas Democratic Party. We trust that Texas Democrats and all Texans will judge our candidates on the issues and their qualifications -- not their names. Chairman Davis speaks for himself, not for the Texas Democratic Party."

Although I usually vote in the Democratic primary, it is precisely attitudes like Davis' that make me hesitate to identify myself as a Democrat. Although there are many good progressives in the party, sadly there are many others who still live in our state's racist past.

What IS Farouk Shami's Religion ?

When Houston millionaire Farouk Shami (pictured) announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for governor of Texas, his campaign said Mr. Shami was currently a Quaker (although he was raised as a muslim). Many of us bloggers took the campaign at it's word and jumped to defend Mr. Shami when another candidate accused him of being a muslim. At the time, it seemed like a scurrilous and untrue attempt to smear Shami.

Now I don't know what the truth of the matter is. A couple of days ago, the Shami campaign said campaign aides were wrong when they said Mr. Shami was a Quaker. They did not say what his religion was -- just that he was a "very spiritual person". Naturally this created some consternation among media outlets and bloggers. Why were we told an untruth? Is Mr. Shami trying to hide the fact that he's a muslim -- a fact that could have a large impact on his candidacy?

Now the Shami campaign has released a new statement. Media director Kelly Love Johnson sent out the following statement from campaign director Vince Leibowitz:

"With record unemployment rates, skyrocketing utility rates, and all of the other problems facing Texans today, it is beyond our comprehension why the media refuses to focus on actual issues and substantive public policy and instead chooses to swamp an entire media cycle with garbage process stories about whether Farouk Shami practices the religion of Mohammad or William Penn."

"Instead of focusing on what matters to everyday Texans, such as where their next mortgage payment will come from or if their jobs are about to be outsourced to China or Mexico, the media has made its primary concern something that is intensely private to most individuals, including Farouk Shami," he continued. "More bandwith and newsprint has been expended on this issue than has been dedicated to any of Farouk Shami's policy ideas since he got into the race."

"The economy, job creation, transportation, and the environment are all more worthy issues for discourse. The media, however, shies away from discussing real issues because 'gotcha' journalism' is more amusing. Ask the 800,000 unemployed Texans which is more important: how many times a day Farouk Shami prays or whether we can lift our economy out of the toilet it has been flushed following nearly two decades of iron-fisted, pro-special interest, Republican rule."

Farouk Shami is an unconventional candidate with new and innovative ideas. The media ignores that in favor of trying to parse statements about his religion. The media has done a disservice to Texas Democrats. Texas Democrats want a meaningful dialogue in this primary, not an election cycle driven by process stories on subjects with no bearing on how Farouk Shami will run the state as Governor. It is enough to make one wonder if Shami's religious beliefs are the issue here, or if there is something darker and racially motivated underlying the recent media attention to whether or not our candidate is a Christian. "This is the same line of questions and attack people made against Barack Obama during the election for President," says Leibowitz. "Apparently, if you're not lily white, some people will require you to pass a religious test in order to run for office in this country."

The campaign would like everyone to believe that Mr. Shami's religion is of no consequence in his campaign for the governorship. Normally, I would agree with that. It should not matter whether Mr. Shami is a christian, muslim, hindu, buddhist or has no religion at all. But this matter was not initially brought up by the media.

It was Shami's own campaign staff that told everyone he was a Quaker, and then backtracked and said he was not. By releasing untruthful information, it is Shami's campaign itself that has made this an issue in the campaign. By refusing now to tell the complete truth, they are now fueling the fires of controversy and making it look like the candidate is trying to hide something.

This is not a matter that is going to go away now. Voters are going to wonder how many other things the candidate is trying to hide from them. There is only one way to put the matter to rest, and that is complete honesty by the candidate himself. He needs to come out and tell the citizens of Texas just what his religion (or lack thereof) really is.

The Shami campaign started this fire, and it is up to them to extinguish it.

Notes On Texas Governor's Race

Felix Alvarado (pictured), candidate for governor of Texas in the Democratic primary, was looking forward to debating the other candidates in Dallas. Alvarado doesn't have the millions of dollars in his campaign chest that a couple of his opponents have, and this would be a major opportunity for him to get his message out to the voters.

But now it doesn't look like he'll get that chance. It seems that the "anointed one", blue dog Bill White, has decided that debates aren't necessary for Democrats to make their choice. Evidently, he believes the newspapers and blogs that say he will win the nomination, and he doesn't want to do anything that might jeopardize his "anointed" status -- like debate an opponent.

I have to wonder what White is afraid of. Does he think he might come off to the voters as boring when compared to his opponents? Or is he afraid his conservative blue dog policies won't look so good when matched with an opponent's progressive views? Either way, it's just another reason not to vote for Bill White in the primary -- a candidate too gutless to face his opposition.

Meanwhile latecomer to the governor's race, Dallas private investigator Bill Dear, is whining about have a muslim opponent in the race. Dear said, "Now we have a Muslim wanting the highest office in Texas, Governor, wanting to spend 10 million dollars and receive $1 in salary, why? According to the internet they are asking Muslims to rally and support their candidate for Governor. It is time for a change, but not that kind of change."

That sounds like a great political point in these days of fearmongering. There's only one thing wrong with it -- there is not a muslim running for governor in either the Democratic or Republican primaries. I assume that Dear is talking about Houston businessman Farouk Shami, but Shami says he is a Quaker.

It looks especially bad when one considers that Dear is supposed to be a private investigator. How good an investigator can he be, when he can't even get Mr. Shami's religion right (which is no secret). Dear has been in the race less than a week, and he's already made himself look like a complete fool.

I've Chosen A Candidate For Governor

There are three candidates left in the Texas governor's race on the Democratic side. I'm not particularly thrilled by any of the three -- Farouk Shami (Houston businessman), Bill White (former mayor of Houston) and Felix Alvarado (educator). However, it's now 2010 and the primary is now less than three months away, so I've decided to climb on board the bandwagon of one of these candidates.

First of all, I simply cannot support hair care magnate Farouk Shami. He may be a very nice person -- I don't know. But I do know that I do not like the idea of a rich man trying to buy his way into an elected office, and Shami is a very rich man who's pledged to spend at least $10 million of his own money to get elected. Frankly, if you can't raise your campaign funds from voters, then you probably don't deserve their votes.

That leaves Bill White and Felix Alvarado (pictured). There are a couple of things about Bill White that I don't care for. First, is this belief that that all the other candidates should get out of the race and let him be the candidate. He's already ran the two best candidates out of the race (Hank Gilbert and Kinky Friedman). They both must accept responsibility for their own cowardice, but White and his supporters must accept the blame for asking or urging them to quit (or threatening).

Now it seems they are trying the same thing on Felix Alvarado. They seem to be concerned that although Alvarado has no name-recognition and virtually no campaign funds, he might get large numbers of South Texas votes just because he has a Hispanic name. This is a huge insult to Hispanic voters -- the idea that they would vote for one of their own rather than the person they thought would be best for Texas. If many of them do vote for Alvarado, it'll be because they think he's the best candidate (and that is their right).

I don't think any candidate, or his supporters, should ask another candidate to drop out of a political race. If you are truly a great candidate, you should be able to take on all comers and win. If you have to get others to drop out so you can win, then you probably shouldn't be running at all because you're not a good candidate.

The second reason I don't like Bill White is because he is an obvious "blue dog Democrat". After the fiasco the blue dogs caused over health care reform, there is no way I could vote for one of them -- regardless of what office they are running for. A lot of Texas progressive bloggers have jumped on the White bandwagon, but I have yet to hear a single one of them refer to White as a liberal or progressive.

No, the only reason they give for supporting this blue dog is that he's running on the Democratic ticket and they believe he has the best chance of winning. That's not good enough. What good will it do to elect a Democrat who will run the state like a business-oriented Republican. In fact, it may be worse than electing a Republican, because in four years we won't have the opportunity to elect a real progressive.

So that leaves me with Felix Alvarado as my candidate. I'm not sure he's a real progressive, but he couldn't be as big a blue dog as Bill White. I do like the fact that he's not rich, but is willing to take on the "big boys" (sort of a lovable Don Quixote). I also like the fact that he was not an officer in the Air Force, but retired as a Chief Master Sergeant. Then he went to a career in education (a field that's not known for making one rich). In other words, he's a working stiff like the rest of us.

That's why he says, "I am running because I know I can do better for the working-class, for our Seniors who labored throughout their lives, for our Texas Warriors who risked their lives in the combat fields and now feel abandoned by our government, having to travel several hundred miles to obtain the VA medical care which their service-related wounds and illnesses require."

At least he's talking about helping the right people -- the people who've been ignored by the conservatives who have ruled Texas for years. It's time to show conservatives to the door and kick them out (even the blue dogs), and the only chance I see of doing that is to elect Felix Alvarado.

That's why I will be marking my ballot for Felix Alvarado next March.

Shami Names New Campaign Director

Farouk Shami is the Houston businessman who is running for governor. He is opposing Houston Mayor Bill White in the Democratic primary. He has already registered for a place on the Democratic Party ballot, and now it looks like he's getting serious about his campaign.

On Monday, Shami announced that he has put his campaign staff in place. Leading the campaign will be his new campaign director -- Vince Liebowitz (pictured above). Although this is Vince's first time as campaign director for a gubernatorial candidate, he does have experience in state-wide races.

Vince had served as the communications and policy director for Hank Gilbert, while Mr. Gilbert was in the governor's race earlier this year. He has also served as campaign director for Dale Henry, when Mr. Henry ran for Railroad Commissioner in 2008. In addition, he has served on the staff of several other candidates.

I think Vince Liebowitz will make an excellent campaign director for Mr. Shami, and if Shami is really willing to spend the millions he says he will spend, this could make him a very formidable candidate.

(In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that I know Vince. I like and respect him very much and consider him to be a friend. His blog, Capitol Annex, is listed in my blogroll.)

Waiting For Kinky

As most of this blogs readers know, I supported Kinky Friedman for governor in 2006, and I jumped on board his campaign early this year for the 2010 primary. I have written posts in support of him and have sent monetary donations to the campaign. But now things seem to be on hold.

The Democratic side of the governor's race has really been shaken up since Houston Mayor Bill White entered the race -- well, actually jumped from the senate race to the governor's race. First, Hank Gilbert dropped out and filed to run for Agriculture Commissioner again. I was sorry to see that since he was the only true progressive in the race, but I wish him luck in his run for Ag. Commissioner.

Now Kinky Friedman has delayed signing up with the state party to get his name on the ballot in the governor's race. His campaign manager denies that he has dropped out of the race. Supposedly, Kinky wants to talk with both of the other two main candidates before making his final decision.

Sadly, that sounds as though he may really be considering dropping out of the race. Several other blogs are already guessing that he will drop out and enter the race for either Agriculture Commissioner or Land Commissioner. I haven't heard anything about that, but I guess it is a possibility. I hope he doesn't wait too long to make up his mind, because he's kind of leaving us supporters dangling.

Personally, I am hoping he stays in the governor's race. I say that because I really can't see myself supporting either of the other two main candidates. There are actually three other candidates in the race, but Felix Alvarado, a school teacher I believe, is not known by 99% of the state's Democrats. In addition, he does not have the money, or access to the money, to remedy that situation. That means he has absolutely no chance of winning the nomination -- regardless of how good his ideas may be.

The first of the major candidates is Farouk Shami. Like White, Shami is from Houston. He is a hair care magnate and is very rich. Although he has no political experience (and a spotty record of voting as a Democrat), he is willing to spend at least $10 million of his own money to finance his campaign. He seems to think he can come from obscurity and buy his way into the governor's mansion. Personally, I find that offensive.

The other candidate is Bill White. Even his supporters are not trying to claim he is a progressive or liberal. The terms I have heard applied to him are that he's a "pragmatist" and a "problem-solver". For those of you not familiar with Texas politics, that means he would not go along with the national party's beliefs and programs. In other words, he's a BLUE DOG.

Frankly, after the mess that the blue dogs have made with health care reform, I just couldn't stomach voting for another blue dog for anything -- not even for dog-catcher. If you're going to vote for a blue dog, someone who'll act more like a Republican than a Democrat, you might as well just vote Republican!

I know there are many of my friends and fellow bloggers that believe any Democrat is better than a Republican, and they harbor the fantasy that maybe that blue dog will actually act like a Democrat someday. Those people would say I'm not a good Democrat. They are right.

I'm not really a Democrat at all, although I usually vote for Democrats. I have also voted for a third-party candidate many times. What I really am is a liberal, a progressive, a leftist, a socialist -- call it what you will. I keep trying to be a Democrat, but especially in Texas, the party has disappointed me many times by abandoning liberal values.

Kinky is not as left-wing as I would like, but he is a maverick and a populist and not a career politician. I think he has the good of ordinary Texans as his goal, and I think he would shake up the political establishment in this state -- and that would be a good thing. I hope he stays in the governor's race.

The way it looks now, if Bill White or Farouk Shami is the Democratic candidate, I probably won't vote in the governor's race. I simply can't support either one.