Thursday, January 13, 2011

How the Mighty have Fallen.

Kay Bailey Hutchison announced her (inevitable) no-go for re-election in 2012 today, and, predictably, ChronBlog wastes no time attempting to place Bill White at the head of the pack....

(Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison won't run again. Richard S. Dunham, ChronBlog)

Former Texas Comptroller John Sharp and former Houston Mayor Bill White are potential Democratic prospects. Republicans who have expressed interest in the seat include Secretary of State Roger Williams, Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, Railroad Commission Elizabeth Ames Jones and state Sen. Florence Shapiro. Texas Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst has not announced his plans but is considered a strong contender for the job.
And well....of course it would be Bill White and John Sharp leading the way. For ChronBlog that is.

For most of Texas it's going to boil down to who wins the Republican primary. The smart money is on Dewhurst. I've never been accused of being that smart so I'm still predicting State Sen. Dan Patrick will cut some kind of deal with Dewhurst that's designed to clear the way for the age of KDAN in DC. After starting his political career with anti-establishment rhetoric, Sen. Patrick has quietly spent most of his time in office wooing the establishment while throwing crumbs to his constituents. Can he win a State-wide race with no name ID outside of Houston? Who knows?

But based on the reaction of the News-ish organizations he probably could if he ran against Bill White:

(Kay Bailey Hutchison announces she will not run for re-election in 2012, Luke Johnson, The Texas Independent)
Among the many names that could seek Hutchison’s seat include Texas Railroad Commission members Elizabeth Ames Jones (R) and Michael Williams (R), former Secretary of State of Texas Roger Williams (R), former state solicitor general Ted Cruz (R), state Sen. Florence Shapiro (R) and former Democratic Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts John Sharp.



That a far-left, news-ish site doesn't even mention Bill White as a contender is a bad omen for his chances to eventually win the seat. It seems like only yesterday that White was being held up as the beacon leading the way forward for Texas Democrats. One absolutely horrendous* campaign later and he's found himself relegated to unpaid editorials and being blockquoted by members of the InterLeft. From Mayor of Houston (elected with 90% of the vote) to the vulgarity spewing fringe. That's quite a fall.





*Horrendous is probably too soft a word for the levels of bad that the White campaign plumbed. He cam out looking like a micro-managing nerd with honesty issues, hardly the type of person you want in government. (You want someone who will smile and shake your hand while lying to you. Bonus points if they have good hair and teeth.)

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