Wednesday, May 28, 2014

 

Even for Texas, That's some rough politics...



I moved to Texas in a crazy election year, 2000-- a year in which the local Republican State Rep candidate in Waco got in a fistfight with the local Republican Party chair-- and have been fascinated with the politics there ever since.  This year, despite the near-disappearance of the Democratic Party, has been just as spicy and awful as ever.

Especially unpleasant was the race for Lieutenant Governor, which is a relatively important position in Texas.  Incumbent David Dewhurst was unsuccessful in defending his seat from Houston talk radio host Dan Patrick (NOT the guy from ESPN...), who has been attacking him from the far right.  Veteran Waco Trib editor Bill Whitaker recently called that contest "the nastiest lieutenant governor’s race I’ve seen in nearly 35 years in the business."  Among other things, Dewhurst's allies have dredged up and made public Patrick's mental health records and the ad included above.  And that's from the incumbent!

Given that Dewhurst and Patrick have nearly identical political beliefs, where does this toxic enmity come from? 

Comments:
We had a message left on our answering machine yesterday in this race, bringing up the mental health stuff. It offended me, as someone who takes mental illness very seriously.
 
When the Ds were in the majority and would rarely lose a state-wide election, they had problems with division, dirty politics, and corruption. As always, absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Now the Rs are in the majority and rarely lose a state-wide election, and there is divisiveness, dirty politics, and corruption. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

BTW, most of the formerly corrupt Ds are now corrupt Rs!
 
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