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Federal Ham, And Why Rick Perry Will Win in 2006
And how the twain actually do meet |
Why trim the budget when it so much easier to trim the federal tree with frillery obtained at other people's expense? Citizens Against Government Waste has once again fabulously catalogued the litany of said vitally important federal outlays. To choose but a few, we have: $3.5 million for bus acquisition in Atlanta, Ga.; $2 million for kitchen relocation in Fairbanks North Star Borough in Fairbanks, Alaska; $1.5 million for a demonstration project to transport naturally chilled water from Lake Ontario to Lake Onondaga.
$500,000 for the Kincaid Park Soccer and Nordic Ski Center in Anchorage, Alaska; $250,000 for the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville, Tenn.; $200,000 for Fenton Street Village pedestrian linkages in Montgomery Co., Md.; $100,000 for a municipal swimming pool in Ottawa, Kan. $80,000 for the San Diego Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Community Center; $75,000 for the Paper Industry International Hall of Fame in Appleton, Wis.; $35,000 for the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame; and $25,000 for fitness equipment for the YMCA in Bradford County, Pa. Where on Earth would we be without these critical federal disbursements?
Other, non-monetary, though no less politically expedient adornments also grace the federal perennial. One of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison's contributions to this year's festoon was a rider that would allow federal candidates to convert their federal campaign coffers for utilization in non-federal races. Such as, to draw a random instance, a Senator who decided to return to her home state and run for Governor. For Senator Hutchison, this would free up (as of the September 30th, 2004 filing) $6,662,419 to be used for said theoretical run. That is a lot of hypothetical cash on hand with which to start a conjectural gubernatorial campaign. Add to the mix the non-stop bludgeoning of Governor Rick Perry by Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who is already more than a year into what has to be the worst kept secret in (at least) Texas political history, and you have all the earmarks of a brutal race for the top spot in the Lone Star political pantheon. Except for one thing; neither of these ladies has a chance of beating Perry two years hence. No matter who runs where. In a three-way race, I envision a Hutchison-Perry primary, with Strayhorn waiting in the general. Yes that's right, I said it, the once and future Democrat would return to her roots to avoid the slugfest that would be this Republican primary. Her Press Secretary is Mark Sanders, who last held said position for Democrat gubernatorial candidate Tony Sanchez, and he has been helping her incessantly position herself to the Left of Perry on issues both great and small. She has even impugned Perry as heartless for implementing the very recommendations for Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) reform that she initially drafted.
The changes she proffered were both necessary and fiscally sound, but were submitted prior to her making the decision to run for Governor, and she decided it to be more politically expedient to pound Perry than to take credit for their discharge. In what direction on the ideological spectrum does that decision, and the whole host of others, move her? To what Party do these policy ministrations draw her? Hutchison has had the enormous good fortune, not to mention the accompanying laugh riot, to sit back and watch Strayhorn flail away at the incumbent, drawing political blood from her potential opponent without her having to lift a finger. She has thoroughly enjoyed the advantage of her being able to keep a magnanimous distance from the fray; the political cost paid by Strayhorn to damage Perry lowers both their stakes in the game, without Hutchison even having to ante up. Hutchison is a successful Senator, in that the quickest route to Senatorial success is the straight line down the middle of the road. Any conservative tendencies she may have had upon entering the House of Lords have certainly been at least shaved razor thin, if not cut out entirely, by her participation in the proceedings therein. These moderate credentials will not play well in a Republican gubernatorial primary in Texas. Hutchison remains a popular Senator; at over four million votes, she garnered the most support ever for a Texas candidate in 2000. This by no means translates into attractiveness as a potential Governor. Lone Star voters know the differences in approach to the state house and the Senate, and will vote accordingly en masse if asked to choose between the two.
And unlike Strayhorn, there is no room for Hutchison to move the Democrat side of the aisle for this fight. Nor do I think she would even want to. It's appearance of political expediency would be too much for her to overcome, and would doom her from the outset. Strayhorn's Donkey history and recent political prostrations allow for her return to the fold. Which brings us to the incumbent. Perry has spent the last four years solidifying in stone his conservative bonafides. His zeroed-out, build from the ground up 2003 budget, tort reform, CHIP reform (Miss Strayhorn, your cue), insurance reform, and his attempts at property tax reform have made the conservative ground beneath his feet rock solid. This is in addition to his pro-business, pro-jobs stance on all things legislative. Many people have said many things about his agenda; no one can say it is not conservative. (Actually, to many of the people saying many of the things about both Perry and his policies, the adjectives they use are, in their minds, synonymous with "conservative".) All of these things have made Perry a rock star in the eyes of the conservative base of the Texas Republican Party. And Texas' conservative base is like no other, the envy of Elephants nationwide. Are we to believe the moderated temperance of Senator Hutchison is going to successfully cut into said granite Perry support? Enough for her to triumph in a Texas Republican primary? As the British would say, not bloody likely. Which brings us to the potential Strayhorn-Perry clash. If it were to transpire in a general election, the outcome would almost be a foregone conclusion; it would take an act of God or Congress for a Democrat to win statewide at this point. Even for a proven Texas vote getter like Strayhorn. Especially when one considers that she garnered said support before she left the conservative reservation to run to Perry's Left on all things ..., well all things. This won't play well with the majority of Texas voters. But the outcome would be just as inescapable a conclusion reached if it were a Strayhorn-Perry primary. Her recent change of heart and ideological outlook has by no means played well with the Elephant faithful. Anyone in attendance at this year's state Republican convention will recall Senate District Four, in totality, vacating the venue when Strayhorn spoke, leaving behind signs on their seats containing messages like "A Wolf in Grandma's Clothing" and "Switch Back" (the latter of these to which she appears willing to acquiesce the next time around). These are not exactly Republican Terms of Endearment (a thousand apologies to Shirley MacClaine and Jack Nicholson).
So what we have is a Republican Governor in a thoroughly Republican state who has done everything the last four years that would ensure his conservative base has nothing but admiration for him. Enthusiasts would say he has been acting on his convictions; cynics would say he has been building his reelection coalition via legislation. Either way, the results are virtually insurmountable electorally. This does little to bode well for either of the two ladies in question. Copyright November 29th, 2004, by Seton Motley, LessGovernment.org, All Rights Reserved |
