For those of you who don't live in the Houston metro area, I almost feel sorry for you. You're missing one great political show - The Amazing Race: Mayor of Houston. We've got NPR visiting us this week, telling us we have 5.7 million people spread over 10,000 square miles. Really? That's all? Oh, and they noticed we have "sprawl." Anyway. Just saying we are big, Bill White is term limited and we've got us a race for mayor going on. The race has been simmering all summer. We started out on a very high road, with three strong candidates - Peter Brown, Gene Locke and Annise Parker. They all seemed so talented - in different ways. Annise with her experience and knowledge. Peter with his talk about bringing all stakeholders to the table. Gene, the civil rights fighter with tons of smarts. All very similar on the issues - and it was so comforting to know that Houston would be in good hands no matter how this played out.
Things heated up as the summer progressed. I heard Gene Locke say, "when I'm Mayor, we'll have a Hispanic Museum" at the Hispanic Summit. I thought, "how do you pay for a promise like that?" The folks I was sitting with heard "pandering." Peter vacationed in France, while the other two trudged around to forum after forum. Annise Parker, who has won city-wide six times, and Roy Morales, who has been beaten badly city-wide three times, ended up in a statistical dead heat in a poll. Things got ramped up when news of Locke's promise of a black-brown coalition in an endorsement screening hit the blogosphere.
But, now we have everyone scurrying around looking in their underwear drawer for their big boy and big girl panties. Apparently, it's a surprise to some that Labor Day has passed and the no holds barred campaigning season has begun. Annie's List - a progressive, state-wide organization with the mission of electing more Democratic women to office - fired a heat seeking missile right at Gene Locke, accusing him of not respecting women.
Locke, apparently not enjoying that someone rehashed his firing of his finance director the week she was undergoing breast cancer treatment - and that the tacky stripper club fundraiser flyer got wide exposure - fired back with this:
I don't think there is any place in this campaign for third-party groups from out of town to come in and lob personal attacks at any of the candidates. I call on the other candidates to join me in disavowing all such attacks and calling for an end to smear campaigns.
While technically, Annie's List is located out of town - their offices are in Austin - they are a statewide organization and they are supporting Annise Parker.
Then, Peter Brown, not wanting to be left out, put his hand up and waved it frantically and said, "look at me! look at me!" or rather:
I look forward to Mr. Locke's condemnation of the so-called Houstonians for Responsible Growth's negative and misleading attacks on my record. Furthermore, I look forward to Mr. Locke calling on this group, which is backing him, not to make any more negative comments intended to mislead voters on my positions.
Then, Sue Davis with the Parker campaign chimed in with:
Annie's List, however, raised legitimate questions based on Mr. Locke's own words, actions and record.
And, so we circle back around to where we began - the Annie's List attack on Locke based on oppo research.
I have a questions for campaigns crying foul over negative attacks: Which campaign paid for the negative push polling on Annise Parker a few weeks ago that had ugly questions about sexual identity? Someone want to own up to taking negative attacks straight to the voters by phone?
The reality is that the race for Mayor of Houston is serious. We are talking about electing someone who will likely be in office for six years, wielding tremendous power. But, I gotta say, lately it's been highly entertaining.
And if you run into Peter, Gene or Annise at Super Target, be helpful and point to the underwear aisle. Chances are they are stocking up on big boy and big girl panties, on their way to yet another forum (or not).
Early voting begins on Oct. 19th and Election Day is Nov. 3rd. Runoff? Sometime in December.
6 comments:
The world wants to know, Mr. Brown: boxers or briefs?
Granny-style or French cut?
I hear Gene prefers the T-backs (*retch*).
If you received that negative push poll call about Annise, I'd like to hear from you. The folks I talked to who got it have very strong Democratic voting records, so I don't think it was from the Roy Morales campaign. My guess is that one of the campaigns who are blasting negative attacks - the Gene Locke or Peter Brown campaign - paid for those calls, in order to determine what negative messages about Annise would change the minds of voters about her.
It's my opinion we are going to see more negative attacks, but perhaps not from the campaigns themselves. Anyone disagree?
Maybe I'll send a set of waders from here in the Coastal Bend... more musings please.
Wonder what would happen if a push poll went out asking if being of color would change your vote.
As someone who is openly gay and who along with my husband just hosted Gene, his wife and two of his sons at our home on Saturday, I can 100% guarantee you that Gene's campaign did not pay for the push calls that you wrote about. I have been helping Gene for the last 10 months or so after he began actively seeking input and support from the GLBT community. From the very first meeting (and every meeting since), he speaks about the need for diversity and always includes sexual orientation and gender identity. He and his campaign have always exhibited respect for Annise and for the GLBT community to never spend time doing something contrary to his character or something that would be such a waste of campaign dollars. He wants voters to make educated decisions based on the issues and who they feel will best lead the City. Everything I've seen has continually reaffirmed Gene Locke as my choice.
To be fair, I heard from the Peter Brown campaign and they expressed to me in the strongest possible terms that they did not make those calls - that they are not running that kind of campaign.
It's difficult for me to believe Roy Morales would have paid for those calls - or HCRP. The calls were made to people with D primary history. The Republicans would happily use sexual orientation as a chainsaw without paying for push polling. The key to these calls was to shake some good D's loose from Annise once they had that piece of info.
Perhaps an outside group made them?
So, there it sits. The calls were made. Somebody paid for them. Hopefully, sexual orientation will not be used in any negative campaigning.
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