Comptroller in Texas Walks Away From GOP (Scotty's mom)

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060102/ap_on_el_gu/texas_governors__race_1

AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn turned her back on the Republican Party and announced Monday she will run for governor as an independent.

The move allows Strayhorn to escape a potentially ugly primary battle against Gov. Rick Perry. The GOP primary is set for March 7.

Strayhorn, who calls herself "One Tough Grandma," has been a harsh critic of Perry's leadership over the past couple of years. Monday's announcement all but guarantees Perry will be the Republican candidate on the November ballot.

Both Strayhorn and Perry are former Democrats who switched to the GOP in the 1980s as the party rose to political dominance.

Scott McClellan's mom.

duplicate info found down thread

This is all about expedience. She knows she can't beat Gov. Goodhair in the primary.

How can he defend the GOP President when his own mother has "abandoned" the party?

It smells of expediency. I assume you're right. After all, she still claims to be a Republican. You have some strange politics down there in Texas. ;)

Edited for spelling. Duhh

It gives the Dems a better chance, if One Tough Grandma can run a good campaign. No one likes Perry other than his hardcore neocons. They would have given him the primary, but they may not be enough to give him the state. I've been assuming Perry would win in a cakewalk, since Texas now lines up to vote Repub no matter who's on the ticket. But OTG may yank some votes away from the Repubs, and Kinky will siphon off a lot of the yahoo votes, which mostly go to Perry.

It puts the Dems in play. Of course, there's the chance OTG could win. There's even the chance Kinky could win. We should have a lot of fun in 06.

I'd like to just move right to election season. The advertisements alone should be VERY interesting. :)

Gov. Goodhair and Carole ManyHusbands will tear each other apart. :popcorn:

Divide and conquer.

:spray:

I left TX in 1999....she was Carole Keeton Rylander then.

It's hard to keep up!

K--the governor.

My governor is a Jewish songwriter.

Kinky for Governor--Why the Hell not?

You just can't get better than those. :-)

Damn, I just hope he doesn't actually win!

mentions it here in case no one believes me:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/1/2/164048/4003

The Quorum Report says today that TX comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn will run for governor as an independent.

Strayhorn, a former Dem, had hinted of an independent bid and as recently as Friday, her campaign refused to say what her party allegiance would be come today, which marks the filing deadline in TX.

Strayhorn is the mother of WH press sec. Scott McClellan.

Dems Chris Bell and Bob Grimmage are on the line to challenge GOP Gov. Rick Perry; satirist Kinky Friedman has filed to run as an independent.

The newest Democrat in the race for Governor is Bob Gammage (check spelling in previous post, was Grimmage). Gammage has an amazing record of service in elected politics in Texas and now crisscrossing the state to get his message out. He's one great guy and can get the job done for Democrats. Check his website www.gammageforgovernor.com

it's just nice to have the link which supports the information.

Not seeing anything other than the blog link supporting this yet.

It's interesting if it's true!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Keeton_Strayhorn

Those of us who have to put up with these evil snakes are constantly amazed that not everyone knows all of the webs that bind these b*stards together. Surely, no one thought that little Scottie got that job on his own, did they?

Wow!

are the ones I know off the top of my head. Them Republicans sure believe in marriage. The more, the better!

I kid you not. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=506MPRpCSM&isbn=0963784625&itm=5

of Rylander Homes. If it is there is a money connection with Bush-ok THAT is not LBN but it sure influences my vote. I like Kinky, but think he will have a negative effect. No one like Gov Goodhair, but he did score some points working with Mayor White to get Bush and FEMA off their butts.

I did some googling and it appears to be a different Rylander, though. I wish I could have found something more definitive, but there was this mention on a foodie forum, hopefully by someone who knows what they're talking about:

Austin has had a Saturday market for the last year or so, smack downtown. There's another farmers' market out on Burnet (help me Jess, do I mean Lamar??) that's run by Hill Rylander, scion of an eponymous, one time local grocery chain in Austin, and the Comptroller's (Carole Keeton Strayhorn) ex. It is run in a manner that would go a long way to possibly explaining the fate of the grocery chain.
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=41681&hl=tafia

And a little more about that venture:
The modern farmers' market era in Austin began in 1988 when Texas grocery-store chain scion C. Hill Rylander secured a multiyear lease on the abandoned Travis County wagon yard property at 6701 Burnet Rd. After some refurbishment, Rylander christened the facility the Austin-Travis County Farmers' Market. On the face of it, the wagon yard is a dream-come-true market location: plenty of off-street parking, covered sheds for stalls, public restrooms, access to water and electricity, several existing buildings for restaurants and shops, a high-traffic area. The market flourished in its early years, charging a $10 stall fee to more than 50 farmers a year. It was the original home of The Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Contest and was twice recognized as one of the 10 best markets in America, once by USA Today and again by Cooking Light magazine. However, a couple of bad drought seasons exacerbated the damage done a drawn-out lawsuit between the Republican Rylander and the Democratic County Commissioners Court, spelling an end to the market's heyday.
http://www.chooseaustinfirst.com/directory.aspx?id=251

in Texas that have bankrolled a number of what I might consider questional GOP activities...just wondered if someone out there had some info on it-that is an unusual name.

speaks volumes to me ... heaven knows what all damage he did at FDA, and now at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) where he is now ... clean-up after the Bu$h** crony wrecking crew will be quite the task ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_McClellan
http://www.cms.hhs.gov/CMSLeadership/Downloads/McClellanMarkBio.pdf

IIRC, there's a 3rd brother* ... an atty ? in TX ...


edit: * Her son Brad McClellan is a former Assistant Attorney General for Texas, where he headed the state's workers' compensation (I'll guess he did his best to be pro-employer).

Barr McClellan, former Texas lawyer, claims in a book that JFK was assassinated on the orders of LBJ.

With parents like that, no wonder all he knows how to do is lie.

:hi:

http://www.offthekuff.com/mt/archives/003503.html

Unitarian Universalists have for decades presided over births, marriages and memorials. The church operates in every state, with more than 5,000 members in Texas alone.

But according to the office of Texas Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, a Denison Unitarian church isn't really a religious organization -- at least for tax purposes. Its reasoning: the organization "does not have one system of belief."

Never before -- not in this state or any other -- has a government agency denied Unitarians tax-exempt status because of the group's religious philosophy, church officials say. Strayhorn's ruling clearly infringes upon religious liberties, said Dan Althoff, board president for the Denison congregation that was rejected for tax exemption by the comptroller's office.

"I was surprised -- surprised and shocked -- because the Unitarian church in the United States has a very long history," said Althoff, who notes that father-and-son presidents John Adams and John Quincy Adams were both Unitarians.



http://www.frsuu.org/o-sermon-hurley01.htm

Another example of how Unitarian Universalist notions of God and creeds are perceived also comes from Texas. Last May, the Texas state Comptroller, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, denied tax-exempt status to the Red River UU congregation in Denison on the grounds that Unitarian Universalism was "not a real religion." Strayhorn based this opinion on the fact that the church "does not have one system of belief."

We were immediately in touch with the leadership of the Red River congregation to ask how we could help. The congregational president, an attorney, told us that he'd already been contacted by a number of constitutional lawyers eager to bring suit against the state. He asked us not to issue press releases or do pro-active media work until he got a better sense of the situation at the Comptroller's office in Austin. We agreed, though, that my office would respond to reporters if they called us for comment.

And they did, giving us an opportunity to demonstrate that the Comptroller's decision revealed her ignorance of both history and theology. The resulting press coverage was uniform in its ridicule of Strayhorn's decision.


http://blog.au.org/2004/05/come_up_with_so.html

Texas Inquisition: Unitarians Fail Comptroller's Test
Unitarian Universalists have participated in American religious life for over 200 years. The denomination has produced U.S. presidents and many prominent religious, social and literary figures. But now they no longer officially count as a religion for tax purposes in the state of Texas. State Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn decided that the Red River UU Church fails to compel its membership to have "a belief in God, or gods, or a higher power" and thus is not a religion, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Strayhorn also denied tax-exempt status to the North Texas Church of Freethought.

This bout of denials follows the 1997 decision of then-Comptroller John Sharp to deny tax-exempt status to the Ethical Culture Fellowship of Austin. Asserting that Sharp overstepped his authority, the Ethical Culture Fellowship sued, along with allied groups including Baptists, Lutherans and Mennonites. Both the lower court and the Texas Supreme Court ruled against Sharp, but Strayhorn vows to continue the fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Without her there to make the rules, "any wannabe cult who dresses up and parades down Sixth Street on Halloween will be applying for an exemption," she said in an April 23 news release.

The comptroller's top lawyer, Jesse Ancira, justifies this stand on principle. "The issue as a whole is, do you want to open up a system where there can be abuse or fraud, or where any group can proclaim itself to be a religious organization and take advantage of the exception?" he said. It is suprising that an organization as old and as well-established as the Unitarian Universalists would be called fraudulent. Never before has any government agency -- state or federal -- denied Unitarians tax-exempt status because of the group's theology.

She's an idiot, creepy, fundy, nutcase.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_Keeton_Strayhorn

In 2004, she drew some national noteriety by using her position as Comptroller to revoke the tax free status of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Texas, on the grounds that the religion "does not have one system of belief." This ruling was later overturned.

Way back when, we used to have real knock-down, drag-out political fights in Texas. But for far too long the outcome here is certain, with the Republicans walking away with everything, which is exactly why we have the likes of George Bush and Rick Perry as our Governor. The "OTG" may add a spice to an otherwise predicable outcome. No doubt, she'll lose, but may open the door to a Democrat at least having a chance. The problem : Electable state-wide Democrats in Texas are few and far between. One possibility is Ron Kirk, the former mayor of Dallas, who ran a good race against Kay Bailey.

As the business-friendly African-American former mayor of Dallas, he had many fans. A Conservative (old style, not nutso) co-worker planned to vote for him.

We already have electronic voting in parts of the state.

Wow.

GOPers switch in order to possibly win, and then just govern as repubes.. Leopards don't change their spots.. We have some as well..

I've seen more then one race show up now with a Repub. and a new independent/former repub.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3560456.html

AUSTIN — Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn ended speculation today by announcing she will run for governor against Gov. Rick Perry as an independent.

"It's time to shake Austin up," Strayhorn, who is now serving as a Republican officeholder, told reporters today, the filing deadline for the 2006 elections.

"Governor Perry may be doing the best he can, but after five years, we have learned he is not the strong leader we need to put Texas above politics," she added.

<snip>

To get on the ballot as an independent, Strayhorn will need to collect the signatures of 45,450 registered voters who cast ballots in neither party primary or runoff. The signatures will have to be collected between March 8 and May 11.

...more...

If she peels votes from the Repugs more power to her.

Mz Pip
:dem:

Any rumors about who is running on the Dem ticket?

And if CKMRS beats out Gov Goodhair, then it's a good sign that things are changing in Tx.

Here are the candidates for Governor:

R: Rick Perry (i); Larry Kilgore; Star Locke; Rhett Smith

D: Felix Alvarado; Chris Bell; Bob Gammage; Rashad Jafer

L: James Werner

I: Kinky Friedman; Carole Keeton Strayhorn

More info here. The Chronicle may ask you to sign up. Or use Bugmenot.

www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/politics/3561143.html

How's the Republican state administration doing with the fires?

Perry and Strayhorn are (I read somewhere else) "former Democrats" who sold out their principles (excuse me "changed their party affilitation") in the 80s or 90s when they noticed the 'Licans were taking over the place.

Does this mean that Strayhorn can split the 'Lican base?

Any current Texans out there?

Perry will get the big donor$, but even most repubs look at him as a joke.
Carole K-R-Stayhorn is seen as an opportunist, but is a moderate.
Don't forget about Kinky Friedman, he could be a spoiler.

Texas is hard to predict, we had Ann Richards and Dubya as governors in the same decade!

I sure do miss Ann Richards. She was a decent, caring, witty person. She had a good perspective and never took herself or her position too seriously.

Carole Fournames isn't running as an independent to beat up on the dems or Kinky, she is doing this because she loathes Rick Perry and wants to destroy him. It was just clear that Goodhair has the support of the Talibornagains, who dominate the Texas GOP, so she would be gone after the primary.

Either Bob Gammage or Chris Bell is going to be the Democratic nominee. I can live with either of them. In 2004, Kerry got 37% statewide. If the Dems can hang on to that, we actually have a chance. Hell, in a four-way race, even Kinky has an outside chance.

wack job finish line.
hope they implode on contact.

Jan. 3, 2006, 5:21PM
Bush backs Perry, but McClellan's for mom

By JULIE MASON
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — The Texas governor's race is just getting started and already White House loyalties are divided, with President Bush backing Gov. Rick Perry and White House spokesman Scott McClellan supporting his mother, Carole Keeton Strayhorn.

"The president will support the Republican nominee, and it's pretty clear the Republican nominee will be his friend, Rick Perry," McClellan said today.

Strayhorn, the Texas comptroller elected as a Republican, announced Monday that she will run as an independent in the governor's race.

The White House spokesman is the youngest of her four sons."My mother cares deeply about Texas, and she has my full support," McClellan said.

By running as an independent, Strayhorn avoids facing the incumbent in a GOP primary battle that tends to favor the more conservative candidate.
(snip/...)

http://chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3562983.html
(Free registration required)

Jan. 3, 2006, 11:27PM
Party jump won't sway Strayhorn's supporters

By R.G. RATCLIFFE and CLAY ROBISON
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau

AUSTIN - As Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn traveled the state Tuesday seeking to establish her credentials as an independent gubernatorial candidate, several of her key supporters said they will continue to back her challenge to Gov. Rick Perry.

The supporters are both Democrats and Republicans who had been promoting Strayhorn's campaign when her plan had been to challenge Perry in the Republican primary. They said they will continue to work for Strayhorn's campaign and help finance it as she prepares to challenge Perry in the general election.

With stops at the San Jacinto Monument in La Porte and at airport news conferences in San Antonio and Dallas, Strayhorn repeatedly stressed that she pulled out of the Republican primary because nonpartisan leadership is needed to solve the state's problems.

"Rick Perry has so fractured this state politically that the only way to get something done is to set partisan politics aside," Strayhorn said. "We would have blown the barn doors off the Republican primary, but that's not what this is about."
(snip/...)

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/3563756.html

Texas has a printing press for * copycats.

Former Democrat, my butt.

Carole Keeton Rylander (Strayhorn): GOP Through-and-Through



Scottie's Mom is about as independent as Dick Cheney. She is just another Enron-esque, GOP shill. Never forget!

And thus make the seat a safer bet for the GOP?