Chris Bell campaign update: Setting the record straight

Keep it civil, folks... remember, we're on the same team. If anyone wants to rebut these points, please do, but lets all keep the debate friendly, m'kay? O8)

Dear Friend,

With early voting starting in a week, Chris Bell continues to surge towards the Democratic nomination for governor. Chris picked up the first major newspaper endorsement of this campaign last week when the http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/editorial/13828561.htm">Fort Worth Star-Telegram praised him as the only candidate in the Democratic field with the courage to propose bold, specific ideas. He won the WFAA Democratic Primary debate in the same fashion, as the strength of his ideas clearly set him apart. Just this morning, http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/DN-bell_14edi.ART.State.Edition1.e33edb2.html">Chris also won the endorsement of the Dallas Morning News(registration required - userof@bugmenot.net, pw = public, courtesy of bugmenot.com) in an editorial that praised him as "a modern leader." He has continued to lead the Democratic field in both the race for campaign funds and the race for endorsements, and there's no question that the Big Mo is squarely behind Chris entering the primary home stretch.

With all this momentum building in Chris's favor, his opponent has apparently decided that desperate negative attacks are the only option left. In a series of official campaign emails being circulated to supporters, Bob Gammage has distorted Chris Bell's record and insulted Chris's sterling Democratic credentials.

Chris is not going to let his optimistic message be distracted by desperate attacks from a floundering campaign, but in the interest of correcting the record I want to put some objective numbers out there and let Texans decide who the stronger Democrat is.

Bob Gammage's emails attack Chris Bell on the environment and argue falsely that Gammage has a stronger record on environmental issues. Not surprisingly, the facts don't back this up. In his two years in Congress, Chris Bell earned annual ratings of 75% and 82% from the League of Conservation Voters. Bob Gammage received ratings of 20% and 15% in his two years in Congress, and he even helped lead an effort to weaken the Clean Air Act. The numbers don't lie: Chris Bell has a much stronger record of environmental protection than does his opponent in this race.

The smear emails also raise the issue of the minimum wage, and again Bob Gammage's record doesn't match the rhetoric. In Congress, he voted repeatedly against the Democratic administration's efforts to raise the minimum wage and provide for automatic increases. By contrast, Chris actually introduced a bill to automatically increase the minimum wage every year. Once again, the numbers don't lie: Chris earned a 90% rating from the AFL-CIO for his votes on labor issues including the minimum wage, while Bob Gammage received only a 45% rating on these issues.

Chris also had a 100% voting record in Congress when it came to defending a woman's right to choose. Bob Gammage, on the other hand, took his pro-choice record to Congress only to disappoint Democratic activists by voting almost every chance he had to restrict access to reproductive services.

The simple fact is that Chris Bell has a much stronger record of defending core Democratic values than does his opponent in the race. In his two years in Congress, he won yearly ratings of 90% and 85% from Americans for Democratic Action, while Bob Gammage had yearly ratings of 20% and 25%. The numbers don't lie.

It's true that Chris has always had an impressive record of winning crossover support from moderate Republicans and Independents in his past races. He has built strong coalitions to fight for fiscal responsibility and fairness, ethics reform, and property tax relief, all the while remaining true to his core Democratic values. At a time when our leaders in Austin can't seem to accomplish any of these goals, Chris is exactly the kind of leader we need in the Governor's Mansion.

We're not going to divide the party with baseless attacks and false charges, but instead we'll put the facts out there and let you decide for yourself who you want carrying the Democratic standard this fall. This election is a choice between sliding back into the past or reaching towards a brighter future, and Chris is proud that you've chosen to stand beside him in this fight.

Sincerely,


Tim McCann
Chris Bell for Governor Campaign

P.S. Chris demonstrated the courage of his Democratic convictions when he stood up alone against the most powerful and corrupt Republican in Congress and filed an ethics complaint against Tom DeLay. Since then, he's stayed in this fight because he's firmly committed to building a better Texas.

Chris's opponent chose not to stay in the fight when the Republicans started taking over the Supreme Court, quitting mid-term and allowing a Republican governor to appoint his successor. Now he's back and offering little more than divisive and misleading attacks. The contrast couldn't be more striking, and the facts couldn't be more clear.

I was impressed. I didn't have a chance to ask questions, but i liked what i heard. Gammage was speaking as well, and seemed likable enough.

If you have a mailing list for Chris Bell, provide me with a link and i'll sign up. I would like to hear more, on specific platforms.

this thread: <http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=180x26203>

Gammage Momentum Rising Every Day
February 14, 2006

Debate victory, weekend endorsements and now first major poll shows Gammage the Democrat with best shot at winning in November

With just three weeks left in the primary, the momentum continues to build for the Gammage campaign.

First, on Thursday Bob clearly demonstrated why he’s the strongest Democrat in the race and the top messenger for Democrats in 2006, winning the web-cast debate on WFAA in Dallas. Articulating a clear message and the passion necessary to rev up the Democratic base, Gammage showed why his campaign continues to build momentum.

That momentum carried over to the weekend, as Bob secured the endorsement of the Austin Progressive Coalition – a joint endorsement of the Central Austin Democrats and the University Democrats (University of Texas at Austin), together one of the largest progressive groups in Texas – and the Texas Southern University Democrats.

Meanwhile at the Tejano Democrat Convention in Houston, the statewide organization chose not to endorse a candidate and, instead, encouraged the county delegations to endorse. Experts predict Gammage will receive the backing of the largest number of local Tejano Democrat delegations.

And now, hard polling data shows what Texas Democrats have already discovered: Bob Gammage is the strongest Democrat with the best chance of defeating Rick Perry in November.

According to a Rasmussen statewide poll, Gammage is the stronger candidate across the board. With Gammage as the nominee, support for Rick Perry, Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman all drop:
Perry ----- 38%
Gammage --- 18%
Strayhorn - 29%
Friedman -- 8%

If Chris Bell is the nominee, support for Perry, Strayhorn and Friedman rises, and support for the Democrat drops:
Perry ----- 40%
Bell ------ 13%
Strayhorn - 31%
Friedman -- 9%

“Our positive, progressive campaign for change is growing day by day”, Bob Gammage said. “Block by block, city by city, county by county we are revitalizing the Democratic Party and building for a better tomorrow.”

...Gammage Endorsements Continue to Roll In...

* State Representative Senfronia Thompson (Houston)
* State Representative Aaron Pena (Edinburg)
* State Representative Lon Burnam (Fort Worth)
* State Representative Harold Dutton (Houston)
* Democratic National Committee Member Sue Lovell (Houston)
* Ken Molberg, S.D.E.C. (Dallas)
* Former State Representative Debra Danberg (Houston)
* Constable Sergio De Leon (Fort Worth)
* Former U.S. Representative John Bryant (Dallas)
* Reverend Peter Johnson (Dallas)
* Bill Grusendorf, CEO Texas Association of Rural Schools
* Austin Stonewall Democrats
* ALGPC (Austin Lesbian & Gay Political Caucus)
* Houston GLBT(Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual and Transgendered)

<http://www.gammageforgovernor.com/>

Kinky does HURT us?

And this state isn't 67-71% Republican either, as this poll appears to reflect. One or two percentage points are well within the margin of error, so Gammage's crew crowing about this poll is a little overexuberant. It's still a dead heat.

We're all going to have to have each other after March 8, but I've yet to see any party loyalty from the Gammage regulars around here. A lot of candidate loyalty, but nothing else.

The animosity of the Gammage supporters -- those posting comments online, that is -- bodes greater ill for November than Kinky polling in the single digits.

And now Cg, I think the thread is in balance. (Notice you don't see this sort of thing on Bob's MAN thread. Just sayin'.)

factor in early polls.

Also, there are other polls (Rasmussen, I think) which put Kinky's numbers near the 15% range.

Finally, I only added the balance because the OP invited it: "If anyone wants to rebut these points, please do, but lets all keep the debate friendly." I was just cutting and pasting off the official candidate website -- nothing unfriendly. Hell, I'm going to a Bell event Thursday so I'm still persuadable, and I plan to do everything I can for the nominee no matter whether it's Bell or Gammage.

endorsements:

Former Supreme Allied Commander/Future President Wes Clark
State Representative Jim Dunnam (Waco)
State Representative Mark Veasey (Fort Worth)
State Representative Paul Moreno (El Paso)
Rio Grande Valley AFL-CIO
Texas State Counsel of Machinists

Also, I hear that 4Names/3Parties has polling which indicates that Kinky's vote splits about 75% to the Democrat and about 25% to her (no significant percentage to Perry which is why Perry-Neo-Repukes are funding Kinky's ballot petition drive). If so, we'd really be within striking distance in a three-way Gammage-Perry-KMRS race when you consider that the numbers are already decent for Gammage and would dramatically rise as the voters get to know him better:

Perry ----- 38%
Gammage --- 24%
Strayhorn - 31%
(with Kinky's vote allocated 75/25)

I'll repeat this once again. Both Kinky and Carole 4Names have to come up with 45,000 signatures within 75 days of the primary election or runoff of same election. This is no piece of cake. These signatures have to come from a pool of TX registered voters that did not vote in the primary election. While Carole 4names has more than $8 million in the bank and can pay her signature collectors, Kinky's organization is more tenuous. I heard last week that a local meeting to get some of these signature collectors at Jo's Coffee House went like this - Kinky shows up drunk at 11:00 am. Meeting ends abruptly. Plus the SOS will take more than 2 months to certify the signatures. That will hurt Kinky more.

Keep in mind that Ralph Nader who actually had a higher threshold for ballot access for president of 64,000 did not qualify for ballot access in Texas. He collected 50,000 signatures.



Vote in your Democratic Primary election. Don't fall for Kinky's scams. He's pro-war and for forced prayer in schools and God knows what else.

Sonia

But that's where the mission ends for him.

When I went blockwalking for Borris Miles a couple of weekends ago in Meyerland (a predominantly Jewish subdivision of southwest Houston) we knocked on the doors of about sixty double D's -- people who had voted in two out of the last three Democratic primaries.

About half of them answered the door. Of that 25-30, one man -- in his sixties, apparently a bachelor -- said he wasn't voting in the primary so that he could sign Kinky's petition.

I'll take those odds all day long.

If Kinky can't do any better than this in a Jewish neighborhood, he should seriously reconsider making the effort. He's raising a lot of money on the celebrity factor exclusively; maybe if we're not mean to him he'll throw it to the Democrat on down the line. I'm pretty sure he's going to need a lot more convincing that all he's doing is helping Rick Perry, because he's really not hurting anyone at the moment.

over a hundred Radnofsky supporters, and Jewish supporters are not over- or underrepresented among the Radnofsky supporters as compared to supporters of Christian Democratic candidates. I don't think Judaism plays a huge rule in any of these races (unless it plays a role among Republicans who might lean toward Radnofsky, that's an issue I cannot speak to).

voters hear Kinky criticize Perry's ineptitude, they get excited and sometimes they forget to check whether Kinky has got any sane alternatives. He doesn't. Literally, if you read Kinky's "platform" -- if you can call a half-dozen wacky policy comments a platform -- Kinky is a better advocate for Texas' cat population than Texas' human population.

Do not---under any circumstance---give cats the vote.

Like we don't have enough catherding to do in the party already. :7

one of the five most important problems facing Texans. Not a word about prescription drug relief, not a word about verified balloting reform and voting rights, not a word about lobby abuse reform, not a word about relief from regressive property taxes, not a word about living wage laws, not a word about immigration issues, not a word about gerrymandering reform, etc., etc., etc. . . . but he wants to make outlawing the de-clawing of cats a top priority and he wants to kick the most experienced people out of government because inexperienced people are less corrupt (wtf? wasn't the FEMA guy inexperienced?) and he wants to abolish political correctness (didn't political correctness used to be called politeness? and how do you abolish it? what does that statute look like?).

Here's an excerpt from Kinky's own website:

As Governor, Kinky, or “the Kinkster”, would:

* Legalize casino gambling to fund education
* Abolish political correctness “We didn’t get to be the Lone Star state by being politically correct”
* Take a good look at death row. “We need to make sure that we’re not putting innocent people to death, which I believe we are”
* Outlaw the de-clawing of cats
* Bring young people into his administration. “Young people are less corrupt. They are the future of Texas ; it’s theirs to win or lose.”

I’m a Jew, I’ll hire good people.

“If elected, I would ask Willie Nelson to be the head of the Texas Rangers and Energy Czar and Laura Bush to take charge of the Texas Peace Corps to improve education in the state. I’d ask my Palestinian hairdresser, Farouk Shami, to be Texas ’ ambassador to Israel . We’ve worked together to create Farouk & Friedman olive oil. The oil comes from the Holy land and all of the profits go to benefit Israeli and Palestinian children.”

Are these really the priorities of any sane candidate?

In other words, my grades in school don't compare to a current high schooler's grades. Different world.

The email from the Gammage campaign was sent to supporters, but I suppose if Chris wants to respond he should respond to all the points in the original.

It would be enlightening to take a trip over to BOR to see what his "response" is relative to:

http://www.burntorangereport.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=141

FYI, the 'comments' section of this post from Bell was removed. Bell misrepresented Wes Clark's position on the Iraq War in order to make his support for it less..... more palatable to Democrats. He was called on it. First they retracted the comments while insisting they were accurate, then they deleted all the comments entirely.

Fortunately, nothing in cyberspace is ever really deleted. If you want the ensuing comments posted here, I'll be happy to do so.

Advice: As a Democrat you'll find it a wise practice to always vote against the S-T recommendations.