Whoooooooooooooooooo. This one's pretty roasty, people. Just got in my email.
Who do you believe - the Repubican Dallas Morning News or Real Democrats?
Folks that are worried about Chris Bell receiving the endorsement of the Dallas Morning News need to stop kvetching. This is actually great news and par for the course. The bigger story will be if major newspapers, like the Dallas Morning News, wake up from their decade long slumber and actually back a candidate willing to fight for the people.
Let's look at the facts:
Chris Bell has been courting these editorial boards fastidiously for a year.
Chris Bell is a former journalist.
Chris Bell cloaks himself in "Mr. Moderate" clothing and talks about minor issues and half-measures that sound appealing yet do virtually nothing.
In short, he is the made-for-Dallas-Morning-News-editorial board-Democrat: a Democrat who won't talk passionately about core Democratic principles. Instead, he'll offer soothing bromides about creating another bipartisan commission to solve our school finance crisis. That's what the Dallas Morning News loves - a Democrat who will go along and get along. Sing us to sleep.
To quote the Dallas Morning News: "Mr. Bell's pragmatic tone on issues like school funding would position Democrats in the center." Great, that's just what we need, another Democrat moderating his stance on major issues to appeal to the kewl kidz on the Editorial Board. The house is burning down but please, whatever you do, don't yell fire. The same Dallas Morning News Editorial Board said, "Mr. Gammage, a former Texas Supreme Court justice, congressman and state legislator, believes Democrats should stand out by returning to their progressive roots."
When was the last time going along to get along got Texas Democrats anywhere? Remember when the Texas House Democrats stood up to Tom DeLay and the Texas Republicans over their pathetic and now potentially-illegal redistricting scheme? Well, Texas Monthly rewarded this heroic effort by labeling Jim Dunnam one of Texas' Worst Legislators because: "to those who think that goodwill and compromise are essential to the shaping of public policy -- a fundamental assumption behind the choosing of the best and worst legislators - he is, at best, a terrible disappointment." Seriously. The Republicans brazenly flout the law, precedent and good government, but the Democrats should be nice and take it like good little boys and girls.
The bottom line is that every time a Democrat stands up and fights the Republicans - whether it is Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Howard Dean, General Wesley Clark - the pundits and pontificators in the media fan themselves and scream "I do declare!" and complain about the riff-raff raising a ruckus. The fact is that Bob Gammage is the candidate actually talking about the issues concerning Texas Democrats. While the Dallas Morning News's editorial board actually editorializes in support of virtually every plank of Bob's Historic Progressive Platform, they don't like it when a candidate campaigns on those issues. It might ruffle too many corporate feathers.
Texas Democrats see through the fog emanating from the establishment pundit class. That is why Bob is racking up endorsement after endorsement from grassroots progressive organizations and why the only poll out there shows that Bob is the best Democrat in the race. Texas Democrats know that Bob Gammage is the strongest Democrat with the best chance of defeating Rick Perry in November.
This is our race to win, and I know we can do it. Go Gammage Go!!