Debra Medina is a "dark horse" candidate in every sense of the word. She is constantly in the shadow of Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Gov. Rick Perry, who have both been elected multiple times to their respective offices. Her gubernatorial campaign is based more on the quality of her character than on substantial political experience, with her Web site boasting that she is a "wife and mother, a registered nurse, a businesswoman, a rancher and a fighter."
The problem is, though she may have a heart of gold, she also has to generate enough positive publicity to make people believe in her. To lead Texas, you have to have good character and respect.
Medina has kept herself busy visiting Texas cities and campuses, promoting her ideals of small government and individual liberty. Last week, she spoke at Angelo State University and tonight she speaks at The University of Texas at Austin. But as she embarks on these public image campaigns, her followers are also busy "promoting" her - and not always in beneficial ways.
For example, watch this YouTube video of one of her supporters (an older woman) rapping about her. Yes, rapping. I especially like the "woo-hoo"s!
Entertaining and on-message, but hard to take seriously...just like the supporters of another Texas politician - Ron Paul. Some of Medina's only political experience is helping lead Ron Paul campaigns (he practically endorses her), and he had some of the same problems. He lost respect in the political community because some of his supporters were so overzealous - trolling blogs and articles, voting so many times in online polls that the results were skewed, and holding disruptive demonstrations and rallies. In response to Ron Paul's letter of approval, one reader comments, "Well...judging from the people working on her campaign, they are enough for me to vote for Perry or Hutchinson."
Medina certainly needs more publicity to win the governor's race. She just needs to make sure it's the right kind.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Thursday, October 22, 2009
...You gotta be a real (tech-savvy) southern gentleman
It's hard not to like Rick Perry, with his charming Texas smile and comfortable manners. His grin is as shiny as his boots, which proudly display the truly Texan slogan, "Come and Take It." In his picture on Twitter, he's holding a puppy. He Tweets endearing things like, "I just presented a $25,000 check to a high school teacher" and "Fletcher's corny dog may be the absolute best food at the Texas State Fair." He even condescended to "Follow" me on the popular social networking site. Seriously, what's not to like? His affability has helped keep him in office for so long, and it will be a huge factor in whether or not he wins the governor's race again in 2010.
Although Perry has certainly had some technical problems in the past, he seems to have no problem with social networking, being just as savvy on Facebook as he is on Twitter, according to Sinead Hultman's Gubernatorial PR Blog. He hasn't been in office this long for no reason. He is a master politician, knowing exactly how to reach the right people. "Perry is one of the few conservatives who 'gets' Twitter. He doesn’t just outsource it to young staffers.... If we want to continue to thrive as a state we need leaders who are forward thinking without compromising their principles," Thomas Umstattd writes in his conservative blog.
These social skills, conveyed both through personal presence and technology, may be Kay Bailey Hutchison's biggest obstacle in the governor's race as she seeks to unseat him with her impressive 16-year history in the Senate. Through Perry's social networking, he is painting himself as a good ol' Texas gentleman who is still "forward thinking," while Hutchison is left with the nicknames "Washington Kay" and "Kay Bailout." Too bad she doesn't Tweet more often about Fletcher's corny dogs.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
...You gotta have some dirt on "The Man"
And Gov. Rick Perry's opponents have unearthed enough to start a mudslide.
The most recent controversy surrounding the governor involves the 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was accused of starting a fire that killed his three children. Why has this story been dragged up out of the ashes, and what does it have to do with Rick Perry? Apparently Perry blatantly ignored multiple reports that Willingham was actually innocent. The governor had the power to reverse an injustice and didn't do it.
The New Yorker recently published an article documenting the case from start to finish. Apparently, after the execution, multiple forensic investigators claimed that the original indicators of arson had since been "scientifically proven to be invalid."
The Texas Forensic Science Commission has been investigating the case since 2005. The head of the investigation was scheduled to present his findings after four years of research this September. Shockingly, Perry had four commissioners, including the head investigator, replaced before the findings could be presented.
In defense of his actions, Perry said, "This was a guy who murdered his three children ... This was a bad man," according to The Dallas Morning News. But the question is, does he have the authority to make such an assertion when scientific investigators have found otherwise? Multiple character reports tell us he was indeed a "bad man," but simply being unpleasant is not a crime punishable by death. It seems that Perry is more concerned about being right than exonerating an innocent man.
Republican opponent Debra Medina countered, "The question, Governor Perry, is NOT whether or not Cameron Todd Willingham was a 'bad' man. The question sir is whether or not justice was served? Was he guilty of the crime that resulted in his execution?" Her entire letter is definitely worth a read, and it might even make you wonder if she should replace Perry as our next governor.
Of course the Kay Bailey Hutchison campaign pounced on the opportunity, saying the governor is "giving liberals an argument to discredit the death penalty." This is another bullet in her vast arsenal of complaints against the incumbent, as evidenced by her new Web site Slick Rick Perry.
Perry certainly already has some character complaints lodged against him, but impeding justice would be the dirt that catapults his opponents to the top (especially as Hutchison is now leading by a few points, according to one poll). Lynn Woolley of The Dallas Morning News sums it up best: "Of course, if Willingham did not set the fire – that's huge. But if Rick Perry interfered with the Texas Forensic Science Commission's investigation into the case – that's monumental."
The most recent controversy surrounding the governor involves the 2004 execution of Cameron Todd Willingham, who was accused of starting a fire that killed his three children. Why has this story been dragged up out of the ashes, and what does it have to do with Rick Perry? Apparently Perry blatantly ignored multiple reports that Willingham was actually innocent. The governor had the power to reverse an injustice and didn't do it.
The New Yorker recently published an article documenting the case from start to finish. Apparently, after the execution, multiple forensic investigators claimed that the original indicators of arson had since been "scientifically proven to be invalid."
The Texas Forensic Science Commission has been investigating the case since 2005. The head of the investigation was scheduled to present his findings after four years of research this September. Shockingly, Perry had four commissioners, including the head investigator, replaced before the findings could be presented.
In defense of his actions, Perry said, "This was a guy who murdered his three children ... This was a bad man," according to The Dallas Morning News. But the question is, does he have the authority to make such an assertion when scientific investigators have found otherwise? Multiple character reports tell us he was indeed a "bad man," but simply being unpleasant is not a crime punishable by death. It seems that Perry is more concerned about being right than exonerating an innocent man.
Republican opponent Debra Medina countered, "The question, Governor Perry, is NOT whether or not Cameron Todd Willingham was a 'bad' man. The question sir is whether or not justice was served? Was he guilty of the crime that resulted in his execution?" Her entire letter is definitely worth a read, and it might even make you wonder if she should replace Perry as our next governor.
Of course the Kay Bailey Hutchison campaign pounced on the opportunity, saying the governor is "giving liberals an argument to discredit the death penalty." This is another bullet in her vast arsenal of complaints against the incumbent, as evidenced by her new Web site Slick Rick Perry.
Perry certainly already has some character complaints lodged against him, but impeding justice would be the dirt that catapults his opponents to the top (especially as Hutchison is now leading by a few points, according to one poll). Lynn Woolley of The Dallas Morning News sums it up best: "Of course, if Willingham did not set the fire – that's huge. But if Rick Perry interfered with the Texas Forensic Science Commission's investigation into the case – that's monumental."
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