Money, Money, Money, Money

In case you didn't know it, the Democrats are way behind in the money race. Take your pick: Statesman, Star-Telegram, DMN, HChron, and Express-News. I would recommend reading all of them, they're relatively small, because in each one there is a list of donors to the campaigns. The lists are similar but different. The interesting thing I saw reading through them was that the casino lobbies are giving to Perry and Strayhorn.

The money issue goes to a theme I've been thinking about and it's the fact that all of these point out is that the Democratic Party in Texas and especially our candidates for governor are not tied to any special interest or big money interest. I also thought these comments from Kinky's campaign manager were interesting:

"It speaks volumes how lost the Democratic Party has become in this state and how dispirited Democrats have become," said Mr. Friedman's campaign manager, Dean Barkley.

I thinks it's interesting that Kinky's campaign thinks that just because Democrats aren't getting money from special interests and big money donors, that we are "dispirited"? I thought in their thinking that would be a positive. Isn't special interests and big money what Kinky's been railing against all this time? All these reports talk about the big money contributors. Nothing about how much the candidates have raised through individual contributors. I think what Gammage's campaign is quoted as saying in these articles is true:

Gammage's spokesman, Jeremy Warren, said a competitive March 7 primary will build voter interest in Democrats, helping fundraising. Perry has three little-known challengers in the GOP primary.

Warren said: "We believe we'll have plenty of resources to wage an effective campaign through November."

That and I think once a Democratic candidate is finalized the party will unify behind that candidate. Also related to yesterday's story those conservatives that hate trial lawyers can't be happy about this:

Walter Umphrey of Beaumont and John Eddie Williams of Houston, ranked among more than 85 lawyers or law firms giving Strayhorn more than $500,000 total. In the same six months, Perry raised more than $290,000 from more than 150 lawyers or firms.

Now that the Republicans and the Independents are the parties of trial lawyers, special interest and big money if you want to vote for the party of the people vote Democratic!