Perry Getting Some Heat

Last week I posted on the media and the governor's race. This week things have changed. In the Statesman Gardner Selby has a little different report this week. Seems the governor's schedule has him a little flustered:

On the day I tagged along, Perry experienced one minor gaffe.

Following a script, he told supporters in Midland, "I wanted to kick off my campaign here in Abilene. . ."

"Midland!" folks hollered.

"Excuse me," the reddened guv said. "Only missed it by about 150 miles."

Reminds me of that commercial from a few years back where the musician at a concert calls out the wrong city name while he is on stage. Not only does he point out a Perry mistake he also quotes someone from the other party:

Charles Elliott, a longtime political scientist at Texas A&M University-Commerce and former member of the State Democratic Executive Committee, can't recall a governor seeking re-election by checklist. (George W. Bush defeated Gov. Ann Richards in 1994 by pounding four points.)

Elliott said Perry's list might raise more questions than votes.

Two examples:

Perry boasts of 300,000 new jobs in the state. Elliott wonders what kinds of jobs at what pay.

Perry touts lower home insurance rates; Elliott suggested that some companies have lowered rates, but others have not.

Perry characterized the gubernatorial race as a choice between prosperity or a "path charted by those who place their faith in government instead of people."

Elliott reacted: "Republicans routinely seek offices in governments which they regularly denigrate. That aside, both (Ronald) Reagan and (Bill) Clinton, along with a myriad of others, are wrong when they say the era of big government is over. It clearly is not..

Then comes this from the Star-Telegram, All hail the battered state. Here's a few excerpts:

Gov. Rick Perry's new re-election campaign commercial should make Texans feel good all over -- if they don't stop and think very hard.

The slick TV ad provides upbeat images of a field of bluebonnets, picturesque mountains, longhorns, the Texas flag, a classroom, a cowboy atop a horse silhouetted at sunset, towering skyscrapers and the Alamo, replete with stirring music. That's as much eye candy as any Texan could hope for in a mere 30 seconds.

[...]

But let's not get too taken away by the governor's new feel-good, be-proud TV ad, which paints a deceptively rosy picture of his lackluster job performance and the state's general condition.

Many of those new jobs that Perry talks about were required just to compensate for rapid population growth that has increased the number of people needing work. Much of the added education funding was needed just to compensate for growing student enrollments and inflation.

Texas remains a state with some very big problems, as well as some demographic rankings that we can't realistically feel good or proud about.

A little hard truth and of course the latest news of his ties to Abramoff, then Craddick and Dewhurt have hung him out to dry. It all add up to a not so good week for the governor.

The Texas Democratic Party wants you to give the governor a call to sever his ties with lobbyists.