September 16, 2007
TX-SEN : Noriega, Perry and Watts...oh my!
Well, there's been a lot of talk about contributions received by Rep. Noriega over the years. The central thrust is that since Noriega accepted UNSOLICITED contributions from Bob Perry, it somehow damages him as a candidate, even though the public record very clearly shows that he's not been bought by Swift Boat Bob.
Yeah, that's right... the same Bob Perry who funded the swift boat attacks on John Kerry in 2004.
First, let's talk about those attacks. They were stupid, badly done and easily refutable. They were also a major contributing factor in the defeat of John Kerry in 2004. I say a contributing factor because had Kerry come out and called bullshit early on, it would have diffused the entire situation and turned it around, pointing out to the American people that Kerry was a man of integrity and honesty. By not doing that, he made himself look weak and disinterested.
That's what lost Kerry that election. Bob spent his money but that race was Kerry's to lose and he did.
So, let's not assign preternatural importance to Bob Perry. That's not to say he isn't scum (he is), but in relation to Rick Noriega's he's nothing more than a minor source of donations for a couple of years. Further EVERY elected official in Harris County gets money from Bob Perry. Some, obviously, more than others. Noriega is definitely on the low end. The real issue should be pay for play... and that's one where Bob's investment has definitely not paid off. Bob's the kind of guy who thinks at the very least by giving money to all legislators, you can buy, if not love, at least a modicum of goodwill. He's not received much of that from Rick Noriega. From tort reform to real teeth at the TRCC, Noriega has voted against Bob. Not to mention his steadfast opposition to school vouchers.
Why is this an issue? Because some purists just demand that Democrats accept money from only Democrats. Real pragmatic, these folks. What's curious is that none of them seem at all concerned with a much more serious issue, namely the hundreds of thousands Mikal Watts has given to Republican candidates since 2000 and the snubbing of Democratic candidates. I for one, know for a fact that Watts was contacted on behalf of the Hank Gilbert campaign and ignored the request. To be fair, he wasn't the only one. However, never did those who worked hard to make Democrats look good last year think that SOMEONE FROM OUR OWN SIDE WOULD FUND TERRIBLE PEOPLE LIKE TODD STAPLES. And that is exactly what Mikal Watts turned around and did.
That's right. You want to take about tainted money, how nice is it to know that some in the upper echelons of Democratic Politics in Texas were working hard to undo everything we were working on the ground to achieve? Sucks, doesn't it?
The next line of attack to come out of the Watts campaign through surrogates is Noriega's donation to his employer's PAC. Unlike the PAC Mikal Watts gives to and controls, Noriega has donated small amounts to his employer's (CenterPoint Energy) PAC, funds which are not under his control. Watts has given massive amounts of money to Republicans in Texas, some of who even voted for the unprecedented mid-decade redistricting. The CenterPoint PAC hasn't even given as much as Watts who sees tens of thousands of dollars as nothing more than minor contribution.
Cross party support is essential in terms of votes and money. This is Texas and you need tons of both. Since neither party has a majority, they have to appeal to a broad range of voters. Rick Noriega does which is what has Teams Watts throwing out all this slanted opposition research and why none of it is affecting the support that Noriega has earned. None of this will have an impact in the general election, much like all the vaunted funding Watts has given his campaign. Hank took money from Democrats and Republicans... does that somehow make him less of a Democrat? If so, I'd like to see you tell him to his face...
I know Rick personally. I know him to be a decent and honorable public servant. I can't say the same for a man who claims to buy judges and gives hundreds of thousands of dollars to some of the worst people in the Republican party. I have faith in a man who has always been a steady and dependable vote for progressives in the Texas Legislature.
Posted by mcblogger at September 16, 2007 06:36 PM
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