Now it's the Dems' turn

The state Democratic convention is underway this weekend in El Paso. Gubernatorial candidate Tony Sanchez fired a few choice shots at Governor Goodhair:

"I am going to restore respect, integrity, honesty and decency to the governor's office," Sanchez told the Texas Democratic Convention, paraphrasing a line that President Bush used in the 2000 presidential campaign to link Democrat Al Gore to the scandals of the Clinton White House.

"Insurance companies, HMOs, electric utilities, favored real estate developers in Austin ... have lined up, paid the freight ... and turned the governor's office into little more than a checkout line at the grocery store," Sanchez said.

I've expressed a number of reservations about the Democratic candidates trying to sound too much like Dubya, but the irony here is pretty amusing.

Meanwhile, a smallish group of state Dems pined for the good old days when Texas was Democratic territory and the party was more liberal. I have sympathy for these guys, and I'm certainly glad that they've stayed in the party rather than join Ralph Nader's band of merry anarchists, but there's a reason they've been marginalized: Like it or not, most people here don't agree with them. I wish them luck in working to change minds, but I'm not going to hold my breath waiting for results.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on June 15, 2002 to Election 2002