A big catchup elections post

Here's a nice endorsement for Martin Frost.

Ed Smart is best-known as the father of kidnapped Utah teenager Elizabeth Smart, whom authorities found alive and safe after nine months in captivity. He's also a Republican.

But Mr. Smart traveled to Dallas on Friday to endorse Rep. Martin Frost, D-Dallas, in his contentious fight against Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas, to represent Texas' 32nd Congressional District.

Mr. Frost, he said, should be rewarded with re-election for advocating a federal Amber Alert system – named for an Arlington girl who in 1996 was kidnapped and murdered – that broadcasts emergency messages when authorities suspect someone has abducted a child.

Mr. Frost also wrote a bill that created stiffer penalties for sexual offenders.

"This man here made it happen," Mr. Smart said, placing his arm around Mr. Frost. "He's someone who's responsive, who's dedicated to the betterment of our society."

Too bad he doesn't live in the district. Still, a nice-to-have.

Cragg Hines takes a look at Frost's run for reelection today.

In what was, at best, insensitive phrasing, in a debate last week Sessions said Sept. 11, 2001, was "a home game" and the attack Iraq a preferable "away game." Rushing into the opening, Frost turned on his opponent: "Pete, this is not a game."

In speaking of the war on terrorism, Frost points out that his wife, an Army major general, is on assignment in Iraq and that he, unlike Sessions, served in the military.

"He has made himself into a conservative," a long-time Dallas Republican activist said of Frost. Which is a neat trick, especially for a former member of the House Democratic leadership.

In the debate, when Sessions criticized Frost for voting for tax increases, Frost recalled the again-burgeoning federal deficit and his support for a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution. "I believe in fiscal sanity," Frost said.

Frost also believes in exposing Sessions' hard-right record, seeing it as more suited to his opponent's former constituents in rural counties than to city dwellers in some of Dallas most sophisticated, if conservative, neighborhoods.

"I want people to know he's pretty far out on the fringe and not just your run-of-the-mill Republican," Frost said after the debate.

In their televised confrontation, Frost pointed out that Sessions was one of the handful of House Republicans to perpetually sponsor a bill to withdraw the United States from the United Nations.

Frost's campaign, given such daunting odds, is noted by some staunch area Republicans.

"I think Martin Frost has done a really good job of doing a complete campaign -- yard signs, public appearances, communications," said conservative political consultant Pat Cotton. "He's done it very cleverly."

I keep getting mail from Mike Fjetland. I'd remove myself from his listserv, but the entertainment value is too high:

Primary POLL:
40% REPUBLICAN VOTERS WANT
“SOMEONE OTHER THAN TOM DELAY”

Suddenly, momentum has been building in this campaign.

In the next week 10,000 flyers are going out to people in the district, reaching some of the 40% of Ft. Bend Republicans who refused to vote for Rep. DeLay
in the March 9 primary and don’t know (yet) that this former GOP candidate is
now running as an independent. Add 10-15% moderate Democrats to that 40%, and I will have a majority on November 2.

I've already discussed Fjetland's penchant for funny math. I have no clue what poll he's referring to, but as I noted before, Fjetland barely broke 20% in his two primary runs against DeLay. We'll not mention the fact that CD22 covers parts of Brazoria, Galveston, and Harris Counties, too. Wanting someone other than Tom DeLay != wanting Mike Fjetland.

But wait! There's more!

I grew up on a farm near a town smaller than Rosenberg, but got to see the world as a young negotiator for Houston companies. In my travels I came across a Chinese saying: "You have to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys."

Is it just me, or does anyone else think that quote would sound totally natural coming from Alan Keyes? I may have to adopt it as an email sig.

Speaking of crazy Senate candidates, did you catch this story?

TULSA, Sept. 16 -- A woman who claimed in a lawsuit 13 years ago that the Republican Senate candidate here, a family physician, sterilized her without her consent came forward Thursday to stand by her story, throwing one of the most competitive Senate races in the country into further turmoil.

Her voice shaking at times, Angela Plummer said that while Tom Coburn saved her life during a 1990 surgery to remove a fallopian tube in which a fetus had lodged, she was "stunned" to learn that he had also removed her remaining good tube.

"Dr. Tom Coburn sterilized me without my consent -- verbal or written -- and I know he's stating that he got oral consent. That is not true," Plummer said at a news conference. "I'm not up here to smear him. I'm up here because I wanted to have more children, and he took that away from me."

Byron has some more of the Coburn Follies, plus a pointer to a Republican poll that has Coburn down 42-35 to Democrat Brad Carson.

If all goes well, I'll be doing some voter registration at the HCDP's new Sharpstown office this afternoon. I'll report on that later.

UPDATE: Well, they had the voter reg stuff covered at the HCDP Sharpstown office, so I hung out with Greg and took some pictures of visiting candidates. I got to meet Harris County District Attorney candidate Reggie McKamie, and he agreed to do a blog interview with me, so watch this space for more.

Oh, and I've finally seen a campaign ad on TV. Nick Lampson has some ads running on ESPN during baseball games - I saw one each on Wednesday and Friday. We'll see if there are any others this year.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on September 19, 2004 to Election 2004 | TrackBack