If you haven't yet, I commend you to read this post on the Chris Bell blog on what it means to run as a "reform" candidate. Greg and The Jeffersonian have commented on it already, and my reaction is more or less the same as The Jeff's. In fact, I don't think I can improve on what he says:
Our vocabulary should begin, and very nearly end, with one word- Reform.We live in a state that can't pass school finance reform, but can find a way to kick off 150,000 children off of CHIPs. A state where fifty lobbyists can get into a room and decide how we're going to fund our schools. Not teachers or parents or legislators - Lobbyists. A state where one man single-handedly gives nearly $3 million to various candidates and then has the gall to have his press secretary tell us he expects nothing in return. A state that can remove any and all caps off of tuition increases, and give tuition-setting power to unelected, unaccountable Boards of Regents whose only main qualification is giving Rick Perry, Inc a whole hell of a lot of money. A state where one US House Majority Leader's PAC can, for example, accept X numbers of $250 checks from corporations and then three days later send out X numbers of $250 checks to State House candidates; knowing full well that corporate donations to state government candidates are prohibited by state law. And we can go on and on and on.