Free Republic

Kinky Friedman -- novelist, humorist, essayist -- thinks he might want to be the next governor of Texas. He isn't announcing yet. He doesn't want to peak too soon. "But if Lance Armstrong and Willie Nelson stay out of the race, you're probably talking to the next governor of Texas," he said last week by phone from his ranch near Medina in southwest Texas. He quickly added, "Don't forget, man's ability to delude himself is infinite." Friedman, who writes for Texas Monthly, has always hovered around the edges of Texas politics, mostly as an observer, usually as a critic. Yet...

<p>If anything concrete on the unity front comes out of the state Republican convention this weekend in Los Angeles, it might be a statement from the county chairmen expressing support for Arnold Schwarzenegger and, possibly, urging McClintock to drop out of the race. Both candidates met with about 40 to 45 chairmen in separate private meetings this afternoon, and several of those present said afterward that the party officials, in a show of hands, were overwhelmingly for Schwarzenegger.</p>

This is the memo from the teacher’s union outlining plans to call a job action vote if Jim Doyle is not elected…WEAC is threatening an illegal strike if voters do not give them their way next Tuesday. Experiment: Try to imagine the reaction if anyone else issued a threat to break the law in order to influence an election. Would that be... Extortion? I’ll have more to say when I get back from Washington, D.C….. “FROM YOUR FVTC ESPA & FA CRITICAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE: THE STATEWIDE WEAC ACTION VOTE (NBI #3) WHY IS THIS VOTE BEING TAKEN? At the 2002...

Who better to attract economic growth? Task to test next governor By Paula Wade wade@gomemphis.com October 21, 2002 NASHVILLE - Tennessee's two chief contenders for the governor's office - Republican Van Hilleary and Democrat Phil Bredesen - have very different public records and points of view on economic growth and development. It will be a tough task for the next governor to move the state forward, given the concentration of wealth in the state's cities and suburbs, the complex problems of extreme urban and rural poverty, an undereducated workforce and strained state resources. When Hilleary talks with voters about growth,...

George Rodriguez, a former El Paso County attorney and longtime friend of Dan Morales, was not surprised earlier this week when Morales, a Democrat, endorsed the Republican Perry. "That's Dan Morales at his best. That's him. He's an unorthodox person," says Rodriguez, who was Morales' go-to guy in El Paso 12 years ago when Morales ran for attorney general. He served two terms before retiring. Earlier this year Morales decided to challenge Perry. But Sanchez defeated Morales in the Democratic primary. It was a bruising match. Most politicians probably would've stayed neutral if they couldn't stomach their party's nominee. "Any...

Just announced on NBC that Bill Simon and Gray Davis will debate on television tomorrrow, Sunday, October 6, at 12 noon PDT.

Candidates silent on budget crisis State hopefuls oppose higher taxes, say it's too early to talk about cuts 09/08/2002 By CHRISTY HOPPE and TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN - Candidates for governor and lieutenant governor, afraid of alienating voters, are dodging a looming budget crisis that could mean either higher taxes or draconian budget cuts and maybe both, legislative leaders say. Democrats and Republicans say candidates are doing a disservice to voters by not spelling out how they intend to tackle the budget monster that will dominate next year's legislative session. "Everybody knows it's going to...

POSTHUMUS: LET'S DEBATE! Lt. Governor Dick Posthumus today called for a series of debates across the state with Attorney General Jennifer Granholm to give the voters of Michigan - all of Michigan - the opportunity to evaluate the candidates.

Thursday, Aug, 29, 2002Simon Shift Angers Conservative Religious Voters (Newsmax) California GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Simon, already lagging in the polls, has infuriated members of his party's conservative wing by caving into pressures from homosexuals to endorse existing domestic partnership laws in spite of an earlier pledge that such benefits either belong exclusively to marriage or can be obtained by responsible people through inexpensive legal contracts and other private arrangements. Simon, however, insists he hasn't changed his views at all. Responding to a questionnaire from the homosexual Log Cabin Republican group asking whether he supported existing law on domestic partnerships,...

HOMEPAGE FOR BOB EHRLICH

Good morning, Florida and the USA, It's raining here on the Gulf side this morning. That's why our Indy car has it's racing tires on. And, the checkered flag is not only waving for Jeb this month, but I'm also waving it as momentum builds for all Republican victories in November! LET'S MAKE NOVEMBER OURS!

Perry walks fine line of following, leading For better or worse, Bush comparisons are inevitable 07/29/2002 By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News AUSTIN - Sometimes, men toil in the shadows of giants, predecessors who loom as large as redwoods. For Rick Perry, the shadow is cast by a Bush. And he knows it. The Republican governor tells the story of 3,500 elated fans who filled a baseball stadium to celebrate the University of Texas' national championship last month. He was surrounded by success, sitting in the third-base dugout with Longhorn coach Augie Garrido and retired coaching legend...

<p>California's gubernatorial sweepstakes is turning into a neck-and-neck race, according to a recent spate of polls that show embattled Democratic Gov. Gray Davis right alongside new kid Republican challenger Bill Simon.</p> <p>More important -- those same confidential polls show half the state's voters giving him a thumbs-down on his job performance.</p>

June 3, 2002 Elvis Impersonator Running for Gov.By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Filed at 1:00 p.m. ET MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- A challenger to Gov. Scott McCallum has entered the race.Elvis impersonator and former state Rep. Bill Lorge will seek the Republican nomination in the November race for governor.Lorge made the announcement late Friday as Republicans gathered in Green Bay for their annual convention, but he said he had no plans to attend.``I'm going to be out with the real Republicans,'' around the state, Lorge said.Delegates on Saturday approved McCallum as their choice for governor.Lorge said he thinks he can...

McBride's first campaign was bittersweet. Sweet, when in 1968 he ran for UF student body president and won by eight votes. Bitter, when a new election was ordered. GAINESVILLE -- The campaign was as heated and close as anyone could remember. It ended in a virtual tie amid confusion, anguish and allegations of irregularities. Al Gore? Butterfly ballots? Try 1968 and an ambitious law student named Bill McBride, whose first taste of politics brought him the rush of victory before the taint of political scandal yanked it away. Now a Democrat running to unseat Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, McBride is...

CAPTION: Backers of the proposal say the number is just an estimate, and if the ballot carries a price tag, it could be different. TALLAHASSEE -- Supporters of a move to force the Legislature to reduce class sizes in Florida public schools released the first estimate of how much that would cost: $8-billion to $12-billion. That amounts to about a half-cent of sales tax statewide each year. The state Legislature would be responsible for finding the money if the measure makes it to the November ballot and voters approve. Supporters of the citizen initiative said they are "not afraid of...

It's MAY DAY! Back in South Dakota (Daschle Country), if this custom has survived, May baskets are being left on people's doorsteps and just maybe today, Tommy D. is dancing around a maypole for the media in front of the Capitol. So, HAPPY MAY DAY to SD and to my aunties! Meanwhile, back here in Florida, we've got a hot race just heating up. Although JEB'S potential competitors are having day to day difficulties with their campaigns, JEB IS LEADING - HE'S WAY AHEAD OF ALL THE COMPETITION. JEB BUSH IS UNSTOPPABLE! I believe our calling as Jeb supporters is...

It was one of the most spectacular cases Janet Reno faced as Miami-Dade County state attorney: The owners of an unlicensed day care center accused of molesting more than 20 children under their care. Frank Fuster, owner of Country Walk day care in southwest Dade, was convicted of 14 counts and sentenced to 165 years in prison in 1985. The methods Reno used to convict him served as a national model and burnished Reno's image as a children's advocate. Now, the PBS documentary series Frontline will air allegations from Fuster's wife that Reno coerced her into testifying against her husband...

TALLAHASSEE -- In a move that stunned legislators, Gov. Jeb Bush on Tuesday vetoed a contentious phone rate increase that produced more consumer opposition than any other issue this year. Legislators, particularly fellow Republicans, and phone companies that heavily lobbied the usually pro-business governor, speculated Bush was playing politics in an election year. "I'm disappointed," said Sen. Jerry Maygarden, R-Pensacola, House majority leader and a sponsor of the bill. "It's lame at best." The bill (HB 1683) likely would have increased monthly local rates by as much as $5 over five years in the Tampa Bay area, and as much...