Posted on 09/02/2002 12:41:16 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Democrats could embarrass President Bush with a Texas-sized victory in his home state this fall, but only if Senate candidate Ron Kirk avoids more scenes like this: Five angry cops, one cagey rival and a bank of TV cameras watching Kirk grovel.
"I apologize," Kirk said, nervously twisting the knot in his tie.
Leaders of a state police organization, sitting ramrod straight, stared back at him from a long, blue line of chairs just five feet from his lectern. He wanted their endorsement. They wanted to know why he had criticized his opponent for insisting on the death penalty for a convicted cop killer.
"I think that may have offended some of you," Kirk said. "It was more political than thoughtful."
That's exactly what Republican rival John Cornyn, firmly backed by the Bush White House, hopes voters will think of Kirk: more political than thoughtful.
Ron Kirk, left, the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate, is shown after speaking to a committee of a Texas police officers on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2002, in Austin, Texas. The officers, left to right: Detective Matt Herden, from San Antonio; Officer John Kerr, from Fort Worth; and Lt. Henry Porretto, from Galveston. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
Democrats think of Kirk as a rising star - a charming, moderate former Dallas mayor who echoes Bush's promise to be a bipartisan reformer. A victory would make Kirk the state's first black senator, a hero among Democrats for overcoming Bush's enormous appeal in a mostly Republican state.
Kirk is part of the Democratic "dream team," a racially balanced statewide ticket that will test whether Democrats can regain their footing in Texas, and help themselves in other states, by courting Hispanics aggressively.
Cornyn is the state's buttoned-down Republican attorney general, a former state Supreme Court judge whose political consultant, Karl Rove, is now a White House heavyweight.
The Kirk-Cornyn race to replace Sen. Phil, R-Texas, is one of a handful of campaigns that will determine whether Democrats retain their fragile grip on the Senate.
"Losing the race in Texas would embarrass Bush and mean Republicans stand no chance of winning the Senate, which hurts his agenda," said Bruce Buchanan, University of Texas political science professor.
Republicans hold all 27 statewide offices in Texas. No Democrat has won an open Senate seat here in more than 30 years.
That leaves Buchanan wondering, "In a year Bush badly needs the seat, why has this become one of the most competitive races in the country?"
Kirk has made that happen, largely on the strength of his personality.
He is boundlessly affable, a man with a deep laugh and an unquenchable thirst to shake hands, trade jokes and make friends - even among foes.
After his shaky appearance before the police group, Kirk summoned his police inquisitors for a picture. Waving at two bald policemen, he drew laughter as he yelled, "I prefer to stand between two people with haircuts like mine."
Cornyn speaks in a slow, steady cadence: a voice that is soft and reassuring but easy to tune out.
But he impressed the police by moving comfortably from issue to issue, layering his talk with specifics.
Smooth as Cornyn was bland, Kirk danced away from details or commitments on police matters.
In an interview, the Democrat tried to sidestep questions about Bush's tax cuts - "It is confusing. I don't like to be hemmed into a box" - and recoiled at a query about Texas' school financing crisis.
"God, I'm not running for governor," he said.
Cornyn's backers think their biggest weapon is Kirk's penchant for bucking the popular Bush.
Kirk opposes the president on missile defense, private Social Security accounts, oil drilling in Alaska and private school vouchers.
He said he wouldn't support extending Bush's tax cut, and questioned the president's justification for war in Iraq.
"There's more to building a case to risk the blood of American boys than to just say, `Saddam is a bad man,'" Kirk said.
Gramm said the Democrat trying to take his seat is "trying to fool people about what he's about, a man opposed to George Bush in every way."
A Republican ad criticizes Kirk for opposing Bush's judicial nominations and ties him to "liberals like Hillary Clinton."
The most important person in the Kirk-Cornyn race may turn out to be a candidate for governor.
Democrat Tony Sanchez will spend up to $70 million of his own money in his race, associates say, much of it to recruit Hispanics voters.
Sanchez's campaign has 250 paid workers and four times as many volunteers going door to door in search of new Democratic voters.
Kirk's team hopes those voters will back another minority for Senate. Noting a history of friction between Hispanics and blacks in Texas, Republicans privately say that Kirk can't count on that.
Race is a factor for Attorney General Cornyn, too.
He recently ordered an investigation into a narcotics sting operation three years ago that resulted in the arrests of 43 people, all but six of them black.
Asked why he waited so long, Cornyn said the Justice Department had jurisdiction over the case. He did not explain why he suddenly got involved, except to dispute the conclusion of most analysts: It was election-year racial politics.
Earl Black, a Rice University professor who specializes in Southern politics, said that while few Texans will vote against someone simply because of race, a black candidate has trouble shaking political stereotypes.
"It's harder for a black candidate to convince white voters that he's not liberal," Black said.
Cornyn is trying to plaster the liberal label on Kirk.
As the Democrat was apologizing to the police group, Cornyn was meeting the slain officer's widow - a fact he mentioned when it was his turn to seek the police endorsement.
Later, picking through his salad at a downtown restaurant, Cornyn said, "Texans know President Bush and I have a lot in common, including the death penalty."
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And an abysmal failure as mayor.
The biggest problem IMO is that Republican voters (who tend to be occupied with things like having a real job and a life) aren't vocal enough. The leftists, on the other hand, never stop shrieking. Until I found FR, I was beginning to wonder if I was the only conservative left on the planet. We need to let our representatives know that we are here, we're alert, we're fed up, and we are numerous.
The Republican party needs our active input, whether it be praise, criticism, or a combination of both. Our representatives need to know where we stand and what we will not stand for. But then again, I'm one of those people who believes the best way to reform the system is to work within the system if at all possible, and right now, I think it's still possible. I'm not ready to abandon the Republicans and seek out a 3rd party. Not yet. It's too soon to give up hope.
When you vote; You = One person. When you write a letter to your Congressman; You = 100 people. Write your Congressman.
Since when?
Democrats think of Kirk as a rising star - a charming, moderate former Dallas mayor who echoes Bush's promise to be a bipartisan reformer.
According to the media, there is no such thing as a Liberal Democrat. They're always Moderate or Conservative. Ron Kirk is as liberal as they come. How I wish I was back in Austin where I could vote for Cornyn.
Every solution out of Washington is for more spending, larger government.
Farm bill, Steel quota's, 60,000 airport screener's, etc.
The path is a direct line to European socialism and 75% tax rates.
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