Texas Gubernatorial Candidates Quiet After Primaries

The ads running on TV and the constant back-and-forth battle before the Texas primaries had the gubernatorial candidates very visible to the average voter.  But since hair care product guru and Democratic candidate Farouk Shami, and the senior U.S. Senator from Texas (who just may have used some of that hair care product herself) Kay Bailey Hutchison, were knocked out of the race, little has been said from either of the men vying for Texas' top job in November.  Oh, I just about forgot, businesswoman (or whatever she does) Debra Medina, a Republican candidate, also lost her primary run.  But who cares, really?

Incumbent Rick Perry, who is seeking a record third term as the Republican governor of Texas, and former Houston mayor and Democratic candidate Bill White, may just be reserving their resources for an all-out knock-out come closer to election time.  After all, given the attention spans of people in our social media savvy world today (Twitter and Facebook comments are fleeting afterall and we seem to only remember the comment that just scrolled by most times), it might be smart to hold off until the fall to begin the hardcore mud slinging.

According to Gov. Perry's web site, he has been quite busy as of late.  One of the biggest debates he's taken part in recently has been the one over "Obamacare," President Barack Obama's massive overhaul of the health care in America.  Gov. Perry, as well as Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, are joining forces to fight the legislation.  In fact, Abbott is hopping on the bandwagon with dozens of other Attorneys General in the U.S. to sue to federal government over the health care reform bill.

Perry is also busy touting Texas as the place where the economy is leaps and bounds above the rest of the nation, according to his web site, and where jobs are on the rise.  According to press releases from the Office of the Governor, Perry recently announced multiple job creation efforts worth millions of dollars from various economic incentive programs that will provide those who want to work the chance to earn a paycheck.

Meantime, Bill White's been busy, too... apparently.  This week, his web site says he called on Perry to
"urge his appointed Chair of the State Board of Education to send amendments back to the original curriculum review teams.  The State Board of Education (SBOE) recently voted on more than 100 amendments to social studies curriculum standards that will guide textbooks and classroom materials for years to come."

White calls the SBOE's move an overly political process.  "Individual school board members are no doubt sincere in their beliefs, and some of the changes can be debated by reasonable people.  But, under the leadership of another extreme Rick Perry appointee, the amendment process injected politics into our school books and classrooms," said White.  "That is a step in the wrong direction, requiring leadership from our Governor."

White also made a comment about his friend, Liz Carpenter, who recently passed away.  Carpenter was a journalist, humorist, author and speaker with close connections to the White House and several former Presidents.

"We will miss my friend, Liz Carpenter.  She had a unique ability to express her commitment to social justice in a light that sparkled with wit and humor," White said.  As a side note, a celebration of Carpenter's life will be held Friday, March 26, at the LBJ Auditorium at 10 a.m.

Both candidates are taking time to take care of business as they see fit, participating in their own worlds of worthiness when it comes to thinking each is best for the job of governor.  Ultimately, the decision will be made by voters.  The morale of the story right now is that the average person just isn't seeing the men we saw before the primaries, and the men I'm sure we'll get to know as the November general election approaches.  It's sort of like the season of Christmas.  There's a big build up (for Christmas or primaries as it were), then there's a huge emotional relief (the days following Christmas or the days after the primaries).  But then there's the next big holiday, which is debatable, and that equates to the November election.

Get ready for the build up all over again.  Politics in Texas, as our holidays, never get old.