Tx Rep Primary Race For Governor

[KRAM1]

A new poll shows the following support levels in the Texas Republican primary race for the Governor's seat:

Perry - 44%

Hutchison - 29%

Medina - 16%

The info went on to say they expected Hutchison's numbers to continue to fall as Medina's may increase, and that those supporting Perry were very solidly behind him. So, it the primary race over? Seems so to me, and it is simply now a question of will Perry win in March or in an April run-off due to Medina's surprising rise in the polls.

I had said earlier that I thought Hutchison would drop out of the race, looks like she should have, but is giving all indication that she will stick it out. Should she? Does she have a chance even with Bush 1 and Nolan Ryan in her court? What do you think?

[UNTFan23]

I saw on the news last night Perry would need 50% of the vote, so if the election was tomorrow, there would be a run-off. The election is far from over.

[untbowler]

I have listened to Medina speak a few times and she runs circles around both Hutchinson and Perry, to bad the voters do not take the time to actually look at the non-national candidates. Perry and Hutchinson are both career politiicans who really are there for themselves and to further career.

[KRAM1]

With numbers the way they are and with Medina rising and Hutchinson in free-fall, a run-off would not matter. It looks to me like Perry has it pretty well sewed up. If that is the case (and for me, I'll probably vote in the primary for Medina), and if one was a Republican mindset, would it not be better for Hutchison and/or Medina to bow out now and saw the campaign war chest funds for the general election? Just thinking.

I do think it will be fun to see how far Medina can rise in the polls and how many votes she actually gets in the primary. At this rate, it might be Perry and Medina in the run off if a run-off happens...and it sure looks like it may well.

[UNTFan23]

With numbers the way they are and with Medina rising and Hutchinson in free-fall, a run-off would not matter. It looks to me like Perry has it pretty well sewed up. If that is the case (and for me, I'll probably vote in the primary for Medina), and if one was a Republican mindset, would it not be better for Hutchison and/or Medina to bow out now and saw the campaign war chest funds for the general election? Just thinking.

I do think it will be fun to see how far Medina can rise in the polls and how many votes she actually gets in the primary. At this rate, it might be Perry and Medina in the run off if a run-off happens...and it sure looks like it may well.

I may vote for Medina in the primary just because she has some different ideas. I just would like to see new leadership for governor as Perry has been in charge since W. took office as president.

Edited February 3, 2010 by UNTFan23

[KingDL1]

I may vote for Medina in the primary just because she has some different ideas. I just would like to see new leadership for governor as Perry has been in charge since W. took office as president.

At this point I am leaning toward Medina, I need more info on her but I have liked what I read so far. I have been disappointed in Hutchinson at times so she is out for me. For me it is between Medina and Perry.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

---Perry keeps bragging about cutting state taxes....and wanting to cut them more... good grief... only Mississippi has a less state taxes per-capita now. His cuts have hurt education in the state. I don't think Mississippi is known for educational excellence either.

---Medina seems a bit radical to me wants to completely eliminate property tax.... that is related to THE big problem in California now...no or little property tax ....and when the economy drops they get in serious trouble because their revenues are based on income tax and sales tax.... both of which are very economy driven and their revenue falls greatly. ....This is a bad idea and really hurts those with very limited resourses...especially large sales tax increases.It is also not good because people living our borders will go to other states to buy ...which not good for our economy or jobs or tax-revenue. That leaves KBH..

Edited February 3, 2010 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[yyz28]

---Perry keeps bragging about cutting state taxes....and wanting to cut them more... good grief... only Mississippi has a less state taxes per-capita now. His cuts have hurt education in the state. I don't think Mississippi is known for educational excellence either.

PLEASE don't get me started on education.

Taxpayers have invested considerable resources in the nation's public schools. However, ever-increasing funding of education has not led to sim ilarly improved student performance. Instead of simply increasing funding for public education, federal and state policymakers should implement education reforms designed to improve resource allocation and boost student performance.

Given the significant increase in resources allocated to public education, politicians should consider whether government spending increases have led to improved student outcomes. This will help to determine whether future increases in education spending can be expected to yield tangible improvements for students, or if maintaining high property taxes on the property owners in the state for sake of "education" is really something we should be putting much weight on.

A basic comparison of long-term spending trends with long-term measures of student academic achievement challenges the belief that spending is correlated with achievement. Compare real per-pupil expenditures with American students test scores on the long-term National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading examination from 1970 to 2004. While spending per pupil has more than doubled, reading scores have remained relatively flat. You'll find the attached chart interesting.

High school graduation rates provide another historical barometer of American educational performance. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average freshman graduation rate for American public schools has remained relatively flat over time. In 1990–1991, the average graduation rate was 73.7 percent. By 2004–2005, the rate had increased modestly to 74.7.[13] How­ever, the most recent estimate for the 2005–2006 school year shows that the national freshman graduation rate has dipped to 73.4 percent.[14]

A key focus of education reform efforts in recent decades has been to improve opportunities for disadvantaged students and to reduce the achievement gap between white students and ethnic minority children. Black and Hispanic students have improved test scores in both subjects across all student levels. However, the achievement gap persists, with black and Hispanic children still lagging behind their white peers despite decades of federal aid targeted at equalizing opportunities for all students. Similarly, in 2005–2006, the national high school graduation rate for white students (80.6 percent) remained significantly higher than the graduation rates of black students (59.1 percent) and Hispanic students (61.4 percent).

We've been throwing more and more money at this for years, and despite the fact we spend more per capita on education than only 3 other nations on the planet (none of whom really compete with us at any level in the global economy - or chief competitors, Japan, China and India spend FAR less with much better outcomes) our education outcome remains stagnant, despite the massive increases in spending.

---Medina seems a bit radical to me wants to completely eliminate property tax.... that is related to THE big problem in California now...no or little property tax ....and when the economy drops they get in serious trouble because their revenues are based on income tax and sales tax.... both of which are very economy driven and their revenue falls greatly. ....This is a bad idea and really hurts those with very limited resourses...especially large sales tax increases.It is also not good because people living our borders will go to other states to buy ...which not good for our economy or jobs or tax-revenue. That leaves KBH.

I have to respectfully disagree with your conclusion of what is wrong in California. California is FUBAR because it has far more obligations than it can possibly pay for. Californians are taxed at a higher rate than virtually any other population in the country. The problem is NOT that they don't have a large enough tax base or that the people aren't being taxed in the right way, the problem is that the number of producers are shrinking while the number of people who the government has to care for is increasing. In California, the balance of producers to users tipped the 50% mark years ago. As a nation, we are teetering at the same point in history for our country. 2010 will be the first time that the Social Security fund will not be able to meet Social Security obligations. ...yet we're jumping the deficit at an exponential rate, and doubling the debt in one shot. I don't want to debate who got us here. Fine, it was Bush - are you happy? ...but the answer, no matter how we got here, isn't to dig an EVEN BIGGER HOLE! We should not be following in the footsteps of California as a nation. ...yet we are. The lack of a property tax is the LEAST of California's problems.

[Mean Green 93-98]

yyz, they just don't give me enough "+"s to do your post justice. Well said.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Japan, China and India spend FAR less with much better outcomes) our education outcome remains stagnant, despite the massive increases in spending.

2010 will be the first time that the Social Security fund will not be able to meet Social Security obligations. ...yet we're jumping the deficit at an exponential rate, and doubling the debt in one shot. I don't want to debate who got us here. Fine, it was Bush - are you happy? ...but the answer, no matter how we got here, isn't to dig an EVEN BIGGER HOLE! We should not be following in the footsteps of California as a nation. ...yet we are. The lack of a property tax is the LEAST of California's problems.

China and India have better outcomes... Are you kidding us...If so why are so many of them trying to come here??? You may be right on Japan.. but the other two are foolish conclusions.

Yep you are right about 2010...but why..?? The present Administration inherited the highest unemployment in 25 years. You do realize who you are blaming for the social security problem and this mess now don't you? It started in in late 2006 and became very noticable in 2007 and really went to hell in 2008.. It is tough to stop a free-fall in the economy but at least the stock market stopped dropping and has climbed 3000 since then. This will not be solved quickly..... nor will the damage in Haiti... but you seem to think it should be....

---Interesting...You are right .. and California problems is long term and began to really occur about 30-40 years ago... and has steadily gotten worse... and who was their governor then??

--The Texas Constitution requires a balanced budget, California didn't (stupid) . I'm afraid Medina's plan would really mess things up. I too would like like property taxes reduced ..just not eliminated..... Perry has caused them to rise by funding education less on state level...so local units had to raise local property taxes just to function. I really hate to admit it but long term Perry looks better than Medina to me. She is a big risk.

Edited February 3, 2010 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[UNTFan23]

China and India have better outcomes... Are you kidding us...If so why are so many of them trying to come here??? You may be right on Japan.. but the other two are foolish conclusions.

India could quickly outpace the US in technical job creation. Many of the Indian people coming out of their educational system are very, very bright people. Off-shoring is becoming a very popular thing in today's global economy and India is a hotbed for IT staffing companies.

Yep you are right about 2010...but why..?? The present Administration inherited the highest unemployment in 25 years and even then it improved pretty quickly. You do realize who you are blaming for the social security problem and this mess now don't you? It started in in late 2006 and became very noticeable in 2007 and really went to hell in 2008.. It is tough to stop a free-fall in the economy but at least the stock market has climbed 3000 since then. It will not be solved quickly..... nor will the damage in Haiti... but you seem to think it should be....

The social security mess has existed for a long, long time. Short of increasing SS taxes and decreasing payment outs, there is no easy solution.

Interesting...California problems began to really occur about 30 years ago... and has steadily gotten worse... and who was their governor then??

I know you like to bash Republicans any chance you get, but the 70s was half Republican Governor and half Democrat, so to say Reagan is at the heart of their problems may not be entirely accurate. Jerry Brown played a major role in not taking action when there were huge budget surpluses which eventually led to the passage of Prop 13, which is where part of California's budget crisis comes from.

[yyz28]

China and India have better outcomes... Are you kidding us...If so why are so many of them trying to come here??? You may be right on Japan.. but the other two are foolish conclusions.

Ugh... Ok. Do some research. The Education outcome in China and India FAR out paces that of the education outcome in the United States. Statistics don't lie. People don't just come to America for education. The economics in both China and India are not as good as they are here, even when we're in the tank like we are now. ...and specifically in China, you can't live how you want to, raise the type of family you want, and the like. The political and economic situations in both countries can't be ignored to make an argument. You can't conclude that because people from those countries want to come here that means their education system is worse than ours - that logic doesn't even work.

Yep you are right about 2010...but why..?? The present Administration inherited the highest unemployment in 25 years. You do realize who you are blaming for the social security problem and this mess now don't you? It started in in late 2006 and became very noticable in 2007 and really went to hell in 2008.. It is tough to stop a free-fall in the economy but at least the stock market stopped dropping and has climbed 3000 since then. This will not be solved quickly..... nor will the damage in Haiti... but you seem to think it should be....

You need so badly to blame Republicans, you don't even get the point.

First, the issue with Social Security isn't a result of high unemployment now. It is a problem because Presidents and Congresses of both parties since Social Security was created have pissed away the money being paid into the system to fund social programs and other government spending. ...and they have been doing this while KNOWING that in this Decade, the number of people paying into the system would be strained as the baby boomers started to need to use the system as they retired.

You're so hard up to blame President Bush for everything that is wrong today, but two facts remain. In Late 2006 when you say the economy started to falter, DEMOCRATS gained control of Congress, the body of the government who actually HAS some impact on the economy, as they hold the purse strings and control the agencies that regulate business. ...and during President Bush's first term, he TRIED to do something about Social Security because this was coming, yet he was thwarted by members of congress in both parties. You may not have agreed with his method, but nobody bothers to give him credit for seeing the writing on the wall and trying to do something about it.

Yes, fewer people working put less dollars in the system. I agree with that. So maybe this flip accelerated because of the bad economy, but even if we didn't have this recession, this same thing would have happened in 2013 or 2014, as it is inevitable - more people retiring, fewer children entering the workforce behind them, and the trust fund of money that had been paid in over the years is empty.

Who do I blame? Government. Members of both parties. The politicians over the years who have allowed the Social Security Trust Fund to be spent like it's a rainy day fund for everything, and continuing to run deficits beyond even that raid. But in light of this fact, the response of the current government is to pour on more debt and spend even more money that we don't have, and to tax the living crap out of the folks that might invest and create new jobs? ...Again, I'm really tired of arguing the past. Blame Bush if it makes you feel better. ...but what the former President did doesn't make the economically illiterate moves of this President and his Congress right. ...as I was typing this, I got a message from a news feed in my e-mail that "House passes increase on debt limit by $1.9 trillion on a 217-212 vote".

--Interesting...You are right .. and California problems is long term and began to really occur about 30-40 years ago... and has steadily gotten worse... and who was their governor then??

Your attack on yet another Republican ignores the fact that Reagan wasn't the only Governor of that State in the 70's and that there has been nothing but Democrat Governors and Democratically Controlled Legislators in that state since he was in power. You are so BLIND with hatred for a party, you can't see past the letter behind the name of the people in power to actually analyze the polices being made. Again, you show how little you know about California politics to place their current situation on a Governor who was in office 35 years ago. The issues in the state ARE long term, but they come from uncontrolled immigration, run away social spending and a court system that systematically thwarts the will of the voters in the state. ...the issues stem from the same issues we face as a nation, only they are further along in the process and they don't have a direct negative impact on everyone in the country. You're willing to place the blame for California on the shoulders of a man who has been out of power in that state for 30 years, yet you refuse to admit that the things the current president is doing could have negative ripple effects for Generations. You're willing to blame all of the ills of the world on George Bush, yet you fail (or refuse) to see how the current President and the current Congress are sending us RIGHT DOWN the same path California has taken to get them to the bad state they are in today.

--The Texas Constitution requires a balanced budget, California didn't (stupid) . I'm afraid Medina's plan would really mess things up. I too would like like property taxes reduced ..just not eliminated..... Perry has caused them to rise by funding education less on state level...so local units had to raise local property taxes just to function. I really hate to admit it but long term Perry looks better than Medina to me. She is a big risk.

Perry cut the property tax rates that School Districts can impose via a Property Tax, so your statement isn't accurate. In many cities the local unit part of the property tax rate has dropped considerably during the past 3 years. For example, in McKinney, where I live, Total Local Unit (County, City and School District Combined) tax rates went from 2.93% in 2006 to 2.76% in 2007 to 2.43% in 2008 with a slight bump up in 2009 to 2.45%. So the governor's move in 2006 to drop the rate School Districts could tax (and to cap the increases they can make without legilative approval) have not caused property tax rates to go up. ...and McKinney isn't an isolated case. Medina's system hasn't been fully vetted, but if everyone, and not just the property owners, have to pay for education in this state, the burden of education and other funding will be borne by a larger group, and won't be such a hidden tax. (Most people pay their property taxes with their mortgage and don't pay much attention to it, just like they don't really pay attention to how much of their paycheck the Federal Governemnt confiscates each pay day). ANY system where the people have to see every time they are paying a tax is bound to create a more aware and in tune citizen. Any system where EVERYONE who is benefiting from the benefit of a tax also has to bear a portion of its cost is a good thing.

Edited February 4, 2010 by yyz28

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

Really... well it sure isn't true of my property taxes (I have homes in two counties) ... check yours a bit closer...

[UNT90]

Not real impressed with Medina, but I'll be voting for her because I am so much more less impressed with the other 2 career politicians.

I am becoming more and more convinced that SE-66 wrote Pres. Obama's State of the Nation Speech.

[untbowler]

Really... well it sure isn't true of my property taxes (I have homes in two counties) ... check yours a bit closer...

maybe you should have a chat with your School Districts and County/City Officials and ask them to streamline their workforce and budgeting, since they are the ones who raise the property taxes, not the State. The big hit is the Maintenance and Operation portions of the Property Taxes which I believe they can raise year after year.

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

maybe you should have a chat with your School Districts and County/City Officials and ask them to streamline their workforce and budgeting, since they are the ones who raise the property taxes, not the State. The big hit is the Maintenance and Operation portions of the Property Taxes which I believe they can raise year after year.

---You are right... but Gov. Perry is claiming credit for lowering property taxes. Surely he is being truthful in his comments.. That is the complaint I have about him.

--The community college I work for is expecting even less state money ... after all the cuts lately ... leaner is not exactly possible. Perry even vetoed our state health insurance a couple of years ago which forced the local to find money to fund them... It came from more local taxes and cancelling our raises. He is not loved or respected here at all.

--While it is true he has cut the state budget... it has been education that has taken a beating as a result. In many case locals needed to raise taxes [and raise tuition if community colleges] to offset his cuts.

Edited February 7, 2010 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[untbowler]

---You are right... but Gov. Perry is claiming credit for lowering property taxes. Surely he is being truthful in his comments.. That is the complaint I have about him.

--The community college I work for is expecting even less state money ... after all the cuts lately ... leaner is not exactly possible. Perry even vetoed our state health insurance a couple of years ago which forced the local to find money to fund them... It came from more local taxes and cancelling our raises. He is not loved or respected here at all.

--While it is true he has cut the state budget... it has been education that has taken a beating as a result. In many case locals needed to raise taxes [and raise tuition if community colleges] to offset his cuts.

Agree Perry and most state governors have been ripping Higher Ed for too long. Perry should not be allowed back after the deregulation of college tuition which skyrocketed the price of college counter to what the idiots in Austin said would happen.

Edited February 7, 2010 by untbowler

[Mad Hatter]

Petty sure I'll be voting for Medina. She seems to answer questions while the other 2 find ways to dance around them, and blame each other.

[UNTFan23]

Petty sure I'll be voting for Medina. She seems to answer questions while the other 2 find ways to dance around them, and blame each other.

It's comments like these that make me feel like Medina could overtake KBH when the primaries are over. I think she could be a real dark horse candidate.

[untbowler]

Petty sure I'll be voting for Medina. She seems to answer questions while the other 2 find ways to dance around them, and blame each other.

This shows the difference between a political newcomer and 2 life long politicians. Think we could all use a breathe of fresh air by taking out all incumbents, liberal, conservative, green, whatever.

[FirefightnRick]

Interesting comments from this guy about the race.

http://www.texasmonthly.com/blogs/burkablog/?p=6184

I have been telling friends for a couple of weeks now that if Medina can raise $2 million by February 16 (the start of early voting), she will be governor. What this poll tells me is that Texans are sick and tired of Rick Perry and Kay Bailey Hutchison and their career politician credentials and their negative campaigns. Medina is Sarah Palin with gravitas and without the winks.

Rick

[untbowler]

I lost all interest in Palin after last weekend and her $100K speaking engagement to the "Tea" Party. She turned the grassroots party into a joke by speaking at a convention that was made for a profit completely going against the principles of the Party movement. Palin destroyed any momentum she made have gotten from Tea Party.

I will be curious to watch how Medina does. Hoping for everyone still in TX that a fresh face gets put into office.

[UNTFan23]

I lost all interest in Palin after last weekend and her $100K speaking engagement to the "Tea" Party. She turned the grassroots party into a joke by speaking at a convention that was made for a profit completely going against the principles of the Party movement. Palin destroyed any momentum she made have gotten from Tea Party.

I will be curious to watch how Medina does. Hoping for everyone still in TX that a fresh face gets put into office.

I saw on the news where she has been gaining share in the polls while KBH has been losing ground. Perry has been fairly steady but he should be careful as some of KBH's supporters may go over to Medina if she manages to come in second in the primaries.

Very interesting race right now.

[EagleD]

[KRAM1]

I'm thinking Medina has hit a big "bump in the road".