Tag: Texas

Is It an ‘Attack Ad’ When It’s True?

Jon Ponder

Pundits and pols on the left and right are expressing outrage over a new ad from Democratic candidate Wendy Davis in the Texas governor race. The ad points out that even though her opponent, Attorney General Greg Abbott, sued and won a settlement after an accident left him paralyzed from the waist down, he has spent his career fighting against personal-injury settlements for others who’ve found themselves in similar circumstances.

If everything in the ad is true, how can it be an “attack ad?”

Here’s the script and explication from the Davis campaign:

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Rick Perry Just Ain’t Butch Without His Boots

Buck Banks

Tell Rick that boots can be purchased with normal heels. I lament the fact that our governor could now pass for a West Coast metrosexual and has embarrassed us all with his sartorial change of direction.


— Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson (R), telling the Austin American Statesman that Gov. Rick Perry’s (R) decision, based on back pain, to stop wearing cowboy boots was just a “feeble excuse.”

Texas GOP Platform Seeks to Codify Anti-Gay Attitudes

Buck Banks

We believe there should be no granting of special legal entitlements or creation of special status for homosexual behavior, regardless of state of origin. Additionally, we oppose any criminal or civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values. We recognize the legitimacy and value of counseling which offers reparative therapy and treatment to patients who are seeking escape from the homosexual lifestyle, No laws or executive orders shall be imposed to limit or restrict access to this type of therapy.

— Excerpt from the Texas Republican Party’s draft platform for the 2014 elections.

Texas Tea Party Politician Steve Stockman Threatens to Sue Anyone Who Publishes the Mugshot from His 1977 Drug Arrest

Jon Ponder

Mugshot from tea party pol Steve Stockman’s 1977 drug arrest
Mugshots are made at taxpayer expense and are therefore public records — a fact that anyone who serves in a high position should know.

Apparently, however, tea bagger Rep. Steve Stockman, who was soundly defeated on Tuesday in the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate seat in Texas, does not know this. He has has threatened to sue anyone who publishes the mugshot from his 1977 drug arrest.

In 1977, a young man who would later serve in Congress was charged with possession of Valium in Madison Heights, Mich.

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New Republican Party Anthem – ‘Jailbait’ by Ted Nugent: ‘I Don’t Care If You’re Just 13!’

Jon Ponder

Ted Nugent, 65, a has-been rock star whose endorsement has inexplicably been sought by family-values spouting Republican politicians from Mitt Romney in his presidential bid in 2012 to Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott who is running for governor this year, has admitted to having had sex with girls under the age of consent multiple times. Nugent has even written a rock anthem to his compulsion titled “Jailbait” (lyrics follow) which all GOP candidates should play before every campaign event:

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Davis Appropriates Pro-Life Language in Texas Gubernatorial Campaign

Buck Banks

I am pro-life. I care about the life of every child: every child that goes to bed hungry, every child that goes to bed without a proper education, every child that goes to bed without being able to be a part of the Texas dream, every woman and man who worry about their children’s future and their ability to provide for that future. I care about life and I have a record of fighting for people above all else.

— Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis (D), quoted by the Dallas Morning News, borrowing a phrase from anti-abortion activists.