White skips primary talk and guns straight for Perry

Posted Tuesday, Feb. 09, 2010 Comments   (0)  Print Share Share Reprints
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By BUD KENNEDY

bud@star-telegram.com

kennedy Houston Democrat Bill White launched his campaign against Gov. Rick Perry on Monday night.

Meanwhile, fellow Democrat Farouk Shami launched his campaign against himself.

Minutes into the only debate of the top contenders for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, White zeroed in on his true target: Perry.

Answering a question about schools, White said children need the skills to compete for jobs, "and we're not doing that under Gov. Perry."

An hour later, the former mayor had managed to turn almost every question into a commentary on The Current Occupant.

Abortion? The problem is teen pregnancy, White said.

A photo ID for voters? White said the real problem is the "acrimony" in Austin.

The death penalty? White took a swipe at Perry's wholesale shakeout of the Texas Forensic Science Commission: "I will never introduce politics into questions of life and death. The Forensic Science Commission will be about science."

Transportation? White said Texas is having a "terrible time with this obsession with toll roads. We need to move on with a new governor."

The chances of a Democrat winning for the first time in 20 years? "We need a governor who will work for all the people of the state and not just for his political future."

Meanwhile, hair-care executive Shami seemed on an extended soliloquy, sometimes giving answers unrelated to the question.

New to politics, he was not short on promises. At various moments, Shami promised:

Free community colleges.

To create 100,000 jobs in the next two years or give the state $10 million.

Free electricity from solar panels in each home.

Full employment: "When I'm governor, everybody is going to go to work."

In a moment that will live in Texas political history, Shami, when asked about immigration, said he supports finding a way to help illegal immigrants toward citizenship. "Without Mexicans, it'd be like a day without sunshine in our state."

White blamed everything on Perry. And Shami seemed to be running against gas drilling and somebody named Ben Zene.

"Benzene is giving out dangerous chemicals!" he said.

And a hair-care guy knows about chemicals.

Bud Kennedy's column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 817-390-7538 Follow @budkennedy on Twitter

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