PrairiePundit

 Jeff Dunetz: ... Biden has decided a top security threat to our country comes from domestic extremists—white supremacists. However, FBI, insiders are saying that the bureau now has more agents chasing so-called white supremacists than there even are white supremacists in existence. There are relatively few “white supremacists” or KKK members in the U.S.A. But leftists have exaggerated the numbers of these villains to heights unimagined so that they can use it as a political weapon. Perhaps it isn’t political. It’s possible that our mentally challenged President believes there is a white supremacist boogeyman under his bed or in his closet. And now, we see the FBI continuing its evolution into the secret police of the Democrat Party by funneling an absurd number of agents into chasing supposed “white supremacists.” ... The thing the Democrats fear the most is losing their lock on black voters, especially at the same time they are losing Hispanic votes. 

 Miranda Devine: Joe Biden is America’s biggest troll. His speech in Tulsa could not have been more disunifying, dishonest or more designed to inflame. Who is the president’s speechwriter? Goebbels? No, white supremacy is not a threat worse than ISIS. No, Texas’ voter ID bill is not “a truly unprecedented assault on our democracy.” Biden could have given an uplifting speech on Tuesday at a ceremony marking 100 years since the Tulsa Race Massacre. Instead, he wheeled out his now-familiar refrain that democracy is “in peril” from the enemy within. “Terrorism from white supremacy is the most lethal threat to the homeland today.” Not ISIS, not al Qaeda, white supremacists, he declared, citing “the intelligence community.” Does he remember ISIS? The images of its atrocities are etched into the memories of the rest of us. ISIS gang-raped Yazidi women. It ethnically cleansed whole swathes of Iraq and Syria, slaughtering Christians and driving them out of their homes. It threw homosexual...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife Houston Chronicle: Gov. Rick Perry is drowning Democrat Bill White with money, more than doubling the former Houston ' mayor's fundraising and spending in the past month as he closes the campaign with a television ad criticizing White over the death of a police officer. Perry reported Monday that he had raised $8.4 million between Sept. 24 and Oct. 23 and had spent $16.1 million, leaving him with $2 million in reserve. At least $600,000 of Perry's money came from Houston home builder Bob Perry, no relation. White had raised $3.7 million for the period, spent $6.1 million and had $487,000 still in the bank. Perry is using his bankroll to slam White over allegations that Houston did not do enough during his tenure to give the police additional powers to curtail activities by illegal immigrants . Perry's ad features officer Rodney Johnson 's widow and tries to paint White's time as Houston mayor as one that endangered...

Image via Wikipedia Bryan Preston: There has been a dearth of polling on the Texas governor’s race lately, but I have in my hands a poll that was taken October 15-17. Its data set is on the large side, 1,200 respondents, spread proportionately across all of Texas’ regions and media markets. It’s a joint poll by the Texas Civil Justice League, the Texas Farm Bureau and the Texas Medical Association, not an internal of either campaign, though these groups do lean to the right and the TMA and the TCJL’s PAC have endorsed Perry (the Farm Bureau did not endorse either candidate).... ... The 48-37 is about where the numbers have been since Perry opened up his positive “Texas is Open for Business” ad run plus his security themed media campaign, indicating that Texans who may have flirted briefly with White have been reminded that Texas is in comparatively strong shape and have therefore come home to Perry. “Don’t fire the coach if the team is winning” seems to be the thinking. Ab...

Image via Wikipedia Houston Chronicle: A top Travis County prosecutor said Wednesday his agency already has investigated Democrat Bill White 's allegations of wrongdoing at the Teacher Retirement System of Texas and closed the case because no criminal violations were discovered. White accused Gov. Rick Perry of "raiding" the teacher pension fund for the benefit of some of his campaign donors because investments were made with the donors' companies. White produced a memo from last August that he claimed was the "smoking gun." The Aug. 9 memo by investment director Michael Green accused TRS Chief Investment Officer Britt Harris of making investments over the objections of staff to satisfy TRS board members appointed by Perry. White called for an independent investigation into the matter. First Assistant District Attorney John Neal said Green faxed prosecutors his memo in August of last year and met with attorneys and investigators on Sept. 3. Neal sa...

Image via Wikipedia From the Houston Chronicle: Democrats hope to dump Perry, influence redistricting Don't hold your breath.  The Democrats do see the four new seats Texas will get and would like to control the debate over how they will fit into a redistricting map.  The Trouble is that Texas has had it with Democrats and there is only an extremely remote chance that voters will put Democrat candidate White in the Governor's Mansion in Texas.  But it does explain why Democrats are wasting so much money on the Texas race and doing a weekly whisper campaign about White's chances. Related articles White slams Perry, abstains on Obama (chron.com) Political Insights: Redistricting Battles Loom Over 2010 (abcnews.go.com) Parties Gear Up for Redistricting Battles (politicalwire.com) White courts Democratic base in Texas gov's race (sfgate.com) Gov. Perry a passionate team leader (mysanantonio.com)

Image by Getty Images via @daylife Dan Balz, Washington Post: Democrats have a dream this year and it goes like this: It is election night. As the cable news networks' electronic maps run red with Republican victories, three of the nation's most populous states - California, Florida and Texas - turn instead to blue. Gubernatorial pickups in those Sunbelt states would bring a measure of satisfaction on what otherwise could be a bleak evening for Democrats. And heading into the final weeks of the campaign, the party has a chance of winning some or all of these governors' races. Democrats know that heavily Republican Texas is the most difficult of the three. Long a Democratic wasteland, Texas is all the more challenging because of the national climate The state's Republican governor, Rick Perry , is a career politician in the year of the outsider, and the longest-serving governor in Texas history in the year of anti-incumbency. His Democratic opponent, Bill White ...

Image by KOMUnews via Flickr G.M. Roper: ... White ’s focus on taxes can shoot down his candidacy in a state that has managed so far without a state income tax or increasing taxes on the oil industry, subjects that almost always come up in gubernatorial races. In the past, these two stances have sunk the political campaigns of both Republican and Democratic candidates. White has stated in the past that he won’t rule out raising taxes, nor will he release his most recent tax returns, though he has released some financial documents. Texas may be facing a shortfall if planned spending doesn’t meet planned revenue. Texas has a constitutional mandate to have a balanced budget , and Perry wants to cut spending to do so. He has already asked state agencies to enact 5% spending cuts across the board, and spending is sure to be one of three issues that will dominate the 2011 legislative session (the other two: redistricting and voter ID). White, on the other hand, seems willing to ...

Image via Wikipedia Bryan Preston: ... Gov. Perry’s fundraising numbers run like this: In the same period in which White raised nearly $5 million, Perry raised $8.2 million. He reports a little over $10 million cash on hand. White: $2.75 million cash on hand. Perry: $10 million cash on hand. That’s nearly a four-to-one advantage for Perry, with about four weeks to go. When I reached the campaign Monday night, Perry campaign spokesman Mark Miner was blunt: “Bill White has run his campaign into the ground financially, much like he did to the city of Houston when he was mayor. Now he is bankrupt on ideas and campaign dollars.” ... White is getting an infusion of money from the DNC to runs ads in the Dallas Fort Worth area where he trails badly. But he appears to have shot his wad of cash trying to move the polls in a direction they were not willing to bend. I still think his biggest problem has been party identification. This is just not a good year to be a Democrat in Texas. ...

Dan Balz, Washington Post: In a surprise move, the Democratic Governors Association has decided to up the ante in Texas, with plans to launch an attack ad against Gov. Rick Perry (R ) that assails him as a career politician who has lost touch with the people of the Lone Star State. The audacious action comes in a state that has been a Republican stronghold for more than a decade. But Democrats have concluded that, even in a year that tilts strongly toward Republicans, Perry is more vulnerable than he has appeared in his race against Democrat Bill White, the former mayor of Houston. The DGA has already contributed $2 million to White's campaign. The new ad buy, which is scheduled to begin running in the Dallas area Tuesday, represents an independent expenditure on behalf of White. A Democratic strategist said the DGA would spend about $650,000 to $700,000 a week on its ad campaign. The latest poll in Texas, conducted by Blum & Weprin Associates for a consortium of Texas ...

Houston Chronicle: Ill will toward President Barack Obama and a voter belief that Republican Gov. Rick Perry has helped save the Texas economy are giving Perry a re-election lead over Democrat and former Houston Mayor Bill White, according to a new poll done for the Houston Chronicle and four other state newspapers. Perry leads with 46 percent support to 39 percent for White, with Libertarian candidate Kathie Glass trailing at 4 percent among likely voters; 11 percent were undecided. Green Party candidate Deb Shafto had less than 1 percent support. "It's not an insurmountable lead," said pollster Micheline Blum, but "he certainly looks like he's headed for another term. … Perry has probably both the votes and the enthusiasm behind him." Despite White and his allies spending millions of dollars on television ads attacking Perry this summer, Blum said the race has remained essentially unchanged since February. Blum said voters seem to have made up ...

Image via Wikipedia Rasmussen Reports: ... The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Likely Voters in the Lone Star State finds Perry with 48% of the vote, while White has 42% support. Three percent (3%) favor another candidate in the race, and six percent (6%) are undecided. ... White has spent a lot on advertising but it has only added one point to his total. Perry is just starting to run his ads. A scandal involving the reimbursement of HUD funds in Houston while White was mayor is just breaking and could impact the race. The Houston Chronicle reports: ... City officials characterized HUD's challenges to its use of federal money as old news, but sources with knowledge of the matter say the city could be on the hook to pay back between $35 million and $45 million due to previous issues and newly identified problems. Those include questions about "Houston Hope" homes, a signature initiative of then- Mayor Bill White that sought to help low and mid...

Jason Mattera: ... Perry said his request was met with a “chuckle” by Janet Napolitano, along with her dismissively telling Washington reporters on Friday that if he wants more troops, he should “pay for them.” In an exclusive interview with HUMAN EVENTS, Perry fired back, calling Napolitano’s remarks “one of the most arrogant and inappropriate statements for a cabinet member in a long time.” Perry not only called her comments unseemly but noted that they were “hypocritical” as well. “She herself had letters going to President Bush asking for more National Guard troops and talking about that it was the federal government’s responsibility to pay for them,” the two-time Texas Republican governor argued. Perry was referring to Napolitano’s own numerous entreaties for more boots on the ground that she specifically made while serving as the governor of Arizona. Napolitano even went out of her way to stress that the federal government, and not her state, should foot the bill for su...

The NY Times thinks so but I have seen little to support that notion.  White has gotten some good media from Texas papers and has advertised heavily.  With all that he is still not that close and Perry ads are just beginning to kick in. White is probably the best candidate the Democrats have had in recent years, but he still has the problem of trying to overcome Democrat baggage in a state like Texas.  Obama was never that popular to begin with and in recent months he has been making war against the Texas economy with onerous EPA rules and restrictions on offshore drilling and pushes for unfair taxes on the oil and gas business.  If the state economy is not as robust as it has been the Democrats can certainly be blamed for much of the problem. I see stories like these put out by Democrat supporting media from time to time, but I haven't heard anyone saying they are even considering a vote for White.  I am sure there are some, especially in the media, but ou...

Mark Greenbaum of Salon says the race is the most important one you don't know about. For the most part it is a pretty good summary of the race. White is the best candidate the Democrats have put forward in 20 years, but he is running into a strong headwind because of the failures of the Democrat party since Obama was elected. I do take issue with Greenbaum on education in Texas which he tars with a liberal brush because of the conservative approach to text books. But, when compared to places like California and New York Texas students do very well. I don't think Texas students will suffer from learning what conservatives believe to be important about history. Many schools outside of Texas have given up on the subject in recent years.

El Paso Times: President Barack Obama will arrive in El Paso at a time of discontent, when the country's economic and labor market looks as uncertain as the future of its foreign policy. Obama on Tuesday will visit Fort Bliss to mark the end of combat operations in Iraq. He will meet with soldiers in anticipation of a new phase of military action that begins in September with about 50,000 soldiers staying to "advise and assist" the Iraqis. This emotional moment with historic significance does not mean Democratic candidates in Texas and New Mexico want to stand shoulder to shoulder with the commander in chief. Even in El Paso, where an overwhelming 68 percent voted for Obama in 2008, candidates facing tough races in November will not be on hand for his speech. Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill White will be absent. So will New Mexico's Democratic nominee for governor, Diane Denish. Two Texas Democrats facing difficult re-election campaigns, state ...

Image by Yang and Yun's Album via Flickr Texas Insider: Veterans from across Texas came out in support of Governor Rick Perry Tuesday afternoon, saying they were outraged at an attack ad purchased by the liberal, trial lawyer-funded “Back to Basics PAC”. The full-page ad, which ran in newspapers across Texas, calls Gov. Rick Perry a “coward.’ “This Back to Basics PAC is bankrolled by Houston trial lawyer Steve Mostyn, a man who has made his millions filing lawsuits that have made Texans’ home insurance rates skyrocket in the past few years, while making himself extremely rich,” said Air Force veteran Bryan Preston, the Republican Party of Texas’ spokesman. “Bill White should rein in his irresponsible trial lawyer allies,” said Preston. ... Added Texas Land Commissioner & Marine Corps veteran Jerry Patterson: “Those who serve in our armed forces today, as well the veterans who have served before, certainly cannot be described as ‘cowards.’ “Bill White should be as...

From Rasmussen Reports: Texas Governor:  Perry (R) 49%, White (D) 41% There has been little change since the race was last polled.  White has not been able to get traction on any issues in teh campaign and I think he continues to be hurt by President Obama who has a 64 percent disapproval rating in Texas . Obama's attacks on the State of Texas and its major industry make it hard out there for a Democrat. Related articles by Zemanta Race for Texas Governor Deadlocked (politicalwire.com) Checking in on Texas (redstate.com) Perry Rebounds (redstate.com)

Houston Chronicle: A Houston husband-and-wife lawyer team is planning to donate more than $3 million this year toward knocking Republican Gov. Rick Perry out of office and helping Democrats win control of the Texas House. Attorney Steve Mostyn said Tuesday he and his wife, Amber Anderson, are committed to putting a "substantial" amount of money that likely will exceed $3 million into ending hard-right Republican politics in Texas government. The pair already has put $1.3 million into committees that can help Democrat and former Houston Mayor Bill White win the governor's office, making them far and away his biggest benefactors in this race. "My gut seems to be dictating this instead of my head," Mostyn said. "If my head was dictating it, I'd probably put the money into a trust fund for my kids." ... The evils of liberalism can be expensive for its true believers, but it is even worse for the people when they are elected. Just look at ...

Austin American-Statesman: ... Democratic sources say President Barack Obama will be in Austin and Houston on Aug. 9 for a pair of fundraisers. And Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White doesn’t plan to be there. Said White spokeswoman Katy Bacon, “That week is jam packed, and he’s not scheduled to be in Houston or Austin at all except for the night of the 12th. In August, Bill will be talking with Texans about the future of our state, laying out his plans for the same.” The president’s approval numbers aren’t good in Texas, and Gov. Rick Perry has repeatedly sought to link Obama and White. The Austin event will raise money for the Democratic National Committee and the Houston event for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. An e-mail that’s circulating about the Austin fundraiser says it will be held at the Four Seasons. ... It is probably a wise move on White's part to be busy that week. Hugs from Obama can be the kiss of death on some races. Hugs wou...