Bill White Is No Nathan Myhrvold

Each day I get up and go through e-mails, looking for stuff I can delete without opening. One batch of easily deletable e-mails, spam, comes from political campaigns I'm not following and don't care about. And one of those campaigns is that of the conservative Democrat running for governor of Texas, Bill White. I suppose I should have asked his campaign to take me off their list but I never got around to asking them and a few dozen other candidates to stop filling my box up with spam. This morning however, just as I was about to click delete on a Bill White e-mail I glanced at the title, FOX: Bill White opposes cap and trade. Now White is running against one of the most reprehensible men in American politics, Rick Perry, a closet case driven insane by a psychosis so dark and ugly that he would be truly a danger were he to ever get any power. Fortunately, as we found out when George Bush held the job, the governor of Texas holds a largely ceremonial position. I hope Rick Perry loses and I doubt it would make anyone's life any better were Bill White to win. The race isn't on my radar. But Global Warming is. So I opened White's spam. He cites Fox as a validater of the fact that he's nearly as reactionary and out-of-touch as Rick Perry on the whole topic of climate change and energy.

On Friday, Houston's FOX 26 News reported on Rick Perry's lies about Bill White's position on cap and trade. Bill White does not support cap and trade, and Rick Perry just can't seem to tell the truth.

Click here to read the article and watch the news segment.

Perry's false claims about Bill White and cap and trade have been rated "Pants on Fire" lies-- twice-- by the independent fact checking website Politifact.com. But Perry keeps citing a letter Bill White wrote that makes the case for four different energy solutions and gives a warning about cap and trade.

Well, four veterans of the energy and political arena reviewed the letter for FOX 26 and none of them agreed with Perry, reinforcing again the fact that Rick Perry is lying about Bill White's record.

Texans want a governor who shoots straight.

Literally. Oh, there are millions of Texans who are normal, clear-headed Americans... even outside of Austin. Houston is filled with them. So are Dallas and Fort Worth. San Antonio as well. But there are more millions who are batshit crazy, resentful of facts, driven mad by fake religions and so angry at their miserable unfulfilled lives that they take it out on everyone else by voting for people like George Bush and Rick Perry. 4,479,328 of them (55% of voters) pulled the lever or touched the screen for John McCain in 2008.

Here's how the article cited by White's campaign contrasts his energy views with the man he is well aware is a dangerous sociopath, Rick Perry:

Texas sits on a third of U.S. domestic oil supply and produces more than 30 percent of the country's natural gas.

These fossil fuels have come under fire from President Obama's administration, which seeks to reduce global warming by placing a governmental cap on total carbon emissions. The government would then issue a limited amount of pollution credits that could be traded between major energy consumers.

Those who produce so called "clean energy" could earn a huge windfall by selling their unused credits while consumers of fossil fuel would pay dearly for the right to pollute.

Governor Rick Perry calls this 'cap and trade' proposal economically catastrophic for Texas.

"We know that the 'cap and trade' legislation that they are talking about will cost upwards of 300,000 [jobs] in this state," said Gov. Perry to FOX 26 News.

Bill White, Perry's Democratic opponent who has made millions of dollars in the oil patch, says he is also firmly against 'cap and trade.'

"'Cap and trade' would be an enormous windfall for the lawyers and consultants," said former Houston mayor White... "I was fighting against 'cap and trade' before Governor Perry," said White.

When I woke up today the first thing I saw-- even before White's e-mail-- was Fareed Zacharia interviewing Jeffrey Sachs, the man the NY Times has called "the most important economist in the World," first about how to solve the economic mess Bush left us with and then how to get a grip on climate change. The climate change interview included a global warming scientist and an oil industry shill from Cato spouting the same excuses for inaction you hear from everyone on Big Oil's payroll, from Rick Perry to... Bill White.

Texas, A Three Party State

Some who don't follow Texas politics closely might have been puzzled by the news reported by Burnt Orange Report that Republican Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison chose Democratic Senate candidate Bill White to confide her plans to resign from the U.S. Senate after September 1 to run for Texas Governor in 2010.

Her resignation on that date will trigger a May 2010 special election to replace her in the U.S. Senate.

Its not puzzling that White would want to know. He's already announced to run for her seat; what's puzzling is why Kay Bailey is confiding in White instead of any of the several Republicans who would like to have the news first so they can plan accordingly.

As Phillip Martin wrote on Burnt Orange Report:

Since we posted that tidbit, myself and one other writer on Burnt Orange Report have been told, by several sources, that White has been sharing this information privately from as early as January.

Those who follow Texas politics closely however know why KBH would be sharing her secrets with Bill White rather than any of her erstwhile partymates like Lt Governor David Dewhurst or Attorney General Greg Abbott.

Texas is a three party state. Has been since at least 2005 when numerous wealthy players gave up on the Texas Democratic Party as a viable host organism and began heavily funding "moderate" Republicans.

In 2006 a group led by former Lt Governor Ben Barnes heavily backed Republican turned Independent State Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn in her run for Governor, leaving Democrat Chris Bell to twist in the wind.

Who's Barnes? This 2007 post from Burnt Orange Report is the best capsule summary of the man:

A power broker par excellence and charter member of the Me First school of self-centered politics, Barnes long ago stopped letting the greater good stand in the way of his own personal ambition or financial gain.  For him public service and partisan politics are all about which candidates can help him line his pockets-- period.

As Lt. Governor in the early 1970s, he fell all over himself to help a young George W. Bush escape dangerous military service and instead get a coveted spot in the Texas National Guard.  Then, Barnes spent the next quarter-century refusing to talk publicly (privately, he told anyone next to him on a bar stool who was willing to listen) about the favor his did for the Bush Family while first Pappy, then Jebby, then W. rose to power and did irreparable harm to the ideals Democrats like Barnes claim to hold dear.

Along the way, Barnes has repeatedly sold out his party and its principles when the price was right, which it often has been.  He kept quiet about George W.'s military service when Bush made sure that the lucrative Texas Lottery contract would remain his.  He has worked behind the scenes to keep good candidates out of statewide races by cutting off their funds.  And this year, he supported Republican-turned-Independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn over potential Democratic gubernatorial candidates-- including the eventual nominee, Chris Bell-- to safeguard his personal business interests, which include a major contract with the State Comptroller and controlled by Strayhorn.

Don't get me wrong.  Soulless lobbyists are commonplace in D.C. and in Austin.  It's just that most them don't simultaneously dictate Democratic Party decisions at the highest level, from Harry Reid to Boyd Richie.  Barnes does.

For background on Barnes here's a March 2009 feature on Barnes that ran in the Houston Chronicle after he got embroiled in the collapse of his client "Sir" Allen Stanford's ponzi scheme:

From the Sharpstown banking fraud that ended his political career to the current financial collapse of his lobby client Stanford Financial Group, former Texas Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes has played a constant character on the stage of state and national scandals.

Through it all, Barnes has remained one of Texas' and the nation's most influential Democrats, even if it is mostly behind the scenes.

Barnes lives in Austin. He thrives in Washington, D.C.

Barnes is one of the top money-raisers for Democratic U.S. senators. He and his wife, Melanie, personally gave more than $600,000 to federal Democratic candidates and committees since 2004. Barnes last month donated $1 million to the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas.

When the U.S. Senate was evenly divided early in this decade, then-Majority Leader Tom Daschle called Barnes the "51st senator."

Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Schumer at a New York luncheon for 250 committee donors last year singled out only two fund-raisers with exceptional praise. Barnes was one.

The clients Barnes has represented before Congress have paid his firm $24 million since 1999.

Barnes has been a big backer of Kay Bailey throughout her career. Even going so far as to clear the field of credible Democrats for Governor in 2010 so all she has to do is win the primary against sitting Governor Rick Perry.

Bill White is the kind of Democrat that dances to Barnes' tune and in return he's got Barnes' support in the race to replace KBH in the U.S. Senate.

Bill White, while Mayor of Houston, has long practiced Barnes' style of post-partisan pocketbook politics, even doing a fundraiser for Tom DeLay in 2004 when DeLay was facing his first serious challenge from pioneering netroots candidate Richard Morrison.

At a time when Democrats were fighting against DeLay and trying to end his reign of terror, Bill White was helping him raise money against those very same Democrats and extend that reign of terror. Then, when DeLay finally fell, White hired his top district aide at taxpayer expense.

Now Kay Bailey and Bill White, who share a key fundraiser in Herb Buttram (White is Buttrams only Democratic client) are conspiring to put two Barnes allies at the top of the big marquee races in Texas in 2010. No matter what party wins, Barnes figures to be well represented at the highest levels of Texas politics.

True, we're even further than we've been from knowing who's going to sit in THIS Senate. Still, it's never too soon to be thinking about the NEXT one

Senator Hutchison and Governor Perry with, I dunno, some old guy

by Ken

It seems as if day by day we know less rather than more about who exactly's going to be in the Senate when the 111th Congress convenes next month.

Of course we're still waiting for a final count in the Coleman vs. Franken race in Minnesota. And we're still no closer to any resolution of the questions, in Illinois and New York, as to who will replace President-elect Obama and Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton -- though in New York note is being taken of the Politico report that Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg has hired "major Democratic fixer" Josh Isay as a consultant, apparently (a) to show she means business about being considered for the job, (b) to plug the large gaps in her New York political connectedness, and perhaps (c) to scare off some lower-power contenders.

[UPDATE: On FireDogLake, Jane Hamsher points out that in 2006 Isay did ads for Joe Lieberman which helped persuade Connecticut voters that His Holiness meant business about bringing the troops home from Iraq.]

Meanwhile, the impending designation of Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar as interior secretary will create yet another opening to be filled by gubernatorial appointment followed by a special election in 2010, when Gov. Bill Ritter Jr., a Democrat, will presumably also be running for reelection.

While we await the scramble for that appointment, we're already looking ahead to the 112th Congress. We have news of two currently Republican seats, in Texas and Missouri, that may be more competitive in 2010 than Democrats would have thought.

Let's take them one at a time, starting with --

TEXAS
seat currently held by Kay Bailey Hutchison (R)

If Senator Hutchison decides to run for reelection, I doubt that anyone gives any potential Democratic opponent a serious shot at defeating her. But as has been widely reported, the senator has apparently been giving serious thought to running for governor instead -- even if that means a primary challenge to her fellow Republican, two-term Gov. Rick Perry, widely considered a serious contender for the title of Dumbest Human in Electoral Politics. The talk is serious enough that it includes the possibility that Senator Hutchison might actually resign from the Senate to make the race. Clearly, if she decides to pursue the governorship, the Senate race changes complexion..

One of our online go-to guys in matters of finance and economics, Bonddad, happens to be a Houstonian, and a big fan of Mayor Bill White, who now seems prepared to make the race in the event that Senator Hutchison does step down from the Senate to run for governor. Passing this Houston Chronicle story on, Bonddad didn't even try to curb his enthusiasm:

I am so incredibly excited about this. Bill White has been a fabulous mayor for the city. He has been especially good during the two hurricanes we have been through here. He is plain talking, straightforward and just simply a good guy. Most importantly, he gets the job done. Houston has worked under his leadership.

Now other Texas progressive sources are more cautious about White, whom they describe as a conservative Democrat. But my Houstonian sources, while conceding that White himself can't be described as a progressive, insist that the man inspires confidence and gets things done.

Here's the story:

White eyes Hutchison's U.S. Senate seat
Houston mayor plans to run if she vies for governor

By MATT STILES and PEGGY FIKAC

Mayor Bill White has decided to seek the U.S. Senate seat held by Kay Bailey Hutchison, should the two-term Republican resign next year to challenge the sitting governor, the Houston Chronicle has learned.

Ending months of speculation about his political future, White plans to announce his intentions at an event next week, according to several sources close to the mayor.

White declined to confirm his intentions during an interview Friday evening, saying it would be inappropriate to discuss his political future on the day the city buried a police officer. He said he plans to make an announcement next week.

He also said that it's "possible, but unlikely" he will change his mind over the weekend.

In considering his future in recent weeks, White said a number of Texans have indicated he should "try to shape policies that can result in secure and affordable and cleaner forms of energy, both for this community and for the country. That's been a big part of a lot of conversations."

White, a third-term mayor and former state Democratic Party chair, has been discussed for years as a possible gubernatorial candidate, in part because of his appeal as a popular, moderate leader from the state's largest city.

The mayor joins another moderate Democrat seeking the seat -- former Texas Comptroller John Sharp, who announced earlier this week that he plans to get into the race.

"I know that he's been concerned that Texas does not have sufficient voice in Washington, and he feels that he can fill that gap," said Harris County Democratic Party Chairman Gerry Birnberg.

Hutchison has filed paperwork allowing her to explore the idea of challenging current Gov. Rick Perry, a fellow Republican.

Perry, already the longest-serving Texas governor in state history, has said he intends to keep his job, setting up a potential primary battle between two well-funded and known Republicans.

That potential contest was highlighted Friday when the Hutchison team released a poll conducted for the senator by Voter Consumer Research, based in the Houston area.

The Hutchison team said a poll of GOP primary voters found Hutchison with 55 percent support and Perry with 31 percent, with the rest saying they did not know or choosing another option. The Hutchison team also said she would top either White or Sharp in a general-election race, but did not release figures.

Perry pollster Mike Baselice, while declining to release figures, said the governor's team has its own poll showing that in a Republican primary, "He beats her like a drum."

Neither White nor Sharp has filed documents with the Federal Election Commission, establishing a Senate campaign committee for 2010, according to commission spokesman Bob Biersack.

A spokesman for Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., the incoming chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said to his knowledge White had not spoken to Menendez about support for a prospective campaign.

If Hutchison resigns her seat, which she has said she would do late next year, Perry would appoint her temporary successor pending a special election.

That would spark a multi-candidate special election which, if held in November, could coincide with city elections in Houston influencing statewide turnout -- a potential benefit to White.

Former Texas Secretary of State Roger Williams, also a Republican, said Friday he plans to explore a run. At least three other Republican prospective candidates have filed for the seat: Texas Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones, insurance sales manager Scott Nichol and state Sen. Florence Shapiro of Plano.

Other rumored possibilities are Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Attorney General Greg Abbott, Railroad Commission Chairman Michael Willliams and U.S. Rep. Kay Granger of Fort Worth -- all Republicans.

Prospective Senate candidates exploring campaigns are permitted to accept donations and use the money for polling, travel, telephone calls and lodging without immediately reporting the donations and expenditures to the commission, Biersack said.

Only when they decide to become full-fledged candidates do they have to report donations and spending.

The prospect of a special election for a Senate seat could be a tantalizing one for candidates, said Southern Methodist University
political scientist Cal Jillson. The 1961 Senate race drew more than 70, he said.

Nor would a surprise winner be unheard of, Jillson said, noting that the late Republican John Tower emerged the winner in 1961.

"Special elections bring out large numbers of people," he said. "They have unpredictable outcomes."

A successful Senate bid would allow White a chance to return to Washington, D.C., and, perhaps, pursue one of his passions: national energy policy. He worked as a U.S. Energy Department undersecretary during the Bill Clinton administration, and as a U.S. House aide on natural gas policy during the 1970s.

Still, the odds of a Democratic victory could be long.

"Bill is one of the brightest people I've ever met," Birnberg said. "He doesn't decide things unless he believes in his heart of hearts that he can win."

Reporters Janet Elliott, Alan Bernstein, Carolyn Feibel, Stewart Powell and Bradley Olson contributed to this report. Fikac reported from Austin.

[Up next: MISSOURI. At 70, will Republican Sen. Kit Bond run again? What effect will third parties have in 2010?]

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