FrankRep
01-15-2010, 11:08 AM
Vote Medina!
Anonymous Link Redirect:
http://hiderefer.com/?http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1895191.html
No clear winner emerges after first GOP gubernatorial debate
Star Telegram
Jan. 14, 2010
DENTON — The state’s top two Republican officeholders and a relative political newcomer wrestled with some of Texas’ thorniest issues — from job losses to nationalized healthcare to looming state budget shortfalls — in Thursday night’s opening debate of the 2010 gubernatorial campaign.
Although several punches were landed by all candidates, there was no clear winner in the debate that was at times marked by smirks and mocking statements between Gov. Rick Perry, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and former Wharton County Republican Party Chairwoman Debra Medina.
The one thing the candidates agreed on, even as they questioned their rivals’ ability to tell the truth, was their desire to best serve Texas — a place, Medina said, where an "average citizen" can participate in a gubernatorial debate between a sitting governor and a sitting U.S. senator.
"Texas is the best place in America," Hutchison said, as she criticized Perry’s work on issues ranging from education to private property rights. "I have fought most of my adult life for Texas. . . . I want us to leave Texas better than we found it. We owe it to ourselves."
Perry called the state "the land of opportunity" and said people across the nation recognize that "there’s something special going on in Texas."
An audience of about 800 attended Thursday’s hourlong KERA-produced debate was broadcast from the Murchison Performing Arts Center at the University of North Texas in Denton. The Star-Telegram was a co-sponsor of the debate.The sniping between the candidates began even before the debate as Perry released a new TV ad, called "Bailout," criticizing Hutchison’s vote in support of the federal stimulus package, and Hutchison countered with a press release stating that at one time, Perry encouraged members of Congress to support the package.
...
The Tea Party activist
Medina (http://www.medinafortexas.com/), a nurse, businesswoman and former Republican Party chairwoman for Wharton County, said it’s time to take Texas leadership out of the hands of career politicians.
A tea party activist, she has a more libertarian approach to issues than Perry or Hutchison and she suggests that individual states do have the right to reject federal initiatives that infringe on the state’s sovereignty. She wants small government, has long suggested eliminating property taxes in Texas and instead funding state government with a state sales tax. Medina asked Perry about his switch of political parties from Democrat to Republican in 1989: "What evidence can you give we Texans that you’ll keep your word this time around?"
Perry said his decision to switch followed in the footsteps of former President Ronald Reagan, and he said he has fulfilled his promises to Texans: "I promised I would do everything I could to make this state a place where people are proud to live. And I think I did."
Medina, a staunch gun-rights supporter, said she’d like to do away with gun registration in Texas. She does not have a concealed handgun license but does carry a gun in her car, which is where she leaves it most times.
"I do not carry my handgun into the grocery store," she said. "I’d like to, but I don’t."
SOURCE:
http://hiderefer.com/?http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1895191.html
Anonymous Link Redirect:
http://hiderefer.com/?http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1895191.html
No clear winner emerges after first GOP gubernatorial debate
Star Telegram
Jan. 14, 2010
DENTON — The state’s top two Republican officeholders and a relative political newcomer wrestled with some of Texas’ thorniest issues — from job losses to nationalized healthcare to looming state budget shortfalls — in Thursday night’s opening debate of the 2010 gubernatorial campaign.
Although several punches were landed by all candidates, there was no clear winner in the debate that was at times marked by smirks and mocking statements between Gov. Rick Perry, U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and former Wharton County Republican Party Chairwoman Debra Medina.
The one thing the candidates agreed on, even as they questioned their rivals’ ability to tell the truth, was their desire to best serve Texas — a place, Medina said, where an "average citizen" can participate in a gubernatorial debate between a sitting governor and a sitting U.S. senator.
"Texas is the best place in America," Hutchison said, as she criticized Perry’s work on issues ranging from education to private property rights. "I have fought most of my adult life for Texas. . . . I want us to leave Texas better than we found it. We owe it to ourselves."
Perry called the state "the land of opportunity" and said people across the nation recognize that "there’s something special going on in Texas."
An audience of about 800 attended Thursday’s hourlong KERA-produced debate was broadcast from the Murchison Performing Arts Center at the University of North Texas in Denton. The Star-Telegram was a co-sponsor of the debate.The sniping between the candidates began even before the debate as Perry released a new TV ad, called "Bailout," criticizing Hutchison’s vote in support of the federal stimulus package, and Hutchison countered with a press release stating that at one time, Perry encouraged members of Congress to support the package.
...
The Tea Party activist
Medina (http://www.medinafortexas.com/), a nurse, businesswoman and former Republican Party chairwoman for Wharton County, said it’s time to take Texas leadership out of the hands of career politicians.
A tea party activist, she has a more libertarian approach to issues than Perry or Hutchison and she suggests that individual states do have the right to reject federal initiatives that infringe on the state’s sovereignty. She wants small government, has long suggested eliminating property taxes in Texas and instead funding state government with a state sales tax. Medina asked Perry about his switch of political parties from Democrat to Republican in 1989: "What evidence can you give we Texans that you’ll keep your word this time around?"
Perry said his decision to switch followed in the footsteps of former President Ronald Reagan, and he said he has fulfilled his promises to Texans: "I promised I would do everything I could to make this state a place where people are proud to live. And I think I did."
Medina, a staunch gun-rights supporter, said she’d like to do away with gun registration in Texas. She does not have a concealed handgun license but does carry a gun in her car, which is where she leaves it most times.
"I do not carry my handgun into the grocery store," she said. "I’d like to, but I don’t."
SOURCE:
http://hiderefer.com/?http://www.star-telegram.com/804/story/1895191.html