As the Nov. 2 elections quickly approach, The Daily Campus’ Editorial Board has chosen to endorse the following candidates for Texas Governor, for the Texas House of Representatives and for the 32nd Texas Congressional District.

The decisions below were the unanimous result of intense discussion and multilateral debate to which the members of the Editorial Board presented diverse arguments and differing points of view. The conclusions at which we arrived are discussed further for the information of the SMU community and for the promulgation of this important conversation on campus.

Texas Governor

The Editorial Board unanimously endorses Bill White for governor. We feel that Rick Perry’s assertion that he is qualified to be governor just because Texas has a strong economy and he is not a “Washington elite” is short sighted and doesn’t fully address the issues facing the state of Texas.

Perry has attempted to make the state of Texas believe that he is fully responsible for the job creation that has been relatively stable in the state of Texas as compared to other states. Perry is actually not responsible for this. The laws that make Texas a good state for business were here before Perry was in office, and will not disappear if he is no longer governor.

Additionally, Perry has very few friends in the State Legislature, and the vast majority of the reforms that he has attempted to launch since he has been in office have failed. There is no reason to think that the reforms he now proposes will be any different.

Perry has spent much of his campaign playing on the frustrations of the American people with Washington, painting Bill White as a “Washington elite” when in fact Perry is far from a newcomer. Perry may never have served in Washington, but in the past 25 years he has not taken a break from his role as a career politician.

 Further, Rick Perry is currently in his 10th year as governor, making him the longest serving governor in the state of Texas. His performance simply does not justify allowing him to serve for more than a decade. It is time for new blood.

Bill White would be a welcome change to the state of Texas. As a fiscal conservative, the laws that make Texas conducive to operating cooperate and small businesses would not change. As mayor of Houston, Bill White managed the budget and found ways to repeatedly cut property taxes. With a $21 billion dollar budget deficit facing our state, these are skills that are necessary to be a successful governor.

Additionally, Bill White has a more realistic stance on the environment. Perry continues to rehash the fallacy that environmentalism is bad for business. White has put these concerns to rest. He successfully made Houston greener at the same time as he was bringing record numbers of businesses to the city.

We further feel that Texans should be concerned about Perry’s lack of communication to Texans during the campaign. Perry refused to debate, saying that White needed to produce his tax records from his time spent in the Clinton administration, but these were simply stall tactics. Perry also refused to sit with editorial boards. He has yet to be endorsed by any major paper in the state.

His refusal to be asked tough questions, either in a public forum or by members of the press, has made his campaign climate a well-rehearsed and immensely choreographed performance rather than a truthful mission to get the votes of Texans.

For these reasons, we recommend Bill White for governor.

Texas House of Representatives

Democrat Pete Schulte is challenging Dan Branch (R) for his seat in the Texas House of Repersentatives, representing the 108th disctrict, which includes Highland Park, University Park and a significant portion of the city of Dallas.

Branch, 52, has made a point to focus on education, specifically higher education as chairman of the House Committee on Higher Education. Since his appointment to represent the North Texas district in 2002, this has been one of his particular points of interest.

Branch has proven this dedication by leading efforts to create a public law school in downtown Dallas. He has also helped to reform the top 10 percent law, which gives high school students who are in the top 10 percent of their class automatic admission to all state-funded universities in Texas.

Also, Branch has recently made a compromise to have more Tier 1 top-flight research universities.

Further, Branch serves as the chairman of the Board for the John Goodwin Tower Center for Political Studies at SMU. This institution provides invaluable resources for students and faculty alike, inviting leading scholars, politicians and businessmen to SMU. Branch is a consistent participant in and supporter of the Tower Center, demonstrating his passion for and continued involvement in higher education.

Schulte, 32, is a former police officer and prosecutor who, among other things, aims to legalize casino gambling in some of Texas’ border areas to have their revenues go to public schools.

The Democrat candidate may have a place in as a top legislator, but not while he’s competing with the experienced Branch for District 108. The incumbent has far greater experience and a similar mindset as most of his supportive constituency.

A graduate from the Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, Branch has held positions not only on the House Committee on Higher Education, but also on the Mayor’s Downtown Dallas Task Force and the Dallas Assembly.

The editorial board of The Daily Campus endorses the Republican candidate to continue to represent our district with his experience and leadership.

32nd Texas Congressional District

The Daily Campus endorses Pete Sessions (R) as the candidate for the Texas Congressional District 32.

Sessions’ main opponent is Grier Raggio (D), a well-known Dallas businessman and lawyer.  According to TheHill.com, this election will be one of the nation’s “dark horse races to watch in 2010”.

While there have been various statements arguing that Raggio will be a strong candidate, he has said little to substantiate his positions. Besides his poignant statements emphasizing that he is not a career politician, he has yet to articulate a clear stance on any of the big issues. Furthermore, his campaign donation of $1,500 to Ellen Bernice-Johnson does not support his argument against corruption and political deals. which has been his main platform issue throughout the campaign.

Sessions has been in office since 2002 and currently chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee. He has recently taken on a national presence, opposing Obama’s large government endeavors. He is very vocal regarding the positive aspects and benefits of small government.  

Though The Daily Campus is cognizant that in September 2006, Sessions was listed in “Beyond DeLay: The 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and five to watch),” by the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). He was listed as one of the top 20 as a result of his relationship with the infamous lobbyist, Jack Abramoff.

Despite this, Sessions voted against party lines for the $700 billion stimulus package. He continuously espouses a more moderate position, evaluating the issue as it pertains to his constituents. His national popularity has placed him in a prime position to affect change.

Contrarily, Raggio has not articulated specific policy that he wishes to enact, nor does he have a clear platform.

Therefore, the Editorial Board of The Daily Campus supports the incumbent Pete Sessions.

Response

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