Chris Bell (photo)
Texas Gubernatorial candidate
interviewed by KSAT Reporter Tim Gerber at a recent San Antonio visit
From Craigs List
I am a Ronald Reagan Republican, voted for W twice, voted for Rick Perry and this time started out with the intention of voting for Kinky, and was starting to sway for One Tough Grandma.
That was until I watched tonight's debate. I am without question voting for Chris Bell, a Democrat no less, for the Governor of Texas. I can forgive Kinky for not being saavy as a politician - that is part of his attraction to most.
I didn't expect much from Perry because, he wasn't getting my vote anyway. And that Grandma was a total meltdown of repeated campaign slogans. But I had no idea who Chris Bell was or what his positions were.
Folks, if you did not see tonight's debate, he smoked all three of his opponents. He even had Kinky refusing to disagree with him when given the ooportunity to rebut. Sorry for adding to the political garbage, but Bell gets my vote.
By Ann Marie Schroeder
Former SDEC26 Committee Woman
I agree 100% with this "rant." Chris hit the ball out of the park last night. Kinky stood there and nodded his head in agreement with Chris' positions on more than 1 occasion, it was hilarious.
Almost as hilarious as his assertion that Sam Houston was a coke-head (opium user). Carole seemed unprepared and nervous. Rick was slick and crafted his misleading messages well, but you could see through it. Can't believe he said Texas was leading the way in education and teacher pay.
Go Chris!! People definitely will know who you are now!!! Chris Bell will be a Governor of Texas we can all be proud of!!
I wish I could be the first blogger-for-Kinky to graciously concede that Bell won the debate hands down, but Ian and TheLongHaul and ExColl beat me to it.
ReplyDeleteIan graciously said:
I think most Kinky supporters, myself included, had assumed that the question wasn't "if" Kinky would win the debate, but instead by "how much". Perry is the perfect punching bag, and Kinky seemed well equipped to run circles around the status quo politicians. Debates are glorified battles of the one-liner, and it seemed silly to think that the Kinky, the master of the one-liner who had 30 years experience being on stage, could somehow fumble on his biggest night. But he did. ... The fact that Kinky couldn't name a single black guy from Texas on his staff was rather embarrassing. The fact that Kinky looked like the cranky old redneck from the Hill Country didn't help. ... The fact that Kinky was forced to say, "I agree with Bell" on this and that only helped to make Bell look like the only grown-up on stage. ... I watched the debate in Dallas with some of my old Kinky friends. I must admit that I was shocked that Bell actually got some scattered applause. Obviously, the Kinksters groaned and laughed when Bell said, "I'm a serious man with a serious plan." But other than that awkward line, I'd say Bell did what he had to do. ... congrats to Team Bell for hanging in there and delivering on the one night that mattered the most.
TheLongHaul graciously said:
Bell did a great job. The thing that helped Bell the most, was time limits. We all know how boring he can be, and how he can go on and on, but the best thing that happened to him was time limits. He will probably benefit the most from the debates.... Kinky needed to come out strong and present himself as a valid candidate in order to break away from the pack. I don't think he did as well as he could have, but I don't feel he will lose many votes.
ExColl graciously said:
In my unbiased, professional/amateur opinion, the winner was clearly…. Chris Bell. ?!?! Yes, I said it. While I still support Kinky, I have to say he was not his normal self at the debate. Chris Bell, on the other hand proved that he was, despite contrary reports, alive. He did have the best line of the debate. When asked if he knew whether there were term limits for the governor, his response ( I don’t remember the quote, but it was very close to this): “That is the single best reason to vote for me. There are no term limits for Governor and our current Governor has said if he wins this election, he will run again.” Snap!... Kinky got in a few zingers, but nothing new if you have been following him. Frankly, I was disappointed. I saw him speak at the Student Union this week, and basically he said the same things. Kinky lost an opportunity, albeit, considering the timing of the debate, not a big one.
I would like to lend my voice to Ian and TheLongHaul and ExColl. Bell won the debate convincingly. Kinky fell short of my expectations, especially on questions which Kinky should have anticipated. Plus Kinky didn't help matters much with his post debate comments "Right now, I'm still voting for myself" and "Jesse Ventura convinced me I shouldn't be for a wall because ten years from now we might want to be getting out of here."
The war isn't over, but Bell won this battle decisively. Congratulations to team Bell. Enjoy your victory because we're gonna win in November!