Strayhorn just fried her own turkey though -- she denied tax-exempt status to the Red River Unitarians in Denison; religious groups all over the spectrum from across the state are up in arms right now!

It'll be interesting to see who the Rubs wind up fielding for Governor 2 years from now. I know who I'd like to see as our candidate though: State Sen. Royce West -- it's about time we had a brilliant orator of that caliber at that level of the ticket!

IIRC, Carole Keeton *INSERT YOUR NAME HERE* did this to try to play to the bigot vote in her gubernatorial run.

Imagine her talking to a rabid fundie group and saying something about knowing what religion is, and that the Unitarians aren't.

BTW, the way you'll know that Perry's goose is cooked is when the rumors first appearing on BOR start hitting the press from Republican sources.

Yeah... Royce West first emerged as Michael Irvin's attorney when he was smoking crack and screwing hookers in motel rooms. He also is something of a racial demagogue on several issues. Don't get me wrong, I'm okay with him but I think he'd be about the worst candidate we could run for governor. We need someone that is white, probably rural, moderate/conservative and squeaky clean. West fails all of those tests.

Also, we weren't the "source" of the Perry rumors. In fact, I first heard intense gossip about these rumors- from both Republicans and Democrats- at least 3 weeks before Byron's first post. Still, I think that we were one of only a handful of outlets to openly say what people were whispering in the corridors of the capitol.

Andrew -- I couldn't disagree more. Our last gubernatorial fiasco was Hispanic, rural (Laredo), a Rocky-con, and legally dubious. West is, of course, Black, urban (with ties to both Dallas AND Houston), moderate-to-liberal, and cleaner-than-you-think (he was an assistant DA felony prosecutor in Dallas County). We need to push for Texas to have its first Black governor -- it will do wonders to lift the tide of Democrats across the state and throughout the country; that Ron Kirk SHOULD HAVE run for the job two years ago (and let Ken Bentsen pursue his uncle's Senate seat) was one of the bigger strategic miscalculations our Party has made in recent memory. And like I said, it doesn't hurt that West is highly qualified (former prosecutor, State Senator for more than a decade) and one of the most brilliant orators I've ever heard!

If Royce West is "one of the best orators" you've ever heard, you might want to get out more. Furthermore, this isn't the age of Ralph Yarborough or Farmer Jim- speaking ability is important but takes a back seat to several other qualities. Name the last good public speaker we had for governor- Ann Richards. Remember that she lost to a much less orator. Name the best public speaker to serve as governor before her. Umm.... maybe John Conally? Maybe? Oratorical skills are not nearly as important as

1. Money- Royce West doesn't have enough of it
2. Marketability- I don't care what you say, a Black, urban, liberal former defense attorney will go over about like a whore in church in Texas. If you believe otherwise you are an idiot- straight up.

Royce West not only would be a disaster, he wouldn't run in the first place. The people you should be thinking might run for the Dems are John Sharp, Jim Turner, John Montford, Roy Spence, maybe Bill White and that's about it. Maybe a few others will emerge as time goes on but I would be surprised. Royce West isn't within 1000 miles of that list.

The numbers just don't support what you are saying: Kirk only polled 127,000 fewer votes than Sharp, in a race with fewer total votes cast, against a MUCH stronger Rub opponent, and without Nolan Ryan doing his TV spots. Moreover, he outpolled everyone else on our ticket in statewide non-Judicial races: Sanchez, Watson, Akins, etc. Black and urban CAN win in Texas, at least as much as any other Democratic configuration statewide.

While you're right, things like fundraising have risen to altogether too much undeserved importance, I think you underestimate both West's personal war chest, and level of financial support from the Democratic community in and around Dallas: realize, he personally underwrote much of the cost of the buses to the Texas 11 rally last August.

And I'm really tired of this business of selecting candidates because of "marketability" -- I'm committed to the philosophy brought forth by the Dean campaign -- you fight the good fight standing by your liberal principles, and you win if you earn it.

Royce West would be more interested in running for Dallas County DA in 2006 than runnig for Governor. I doubt ethically challenged Bill Hill will run, and the county is 50-50 and getting more Democratic.

Sorry, running.

You point out that Kirk got only 150,000 votes fewer than Sharp like it proves your point and not mine. Newsflash- he lost. That is the sign of an unsuccessful campaign!

Furthermore, our previous preoccupation with ideological/organizational purity over marketability really got us far, now that Howard Dean is the Democratic nominee. Oh wait...

Guys, one thing we learned is that you can read way too much into the experiences of specific black candidates when seeking white votes. Is Kirk the standard fro a black running? Or is it Morris Overstreet? Kirk ran for the US senate, for an open seat, with no legislative voting record. Royce West won't have that opportunity:

TV ad: "When things don't go Royce West's Way, Royce West goes to Albuquerque."

The day has not come when a black Democrat can win major statewide office in Texas. If Perry is so weak, you'll see him get knocked off in the primary.

Keith, that's sad but true. Even Georgia is ahead of us in that department: Attorney General Thurbert Baker, Labor Commissioner Mike Thurmond.

Nevertheless, Sharp was running against Dewhurst, who had, AFAIK, never previously appeared on a statewide ballot. OTOH, Kirk was running against John Cornyn, who was the sitting AG.

Yeah, Mike Thurmond was my state representative when I was in grad school at UGA. His district was only about 32% black, so he knew how to do outreach to whites and had a moderate voting record. Baker was appointed to the job, and ran as a quasi-incumbent.

Georgia also has four black congressmen, and might have had a fifth had Champ Walker not been such a lousy candidate (never run for Congress when there is a mugshot floating around).

Sharp got 47.3% of the two-party vote, which was the high-water mark for any statewide Democrat that year. Unless there's a tide I haven't noticed hear north of the Red RIver, I don't see ol' Royce wowing those suburban and rural swing whites.

You guys are fun. Oklahoma Democrats are sometimes boring by comparison (shock), though we're about to impeach the Insurance Commissioner.

Royce West for Governor? Has this become burntorangereport-on-crack.com?

A realistic shot at winning ANY statewide office is likely 6-8 years away.

nice