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David Dewhurst Campaign Alters Taxpayer Funded Website to Cover Up Past Support for Amnesty.

What else is he hiding?

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  July 11th, 2012 at 11:39 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst’s Senate campaign might have just crossed a line it should not have crossed. Who else would be behind the Lt. Governor’s taxpayer funded website for his Lieutenant Governor’s Office suddenly deleting the transcript of a speech proving David Dewhurst has been lying about his position on illegal aliens?

The speech is . . . well . . . it is gone. Poof.

Again, the website is taxpayer funded and the document suddenly no longer there directly contradicted Dewhurst’s present statements on immigration in the Senate campaign.

Now, David Dewhurst adamantly claims that he opposes amnesty – even calling the recent Obama plan to grant permits to illegals who came here as children “nothing short of backdoor amnesty by executive fiat and a blatant political ploy.”

But there is one very big problem… He is lying and then covering up the facts that prove he is lying.

As the Houston Chronicle’s Peggy Fikac notes, Mr. Dewhurst just a few years ago advocated for amnesty for anyone here illegally, not just children. In a speech Dewhurst gave in 2007 down in south Texas, he said the following: “I support a guest worker program for those here today illegally. Labor and skilled workers are critical to our Texas economy.”

But here’s the interesting part. That speech was available online at the official, taxpayer-funded website for the office of the Lieutenant Governor of Texas, www.ltgov.state.tx.us until this story about this speech regarding amnesty came to light. Yet, suddenly that speech has gone missing – and even Ms. Fikac’s story has a dead link to it.

His opponent, Ted Cruz – the actual conservative in the race – has a pdf of the original screenshot here. In addition, the cached google page I found by searching for “David Dewhurst speeches Lieutenant Governor” is here, and it shows a link to the speech entitled “Mr. South Texas,” in which he made his declaration of support for amnesty.

This is, as I pointed out on Tuesday, the way Lt. Gov Dewhurst operates. His game of power – and of saying what needs to be said to get elected. In other words, he would fit right in up in Washington with the rest of the Senate “club” that has given us the deal-cutting and broken promises that has caused the mess we’re in.

This is the truth that everyone knows, but only a few are covering. Take for example this description of Dewhurst by the AEI’s Steve Hayward over at powerlineblog.com”

It became clear that he is an old fashioned petty corrupt pol who believes in using the power of government to help his friends and favored interests (he made his own personal fortune in the natural gas business). I’ve met a lot of politicians over the years, but he was perhaps the single most unappealing and offensive one I’ve ever met, in either party. Cruz is the obvious superior choice.

This is the last person we should send to the U.S. Senate if we expect change. Especially from Texas.

That is why Texas must send Ted Cruz to Washington – and every conservative in America should send Ted money to help him combat Dewhurst’s endless deep pockets.

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  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    The internet is forever. Thank you Erick…I believe you have just forever put to bed the half truths being told by Dewhurst candibots like rickperryguy that Dewhurst doesn’t support all amnesty, all the time.

  • rickey5825

    Is anyone really surprised that a faux republican would use demonrat methods to defeat a true conservative?The biggest problem with the republican party today is the rino’s!They have turned the party into demonrat-lite and therefore made the choice for voters one of lousy or slightly less lousy?If we want to save the republic,we need to elect REAL conservatives and not more of the same ole liberals and rinos!

  • spinoneone

    I think not. Just look, for a small example, at the positions of The O circa 2007 and today.

    I agree that Dewhurst shouldn’t have erased the speech from a public source. Beyond that, he is allowed to “change” his mind. I mean, after all, he is a politician and his lips are moving…..

  • zachv

    Someone doesn’t know about the Streisand effect Hope to see all of your “deleted” position smattered across the internet.

  • westcoastpatriette

    in politics today…which is a good thing.

  • Liberty Patriot

    While we’re talking about the Texas Senate race, answer me this, Erick.

    Why are you taking advertising money from Alliance for American Manufacturing? My guess is that you agree with their message. Their ads are plastered all over your site today.

    “Stop Outsourcing to China!”

    Yep. That’s a good message that will resonate with conservatives.

    Yet, you support a candidate – Ted Cruz – who publicly admits his client is the Chinese government? Ted Cruz is paid very well to appeal a $32 million judgment because a Chinese conglomerate stole blueprints from an American company and affectively shut down the company and outsourcing its jobs to China.

    It is an indisputable fact that Cruz is an appellate attorney for a Chinese conglomerate. He is an attorney paid to appeal judgments that his client wants overturned. A Chinese conglomerate is a complicated description for a company in China that is govt-owned – the very height of socialism!

    Ted Cruz could not even *afford* to be in this senate race if he didn’t have Shandong Linglong as a client.

    So, let’s accept this fact – Cruz takes income from a Chinese company, or a Chinese conglomerate or the Chinese govt. He’s an advocate for China.

    Let’s accept a second fact – Cruz opposes forcing China to devalue its currency. Google his interview with Laura Ingram. He’s got the same ‘wait and see’ position as Obama.

    Let’s accept a third fact – Redstate accepts advertising that rails against China for stealing jobs. It’s a good conservative message and readers here are probably clicking away on that banner, earning Redstate some good dough.

    I think conversations like these need all the facts on the table and all the prejudices so that the readers here aren’t hearing half the story. I also expect that publications like Redstate would take advertising revenue for good reasons and have those reasons align with their political positions. If so, we need to stop hearing half the story on Ted Cruz.

    On Dewhurst, he’s allowed to change his mind. You’ve never changed your mind or position on policy? C’mon. Heck, even Florida Senator Rubio is changing his tune on immigration. My guess is that Cruz – if he becomes senator – won’t change his mind on China.

  • Repair_Man_Jack

    Take the tin-foil hat off or rant at another blog.

  • Aaron Gardner

    n/t

  • acat

    Austin insider hoping to move up.

    Mew

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    I have to admit I have had similar thoughts in hoping Romney would choose that noted squish Lamar Alexander as VP to get him the heck out of the Senate for a job best summed up as “not worth a bucket of warm urine”. Then I remember Romney might die, and the long term pain isn’t worth the short term gain. I guess it is up to us Tennesseans to “retire” him in a couple of years. Come to think of it, do you think Alexander would see Ambassador to Liechtenstein as a fair reward for his many years of public “service”.

  • macedon

    Liberty Patriot makes some good points that I would like to see rebutted intelligently. Instead you dismiss him without regard to the logic or validity of his statements. That’s pretty much how liberals operate.

  • Aaron Gardner

    Not one link in that comment, not one cite. The IP address the commenter is using comes from the Media Consultant shop for Dewhurst.

    I see no reason to treat their propaganda as truth when no actual evidence was provided.

  • garfieldjl

    I think that seems fair, don’t you. Quite frankly, I want to know if there is anything to back up the accusations being made. As far as I’m concerned Mr. Cruz is innocent until proven guilty, all we’ve seen is wild accusations thus far, and I think the burden of proof is on Liberty_Patriot’s side, not Mr. Cruz, nor is it Red State’s responsibility.

  • westcoastpatriette

    insidious. How disgusting.

    Thanks for telling us, Aaron.

  • westcoastpatriette

    errorhere

  • rec0n

    When did we start conflating “amnesty” with guest worker programs?

    How exactly is it “lying”? Dewhurst has never said he supported amnesty, and supporting guest worker programs should be a perfectly acceptable position for anyone that doesn’t conflate paranoid fringe with conservative – which I don’t. And doing so Eric, in the end, makes ANY solution to border control and illegal immigration *that much harder to reach* by giving such intolerance credence.

    Eighteen TX Republican Senators signed off on a letter refuting Cruz’s tired, recycled accusations against Dewhurst, which were the exact same attacks used against Perry and based on exactly as much evidence, which Sen. Patrick *attempted to point out to Cruz just recently.

    Rather than addressing what they or Patrick actually said, you don’t address that at all and instead went with character assassination – dismissing TX Republicans in one of the reddest states in the country as unprincipled “establishment” players.

    I don’t particularly care which of them makes it to DC, b/c the fact of the matter is that both of them hold pretty close to the same positions – but Cruz and his recycled dishonesty re: TSA bills etc lessened any respect I had for him.

    Guess it’s politics as usual everywhere, isn’t it.

  • acat

    I wonder how much dead wood we could get out of the Senate if they’d buy it …

    Lamar Alexander – ambassador to .. France.
    Lindsay Graham – ambassador to .. Germany or Italy.
    John McCain – ambassador to Australia.

    …

    Mew

  • Vegas_Rick

    has any leverage over these 18 State Senators. No, they won’t hyave deal with duplicitous POS if he’s defeated. Naw.

    As to the guest worker program; if they are sent home to apply for a worker visa, not amnesty. If they get stay and apply here, amnesty.

  • Vegas_Rick

    NT

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    Ambassador to Japan?

  • MF

    Supporting guest worker programs should NOT be an acceptable position! Look how many Americans (and legal immigrants) are out of work. Let’s get them working, instead of on the freebie train.

    Let’s use E-Verify for all jobs and crack down on the employers who pay under the table, then the illegals will self-deport.

    To those who say this is heartless, no, it’s not. It’s heartless that we allow employers to pay people cheap wages, when a properly balanced job market would naturally support higher wages. It’s called supply and demand. It’s your friend and mine.

  • spinoneone

    but if and only if we are sure we could replace them with a conservative.

  • freemanja1991

    That both Cruz and Dewhurst, might be in the Senate in 2013? John Cornyn will likely be on this short list for Attorney General, leaving Rick Perry to appoint someone, probably Dewhurst if he loses the primary.

  • MF

    Supporting guest worker programs should NOT be an acceptable position! Look how many Americans (and legal immigrants) are out of work. Let’s get them working, instead of on the freebie train.

    Let’s use E-Verify for all jobs and crack down on the employers who pay under the table, then the illegals will self-deport.

    To those who say this is heartless, no, it’s not. It’s heartless that we allow employers to pay people cheap wages, when a properly balanced job market would naturally support higher wages. It’s called supply and demand. It’s your friend and mine.

  • rec0n

    with your support of e-verify or getting legal citizens working at all. That does not by definition mean that a guest worker program is inappropriate.

    As for employers paying cheap wages, I think you went a little sideways on that argument. I’m of the opinion that yes, the market will balance itself out, but not that low wages are ‘heartless’. TX being an example of that, in many respects – lower wages, but also lower COL and more money kept in ones own pocket than other states where min wage laws are higher and so are other costs. Nothing operates in a vacuum.

  • votejoel

    Just heard a spot on WBAP (Dallas) for Dewhurst. Quite an attack ad.

    OMG, did you know Cruz is a LAWYER!!!!

    Oh wait, so is Dewhurst. Nevermind.

  • independentmike

    I don’t have a problem with a guest worker program for illegals who are already here. It would allow us to identify them, and also to tax them.

    There’s a reason that the usually very conservative Texas legislature approved in-state tuition for children of illegals by an overwhelming margin: Texas officials know that Texas businesses need the labor that illegals provide.

    I think a balanced position on immigration would be to support sealing the border (or at least making it a lot harder to cross illegally) while at the same time being willing to reach some kind of humane, sensible arrangement for illegals who are already here and who have broken no other laws since coming here.

  • http://moelane.com/ Moe Lane

    He’s actually been pretty good since 2010.

  • acat

    I hedged as much as possible by listing squishes in States with reasonably solid GOP governors …

    Mew

  • rickperryreport

    In addition to Cruz’s China problem, and the other problem you suggest–Cruz’s non-record of governance….

    The press in Texas is afire with news about Cruz’s $1 million donor who is a pro-pot, homosexual activist and PayPal millionaire who spends his money on pushing the radical gay agenda (aka attacking traditional marriage).

    Follow the money. You can start here.

  • gekster

    A donar to cruz is a homosexual and that is bad for cruz. Why?
    An advocate of pot donates to Cruz and that is bad for Cruz.. Why.
    So out of the 2 or 3 hundred donars to Dewhurst, non are homosexual and none smoke pot. really streaching it there, arn’t you.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    One Thiel’s largest contributions have been to the Club for Growth not Cruz…are you saying the Club for Growth has “a pro gay/pro pot” agenda? The article you mentioned also mentioned that Cruz’s supporter is a Bilderberger looking for world domination. Do you really want Dewhurst to be painted as a Bilderberger Conspiracy Nut? That’s better than a RINO? If I were you, I’d go all in with RINO and talk about consensus building because this is the state that elected Kay B and Dewhurst in the first place. I’m guessing RINO does pretty well statewide in Texas. Jumping the shark like this to try to paint Ted Cruz as left of Dewhurst only makes Dewhurst look like a whiney, birther conspiracy nut. Which really doesn’t play anywhere. Tell Dewhurst to get in touch with his inner RINO, it’s honest and his only chance.

  • aesthete

    Throw in guns and a nice steak, and you’ve got dinner and a show.

  • Tbone

    The press in Texas should be set on fire if this is all they have to write about.

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    This smear was thrown out yesterday and addressed.

    Read here.

    Okay, I’ll send another donation to Cruz. You convinced me. Keep it up.

  • http://impudent.edublogs.org/ kyle8

    So how does this magic work pray tell? Someone believes in my message and gives me a donation and somehow I am tarred by that persons sexual choices? Or was the fact that he was rich somehow make it worse?

    This is the worst sort of mindless name calling and filth. You are just like your master Dewhurst.

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    Why scrub the speech?

  • poorwilber

    that the US company that claimed patent infringement has a manufacturing facility in China? That seems a little dishonest omission in the Dewhurst ad.

    Would Dewhurst prefer to outsource to Mexico?

  • http://wingright.org bnuckols

    he’s a businessman who ran for office for the first time in his early ’50′s.

  • cactusjack

    campaign prevatications, which are becoming ever more tortuous and…bizarre… I’d say Cruz is starting to run away with this. Go Ted.

  • http://impudent.edublogs.org/ kyle8

    lying campaign add I hear, and I hear them all the time.

  • cactusjack

    Republican in state office in Texas understands that one of the underlying strengths of the Texas economy which has unflaggingly performed for 10 or 20 years now depending how you figure it, is…the state’s symbiotic economic relationship with its sister north-Mexican states. They and Texas form a mutually boosting economic regional powerhouse. Truth be told, the ideal solution would be for Texas to form its own country and start a zoned, guest worker program with the northerm Mexican states. That is the answer to every problem on both sides of the border but Texas can never do what needs to be done while the US feds control the border and do…nothing. This is why Perry, btw, was mysteriously silent on the immigration issue during the primaries. He is a new Texas nationalist, a la the Texas A&M School of Economics, and knows all the places where his state’s bread is buttered. Politicians just cant voice this or they are deeded crazy. And this does not mean they want to open the flood gates – just control it, *locally*. And it does not take one whit away from the fact that Dewhurst is a squishy squish (TSA bill anyone?) Ted Cruz needs to be Texas’ next US Senator.

  • http://wingright.org bnuckols

    and I’m not on anyone’s payroll. I do believe that Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst is the “true conservative” between the two on the ballot and as a volunteer advocate in Austin, I’ve seen him at work over the years. And I’ve seen the results of his work: Tort Reform, Voter ID, many pro-life laws, defunding abortionists, holding the line on the growth of government and entitlements and DOMA, just to name a few.

    Neither you nor Cruz or anyone else should be calling Texas’ Lt. Governor “corrupt” or accusing him of a cover-up without very specific proof, sources and links. As the Senate Republican Caucus 18 Senators’ letter shows, those accusations imply collusion on the part of many people besides David Dewhurst.

    The Lieutenant Governor’s Capitol staff says they asked for older speeches to be archived last year. They had to go through the Secretary of State’s office.

    Archiving website data isn’t unusual.The speech is 5 years old, it’s acceptable to archive after a period of time. The op-ed from the Wall Street Journal that Cruz pulls out at debates isn’t on the web anymore either, except the pdf at Cruz’ website. Neither are most of the “contemporaneous” news articles that Cruz talks about available online. I’ve searched.

    As you’ve noted, the South Texas speech is available on other sites, by now.

    As other commenters have said, a guest worker program is not equal to”amnesty.” “Amnesty” involves forgives for breaking the law – such as by not deporting illegals and allowing them to start the visa process on this side of the border. There weren’t any details in that one sentence on the Lt. Governor’s speech and there are many other references to his opposing amnesty.

  • Xasteius

    no text.

  • gekster

    What do you say about that particular item, among others.

  • http://impudent.edublogs.org/ kyle8

    nt

  • poorwilber

    Identity theft to keep a job? What about displacing American workers, and lowering wages? Why is your concern with illegals, and not the US taxpayer? What about the added cost of their healthcare, education, and infrastructure maintenance on the US taxpayer? Are you kidding me? A guest worker program is going to fix that??? Good luck with that. Such a program would open the floodgate of claims for entitlements…. far beyond current levels.

    Lax US policy has created this nightmare, so the fix is more leniency? I’ve a great idea…. first, secure the border. No other discussion should progress until t hat objective is met. Americans should decide who to invite into the USA, not illegals themselves.

  • poorwilber

    if the guest worker program allows illegal workers to apply for a work permit in the USA. A reward for breaking US law.

  • rickperryreport

    The link to the Redstate post that has a link to the official Ted Cruz 2012 campaign website proves nothing about Ted Cruz’s views on traditional marriage.

    Ted Cruz talks the talk, but doesn’t walk the walk.

    His largest donor is a California homosexual activist. Being the largest donor of a senator does buy access, no?

    It does not matter. No matter how many times all of you carpetbaggers send in money to our sovereign senatorial election in Texas in support of the exotic and unknown Herman Cainesque (or Obama-like) candidate, Cruz has no chance of winning. The ones that vote here in the R primary runoff are excellent judges of character.

    If this Cruz guy was running the highway department here in Texas, there”d be no more bridges left, because Cruz would have burned them all down.

    Beverly Nuckols, from New Braunfels, which is a whole lot closer to the battleground than where Erickson lives, has an excellent blog post about the inside view of the Texas senate race. If you want an honest view, click here and read it.

  • gekster

    We have the proof he did, dispell that one he says he didn’t do.

  • acat

    Given who’s been supporting Dewhurst, I mean …

    Just sayin’

    Mew

  • poorwilber

    no txt

  • mikeymike143

    dewhurst is an establishment moderate. yuck. those are the very type of people we are trying to replace, please lets not elect another one.

    cruz has momentum and the lead and will end up winning by 4 or 5 points.

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    Sure sounds like it.

    For the record, you and Ms. Nuckols aren’t the only ones who live in Texas. It’s a pretty big place, and I have a good number of friends there, not to mention that there are plenty of folks from Texas who are regulars here. Most, if not all of them, are supporting Ted Cruz,

    I have no interest in reading smears and innuendo here or elsewhere.

    And you’ve just guaranteed Cruz another donation from me.

  • rickperryreport

    Recipe Cat:

    I would say that at a personal net worth of $200 million, Dewhurst is his biggest donor. Or, put another way, how much money does it take to buy a $200 million, self-made man?

  • http://wingright.org bnuckols

    The LG opposed the update of a 100 yr old tax, the business tax, so that all businesses, whether they made a profit or not, had to pay on gross receipts. Dewhurst was objecting to adding another burden to small businesses and start ups.

    Before, there had been a lot of loopholes and exempted businesses. When the franchise tax was broadened to include nearly all businesses, lots of ideas floated around. It took a couple of years, but the final tax ended up with an exemption of the first $150K and then the next session amended that to the first $300K.

    In order to lower property taxes and comply with a Court ruling that allowing school districts to max out the property tax was a de facto income tax, Governor Perry named an independent Committee in 2005, under the leadership of John Sharp, a fairly conservative democrat. (Texas has a lot of those as well as left radicals.)

    Another claim is that Dewhurst supported a “payroll tax.” because he had a press release that praised the Senate for passing a bill that included School finance and the business tax changes. There were 2 ways to calculate that tax, one based on income alone and one adjusted by employees payroll with exemptions. Dewhurst had opposed the payroll option, but the school bill was urgent so that schools could begin planning for the next year. The businesses had a choice of which one to use. The Press RElease that is touted as supporting the payroll tax mentions it once, in paragraph 4, and doesn’t say either way is better.

    I have more detail, and links to stories as well as more of my opinion on my blog at WingRight.org http://wp.me/p1FiCk-Kj “@DavidHDewhurst and the “Payroll Tax” Press Release”

  • acat

    You wanted to play the game…

    Mew

  • gekster

    That says it all about Dewherst we need to know.
    Money buys support.

  • rickperryreport

    Since Lt Gov Dewhurst has been there a LOOOOONG time and I haven’t paid an income tax in Texas, I’d say that is proof enough for me.

  • gekster

    from:
    http://www.politifact.com/texas/statements/2012/feb/10/ted-cruz/ted-cruz-says-david-dewhurst-has-record-promoting-/

    excerpt:
    A March 30, 2006, AP news article, headlined “Businesses studying proposed tax structure,” indeed quotes Dewhurst as saying: “I think I’d rather see a tax that’s based on income ? you earn money, you pay something, you don’t earn money, you don’t pay anything.”

  • gekster

    doesn’t mean he didn’t want one.
    And I have plenty of sites to show he proposed it.
    The internet can’t hide his faults.

  • http://wingright.org bnuckols

    That was a line picked from an article that described the various proposals for the changes to the business tax. Dewhurst did not want businesses that did not make a profit to have to start paying under the new law. He wanted a threshhold of profit to relieve the burden on new companies and those struggling.

  • http://wingright.org bnuckols

    You will find lots of comments that repeat the charge, but you won’t find anything other than a line from an original article.

    It’s hard to find the actual news article, since most websites don’t keep 6 year old articles.

    Texas’ Constitution forbids an income tax. The eventual reworked Business franchise tax was challenged as an income tax on businessmen. Attorney General Greg Abbott successfully defended the law in front of our State Supreme Court last August and the ruling came out in November. Everyone who has spread this lie should have known about that court case.

  • gekster

    Do you know how lame that sounds.
    Are you really that blind in your support.

  • http://wingright.org bnuckols

    http://www.redstate.com/erick/2012/07/11/david-dewhurst-campaign-alters-taxpayer-funded-website-to-cover-up-past-support-for-amnesty-what-else-is-he-hiding/#comment-189049
    There never was any such proposal. The quote is a partial, a cherry picked objection to another proposal.

  • gekster

    Do you reall believe what you post.
    Do a search on anything for ‘Dewhurst income tax’ and come back then.

  • http://wingright.org bnuckols

    lots of data there, with links.

    Yes, I do believe what I write and do my research, do my best not to spin or distort.

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    Dewhurst supports guest workers which is really amnesty minus voting rights, he has certainly raised the state budget from 116B to 188B. The only cuts in the budget in his tenure are during this term when he decided to run for Senator and almost all of those cuts are postponed medicaid and school expeditures (not eliminated: postponed).

    Dewhurst is a RINO and in the attempts to project Criz to his left his supporters on RedState have accused Cruz of selling out US interest to China, being pro gay/pro pot, being a gulp lawyer, participating in a Bilderberger plot to take over the world, and a hot-headed Cuban. Really, really? It leaves Dewhurst coming off as unhinged and immoral. That is better than just admitting what we all know, Dewhurst is a moderate, establishment Republican RINO. He has also won 3 statewide elections and Kay B. had won 5 statewide elections. RINO’s do ok in Texas – it’s a large diverse state – unhinged and immoral doesn’t play anywhere. Dewhurst should just be honest and embrace his inner RINO.

    Now, lets look at those Senators who supported Dewhurst. Those budget increases that Cruz is tarring Dewhurst with – those Senators voted for as well, right. In essense, they are protecting their own butts because Dan Patrick doesn’t want a close look so that the whispers would start: “he throws a lot of tea parties on his radio show but his favorite exhibit at the Austin Zoo is the RINOs”. This is what I got from that shameful performance on his radio show.

    Maybe I am wrong….

  • rickperryreport

    What I am saying is that there probably aren’t many rich people who are rich enough to “buy” access to David Dewhurst, since he’s already worth over $200 million. And that’s probably why rich homosexuals–the Paypal millionaire– from California are financing Ted Cruz instead. If they can get Cruz in office, they’ll own him. Dewhurst, not so much. So much for the Tea Party.

  • gekster

    Why do you have a problem with that.
    Second time I know of you have harped on that.
    You have a problem with gays?

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    I as a conservative think Thiel should be able to spend his money as he sees fit on the candidate he sees fit and the candidate isn’t tarred by him doing so. You sound like this leftist loser (in fact I think this might be you).

  • rickperryreport

    The original franchise tax was based upon gross receipts, which was very unfair to, and strangled, startups. What if your startup lost $1 million the first year, but you had $3 million in sales? You’d still owe a tax on $3 mil. The Texas Legislature under Dewhurst and Perry have improved and modified the business franchise tax over the past 10 years to make policy that is more agreeable to the state’s revenue lines, and to business. I believe the franchise tax exempts businesses with less than $1.2 million in annual revenue now.

    The first version of the franchise tax was bad. But Dewhurst fixed it for small biz, and tweaked it over the years, and I’m less worried with it today. Although I do hate all taxes.

    You’re splitting a lot of hairs. The state budget has been a monumental problem to solve. Dewhurst and crew have done an outstanding job tackling very difficult budget shortfalls over the past 3 years in particular.

    Cruz has none of this experience in government, and compared to Dewhurst, will be amateur hour in the US Senate.

    Dewhurst walks the talk. Cruz just talks.

  • rickperryreport

    In the agricultural areas of Texas, ranchers depend upon Mexican labor (legal or not) to, well, ranch. For example, the entire sheep and mohair industry from San Antonio to El Paso depends upon Mexican labor to shear sheep and goats; harvest wool and mohair. There are not any US citizens who know how, or want to do it. It is uncomfortable, hard, arduous work. Because in part of immigration paranoia, and border enforcement along the Texas-Mexico border, the sheep and mohair industry is all but dried up in Texas. South Africans and New Zealanders send us their exports.

    There are other reasons too, like the influx of more predators, the feds discontinuing wool and mohair subsidies in 1996 and more. But the labor part is a piece of it and I hope explains the tension between the urban and rural view of the illegal alien problem.

    Perry and Dewhurst and all of the TexLeg have to contend with the agricultural industry in Texas, and like someone said, it’s Texas A&M Economics. It’s been a part of life here for centuries. How to massage it, I don’t know. But I think Dewhurst has done an admirable job balancing the various natural constituencies in Texas, and that makes him ready for the US Senate.

  • gekster

    Tell me where the ‘experienced’ ones have gotten us up to this point.

  • acat

    and Cruz has support from a much broader swath of Texas than Dewhurst. as was pointed out to you before.

    Look, we get that you like Dewhurst … but your tendency to urinate on the carpeting and claim the roof leaks is getting tiresome.

    If you really want to persuade that Dewhurst is better, try talking about what Dewhurst hopes to accomplish in the Senate, and citing points in his record that show where he has achieved related things in Texas.

    Simply tearing down Cruz is not sufficient, nor is it persuasive.

    Mew

  • tnfriendofcoal101368

    Is why they don’t just admit what we all know: Dewhurst is a RINO’s RINO. It really is preferable in attempt to paint Cruz as a neo lefty to claim he is “China sympathizing, pro pot/pro gay marriage, Bilderberger World Domination, amnesty loving, hot headed Cuban”? To me this only comes off making Dewhurst’s supporters and by association Dewhurst look like unhinged, amoral nutjobs. Didn’t Dewhurst win 3 statewide elections, didn’t Kay Be a RINO win 5?

    I am just betting RINO’s do a lot better in Texas statewide elections than unhinged, amoral nutjobs.

  • avagreen

    ….how much?

    ~Texan here

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    I was in for $25 on that post, but I’ve donated anywhere from $5 to $50 several times. A number of those donations has been in response to rickperryreport’s smears of Cruz.

  • avagreen

    …..but, I support Cruz on his record not the opinionated nutz that oppose him. (I know that’s not what you meant).

    BTW, Fred’s getting more attention by posting on this site than he’s ever gotten on his own blog.

  • Melody Warbington (rwm52)

    About the blog, I mean.

    I’ve been a fan of Cruz’s since I heard him at RSG03 last year. I just like timing my donations with rpr’s comments.

  • acat

    is that they’re one-party kind of places.

    There won’t be a Dem Senator from Texas, any more than there’ll be a GOP Mayor of Chicago … so the liberal leaners and conservative leaners in both run under the same party banner … the primary *is* the election… the general election is more of a coronation ceremony.

    Mew

  • rickperryreport

    Regardless of ideology, Obama is incompetent. He doesn’t know how to build coalitions, he is a horrible salesman, he rubs everyone the wrong way.

    America chose Obama thinking that a totally inexperienced outsider would give us some hope and change.

    Cruz doesn’t share the ideology, and he’s probably a pretty good guy, but his resume is as thin as Obama’s. And he rubs everyone the wrong way.

  • gekster

    Where have the ‘experienced’ politicians gotten us.

  • rightlane1111

    n/t

  • rickperryreport

    Do you even read posts, or do you just post propaganda?

    Obama was inexperienced, no?

    What did we get with the “outsider” with no experience?

    Cruz will be eaten alive in the senate.