I just asked a good friend of mine from Tx. what she thought of Ricky.

[napi21]

She's a very successful real estate agent and was born and raised in Tx, and I think a lot of her opinions. Here's what she wrote back:

VERY, VERY LITTLE! He's an opportunist, has actually done little for the state (unless you consider his horrible education policies a good thing), thinks he can be another Bush (of whom I also think VERY little), and purports to be an intelligent businessman - which he is not.

She sold me my house when we first moved to Tx. in 1994 and also sold that house for us when we relocated to Ga. I still hope the majority ofAmericans will see him just as she does...another "W" and they remember those days far to vividly!

[Cleita]

1. I lived in Texas for a couple of years when Ann Richards

was governor. I never met a Texan who didn't like her whether conservative or liberal. I was shocked when Bush beat her and that Texans would vote in another Bush clone into office that Perry fellow. I think their elections have been corrupted for a very long time.

[tritsofme]

2. Exactly!

What other explanation could there be for people thinking and voting differently than me?

[onestepforward]

4. Perry was Lieutenant Governor

and became Governor when Bush resigned to become President. Unfortunately, (R) Texans vote repub. regardless of who's running and that's what kept him in office. Practically all the repubs. I know don't even like Perry, but they will not vote for a Democrat.

I couldn't believe that Bush beat Richards either. Bush ran a dirty campaign and it worked.

[Curmudgeoness]

7. Texans voted Richards into office too. So they don't always vote Rep.

Just most of the time.

[onestepforward]

12. True, but she was our last big win.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/post/can-democrats-win-in-texas-in-2012/2011/04/18/AF1ROh5D_blog.html

-snip-
The last time Democrats in Texas won a major statewide race — president, Senate or governor — was back in 1990 when Ann Richards was elected governor.

Since that time, the party has struggled mightily to even be competitive. The best showing for a Democratic presidential candidate in Texas since 1990 was 43.8 percent for Bill Clinton in 1996.
-snip-

The story at the gubernatorial and Senate level is no better for Democrats. Richards took 45.9 percent when she lost her bid for a second term to George W. Bush in 1994. And no Democrat for Senate has won more than 43. 9 percent of the vote in the last twenty years.
-snip-

I strongly believe that the key for Democrats in Texas is to get our Latino brothers and sisters out in force to vote. If we can do that, Texas will turn blue. :)

[Cleita]

15. Get a candidate who can walk between both worlds,

someone like Loretta Sanchez in California. She is able to appeal to the Hispanic vote as well as the non-Hispanic.

[Curmudgeoness]

16. I don't know where the Hispanic population falls in Texas.

When I was there (and I understand it has been a while, Ann was still governor), most of the Hispanics that I knew were conservative. I had been dirt poor when I went to Texas, and first lived in a barrio, so I had lots of friends (and still keep in touch with many) who were Hispanic. They would be a hard sell for the Dems if they don't get the message right, and the Reps have all the right messages for them---religion, abortion, low taxes. And since many of the people I knew were making it on their own without help from the government, they are not so keen on a lot of social programs. I realize they were not making it very well, but they were surviving and they were raising their families.

Do you know where they stand now regarding politics?

[onestepforward]

19. It is looking better regarding politics.

from the article I posted:

-snip-
That’s good news for Democrats as Hispanics — even in Texas where they were far more of a swing group than in other states thanks to Bush’s outreach to them — are moving more and more to the Democratic side in recent elections.

In 2010, Bill White carried Hispanics 61 percent to 38 percent over Perry. And in 2008, President Obama won the group by an even wider 63 percent to 35 percent margin.
-snip-

Our Latino population is growing by leaps and bounds. The problem is getting these folks out to vote. Perry, with his super majority congress, has enacted many anti-immigrant bills, such as photo IDs for voting. I hope that people are paying attention.

Democrats need to do something big, like pass the Dream Act. I think that would really help to show Latinos that Democrats are sticking up for them. I think that would help tremendously, not just Texas, but nationwide. Their votes are so important, but I don't think they feel that way.

Personally, the Latinos that I'm around are split about 50/50. I'm working on changing that :)

[Ishoutandscream2]

3. She's right

Remember, there are Texans here at DU as well. We actually don't bite!

[Booster]

5. All my Texas friends can't stand him.

[calimary]

13. Unfortunately, my friend who lives in Texas now thinks he's the greatest thing since God.

Will NOT listen when we try to bring things up about him, and when she mentioned him a few days back, and my husband responded - "what's he gonna run on, the SECESSION party?" - she sighed heavily and got this weary, semi-disgusted look on her face - "he was JOKING." SORRY, friend, HE SAID IT. HE THREATENED IT. WHETHER HE WAS JOKING OR NOT IS IRRELEVANT. And frankly, I don't think that's something to joke about, considering how many hundreds of thousands of Americans died during the Civil War, trying to keep the Union together. I don't give a shit WHAT Texas supposedly has in its Constitution that would allow it to secede from the Union. I don't give a rat's ass. Don't CARE. He said it. It's on tape. I hope it haunts him til his dying day. But she thinks he's fabulous and that he ought to be the next President. She even said FDR was our worst president ever. I thought I'd pass out.

[Booster]

18. Do yourself a favor and don't talk politics with her. It's not worth it.

[Warpy]

6. Juanita Jean should be required reading.

"No, truly, he’s bean dip dumb. Can’t be let out of the house by himself dumb.

"It appears that Rick Perry started off slow and then quit peddling."

http://www.juanitajean.com/

[Cleita]

8. Bean dip dumb?

I love it.

:rofl:

[Warpy]

10. "Dollar Store version of George W. Bush"

Hers is the one blog I check daily.

[hobbit709]

14. i like this line

Intelligence has the same effect on Rick Perry as daylight does on Dracula.

[Curmudgeoness]

9. I have just found out about Juanita Jean, and I love her.

This from her website:

"I’m gonna tell you one thing – Rick Perry is so dumb that he can’t swallow his own spit, but he’s off and runnin’ for President because Dubya proved that all the American people want is for their President to be sure. He can be wrong and he can be dumb, but if he’s bullheaded sure about something, that’s all they want."

So.....we do have to be careful. We now know that it is possible for the impossible to happen, since Bush got elected (?)---twice.

[blkmusclmachine]

11. My Mom lives in rural Texas:

Lifelong Republican. But the R Party has gotten too extreme even for her. As for Scary Perry, she won't vote for the dude. She doesn't like Holy Rollers.

[napi21]

17. I lived in north San Antonio, in Stone Mountain. the greates people

I met were from rural Tx. I took my darling little dog to several vets before I foundone in New Braunfels.. Older guym but terrific with pets & people. Most of the people I worked with were Pubs, and I rarely talked politics with them. They get downright MEAN! They're not friendly either. I relocated there by the co. we all worked for, and along with several other people. The Tx. bunch used to have picnics on the weekends and parties in the winter months, and NEVER were any of us OUTSIDERS invited! It didn't really bother me much because other than trying to just ake friends with my co-workers, I didn't really want to go, but it showed me chat a clan they were.

Our corp. lawye ran for local Judge back in 1998 I think, and he was a real whack job! Real RW nut! He celebrated everyine someone killed an abortioist doc and said they deserved to die! i sure didn't vote for him, and not that I mattered, but he lost the election, thank God.

[BackToThe60s]

20. Ricky?

"Lucy, who got some 'SPLAININ' to do!"