Kay attacks Rick for poor legislative session...

Democrats famously or infamously chubbed their way through the end of the legislative session, killing a lot of bills along the way.

Depending on how you look at it, that was a great thing or a terrible thing. A lot of liberal bills got killed in the process, all to kill voter ID. A lot of conservative bills also got killed. Voter ID was just one of them.

Now Kay is  attacking Rick for a lack of leadership (link). Her statement follows...

"I wanted to extend my appreciation to all members of the Texas State House and Senate, including the leadership of both chambers, for their hard work during the biennial legislative session. 

"The House and Senate debated important issues such as election reform, private property rights and Governor Perry's tax on small businesses. Also debated was the much needed reform of the Texas Department of Transportation, which oversees the maintenance and construction of our roads and highways and has found itself facing scrutiny from elected officials at all levels and controversy throughout our state. They made progress on some of these issues, but most got band aids instead of reform due for the most part to a lack of leadership from the Governor. 

"Our state leads the country in some undesirable categories: high school dropout rates, homeowner insurance rates, utility rates, access to healthcare and property taxes. Yet these issues weren't addressed. 

"Addressing the issues facing Texas should be a partnership between the executive and legislative branch. As part of the process, the Governor has to prioritize an agenda that helps move Texas forward. 

"Effective leadership requires engagement and involvement. It may not be easy to bring the people of a large and diverse state together, but it is essential if we are going to solve our states' problems and prepare for the future population growth. 

"My campaign for Governor will focus on the issues that will make Texas a leader in 2010 and beyond."

From the looks of it, Kay is going to run against Rick on transportation. That is her big issue, so it seems, other than the broad category of leadership. I think she will run into a difficult time if the crux of her campaign is a negative tone that attacks Texas for ranking poorly in categories like dropout rates and "access to healthcare."

That line sounds like a Democrat campaign to me. It sounds like Al Gore's campaign in 2000, in fact. Rick will serve his campaign well by continuing to be the rah rah Texas candidate, while putting Kay in a position of running down a state people have a lot of pride in. As a multi generation Texan, I think Kay is treading in dangerous waters with that entire line of campaigning. Maybe newcomers to Texas don't feel the same way, but most people with Texas roots get mighty defensive about their native country... er, state.