Rick and Kay money appeals...

The Dallas Morning News snagged some of the letters Rick and Kay sent to potential donors (link). A few excerpts follow...

"I am fighting for the very Constitution that our Founding Fathers crafted to limit the reach of the federal government in our lives ... [U]nderstand, this campaign is not about personalities but principles. It is about two models of governing: the Washington model that talks the talk about limited government while delivering record earmarks and increasing bureaucratic control and the Texas model of balanced budgets and fiscal restraint ..."

Democratic consultant Jason Stanford: "The key words here: Sovereignty. Bill of Rights. Constitution. Rick Perry's not running a Republican primary. He's running a war for Texas sovereignty."

"He's taking the ultra-constitutional, fiscal conservatism tract to victory here. There's nothing about cultural issues, nothing about his right-wing record on abortion, on gays, or anything else that usually gets the blood boiling with Republican primary voters. This is all about, 'Look how horrible Washington is.' "

When the colonists rebelled against the British Crown, they fought a distant regime that sought to impose its will on the lives of citizens through onerous regulations and taxes. Sound familiar?

Stanford: "The really key paragraph is comparing his campaign to the American Revolution and subtly depicting Kay Bailey Hutchison as some foreign monarch. Just stunning."

I think this is what I have been saying for months. Rick is not running a social conservative campaign as the kings of Texas political reporting Paul Burka and Wayne Slater... get better soon, Wayne!!!... have been saying.

He is really running on fiscal issues, and making this whole race about Texas versus Her Majesty.

Then there is Kay and her problem...

"Texans shoulder some of the highest property taxes in the country, there's drug violence at our border, and the gut-wrenching videos of 'fight clubs' have made our state schools national news. What's more, Texas has the highest high school dropout rate in the country. We can do better."

Miller: "Regardless of how things are down here, I don't think Texans like being criticized, and I don't think that's an effective tack. Obviously it's in the context of leadership and an incumbent governor, but I still think those attacks on Texas don't resonate well."

Stanford: "Most Texans don't like that college tuition is skyrocketing, that we lead the country in high school dropouts. All the things she lists are great general election messages. And that's the problem with her strategy. Her making Texas better is a great general election message. And it indicates she's trying to pull in these soft Republican voters who don't normally vote in the primaries."

While we all know the trends nationally as they relate to Republican losses, the fact is, right here in Texas we are experiencing the same trends. ... [W]e simply can't afford this type of leadership negatively defining our Party for four more years.

Stanford: "The ultimate threat she's stating here is that if we don't get rid of Rick Perry, then the Democrats are going to do it and they're going to be in charge. So Kay Bailey Hutchison is worried about Democrats taking over. And Rick Perry is worried about soft Republicans taking over. ... He's a flawed candidate in the general, but he is still the best politician Texas has ever seen. She has to put her dignity in trust and get steeped into Republican primary politics here."

I agree with these guys... Texans love this state and do not want to hear it badmouthed. Kay is in a position where she is Washington and she has countered with some really weak come backs.