Kay's clever but dishonest bailout attack on Rick returns...

Kay's peeps got tired of Rick ripping her for voting for the bailout so they tried to turn it around on him... this has been going on behind the scenes for months with videos of cats playing the keyboard and things of that nature... but it looks like the campaigns will actually start airing television ads about this issue. Everything I wrote months ago still holds on this issue (link). Kay is simply put not telling the truth because she knows this is such a damaging issue to her...

Excerpt follows from my blog of months ago...

Michael Quinn Sullivan sez that Kay's vote gave away three times the entire Texas 2 year budget with her bailout vote (link). Excerpt follows...

Let us not forget that this monstrosity was encouraged by then-President George W. Bush and received 75 votes in the Senate – including from Texas’ own Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn. Hutchison is a candidate for governor.

(If the gubernatorial campaign issue that motivates you is the giving of taxpayer funds to fat-cat corporations and private entities, keep in mind that with one vote Sen. Hutchison gave away more than three-times the size of the entire Texas biennial budget.)

Kay's team tried to blur the issue so they made some mousepads that they gave out to the press corps... on the mousepads, it's got information about Rick and what they believe to be support for the "bad" bailout Kay voted for. TARP to Kay's team stands for Total Amnesia Rick Perry. Kay's team is trying to spin one of their worst negatives and blur the issue, like they have attempted to blur a lot of issues.

On this, Kay voted for the actual bailout. Remember those cat videos Rick's peeps put out?

Kay voted for TARP and auto bailouts. Rick opposed them.

Rick said in a statement before the bailout that he was against it, as reported by Jason Embry last year (link). Excerpt follows...

Shortly before the Senate voted on the bailout package, Perry issued a statement that appeared to condemn it.

"In a free market economy, government should not be in the business of using taxpayer dollars to bail out corporate America," Perry said.

The whole pre bailout statement can be found here... (link)...

Before the bailout, Rick was clearly on record against the bailout. Kay was busy flipping and flopping on it... saying she wasn't going to do it, then saying she was... she was just a mess...

Kay's peeps are flogging this letter from Rick and his counterpart at the DGA as their proof, which is really a desperate hail mary pass (link). Full text of the letter follows...

As leaders of our respective organizations, we don't always see eye to eye on policy, but we come together today with one clear purpose. We strongly urge Congress to leave partisanship at the door and pass an economic recovery package. We both believe that it’s time to stand together for our country.

There is a time for partisanship and there is a time for getting things done. No one likes the hand they've been dealt, and now is not the time to assign blame. It is time for Washington, D.C. to step up, be responsible and do what's in the best interest of American taxpayers and our economy.

This economic crisis is not just impacting Wall Street; it is also making life harder for everyday Americans. Americans across the country and in every demographic are feeling the pinch. If Congress does not act soon, the situation will grow appreciably worse. It's time for leadership. Congress needs to act now.

Endorsing action is one thing, as everyone believed we had to do something.... but Rick's letter certainly does not endorse bailouts and... again... Rick was very clearly on the record against bailouts. Economic recovery packages passed before the one in October typically involved tax cuts, not bailouts.

Both Rick who was at the time the chairman of the Republican Governors Association and the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association clarified that the letter was not pro bailout (link). Excerpt follows...

But Brian Namey, a spokesman for the Democratic Governors Association, said the letter was "not an endorsement of any particular plan."

Perry spokeswoman Allison Castle said Perry's statement and the letter were intended to urge Congress to agree on a solution, not to endorse one.

I think that's got to be Kay's strategy at this point... it's not even about moving to the right of Rick, it's about trying to confuse people with these distractions. Journalists in Texas seem very very lazy to not sort through these issues and call her out...

Now it looks like reporters being fed the same line from Kay's peeps (link). Excerpt follows...

Nothing has worked better for the Rick Perry campaign than his charge that rival Kay Bailey Hutchison supported the initial $700 billion financial bailout. She did (although she has subsequently told us she wishes she hadn't). We've had a peek at Perry's internal polling and it shows the issue is a bonanza for Perry among likely Republican primary voters. The Hutchison folks are clearly nervous about it. And on the eve of tonight's big televised debate, Team Hutchison has been active reminding the media about Perry's role urging Congress to "act now" on the day of the Senate vote last year.

Remember though that Kay's spokesman right after the bailout... Matt Mackowiak... bashed Rick for opposing the bill Kay voted for (link). Excerpt follows...

Shortly before the Senate voted on the bailout package, Perry issued a statement that appeared to condemn it.

"In a free market economy, government should not be in the business of using taxpayer dollars to bail out corporate America," Perry said. "Congress needs to take off its partisan gloves and work together to bring both short and long-term stability to the credit markets."

His statement drew a sharp rebuke from Hutchison spokesman Matt Mackowiak.

"Texans can only conclude that Governor Perry opposes the sales tax deduction, protecting them from the alternative minimum tax, extending tax credits for refinery expansion and providing over $600 million in tax credits to help rebuild Texas communities damaged by Hurricane Ike, all of which are contained in this bill," Mackowiak said.

So to recap Rick's position on the bailout...

• 1) Rick wrote a joint letter to Congress before the bailout urging action but not specifying what kind of action...
• 2) he also put out a lone statement before the bailout saying government should not use tax payer money to bail out corporations...
• 3) Rick also criticized the bailout right after it happened... including a joint op ed with Mark Sanford...

To recap Kay's position on the bailout...

• 1) Kay said she could not give a blank check for 700 billion dollars to anyone, even Ronald Reagan...
• 2) a day later Kay voted for the 700 billion dollar bailout...
• 3) Kay's spokesman bashed Rick for criticizing Kay's vote...

Kay once said she regretted her vote late last year but her tack of saying Rick was somehow responsible for the bailout and that he really told her to do it is just dishonest...