Rick's new television ad...

Rick's new television ad is out and it is not all that creative, ground breaking, or interesting... but it is on message and will therefore be effective if I had to guess...



The Texas Tribune offers up the facts for your perusal (link). Excerpt follows...

Here's the script:
“Thanks Governor Perry for cutting taxes for 40,000 small businesses. Every bit helps.”
TEXT: Perry signs tax break bill for small businesses, Amarillo Globe-News, 6/17/09
“The nation’s top five housing markets are in Texas. Thanks Governor Perry.”
TEXT: The Healthiest Housing Markets for 2009, Builder Magazine, February 2009
“Thanks Governor, for standing up to Washington and fighting for Texas. For protecting Main Street, not Wall Street.”
TEXT: Governor Perry calls for U.S. Governors to defend States’ Rights, Uncommon Sense, 12/26/09
“To keep taxes low, Governor Rick Perry supports a 2/3 vote of the legislature before taxes can be raised.”
TEXT: Only Governor since World War II to cut general revenue spending twice.
“No Texas Governor has cut more taxes, or vetoed more wasteful spending.”
TEXT: Perry has vetoed over $3 billion in spending, LRL – 2000-2009
“Governor Rick Perry.”
A quick analysis by the Hutchison campaign found the ad lacking on the truth front. “Rick Perry’s latest distorted ad would be more convincing if he didn’t have a nine-year record of increasing spending by 86 percent, expanding state government employees by 30,000 and using the Obama stimulus to pay for it,” said Hutchison spokesman Joe Pounder.
Among their complaints: Perry "claims he cut small business taxes but fails to mention he raised them," was "'bailed out' by Obama stimulus dollars," and "the tax burden has increased under Rick Perry more than any other governor in the past 30 years."
For those of you also in a fact-checking mood, the Perry campaign has provided their sourcing:
“Thanks Governor Perry for cutting taxes for 40,000 small businesses. Every bit helps.”
SOURCE: HB 4765 (81st Session) raising the exemption from $300,000 in total revenues to $1 million: http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/81R/billtext/pdf/HB04765F.pdf
40,000 small businesses: http://www.window.state.tx.us/comptrol/fnotes/fn0908/relief.html
TEXT: Perry signs tax break bill for small businesses, Amarillo Globe-News, 6/17/09

“The nation’s top five housing markets are in Texas. Thanks Governor Perry.”
TEXT: The Healthiest Housing Markets for 2009, Builder Magazine, February 2009
SOURCE: “The Healthiest Housing Markets for 2009,” Builder Magazine, February 2009 http://www.builderonline.com/local-markets/the-healthiest-housing-markets-for-2009.aspx
1. Houston, Texas
2. Austin, Texas
3. Fort Worth, Texas
4. San Antonio, Texas
5. Dallas, Texas
“Thanks Governor, for standing up to Washington and fighting for Texas. For protecting Main Street, not Wall Street.”
TEXT: “Governor Perry calls for U.S. Governors to defend States’ Rights,” Uncommon Sense, 12/26/09
SOURCE: “Governor Perry calls for U.S. Governors to defend States’ Rights,” Uncommon Sense, 12/26/09; http://davegj13.wordpress.com/2009/12/26/gov-perry-calls-for-u-s-governors-to-defend-states-rights/

“To keep taxes low, Governor Rick Perry supports a 2/3 vote of the legislature before taxes can be raised.”
SOURCE: “Gov. Perry Calls for Constitutional Amendments to Protect Texas Taxpayers,” 1/6/10, http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/14115/
TEXT: “Only Governor since World War II to cut general revenue spending twice.”
SOURCE: 2009: LBB report on conference committee report from May 2009 for SB1 (the budget); table on page 7 (page 12 of the pdf) shows $1.6 billion reduction in general revenue spending for the 2010-11 biennium, http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Bill_81/5_Conference/Bill-81-5_Conference_Summary_0509.pdf
2003: Fiscal Size-up from March 2008; Figure 15 on page 8 (page 35 of the PDF) shows $962 million reduction in general revenue spending for the 2004-05 biennium, http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Fiscal_Size-up/Fiscal%20Size-up%202008-09.pdf

“No Texas Governor has cut more taxes, or vetoed more wasteful spending.”
SOURCES (taxes):
Signed HB 735 in the 80th session, discontinuing the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund, saving taxpayers $600 million. SOURCE: Fiscal Note for HB 735, http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/80R/fiscalnotes/pdf/HB00735F.pdf
Signed HB 1 in the 79th (3) special session, which gave Texans $16.4 billion dollars in property tax relief. SOURCE: Figure 3 of LBB Fiscal Size-up, 2008-09 Biennium, page 2 (page 29 of PDF) http://www.lbb.state.tx.us/Fiscal_Size-up/Fiscal%20Size-up%202008-09.pdf
TEXT: “Perry has vetoed over $3 billion spending,” LRL – 2000-2009
SOURCES (vetoes):
2001 Veto Proclamation of SB 1, vetoes totaled $555.9 million
http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/vetoes/77/sb1.pdf
2003 Veto Proclamation of HB 1, vetoed $81.2 million
http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/vetoes/78/HB1.pdf
2003 Veto Proclamations for HB 2425 and HB 3175, Fiscal Note for HB 2425, vetoed $200 million
http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/vetoes/78/hb2425.pdf
http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/vetoes/78/HB3175.pdf
http://governor.state.tx.us/news/press-release/4871/
2005 Veto Proclamation of SB 1, vetoed $1.7 billion
http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/vetoes/79/SB1.pdf
2007 Veto Proclamation of HB 1 and HB 15, vetoed $646.5 million
http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/vetoes/80/HB1.pdf
2009 Veto Proclamation of SB 1, vetoed $288.9 million
http://www.lrl.state.tx.us/scanned/vetoes/81/SB1.pdf
Total: $3.47 billion

The thing about Rick that I find when I travel outside of Texas... people know that Texas is in good shape every where you go... they know Rick can be brash when it comes to things like states rights... but they know that Rick has steered Texas toward a relatively good economy, much lower unemployment, much better state governmental finances... why change what is working?

I think if Rick can stay positive and just keep talking about those things he wins easily... Kay will be negative, and there will be a time to go negative against her, but I think people in their gut understand that Texas has a better economy than the rest of the country and at least part of the credit goes to those who are in charge and have not led the state toward bankruptcy like many other states... it is up to Rick's peeps to pound home that message and make sure that people who might not even know that Texas is doing better learn that it is...

Kay's peeps have to tear down Texas without "hating on" Texas... a tough chore especially since most of them are out of state campaign staff who might not understand the love that native Texans have for our state...