It doesn't look like Rick is going to budge on this debate thing unless Bill White releases his taxes... and the numbers simply can't or won't budge unless Bill White can shake things up.
It looks like Bill White has very little choice but to release the documents and let them see the light of day...
Rick in his own words in these videos (
link)...
Gov. Rick Perry has been dodging plans to debate Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Bill White as of late. On Tuesday afternoon, KTAB's Priscilla Luong asked Perry if he had plans to verbally duke it out with his November opponent. "Sure," Perry quickly responded. "As soon as he releases his income taxes from his days as Deputy Secretary of Energy. I'll be happy to debate."
To this point, White has not released those documents, tax returns for the years he was Houston mayor, and for 2009. Perry said Texans deserve transparency from their leaders.
"If you've been doing some things in your public life that aren't appropriate, we want to know about it," said Perry.
Perry joked that he had a question directed toward White.
"Whatcha hiding, Mr. White?" chuckled Perry. "Come clean!"
Despite the fact Perry has not agreed to a debate, the five largest Texas newspapers and a public television station in Austin announced last week they would hold an October debate.
"I actually get a charge out of it," said Perry. "It's something I actually look forward to!"
"That's my leverage, if he wants to debate me, turn those records out," Perry said. "He doesn't want you to know what he was doing while he was the deputy secretary of treasury, I think everyone in this room needs to know if he was doing some deals that was enriching himself or doing business with less than savory individuals in the world today, I think Texans deserve to know, whether or not he was doing that."
What could Bill White possibly think is so important or damaging that he doesn't want Texas peeps to be able to see the record... Rick makes it sounds like he thinks he might know something the rest of us don't. I mean was Bill White running an underage gay brothel? Funding 9/11 terrorists? Involved with genocidal warlords in Sudan? Kickbacks and corrupt bribe transactions with Tony Rezko, Charlie Rangel, Rod Blagojevich, Enron, and Jack Abramoff? What could be so bad in Bill White's taxes as to throw away a chance to debate... I don't get it. It simply can't be that bad... maybe tax evasion? Who knows...
Also... don't Bill White's peeps see that almost every time they bring this issue up, there is a mention of how Bill White is hiding his taxes... so it's a net loss for them... I am sure their polls say that peeps want Rick to debate and all of that... but they apparently didn't poll how people view Bill White's shadiness and refusal to release his tax records...
They continue hammering on this debate thing, but they keep fragging themselves in the process... and they are talking about internal making sausage campaign stuff instead of real issues...
Meanwhile it looks like Rick is just having a lot of fun out there... blowing the fake smoke away from his smoking gun... his finger... hamming it up and asking "whatcha hiding Mr. White" like it's all a game... he is just toying with Bill White at this point. Rick knows he is in the driver's seat, and there is no reason for him to cave and debate without Bill White capitulating on the tax records issue...
If Bill White wants to shake things up it looks like his ads aren't going to do that... he and his trial lawyer buddy have spent millions attacking Rick... but if he wants to shake things up think about what Debra Medina did... she was nothing, but after she got into the debates, she shot upward. That is Bill White's only chance, and because he apparently has some illegal or unethical things in his past he is essentially denying himself a chance to debate and change the game.
