Latinos could be factor in GOP slugfest?

Doubtful.

Rick and Kay both are reaching out to Hispanic voters (link). Excerpt follows...

AUSTIN, Texas — Republicans U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Gov. Rick Perry are walking a tightrope heading into their primary, where the winner will emerge the front-runner for the governor's race in this decidedly red state.

On one side are Hispanic voters — a growing and influential bloc willing to listen to the GOP titans and one the candidates may need in the general election. On the other is a group that Hutchison and Perry cannot afford to anger: the Republican base of religious, largely white and conservative voters.

I don't think Hispanics will factor hugely into the Republican base vote, but they will be a majority in Texas soon so Texas Republicans need to figure out how to win them over.

Been having problems with comments... sorry....

Comments have been appearing and disappearing... I think something is wrong with blogger... bear with me...

Footage from the Hannity Freedom Concert...

From WBAP...

From YouTube...

Kay and Rick both had pictures on the WBAP website (link)....

Rick looks like he is singing Ring of Fire.

Kay looks like she is singing... well... something...

Hat tip to In The Pink (link).

Letters to the editor run the gamut...

The Houston Chronicle posts a variety of pro Kay and anti Kay letters to the editor (link)...

Fighting sexism

Regarding Monday's front-page article “‘Kay the invincible' stumbles before reaching the starting line; Perry has reversed her early lead in the polls,” it is apparent that if U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, “Kay,” attempts to defeat Gov. Rick Perry, “Perry,” to become the third woman to serve as governor of Texas, she will have to deal with Texas good ol' boy sexism.

— Lucille Gallman, Houston

Write a book

Kay Bailey Hutchison wants Rick Perry to withdraw from the governor's race so that she can take his place. This is reminiscent of Bill Clinton asking the other Democratic candidates to withdraw from seeking the presidential nomination because it was Hillary's turn. Personally, I would rather have Rick Perry as governor for life than to turn the reins of the state of Texas over to a 16-year Washington insider. Sen. Hutchison should remain in D.C. if she can. If she truly feels the need to return to Texas, she should retire from politics and write a book about how she has helped to fight a losing battle against government growth, waste and corruption for the past decade and a half.

— Rick Fontes, Waller

No to quitters

Texans hate quitters. We never quit, all the way back to the Alamo. I guess Kay Bailey Hutchison, from Dallas, has forgotten her Texas roots in her years in Washington. If she's good enough for governor, then she's good enough to finish her term in Washington and then run for governor. She was elected to serve in the Senate. What selfish people we have in office.

— Honi Boudreaux, Houston

A pox on both

In regard to “Race for governor: When is she in?; Hutchison tells Perry to quit now so she can stay in her Senate seat until later” (Page A1, Thursday), I was very happy to read that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is considering giving up her seat in the U.S. Senate to run against Rick Perry in the primary for governor of Texas. Now when true Texas conservatives turn out to vote for Debra Medina in the Republican primary, they can kill two birds with one stone!

— Edgard T. Payne, Houston

Do any of my readers write letters to the editor? If so, do they ever get published? Write me a letter at rickvskay@gmail.com... I may or may not publish it, even if I disagree with it. I do reserve the right to respond when I put it up though...

Rick looking for small online donors...

Rick got a whole article about his online donation plans (link). Excerpt follows...

AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry’s campaign launched a new fundraising strategy Tuesday by urging supporters to participate in an online challenge aimed at raising grassroots donations and expanding Perry’s network of supporters to "new heights."

"We hope to reach as many people as we can," Perry spokesman Mark Miner said in a e-mail. "This has never been done in Texas before, so we don’t [know] exactly what to expect."

Online money is the wave of the future... and it still gets you good press.

Hat tip to GOP12 (link).

Rick settling up his bet with Bobby from Louisiana?

Rick made the bet against Bobby Jindal and lost when LSU beat Texas in the College World Series 2 games to 1. Now he is having to deliver on that bet (link). Excerpt follows...

As governors and mayors often do when their teams meet for a championship, Jindal bet a tray of Louisiana seafood that LSU would prevail in the best-of-three series, with Perry wagering a tray of barbecue on his Longhorns.

But as Jindal was visiting the state recently as part of his "working tour, " he mentioned that the barbecue had yet to be delivered.

Perry spokeswoman Allison Castle said the governor's office in Austin is "still working out details" with Jindal's office, and that the food -- enough for 10 to 15 people -- will be delivered in the next two weeks.

I know it is blasphemy for any true Texan to say this, but I think I would pick the Louisiana seafood above the Texas barbecue. I might feel differently if I lived outside the range of good barbecue.

Wayne Slater hints at rumors to emerge from book...

Slater teases (link)...

This is going to be a big book. It's not a book that Karl Rove will want people to read. And, curiously, neither will Kay Bailey Hutchison.

If you go to the link provided (link), it will take you to a page that sez...

As a young political geek, Matt Latimer dreamed of one day heading to Washington to work for a conservative president and usher in another Reagan Revolution. With the support of his slightly mortified liberal parents, he tried to do just that -- but his youthful exuberance began to cool as he moved up the rungs of power. On Capitol Hill he worked for a Congressman who “misremembered” basic facts, assisted a U.S. Senator who hid from his own staff, and met another who cowed her male aides into carrying her purse. Finally ensconced in the White House as one of George W. Bush’s chief speechwriters, he soon realized that the post wasn’t at all what he’d envisioned. Less like Aaron Sorkin’s “The West Wing” and more like NBC’s “The Office,” D.C.’s most prestigious address turned out to be a bizarro world in which the major players were in some ways mirror opposites of their public images.

I have heard a lot of things about Kay and her staff over the years, but the purse carrying duties are probably her. I think most people already knew that, although I think it is maybe unfair to call it a purse. It is a bag.

This sounds like a trashy book. Maybe a good beach read?

Good to have you back Wayne.