THE BUSH WATCH

PERRYMANDERING TEXAS: "SOUL BROTHERS" PLAY "GOOD COP, BAND COP" WITH THE VOTERS

THE JOB.While the "Houston Chronicle" and the "Austin Statesman" have just come out in favor of John Sharp for Lieutenant Governor, the polls insist Rick Perry has a slight lead. The job only pays $600 a month and both men would have to take deep cuts of around $7,000 a month presently earned in their state jobs as Comptroller (Sharp) and Agricultural Commissioner (Perry). However, both men would jump at the chance, which most Texans consider to be equal in power to the Governor's. Some political insiders consider it more powerful, since the Lt. Gov. presides over the Senate and directs the traffic of the bills. And then there's the equal plum this time around of an acting governorship when George leaves for the big tent. No wonder the next accounting of the campaign money, due out this week, will probably show both men ahead of Dem gubernatorial candidate Garry Mauro in campaign contributions. That would be over $7 million each.

THE CAMPAIGN.Perry bases his campaign on a three-part message: "safe streets, the best schools in America, and economic opportunity."(DMA, 9/15) At a July meeting of the Sheriff's Association of Texas, he told the officers that he would destroy a basic legal safeguard to give them more power; he said he would allow statements by officers that a suspect confessed to a crime without them needing to furnish written or recorded proof.(AAS, 7/15) As for education, Perry's vision of "the best schools" is more private charter schools outside of state control, more state-paid vouchered students in those schools with no state control over the use of the vouchers, and more privatization of educational functions. (See CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS DOG BUSH-PERRY EDUCATION PLANS... "Campaign '98"...and GOP GOVERNOR-NON-ELECT CANDIDATE RICK PERRY RECEIVED 5%...above.) With respect to his last major theme, "economic opportunity," Perry seems content to mirror Bush, even down to a stock trading problem. Although Perry has worked primarily as a small rancher/career politician, he was called a "businessman" at an anti-drug meeting in Houston last week (HC, 10/3). His most public foray into business was a complaint of insider trading in a political supporter's company filed against him with the Securities and Exchange Commission (HC, 5/21). George Kuempel notes that Sharp has "accused Mr. Perry of amassing a personal fortune through 'insider land deals and sweetheart stock transactions' with lobbyists, campaign donors and special interest groups doing business with the state Agriculture Department." (DMN,9/15) R.G. Ratcliffe reports that Sharp has been particularly concerned about a land invesktment deal in which Perry received an 800% return on his $36,000 investment in only 20 months. Perry has chalked up such deals to "luck and good decisions." Since then, his wife, an economic consultant, has left the law firm that was engaged in lobbying Texas legislators and Perry has said that his holdings were placed in a blind trust. (HC, 10/2+10/3) (To consider the value of blind trusts in Texas politics today, see "The Guv's Trust is Blind But He's Not," 9/7 in "BUSHGATE.")

PERRY'S FLAW.Both Sharp and Perry are in their late 40's and were friends while in the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M. When Sharp became student body president, Perry became an Aggie yell leader. Today, they're both about the same. Sharp has a reputation as a politician who seeks consensus and gets things done. Perry has a reputation as someone who will fight the enemy to the death for his cause. He has been quoted as telling his school voucher friends who contributed hundreds of thousands to his campaign that he'll ""run over any school board or school superintendent that stands in our way." (See above, 10/1). As Agriculture Commissioner he called those who were concerned about poisons in their food "food terrorists." More recently, Perry fought a costal management plan to protect sand dunes and wetlands, fight erosion, and assure beach access for Texans, calling it the work of a few "extremists." (HC, 10/3) In short, Perry uses the confrontational code words of the people who finance his campaigns, wealthy businessmen-landowners and those on the theocratic right. His vision of the world is "us" vs. "them" and his side must beat down the "enemy" at all costs. He defines politics in terms of campaign contributions not consensus, and he wants the power to oversee, as he puts it,"a major rewrite of the (Texas) constitution this session."(SAEN, 10/3) David Carney, his political advisor, is a veteran of attack politics under John Sununu and George Bush, so it's unlikely that Perry will be toned down by anyone in his camp. However, Dave McNeely has reported that Perry does not do well when he's not being a cheerleader, confronting his opponents face-to-face. In a joint appearance in April, "Sharp cut him to shreds, and Perry has studiously avoided give-and-take, debate-type formats as much as possible."(AAS, 10/2) In their rejection of Perry's candidacy, the Texas Farm Bureau called Perry a "dangerously partisan candidate." (AAS, 7/9) This may be why the editors of the "Houston Chronicle" backed Sharp, implying that Perry would "undermine...the freedom and opportunities of every Texan." (HC, 10/3)

BUSH'S COATTAILS.
It's no secret that every Republican running for state-wide office hopes to ride into office on the coattails of "King George." R. G. Ratcliffe tells us that "Perry's campaign literature predicts Bush will get 800,000 more votes than Mauro," (HC, 10/5) and that, along with votes for under-aged Liberterian candidate Anthony Garcia, should be enough for victory, according to some in the Perry camp. Although Bush has squired the GOP state candidates on some of his campaign tours, the Guv tells us they'll have to earn victory on their own. The others try to keep straight faces while this is being said, but Perry might actually believe it. He reminds Politex of a firebrand underling in Shakespeare, fawning under the eyes of the King, but dreaming of what he will do with the kingdom when the King leaves to battle elsewhere. On the one hand, he says things like "I think we will be hearing about character and integrity and all the issues George Bush and Rick Perry have been talking about for a long time." (AAS, 9/11) On the other, he says, "I happen to think there are places in Texas where I can help George Bush...I think each of us gives something to the ticket." (DMN, 9/15) Since both men are from West Texas, Perry's not talking geography. Looking back to Bush's comment to the theocratic majority at the GOP convention this past summer, when Bush called Perry his "soul mate," it was generally assumed that the Guv was annointing him as acting governor if they both were to win in November. Given what we've learned about Perry's close ties to the GOP theocratic voting bloc through his defense of their particular brand of charter schools and school vouchers, and given George's distancing of himself from that group in light of his future run at the presidency, another interpretation is Bush was counting on riding Perry's jihad coattails in November by calling the convention's attention to their "soulful" relationship.

PERRY WINS BATTLE FOR HEARTS AND MINDS OF NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP PRIVATEERS. In campaign contributions it's Perry $80,000, Sharp $14,000, as Bush-elected 3-member commission decides fate of Sierra Blanca dump site today.

PERRY SIDEBAR:Jimmy Monsour, Putting Children First founder, voucher advocate, President of Austin-based National Telecommunications of Florida, and chairman of CEO America (the national group behind James Leininger-funded San Antonio CEO voucher project: see below), has contributed $15,000 to the Perry campaign, and four members of his PCF board have also sent some campaign money Rick's way.

SMALL WORLD DEPARTMENT: On the PCF web site, one member of the board is identified as Larry Martin of Houston-based USA Waste, which, after its buyout of Waste Management, is the largest waste company in the U.S. ("Fortune Online") U.S Waste has a contract with New York City, which sends its sewage sludge to Sierra Blanco, making it "one of the world's largest sewage sludge disposal sites." (AAS, 10/21) 10/22

MYTHIC BEGINNINGS: BUSH WATCHERS DISAGREE ABOUT NATURE OF HIS BIRTH. Barbara is "tempted to say" he came "covered with glory," Garry says, "He popped out with name ID...Poof." About later legends, Terral Smith claims the Guv swacks a mean cane when angry, while Gonzalo Barrientos cautions, "Just because the rooster crowed when the sun came up doesn't mean the rooster made the sun come up." 10/12

BAT IS MIGHTIER THAN THE PEN. DAD'S NEW BOOK IS DICTATED DIARY NOTES. FUTURE HOLDS ONLY LETTERS EDITED BY ANOTHER.With son's office filled with paid wordsmiths and baseball memorabilia, it's unlikely that he will do any better. 10/11

MOTHER CALLS MRS. BUSH'S FREE BOOK RICHARDSON READING PROGRAM "NONSENSE" AND LIKENS IT TO "MARIE ANTOINETTE PASSING OUT HOSTESS TWINKIES TO THE KIDS." In her letter to Governor Bush, Richardson mother asks, "What good does having a book do if you can't read it in the first place?" Says she and Bush share "a history of families with learning disabilities" and asks him, "How many people can pay $60 an hour for a reading tutor? You can afford it. I can afford it. The average Joe can't afford it...Texas needs to teach their teachers how to teach reading...Stopping social promotions will not teach a child how to read, either." ("Texas Key," Issue#1033, Pre-Conference 1998, p.14, LDA of Texas.) 10/9

WHAT JEB LEARNED FROM GEORGE AND WHAT THEY BOTH LEARNED FROM DAD. Four years ago in Florida Jeb Bush placed himself to the far right of his GOP primary opponents, won the primary election, and lost the gubernatorial race because he was too far to the right. This time around he's learned his lesson. As visionary Jeb puts it, "In '94 I was focusing on how...we (can) institutionalize the limitations of government...(now I)...believe the better approach is (to) identify policies that lessen the demand on government." In both Florida and Texas this philosophy has been translated into a phrase both brothers use to describe their agendas: "hopeful and optimistic." Kim Cobb of the "Houston Chronicle" is reminded that father George used "kinder and gentler" to ward off similar criticsm on the national level. Both brothers are implementing this strategy by appealing to traditionally Democratic minority voters, blacks and jews in Jeb's state, Hispanics in George's. Both brothers are concentrating on education programs, including charter schools, to appeal to their minority voters. They both hold commanding leads in the polls. However, one problem for Jeb is his source of money. Nearly $l million has come from Texas, extraordinary in Florida politics. The biggest single contributer is Hushang Ansary of Houston, who happens to manufacture offshore oil and gas rigs. Jeb is on record as being against offshore drilling, as are most of the voters, and some predict that the Texas money will come back to haunt him, if not this year, then in 2000 when Jeb is asked to deliver Florida for brother George. (Kim Cobb, HC, 7/ 12) 7/ 20, Austex

RICHARD RAINWATER HIT FORTUNE'S RADAR BACK IN l981 AS THE MONEY MAN BEHIND GTECH, which is currently running the lucrative State-run Texas lotteries. Later, he became majority owner of the Texas Rangers and hired the Guv as managing partner. During the last governor's race, Bush accused Governor Richards of being in cahoots with Rainwater, having received $ll0,000 from him and having listened to his pitch for legalized casinos in Texas. The Guv neglected to tell the voters that Rainwater also gave him $l00,000 and the same pitch. As recently as l993, 60% of Bush's income, $365,000, came from Rainwater-connected investments. At present, Rainwater, who is a billionaire, operates hotels and casinos in Las Vegas and Missouri as well as slots in Nevada and Louisiana. Word has it that he is looking at locations near Texas borders which would be, as a company brochure has it, in "developing markets." As of this date, Guv Bush continues to attack the Tigua Indian tribe casino in El Paso as violating Texas law. (Information is from a recent Carlos Guerra syndicated column in the San Antonio Express-News.) 6/4/98+7/l9, Austex