I never thought I'd see the day that the Dallas Morning News would come down hard on a GOP candidate for anything.
Then again, how could the DMN NOT come down hard on Greg Abbottand his continued lapses in judgment.
The first two paragraphs of the DMN editorial were spot on:
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott seems to have a lock on the GOP primary for governor. Even in the lead-up to November’s general election, his campaign could cruise to victory with minimal effort, since the steep uphill task of convincing skeptical Texas voters belongs to the likely Democratic nominee, state Sen. Wendy Davis.
Why, then, would Abbott take the reckless step of inviting an ultradivisive American personality, hard-rock star Ted Nugent, to campaign with him this week in North Texas?
Why indeed, especially given Nugent's past? I can go on and on about the moral failure that is Nugent, but this sure raises questions about Abbott's judgment.
More below
The first two paragraphs of the DMN editorial gave me remembrances of Pete Wilson, who as a California Republican governor fought hard for Prop. 187 in an effort to severely limit immigration into that state. The law was eventually declared unconstitutional, and the California GOP went into a tailspin soon thereafter.
Palling around with characters like Nugent, even the DMN says, raises grave questions about Abbott's judgment. Here's more from the editorial:
Once again, Abbott is giving Texas voters reason to doubt him. Some might shrug off the Nugent debacle as bad advice by his campaign staff, but Abbott is the man in charge.
He badly miscalculated that Nugent’s appearance would help focus this election on distinctions between him and Davis on gun rights, as if Texas voters care about nothing else. Conservatives and liberals alike put lots of stock in civility and respect for the dignity of girls and women. Nugent makes a mockery of those core values.
What Abbott did strengthens the case for Wendy Davis' election as Texas governor. If you want to contribute, here's her web site:
http://www.wendydavistexas.com/