By Stephen Yellin
At midnight tonight my friend and the next United States Senator from Texas, Barbara Ann Radnofsky will "unleash the ads of war" (to paraphrase Shakespeare) as her campaign starts to advertise online. Barbara is running against Senator Kay Bailey "Birdbrain" Hutchison, a two-term Republican who's played the Texas two-step for some time. The jig will be up in 2006, courtesy of Barbara, who's running her campaign under the slogan "Tough Name, Smart Dame". Her campaign has been generating some real momentum since her announcement in November, and the following articles show her support throughout the Lone Star State:
http://www.radnofsky.com/...
Radnofsky Hailed as "New Face of the Party" (12/6/05)
(This story ran in a number of Texas papers, this one form the Victoria, TX Advocate)
"AUSTIN - Though Republicans hold all statewide elected offices, Democrats can win some of them back in 2006, Democrat Barbara Ann Radnofsky said Monday as she formally launched her candidacy for U.S. Senate.
I'm not a fool and I don't pursue things in a foolhardy manner, Radnofsky said. This can be done. All it takes is real hard work, intelligent analysis and going to talk to people. It is quite doable.
The Houston lawyer and teacher filed paperwork at the Texas Democratic Party headquarters to enter the March 7 primary. Radnofsky hopes to face Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in the November 2006 general election. She said she wants to run an issue-oriented campaign centered on education, health care and veterans affairs.
Texas Democrats are in a rebuilding phase after losing all statewide offices since 1998. As a candidate for Senate, Radnofsky, 49, will be one of the most visible Democrats in the coming months. Party chairman Charles Soechting called her the face of the state Democratic Party.
Hutchison's campaign, meanwhile, said the senator will file her candidacy with Republican officials in the next few days.
Hutchison, first elected to the Senate 12 years ago, had been considering a run for governor against fellow Republican Rick Perry. But Hutchison announced in June that she would seek re-election instead..."
http://www.radnofsky.com/...
Democratic Senate hopeful poised to assail Hutchison (11/21/05)
(In this article, Barbara blasts Hutchison for her photo-op as a former Texas Longhorns cheerleader in a recent parade - her only campaign appearance to date. She also attacked KBH for shortchanging veterans' programs and for not proposing a solution to get our troops out of Iraq. Barbara's been advocating for a timetable since mid-2005)
http://www.radnofsky.com/...
(An interview taken by the Valley News Online. See Barbara for yourself!)
http://www.radnofsky.com/...
(12/11/05 An article from the Lubbock, TX newspapers - and one of the reddest areas of the country!)
http://www.radnofsky.com/...
(12/14/05 From Huntsville, TX, a report on Barbara's stump speech)
After you've read those articles, head over to Barbara's "10 Positions and Proposals" Page, heavily footnoted to prove what she's talking about. While it may seem odd for a Democrat to criticize her Republican opponent for being "liberal", it's actually an attack on Hutchison's fiscal recklessness, and not her social liberalism (which is non-existent). It's at http://www.radnofsky.com/...
I've known Barbara ever since she began her exploration of the Senate race, over 18 months ago. Now she's the (almost) certain Democratic nominee, and is certain to give Kay Bailey Hutchison a good pummeling. Her chances are certainly uphill - no Democrat has been elected to the US Senate from Texas since Lloyd Bentsen in 1970, after all. But if anyone can get the job done, it would be Barbara. While the ads for DailyKos were filled up, you can see her ads at the following sites:
*MyDD
*Political Wire
*Democratic Underground
*AmericaBlog
*Politics1.com
*Dem Bloggers
*Talk Left
*The Smirking Chimp
*The Agonist
*News Hounds
*The Politics of Crime
*Burnt Orange Report
*Booman Tribune
*Pink Dome
Feel free to comment here or at those sites about the ads, and I'll forward your responses to the campaign. Thanks!
