For those of you who follow this blog you know that I endorsed Rick Perry back in September. So why would I now vote for Medina?
Enough people have asked me this question that I have decided to answer it here.
The strategic reason to back Medina.
In the political world there are two types of people: pragmatists and idealists.
Idealists are true believers.
Idealists have a political philosophy and their first loyalty is to that philosophy. They don’t compromise often and you can find them on the far ends of the isle. Public opinion does not sway them. Writing them does little good for their minds are made up.
Pragmatists want to get things done.
Pragmatists are drawn to power like a fat man to a Chinese buffet. They generally pick whatever party has the majority. If the party in power switches look for them to change parties as well.
You can get a pragmatist to make good policy but you generally have to pressure him first. He has to know enacting good policy will increase his power.
Right now Kay Bailey Hutchinson is one of the last of the Pro-Roe v Wade Republicans. Her existence makes pragmatic republicans feel safe waffling on abortion just like Kay does. The dance is always the same: Talk pro-life in the primary… avoid the issue after that.
If Medina gets more votes than Hutchinson it marks the end of Pro-Roe republicans in Texas. Kay Bailey Hutchinson is one of the best known Texas politicians ever. Medina is a no name from a small Texas town no one has heard of. A big reason Kay is falling behind is because she is Pro-Roe.
This has happened before.
When William Wilberforce’s bill to abolish the slave trade finally passed, it was by a 283 to 16 landslide. Why after 20 years of failure would the bill pass by so much? Wilberforce, the idealists finally got enough weight on his side. The pragmatist politicians realized they would get more power by voting for abolition. They all flopped over to his side all at once.
What will happen if Medina makes the run off? The pragmatists will see they can get more power when they are pro-life. They will flop over to the life side of the teeter totter. This may give us the weight we need to see real change.
We are talking state and nation wide implications here.
What I like about Medina.
I like how:
- Medina is a true believer in life, liberty & property.
- Medina has breathed new life into the Republican Party.
- Medina answered the questions in the debates.
- Medina is well studied. People criticize her lack of experience but never her lack of knowledge. She knows her stuff.
- Medina is an idealist.
I still like Perry.
While the cronyism and forcing STD vaccinations on 12 year old girls makes me squeamish, I generally like Rick Perry.
Every year however cold or empty he always speaks at the Texas Rally for Life. Perry is a true believer in life, regardless of his other shortcomings. Rick is also a family friend and a great guy. I fully intend to vote for him in November, assuming he wins the primary which I expect he will.
What do you think?
- Who do you plan to vote for?
- Why?
- Do you think a Medina/Perry run off will tip the balance of power pro-life?
I will vote for Medina because I have become a single issue voter. My issue is honesty. If all three candidates were standing in front of me at the poll, I would vote for the one who has never lied to me. Only one candidate meets that criteria; Debra Medina.
Excellent insights. What we're seeing from the GOP right now is an attempt to take over the Tea Party. It's happening all over the country. We just thwarted an attempt here in SC – the GOP backed off when the Tea Party planned to protest their meeting. 🙂
hmm, so the 9/11 truther answer or lack of answer isnt an issue for you? I liked her fine before that, although I think Perry is doing a good job and there is no need to fix something if its not broken, but Medina seems like she says the right things, but the people around her are not the ones I want influencing someone in the govt. seat.
While I can't completely agree with this article (mostly because I am wondering if it might be based partly on a misunderstanding about where Medina stands on some other important issues), I still found this article to be very informative, interesting, and well written. I also think it was a rather risky move, but I appreciate the fact that in donating your vote to Medina in the primary, you ended up redistributing some of Hutchison's power, giving it to Medina and the pro-life movement.
I might not agree with ALL of Medina's philosophies as I understand it (though I do agree substantially on the whole of a lot of them), however, I still wish Medina would run for another office as long as it doesn't involve trying to take Perry's place (ie. she would make a nice replacement for dog-gone-it Loyd Doggit's spot come November).
P.S. "So long as tax payers are being forced to fund abortions, separation of church and state does not exist because in doing this, the government is violating the rights of the people to practice what they believe if and when they are against the practice of abortion (this being an intrusion and violation of conscience). Our government must not use OUR MONEY to violate OUR MORALS!" -Sincerely, An American Pro-life Taxpayer [PLEASE PASS IT ON]
P.P.S. I do however agree that by redistributing Hutchison's power to pro-lifers such as Medina, the pragmatists will be forced to see they can get more power when they are pro-life, as you put it, "thus giving us the weight we need to see real change." What has concerned me is that possibility of distracting the vote away from Perry. Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of things I like about Medina (ie. she is pro-life), I'm just less thrilled about some (other) gray areas.
I am also pleased to conclude that considering Hutchison is, as you clearly pointed out, "one of the best known Texas politicians ever," Medina performed pretty well.
Once again, Thank You for this article, it has given me a lot to ponder.
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