Conventional wisdom says that it is only about money. And in the end, that form of conventional wisdom may well put Gov. Rick Perry on the Republican ticket in November. And if that happens, conventional wisdom will be reinforced and in the next election cycle, candidates will turn to the conventional soothsayers and drop a ton of money on them in an effort to win again. But if they don’t learn from Mrs. Medina’s campaign, there is a high likelihood that they will be wasting money much as Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has.
You see, Mrs. Medina is using two things that money can’t buy: first, a platform with integrity and second, boots on the ground.
A platform with integrity? You’ve got to be kidding, right? No, I’m not. Her platform, warts and all, is out there for anyone to see, regardless of the lies and distortions that have been put forth by the likes of Perry supporter Sen. Dan Patrick. You many not like the idea that she says she will nullify laws – but the truth is that she means it. You may think that she really does not want to do away with property taxes – but she does. You may not think that she wants to do away with gun laws and allow you to protect yourself, as the Constitution of the U.S. allows – but she means it.
And a lot of people are beginning to understand her sincerity. When she talks about being pro-life, she isn’t just putting forth a campaign theme – she actually means it, as demonstrated by her commitment to eliminating the exceptions for rape or incest. That is the only consistent position a pro-life person can have – yet few do. Oh, sure, they talk about the “sanctity” of life but if they decide that exceptions can be made, what they are really saying is that they are pro-choice, just a bit closer to pro-life than Planned Parenthood executives.
If intellectual moderates would give her half a chance, and listen to what she says, they wouldn’t be making jokes about her, they’d be supporting her.
As to boots on the ground, most pros and insiders compare her to Ron Paul’s presidential campaign. A fool’s comparison because this is one single state and, as big as Texas is, it is still possible to put boots on the ground in the majority of the state for…free. That’s right, free. If there is one thing I’ve learned over the last three or four years, it is that, if people believe in something, they will commit their time, money, and talent to it. This is what I see happening with Mrs. Medina’s campaign. While Rick v. World laughs, her volunteers make inroads.
Two from the Houston area come to mind, although from what I’ve read and heard, there are a thousand more like them around the state. Well, okay, so no one is quite like Claver Kamau-Imani, founder of RagingElephants.org but you get my drift. Here is Claver speaking to a small group of conservative Republicans on the East side of Harris County (you know, that foreign land where the Harris County Republican Party was supposed to open an office 52 days 16 hours 34 minutes 57 seconds ago?), telling them why they should vote for Debra Medina:
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Check out the way Claver lays out the platform. He doesn’t attack anyone, he just tells people that there is a better way. And he works tirelessly for the Medina campaign.
And then there is Lori Macomber, a tireless volunteer, working day and night because she believes in the integrity of Debra Medina. No matter what meeting I attend or rally I drive by, Lori is there.
The message for Medina supporters: don’t give up. The message for you pros that don’t get it – get out from behind your computers and learn something about people.