Houston FireFighters Endorse Gov. Perry In GOP Primary February 19, 2010

The Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association has endorsed Republican incumbent Rick Perry in the race for Governor of Texas.

I called Jeff Caynon, president of the group, after receiving the endorsement notice from the Perry campaign.

Caynon explained that his group has a friendly incumbent rule. “The governor has been supportive and signed legislation that is backed by our firefighters, so we try to stick with friendly incumbents,” said Caynon.

The endorsment is not only for the republican party primary, it also extends to the general election in November.

“It’s nothing against former Houston Mayor Bill White. We endorsed Governor Perry before Bill White got into the race,” said Caynon. “If Perry doesn’t get into the general election then we will have to pick a new candidate to endorse.” 

Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association Local #341 

Endorses Gov. Perry for Re-election

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today received the endorsement of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association Local #341 for re-election in 2010.

“Fire fighters across the state have a friend in Gov. Rick Perry,” said Jeff Caynon, president of the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association Local 341.  “He has helped provide us the tools we need to make Texas safe.  When Texans need help, they turn to us.  When we need help, we always know we can turn to Gov. Perry.  Local #341 is proud to endorse Gov. Perry for re-election.”

The Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association Local #341 represents nearly 4,000 of Houston’s bravest men and women. The Houston Fire Department is the 3rd largest fire department in the nation.

“I am honored to have the endorsement of Houston’s firefighters and emergency responders,” said Gov. Perry.  “These brave public servants put their lives on the line daily to keep Texans safe.  Their dedication and courage exemplify the best of what Texas has to offer.”

Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association Local #341 joins the following individuals and organizations in their endorsement of Gov. Perry:

Bill White vs. Rick Perry – A New Poll February 12, 2010

Texans haven’t voted in the March 2nd primary, but a  new polls shows that Democrat and former Houston Mayor Bill White has a good chance of  defeating Republican incumbent Governor Rick Perry in the general election matchup.

Supporters say the poll is good news for White. After this week’s debate with rival Farouk Shami, voters are getting to know him, and like what they see.

White’s campaign only recently started running statewide ads that focus on his positive message of  boosting education achievement in Texas.

Meanwhile,  Perry’s record in  office is facing tougher public scrutiny as a result of  the negative primary campaign against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and Debra Medina.

There’s still a chance that Perry will avoid a runoff, but he will emerge from the primary a bruised candidate.  

Voters shouldn’t discount Perry as a result of this or any other poll: he’s never lost an election and he remains popular with conservatives. 

Still, Mayor White is clearly going to be the candidate  to watch closely in the general election!

News Release Follows 

Today, Research 2000 released their poll on the Texas Governor’s race. The poll shows Bill White trailing Rick Perry by only four points, and actually leading Perry among independents. You can read about the poll at the following links:http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/9982/research-2000-poll-white-only-trails-perry-by-4-points-leads-perry-among-independents

– Burnt Orange Report:

– Actual poll:http://www.dailykos.com/statepoll/2010/2/10/TX/444

Below are some highlights of the poll, as well as some notes about Bill White’s campaign success that have led to the strong showing in the polls.http://www.dailykos.com/statepoll/2010/2/10/TX/444>http://www.billwhitefortexas.com/multimedia/ads/>– Feb 10, and has a 4% MOE. A total of 600 likely voters who vote regularly in state elections were interviewed statewide by telephone. From their poll:– showing that even those on the right recognize the validity of their poll numbers. In May 2008, Nate Silver with the national polling website www.fivethirtyeight.com rated them as one of the top polling groups in the country – ahead of other groups that have polled recently in Texas, including Public Policy Polling, Zogby, Gallup, and just behind Rasmussen.

*Question: If the election for Governor were held today, for whom would you vote for if the choices were between Bill White, the Democrat, and Rick Perry, the Republican?*

– All voters: White 42, Perry 46

– Independents: White 45, Perry 42

*Key Points About the Poll*

1. Among independents, White leads both Perry and Medina and is tied with KBH

2. As in the Texas Tribune poll, both Perry and Hutchison are under 50% after spending big money on television for weeks — a terrible sign for 20-year statewide career politicians in an anti-incumbent year

3. White has still only been on TV for 10 days, in lighter and more targeted rotation than the Republicans

*Notes on Bill White’s Campaign Success*

1. White outraised both Perry and Hutchison in the last reporting period, and has $6.4 million COH.

2. White only started on television eleven days ago (Feb. 1). His first ad was about education, his second ad was a narrative spot.<

3. White has opened regional field offices across Texas — in Harris, Travis, Bexar, Dallas, Tarrant, Hidalgo, Webb, Cameron, Jefferson, & Bowie counties — and will be opening one in El Paso on Monday. That list of counties includes every county that went Democratic in 2008.

4. White has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO, TSTA, Tejano Democrats, the Statesman, Texas League of Conservation Voters, 12 State Senators, 66 House Reps, & many, many, many more.

*About the Poll & Research 2000*

The poll was taken from Feb 8

Those interviewed were selected by the random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers. A cross-section of exchanges was utilized in order to ensure an accurate reflection of the state. Quotas were assigned to reflect the voter registration of distribution by county.

The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than plus or minus 4% percentage points. This means that there is a 95 percent probability that the “true” figure would fall within that range if the entire population were sampled. The margin for error is higher for any subgroup, such as for gender or party affiliation.

Research 2000 is a national polling group that performs both national and state-level polls. Their national poll numbers often track closely with those of other national polling firms. DailyKos, the prominent left-leaning political blog, partners with Research 2000 for their polls; however, there is no political bias in their numbers. In fact, a recent poll on the attitudes of Republican voters conducted by Research 2000 was used on Chris Wallace’s Sunday morning Fox News program

Farouk Shami Says Bill White is “Flip Flopping” February 12, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Bill White: Flip Flopping for Political Gain

 

In 1979, the city of Houston was under fire from the Justice Department for an election process that was unfair to minorities. As part of a settlement, the agreement was to add 2 districts once the city crossed the 2.1 million threshold. Since 2006, Bill White has acknowledged that Houston exceeded the 2.1 million threshold.  However, as Mayor, he Failed to implement the agreement and flip flopped on his responsibility to the minority communities of Houston. 

“Mayor Bill White’s decision to delay redrawing the boundaries of City Council districts has angered numerous community activists, who say his stance is defying Houston’s charter. Under a 30-year-old legal settlement with the U.S. Justice Department, the number of council members “shall increase” from 14 to 16 when Houston’s population hits 2.1 million. That settlement later was incorporated into the city’s charter.  The mayor, City Council members and officials all acknowledge that the triggering population threshold has been crossed.  (Houston Chronicle, 06/23/09)

Bill White and 287(g): Letter signed by Bill White requesting the federal government to expedite 287(g) which leads to increased instances of racial profiling!

http://blogs.chron.com/houstonpolitics/2sc.PDF

“Houston Mayor Bill White sent a letter this week to a top U.S. immigration official requesting that the federal government expedite Houston’s participation in the controversial 287 (g) program that trains jailers to act as immigration agents. In the letter, dated Monday, White also says he will be urging “other jail custodians” in the Houston region to enter into agreements with the federal government. The rush for a 287 (g) agreement marks a departure from the mayor’s past position that local police should have limited involvement in immigration enforcement. In addition to committing to improve screening at Houston’s jails, White is pressuring the federal government to deport illegal immigrants convicted of crimes after they finish their sentences.” (Chron.com, 03/17/09)

Once 287(g) takes effect, the Houston Police Department can act as Immigration Officials.

“Through the program, city jails would get special training that will allow them to question inmates about their immigration status and hold them for federal agents.” (Houston Chronicle, 07/11/09)

The program under 287(g) basically means legal “racial profiling.”

“Nationally, the 287(g) program has been criticized as being vulnerable to racial profiling and lacking oversight by ICE.” (Houston Chronicle, 07/11/09)

The League of United Latin American Citizens has a problem with Bill White and 287(g)!

L.U.L.A.C. Resolution – 287(g)

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that LULAC District VIII and Texas LULAC denounce Mayor Bill White’s 287(g) proposal and request for the mayor to withdraw his 287(g) proposal and stop it from being implemented.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the LULAC District VIII Director schedule a news conference to inform the general public the consequences this policy would impose on Hispanics and other minority groups.

Approved this 18th day of July 2009.

Rosa Rosales
LULAC National President (lulac.com, 07/18/09)

 

Once activists confronted White regarding 287(g), he immediately flip flopped on the issue for political gain.

“Mayor Bill White is distancing himself from a controversial federal program that trains local law enforcement to identify suspected illegal immigrants, saying this week that he favors an automated immigration screening program in the city’s jails.” (Houston Chronicle, 10/07/09)

 

Was running for Senate another reason for the former mayor to flip flop for political gain on his original position?

“White, who is running for U.S. Senate, now appears to be backing away from the program, saying ICE officials were “bureaucratic” in the negotiations. Vincent Picard, an ICE spokesman, declined comment on the Houston negotiations.” (Houston Chronicle, 10/07/09)

Once again, Bill White flipped flopped from his commitment of 287(g), in favor of the lesser controversial program “Secure Communities;” the same program that is frequently deployed together with 287(g), but can be used separately.

“White said this week that he has not eliminated the possibility of participating in 287(g) on the city’s terms, but would prefer to participate in another ICE program instead. That program, “Secure Communities,” gives local law enforcement agencies access to a massive immigration database to check suspects’ immigration history.” (Houston Chronicle, 10/07/09)

However, this would not be Bill White’s last flip flopping maneuver.  Once again, his true intentions were clear when the career politician flip flopped for political gain.  Once it was obvious that Senator Hutchison was not vacating her seat, immediately Bill White switched from the senate race to the gubernatorial race!