A Trans-Texas Corridor Rally?
By Vince Leibowitz on Sep 1, 2006 in 2006 Texas Elections
You have got to be kidding me:
Flanked by Dallas County and state officials, Gov. Rick Perry led a bipartisan pep rally Wednesday for the $7 billion Trans-Texas Corridor, his sprawling transportation project that has drawn criticism from several quarters.
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While that AP lead is a bit misleading—it was really more of a Loop 9 rally in Dallas—I think it’s a bit dangerous for Rick Perry to be running around holding pep rallies for the Trans Texas Corridor.
While Loop 9 may be something the people in Dallas (including State Sen. Royce West (D-Dallas) and County Commissioner John Wiley Price), the fact is that Texans who don’t live in Dallas and Houston (where people seem to be totally immune to freeway construction) are, for the most part, adamantly opposed to the Trans Texas Corridor.
Check out this development as well:
Cintra-Zachry, a U.S.-Spanish consortium proposing to build the first segments of the corridor, has notified the Texas Department of Transportation that the company is willing to pay for construction. The news prompted handshakes between local governmental officials who said they have been pushing the project for years.
The Zachry family has, of course, poured thousands into Republican political campaigns, including Perry’s, over the years.
This latest announcement that the company is willing to pay for construction of Dallas’ Loop 9 is nothing more than a mere publicity stunt by a company that desparetly needs to save face in the aftermath of blistering criticism by political candidates all across the state.
Keep in mind that Loop 9 will be a toll road, so I’m guessing that if Zachary is paying for the road, they’re keeping the toll money, too.
Mon Capitan,
I don’t see that you are a inabler of this, but I thought when reading about Gov. Perry’s rally for this latest boondoggle, that he is effectively using the press to insert himself on to the newspages TV, and some blogs every damn day. Strange Bedfellows, for instance has a stalker who writes down everything Gov. Goodhair does, which winds its way onto the pages of Express News, or the Chronicle, or whatever. I’ve tried to tell her that he is not interested in women, and she is wasting her time, but she doesn’t listen (some gals used to dream of marrying Tab Hunter and Rock Hudson).
They have managed to make his campaign lameness into news about the official acts by governor. This is politics 101, and a fair and objective reporter would know when they’re getting their crank yanked. This is stealing the oxygen from Chris Bell and others. The only other candidate that seems to get ink is Strayhorn’s latest stumble as the press laughs up its sleeve.
Except for you Vince, I think several bloggers I know of have been rather irresponsible about conveying the level of anger and distrust among the electorate, and why this election will be different. I get the feeling that all these people know each other, drink together, and live in a rather insulated environment.
It reminds me of Washington.