Today's Dallas Morning News carries the editorial, "White shines in Democratic debate."
Last night's gubernatorial primary debate between former Houston Mayor Bill White and businessman Farouk Shami went a long way to convincing Democratic voters which candidate deserves to lead their party's charge. White's responses to a broad array of questions showed a level of political acumen and experience that Shami fell woefully short of matching.
While Shami, a wealthy hair-products magnate, seemed well meaning and enthusiastic, his debate performance suggested a disturbing lack of knowledge on major issues. The non-native English speaker deserves credit for not letting language impediments deter his political drive. That said, the ability to communicate without confusing one's audience is a minimal voter expectation.
That's not to suggest White isn't due for some polishing himself. His calm and studious approach to contentious issues risks leaving voters wondering whether he lacks verve and fire in the belly.
On questions of substance, Shami delivered several shockers that left us scratching our heads. He advocated a moratorium on the death penalty because "we have killed lots of innocent people in the state of Texas." The fact is, not a single case has been verified of an innocent person having been executed in Texas.
And:
When White was asked whether he would support a death-penalty moratorium, his answer was clear and to the point: "No, not in all cases," because it would disrespect juries and victims in cases where there was no question of the murderer's guilt.
White particularly stood out in answers that drew from his depth of elective-office experience. Asked about job training, he recalled his efforts as Houston's mayor in developing a jobs program to employ the thousands of Louisiana residents uprooted by Hurricane Katrina. On the subject of fending off "wedge-issue" politics, he noted the over 14,900 Houston City Council votes in which White built consensus across political and ethnic lines. He noted his success in boosting Houston's air quality and taking the city from budget deficits to surpluses.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Bud Kennedy writes, "White skips primary talk and guns straight for Perry."
Houston Democrat Bill White launched his campaign against Gov. Rick Perry on Monday night.
Meanwhile, fellow Democrat Farouk Shami launched his campaign against himself.
Minutes into the only debate of the top contenders for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, White zeroed in on his true target: Perry.
Answering a question about schools, White said children need the skills to compete for jobs, "and we're not doing that under Gov. Perry."
An hour later, the former mayor had managed to turn almost every question into a commentary on The Current Occupant.
And:
The death penalty? White took a swipe at Perry's wholesale shakeout of the Texas Forensic Science Commission: "I will never introduce politics into questions of life and death. The Forensic Science Commission will be about science."
Earlier debate coverage begins with the preceding post.
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