Jimenez: A Call to Action For Democrats

What follows is an editorial by Nick Jimenez that appeared in the Corpus Christi Caller Times:

Maria Luisa Alvarado, Adrian De Leon and Benjamin Z. Grant, who are all running for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor, are all committed and serious about their candidacies. Alvarado, of Austin, a retired Air National Guard master sergeant who has never before run for any office, says her campaign theme, "One Texas for All," reflects her goal of involving disenfranchised voters. Grant, of Marshall, has said he wants to give people a choice.

DeLeon, of Carrizo Springs, says he doesn't have $10 million for a campaign, but he does have "$10 million ideas."

There's no reason to doubt his sincerity. Or the sincerity of any of the three candidates.

One of the three will represent the Democratic Party on the ballot against David Dewhurst, the incumbent lieutenant governor. Anything can happen, but it would take a "Rocky"-type miracle for any of them to take the gavel of what many consider the most powerful office in the Legislature. And even Rocky lost in the end.

No shortage of commitment

It's not that any of these three Democrats lack earnestness. It's just that earnestness isn't enough. There is, to begin with, the matter of beating Dewhurst, who has been one of the best financed candidates in either party for several elections. Then, there is the matter, if lightning should strike, of actually doing the job of lieutenant governor. The only one of the three who has come close to that kind of legislative experience is Grant, who is a former legislator and former appellate court judge. That's why he received the Editorial Board's endorsement.

The job of lieutenant governor has been held by some of the major policy-makers in Texas political history. That includes the late Bob Bullock, Bill Hobby and Rick Perry. Perry is one of several lieutenant governors who have gone on to be governor. It is one of the most powerful offices in state government. The lieutenant governor is the presiding officer of the Senate and, as such, appoints the committees and their chairpersons. The officeholder sits on the Legislative Budget Board among several powerful bodies.

My hats are off to Alvarado, Grant and De Leon for taking on such challenge as running for this statewide office. But I've got to ask: Is this the best the Democratic Party can do?

It's hard to believe that the party of Lyndon B. Johnson and Sam Rayburn could entice no weightier candidates than three unknowns to run for one of the really high-profile offices in Texas. This is not a matter of unhappiness with Dewhurst. Dewhurst has emerged as one of the real statesmen in state government. He has learned his craft the old fashioned way, by doing the grunt work to learn policy, first, as land commissioner, and now as lieutenant governor.

But Texans need a viable and energetic Democratic Party because government works best when the two-party system is working at its best. Probably one of the most effective eras of state government was when George W. Bush, a Republican, was governor and Bullock, a Demo- crat, was lieutenant governor. These were two heavyweights who knew their stuff, were true to their political beliefs, but worked to a greater end.

One-party government in Texas led to the Sharpstown scandals that undid the Democrats, and now a Republican-held Legislature continually flirts with cutting off all Democratic dissent.

There are other candidates on the Democratic statewide ballot who do bring some heft to the party, principally Barbara Radnofsky, running for the U.S. Senate; and gubernatorial candidates Chris Bell, a Houston congressman, and Bob Gammage, a former congressman, legislator and Texas Supreme Court judge. Only Gammage has run statewide. After that the Democratic bench runs thin.

Not so on the Republican side, where experienced and campaign-toughened politicians ready to move up are in plentiful supply.

Democrats used to nurture such candidates, mentoring coming stars through local posts to a down-ballot statewide office and then to the governor's post. That's the path former governor Ann Richards took.

Texas needs a Democratic Party that can field candidates who are viable and knowledgeable because it brings greater accountability to government. That was the argument that Texas Republicans pushed when they were out in the wilderness, and they were right. Politicians being human, I'm sure Republicans would prefer a house-trained Democratic Party. But Texans who want responsive government should want a strong loyal opposition.


Nick Jimenez is editorial page editor of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times.