The race for TX 06 against Joe Barton--a primary challenge.

[flamin lib]

It seems that there is a second Democrat running against Joe Barton in District 6. Not sure I like the tone of the campaign though. I got this email from Steve Bush regarding Ludwig Otto and claims he was making about Steve Bush’s political affiliation.

Regarding voting in Republican Primaries; in this area there were a LOT of staunch Democrats that voted in the Republican Primary in ’06 to unseat the state representative for District 94, Kent Grusendorf (R). Diane Patrick, who many consider a RINO, ran as a Republican against Grusenforf in the ‘06 primary and a great many politically aware Democrats used that tactic to push him off the ticket in the general election.

I know nothing about Mr. Otto and only a little about Mr. Bush. I have made my choice based on telephone conversations and email exchanges with Steve.

Otto’s website is here: http://www.ludwigottotx.com/

Bush’s site is here: http://stevebushforcongress.com/

What follows is the email from Steve regarding Otto’s claims:

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To My Fellow Democrats:

It has come to my attention that an opponent to my candidacy for the Democratic nomination to run in November against Joe Barton has been making some inaccurate claims about my party affiliation and my positions. The purpose of this email, which I encourage recipients to broadcast on their own mailing lists, is to correct those inaccuracies.

I am a Democrat. I have filed to have my name placed on the Democratic party ballot and have pledged myself to support all Democratic candidates. The editors for the Morning News will not affirm the contrary. Indeed, I anticipate they will endorse my candidacy. I have reason to believe that the Star Telegram will do the same. Of course, what the editors of those papers do is up to them, and to be sure we shall have to wait and see. I have already received the endorsement of the Tarrant County Central Labor Council, AFL-CIO. That is not likely to have happened unless the Labor Council was convinced that I am both a Democrat and the better candidate.

I am a lawyer. Judicial races have always been important to me. In recent years the Democratic Party has not run any candidates in local judicial races. This year is different. There are two, both of whom I support. It is a matter of public record for anyone who wishes to check that I have voted in Republican primaries in Tarrant county. I did so in order to support judicial candidates of my choice. I acknowledged this to all of the local Democratic leaders with whom I consulted before deciding to run, and to many Democratic clubs and individuals, the Labor Council, and the Morning News since then. It is not a secret. No one until just today has ever raised any objection to this, probably because I have also stated to such individuals and groups that in the past I supported and voted for President Clinton, and Democratic presidential candidates Gore and Kerry. My opponent omits that information from his broadside. I have never voted for George Bush or his father, even when the former ran for Governor.

One of the Morning News editors asked me whether I was running in effect as a Republican in sheep's clothing. I think it was a rhetorical question. In any case, I answered, "Not at all. None of my positions are repugnant to Democratic voters. They are all right down the middle." The editor seemed to be satisfied with that answer. Anyone who looks at my website or flyer will see that I support single-payer heath care, protecting the environment, the development of alternative energy to free us from foreign oil, and getting out of Iraq, the sooner the better. Those are not "Republican" positions, as such. During the Morning News interview, however, I pointed out that many Republicans want clean air and are fed up with the war in Iraq. One even told me that "Iraq is your easiest issue." I also stated that because the district voted over 60% Republican, the winner will have to attract some of them as well as many of the independents in order to win. I did not say to the Morning News editors that I had thought about running in the race for Congress as an "independent." My opponent's claim to the contrary is an error, plain and simple. I thought about a lot of things, but the only thing I actually did was contact members of the Democratic party to "test the waters," and then filing to run in the Democratic party. In short, I asserted that some Republicans are close to many of my positions, not that I am close to theirs. The assertion that I have been sneaking around and hiding who I really am does not fairly describe any of my actions or positions, particularly as I was openly sharing them with the press at the time my opponent first heard about them.

In some respects, my opponent's positions are much closer to Republican positions than my own, but I have not accused him of being a Republican in sheep's clothing. His emphasis on automobiles as a source of pollution, without mentioning the corporate polluters in Midlothian or coal-burning power plants, is much closer to Joe Barton's position than mine. His emphasis on fences and electronic barriers to control illegal immigration is much closer to the Republican position than my position, which argues among other things that the Wall will be an expensive failure, offensive to our neighbor to the south, and an environmental disaster.

Having set the record straight, I hope that each voter will be given the opportunity to learn the truth and vote for whoever he or she believes to be the better candidate.

Best regards

Steve Bush