Houston Loves Teh Gay
The City of Houston becomes the largest city in the Union to elect an openly gay candidate for mayor. Texas, who would have ever guessed it. I mean this is a state that prides itself in executing the mentally handicapped and most likely executed an innocent man. I would be remiss if I did not point out the fact that Republican David’s prognosis of this election result was dead wrong:
As for Houston, it won’t happen. The comptroller is popular and smart but so is the opponent who will now be able to appeal to the other 70%.
Psst, Pandagon.net lets us in on a little secret, Texas is more liberal than we think.
Tags: Texas
Good for them. Aside from a few nutjobs, sexual orientation played virtually no role in the campaign. Too bad Texas will always be know for the mentally handicapped man it elected Governor in 1994. As for David…”the other 70%”..?!! What a goof.
To put Houston in some sort of perspective, it is the 4th largest city in the United States behind New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Philly clocks in at 6th, 700,000 people shy of Houston.
I spent a month there one week.
The AP article is a bit conflicted, calling it a “solid victory” but later noting:
“Parker defeated Locke with 53.6 percent of the vote Saturday in a race that had a turnout of only 16.5 percent.”
That’s less than two of every 10 people who went to the polls – a horrible turnout. Hardly a resounding endorsement of Parker.
Actually, Parker’s supporters included a lot of conservatives — including me. Of course, given that there was never a serious conservative in the race, it isn’t like there was any better choice.
Houston, of course, suffers from the problem that faces so many cities — liberal tax consumers living off of the businesses that operate in the core city. The GOP votes are all in the suburbs.
“That’s less than two of every 10 people who went to the polls – a horrible turnout. Hardly a resounding endorsement of Parker.”
Winning counts. That’s the system. Candidates don’t run for resounding endorsements; they run for office. That’s what makes a “victory.” Winning.
Conservative drones live in the suburbs. They commute to the city to work in companies built by creative liberals. It is a story as old as capitalism itself.
PM is pretty much right. Only 30% of the people voted for the comptroler on the first go around. The other candidate did not pull them out. Instead they stayed home. It is to her credit that she got her vote out and the failure of the other candidate not to do the same. It is a shame.
Actually, Jason, it ain’t liberals who own and operate our biggest industry — oil & gas.
And for the most part, those who live in the suburbs are the owners and creators of the newer businesses and insustries — businesses and industries that are now locating outside of the city and in those suburbs.
Set aside the residents of the slummier neighborhoods of Houston, and you have only a few “cash cows” in Houston — the old money in River Oaks, and the folks who live in Clear Lake and Kingwood, where the city annexed unincorporated areas and made those who live there unwilling city residents.
Drone.
is it mean to point out that her opponent was a Lawyer/Community Organizer/African American?
This was just another Obama Backlash election.
Lizard, you sir, are an imbecile.
What about all the IT companies in Houston? Dell, etc?
Gene Locke was a connected insider. Race had little to do with what happened in this race.
The original foursome were three liberals (Parker, Locke and Peter Brown, who was spending his wife’s money like his name was John Kerry) and the sacrificial Republican, Roy Morales (a perennial candidate with no credibility). Morales got the GOP and some Hispanic vote, while the Dems voted for Parker over Brown. A few Republicans and the black community supported Locke.
When you got to the runoff, Parker was the easy choice for most folks. After all, she has done a decent job in her current office, and Locke never seemed all that credible. You had some (not a lot, but some) folks try to make sexual orientation an issue, but she has held citywide office for 12 years, so that just didn’t fly with most people.
As I said I supported parker — and from the beginning. But then again, I don’t live in the city limits, so I didn’t get to vote.