Muster the courage
Patrick should follow Abbott’s example and face his opponent on TV.
In politics today, there are red states, blue states and even purple states. Lately, though, some Texas political incumbents are looking a bit ‘yella.’
Too many of our state’s elected leaders — some with fine, well-honed skills in oration and adversarial dialogue — are running away from debate opportunities with their political opponents.
Today’s profile in debate dodging is Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick — arguably the most powerful politician in Texas.
The Houston Republican’s political strategist recently told the Texas Tribune that Patrick had no intention of debating his formidable Democratic opponent, Mike Collier.
As a political tactic, that’s understandable. But as a disservice to Texas voters, it’s indefensible. And the lieutenant governor needs to reconsider.
He should follow the lead of our state’s highest elected leader, Gov. Greg Abbott, who has agreed to meet his opponent in a debate broadcast on what amounts to a statewide network of television stations. Sure, it’s on a Friday night when many Texans traditionally attend football games. And maybe it’s a calculated political ploy: challenger Lupe Valdez, former Dallas County Sheriff, has demonstrated such a tenuous grasp on state government issues, Abbott might believe giving her more exposure could actually hurt her fellow Democrats down ballot. Still, the governor deserves credit for offering voters an opportunity to compare the candidates side by side. Even if you don’t care for Abbott’s politics, at least you can’t call him yella.
And in a recent announcement, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz — an award-winning college debater — joined the brave and bold club by proposing a series of five Friday evening debates against his challenger, U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke.
Patrick, on the other hand, is turning tail on a time-honored tenet of the democratic process. In doing so, he tacitly concedes that Collier is a serious candidate. The Democrat has an MBA and a background in the energy and accounting businesses here in Houston, where he served as a partner for PriceWaterhouseCooper. He offers smart and persuasive arguments against school vouchers, one of Patrick’s favorite causes, and he’s sharply critical of how the state’s Republican leadership has cut state funding for public education and thrown the burden back on local property tax payers. Texas voters would benefit from hearing an exchange of ideas on these and other crucial public policy issues.
And you better believe that if Patrick thought his campaign could benefit from debating Collier, he’d do it. Patrick, after all, is skilled with a mic. Before he jumped into politics, he spent countless hours mastering the art of persuasion as a conservative talk show host. He has such a commanding personality on camera that, as a Houston TV sportscaster, his nickname became “the silver-tongued devil.” Anybody who once wrote a book entitled “The Second Most Important Book You’ll Ever Read” doesn’t exactly lack confidence.
To be sure, Patrick’s not the only incumbent Texas politician who should agree to televised debates. Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, who had no problem flying to Oklahoma on the taxpayers’ tab to get a “Jesus shot,” should have his travel agent work out an itinerary that’ll put him in the TV studio with his Democratic opponent, retired Air Force colonel and fourthgeneration farmer Kim Olson. Likewise, Democratic congressional candidates such as Sylvia Garcia and Sheila Jackson Lee should agree to debate their GOP challengers.
The lieutenant governor needs to muster the guts to face his opponent, even if he fears some Texans might find Collier and his ideas appealing. At a time when internet streaming has basically made television time an unlimited commodity, there’s no good reason for political incumbents to deny voters an informative exchange before Election Day. Anybody who refuses to show up for a job interview doesn’t deserve to be hired. And any red-blooded Republicans or blazing-blue Democrats who won’t defend their qualifications before opponents and the people they hope to serve is just showing their true colors.