Houston Proud

Houston is where I was born and spent the first twenty years, or so of my life. My family reaches back in Houston history to at least the turn of the century. I feel qualified to speak about it in knowing terms.

Louie Welch was the mayor for life when I was born. He ran things pretty well in a sort of mild-mannered way, in that the institutions that actually ran Houston; i.e. the Chamber of Commerce, the Rodeo Association, the city employees’ unions, black preachers, Costello mobsters, the Klan, Big Oil, and to a certain extent, Herman Short (the Darth Vader of law enforcement) were allowed to operate without any interference from city hall.

People don’t realize that the recently oft-cited “Reagan Recession” – the last time in America that unemployment hit 10% - which stretched from 1981 to 1983, never let up in Houston due to a bust in the oil markets. Through the next few years Space City took it on the chin. Having survived the turbulent sixties, and the inane seventies, the balance of power in the city shifted dramatically. Kathy Whitmier, who I believe was Houston’s greatest mayor, found that women, gays, and Hispanics were seeking greater representation in city politics, and were willing to vote to get it. Mayor Whitmier, in her “Houston Proud” campaign, helped end the hard times and paved the way for the Rocket City to transcend from a one industry concern to a modern diversified economic power-house we see today. My personal feeling is that the spirit of the term limits craze was in the air, plus the experience with Louie’s long tenure made voters look elsewhere for leadership, which they could afford to do because times were pretty good.

After drifting along for a time with a series of mayors whose names I forget, and after the city started to slide into a funk marked by high crime, poor city services, corruption, a lack of transportation and infrastructure planning and spending, very poor air and water quality, Bill White was elected. This fact garnered little notice at the time.

During Mayor White’s tenure these things changed and got better. And he proved his strong leadership during Houston’s heroic rescue of Katrina victims and the incredible nightmare of Hurricane Ike.

Zippidy Doo Da caused itself some minor controversy among the blog community by supporting Mr. Friedman for governor, because the long line of flacid milque-toasty Democratic candidates, who appealed to the young Democratic intelligencia were never going to win in Texas. It’s like bringing a slide rule to a gun fight. Merely pointing out that in Texas politics, that a lack of gravitas, and the absence of an ability to convey strength, = FAIL, made some people get shitty with us.

So how do I feel about Mayor White running for Governor, in a race against any Republican that no one expects him to come close, much less win?

His full name is probably William “Whitey” White, but the man has, at long last, the right stuff to win. He is the real deal. Go read his bio and prepare to be amazed. He can run on his record. He is a pass-master at political compromise that favors a progressive agenda. Although he is not clearly a politcal idealogue, I think he has learned that the power of government to change people's lives can serve the good, AND make us stronger. By the way, he has seven million dollars in the bank already.

I can’t speak for Charly, but this voter heartily endorses Bill “Whitey” White for Governor.