One of Governor Perry's supporters came up with this song and video. Check it out:

A vote for Bill White is a vote to reward Barack Obama's Chicago-style politics, and make his overreaching liberal agenda easier to pass. A vote for Bill White is a vote for fiscal mismanagement and someone who is out of touch with Texans.

Get to the polls today, and vote for Texas Values, and Proven Leadership. Vote for Rick Perry!

Texans for Rick Perry has released a new video, “The Liberal Bunch.” This video is available online at www.YouTube.com :

“The Liberal Bunch”
Here’s the story
Of Liberal Bill
And the liberals he met with while mayor
All of them had bleeding hearts like Liberal Bill
One was a little off

Here’s the story
Of Barack Obama
With a team of liberals of his own
Selling hope and change and higher taxes and government control

‘Till the one day Liberal Bill met Obama
And they knew it was much more than a hunch
That these liberals would try to run the country
That’s the way they all became the Liberal Bunch

The Liberal Bunch
The Liberal Bunch
That’s the way they became the Liberal Bunch

The Liberal Bunch Meeting Dates From Bill White's Mayoral Calendar (2004-2009)

October 21, 2010

When liberal trial lawyer Bill White ran for Houston mayor in 2003, he was asked, “Which city in the world could best serve as a role model for a future Houston?”

Bill White answer? “Chicago.” [1]

The video “Bill White’s Chicago Way” is available at www.YouTube.com:

“Liberal Bill White’s admiration for the Chicago Way was evident when he steered a contract following Hurricane Rita to a company he had a financial relationship with, then profited from a private investment in the company,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “While Houston mayor, Bill White met with two other followers of the Chicago Way, then-Senator Barack Obama and his future chief of staff Rahm Emanuel.”

The Associated Press has reported, “Barack Obama, before he became president, leads a list of luminaries who met with White in Houston during his six years leading the nation's fourth largest city, according to mayoral calendar records provided to The Associated Press by Perry's campaign. Former President Bill Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden and former Democratic presidential candidates Bill Richardson, John Edwards and Wesley Clark also made the list. There is a phone call with Caroline Kennedy and a meeting with Illinois Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who later became White House chief of staff.” [2]

SOURCING

[1] “Campaign notebook,” Houston Chronicle, 11/2/03

[2] “White's schedule included politics, too,” Associated Press, 10/9/10, http://www.statesman.com/news/texas-politics/whites-schedule-included-po...

October 20, 2010

Liberal trial lawyer Bill White could not even rate President Barack Obama’s job performance on Tuesday, delivering a “windy, Harvard-lawyer explanation” rather than denounce policies that would be harmful to Texas.

From the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “But in a moment that might be a metaphor for White's campaign, viewers also saw him called out by moderator Christy Hoppe of The Dallas Morning News for turning a simple ‘lightning round’ question into a windy, Harvard-lawyer explanation of why he wouldn't rate President Barack Obama on a scale of 1 to 10. ‘Mayor White,’ Hoppe interrupted, ‘this is a lightning round.’” (SOURCE: “White may be lucky debate wasn't better watched,” Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 10/20/10, http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/10/19/2560594/white-may-be-lucky-debat...)

“It’s not surprising that Bill White has chosen not to criticize President Obama considering he shares his liberal values and supports his policies,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Bill White met with then-Senator Obama in the Houston’s mayor’s office, advised his campaign on energy policy, wrote a memo explaining how to sell cap-and-trade to the public, traveled to the White House to promote the $787 billion stimulus, and said he supported the goals of Obamacare. Bill White’s support for President Obama and his liberal policies is completely out of touch with Texas values.”

October 13, 2010

Liberal trial lawyer Bill White’s top fundraiser was a constant presence in the Houston mayor’s office under Bill White, even participating in an official review of the city’s legislative agenda, according to Bill White’s official mayoral calendar.

As Associated Press analysis of Bill White’s calendar reports, “White's top Houston fundraiser, Herb Butrum, appears more than 140 times during White's tenure as mayor.” [1]

Specifically, on Nov. 3, 2004, Herb Butrum met with Bill White and the city’s director of government affairs in the mayor’s office to review the city’s legislative agenda. [2]

“Liberal Bill White never lets an opportunity to make money pass him by,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Allowing his top fundraiser to review the city of Houston’s legislative agenda in the mayor’s office is just one more example of Bill White’s willingness to profit from public service. Bill White’s history of unethical behavior also includes providing $10 million in incentives to a Boston company whose CEO made a maximum political contribution to his campaign weeks later, steering a contract to a company he had a financial relationship with following Hurricane Rita, and earning millions from a company under investigation by Congress while serving as mayor.”

The Houston Chronicle recently reported, “City Council approved White's plan last year to provide $10 million in incentives to a Boston company for a downtown development. The company's CEO contributed $3,400 to White's Senate campaign a few weeks later.” [3]

October 7, 2010

Texas Watchdog has released a new report titled, “Bill White's city of Houston travel forms missing business purpose, other details.” (Full report below and online at http://www.texaswatchdog.org/2010/10/bill-whites-city-of-houston-travel-...)

Included in the report is a $1,609.50 plane ticket Bill White used to travel to Washington, D.C., from Jan. 18-20, 2009. The airfare was purchased on Nov. 5, 2008, the day after President Obama was elected, and his inauguration was Jan. 20, 2009. [1]

Bill White’s official mayoral calendar reveals that while in Washington from Jan. 18-20, 2009, Bill White met with one of President Obama’s top fundraisers and held political meetings to benefit his campaign for the U.S. Senate. [2]

“Bill White needs to explain his political travel while mayor of Houston,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Throughout this campaign, Bill White has tried to re-invent himself, leaving questions unanswered about his business and political past. Bill White needs to come clean and apologize to the people of Houston for using the Mayor’s office as his own personal travel agency.”

On Jan. 19, 2009, Bill White met with Kirk Rudy, a top Obama fundraiser who helped introduce President Obama during an August 2010 fundraiser in Austin. [3, 4]

The night before, Bill White attended a dinner organized by his chief political fundraiser that the Houston Chronicle described like this: “There are other more intimate Texas-related happenings in the coming days, and one of the more interesting is a Sunday night dinner hosted by a handful of Texas couples at the swank Hay Adams Hotel. It’s been billed as everything from a salute to the Texas congressional delegation to a thank-you for Obama supporters from Texas. We hear, however that the underlying purpose of the gathering for around 100 is a salute to Houston Mayor Bill White and his wife, Andrea, as he tosses his hat into the ring for the U.S. Senate seat expected to be vacated by Kay Bailey Hutchison.” [5]

October 5, 2010

Liberal trial lawyer Bill White’s entire political career has been defined by trading political contributions for favors. In 1993, Bill White was appointed Deputy Secretary of Energy after raising more than $2 million for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign.

On April 4, 1993, the Houston Chronicle published an article titled, “Clinton's selections are signal he's tipping his hat to friends.”

The article began: “It helps to have connections. Houston lawyer Bill White is the White House's latest pick for deputy secretary of the Energy Department. White knows a lot about oil and gas law. But so do a lot of other people around here. What distinguishes White for this job is his political resume. He raised more than $2 million in Texas for the Clinton campaign and is a partner at the Susman Godfrey law firm, which worked with Clinton on a case in the 1970s, when Clinton was Arkansas attorney general.”

“Liberal trial lawyer Bill White would have never been appointed Deputy Secretary of Energy had he not raised more than $2 million for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Bill Clinton must have taught Bill White well, because when it was Bill White’s turn to run for office, he rewarded his own donors with appointments.”

One hundred percent of Bill White’s Houston Metro board appointments were political donors to his campaigns. On Jan. 23, 2004, Bill White appointed one of his largest campaign donors, real estate developer David Wolff, to serve as Metro chairman. David Wolff and his wife contributed $15,000 to Bill White’s 2003 mayoral campaign, and since then have contributed an additional $35,000 to Bill White’s campaigns. Of the five Metro appointments Bill White made on Jan. 24, 2004, four had previously contributed to his mayoral campaign, and the fifth contributed to his campaign less than two months after receiving the appointment.

October 4, 2010

Liberal trial lawyer Bill White should be held accountable for actions he took as Houston mayor that benefited contributors to his political campaigns.

“Bill White needs to be held accountable for the actions he took benefiting donors while he was mayor of Houston,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “From appointing donors to the Houston Metro board to using millions in taxpayer funds to benefit an out-of-state contributor, Bill White used his official office as a rapid rewards program for political supporters.”

Bill White’s own political career began when he was rewarded for raising more than $1 million for Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign by being appointed Deputy Secretary of Energy in 1993. [1]

On April 8, 2009, in a departure from Bill White’s previous policy, the Houston City Council approved his plan to provide $10 million in incentives for the Boston-based GID Urban Development Group for downtown development. [2]

The decision to award $10 million to the Boston-based company was described as “a question of politics” by the Houston Chronicle in the days after it was announced. [3]

On April 29, 2009, the CEO of the company contributed the maximum allowed $2,400 to Bill White’s Senate campaign even though he had never given to a Congressional candidate before. [4, 5]

On Jan. 23, 2004, Bill White appointed one of his largest campaign donors, real estate developer David Wolff, to serve as Houston Metro chairman. David Wolff and his wife contributed $15,000 to Bill White’s 2003 mayoral campaign, and since then have contributed an additional $35,000 to Bill White’s campaigns. [6, 7]

Of the five Metro appointments Bill White made on Jan. 24, 2004, four had previously contributed to his mayoral campaign, and the fifth contributed to his campaign less than two months after receiving the appointment. [8]

In his final days as mayor, Bill White urged Mayor-elect Annise Parker not to change Metro’s leadership. [9]

Days later, White accepted a $7,500 campaign contribution from David Wolff and a $7,500 contribution from Wolff’s wife. [10]

September 28, 2010

With Gov. Perry holding a commanding 30-point lead over Bill White in the Dallas-Fort Worth region, according to a recent newspaper poll, President Barack Obama and his Washington Democrat attack machine are hoping to bail out Bill White’s failing campaign by funding negative attack ads in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.

The Washington Post is reporting: “In a surprise move, the Democratic Governors Association has decided to up the ante in Texas, with plans to launch an attack ad against Gov. Rick Perry (R) that assails him as a career politician who has lost touch with the people of the Lone Star State. … The DGA has already contributed $2 million to White's campaign. The new ad buy, which is scheduled to begin running in the Dallas area Tuesday, represents an independent expenditure on behalf of White. A Democratic strategist said the DGA would spend about $650,000 to $700,000 a week on its ad campaign.” [1]

“After wasting $2 million on Bill White’s anemic campaign, the Obama attack machine is now taking matters into its own hands,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Considering Bill White and President Obama share the same liberal philosophy, it's not surprising that the president’s political team would step in and take over Bill White’s campaign. Governor Perry will continue talking about creating jobs, the economy, border security and other issues that truly matter to Texans.”

Following the release of a recent poll commissioned by Texas newspapers, the Associated Press reported, “According to the survey, Perry leads by more than 30 percentage points in Dallas-Fort Worth.” [2]

President Obama has raised at least $500,000 for the DGA this election cycle. [3]

Last week, the Dallas Morning News reported, “Texas trial lawyers have given $1 million to White through the Democratic Governors Association.” [4]

In August, President Obama headlined a fundraiser in Austin whose invitation said, “Some of the proceeds will remain in Texas to help elect Democrats in Texas, including Bill White as our next governor.” [5]

Bill White is also employing many of the same campaign handlers that President Obama uses: The Strategy Group (direct mail), Revolution Messaging (communications), The Tyson Organization (grassroots), Blue State Digital (internet), and Benenson Strategy Group (polling). [6]

SOURCING

[1] “Democrats go after Gov. Perry in Texas,” Washington Post, 9/28/10, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/27/AR201009...

[2] “Poll: Perry leads White in Texas governor's race,” Associated Press, 9/26/10, http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9IFCE1G0.html

[3] “Obama as fund-raiser, booster,” Boston Globe, 10/22/09, http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/10/02/obama_a...

[4] “Trial lawyers heavily support Bill White for governor,” Dallas Morning News, 9/20/10, http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/politics/state/stories/...

[5] “Perry happier than White at Obama visit,” Houston Chronicle, 7/26/10, http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7124462.html

[6] Bill White’s July 15, 2010, campaign finance report is available online at http://204.65.203.5/public/458677.pdf

September 23, 2010

In a recent article in the Austin American-Statesman titled, “Grave doubts about Dems’ strategy from one of their own,” Democrat Jim Sharp criticizes liberal trial lawyer Bill White’s lack of experience.

Sharp, a Houston state appellate judge running for Texas Supreme Court, said he “does not believe that White’s service as Houston's mayor necessarily prepares him to be governor.”

“I mean, to sit in the Governor’s Mansion, you really ought to have ... either served in the Legislature, either body, or held some sort of statewide executive office or something. But just to go from a mayor to the Governor's Mansion, I don’t know,” Sharp said. (SOURCE: “Grave doubts about Dems' strategy from one of their own,” Austin American-Statesman, 9/19/10, http://www.statesman.com/opinion/grave-doubts-about-dems-strategy-from-o...)

“As liberal trial lawyer Bill White continues to run from his record, even Democrats are now admitting his campaign is failing,” said Texans for Rick Perry spokesman Mark Miner. “Bill White’s fiscally irresponsible management style has been criticized as ‘unbusinesslike’ by his successor as Houston mayor, and though he touts his business record, he suspiciously refuses to release his taxes, preventing Texans from learning the truth about how he profited while serving the public and how he avoided paying taxes in 1995.”