Since He Won’t Debate, What Type Of Empty Chair Should be Set up For Rick Perry?

The League of Women Voters of the Houston Area and the Harris County Department of Education are hosting a debate for our Texas Governor’s Race.

This debate will be held at 6PM Sunday, October 3 at the Harris County Board of Education building located at 6300 Irvington Boulevard in Houston.

(Above–Incumbent Governor Rick perry refuses to debate this year. I think the League should set up an empty chair for the Governor. Above you see a Saddle Chair.  Maybe the Governor would attend if he could imagine himself a cowboy during the debate.)

The debate will be moderated by Melanie Lawson. Her name sounds familiar for those of you who live in Houston because she is an anchorperson on the TV news.

(Above–I think all Texans would enjoy seeing Governor Perry sitting in a Garden Egg chair. This chair was designed in 1968 by Peter Ghyczy.  Photo by Paulscf.)

The Democratic nominee for Governor—Bill White–-and the Green nominee–-Deb Shafto-–are scheduled to attend this debate.

The Libertarian nominee will be there as well. I don’t want to mention that person’s name. If you’re really a Libertarian, you’ll look it up yourself and not count on me to do that for you.

Though if you are a Libertarian, I bet you’ll take Social Security when it is time and I bet you’ll call the local fire department if your house is on fire. It is services for others that Libertarians don’t like.

( Governor Perry might attend the debate if chairs were set up in a palatial setting that reminds Mr. Perry of the $10,000 a month rental home he has been living in since the Governor’s mansion burned down. Picture taken by Hennrik Bennetsen.)

Incumbent Governor Rick Perry will not be at the debate. Mr. Perry is refusing to debate Mr. White and his other opponents.

It is not really so much that Governor Perry is afraid to debate Mr. White.  It is, instead, that Mr. Perry has a small lead in the polls and his base of supporters does not care if he debates or not. It does not serve the Governor to debate. The fact that a debate involving all candidates would serve the democratic process is not so important to the Governor. It is about that is best for Rick Perry instead of what is best for the people of Texas.

(Above–The League could bring a park bench in for the Governor.  Photo taken by James Perry.  Seeing a public asset, the Governor could seek to privatize the bench by selling it to a company that would charge a fee or toll to citizens who wished to sit on the bench.)

Listening to others in a debate can be difficult when your personal and political identity is often rooted in disliking people, and in being afraid of people not like yourself in our minority-majority state. This describes the mindset of many Tea Party/Republican voters in Texas.

By not debating and by refusing to meet with newspaper editorial boards, Mr. Perry helps his supporters live in their own private world.

It is world where Federal Health Care Reform is rejected even though so many in Texas have no health insurance.

(See here all that Health Care Reform does for hard working Americans. These are benefits that any American might require at any time.)

It is a world where treasonous talk of secession from our nation is okay.

It is world where the response to high school drop out rates, is to refuse federal education dollars that are correctly tied to maintaining a consistent level of education funding in upcoming years.

It is not such a nice world.

Hopefully, Mr. Perry will soon come to the realization that the people of Texas deserve to see all the candidates for Governor debating the issues on the same stage.

(Above—The chair Governor Perry merits most for his petulance. Photo taken by Yvwv.)