NT Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 15, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 4, 2014 Page: 2 of 12
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2 OPINION
NORTH TEXAS DAILY
VOI JME 102
ISSUE 15
OPINION P. 2
FEATURES P. 3-8
POP CULTURE P. 9
SPORTS P. 10
EDITORIAL
BOARD
William A. Darnell
editor-in-chief
willdarnell@gmail.com
m elissa wylie
managing editor
melissawylieOI @gmail.com
Tim Cato
news editor
tcatO 75 @gmai l . com
Trent Johnson
features editor
tj_21 59@yahoo.com
John Lugo
sports editor
john.lugo@unt.edu
Nicole Arnold
visuals editor
nicoleameliaa@gmail.com
Christina Ulsh
design editor
christina.ulsh@me.com
overnor candidates ess than idea
Today is primary day in Tex-
as. If you didn't know that,
or just don't care, you're not
alone. Turnout for the state's previ-
ous gubernatorial primary in 2010
was 11.6 percent.
That November turnout was a
little better, edging its way up to 38
percent, a rate that still ranked last
among the 50 states and District of
Columbia, according to the Texas
Civic Health Index, a report commis-
sioned in 2010 to gauge civic partici-
pation in Texas.
Clearly, without the juice of a pres-
idential contest most, Texans aren't
going to head out to the polls.
Judging from the performances of
the two leading 2014 candidates, this
year's turnout might, justifiably, be
even lower.
If you're a conservative, you really
can't be excited, or even satisfied,
about Greg Abbott, can you? The guy
who enthusiastically campaigned
with former mediocre musician and
current idiot Ted Nugent, a man who
called President Obama a "subhu-
man mongrel."
Abbott has fought multiple law-
suits on behalf of the state against
Americans with Disabilities Act
claims, despite the fact that he
claims that he supports the act and
highlights his own disability - he has
been in a wheelchair since a tree
crushed his spine almost 30 years
ago - as a sign of toughness. He
notes that he has "literally, a spine of
steel" in campaign speeches.
STEPHEN YOUNG
When Abbott was appointed to
the Texas Supreme Court by then
governor George W. Bush in 1995, he
told the Austin American-Statesman
that ADA lawsuits were warranted
when businesses or entities "do
not understand the requirements
of the ADA, or even worse, who do
understand the requirements of the
ADA and refuse to comply despite at-
tempts at negotiations."
Nevertheless, as the state's at-
torney general, he has continually
asserted that the state itself is not
subject to the ADA, despite the fact
that, according to The Dallas Morn-
ing News, Abbott's state sovereignty
argument has been rejected at least
nine times by federal courts.
Perhaps worst of all, last week
Abbott appealed, and expressed his
vehement opposition to, U.S. District
Judge Orlando Garcia's ruling strik-
ing down Texas' ban on same-sex
marriage.
We can argue about things like
tax policy, educational reform and
the lack of post-graduate opportuni-
ties for students of the state's univer-
sities. We can't argue about whether
any human beings deserve the same
rights, benefits and opportunities as
any other human beings, that simply
isn't acceptable. That fight is over,
and people like Abbott have lost.
If you're a liberal, Wendy Davis
might be even worse. For all the
misplaced, misogynist, patriarchal
attacks on her personal narrative,
it's her genuinely right wing stances
on things like gun control and her
backtracking on abortion rights that
should make her an anathema to
anyone who considers themselves a
progressive voter.
Since declaring her run for gover-
nor, Davis, who has previously said
that she supports tightening gun
control regulations, has said that
she thinks Texas' gun laws should
be relaxed. She even supports con-
troversial open-carry policies, which
would allow gun owners to cany
their weapons on their hips, Wild
West style.
Last week, the state senator also
told The Dallas Morning News that
given certain accommodations,
she would actually back a 20-week
abortion ban, one of the provisions
of the law she filibustered last June.
For Democrats, Davis filibuster was
heroic. It was a galvanizing mo-
ment that gave Democrats hope that
maybe, just maybe, they could elect
someone to statewide office for the
first time since 1994. That's all it was
though, a moment.
In the months since, Davis has
shown the she is ready and willing to
kowtow to the strongest forces in the
state, whether she actually agrees
with them or not. That isn't a desir-
able quality for any leader, much less
one who intends to lead a long dor-
mant party out of the wilderness.
In this election - if you feel com-
pelled to vote at all — you have three
choices: You can vote for Abbott -
who, despite everything, widened
his lead to 11 points in the most re-
cent University of Texas/Texas Tri-
bune -- the awful candidate who will
win; you can vote for Davis, the awful
candidate who will lose; or you can
show disdain for the process and
do something like voting for some-
one awesome who isn't a politician
- like St. Vincent or Matthew Mc-
Conaughey - leaving the governor's
race box on your ballot blank or
maybe doing something really wild
and voting for a third party.
In the end, it won't matter. No-
body's going to notice a handful of
voters who refuse to be suckered by
a rigged game anymore, but at least
you won't feel dirty walking out of
the voting booth.
Stephen Young is a journalism se-
nior. He can be reached at
StephenYoung2(S)my. unt. edu.
Greg Abbott, candidate for governor of Texas, speaks in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014. Abbott met with local voters at Jake's Hamburg-
ers. Photo courtesy of Ron Jenkins/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/MCT.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED ON THIS PAGE DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE
OPINIONS OF THE NORTH TEXAS DAILY STAFF.
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Darnell, William A. NT Daily (Denton, Tex.), Vol. 102, No. 15, Ed. 1 Tuesday, March 4, 2014, newspaper, March 4, 2014; Denton, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth531917/m1/2/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.