Lubbock Left

Last night KCBD and the League of Women Voters of Lubbock County (nonpartisan) put on a candidate forum for Texas House District 84 candidates. I highly recommend watching the hour-long video of the forum in its entirety. It’s rare that Lubbockites get such an unfiltered and unbiased look at candidates from both parties, especially this early in the campaign process.

The race for HD84 is the most competitive local race, and will remain so to the end. I believe that Carol Morgan demonstrated her knowledge and compassion in this forum. She also offered clear differences. For example, check out the candidate responses to the question about “Race to the Top” education funds about 15 minutes in. When the rubber hits the road, no one in the Republican Party really seems serious about improving public education.

Carol’s strong stance against wasteful privatization of government services is also refreshing. Thanks to effective marketing by special interests, the idea is out there that private industry is automagically more efficient and more accountable than government. These claims are demonstrably false. Look at the recent trouble with the Texas contract with Evercare, or the recent disaster of privatizing CHIP administration. How many more privatization horror stories are out there?

I think Carol can hold her own against whichever of the Rs emerges from their primary (and most likely their primary runoff as well).

I also want to draw attention to Andy Wilson’s latest newsletter. See especially the “Old School for a New Century” section. Again, he writes these insightful and inspiring newsletters himself.

It’s a good time to be a Democrat in Lubbock, TX.