I have received the following statement from Harris County Tax Assessor Paul Bettencourt:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact: Allen Blakemore
Thursday, August 17, 2006
713-526-3399Bettencourt Statement on CD-22
HOUSTON – In advance of tonight’s Congressional District 22 meeting called by Republican State Party Chairman Tina Benkeiser, Paul Bettencourt issued the following statement:
“I want to make clear that I am neither a write-in candidate nor a prospective one despite the well-intentioned draft movement within the Party.”
Color me completely unsurprised. I always thought Bettencourt’s statements about this effort after his name first surfaced in the last week or so were along the lines of “thanks, but no thanks”. The only variable was when he’d officially decline. At least now the Benkiser Gang can go into tonight’s secret meeting knowing what the score is.
I doubt he will be taken seriously by the Benkiser Gang, but now that a prominent Republican elected official has endorsed the idea of supporting Bob Smither, I wonder how much discussion that will get tonight. I’ve not seen any evidence to suggest that Tina Benkiser will let this get anywhere, but we’re way past the point in this circus where I can say with any confidence that such a thing is too strange to contemplate. This whole thing is too strange to happen, and yet here we are. Let’s just say we’ll know more later.
Finally, Paul Burka swats down the charges made by Gary Polland about why the Republicans lost in TDP v. Benkiser, which are now being amplified by Bobby Eberle, the man who gave the world Jeff Gannon. Check it out.