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Funding Perry

January 22nd, 2007 at 1:16 am

Corporations and individuals committed close to $1.4 million to Gov. Rick Perry’s inauguration last week. Funding the ceremony is one of the few opportunities corporations have to directly contribute to Texas candidates. A complete list of sponsors shows 89 donors. Leading the list was AT&T with a $100,000 contribution. Energy company TXU, whose planned coal plants are sure to stir up trouble this session, chipped in $15,000. Four companies and one individual gave $50,000: Time Warner, Contran Corporation, Holt CAT, Exxon Mobile, and Dallas dentist Dr. David Alameel.

The contribution of Alameel, a wealthy Dallas dentist, is notable, since he has supported Carole Keaton Strayhorn for years, including at least $300,000 in contributions during the last governor’s race. Another 16 donors gave $25,000 apiece. The AP runs down the ties that several sponsors have to past and pending legislation, and Austinist compares and contrasts Perry’s inauguration speech with Ted Nugent’s performance at the celebration afterward.
All of this cash is on top of the nearly $2.5 million Perry collected in campaign contributions from late October through December, nearly $1 million of which came from Houston homebuilder and GOP mega-funder Bob Perry (no relation to the Gov.) and the national Republican Governors Association, which Bob Perry also contributes to heavily.

That’s a lot of dough for a candidate who was taking the election so seriously that he had time to make the “Mr. Way Too Liberal for Texas Guy” ad and solicit the endorsement of Chuck Norris.

by Matthew C. Wright

2 Responses to “Funding Perry”

  1. Hubert Wilson says:

    Mister Ricky and his Electric Shaft

    Ricky and his circle jerks!
    Incessant smirks.
    Coolly connivin’ at the governor’s mansion.
    Kingdom expansion.
    Your electric bill just goes higher!

    Peoples’ situation dire!
    Electric utilities cut off the elderly and poor.
    Rapacity pure.
    Raising the only solution.
    Your next election - seek retribution!

    The dry, hot Texas winds always occur when an incumbent politician speaks and is generaly accompanied by a distinctly fresh male bovine manure odor.

    Hubert Wilson

  2. Jan Weaver says:

    This over-the-top and mean-spirited ad was run on the largest Spanish language station a few days before Election Day and on Election Day in Corpus Christi. Here is a transcript of the ad for those who can’t get the audio. Every time a person needs a reminder of how low and extreme Rick Perry is just read the ad again.
    Here is a transcript I made.

    Political ad paid for by Texans for Rick Perry (Perry’s voice)
    (Then an announcer speaks and a singer sings in a parody of beer commercial tune.)

    Presenting the real Washington liberal
    Today we salute you Mr. Way Too Liberal for Texas guy.
    .
    Mr. Way too liberal for Texas guy
    Only you Chris Bell could vote for higher taxes ten times in Congress and despite.
    a record state surplus run for Governor on a platform of– raising taxes.

    This ain’t Tax-a chusetts

    Congressman Bell only you could vote to make it hard to deport terrorists
    and then support sanctuary for illegal immigrants so the law can’t ask a person’s legal status.
    Don’t ask,don’t tell

    And you voted to let the United Nations oversee elections in America because.
    no one stands up for democracy like the French.
    (Sings a phrase in French, Chris Bell)
    So wear your fancy beret with pride, Congressman Bell.
    Liberals everywhere salute you.

    Mr. Way too liberal for Texas guy. Ooh la la!

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