Democrat Schieffer announces for governor's race

Dallas Morning News:

Lawyer-businessman Tom Schieffer announced his candidacy for governor today, saying “I still believe in the Democratic Party.”

Schieffer, who twice voted for George W. Bush for president and served under Bush in diplomatic posts, said he hasn’t voted for other Republicans and is a Democrat “without prefix, suffix or apology.”

Schieffer said preserving a good business climate requires and educated workforce, which he said is threatened by the state’s high school dropout rates and soaring college tuition.

“If we don’t do something soon, Texas will wind up being a third world state,” he told about 100 people gathered outside his old elementary school in west Fort Worth.

Schieffer criticized Gov. Rick Perry for vetoing a bill last week that would have set higher standards for pre-kindergarten programs. He also said the state’s GOP leaders have done too little to extend health insurance coverage to low-income children, leaving nearly $1 billion of federal matching funds untapped.

“We leave that money on the table for purely political reasons,” he said to applause.

Schieffer said the way back to power for Democrats will require vision and an “appeal to the broad middle ground of Texas.”

On traffic congestion, while Schieffer tweaked Perry for making toll roads “the first choice,” he ducked a question about whether he would favor raising the state gasoline tax.

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Schieffer is the younger brother of CBS newsman Bob Schieffer. He acknowledges how difficult his race will be against one of two strong Republican candidates. But getting the Democrat nomination will not be easy since liberals now dominate the party making it difficult for moderate and conservative Democrats to get the nomination.

Not mentioned in his issues was job creation. That will be one of Gov. Perry's strongest appeals. In thelast two years Texas has created 80 percent of all jobs created in the US. Jobs are usually a standard part of Democrat politics, but I think they will be at a disadvantage on that issue in Texas.