White says Obama spending hurting his campaign

Politico:

Polls show he’s already competitive, but Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White said his odds of knocking off two-term Texas Gov. Rick Perry might even be greater if President Obama had exhibited more fiscal restraint during his first 18 months in office.

“If the president wasn’t spending so much money, borrowing money, it would probably help,” White acknowledged during an interview with POLITICO on Monday. “Increasing spending in almost everything. I mean, I don’t know where to start.”

White’s comments reflect the distance he’s willing to carve out between himself and a president from his own party, who is saddled with a 40 percent job approval rating in the Lone Star state, according to the latest Rasmussen Reports survey.

Perry, already the state's longest-serving governor, has made a determined effort to link White to the Obama administration and its economic policies.

But calling himself a “fiscal conservative”, the former Houston mayor said Perry’s transparent strategy is only meant to distract from his handling of the state’s budget woes. State lawmakers are forecasting the shortfall could widen to as big as $18 billion dollars.

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In a state as big as Texas, it should not be that hard to find $18 billion in cuts to balance the budget. Perry and the legislature have done before in the last 10 years and the state has benefited from that frugal approach. I think it is a giid bet Obama will not be invited to Texas to campaign for White. I am suprised the President can get to 40 percent approval. His health care law could not get half that, and his position on immigration is not going to win many votes either. I think White is keenly aware of the problem posed by Democrats in Washington and Perry is eager to remind him of them.