Farouk still going strong

With all of the drama in the TX-Governor's race this past week, many speculated what will be of the candidates still in the race.

I received an invitation to a campaign event for Farouk Shami, the Houston businessman who has pledged to spend $10 million in his pursuit for the Democratic nomination. The event was at his palatial residence on Lake Woodlands in Montgomery County.

I must admit, that I now know what Elise Hu talked about when she called Shami's last campaign event "The Farouk Show." I can say the experience was unlike anything I've experienced in Texas politics.

Firstly, my pickup truck was valet parked. Then I went through the well staffed registration and was led through the house that reminded me more like a downtown museum, to the party room and lakeside pool. The place was packed full of supporters, or those just wanting to see what this candidate was all about. We enjoyed catered barbeque, a wine bar, live music, and the Texans/Colts game on a projector. The place was crawling with staff people and security, all in perfect Farouk uniform.

The former hairdresser-turned billionaire spoke to the crowd from the spiral staircase. He touched on a variety of Texas issues that he hopes tackle as Texas Governor. His message is clear: Jobs. He hopes to bring them to Texas by encouraging manufacturing, especially that of solar panels (which power his house, in part).  He also briefly touched in his perception of the problems with our criminal justice system, education, the state budget, healthcare, and immigration. These issues were discussed in general terms, with no specific solutions offered. I guess at this stage in his campaign, such proposals haven't been completely baked, which I'll give him no flak for.

I have not yet made a decision on who to support in his primary, so I will limit the extent to which I editoralize, and will simply relay the facts. My overall perception was that the campaign itself was very organized and very staffed and the jobs message comes through clearly. He does not make the case for why he is the best Democrat to beat the Republican nominee and he makes no mention of any other candidates in the race.

I will make this observation; if Houston Mayor Bill White decides to run for Governor, this race will become difficult for any candidate already in it. A large war chest can help with name recognition and message delivery, but it can't guarantee a win. In order to win over thoughtful Dems in the primary, all candidates need to put forth detailed policy proposals. I applaud candidate Hank Gilbert for doing that already. Additionally, we need to be sure that the nominee is the best possible person to beat what is likely to be a vulnerable Rick Perry. As a resposible primary voter, we must take electability into account when supporting  any potential nominee. As I've said, Mr. Shami is in the nascent stages of this campaign, so he's just introducing himself. But the clock is ticking, and for a candidate who faces an uphill climb to win a statewide race in a state that hasn't elected a statewide Democrat in 15 years, we can't be convinced soon enough.