With three weeks left to go in the Texas Republican primary, libertarian-leaning outsider Debra Medina has gained surprising ground in the polls and is building popular support as an alternative to the too-familiar faces of Governor Rick Perry and Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison in the race for governor. The latest poll from usually reliable Public Policy Polling surprised even Medina's supporters when it showed that she has risen from single digits to 24%, only five points behind moderate challenger Hutchison, though still far back from incumbent Perry's 39%.
Much of the credit for this sudden increase in popularity has to be attributed to the two Republican debates in which Medina's honest and straightforward answers seemed much more appealing than the posturing and platitudes of the other two candidates. With her background as a close ally of paleoconservative Republican Congressman Ron Paul and head of the Texas Campaign for Liberty, Medina has an even stronger appeal to conservatives and actually polled a point ahead of Hutchison among conservatives likely to vote in the Republican primary.
Medina has come on very strong in the last few weeks and seems to have building momentum. Only a week ago Rasmussen had her at 16% and a few weeks before that most polls had her under 10%. A recent online fundraiser brought in almost $50,000 in only eight hours. Even the mainstream media is taking notice both in Texas and nationwide.
One result of this was that Medina was invited to be on the Glenn Beck radio show this morning for an appearance which turned out to be more like an ambush than an interview. Beck surprised her by asking if she is a 9/11 "truther" suggesting that she subscribes to conspiracy theories about the 9/11 attacks. Medina was clearly not prepared for the question, despite the fact that she should have expected it based on Ron Paul's frequent association with the conspiracy fringe. She should have come out with a clear and unequivocal "no", but she was flustered and said "I think some very good questions have been raised in that regard. There are some very good arguments, and I think the American people have not seen all of the evidence there. So I have not taken a position on that."
Not a strong response and certainly not one which will endear her to mainstream Republican voters. After the interview Beck commented favorably about Governor Perry in comparison and suggested that the answer would send Medina's popularity back to four percent. Some Texas pundits are speculating that Beck has a prior relationship with Perry and that the entire interview was engineered by the Perry campaign to embarrass Medina and stop her surge. Medina issued a clear and unequivocal statement that she was not in any way a "truther" on her website, but that may be closing the barn door after the horses have escaped.
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
She got worked over like a mule on Beck's show. Not the best first impression in world history, and although much more matters, well, tell that to Howard Dean and Jerry Brown.
2 - pablo
Nice to see Glenn Beck up to his usual tricks of subverting the patriot movement. [Personal attack deleted by Comments Editor]
By the way Nalle, did you catch Medina on Alex Jones? She has been on there several times in the past month. As you probably know Alex Jones gets the best guests on. He really is amazing.
3 - Dave Nalle
Pablo, I'm sure she's lost some votes here in Texas for going on Jones. After his recent behavior at the gun rights rally he's become persona non grata among the tea party and liberty activists around here.
But on the other hand, if she's going on Jones then Beck has the right to assume she's crazy. Nonetheless, I think Beck lost a lot of his followers here in Texas because of how he treated her. They're now calling him a "shill for the NWO" - typical silly shit, but maybe a step along the road to regaining their sanity.
Dave
4 - spinnikerca
I don't listen to Alex Jones, but I do know something about grass root campaigns and that if you only have $68,000 you probably go anywhere they will let you speak into a microphone.
Cost her, and Beck, today. Beck more long term, I bet. Because these things tend to come out 'eventually'. But early voting starts Tuesday, right?
I understand Medina brought in about $100,000 today after the Beck show. I hope that means voters are keeping their eye on the ball, and not being distracted by professional hit men.
If you want a regular person, not a polished ,corrupted politician, sometimes you have to understand they might not have the 'political' doubletalk answer at their fingertips the first time they are blindsided.
5 - Dave Nalle
It didn't really require political doubletalk. It just required the guts to clearly say "no".
Dave
6 - ryan j. rabalais
Medina handled the 9-11 question with poise and I was very satisfied with her fair-minded response. When I first started watching Glenn Beck I definitely thought he was a neo-con but in the last few months it seems that he has moderated some of his more totalitarian ideals and come closer to the libertarian way of thinking. I guess I was a bit confused about his sincerity and his true political leanings but his interview with Medina yesterday showed his hand pretty clearly.
I know that Beck is intelligent enough to realize that the 9-11 Commission was a farce and that the commissioners themselves even admit as much. John Farmer, senior council to the 9-11 Commission has been quoted as saying “the public had been seriously misled about what occurred during the morning of the attacks,” and Farmer himself states that “at some level of the government, at some point in time…there was an agreement not to tell the truth about what happened.”
That being said, I think it is reasonable to further investigate 9-11 in a scientific manner without regard to emotions or politics. They already told us that we were lied to - therefore that step doesn't seem quite so offbeat to me.
Regardless, Beck chose to attempt to bully Medina into saying that she was a 9-11 'truther' despite the fact - as Medina herself stated - that issue has absolutely nothing to do with the Texas Governor's race. Then, when Medina declined to take a firm stand on the issue he tried to paint her as a rabid 9-11 truther.
We are not stupid, Mr. Beck. We know who and what you represent. You may be fooling a certain segment of brainless morons who believe anything they are told and who are too afraid to question, but a vast majority of Americans are smarter than that and your little schtick isn't going to play for much longer. Honestly, I am glad that you attacked Medina in the manner that you did because now you won't be fooling me anymore. So I guess I just want to say thank you, Mr. Beck, for being just not quite slick enough.
7 - Independence Hall
I am a supporter Debra Medina. I believe she is honest and dedicated to doing what is best for the citizenry and state of Texas. When a candidate has limited funds, compared to the other candidates, media coverage and airtime is golden and not something you can afford to dismiss or from which you can walk away.
Was the US govt a conspirator in the events of 9/11? Absolutely not, and I am 100% sure Debra Medina feels the same. Is it also true that there are aspects of the events of that day and subsequent days that the govt has tried to keep confidential, for national security reasons and not because of some conspiracy, very likely yes. And reasonably so. There is information about ww2, korea and vietnam that is still classified. That does not mean there is a evil conspiracy, just that all the facts are not known.
Debra Medina should be prepared for more and bitter attacks. As her poll numbers rise, so will her opponents attacks. Worse still, those attacks will not always be fair or truthful. But politics is a dirty business, and just because you are a honest person and candidate does not mean your opponents will not attack you with all the weapons in their arsenal.
8 - LittleBrother
Glenn Becks interview was an obvious attempt at political character assassination. Anyone that heard the interview knows that by the way he concluded the interview saying "He was ready to french kiss Rick Perry"...
Did Medina Say she was 911 truther? NO!
IS she asking folks to sign petitions or trying to sell silly videos? NO!
Medina did something other career politicians lack the guts to do. SHE ANSWERED HONESTLY!
Maybe she has unresolved questions about the event? SO WHAT! Who doesn't? Does it have anything to do with Texas politics? Hell no!
Their is no such thing as "Bad Press" and this is especially true when can go online and listen to the interview for themselves and see the truth of the matter. The news media the repeating GBs' accusations over and over is not gonna make said accusations true.
Texas Stands behind Medina!
LittleBrother in New Braunfels.
9 - Baronius
That Beck interview was a disaster. Medina's performance was the worst I've ever heard.
10 - Dave Nalle
The Medina partisans responding on here are eerily reminiscent of the PaulBots from 2008.
On considering the Beck interview and her answer, it occurs to me that she may have been trying to satisfy the crazies in her core constituency while at the same time not alienating the general voting public. It's a very fine line to walk and I'm not at all sure she pulled it off.
Dave
11 - Baronius
I'm not sure if the Hindenburg pulled off its landing in New Jersey. I'm sure Medina blew the interview.
12 - Arch Conservative
Never heard of the Gulf of Tonkin Dave?
13 - pablo
Not only did we recently have Glenn Beck attacking Medina from the so-called right, but she was being double teamed within a day of each other. I am referring to Chris Matthews of MSNBC fame who was doing his best to attack Medina with the race card concerning Interposition and Nullification by the states.
As any politico knows during Segregation "states rights" were used by racists to attempt to subvert black Americans from being protected by the US Constitution.
We know live in a different age, and to stop the Federal Government from creating law that is beyond what the constitution allows, many states are beginning to demand that their state sovereignty be protected.
This is not only a legitimate role of the states, but one called for by both Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison.
Madison:
"The resolutions, having taken this view of the Federal compact, proceed to infer that, in cases of a deliberate, palpable, and dangerous exercise of other powers, not granted by the said compact, the States, who are parties thereto, have the right, and are in duty bound to interpose to arrest the evil, and for maintaining, within their respective limits, the authorities, rights, and liberties appertaining to them. ...The Constitution of the United States was formed by the sanction of the States, given by each in its sovereign capacity. It adds to the stability and dignity, as well as to the authority of the Constitution, that it rests on this solid foundation. The States, then, being parties to the constitutional compact, and in their sovereign capacity, it follows of necessity that there can be no tribunal above their authority to decide, in the last resort, whether the compact made by them be violated; and, consequently, as parties to it, they must themselves decide, in the last resort, such questions as may be of sufficient magnitude to require their interposition."
Jefferson:
"… that in cases of an abuse of the delegated powers, the members of the general government, being chosen by the people, a change by the people would be the constitutional remedy; but, where powers are assumed which have not been delegated, a nullification of the act is the rightful remedy: that every State has a natural right in cases not within the compact, (casus non f"deris) to nullify of their own authority all assumptions of power by others within their limits: that without this right, they would be under the dominion, absolute and unlimited, of whosoever might exercise this right of judgment for them: that nevertheless, this commonwealth, from motives of regard and respect for its co-States, has wished to communicate with them on the subject: that with them alone it is proper to communicate, they alone being parties to the compact, and solely authorized to judge in the last resort of the powers exercised under it…"
Here we have two clear cases of two of the most influential founding fathers specifying in no uncertain terms, that should the Federal Government attempt to ignore the constitution it is the right of the states to intercede.
Glenn Beck and Chris Matthews on the same team! To many of you this may come as a surprise, but to me it is business as usual. Both Beck and Matthews are part of the left/right paradigm that wants one thing, to ensure the status quo, and to continue the march towards totalitarianism. Beck is a shill from the right, just as surely as Matthews is a shill from the left.
Medina is calling for the return of a constitutional republic, with strict adherence to the supreme law of the land the US Constitution. This is what these guys are afraid of, and they will do everything in their power to stop Medina. Beck by slimely trying to put Medina in the 9/11 truth camp (of which I am a member), and Matthews by trying to smear Medina with being a racist. Double teaming.
Here is the Matthews clip in all of its ugly glory folks. Enjoy.
Chris Matthews smears Debra Medina
14 - Baronius
Chris Matthews smears a Republican? No way!
15 - Dave Nalle
It ws mostly Mattherws guests, and it was pretty vicious. Actually kind of a slam on Texas in general.
Dave
16 - roger nowosielski
I do agree with Pablo. Matthews is as obnoxious as Glenn Beck, each playing their respective parts.
17 - Arch Conservative
Chris Matthews all but jumped on Tim Russert's grave screaming me, me, me waving his hand at NBC.
The one guy in the media that I have more respect for than anyone else is Howie Carr. He's a Boston based talk show host that most of you may never had heard of but he's as decent as they come.
He's pretty conservative and I will always remember that when Ted Kennedy died Carr was nothing but respectful and would not let people on his show to trash Kennedy in the immediate aftermath of his death.
18 - pablo
Why thank you Roger, once in a blue moon I get a regular on here that actually agrees with me!
Matthews give me the eebie jeebies. I have heard several interviews that Medina had with Alex Jones recently. She was cogent, articulate, straightforward, and polite. She also espouses many of my own current political beliefs particularly regarding the constitution, and the rule of law. By the way for any of you out there that has any interest in the ruling elite, both Governor Perry and Hutchinson are members of the Bilderberg Group. The Bilderberg Group unlike the CFR which has in the neighborhood of 4000 members the Bilderberg Group only has around 150 or so and that is global. So the fact that both of these Texan candidates for Governor are Bilderbergers is quite significant to me.
19 - Arch Conservative
Yeah isn't Perry in on that Tran Texas corrido North American Union bullshit idea?
F- him.
As for Richards...at least she made me laugh once when she said that Bush was born on third and thought he hit a triple.
20 - Glenn Contrarian
Me, I'm hoping for Palin/Medina in 2012!
21 - pablo
Sorry Glenn Palin the shill already is supporting Perry.
22 - zingzing
archie: "I will always remember that when Ted Kennedy died Carr was nothing but respectful and would not let people on his show to trash Kennedy in the immediate aftermath of his death."
...didn't you say some particularly hateful shit that day? maybe it wasn't you, but damned if i don't recall you saying some things that weren't particularly graceful.
23 - Zedd
I think Im voting for Kay Bailey.
Shami is a hoot!!!!
24 - Dave Nalle
She also espouses many of my own current political beliefs particularly regarding the constitution, and the rule of law.
Another reason to look at her with skepticism.
By the way for any of you out there that has any interest in the ruling elite, both Governor Perry and Hutchinson are members of the Bilderberg Group.
And when Medina is invited to join and joins to find out all about its inner secrets, and then finds it to be harmless and stays a member, how will you deal with the trauma?
Dave