Chad’s Morning Brief: Rick Perry Raising Money & Fueling Speculation, Fire Fighters & Safety, & More
Here is your Morning Brief for the morning of August 20, 2012. Give us your feedback below and tune in to Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty for these and many more topics from 6-9 am.
1. Perry Raising Money (link)
Rick Perry is raising money and fueling speculation. According to the AP:
Gov. Rick Perry has replenished his depleted campaign war chest since he abandoned his presidential bid in January. This has fueled speculation that the longest-serving governor in Texas history will seek yet another term in 2014.
Perry raised nearly $2 million from the start of the year through June -- even after a series of gaffes during his White House run left his political future looking murky.
He now has about $3.3 million cash-on-hand. This is slightly more than what he had midway through 2008, two years before he waged a successful primary battle against U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison.
Meanwhile, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who is widely believed to have gubernatorial aspirations, has raised $3 million this year. In all, Abbott has $14.5 million.
Rick Perry will run for something, but it might not be Governor. Just depends on if Mitt Romney wins the White House.
2. Lubbock Fire Fighters, MDA, and Public Safety
Over the weekend I asked a question on the air and on social media about the Fill the Boot Campaign and the Lubbock Fire Fighters. I received a lot of feedback and want to hear from you as well.
First off, I have no problem with the LFD raising money for MDA. I am not anti-LFD or anti-MDA. I am however, pro-public safety. On Saturday I was driving down Slide Road when a car in front of me came to a complete stop to hand money to the fireman collecting money for MDA. Of course I had to slam on my breaks to avoid hitting the car and the person behind me had to do the same. It was very dangerous and from what I have heard, it's a scene that has happened many times by other people.
Personally, I have no problem with LFD standing on the median and collecting money when the light is red but many times I and others have witnessed the firemen standing and walking the street while traffic is moving. I've heard from fire fighters that hate this is being done and I do as well.
Walking the street and taking money while traffic is moving is putting lives and property at risk. The intersection at Slide Road and the Loop is dangerous enough without people walking in the streets. The fire fighters walking in the street while traffic is moving are putting their lives at risk and basically hoping that everyone is paying attention to them. However, we know how people drive. They are texting, putting on make-up, changing the volume on the radio, dealing with screaming kids, etc.
Would the City of Lubbock allow a church group to walk up and down the streets while traffic was moving in order to raise money? Of course not and they would be wise not to. What would happen if there was an accident because someone stopped to give money to the fire fighter while traffic was moving? Would the City of Lubbock be sued for their role? I bet so.
What do you think?
3. New Drive-Thru at Chick-fil-a (link)
I was wondering how long it would take before someone slammed their car into the new Chick-fil-a on University.
Around 4:30 p.m. Saturday, the Lubbock Fire Department was called to the city’s newest Chick-fil-A at 312 University Ave. after a car ran into the building.
Lt. Steve Strawn said an elderly lady driving the vehicle mistakenly jumped the curb and ran into the west side of the building.
Strawn said no one was injured.
I expect more cars to slam into that location while Texas Tech is in session. Maybe once during football season. Hopefully I am wrong, but I just have a feeling this won't be the last time.
4. 40% May Not Vote (link)
A new poll shows that 40% of eligible voters will not vote in the upcoming Presidential election.
A recent poll by Suffolk University found roughly 40 percent of America’s eligible voters said they’ll probably sit out the November election.
David Paleologos, director the Boston university’s Political Research Center, called the poll a survey of the “Other America.”
The roughly 90 million that make up that group bring mixed possibilities for President Obama and Republican rival Mitt Romney.
Of the 800 unlikely voters polled, 69 percent said they are registered to vote this year. And of those, 44 percent said they voted for Obama in 2008.
The numbers show the challenge the Obama campaign faces in replicating its 2008 performance and perhaps why it is putting so much effort and money into grassroots, get-out-the-vote work in precincts and neighborhoods across a dozen battleground states.
Mr. Paleologos thinks the president might need some of those unlikely voters to win.
“Obama is looking at the polls and saying, ‘I don’t have enough support among the likely voter pie, so I may need a slice of the unlikely voter pie to win,” he said.
Among likely voters, Obama’s recent approval rating rarely breaks 50 percent. But 55 percent of unlikely voters in the Suffolk poll have a favorable view of the president, while just a quarter look favorably on Romney.
If they did vote, roughly four in 10 of those registered to vote said they would back Obama, compared with 20 percent for Mr. Romney, according to the poll last week.
I've said it before, I am just fine with low turnout. Only those that are informed and can tell me where the candidates stand on the issues should vote. That goes for those who proclaim themselves Democrats and Republicans.
Other Top Stories:
These and many more topics coming up on today’s edition of Lubbock’s First News with Chad Hasty. Tune in mornings 6-9am on News/Talk 790 KFYO, streaming online at kfyo.com, and now on your iPhone and Android device with the radioPup App. All guest interviews can be heard online in our podcast section after the show at kfyo.com.
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