We remember Anne Richards who was born in Lacy Lakeview, Texas, on this day in 1933. She died in 2006.
Richards was a very nice lady who taught us a big lesson about timing.
Richards' career was about being in the "right place at the right time" and the "wrong place at the wrong time". In both cases, there was a Bush in her story.
In 1988, Michael Dukakis was desperately trying to put a southern face to his presidential campaign. The party picked Atlanta for its convention site. Dukakis picked Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen as his running mate. Last but not least, they selected Texas Treasurer Anne Richards to deliver the keynote address.
Dukakis was borrowing a page from the 1960 playbook, aka The Boston-Austin connection. In '60, Kennedy picked Johnson in order to be more competitive in the conservative south.
Richards' speech was funny and partisan. It was full of jokes about VP Bush. It made fun of VP Bush's speech and other things that went over well at the convention.
The speech did not work on election day. VP Bush went on to win the presidency and carried Texas comfortably.
However, it helped Richards and she became a popular speaker at the party dinners. In '90, Richards ran for governor and won a close election.
Now, we begin Chapter 2 of Richards' life. This is the part where she was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
In '92, Richards made the fatal mistake of getting close to Clinton. In '94, her association with Clinton destroyed her and lots of southern Democrats.
In fact, the Clinton presidency destroyed the Democrat Party. Today, the Democrats cannot compete in the South and West. We saw that in 2000 and 2004. In both cases, the party won 20 and 19 states, respectively.
Richards' career was started by making fun of VP Bush. Eventually, the Bush jokes got old. In '94, his son enjoyed the ultimate family revenge by beating her!
Richards was a nice lady with a good sense of humor and a pleasant smile. She deserves a lot of credit for overcoming personal tragedies and keeping her good attitude.
She taught us that timing is everything, specially in politics!
Richards' career was about being in the "right place at the right time" and the "wrong place at the wrong time". In both cases, there was a Bush in her story.
In 1988, Michael Dukakis was desperately trying to put a southern face to his presidential campaign. The party picked Atlanta for its convention site. Dukakis picked Texas Sen. Lloyd Bentsen as his running mate. Last but not least, they selected Texas Treasurer Anne Richards to deliver the keynote address.
Dukakis was borrowing a page from the 1960 playbook, aka The Boston-Austin connection. In '60, Kennedy picked Johnson in order to be more competitive in the conservative south.
Richards' speech was funny and partisan. It was full of jokes about VP Bush. It made fun of VP Bush's speech and other things that went over well at the convention.
The speech did not work on election day. VP Bush went on to win the presidency and carried Texas comfortably.
However, it helped Richards and she became a popular speaker at the party dinners. In '90, Richards ran for governor and won a close election.
Now, we begin Chapter 2 of Richards' life. This is the part where she was at the wrong place at the wrong time.
In '92, Richards made the fatal mistake of getting close to Clinton. In '94, her association with Clinton destroyed her and lots of southern Democrats.
In fact, the Clinton presidency destroyed the Democrat Party. Today, the Democrats cannot compete in the South and West. We saw that in 2000 and 2004. In both cases, the party won 20 and 19 states, respectively.
Richards' career was started by making fun of VP Bush. Eventually, the Bush jokes got old. In '94, his son enjoyed the ultimate family revenge by beating her!
Richards was a nice lady with a good sense of humor and a pleasant smile. She deserves a lot of credit for overcoming personal tragedies and keeping her good attitude.
She taught us that timing is everything, specially in politics!
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