Strange Bedfellows: Carroll Robinson & Bruce Hotze Edition
Interesting little attempt to confuse voters in November ... this time by former Houston City Councilman (and erstwhile Democrat & DNC member) Carroll Robinson in conjunction with Bruce Hotze. Bruce, the brother of "Dr." Steven Hotze, operates as a political activist when he's not too busy "servic[ing] the growing screw compressor market."
Anyways, here's what happens when you combine the two:
For the record, that's six references to Bill White threatening to take away our right to vote. That's three pregnant pauses between "right to vote" and things like "to approve city bond issues."
Of course, Bill White is not out for our right to vote (the ad is only running on African-American radio stations, but I'm assuming Carroll is addressing the rest of us as well). The bond issue is up for a vote and, rest assured, your vote will count. The only question is why Carroll Robinson isn't anywhere near as animated over the Republican efforts to strip the right to vote from people. Things like requiring photo IDs for voting sure do strike me as more relevant to the intended market of Carroll's. I wonder when he's going to get around to having a Hotze pay for that radio airtime.
Transcript:
This is former City Councilmember Carroll Robinson. The law requires that Mayor Bill White get voter approval before the city can issue general obligation bonds. The law also says that you have the right to vote on what the city does with excess tax revenues. But Mayor Bill White wants to take away your right to do so.If the mayor can take away your right to vote (pregnant pause) on what the city can do with excess tax revenues, they could also take away your right to vote (pregnant pause) to approve city bond issues. Don't let anyone trick you into giving up your right to vote (pregnant pause) on how the city uses excess tax revenues. It's your right to vote. Keep it and protect it.
This is former city councilmember Carroll Robinson. Thank you.
Paid for by "Let the People Vote Houston" - Bruce Hotze, Treasurer
ADD-ON: A bit of attention is needed to some of the syntax here:
If the mayor can take away your right to vote (pregnant pause) on what the city can do with excess tax revenues, they could also take away your right to vote (pregnant pause) to approve city bond issues.
Last I checked, the singular "mayor" is not a collective "they." Say what you will of the Hotzes (Bruce or Steven) but I don't know them to be that sloppy in their copy writing. It's as red a flag as ever that the ad is the idea of Carroll Robinson himself. I'll eat a hat if it's not his own material that he's reading on this script.