Throughout the Davis/Abbott campaign, Wendy Davis exposed the fact that Greg Abbott believes in government for some of the people all of the time. The focus of Davis’ latest ad is to chronicle Abbott’s history of believing in justice for some while denying it to others.
The message behind the ad is that Abbott, like other Republicans, believes he got his so screw you.
Nothing exemplifies this more than Abbott’s efforts to deny people with disabilities the very benefit he got. It’s the same mentality that came with Paul Ryan’s effort to deny others access to the same social security benefits Ryan enjoyed once upon a time.
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It’s par for the course for people who subscribe to the Ayn Rand theory that they are entitled to government help, but anyone else in the same position is just a lazy taker.
Abbott recovered millions of dollars in lawsuits after a falling tree injured his spine and left him paralyzed. No one faults him for that. The issue is his on-going battle to deny others the same benefit.
Wendy Davis’ latest ad documents this sordid history in what has been an on-going theme of Greg Abbott looking out for himself and his donors to the detriment of everyone else in Texas. The ad documents the fact that Abbott claimed a disabled woman really isn’t disabled because she has a prosthetic leg. Abbott ruled against a rape victim who sued a corporation that didn’t do a background check on a sexual predator.
Predictably, Abbott and his defenders tried to spin the ad into being about his disability. After all, we know just how much energy Abbott dedicates to defending minority rights. (sarcasm) We see Abbott’s defense of minority rights in laws that disenfranchise minorities and in his on going fight to deny women access to reproductive care, including abortions. When Abbott pals around with Ted Nugent and seeks out the white nationalist and misogynist, Charles Murray, to advise him on education policy, it’s all about protecting minority rights.
The reality is Abbott is a great advocate for that 1% who line his pockets be it to get government contracts, handouts, or simply keep their toxic chemicals a secret from the public.
Naturally, when Abbott runs interference for a hospital that continued to employ a socipathic neuro-surgeon after he botched several surgeries and left patients paralyzed it’s all about protecting a donor’s interests to the detriment of patients.
So when Wendy Davis calls him out for his history of denying rights to disabled Texans, Abbott whines that she’s being mean to him because he’s disabled.
In reality, Abbott is the one who exploited his disability for political gain. Davis’ ad was about Abbott’s history of fighting to deny other disabled people the justice that he got after his tragic accident. As my mother used to say, this is about Abbott wanting to sit on two chairs with one behind. On one hand, Abbott used his disability in several campaign ads for his advantage. On the other he claims that an ad attacking his hypocrisy when it comes to justice for people with disabilities is really about attacking his disability.
The moment Abbott decided to exploit his own disability for political gain, he opened the door to a public discussion about how he treats other people in the same position. Or as Fox Houston’s Legal Analyst, Chris Titico put it:
Greg Abbott can’t use his disability as a sword and a shield in this campaign. And he’s had several ads talking about his disability. That really makes it kind of fair game I think for Wendy Davis to talk About it.
Titico went on to say that Wendy Davis’ ad chronicles how Abbott “spent the rest of his career ensuring that others can’t get the same benefit he got.”
Mustafa Tameez nailed the politics behind Abbott’s attempt to spin the ad’s purpose and content. Throughout this campaign, Wendy Davis has steadily narrowed the gap between her and Abbott. In a race that began with Abbott being 20 points ahead, the gap is now a mere six and a half points. The fact that he is using his money to attack Davis proves this race is far more competitive than Abbott is willing to admit.
Watch the exchange between Titco and Tameez here.
It’s never good news for a Republican candidate when Fox takes their opponent’s side.
Texans are slowly seeing through the smoke and mirrors of Abbott’s war on disabled Texans who only want the same access to justice that Abbott had.
Image: KXAN
Former contributor.
