9.30.22
“Gov. Abbott and Beto – All We Need To Know”
From Donna Garner
First, please read this article from 9.5.22: "Beto O'Rourke, the Dangerous Fake" – by Donna Garner – originally published on 3.15.19, updated on 9.5.22 -- https://www.wbdaily.com/beto-orourke-the-dangerous-fake/
Next, please read these 9.30.22 excerpts from the Texas Tribune:
“Abbott, O’Rourke spar over immigration, abortion and Uvalde shooting in debate”
By James Barragan
https://www.texastribune.org/2022/09/30/texas-governor-debate-greg-abbott-beto-orourke/
Gov. Greg Abbott and Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke clashed Friday night over immigration, abortion and gun control in the only planned gubernatorial debate before the Nov. 8 elections.
Throughout the debate, Abbott tried to depict O’Rourke as an acolyte of Democratic President Joe Biden who would drive Texas to the left and who constantly “flip-flopped” on issues like police funding, immigration and energy policies…
The debate at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in Edinburg kicked off with a discussion on immigration, which consistently ranks as one of the top issues for Texas voters.
Abbott touted the $4 billion the state has allocated toward border security, including funding to deploy thousands of National Guard troops and Department of Public Safety troopers to the southern border to apprehend the large number of migrants crossing into the state. But he noted that the state shouldn’t be paying any money because the federal government should be stepping up to secure the border.
“What we’re doing is making sure that we are keeping our community safe, and this is completely different than the way things would be under Beto because he said months ago, ‘There is no problem on the border.’ He said that he would reduce immigration enforcement,” Abbott said.
Abbott blamed Biden for the large number of migrants and deadly drugs, like fentanyl, crossing into the country through the Texas-Mexico border…
The two candidates [Abbott and Beto] also clashed over the governor’s busing of migrants to Democrat-led cities like New York City and Washington, D.C., with Abbott questioning why O’Rourke did not criticize the busing of migrants by El Paso, his home city…
Abbott said New York Mayor Eric Adams had never made contact with his office to try to coordinate the buses carrying migrants…Dave Carney, Abbott’s top political strategist, reiterated after the debate that Adams had not contacted Abbott’s office.
…Abbott also said he was opposed to red flag laws because they would deny “lawful Texas gun owners their constitutional right to due process.”
…Abbott has said he would make “school safety” an emergency item in the next legislative session.
…O’Rourke faced tough questions about his own position on guns. During his 2020 presidential run, he famously said he would take assault-style rifles from gun owners…
…On abortion, moderators pressed Abbott on remarks he made months ago, advising victims of rape to seek Plan B, a form of emergency contraception, to avoid becoming pregnant. Abbott said the state would pay for emergency contraception and make it readily accessible at hospitals and clinics…
“An alternative, obviously, is to do what we can to assist and aid the victim. And that is to help get them the medical assistance that they need and the care that they need,” Abbott said. He said the state could offer living assistance and “baby supplies” to rape victims who give birth to children.
Texas preemptively passed a “trigger law” banning almost all abortions, including those in instances of rape and incest, that went into effect after the U.S. Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade.
Moderators pressed O’Rourke to clearly state whether he supported any limit on abortions. O’Rourke said he would push for a return to abortion statutes established by the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that created constitutional protections for access to abortion.
…Abbott touted his success in improving the reliability of the state’s energy grid, saying the lights stayed on in the state despite record demands this summer due to record heat.
“Beto was campaigning saying that the grid was going to fail in the winter and summer, and his campaign hopes fell apart because the laws that I signed did secure the grid,” he said...
Abbott blasted O’Rourke for “fear mongering” and said in reality “the grid is more resilient and reliable than ever.”
Abbott also attacked O’Rourke for past statements in support of a movement to decrease funding for police departments….he [Beto] also said he wanted accountability when “officers abuse the public trust.”
…Abbott said the increase in homicides in places like Harris County stems from bail policies imposed by local officials, an issue the Legislature has tried to address over the last few sessions. But Abbott said his record supporting police was clear because he pushed for a law that would punish cities if they pulled money away from their police departments.
“In Texas, we support our law enforcement officers, period,” Abbott said.
The two candidates were also asked about how they would provide long-term tax relief for Texas property owners…Abbott said he wanted to use half of the state’s estimated $27 billion surplus next session to provide homeowners with property tax relief by driving property tax rates down.
“My goal is to eliminate the school property taxes imposed in the state of Texas so that people can genuinely own their own home without being taxed out of it,” Abbott said.
…Abbott touted his success over his two terms, including ranking No. 1 for the state with the most jobs added, for Blue Ribbon Schools and for Tier 1 research universities.
“I’m running for reelection to keep Texas No. 1, to cut your property taxes, to secure the border, to keep dangerous criminals behind bars and to keep deadly fentanyl off our streets,” he said. “Together, we will keep Texas No. 1.”