Shelley Sekula-Gibbs is a politician.
Knowing that fact, one almost expects her to be, at times, well, “economical with the truth” - like her efforts to portray herself as a staunch pro-life advocate, when her history is something else, or her vows to get tough on the border, after collaborating with other Houston City Council members in embracing sanctuary city policies like day labor sites.
She’s cynical enough to know that a segment of the voting public will take her claims at face value, which works to her advantage.
But what I can’t let slide is when a candidate wants to wear the conservative mantle (she insists she’s the one “for a conservative change in Congress”) while spreading misinformation about her opponent and insulting the intelligence of the voters.
“She of Many Names” is now running a radio advertisement which flatly states - or, more accurately, misstates - that opponent Pete Olson supports the controversial Trans Texas Corridor.
In short, Shelley’s lying.
No matter what one thinks of the merits of the TTC, it is undoubtedly unpopular with many Republicans.
By tying Olson to a pet project of Gov. Rick Perry, Sekula-Gibbs obviously hopes to diminish Olson as GOP candidate during early voting and ahead of next week’s runoff.
SSG even recruited respected former state senator and radio talker Mike Richards to voice the claim, tossing in, of course, all the incendiary rhetoric about the TTC being the “biggest land grab” in Texas history - something no aspirant to office would want to be accused of.
The Olson campaign flatly denies Gibbs’ assertion. And a fair examination of the facts backs Olson up.
As an aid to former Senator Phil Gramm, Olson, in the late 1990s, was on board with plans for Interstate 69 (which was anticipated in Texas to follow current US 59) - a new highway to traverse the US from Canada to Mexico, a widely supported idea, part of which has even come to fruition in the north.
The original concept, supported by Olson’s boss Gramm, who left office in 2002, bears little resemblance to what has become known as the TTC - an alternative concocted near or after the end of Gramm’s term.
The insult to our intelligence comes when Gibbs suggests that the desire of Perry and others to graft the TTC into the I-69 project is proof that Pete Olson supports the TTC.
In fact, early versions of the I-69 plan clearly show it was envisioned to cover territory largely distinct from current TTC ideas.
For example, compare this 2002 article and map on I-69 with this 2006 article and map on the TTC (other supporting sources are many, so feel free to Google). Gramm and Olson would have needed a crystal-ball to known that the I-69 project would later become a partial template for TTC backers.
Allow me to use an analogy to expose the foolishness of Gibbs’ claims.
Many of you will recall that Houston-area Congressman John Culberson and businessman/talk radio host Edd Hendee were key supporters of the now-advanced Katy Freeway expansion.
If, next year, Perry and his cohorts announced they wanted to divert part of the Trans-Texas Corridor to run along Interstate 10, would that make Hendee and Culberson retroactive TTC supporters?
The suggestion is idiotic, but it is the exact same “logic” Gibbs is using in her attacks on Olson. As one wag (who required anonymity) observed to me, Gibbs’ claims reveal a basic misunderstanding of the space-time continuum.
As for Richards’ involvement in this unfair attack, it is one of those examples of a solid citizen simply being regrettably wrong about a candidate.
LST Publisher David Benzion addressed this in a recent comment in which he described his discussion with Richards, who said that SSG is a fine person, shares his positions and is a solid “team player” who deserves the support of everyone else on the team.
Richards is by all accounts a genuinely nice and loyal man, and while I disagree with his perspective on this issue, his viewpoint deserves respect.
The same cannot be said about Shelley Sekula-Gibbs and her deceptive attacks on Pete Olson.
