HUMBLE - With a dash for the door after delivering a speech, Gov. Rick Perry avoided a confrontation with Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Kathie Glass.
Glass had said she was going to confront Perry over not debating her and other candidates for governor. But she waited until Perry finished his speech to the Texas Conservative Coalition 10th Amendment Town Hall meeting at the Humble Civic Center. Seated front row center, Glass raised a finger into the air and charged in Perry's direction.
But he was off the stage in an instant. Event organizers and the Department of Public Safety security detail had created a wall that kept Glass from getting close to Perry. Men stepped in her way as she came forward. The closest she got was about five feet from the governor.
UPDATED: Perry's campaign provided video on the agreement that I not post it to prove Perry shook her hand. However, the handshake did not last more than an instant, and Glass lost her balance stumbling backward as Perry withdrew his hand. This handshake occurred in an instant as Tom Glass passed in front of me.
"If you can't stand up to Kathie Glass, how can you stand up to the federal government?" Glass shouted after Perry as he exited the room.
Glass afterward said she believes Perry is afraid of defending his record in office.
"That is not leadership - to run away like a scared little boy from someone who just wants to engage you in debate," Glass said.
Glass said Perry is hoping few Texans pay attention when the other candidates engage in a televised debate on Oct. 19. "He is afraid to debate because he knows he will not show well," she said.
Oh, but there is video ...
And this, from Debra Medina's former spokesperson:
Some political observers have surmised that Gov. Rick Perry’s primary motive for avoiding public debates has more to do with Libertarian Kathie Glass than Democrat Bill White (or his tax returns). The logic: Perry is trying to prevent a repeat of upstart Debra Medina’s impressive debate performances during the GOP primary, which launched her from obscurity into the spotlight, until her campaign eventually faltered.
“That’s absolutely true. There’s two Democrats in this race: That’s Bill White and Rick Perry,” said Penny Langford Freeman, a representative for Medina, and Medina’s former campaign manager. “The only conservative is Kathie Glass, and he doesn’t want people to know that.” ...
According to the Chronicle, Glass shouted at Perry: “If you can’t stand up to Kathie Glass, how can you stand up to the federal government?”
Last bit of news: Kinky Friedman plans to endorse Glass. It's a dual endorsement with the canine he previously endorsed.
"I already said I would endorse Woodrow the dog," he explains. "He'll have to be my animal endorsement, and Kathie will be my human endorsement."
