DMN political writer Gromer Jeffers Jr. is a good guy and a good reporter. But his column this morning (subscription required) about Tom Leppert running for U.S. Senate as a hard-core, anti-earmarks, tea party-style conservative includes some puzzling logic that seems to give the former mayor a huge free ride. Specifically:
Though it seems to some that Leppert is selling out Dallas, what we’re actually seeing is the former mayor embracing his core beliefs.
Being Dallas mayor is a complex job with a simple goal. City Hall is the only part of government that taxpayers, no matter how conservative, want more of. What’s more, campaigning for Dallas mayor forced Leppert to deal with all aspects of the community.
There’s purity in mayoral politics that removes the stench of partisanship and the hypocrisy it often brings.
So, if you’re running for U.S. Senate–an office which represents the entire state–it’s fine to be true to your core beliefs. But if you’re merely representing a city, it’s OK to toss your core beliefs aside and kowtow to everybody and his dog, because there’s no “stench of partisanship” there? This doesn’t make any sense. I think the “authenticity” question will be a major problem for Leppert, especially in the GOP primary in a tea-party year. In a state whose leading Republicans are battling with the EPA, for one example, it will be especially interesting to see whether he defends–or runs away from–his record as one of Dallas’ “greenest” mayors ever.
