UNDER THE DOME
Gilbert picks fight with What's-his-name
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Gilbert points a finger at What's-his-name rival
We've seen Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison trade barbs as they prepare to face off in the GOP gubernatorial primary next year. Now, a fight has broken out on the Democratic side.
 Bryan Rockett Hank Gilbert  Ralph Barrera/AMERICAN-STATESMAN Tom Schieffer |
Hank Gilbert, a Tyler-area rancher who ran for agriculture commissioner in 2006, accused fellow Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Tom Schieffer of stealing his education ideas this week.
Gilbert's concern centers on Schieffer's remarks about prekindergarten, dropout prevention and vocational education during a visit to a University of Texas at Arlington class Tuesday that was documented in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Gilbert said Schieffer's copycatting was "glaringly obvious."
"He didn't just think of these remarks," Gilbert alleged.
But a Schieffer spokesman said the former state lawmaker and U.S. ambassador from Fort Worth has been addressing such issues for months.
"Improving public education has been his No. 1 priority from the beginning of his campaign," spokesman Clay Robison said. "He was talking about attacking high dropout rates and expanding early childhood education when Hank Gilbert was still talking about running for agriculture commissioner."
Gilbert's campaign sent a document to reporters that accuses Schieffer of "hijacking" Gilbert proposals. The name of the document wasn't subtle: "SCHIEFFER_HIT."
The document laid out examples, including a claim that Schieffer's remarks about early childhood education as quoted in the Star-Telegram sounded like Gilbert's prepared remarks for a press event Monday in Amarillo.
Schieffer said: He wants more Texas children enrolled in early childhood development programs starting at age 3 because that will improve their chances of graduating from high school.
Gilbert said: "Because the foundation of good students is quality education in the early years of childhood, I'm proposing universal prekindergarten statewide by 2013."
Surely Gilbert didn't invent prekindergarten or dropout prevention. How could he be so sure that Schieffer was copying him?
"Look at the quotes that he used ... in his rollout," Gilbert said. "They're nowhere to be found on his Web site. As far as we know, he doesn't even have an education plan."
Gilbert also referred to Tom Schieffer twice as "Ted Schieffer."
"If I did, I'm mistaken," Gilbert said. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget names."
— Corrie MacLaggan
