October 16, 2014      5:44 PM
Notes from the campaign trail - Ebola Edition
The local politics of Ebola, Battleground Texas to launch its last GOTV effort this cycle, and Perry’s federal account focuses spending in Iowa
While the Ebola
scare in North Texas dominates the news landscape in a way that edges
out almost every other story, there are a few political items worth passing
along to you on this Thursday afternoon.
The first is actually
about Ebola.
Dallas County
Commissioners are trying to figure out the best approach going forward and on Thursday
they decided not to declare a disaster, even though County Judge Clay Jenkins can declare one on his own
later if necessary.
Jenkins, a Democrat who is
up for reelection next month, was quoted in the Dallas
Morning News as saying “There hasn’t been a need to use
extraordinary powers or put people under some sort of special law.”
Jenkins’ handling of this crisis
is naturally under close scrutiny in his reelection bid after his polarizing decision
earlier this year to extend an invitation to immigrant children who had been
flooding across the border during the summer. The invitation ultimately was decided
to be unnecessary. Some, especially national commentators, saw Jenkins’
invitation as a rare act of compassion but many at home – particularly some
leaders in African-American neighborhoods in Dallas County, were not fans of the
idea.
The way local leaders (or any leaders really) handle these crises can be pivotal in their reelection efforts.
By Scott Braddock
|