Hutchison Again Breaks Promises To Texans

After Giving Fall Time Frame For Senate Resignation, Senior Senator Changes Mind Yet Again

TYLER—Hank Gilbert, Democratic Candidate for Texas Governor, Tuesday afternoon expressed little shock that U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison once again broke a promise to Texans.

“First she said she would resign in October or November. Now, she is saying she doesn’t know when or if she will resign. Texas voters could get more trustworthy answers from a Magic Eight Ball than from Senator Hutchison,” Gilbert said.

Gilbert also pointed out this wasn’t the first promise Hutchison had broken to Texas voters, and that it probably won’t be her last. Gilbert noted that Hutchison, when first elected to the United States Senate in 1993, promised to only serve two terms. Hutchison is presently in her third term in the U.S. Senate.

“First she said she’d serve two terms and leave the Senate. Now she is going back on her word about resigning. Is there any promise Kay Bailey Hutchison won’t break for the sake of personal convenience,” Gilbert asked.

“In my experience, your word should be your bond. Evidently Senator Hutchison has been in Washington so long that she doesn’t remember that a Texan’s word is a Texan’s bond,” Gilbert said.

“If she is breaking her promises now, what do Texans have to look forward to if she becomes governor but more broken promises,” Gilbert continued.
Additionally, Gilbert said Hutchison’s claim that she wanted to stay in the Senate long enough to fight President Obama’s health care plan was bad for Texans.

“If you take what Senator Hutchison says for what it really means, our senior United States Senator is telling Texans that she wants to stay in the Senate solely because she wants to make sure that Texans see no improvement in healthcare whatsoever. Staying in office to maintain the status quo is not a good reason to stay in office. Texans are sick and tired of the status quo. All Hutchison wants to do is stay in office in order to maintain the status quo of a sick system that is failing the 47 million Americans without health insurance, but benefitting her donors from the insurance industry,” Gilbert said.

FACT SHEET

Kay Bailey Hutchison: More Waffles Than Waffle House

Tuesday’s flip-flopping by U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison isn’t the first time she’s changed her position for personal convenience.

Hutchison’s most famous flip-flop came on the issue of term limits.

In 1993, Hutchison told the Dallas Morning News:

Ms. Hutchison said senators should be restricted to two six-year terms.

Mr. Krueger said he would voluntarily serve only two terms but would not support mandatory limits.

Ms. Hutchison said, “I believe our founding fathers were right in maintaining that we should have citizen legislators, people who work for a living, who live with the taxes, who live with the mandates, who go to Washington and do service and come back to live with the laws that they passed.” (Dallas Morning News, May 22, 1993)

Senator Hutchison also agreed to sign a pledge to limit herself to two terms. (Hotline, January 14, 1993)

Even after securing her first full term in the U.S. Senate, Hutchison was singing the same tune:

Hutchison said her re-election was a mandate for her to return to Washington  to fight for a balanced budget amendment, tax breaks for homemakers, fewer  regulations for small business owners, a strong national defense, and term  limitations.

“I’ve always said that I would serve no more than two  full terms. This may be my last term or I could run for one more. But no more after that. I firmly believe in term limitations and I plan to adhere to that,” Hutchison said. (Austin American-Statesman, November 9, 1994)

Hutchison says she decided to break her pledge because it was “what [she] think[s] is best for Texas.” (Dallas Morning News, October 19, 2006)

Senator Hutchison also co-sponsored a Term-Limits Constitutional Amendment, not once, but twice. (S.J. Res. 16, 105^th Congress, 1^st Session; S.J. Res. 21, 104^th Congress, 1^st Session)

Senator Hutchison previously said she’d resign early because it was the best thing for Texas. (Associated Press, October 16, 2007)