Sanchez runs from debates and from WorldPeace
"Less than an hour before Smith's statement (that Tony would run from the debates), Sanchez spokeswoman Michelle Kucera told The Associated Press that Sanchez still wanted to do the two debates — one of them being a first-time event in which both candidates would be asked questions and respond in Spanish." (from the AP article below)
This statement regarding Tony's withdrawal from the debates is quite telling. The fact is that the night before, I had sent a letter to the defendants and their attorneys in my lawsuit to stop the Hispanic debates. (see below) That letter put an end to the Hispanic debates.
After Michelle Kucera made her statement and the Sanchez camp processed a copy of the letter (sent to info@sanchezcp.com), the Sanchez camp frantically issued a statement that they were canceling the debates. The reason they immediately issued this statement was to stop any potential press that I would get regarding the fact that I was the one who had stopped the debates.
When I filed the lawsuit and received statewide press, the Sanchez numbers dropped like a rock. Since they are running behind in the polls, regardless of what has been reported in the press, they could not afford another media coup by WorldPeace. Hence they had to jump in and say they canceled the debates before the press credited the cancellation to WorldPeace.
At any rate, the debates in Dallas on March 1 are still up in the air. They will probably take place as planned but without Sanchez; just like the debates this week in Beaumont and Laredo.
In addition, I wrote a followup letter to John C. Wander, Attorney with Vinson & Elkins, demanding that VE withdraw from representation of any of the Defendants in the lawsuit due to the fact that VE contributed $10,000 to Tony Sanchez's campaign in January. This contribution will make VE a witness (if not a coconspirator) in the lawsuit and consequently disqualify any of their attorneys from representing any of the defendants.
Disqualifying VE is probably a moot point because I have already accomplished my goal: The Hispanic only debates are dead. All the little king's horses and all the little king's men could not stop WorldPeace from ending the debates.
"Now go run and tell that!"
In the end WorldPeace
John WorldPeace
The next governor of Texas
No more corruption. No more Monicas.
God Bless Texas
February 17, 2002
_________________
Sanchez campaign says it won't debate Morales
02/16/2002
By BADGER / The Associated Press Dallas Morning News
SAN ANTONIO — Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Tony Sanchez on Saturday abruptly withdrew from any possible debates against his leading primary opponent, former attorney general Dan Morales.
Campaign manager Glenn Smith said the decision to not share a stage with Morales is final.
"This is it," he said from Austin. "I can no longer take the bad-faith style and actions of that campaign."
...
Less than an hour before Smith's statement, Sanchez spokeswoman Michelle Kucera told The Associated Press that Sanchez still wanted to do the two debates — one of them being a first-time event in which both candidates would be asked questions and respond in Spanish.
But Morales responded that the true motivation of the Sanchez campaign was to hide their candidate from the scrutiny a debate would present.
....
Morales said he would appear at a televised gubernatorial debate scheduled Thursday in Laredo, one planned Friday in Beaumont and a March 1 event in Dallas. He said he would continue to pound on Sanchez even in abstentia.
"I hope there's an empty lectern and an empty chair with Mr. Sanchez's name on it," he said. "I'm going to smoke him out on the issues."
Kucera said Sanchez never had any plans to attend the Laredo or Beaumont debates.
(ap.state.online.tx 0550 02/16/2002 20:51:52 )
_______________________________
Sanchez sinks Demo debate
By Sherry Sylvester
San Antonio Express-News
Web Posted : 02/17/2002 12:00 AM
After a week of mudslinging in which Dan Morales tried to link him to the drug and terrorist trades, Tony Sanchez slammed the door Saturday on any debates in the Democratic gubernatorial race.
The Sanchez campaign announced that its candidate will not face off with Morales between now and the March 12 statewide primary.
"This is it," Sanchez campaign manager Glenn Smith said. "I can no longer take the bad-faith style and actions of that campaign."
Morales said he was not surprised by the move because he believes Sanchez's handlers never intended to let him go before the voters.
"They had a strategy to keep him out of a forum where his ignorance on state issues would be revealed," Morales said, adding that the Sanchez team is "scared to death."
Earlier in the day, Sanchez told a San Antonio meeting of Tejano Democrats and the Texas Coalition of Black Democrats that Morales' attacks are counterproductive for the party.
"Negative campaigning only helps the Republicans — maybe that's your objective," Sanchez said.
Morales had been pushing for debates since he entered the gubernatorial race in early January. Sanchez tentatively had agreed to two meetings — one in English and one in Spanish.
But on Friday, the Univision network dropped the offer to broadcast the Spanish-language debate, saying negotiations had broken down.
Emilio Nicolas, Telemundo vice president and general manager of KVDA-TV, said his network will not give up pushing for gubernatorial debates, adding that he already had spoken with Gov. Rick Perry, the likely Republican nominee, about an English-language debate before the November general election.
Pointing out that Democrats have been deeply divided before, Morales said he hopes Sanchez will reconsider his decision.
"Even Jim Mattox and Ann Richards were able to set their animosity aside and address the issues in a public forum," Morales said, referring to the bitter 1990 gubernatorial primary.
The breakdown in debate negotiations came at the end of a difficult day for Democrats when party activists working for Sanchez and Morales stopped pretending the primary campaign is a friendly fight.
Speaking Saturday to the joint gathering of about 300 Tejano and black party faithful at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel, state Sen. Gonzalo Barrientos, D-Austin, said Morales' attacks on Sanchez make it clear he "has no shame."
"We call him desperate Dan, defamatory Dan," Barrientos said.
Barrientos charged that Morales is jealous of Sanchez's business success. He also drew loud cheers when he attacked Morales' opposition to race-based preferences.
"We people of color have never wanted a fair deal, just one fair break," Barrientos said. "That's affirmative action."
Morales, the former attorney general, said scheduling conflicts kept him from the luncheon session, although he met with the endorsement committee early in the day.
The group overwhelmingly endorsed Sanchez, and Morales' supporters sat stone-faced as the crowd chanted "To-ny, To-ny, To-ny!" when Sanchez took the podium.
"This just shows what money can buy," said Morales supporter Clyde Doyal of Georgetown.
Morales told the San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board on Friday that Sanchez should have known about the laundering of drug money that occurred before his failed savings and loan was investigated in the 1980s.
Morales also charged that Sanchez's bank, International Bank of Commerce, had helped block stronger money-laundering regulations that could have stopped terrorists from bringing cash into the country. He said stronger laws might have prevented the events of Sept. 11.
Former Comptroller John Sharp, who reportedly engineered a potential Democratic 2002 "dream ticket" with Sanchez at the top and former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk as the U.S. Senate candidate, predicted Morales' attacks would backfire and Sanchez would win without a runoff.
"I think Morales has tried to blame everything from the quail shortage to the Sept. 11 attacks on Tony," said Sharp, who is unopposed for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor.
Kirk, U.S. Rep. Ken Bentsen, D-Houston, and schoolteacher Victor Morales, contenders for the party's U.S. Senate nomination, also addressed the group in San Antonio on Saturday. But feelings in that contest are much more cordial than in the gubernatorial race.
Party leaders, including State Chairwoman Molly Beth Malcolm, embraced all the contenders when they rose to speak. The gathering was equally split in its preferences, failing to issue a clear-cut endorsement to any Senate candidate.
Victor Morales, the Democratic nominee in 1996 against Republican Sen. Phil Gramm, drew cheers when he said some party insiders told him he hadn't paid his political dues.
"Talk about paying dues — teach school for 20 years," he said.
Kirk predicted Democrats would turn out next month and in November because they want change.
"Our motivation comes from losing the last two statewide elections," he said.
Bentsen specifically addressed two Democratic issues, health care and the patients' bill of rights.
State Rep. Ruth Jones McClendon, D-San Antonio, says she is optimistic the gubernatorial fight will not do lasting damage to the party.
"We're Democrats. After this is over, we'll all come together and sing 'Kumbaya,'" she said.
ssylvester@express-news.net
02/17/2002
___________________
Subj: WorldPeace's Hispanic Debate Lawsuit; update
Date: 2/15/02 10:44:17 PM Central Standard Time
From: JohnWrldPc
To: jwander@velaw.com, bpfister@express-news.net
To: budk@star-telegram.com, cclack@express-news.net
To: Clay.robison@chron.com, csanchez@statesman.com
To: dhiott@statesman.com, dmcneely@statesman.com
To: gigalink@airmail.net, gselby@swbell.net
To: indigo11153@yahoo.com, info@sanchezcp.com
To: jelizondo@statesman.com, jld@star-telegram.com
To: jmoore@danmorales.com, jmoritz@star-telegram.com
To: john.williams@chron.com, johnworldpeace@ev1.net
To: jroot@star-telegram.com, kherman@statesman.com
To: kurtycecole@yahoo.com, lcopelin@statesman.com
To: msac2@msn.com, onenet@lconn.com
To: pfikac@express-news.net, ramsey@texasweekly.com
To: rg.ratcliffe@chron.com, sattlesey@dallasnews.com
To: ssylvester@express-news.net, vernwolter@yahoo.com
To: wselby@express-news.net, wslater@dallasnews.com
WorldPeace's Hispanic Debate Lawsuit; update
The following is a self explanatory letter from me to John C. Wander, Attorney at Law with Vinson & Elkins who represents several of the Hispanic debate promoters.
In the end WorldPeace
John WorldPeace
The next governor of Texas
No more corruption. No more Monicas.
God Bless Texas
February 15, 2002
________________
John WorldPeace, Attorney at Law
2620 Fountainview #106
Houston, Texas 77057
Tel. 713-784-7618
Fax. 713-784-9063
February 15, 2002
John C. Wander, Attorney at Law via email at jwander@velaw.com
Re: No. 2002-03570; WorldPeace v. Telemundo et al; 333rd Dist. Ct.;
Harris County, Texas
I did not receive a response to my query to you this morning regarding the Hispanic debates. Time is of the essence in this matter.
I am concerned that your clients and the other Defendants are going to try to proceed on with the illegal Hispanic debates. I reviewed the original KERA press release (see below) after I saw in the papers this morning that Sanchez and Morales had agreed to a March 1 debate.
Later, I found out that there was a top level meeting this morning regarding the debates. The idea seems to be to localize the KGNS-TV Laredo and KBMT-TV Beaumont debates which included all the gubernatorial candidates and then make an attempt to broadcast the Hispanic only debate statewide as originally planned. This is clearly an attempt to promote Sanchez and Morales.
The problem is still that there is no reason to exclude me from the debates other than the fact that I am White; which is unconstitutional. I have exceeded all the criteria that you sent me for participation in the debate. Your own client, WFAA-TV, broadcast that I was 9% in their poll (it is incorrect and low but sufficient). KERA's requirement is only 6%. As you know, I have met all the conditions outlined in Arkansas Educ. Television Comm'n v. Forbes, 523 US 666 (1998).
I understand that Sanchez, who had agreed to the March 1 debate with Morales, said that he would not participate if I was part of the debate. And there is the dilemma; run the debate without Sanchez or try to run a Hispanic only debate and stay tied up in the state and federal courts for the next two decades.
This letter will serve notice that I will be going into court at 9:00 am on February 25, 2002 to get a Temporary Restraining Order to stop the debates.
I have copied this letter to everyone in the lawsuit as well as KUVN-TV, the Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, the Texas Association of Broadcasters and the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas who have been added as Defendants in my Second Amended Original Petition.
I hope that your clients either call off their debate or allow me to participate. As you know, they have to make a decision no later than Tuesday in order to properly hype the March 1 debate.
I really don't know what the problem is. If Sanchez can't hold his own in a debate, then he shouldn't be governor. He is trying to buy the election with slick ads and the press running interference. The state needs a leader not a little guy who has spent the last 14 months running from all the other candidates like an elementary school sissy.
Very sincerely,
John WorldPeace
cc: All the Defendants via fax or email.
_________________
For press information:
Jerry Johnson, (214) 740-9216
Date: January 10, 2002
MEDIA PARTNERS TO PRESENT STATEWIDE BROADCAST DEBATES BETWEEN TEXAS GUBERNATORIAL, SENATORIAL CANDIDATES
January 10, 2002 - Media organizations from across the state have partnered together to sponsor hour-long debates between Democratic primary candidates for both the Texas gubernatorial race and the U.S. Senatorial race. The debates will originate from the KERA 13 studios in Dallas on Friday evening, March 1, 2002. Debate co-sponsors are: Texas Monthly, The Dallas Morning News, the Texas Association of Broadcasters, WFAA-TV, Univision affiliate KUVN, the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, Belo Interactive, TXCN, KERA 13 and KERA 90.1.
KERA has made contact with the two leading Democratic gubernatorial candidates, Tony Sanchez and Dan Morales. Both candidates have agreed in principle to participate in the debate, with details to be worked out later.
KERA has also made preliminary contacts with the leading Democratic U.S. Senate candidates, Ron Kirk and Ken Bentsen.
Formal invitations to both debates will be made this week. Additional candidates may be invited based on established debate criteria, which include the activity level of a candidate's campaign and level of public support.
The broadcast debates will feature real-time Spanish translations and real-time closed captioning and will be delivered via satellite as a public service to all Texas media interested in broadcasting the debates. KERA is committed to providing in-depth coverage of the issues of importance to North Texans. The station's award-winning programs have earned local and regional awards, including 2001 Katie Awards for radio and television coverage of the 2000 Presidential election.