Mikal Watts’s Poor Responses

Recently Democracy For Texas sent U.S. Senate democratic challengers Rick Noriega and Mikal Watts a questionnaire for possible endorsement. In reading the responses, I was less than impressed with Mikal Watts. Some of his responses were bloated and missing the point, vague and many of his answers provide zero solution, options or a platform. Here are a few of Watt’s poor responses:

Do you support universal health care?

Yes. I believe that it is the moral issue of our day and should be the first priority of the new administration and the new Congress.

Thats an easy way of saying I have no idea what the hell to do with this question.

Do you favor limits on Roe vs. Wade?

My position is that I’m opposed to abortion except in cases of rape and incest, and when the life of the mother is at risk. However, I do not believe in slippery slopes and I think what President Bush and Senator Cornyn have done on stem-cell research is very unfortunate, and I fully support stem-cell research.

This sounds like there is a religious foundation to his answer which I have a problem with. I am really tired of politicians bringing their religious beliefs to Congress.

Would you vote to confirm a nominee for Supreme Court who refuses to answer questions regarding his or her beliefs about women’s reproductive rights?

I will vote to confirm justices who meet the highest standards of professional qualifications, judicial temperament, and respect for rights conveyed by the Constitution. I would not vote for a nominee lacking in those qualifications no matter their views on a particular issue, and I would not vote against a nominee with exemplary qualifications because they did not answer a question on a specific issue. Ruth Bader Ginsberg, for instance, did not answer some of the specific questions posed to her on reproductive rights, and I would have voted to confirm her.

I find Watts answer acceptable but I don’t find it honest. Watts has been known in the past for giving contributions to judges with hopes of getting favorable rulings from them. While his answer is thoughtful, I wonder how Watts would vote if one of the contributions came up for nomination.

Do you favor the extension of all job-related benefits that are granted to traditional couples to domestic partners and same-sex couples?

Yes. While I do not favor federal recognition of gay marriages, I believe that all couples should have legal protections provided by civil union statutes against discrimination in and out of the work place. In addition, I favor passage of the Federal Hate Crimes Bill.

I suppose Watts put his view of the Federal Hate Crimes Bill to balance his view of gays as second class. Clever!

Who are you? Why should we like you?

I am someone who has spent his entire professional life fighting on behalf of regular Texans who couldn’t fight for themselves. I have taken on some of the biggest corporations in the world–and I have won. I achieved justice for my clients who were wronged by goliath corporations who cared more about the bottom line than they did about treating people fairly. But more importantly, together with others, I was successful at getting millions of defective products off the market and we are safer for it. I will take that same passion and commitment to the United States Senate and fight for justice and fairness for every Texan.

This answer tells me absolutely nothing. It’s a script used by all litigation attorneys’ that I have either worked with or know. Send this question back for a real answer!

For me the questionnaire was very telling about Mikal Watts. Maybe he should just consider getting out of the run for Cornyn’s seat since Texas needs a serious Senator for all Texans. We have had six years of vague and self promoting politics from John Cornyn and Watts‘s answers seem to be along the same lines.

Mikal Watts Responses

Original article: Mikal Watts’s Poor Responses

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