Craig James considering run for US Senate

[ouduckhunter]

Fox News ticker reporting that Craig James would consider a run for the US Senate in Texas to take over Kay Bailey Hutchison's seat.

Hope that his first stop on the old campaign trail isn't in Lubbock!

Boomer!!

[Leroy Lizard]

Even though he has never formally been linked to the SMU scandal, a lot of voters will assume he has. This could hurt him.

[VA Sooner]

Yes... the past will be linked to him, unfairly or fairly.

If you're playing with fire and may be losing it all, might as well roll the dice and take the chance.

[BajaOklahoma]

He is delusional if he thinks he can run and win.
I have yet to meet anyone down here who thinks CJ handled this well.

[Leroy Lizard]

He can always rely on the "concerned parent" angle. That would play well with the soccer moms. In fact, I think the Leach incident helps him more than hurts him if he plays it right.

[sooner59]

Oh I see. For the James family, it had nothing to do with Leach's treatment of Adam. It was all about making their family look like a victim so the public would feel sympathy for them and elect him to Senate. This shocks me about 0%. He is likely a a liar who uses whatever means he has at his disposal to further his own interests.

HE WOULD BE PERFECT FOR POLITICS!!!

[auto]

That asshat will not play well with anybody that a set in Texas, I hope he gets his *** womped.:D

[Leroy Lizard]

Oh I see. For the James family, it had nothing to do with Leach's treatment of Adam. It was all about making their family look like a victim so the public would feel sympathy for them and elect him to Senate.

You know what? You might have something there.

[Leroy Lizard]

Think about it. There is really nothing you could ask him about the Leach incident that would trip him up on the campaign trail. I see it as nothing but a bonus for him. (Not saying that it should be.)

So you're at a town hall meeting and you want to trip up Craig James about the Leach incident. What would you ask him?

[Leroy Lizard]

After thinking about it longer, Craig James is the Republican Party's dream candidate.

Ex-athlete in good shape and good looking? Check.
Well-spoken? Check.
Concerned about kids? Check.

He's got the soccer mom vote. He's the 2010 version of Bill Clinton.

[sooner59]

Good God, its gonna be Palin/James 2012!!!

I knew those damn Mayans knew something we didn't! :eek:

[Chuck Bao]

Yeah, I was really hoping that he'd be a Republican.

[Leroy Lizard]

Is he running as a Democrat (bad party) or Republican (good party)?

[auto]

Is he running as a Democrat (worse party) or Republican (bad party)?

FIFY:D

[Crucifax Autumn]

Well, he is a total asshat so he's qualified to run.

[sooner59]

Well, he is a total asshat so he's qualified to run.

Both parties would embrace him. Politics remind me of :texan:

[ouduckhunter]

Well, he is a total asshat so he's qualified to run.

Amen!

[Leroy Lizard]

Are you kidding? Craig James is a family man that loves his children so much that he had recently had to take on a rich, powerful coach to stop mistreatment of his son. And he did this at great risk to his own career, because to Craig James, family is more important than anything in the world.

After hearing of the abuses, the university fired this coach, helping make the athletic world safer for your children. Because Craig James doesn't think winning is everything.

Sorry, just warming up in case Craig offers me a job as his campaign advisor. :D

[CrimsonJim]

You're certainly qualified for that job. :rolleyes:

[Leroy Lizard]

Ooh, that could be taken many different ways.

[Flagstaffsooner]

texass has a reputation of electing the worlds biggest aholes.
http://stevecotler.com/tales/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/lbj.jpg

[SoonerMom2]

I hope he is a Democrat because I don't want the jerk running as a Republican for Texas Senate. He loses all of West Texas, the Aggie vote, and conservatives especially football fans. Wonder if he would be Mack's candidate as Mack loves ESPN.

I much prefer Michael Williams, Texas Railroad Commissioner for Senate. Love hearing him speak and he has done a very good job as Railroad Commissioner in TX -- conservative, honest, and not from ESPN. BTW Railroad Commission is over oil and gas in Texas.

[Piware]

Kay Bailey Hutchinson has already said she won't give up her seat until after the GOP Primary so he might want to wait to see if there is a vacancy..

While his recent display of idiotic behavior and the corruption at SMU certainly give him the credentials in the Senate, I think Mike Leach would stand a better chance of being elected than CJ. Maybe ESPN has told him to start looking for "other opportunities".

[bluedogok]

I know of one Tech alum that wouldn't vote for him....

[Leroy Lizard]

I give up. Who?

[Speer]

After thinking about it longer, Craig James is the Republican Party's dream candidate.

Ex-athlete in good shape and good looking? Check.
Well-spoken? Check.
Concerned about kids? Check.

He's got the soccer mom vote. He's the 2010 version of Bill Clinton.

I'm a Republican and I would not vote for the SOB.

[SoonerMom2]

I picked this link up on Fox Sports which puts a new spin on everything! I am a Republican and wouldn't vote for James for dog catcher.

Swiftboat PR Firm Repping James Against Leach
Posted by Brooks on Jan. 08, 2010, 2:43pm

Yesterday Craig James announced that he is considering a run for the U.S. Senate in Texas if Kay Bailey Hutchinson vacates her Senate seat to take over as Governor of Texas. Assisting James in the release of the news was a Dallas company called Spaeth Communications.

I’ve recently learned that Spaeth was also responsible for the release of the cellphone video Adam James took of himself in an attempt to damage the credibility of former Texas Tech Coach Mike Leach.

(snip)

(Did Spaeth tell Adam James to record video after the fact?) Video

(snip)

Prominent Texas Tech alumni and media sources have told me the past week that Spaeth Communications allegedly played an integral role in the firing of Mike Leach. In addition to the video of Adam James that Spaeth circulated to the media, I’ve heard growing sentiment that Spaeth was behind much of the anonymously-sourced information about Adam James’ alleged plight reported by the media.

http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/swiftboat-pr-firm-repping-james-against-leach-27573

[Crucifax Autumn]

Wow...That could be pretty damning.

[SoonerMom2]

Leach's lawyer could have a field day with this one especially if the James kid used his cell phone to take a movie AFTER the event.

[Leroy Lizard]

Assuming all this is correct, what was Spaeth Communication's motive? Publicity? Hatred of Leach?

[Crucifax Autumn]

Maybe CJ hired them.

[Leroy Lizard]

Here is the full article. There are some statements that were snipped that I found interesting:


If you’re a political junkie, Spaeth Communications might ring a bell. More likely, you’ve heard the term “swiftboating,” which is derived from a p.r. campaign led by Spaeth CEO Merrie Spaeth to damage the 2004 presidential candidacy of John Kerry.

Prominent Texas Tech alumni and media sources have told me the past week that Spaeth Communications allegedly played an integral role in the firing of Mike Leach. In addition to the video of Adam James that Spaeth circulated to the media, I’ve heard growing sentiment that Spaeth was behind much of the anonymously-sourced information about Adam James’ alleged plight reported by the media.

I have contacted Spaeth Communications about those accusations and am awaiting a reply.

That sentiment though doesn’t necessarily jibe with what ultimately resulted from the James vs. Leach confrontation. Though the James family effectively got Leach fired, Craig James’ reputation was dragged through the mud during the ordeal, and it is now safe to assume that if he runs for office he won’t be getting many votes from Texas Tech fans.

James has been considering a political career for some time now, well before what happened at Texas Tech. For that reason, I personally believe Craig James called in Spaeth after the Tech situation blew up, to help damage control his reputation and help preserve his viability as a political candidate. As a conservative, it’s also a natural for James to have Spaeth represent him as he ponders a political career.

But with Spaeth now repping James, he’s not only alienated Texas Tech fans and many more West Texas residents, but democrats who objected to tactics used by Merrie Spaeth in the Swift Boat Veterans vs. John Kerry saga.

Of course, Texas is a solidly conservative state, but James has considerably less support today than he would’ve had just three weeks ago.

Again, I’ve contacted Spaeth Communications for a response on its role with the James Family and expect to have more to the story shortly. I’ve also contacted ESPN for a response from Craig James about the role of Spaeth in the James family complaint to Tech.

[Flagstaffsooner]

Is Spaeth Com run by Brent Spaeth? If it is I've got all kinds of dirt on him.

[Sabanball]

I'm to the right of Sarah Palin and Pat Robertson, and I wouldn't vote for him.

The whole TT situation has taken away any credibility that Craig would have otherwise had.

[bluedogok]

I saw another article on SbB that was link to the link above that was interesting.

SPORTSbyBROOKS - Texas Tech: Leach Firing Causes Academic Cuts (http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/tech-faces-academic-cuts-because-of-leach-firing-27574)

[Leroy Lizard]

I guess everyone has their priorities. I give to OU every year irrespective of what happens in the athletic department.

[SoonerMom2]

Thanks for posting the whole article. I am used to posting where you have to snip and do an excerpt. I didn't realize we didn't have to do that here.

[sooner59]

Hilarious. I knew it would bite Tech in the ***.

[sooner518]

Think about it. There is really nothing you could ask him about the Leach incident that would trip him up on the campaign trail. I see it as nothing but a bonus for him. (Not saying that it should be.)

So you're at a town hall meeting and you want to trip up Craig James about the Leach incident. What would you ask him?

"Explain to me why you feel that putting your son in a darkened room was a safety hazard."

Then I'd tell him he's an idiot and Im not voting for him

[Leroy Lizard]

"Explain to me why you feel that putting your son in a darkened room was a safety hazard."

What my son told me the coach at Tech did to him just enraged me, a caring father. I was a star athlete at SMU and endured all the physical and emotional stress that goes with football. As a former star player and television analyst for ESPN, I know football as much as anyone and I never heard of such a punishment. Now I ask all you mothers out there--if a man threw your son, who had just suffered a concussion, into a pitch black room for two hours and made him stand the entire time, how would that make you feel? Well, I'm standing up for the proper treatment of every son and daughter out there. It is time that parents fight back against the excesses of power-mad coaches. The next time your kid comes home telling you that their coach treated him cruelly, fight! Fight for your family. Fight like I did for my son.

[Leroyt]

The whole TT situation has taken away any credibility that Craig would have otherwise had.

As a former football player and espn analyst, I hope that "any credibility that cj would have had" politically means almost none?

[Leroy Lizard]

CJ should run for President.

[King Barry's Back]

Assuming all this is correct, what was Spaeth Communication's motive? Publicity? Hatred of Leach?

Sounds like they were paid. And I'll take a great leap of speculation here -- but I think C James has probably been paying them for some time to help him "prepare the field" for his Senate run. And that Spaeth may have manufactured this whole deal because those idiots think it will help C James's political standing. :roll eyes:

I've never seen a candidate come out of nowhere, make a big name for himself during a MAJOR SCANDAL, and then actually announce that he was running for a really big office while the scandal was STILL GOING ON.

C James has done really irreparable damage to himself as a candidate and if I was advising him, I'd tell him to forget it.

I mean, it's not impossible, just really, really unlikely.

One of the major problems in politics is that rich guys like James go hire consultants, and the consultants then don't give honest advice, because that advice means the consultants don't get paid anymore.

Again, mostly speculation, but this looks very much like the consultants drove this whole thing to kick off the Craig James campaign -- which is a) almost suicidally stupid, and b) badly timed - he has announced that he is considering a run when Sen Hutchinson may not even be leaving? WTF?

I don't think Spaeth knows what they are doing.

[King Barry's Back]

I saw another article on SbB that was link to the link above that was interesting.

SPORTSbyBROOKS - Texas Tech: Leach Firing Causes Academic Cuts (http://www.sportsbybrooks.com/tech-faces-academic-cuts-because-of-leach-firing-27574)

That's exactly how ADs and Chancellors get themselves fired. Fire the greatest coach in the history of the school, only one year removed from the best season that Tech will ever have, and do it all in order to try to hire a guy away from BAYLOR!!! (and fail!)

I am guessing the Tech admin was watching what happened at KU, but failed to factor in that the Jayhawk fanbase doesn't care about football. Texans do.

Craig James just brought down the biggest scandal in TX college ball in, what, 10 years or so? And he thinks he's going to get elected to the Senate?

Kind of reminds me of David Walters still popping his head up from time to time.

[King Barry's Back]

What my son told me the coach at Tech did to him just enraged me, a caring father. I was a star athlete at SMU and endured all the physical and emotional stress that goes with football. As a former star player and television analyst for ESPN, I know football as much as anyone and I never heard of such a punishment. Now I ask all you mothers out there--if a man threw your son, who had just suffered a concussion, into a pitch black room for two hours and made him stand the entire time, how would that make you feel? Well, I'm standing up for the proper treatment of every son and daughter out there. It is time that parents fight back against the excesses of power-mad coaches. The next time your kid comes home telling you that their coach treated him cruelly, fight! Fight for your family. Fight like I did for my son.


This story is already spun. C James is about 10 media cycles too late to turn it to his advantage.

The typical TX football fan -- which includes most women in that state -- has already decided that C James is a whiny-girl dad who tried to use his influence to get special treatment for his son. And in a populist and independent state like TX, I don't know if there is very much that C James could have done to build resentment for himself more than seeking special favors for his son. In football! Where performance (C James knows) should be the only criteria, and in a sport sacred in the state of TX.

Texans also believe that this quest for special treatment eventually led to James having some kind of wildly inappropriate relationship with the Tech AD, which was PROBABLY intended as another step in seeking special treatment, and MAY HAVE BEEN a naked effort to get Leach fired.

And you think that doing another whiny-pants girly dance "I was protecting my son" is gonna fly? EVERYBODY, even you Leroy, already thinks that C James was GOING TO FAR in protecting his son.

If James wants to run, he better freaking back off on the "protecting the son" theme and try to spin himself into a "respecting the coach" type father.

But it's too late for that. The story is already spun.

[Crucifax Autumn]

Yep. Other than everyone associated with whorn football, texass as a state isn't too fond of pussies.

[Leroy Lizard]

This story is already spun. C James is about 10 media cycles too late to turn it to his advantage.

You vastly underestimate the power of the microphone. If Craig James is savvy, he could easily turn this to his advantage.

What mother wouldn't be stirred by the scenario I painted? They don't scour the Internet looking for the real story like many sports fans. They know what they media lets them hear.


The typical TX football fan -- which includes most women in that state -- have already decided that C James is whiny-girl dad who tried to use his influence to get special treatment for his son.

Not even close. Soccer moms are not Internet sports geeks like us. They don't follow the story like we do.

Once CJ gets the microphone, he will have the advantage. If he has the political skills, he can turn it around easily.


And you think that doing another whiny-pants girly dance "I was protecting my son" is gonna fly?

ABSOLUTELY!

Man, where have you been in American politics? A scandal like the Tech affair is nothing.


EVERYBODY, even you Leroy, already thinks that C James was GOING TO FAR in protecting his son.

So? These are soccer moms. They go too far also. Do you think that the modern parent is going to react negatively to an overprotective parent?


If James wants to run, he better freaking back off on the "protecting the son" theme and try to spin himself into a "respecting the coach" type father.

As a typical voter, I don't give a rat's *** about Leach and Tech. I'm a Horn fan (or an SMU fan, or a Baylor fan, or not a fan at all). I care about my kids.

We care about this because we are football animals. That isn't the typical voter, not even in Texas.

[sooner59]

I was never a fan of soccer (or hockey) moms. Just sayin.

[King Barry's Back]

You vastly underestimate the power of the microphone. If Craig James is savvy, he could easily turn this to his advantage.

What mother wouldn't be stirred by the scenario I painted? They don't scour the Internet looking for the real story like many sports fans. They know what they media lets them hear.



Not even close. Soccer moms are not Internet sports geeks like us. They don't follow the story like we do.

Once CJ gets the microphone, he will have the advantage. If he has the political skills, he can turn it around easily.



ABSOLUTELY!

Man, where have you been in American politics? A scandal like the Tech affair is nothing.



So? These are soccer moms. They go too far also. Do you think that the modern parent is going to react negatively to an overprotective parent?



As a typical voter, I don't give a rat's *** about Leach and Tech. I'm a Horn fan (or an SMU fan, or a Baylor fan, or not a fan at all). I care about my kids.

We care about this because we are football animals. That isn't the typical voter, not even in Texas.

Leroy,

Most voters are not internet sports geeks -- which means they heard about three or four facts about this story:

1. TXans already liked Mike Leach and his daffy/slighly controversial personality.
2. Leach got fired over his treatment of somebody's kid.
3. The dad had been inappropriately calling to get his kid special treatment.
4. There's been a lot whining since then.

Most OK/TX folks are going to interpret that as "big, mean network Big Cheez was pushing people around to screw other people's children out of what they earned. Bet he would try to screw my son out of playing time, too."

Leroy, I am 99% certain that, if CJ does public polling, he will see those results among most people. That is the public perception that he will have to overcome. This scandal has been a big negative to his political ambitions, and -- since he is introducing himself to the voters and this is really all they know about him (except I guess sports geeks) -- he is not starting at zero. He is starting in negative territory.

The problem with the strategy you outline is that, if CJ goes on TV to whine about "protecting my boy," this will REMIND voters that while he was protecting his own rich, privileged son -- he was trying to screw over their own sons. While protecting a concussed son may be explainable, doing so will bring up the other stuff -- which I think he can't afford to have out there.

If I was working for him (which I wouldn't because I think he doesn't stand a chance in TX), I'd tell him to get off of this IMMEDIATELY. His only chance is for the voters to forget about all the Tech stuff, but then again, they won't. Not this year. SO that's why I don't think he stands a chance of being elected in TX.

This is not the same as Bill Clinton and Monica-gate. Clinton was already well-known, and already had built up political alliances, and was in a position to reward friends and punish enemies -- he was the President of the United States.

CJ is a complete novice, and is pretty well unknown. I just don't think he can break into politics on the back of this scandal. Not in TX. Not in this year.

Now, he might be able to exploit technicalities, or the field might empty, etc. Under the right conditions, anybody COULD get elected.

BUT, this whole thing has been handled so clumsily -- purely politically speaking -- that I just can't believe his campaign team would be deft enough to exploit any openings that might develop. (Somewhat clumsy to announce intention to consider running before it is clear there will be a race, EXTREMELY clumsy to announce DURING a major scandal that has no positives for you, and if he intentionally stirred up the scandal because he thinks it will be good for him politically, then that is incompetence of the highest order.)


And make no mistake, a US Senate seat is hugely important. Especially in the No 2 state. He will almost certainly be running against top notch opponents, who will be well funded, and the other party (I don't even know what party CJ is in) will go ALL OUT big money, heavy-hitter media folks, etc. CJ just has no chance to slide in unnoticed. This race will be an intensely watched national contest.

And, beyond all that, I just don't think that TX is very forgiving about football.

Well, good luck to him.

[Leroy Lizard]

I think we both agree that it depends on his competition. Also, he is a political novice, which works against him. If this was a House seat, he would have a better chance, no doubt.

I don't think he gets elected either on account of the above. I just don't think that the average voter really cares enough about the Tech deal to make a difference. The voter may have his or her grumblings, but all he needs to do is flash the baby blues and talk nicey nicey and it won't be a factor.

What is the constituent base for Craig? Plano suburbanites with SUVs. The folklore that Texas women shoot their own food is a myth; it is as suburban as California.

Schwarzenegger had a LOT of dirt on him, including some very shabby treatment of women on the set that he even admitted. Women voted for him in droves because he was famous, in great shape, good looking, and had that winning smile.

It's all about charm. If you have it, you can get through anything. How many politicians do you know that would never have been elected if it wasn't for their charm?

And I think it sucks that it's this way. Does CJ have the charm? Well, I can almost guarantee you that he will have tons more than his opponent. I just don't think it will matter because he just isn't Senate material.

[sooner518]

What my son told me the coach at Tech did to him just enraged me, a caring father. I was a star athlete at SMU and endured all the physical and emotional stress that goes with football. As a former star player and television analyst for ESPN, I know football as much as anyone and I never heard of such a punishment. Now I ask all you mothers out there--if a man threw your son, who had just suffered a concussion, into a pitch black room for two hours and made him stand the entire time, how would that make you feel? Well, I'm standing up for the proper treatment of every son and daughter out there. It is time that parents fight back against the excesses of power-mad coaches. The next time your kid comes home telling you that their coach treated him cruelly, fight! Fight for your family. Fight like I did for my son.
That was a great job evadin the question. You should go into politics. Haha.

[TUSooner]

I think LL underestimates soccer moms. I've been around 'em for 10+ years. While some are definitely of the Barbie class (cute, plastic, & dumb) most of 'em are pretty serious about sports, especially if they have stayed with the game past the pee-wee stage.

[soonerinabilene]

i wonder what his stance on GITMO is...

[unbiasedtruth]

or if he will come out of the closet and admit he was receiving improper benefits at SMU like everyone back in the day knew he was....

[bluedogok]

I don't think Spaeth knows what they are doing.
Well, they got paid and that may be all they care about.


What is the constituent base for Craig? Plano suburbanites with SUVs. The folklore that Texas women shoot their own food is a myth; it is as suburban as California.
If he was running for a Congressional seat out of a metro area I might agree with you but since a Senate seat is a statewide election, he would need more than Plano soccer moms, I think we all know that he can pretty much write of a large chunk of West Texas and the Panhandle as those are the areas tied closest to Tech. I know quite a few women who hunt, camp, fish, etc. and some of those are soccer/cheerleading moms, the ones that I know live in the Austin metro area. Once you get outside of the major metro areas you find that much more common and they tend to vote more often than the metro areas, I don't think he could get past the primary with all the skeletons in his closet, you can bet opponents will bring up his SMU days in the mudslinging and to most football fans here they won't take too kindly to it.

[SoonerMom2]

Would say you could also write off a lot of Texas Hill Country since a lot of those high schools have coaches coming out of Midland/Odessa and were Tech grads. A lot of band directors came from Tech in the area. They love football as our stands were always filled unless we played a San Antonio school. Friday night football starts the weekend off. We lived in a town pretty evenly divided between A&M and UT people with some parents telling their kids -- it is Tech, Baylor, or the local college UTSA which is now going into football after UT finally released their hold on them having football. Another reason not to like UT as if I needed another reason.

Love living in Norman a whole lot better then being around A&M/UT fans. Thank you BRAC for closing Kelly AFB.

[TooSoon]

What mother wouldn't be stirred by the scenario I painted? They don't scour the Internet looking for the real story like many sports fans. They know what they media lets them hear.





I'm a mother. I live in Dallas and I know a lot of mothers. I know grads from every major Texas University and I have not spoken to ONE person who feels that Craig James was justified in his actions. Not ONE. This subject came up at a big party and not one person there spoke up for Craig James. In fact, the sentiments expressed there regarding Adam and his father pretty much mirror most of those seen here.

[SoonerLB]

He DOES have a couple attributes that qualify him for the Senate, he knows how to take money under the table and is adept at smooching whichever posteriors it takes to get him what he wants.

[Leroy Lizard]

I'm a mother. I live in Dallas and I know a lot of mothers. I know grads from every major Texas University and I have not spoken to ONE person who feels that Craig James was justified in his actions. Not ONE. This subject came up at a big party and not one person there spoke up for Craig James. In fact, the sentiments expressed there regarding Adam and his father pretty much mirror most of those seen here.

Just about every politician that runs for office has issues that should, and I emphasize "should," keep him or her from getting elected. People have done far worse than Craig. But they got elected. Everyone's rage somehow magically disappears inside the voting booth.

Schwarzenegger groped women on the set, and then admitted it. And in a state that is probably as feminist in the country, he wins election twice. Which counties voted for Schwarzenegger? The top-10 counties most favoring Schwarzenegger were in feminist North California. He even beat out his challengers in ultra-feminist Humboldt County.

When it comes down to voting, people tend to side with those that give a good impression. Eight months from now no one is going to care about the Leach incident. Still, he won't win.

Found a great quote btw: "Larry Flynt: His voting base of porn fans has long abandoned magazines in favor of Internet smut and will prove limp at the polls. His only hope is to sell his soul and I don't think the Devil does refinancing. "

[TooSoon]

I don't know about that; at least in Dallas, people have a pretty long memory regarding Craig James. My impression has always been that he is not well regarded.

[Leroyt]

One note: Mike Leach has been on the cover of Texas Monthly. CJ, not so much. I'd say Leach has more name recognition. Also, noticed that the Cardinals deep snapper is mike leach. Maybe he's already gotten a job and din't tell anybody?:D

[bluedogok]

Leach was also in an episode of Friday Night Lights this season talking about finding your inner pirate.

[Leroy Lizard]

So Adam James was really looking for his inner pirate inside a dark shed.