2010: Bill White's No Truther

There’s one sure-fire lesson to be taken from the recently ended primary battle in Texas.  When it comes to the position of governor, 9/11 “Truthers” — those that believe the U.S. government may have been involved in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City — need not apply.

Late in the primary campaign, gubernatorial candidates Debra Medina and Democrat Farouk Shami caught serious flack for appearing sympathetic to 9/11 truthers during television interviews — not a winning strategy.

When former Houston mayor and current Democratic gubernatorial nominee Bill White appeared on his KRLD’s “Behind the Headlines” show in Dallas today, host Scott Braddock put him through the red meat grinder on various issues, and he topped it all off by asking, “Are you a 9/11 truther?”  White’s short answer: “No.”

For the full audio, follow this link.  Some excerpts are below.

Here's where White stands on…

Abortion: “Along with Sen. Hutchison, I don’t think the Governor has any power to appoint the supreme court or to change Roe v. Wade, so, you know, that’s my view on it.  And there are some very personal life decisions that should be left to citizens and not to the government. Roe v. Wade is the law, and I’ll abide by that law, I’ll support that law.”

A Gay Marriage Ban: “I [voted against it] out of protest. I think we ought to have traditional marriage between a man and a woman, but frankly it was against the state statutes anyway and I think of it more as a wedge issue. I think politicians ought to spend a little bit more time thinking about on staying married themselves then on who marries who….I’ve never gotten up in the middle of the night, you know, just hoping the people in Austin would pass a law to prevent my wife from going off and marrying another woman.”

Houston’s Approach to Illegal Immigrants: “We have a more aggressive approach to illegal immigration than most other cities in the United States of America, including those within Texas…Immigrants arent somehow parachuted into the Dallas-Fort Worth area or Houston. They have to cross land on state jurisdiction...People feel very frustrated about the failure of federal immigration policies. They’re failed policies.”

Gun Control: “I am a full supporter of second amendment rights. I don’t think we should have changes in laws.”

Death Penalty: “Mr. Shami was simply incorrect in his assumption that many innocent people have been put to death. I would challenge anybody. Anybody. I think it would be a tragedy, and we have many, many steps in the process to avoid it. But if somebody tells our public and potential jurors out there that there’s been many innocent people been put to death, I’d ask them to name who they are and when.”

9/11 Truthers: “You know, it’s incredible to me. It really disrespects the sacrifice of so many people who tried to root out and get rid of Al Qaeda.”