When he was mayor, Tom Leppert’s Twitter account was just crazy boring, filled with safe non-opinions like “Dallas is great” and “Don’t you just love the Beatles?” and “Who else thinks breathing air ROCKS?” (may be slightly paraphrasing). Now that he’s running for senator*, his Twitter feed has switched gears and is now all about GENERIC RIGHT-WING TALKING POINT OF THE DAY (see?). Why does that work me up?
I wouldn’t care if I thought that’s what he actually believed in. Would I agree? No. Would we get into curse-filled (probably more on my side) arguments over some of his beliefs? Of course. But I would at least respect that he really had beliefs. (I’m probably laying it on a bit thick; of course I wouldn’t respect him, but I would sincerely want to try to.) What he’s been doing since he started making noise about running for the senate seat does not feel genuine in the slightest. It’s bad enough that his entire — well, I hesitate to use the word “entire,” since he’s a quitter, but anyway — his entire term as mayor now feels as though it was nothing more than a chance to fill out the stat sheet for what he’s doing now, so there would be B-roll footage, to use in campaign ads, of the Trinity project and the convention center hotel.
He is nothing more than Mr. Me Too. He is a walking retweet, to bring it back to his Twitter account.
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* I don’t know why all this is bothering me so much. I was generally neutral — or at least fairly close-mouthed — during Leppert’s abbreviated tenure as mayor. But something about his run for senator is just driving me crazy. I guess I just don’t like fake people, which is why Tim and I have such a tenuous working relationship. Or maybe I’m tired of another few months of the “I may look rich but my mom was poor” narrative. Am I jealous? I explored that, but the only thing I really envy is his side part because I was born with a head full of cowlicks and it just never really looks right. I don’t know. ANYWAY. I’m already sick of his campaign and it just started. I will promise you that I will not use this space to actively campaign for his rival. Unless somehow former Maverick Nick Van Exel actually meets the residency requirements to run, in which case, I would be helpless to stay away from his campaign. And really? I wouldn’t be worried then, because are you going to vote for a guy you’ve heard of for, like, three years, or the cockiest, guttiest guard in Mavs’ history, who helped the team to their second (first in 14 years) Western Conference Finals appearance, who almost singlehandedly did so at times, who appeared in a pretty great Jay-Z verse for his trouble, and who happens to be left-handed? That was rhetorical. COME ON, folks — try to stay with me. Van Exel jumps in and he’s running unopposed and you and I both know this. ANYWAY (AGAIN), I will try not to harp on every single thing he does. Leppert, that is.
8 comments
Seriously Zach, you believe a guy who was CEO of a company that built hotels, becoming the Mayor of Dallas and then deciding that “What this town really needs is a hotel” was genuine?
I don’t know how you stayed neutral on that one. Well I guess there are some that believe “No, it’s really going to help people” haha, right.
I look at it as a mission during his campaign to ensure that people (namely Republican people) understand that Leppert’s mindset is that ‘it is the governments business to be in the hotel business’. If that’s true… then what isn’t government’s business?
I know I am a libertarian, but I would like to think that even Republicans understand that was a complete and total scam on the people of Dallas.
And comparatively it makes thinking the government should be involved in Health Care seem like an Ayn Rand philosophy.
Ha, no, I never really thought he was genuine.
Leppert knows what is in the Caraway report. Leppert knew he had the votes to get Caraway replaced as mayor pro tem before he left. Leppert left Caraway in, and made him the mayor by resigning.
That’s more than enough for this Republican voter to go any other direction in the primary.
oh…Dwaine Caraway is getting way too much air time from me and many others.. what could be in the report that is worse than Lying to the Police Officer and the changing the story after he had wasted the officers time and took time away from someone that might need it.. I say make him payback all the money that trip cost the city/you/me.
That key is important but not as important as the lie….
Van Exel has my vote. (Take dat wit you.) Although, it wasn’t the Mavs’ first trip to the Western Conference finals. They also went in 1988.
And yeah, Leppert seems like a cut-and-paste Republican.
Right, David. The ’90s cleared that from my memory briefly.
Good point. *shudder* 11-71. Dear Lord, never again.
I get the vibe the city is feeling a collective dupe.