Tom Schieffer for Texas Governor

I asked Tom about his Democratic credentials – doesn’t bode well for him that he was George W. Bush’s ambassador to Australia and Japan, a former business partner and supporter. Stories of Tom Schieffer’s involvement in 43’s campaigns exaggerated, however. He acknowledged GWB is a friend and that they’d been business partners in the Texas Rangers. However, reports that he’d raised money for Bush’s political races evidently not correct; he did acknowledge he & Susanne max contributing to the races.

Schieffer says he has always voted in Democratic primaries, has always been a Democrat and accepted the ambassador appointments with the understanding that he’d remain a Democrat. He was one of the youngest ever elected Democrats to the Texas House (at 24yo) and served 3 terms. Ambassador Olson (Clinton’s Ambassador to Sweden and a yellow dog Texas Democrat) is Tom’s finance chair.

Tom Schieffer is very attunded to education. He offers that running for governor first occured to him while serving in Tokyo and realizing how badly Texas was losing out in a competitive workforce because of our poor investment in education. He’s a very strong believer in investment of tax dollars in early childhood development and public education.

if it doesn’t touch your heart, it ought to touch your head because it’s going to touch your wallet.

Education is the infrastructure of the modern world. We have to have early childhood education.

A good business climate is not just low taxes. It’s about a well-educated workforce.

You know it’s a great day when you share both breakfast and lunch with Doug Ulman and Marc Winkelman.

Others at dinner included Melanie Barnes, Crystal Cotti, Becky Beaver, Mary Margaret & Ray Farabee, Jean Rather, Amy & Kirk Rudy and just a few others (my mind is going soft – I think I have to stay home tonight).