Obama feels the heat, but little love, as Dems flee in Texas

AUSTIN, Tex.—Hundreds of people braved temperatures exceeding 100 degrees on Monday to send a message to President Obama: “Keep your hands off Texas.”

Hours after Obama visited the city for a Democratic fundraiser and a speech to University of Texas students, speaker after speaker at the Hands Off Texas rally contrasted Texas’ somewhat vibrant economy with a much bleaker national picture.

“The President wants to enact a liberal agenda in Texas by electing Democrats,” said Lathan Watts, Lewisville city councilman. Calling Texas an “inconvenient truth” for Obama, Lewis said state policies of low taxation, spending and regulation have helped Texas avoid the worst of the economic stress affecting most of the country.

Texas should reject the President’s agenda, said Watts. “Cap and trade will tax every light switch in America,” he said.

Speakers were gleeful that a number of Democratic candidates were campaigning elsewhere in the state and were not in Austin to join the President.

Jerry Patterson, the Texas Land Commissioner, said Democrats gave new meaning to “duck and cover.” When Obama came to Austin, the Democrats “ducked out of town and covered up the reason why.”