That's probably a good deal for Texas Democrats.

Perry is a lot more polarizing than Hutchinson is because he is going hard after the tea baggers and the evangelical Republicans. His base is the "crazy" vote, which should make him easier to beat. He's also a rural politician in a state that is rapidly becoming more urbanized politically.

It won't hurt that Perry has already been governor for ten years. That would be too long even if he had been a decent governor.

Now if the Texas Dems can just get organized and get out the vote ....

Why?

That "uninformed, uneducated majority" is the group of organized right-wing religious conservatives who took over the Texas Republican Party two decades ago and first elected Bush as governor. But they are a rural culture, the type who has been very important in Texas since the 30's.

The demographics of Texas are changing. Last November every major city in Texas except Fort Worth voted Democratic. Unfortunately, that was largely a result of the get-out-the-vote operation that resulted from the Democratic primary between Clinton and Obama. Most of those Democratic votes are pretty damned fickle, and Perry is depending on them sitting at home in 2010.

A combination of money, organization and national encouragement will change that. Perry will probably win the Republican primary. That's why Hutchinson hasn't resigned her Senate seat - little hope in the party primary. But the Democrats?

Given a decent Democratic candidate for Governor (a big question mark right now) next November will be a horse race for the first time since Ann Richards. Perry is generally not much liked except by the fringe, and he has made an ass of himself in the media by chasing the right-wing Republicans and the tea baggers.

The uninformed, uneducated voters may well go for Perry, but the potentially Democratic majority could stop him if given a decent alternative candidate and a reason to vote for the Democrat. They just have to be convinced to vote.

That's my opinion, anyway.