Senate District 10 Tea Party Republican candidate Konni Burton failed this basic test of integrity.
In a debate with her centrist Democratic opponent, Libby Willis, which aired Sunday on KXAS Channel 5, Burton flatly lied by denying that she had publicly stated her opposition to a budget to restore most of a massive $5 billion cut in Texas public schools.
The issue arose when Libby Willis pressed Burton to explain her opposition to the 2013 budget which included funds to restore money previously cut from neighborhood schools. Rather than explain her position honestly, Burton clutched and denied having ever expressed an opinion on the issue. She said:
Lone Star Project video exposes Burton’s lie
Actually, Konni Burton has gone on record very publicly making it clear that she would have voted against the budget that restored billions in education funding, thus leaving over $5 billion in public schools cuts in place.
Lone Star Project video recorded Burton speaking before a Tea Party Republican gathering in April. Burton was asked if she would have supported a budget that restored some funding to neighborhood schools, she adamantly stated twice that she would have voted against the bill.
Now we know why Burton doesn’t want her comments recorded
Burton’s dishonest debate performance explains why she doesn’t like to have a record made of her public statements. A few weeks ago Konni Burton posted a social media rant complaining about her remarks being video-taped. She even complained to her donors in a special email after a Lone Star Project staffer attended a public event and recorded Burton’s remarks.
Character matters
Senate District 10 is a swing district with a core group of hardline, confrontational and divisive Tea Party Republican activists who serve as the ground forces for Konni Burton’s campaign. Burton herself was an early Tea Party organizer, and her out-of-the mainstream views are relatively well known.
Konni Burton’s decision to lie is a reflection of her character that is much more damning than her out of touch Tea Party policy positions.
Burton has every right to hold the harsh, divisive views she expresses to her Tea Party Republican followers. However, when she appears before a broader audience with a more reasonable mind-set, she cannot deny holding or expressing her extreme positions.