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Post by 49ersfootball on May 30, 2021 13:14:32 GMT
COMING SOON..... Tuesday, November 2nd, 1982 Driskill Hotel, Austin, TX It was Tuesday night, November 2nd, 1982. Election Day across the Lone Star State, where 15.7 million Texans were casting their ballots in one of the nationally-watched Gubernatorial contests ever. For TX State Attorney General Mark Wells White, Jr., (D, who was considered by multiple political analysts & experts as a long-shot against the wealthy incumbent TX Governor William P. Clements, Jr., (R), who raised $13 million with heavy backing from President Ronald Reagan, Vice President George HW Bush, former United States Senator John G. Tower (R-TX) including an aggressive GOTV machine from the TX GOP & National GOPers.
Despite the skepticism by political experts & analysts, White was confident that he could not only take on the unpopular, blunt-talking & controversial incumbent GOP Governor, but also defeat him on Election Day. What would happen next would have major ramifications for both political parties in the Lone Star State going forward......
But before we go to Election Day, we have to go all the way back to see where it all began.... alternate-timelines.com/thread/3074/payback-revenge-dems-tuesday-novemberwww.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/revenge-of-the-tx-dems-november-2nd-1982-the-fallout.475326/
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Post by 49ersfootball on May 31, 2021 15:21:31 GMT
I'll get started on this TL starting this week.
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jun 1, 2021 18:47:14 GMT
Chapter 1: The Story of Mark Wells White, Jr., 1:17 PM CST, Tuesday, January 9th, 1979 West Lake Hills, Austin, TX Mark Wells White, Jr., was born on March 17th, 1940 in Henderson, TX to Mark Wells White, Sr., & Sara Elizabeth Wells. When Mark was 1 year old, the family moved to Houston, where he attended public schools in the Houston Independent School District: graduating from Lamar High School in 1958. White worked his way through Baylor University in Waco, TX., where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Business Administration in 1962 & Juris Doctorate from Baylor University Law School in 1965. He was elected Lawyer of the Year by the Baylor Law Fraternity, Phi Alpha Delta in 1977.
He married the love of his life, Linda Gale Thompson (where they met during their time at Baylor University) in November 1966 & were the parents of three children: Mark Wells White, III., Robert Andrew White & Elizabeth Marie White Russell.
White's career in public service began with an outstanding record of tasks accomplished & goals achieved. It began in 1966 when he served as an Assistant Attorney General of the Insurance, Banking & Securities Division, where he spent three years handling some of the first consumer protection investigations & representing state agencies in both trial & appellate cases. He also served in the 36th Infantry Division of the TX Army National Guard during this time.
Following practicing law for four years with the Houston law firm of Reynolds, Allen & Cook, White was appointed the 74th TX Secretary of State by then-Governor Dolph Briscoe (D) & was sworn into office on January 19th, 1973, serving until October 22nd, 1977. During the nearly five years he served as the Lone Star State's Chief Elections Officer, White supervised the first state-supported voter registration drive, including postage-free, annually updated registration, which resulted in a record 6.3 million registered voters. He also streamlined the legal operations & making the services more responsive to the public during his tenure. White was elected president of the National Association of the Secretaries of State in 1977, this was the association's highest office---&---he was elected secretary & treasurer earlier. White also improved communications between state agencies with the publication of the Texas Register, & made his office more responsive to the public by installing 24-HR toll-free telephone service to answer questions on election law, bilingual voter assistance & other information.
Using the position of TX Secretary of State very aggressively in promoting his name identification across the Lone Star State in all 254 counties & gaining national acclaim. In 1975, White took a high profile & controversial stand in staunchly opposing the inclusion of TX under the federal Voting Rights Act of 1965, to the chargin of United States Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX) & US Rep. Barbara Jordan (D-TX), who were championing the extension of the VRA.
Against the advice of friends, supporters & political experts, White resigned his post as TX Secretary of State on October 22nd, 1977 to run for TX State Attorney General in the 1978 elections. Although outspent in the May 6th, 1978 Democratic Primary election against former TX House of Representatives Speaker Price Daniel, Jr.,(D-Liberty), White emerged victorious & faced off against James Baker (R), who was affiliated with the Bush family of Houston, in the November general election....Once again, White was outspent by Baker, who had the backing of National GOPers, the Bushes & many others. However, on Election Day, White won pretty handily defeating Baker by double digits garnering 1,249,846 votes (55.13%) to Baker's 999,431 votes (44.08%) & took office as the Lone Star State's 46th State Attorney General in January 1979 serving until January 18th, 1983.
As the Lone Star State's Chief Law Enforcement Officer, White co-chaired the Federal-State Enforcement Coordinating Committee & was a member of the Governor's Organized Crime Prevention Council. On the national level, White was elected as chairman of the Southern Conference of Attorneys General in May of 1981. During his tenure, he continued his outstanding performance in state government, winning over 98% of his cases (34,931 victories; losing only 746 contested cases), modernizing the internal operations of the office through computerization & good management, increasing the hiring of women & minorities in administrative & policy-making positions inside the TX State Attorney General's office & publishing a Voluntary Student Code of Conduct, which has been adopted by school districts across TX. However, there were some missteps from White: soon after his election victory as State Attorney General in 1978, White stood by while portions of the Consumer Protection Act were dismantled. He also fumbled several major lawsuits (incidents which Clements would use to exploit in their upcoming 1982 clash for the TX Governor's Mansion), but would continue to travel around the Lone Star State at a breakneck pace, keeping up an already high profile. He also kept his distance from other Dems during the 1978 general elections (due to backlash against the disastrous Presidency of Jerry Brown) & further distanced himself from the National Dems during the 1980 presidential election (which was known as the Reagan Revolution landslide, when the former CA Governor easily trounced Vice President Jimmy Carter). However, immediately thereafter, White called for rebuilding the TX Democratic Party & coordinated with Bentsen & TX Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby (D) including several other prominent TX Dems, building one of the massive GOTV & grassroots apparatus across the Lone Star State.
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jun 3, 2021 22:40:05 GMT
COMING UP IN PAYBACK Tuesday, January 16th, 1979: Changing of the Guard as Clements is inaugurated as TX's 42nd Governor & the first GOPer to occupy the TX Governor's Mansion since Reconstruction....
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jun 17, 2021 18:12:33 GMT
COMING SOON IN CHAPTER 4 OF PAYBACK Thursday, January 13th, 1983: TX Governor William P. Clements, Jr., (R) delivers Farewell Address to Joint Session of the TX State Legislature.
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jun 21, 2021 17:54:35 GMT
COMING UP IN PAYBACK.................... Wednesday, January 10th, 1979: TX Governor Dolph Briscoe (D) delivering Farewell Address
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 11, 2021 22:50:58 GMT
Coming up this week: Segment on Linda Gale White.
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 27, 2021 18:30:55 GMT
COMING UP IN PAYBACK White launches his campaign for the TX Governor's Mansion in 1982
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Post by 49ersfootball on Jul 30, 2021 1:22:49 GMT
COMING UP IN CHAPTER 2 OF PAYBACK Segment on TX Comptroller of Public Accounts Bob Bullock (D)
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Post by 49ersfootball on Aug 1, 2021 20:19:15 GMT
COMING UP IN PAYBACK Profile on Linda Gale White
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Post by 49ersfootball on Aug 18, 2021 21:39:30 GMT
COMING UP IN CHAPTER 4 OF PAYBACK Monday, January 17th, 1983: Clements leaves the TX State Capitol in Austin for the final time....
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Post by 49ersfootball on Aug 18, 2021 21:46:18 GMT
Tidbits on the TL: Chapter 1: 1.) Profile on Mark Wells White, Jr., 2.) Profile on Linda Gale White. 3.) Wednesday, January 10th, 1979: TX Governor Dolph Briscoe (D) delivers his Farewell Address to Joint Session of the TX State Legislature. 4.) Inauguration Day: Tuesday, January 16th, 1979: Inauguration of William P. Clements, Jr., (R) as TX's 42nd Governor. 5.) Profile on Rita Crocker Clements.
Chapter 2: 1.) Profile on United States Senator Lloyd Bentsen (D-TX). 2.) Profile on TX Lieutenant Governor Bill Hobby (D). 3.) Profile on TX Comptroller of Public Accounts Bob Bullock (D). 4.) May 25th, 1979: BREAKING NEWS..... 5.) Ramifications of the death of former President Nelson Rockefeller. 6.) State Funeral festivities of the 39th President.
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Post by 49ersfootball on Aug 27, 2021 17:50:04 GMT
Over the weekend: Profile on Linda Gale White.
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Post by 49ersfootball on Aug 27, 2021 19:39:27 GMT
COMING SOON IN PAYBACK Profile on TX Lieutenant Governor William Pettus "Bill" Hobby, Jr., (D)
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Post by 49ersfootball on Sept 12, 2021 13:38:07 GMT
COMING SOON IN CHAPTER 4 OF PAYBACK Tuesday, January 18th, 1983: Inauguration Day
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