Democrats suggest racism in Dallas County DA race

by CRAIG CIVALE
WFAA
Posted on October 11, 2010 at 6:34 PM
Updated yesterday at 6:38 PM


Dallas County DA race heats up with Republicans calling 'fowl'


DALLAS — Race has now been injected into the heated contest for Dallas County District Attorney.
It comes amid claims that Danny Clancy — the Republican candidate for the job — had the four   wheels stolen from his car last week, something he blamed on supporters of Craig Watkins, the incumbent Democrat.

On Monday, Dallas County Democrats suggested the Republican accusations may be racist, blaming them for bringing the reported vandalism to light.

"If Mr. Watkins was white, would they be insinuating his supporters were taking these tires?" asked county Democratic Chair Darlene Ewing.

The Democrats also sounded off on Clancy's claim that politics played a role in his family's vehicles being vandalized four times in recent weeks, including last Thursday, when he said he woke up to find the wheels on his SUV were missing.

"I think he's trying to play to play to stereotypes that somehow Mr. Watkins and his supporters are thugs, and I think that's outrageous," Ewing said.

County Republicans called the charges out of line, and fired right back.

"The insinuation that this was politically motivated or racially motivated is ludicrous," said Jonathan Neerman, Dallas County Republican chair.

Craig Watkins and Danny Clancy are locked in Dallas County's most heated and contentious race, one that seems to be getting uglier by the day.

Darlene Ewing mocked the allegations from the Clancy camp, calling them a fishy political stunt. She made note of "the polite and considerate tire thieves who brought cinder blocks with them and were thoughtful enough to take the time to protect his drums and his rotors by putting the car on blocks... very polite car thieves."

The Democratic chair made her comments five days after the allegations emerged. Republicans say she was curiously surrounded by county Democrats who are running for office.

"We thought the story was dead last week," Neerman said. "Why the Democrats resuscitated it for another news cycle, I don't know."

It's a discussion that's made plenty of headlines, but political pundits say it is likely to make less of an impact at the polls.

"Dirty tricks are oftentimes part of the campaign, but so is stupidity," said SMU political science professor Cal Jillson. "This seems to me to be a case in which stupidity is winning out on the part of both campaigns and the political parties."

Dallas police are still investigating Danny Clancy's theft and vandalism reports. A spokesperson said they have no suspects and no reason to believe there was any political motivation for the stolen wheels.