Ann Richards

I can't believe those of you who decided to actually keep the POS we've got. Shame on you.

This is for the challenge

Ann Richards was Governor of Texas between 1991 and 1995, when she got defeated by future president George W. Bush despite her approval rating being over 60% at the time.

She started out her political career as a political worker who helped get various Democrats elected to the Texas Legislature. She also lobbied heavily for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) at the 1978 National Women’s Conference. She ran for the Travis County Commissioners' Court in 1976, winning against an incumbent.

During this time, her marriage started to fall apart and her and her husband ended up divorcing. She took up alcohol and started drinking heavily. Ultimately she decided to get herself treated.

In 1982, State Treasurer Warren G. Harding fell under a lot of legal troubles for misconduct and having two state employees campaign for him when they were supposed to be working for the state. Richards won the nomination and went on to win the election. During her 8 years as Treasurer, she modernized the treasury and began investment maximization in the state. She won reelection in 1986 handily.

During her tenure as Treasurer, she delivered a keynote speech for the 1988 Democratic National Convention. She was highly critical of Bush, Reagan and the Pentagon, accusing them of making crooks rich and not defending America. This speech is denoted as significantly important, enough so to be brought up in the debate between Bush and Dukakis.

In 1990, Governor Clements didn’t seek a third term. Ann Richards entered the race and won the primary against former Texas Governor White. She painted herself as a progressive who would repeal the anti-homosexuality act and improve funding for school districts. Her opponent was rancher Clayton Williams, who was very gaffe prone. The election was very close, with Richards winning 49.5% of the vote to Williams’ 46.9%.

As governor, Richards passed a prison reform bill that would establish a substance abuse program to rehabilitate drug addicts within the system, something she had to endure with alcohol; and a reduced number of sales of cop-killer bullets and semi-automatic rifles. She instituted the Texas Lottery system to increase school funding, buying the first ever ticket; she started the Robin Hood education plan, which would try to equalize funding between rich school districts and poorer school districts so every child could have quality education. She unfortunately also criminalized same-sex relationships in the state, something she had campaigned against in 1990.

Her approval ratings were sky-high at this moment. However, a generally negative campaign filled with gaffes made her 1994 reelection bid fail, when future President George W. Bush won the election 53-46. This marked the end of Richards’ political life, and she would die 12 years later in 2006.

Richards is generally considered one of the most effective and popular governors in the 90s, and although no other Democrat has won the governorship since, she left her mark in Texas, especially in education and criminal justice reform.

So, I have recently read a biography on a woman named Ann Richards. She certainly was a rarity in her day. She had a strong wit, was a feminist, rocked the house at the 1988 DNC, and, in a state as Conservative as Texas, somehow became Governor in 1990 as a Female Democrat. Her only public major flaw was that she once was an alcoholic, although she gave that up. She was pretty good as Governor, although she lost in 1994 to Bush Jr. Certainly, while being Governor less than Clinton, she still had some charisma attached to her.

Let us say that Bill Clinton's allegations of harassment derail his campaign. Could Ann step up to the plate and become President? If she wins, how would she run the country?

So I have to be honest as many times as I’ve seen this episode I was today days old when I found out Ann Richards voiced herself in this episode. For whatever reason I always assumed it was a guest actress and was just done as a tribute to her. Question for anyone here. I’ve did a quick search but haven’t had any luck but are there any good interviews with any of the writers or Ann herself about the episode or getting her on the show?