Other staff members, including those on the editorial endorsement board, have more affection and respect for state Senator Gonzalo Barrientos than I do. This is not to say that I don’t appreciate his efforts and influence over the years, as well as his importance in the Legislature. It is just that I don’t think he is as politically effective as he should be after all these years in office. I still have far more appreciation for his leadership and achievements than Rich Oppel articulated in a recent Austin American-Statesman column, where I think he shorted Barrientos in every possible way.
I’ve met Ben Bentzin, his challenger, at several social events, and he seemed gregarious, though I’m suspicious of his politics. But the new Bentzin attack ad showing a drunk Barrientos being stopped by the police for DWI is one of the most despicable political ads I’ve ever seen. Given the general Woodstock-sized mud wallow of this campaign season, that’s saying a lot.
A novice politician whose main achievement is being a Dell-ionaire, Bentzin positioned himself as a fresh, new voice, an alternative to the more established politician. This ad announces him as the worst kind of office-seeker. Forget ideas: Desperate to get elected, he’ll do anything. Imagine what he’ll be like after a term in office. He says this isn’t about smearing his opponent, it is about leadership. I won’t argue with him; it is about leadership. Barrientos got busted for drunk driving (we’d list the other Texas politicians with the same stigma, but there isn’t enough space in only one issue of the Chronicle) and accepted the consequences. Bentzin, desperate to win, has taken the low road, choosing to defame his opponent in the most base way (you notice the added sound of a baby crying in the background). I think this ad makes it very clear exactly what kind of leader Bentzin would be, and the news isn’t good.
Given this campaign year, generating an ad capable of offending is an amazing accomplishment. Rarely has there been a state in such dire need of leadership, skilled management, visionary compromise, and new ideas so poorly served by candidates and their campaigns. Facing all kinds of crises, with the financial situation only looking to get worse, instead of ideas we’re being served character assassination from all sides. Sure, there have been some positive ads and even some very decent campaigns (Kirk Watson and Carole Keeton Rylander, two candidates I feel very differently about, seem to be offering positions more than attacks, though that might be just in Austin). The almost all-male, rich, white Republican slate has been especially offensive, which might just reflect my political bias, though I’m hard-pressed to understand the critical importance of Hillary Clinton, the right wing’s favorite Boogeywoman, in the Texas races. The Democrats are certainly not free of the stench. Sanchez’s attack on Perry for speeding is just as inane and stupid as Bentzin’s, if not as base or mean.
One candidate on the phone tried to sell me on the notion that his opponent was out drinking every night, as though that would be a detriment. I responded that I hoped his opponent was getting laid a lot as well.
Eat, Drink, Watch Movies: This is the series of my dreams: Watch a movie, eat a complementary meal. Last time around, I caught Stanley Tucci’s Big Night for a great culinary and cinematic experience. On three sequential Mondays (Oct. 28, Nov. 4, and Nov. 11) at the Alamo Drafthouse North, there will be great movies accompanied by great meals. Chronicle Food editor Virginia Wood, who conceived these series, has done a superb job of matching restaurant/food to movie: Like Water for Chocolate with food from El Meson, The Godfather with a meal from Vespaio and wines from the Coppola vineyard, and Babette’s Feast with a feast by Jean-Luc Salles and the students of the Texas Culinary Academy. When Babette’s Feast was originally released, the old Courtyard restaurant offered a matching meal. My wife and I sat next to KUT’s John Aielli. To this day, when John and I meet we often reminisce about that meal. This is a benefit for the Capital Area Food Bank. Go to www.drafthouse.com to make reservations. 
This article appears in Stan Knee.