AUSTIN, Texas — Wendy Davis’s pink sneakers became a symbol for standing firm—for nearly 11 hours—during her June filibuster against a Texas abortion bill. Now Davis is hoping that the shoes will help carry her state into a new era, one fitting of both women and men looking for a less burdensome style of footwear than the boots sported by the cowboys currently running the state house.
Thursday, the Democratic state senator is expected to officially kick off the latest color revolution aimed at reclaiming Texas from what Davis calls, “a flat-footed government more concerned with divisive politics than supporting the will of the people.”
Her so-called “Pink Sneaker Revolution,” like many of the color uprisings against entrenched leaders from the former Soviet Union, has hidden ties to moneyed foreign interests. A review of her most recent financial disclosure statement indicates that Davis receives generous support from the Japanese-owned Mizuno Corp., maker of the famous pink Wave Rider shoes she has been hawking as political swag recently.
“We offered Ms. Davis a chance to simultaneously enhance her revolutionary political brand and ours,” said Lance Williams, spokesperson for Mizuno USA.
“Her position on public education, highways, and healthcare are all well and good, but such wonkishness only tends to draw a collective yawn from the electorate,” continued Williams. “If Ms. Davis is to break the Democrats’ nearly two-decade losing streak in statewide elections, she needs three things we can provide: a recognizable symbol, a marketable message, and gobs of financial support.”
“Revolutionary campaigns aren’t so much about the issues as they are about making a sale,” noted Christopher Peters, professor of political science at Texas A&M University. “I mean, what has managed to saturate today’s social consciousness, Che Guevara’s political ideology or his face on a pre-tattered t-shirt?”
For her part, Davis took to Twitter last week with an appeal to help foot the bill for the $40 million she is estimated to need to flip the Statehouse from red to pink. “Can you chip in now and show your support by trying on a pair of pink Wave Riders to help me boot Republicans out of office?”
