joining me now is robert draper. it's a beautifully written piece.l like you really did get your arms around an incredibly complex issue, which is the way we treat women as they run for higher political office and the expectations women also set for themselves. what struck me about the piece was that you outlined these various accomplishments in terms of economic development projects, her policy on education, and the tenacity with which she has performed in office. yet, when it came down to running, they chose her personal narrative. i want to get more on your thoughts on why you thought that particular decision was made. focusing on the biographical -- >> if it's not giving into it, it is issuing an invitation for people in the media, for crit s critics, for all sorts of people to take a look at her personal narrative. what you're describing is the accomplishments that she had while sitting ft. worth city council woman. she really did play a significant role in revitalizing the urban area of ft. worth and changing the face of the city. having said t

in a cover story for "the new york times" magazine, robert draper paints the picture of a gubernatorialgn full of growing pains and a new national star exhibiting first-time jitters. from the outset, davis let consultants drive her narrative. texas has not elected a democrat since ann richardson in 1990. all statewide officials are texas republicans and president obama lost in texas by 16 points, so searching for a campaign message, the davis campaign turned to her personal story, and draper writes this. the campaign chose at its lead narrative heroic story of a teenage mother, while raising two daughter, bootstrapped her way into harvard law school and soon possibly the governorship. >> texas made it possible for me to go from that tiny trailer to a successful business and to the texas senate. >> it was a potent story line for a party searching for inspiration. to be inspired by a charismatic new voice in texas. and overnight, a once obscure state senator had become the democrats' appealing new face, perhaps nationally. i felt like she was joan of arc standing up for women all across t

thank you, robert draper and grace garcia. >>> that does it for me. thanks so much for joining us. eastern. until then, have a great week. [ female announcer ] crest presents: crest 3d white whitestrips vs. a whitening pen. i feel like my lips are going to, like, wash it off. these fit nicely. [ female announcer ] crest 3d white whitestrips keep the whitening ingredient in place, guaranteeing professional level results. crest whitestrips. the way to whiten. [ chainsaw whirring ] humans -- sometimes life trips us up. sometimes we trip ourselves up. and although the mistakes may seem to just keep coming at you, so do the solutions. like multi-policy discounts from liberty mutual insurance. save up to 10% just for combining your auto and home insurance. call liberty mutual insurance at... [ thump ] to speak with an insurance expert and ask about all the personalized savings available for when you get married, move into a new house, or add a car to your policy. personalized coverage and savings. all the things humans need to make our world a little less imperfect. call... and ask about

i felt like if you read it all the way to the end, i thought robert draper, who did the piece, i hear very puff, but i thought he painted an interesting portrait. i came away with very he thetic to the decision she had to make as young mother who had these opportunities put in front of her and, by the way, any male politician in the same -- >> exactly. >> decided to send their kids, okay, no doubt that -- but he also painted a picture of a candidate that is not ready. also there were so many examples in this profile that i took away that said, wow, this is -- she's not ready -- they are not ready for the big spotlight that was going to come on to them and they have not figured out how they are going to run for governor. they know that they have struck lightning in a bottle on a couple of big moments. they have got national fund-raising ability. in many ways, her campaign is all about national groups being able to use her to raise money for themselves and for her, but i thought that draper very shrewdly painted a picture of somebody who just isn't quite figuring out how she is going to