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Volume XIV Number 1 - January 12, 2015     RSS Feed   

A Periodic Newsletter for Committed Texas Conservatives

In This Issue

Radical Islamic Terrorists Assassinate 12 At Paris Magazine, When Will The West Call This What It Is?

A New GOP State Chair Coming, First, A Salute To Steve Munisteri

So Who Is Next For The Texas GOP?

Speaker Boehner Re-Elected By GOP Caucus In Washington, Rank And File Not Happy

2015: A Year Of Challenge And Opportunity For Conservatives

2016: Let's Elect a Grown-up President By Bruce Bialosky, Contributing Editor

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Thoughts This Fortnight

Radical Islamic Terrorists Assassinate 12 at Paris Magazine, When Will The West Call This What It Is?

Are you tired of "politically correct" language in regards to radically Islamic terrorists? It is not a war on terror, they are not militants, it's not a war of civilizations (as radical Islam is not one), and we don't have to bend over backwards to be nice to our enemies.

It's time for our leaders to speak the truth and understand the radical Islamic terrorist's goal is to kill the US and our Western culture.

There is probably not a more important action we can take than to speak the truth here and give no quarter to those who want to destroy us.

A New GOP State Chair Coming,
First, A Salute To Steve Munisteri

Steve Munisteri, Chairman of the Republican Party of Texas is retiring after a phenomenal run leading the GOP to massive victories, financial stability, and party unity. He did this with class, and with decisiveness. He also did the job without taking a salary and essentially moved from Houston to Austin so that he could work full-time.

So Who Is Next For The Texas GOP?

Before the 62 members of the State Republican Executive Committee decide who the next State Chair is to be (to serve until the State Republican Convention), we first need to recall the skills of a successful party chairman. Based on your Editor's past experience as a three-term county chairman, here is our take:

  1. The time to devote to the job.
  2. Being a relentless fundraiser since the Chair is the fundraiser in Chief.
  3. The ability to work with all the factions of our party.
  4. The Chair must be a strong spokesman and defender of the GOP and its elected officials.
  5. Understanding your main clients in order of importance are, elected officials, candidates, party leaders, and GOP primary voters. These are the people you need to communicate with and listen to.
  6. Understand and plan to keep the GOP on top of the hill, because if you don't work at it daily, you will be passed at some point by the other side.

In our next issue, we will reveal our choice here.

Speaker Boehner Re-Elected By GOP Caucus In Washington, Rank And File Not Happy

We don't know if Speaker Boehner cares that the vast majority of GOP voters did not want him back. Unfortunately, we don't have a vote.

The big question is, will we get conservative public policy advances instead of conservative rhetoric?

Based on past experience, conservatives have cause for concern.

TCR had hoped a new generation of leadership would emerge with a common-sense conservative plan and spokesman. When we compare Obama with Boehner, we come up short.

2015: A Year Of Challenge And
Opportunity For Conservatives

With control of the Congress and the Texas legislature, conservatives have a real opportunity to demonstrate how our philosophy and problem solving ideas can get things done.

Both in Austin and in D.C., conservative solutions need to be offered in the areas of criminal justice, tax policy, medical/medicaid reform, education reform in the state, and infrastructure.

In Washington, conservative ideas need to be proposed and passed and if President Obama vetoes them, it will only prove that the only "do-nothing" figure in Washington is the President.

We should be offered a replacement of Obamacare with health care reform, which both lowers costs and improves the quality of medical care. In addition, this reform would improve the access to medical care. These are the latest ideas being bantered about by James Capretta in the book Room to Grow: Conservative Reforms for a Limited Government and a Thriving Middle Class, as he states:

"The Core problem in American health care is that there is not a functional marketplace in health insurance or health services to discipline costs and promote quality and value for consumers. Rather than empower consumers or encourage the kind of innovation that could make high-quality care cheaper and more accessible, Obamacare has shifted decision-making authority from states, employers, insurers, and consumers to the federal government."

"Obamacare's defenders will insist that for all its flaws, it will nevertheless expand coverage. Yet even after a ten-year gross expenditures of $2 trillion, Obamacare will leave 31 million Americans uninsured in 2021 and beyond.

"Obamacare replacement that would rely on a decentralized market-oriented approach to the health-care system; offer tax credits for people outside of the employer system achieved with minimal disruption of employer coverage; guarantee continuous coverage protection for all Americans; and grant states significant flexibility to meet the needs of their most vulnerable citizens. The Center for Health and Economy, and Independent analytical organization has found that the Burr-Coburn-Hatch health reform blueprint would expand coverage by as much as Obamacare while spending far less."

In Texas, conservatives are hoping that Governor Greg Abbott, and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick will lead the way to conservative innovations.

2016: Let's Elect a Grown-up President
By Bruce Bialosky, Contributing Editor

In 2008, I supported Hillary Clinton. That sounds odd, but I wanted her to beat Barack Obama in the primary and encouraged every one of my Democratic friends to vote for her. My logic was simple: If the Republican lost I would at least want a grown-up in the White House. Compared to Obama, Hillary was a bastion of wisdom and a fountain of experience. Instead the Democrats nominated someone totally unprepared to be president. He won and look what happened. This time let's not screw this up.

I recall a friend coming back from a national meeting in the spring of 2008 at which Barack Obama spoke. He described the experience and unfortunately I don't remember his exact words, but my immediate reply was that he had just described the perfect definition of a demagogue. There is a lot of talk about some politicians on both sides of the political aisle who inspire people, but these potential candidates are wholly unqualified to be president. They may be at a further time, but not now.

A perfect example is Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA). I blanch almost every time the woman opens her mouth, but she has excited the left-wing (almost all of the remaining Democratic Party today) with the rhetoric she regularly spews getting her classified as populist which is a neat trick for a multi-millionaire, elitist, Harvard professor. Ms. Warren has been in the U.S. Senate just two years, from which she has little in the way of accomplishments though they are more significant than the vaporous accomplishments of Obama when he started his run for the Presidency. Before Warren entered the U.S. Senate, her leadership experience was limited to her classes of law students and being on some commissions with long, fancy names. What qualifies this woman to be president of the most important country in the world? Nothing.

On the other side of the aisle, I previously wrote about having an encounter with U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL). I had been very impressed with him before meeting him when seated next to him at a small group lunch in Los Angeles. I found him warm, smart, informed and very verbal. I had previously seen him deliver a speech at the Reagan Library and believe he may be the best communicator in the Republican Party. Rubio has been in the U.S. Senate for four years and previous to that he was the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives. He has been involved in some meaty issues during his time. Despite that, it was quite clear to me Rubio is not ready right now. He may be an excellent candidate in the future, but he is not prepared to be president today.

What we need is someone like Rob Portman, U.S. Senator from Ohio. This is a true grown-up. Though Portman has not been a Governor, he has held many positions that give him the depth of experience that prepares someone to take on the challenges of the office of the Presidency. Portman has worked in the White House, been a Congressman, the U.S. Trade Representative (giving him foreign policy experience) and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (he knows the government backwards and forwards). This is someone who has run something and who has broad experience. He has displayed leadership and has gravitas. Mr. Portman is not flashy (very much like former Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels) and does not knock your socks off with flowing phrases and soaring rhetoric. He just gets things done and has gained wisdom as the result of his broad resume. You can trust him to make a solid decision in a crisis and not shy away from doing it. Mr. Portman has withdrawn his name from consideration for this presidential election.

The Democrats may have about five candidates. The Republicans have a score or more of potential candidates. This number will shake out as various candidates will be unable to get qualified campaign staff, lack sufficient funding, or just plain decide they don't want to go through the gut-wrenching process of running for president. My instinct is there will be about ten Republicans running by the end of the year and three or four Democrats.

You now know what I will be looking for and not accepting in a candidate. I hope we end up with someone who has the experience, wisdom and gravitas to assume this august position. As a Republican I will not be looking for ideological purity because I will remind my Republican friends that the Republican that most offends them is someone they still agree with at least 85 percent of the time, and that person's opponent will be someone you agree with about 15 percent of the time.

Gosh knows we need a grown-up and -- I believe a Republican -- to reverse the immense damage this rank amateur has done to us both in foreign and domestic policy. I suggest you choose wisely.


Bruce Bialosky is the founder of the Republican Jewish Coalition of California and a former Presidential appointee. You can contact Bruce at bruce@bialosky.biz.


TCR on the Air

Red, White & Blue featuring TCR Editor Gary Polland, liberal commentator David Jones and moderator Linda Lorelle on Fridays at 7:30 pm on PBS Houston Channel 8.1, replaying Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 8.1, Mondays at 11:30 pm on Channel 8.2 and on the web at www.houstonpbs.org.

Upcoming shows:
City Issues - with guests Orlando Sanchez, Ellen Cohen, Dr. Jack Christie and Oliver Pennington.
Bill King, author of Unapologetically Moderate: My Search for Rational Politics in American Politics.
"Is It Time to Change Judicial Selection in Texas?" with former Chief Justice Tom Phillips, Judge Katherine Cabaniss, Judge Mike Engelhart.

The current show as well as past shows are available on YouTube.

About Your Editor

Gary Polland is a long-time conservative and Republican spokesman, fund-raiser, and leader who completed three terms as the Harris County Republican Chairman. During his three terms, Gary was described as the most successful county Chairman in America by Human Events - The National Conservative Weekly. He is in his sixteenth year of editing a newsletter dealing with key conservative and Republican issues. The last fourteen years he has edited Texas Conservative Review. As a public service for the last 12 years, Gary has published election guides for the GOP primary, general elections and city elections, all with the purpose of assisting conservative candidates. Gary is also in his 15th year of co-hosting Red, White and Blue on PBS Houston, longest running political talk show in Texas history. Gary is a practicing attorney and strategic consultant. He can be reached at (713) 621-6335.

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