The April 11 Runoff is just around the corner and for Texas Conservatives there are a number of important races. Given the influx of RINO's into our party, it is critical we nominate people who will stand tall for lower spending, lower property taxes and advancing the social agenda.
With that said, here are the conservatives you should be supporting with thanks to Jim Cardle of the Texas Free Enterprise Fund:(www.citizenactionnetwork.com).
District |
TCR Endorsed |
House District 11 |
Brian Keith Walker |
House District 28 |
David Melanson |
House District 47 |
Alex Castano |
House District 50 |
Don Zimmerman |
House District 54 |
Dale Hopkins |
House District 63 |
Tan Parker |
House District 71 |
Kevin Christian |
House District 118 |
George Antuna |
House District 133 |
Michael Schofield |
State Board of Education District 5 |
Ken Mercer |
Collin County Judge |
Keith Self |
Electing the right people helps advance our common sense conservative agenda.
The Republican Party Of Texas: Is it The Best of Times or Worst of Times?
The answer is not simple and depends on who you talk to. One thing is clear: the current leadership, Tina Benkiser and David Barton, needs to come clean with open books and full transparency so we don't have to guess. Remember, the truth shall set you free.
On to the debate, on one side we have Former State Chair Tom Pauken, National Committeewoman Denise McNamara, SREC member Chris Davis, and on the other side is State Party Executive Director Jeff Fisher and SREC member Joe Solis.
What are the issues?
- Are the party finances good or bad?
- Is the state party competently run as key GOP incumbents have lost elections, as the RPT was investigated by the Texas Election Commission, as there has been extensive employee turnover at RPT and does the party have future plans and has it made efforts to unite the party, and does the party communicate with the leadership, grassroots and the media?
- Is the party leadership with the grassroots on the key issues like immigration or did they sell out?
- Does the party need new conservative leadership?
First, one of the critics, Chris Davis (SREC) states, "A look at the most recent FEC reports filed by the Party on February 17, 2006, shows that contributions were less than $150,000; cash on hand was less than $50,000; and the debt in that account has reached $484,654.38. The December 31, 2005 report shows that debt then was at $276,597.38. Our state party debt now almost exceeds the net debt of the other 50 State's Republican parties COMBINED."
A defender, Joe Solis (SREC) says, "At our recent SREC meeting in San Antonio, Jeff Fisher made it very clear. We are raising money at record levels and our spending is below budget. Yet, Nate Crain (TCR Note: He is a former Dallas County GOP Chair) insists that the state party is collapsing because we are in "debt" and that there is no solution except to fire the leadership. Based on what we have seen and heard at our leadership meetings, the numbers by Nate Crain must come from some other planet. Our Party's financial status over the past two years has been outstanding."
The critic Davis says, "David Barton (RPT Vice Chair) told us that this past Primary had the best voter turnout for the party in years. My personal experience was that it seemed pretty low. Many think that Republicans who are disgusted with the current stalemate over school funding stayed away so they could vote for an independent. I only had 68 people vote on Tuesday from a precinct of 2,000 people. Communication continues to be a struggle for the Party. I continue to hear from people who can't get phone calls from Party Headquarters in Austin returned. The Dallas Morning News reported "Repeated calls to Ms. Benkiser and executive director Jeff Fisher were not returned. The party has not had a full-time public information officer for several months." (Dallas Morning News - Tuesday, February 7, 2006). Many County Chairmen and SREC members were not notified of campaign and training schools being held in their areas and learned about them only after they had occurred. One of our local Republican leaders forwarded me an electronic postcard that he received on Wednesday from the Party encouraging him to vote in the Primary (that was held on Tuesday!)"
The defender Solis says, "I support Republican Party of Texas Chairman Tina Benkiser for re-election for three reasons: 1) Chairman Benkiser does a first class job articulating our values to the media, our elected officials and grassroots supporters. 2) She can stand up to Bill O'Reilly or any elected official who tries to convince her that Texans really need video or lottery terminals. 3) She draws a line in the sand on many issues and encourages her opponents to "bring it on."
Onto the issue drift, National Committeewoman McNamara confirms an earlier TCR story about National Committeeman Bill Crocker. "At the RNC winter meeting this past January in D.C., Committeeman Bill Crocker submitted an immigration resolution that included guest worker/amnesty language (opposing the GOP platform), as his counterpart and as an elected member of the Resolutions Committee, I co-sponsored a resolution that supported the U.S. House Bill H.R. 4437, an enforcement-only bill." Not only did they not work together for Texas, they were on opposite sides of the issue.
TCR has not seen Mr. Crocker's response to this story, but we would be happy to run it, which leads to the last question: Do we need new leadership for our state GOP? Former State Chair and conservative stalwart Tom Pauken recently said, "One thing is obvious. The vaunted conservative, grassroots organization built up during the Goldwater/Reagan eras and sustained throughout the 1990's (as Republicans took control of Congress and the state government) is gone. Former allies within the Republican Party of Texas are fighting among themselves just like our elected state officials can't seem to get along with one another. The best thing that Texas Republicans have going for them these days is the woeful state of the Texas Democratic Party, but that may not be enough for them come November if they don't get their act together soon."
We need committed conservative leadership that stands tall for the party's grassroots positions and not simply be a lap dog for elected officials, especially when they lose their way. To be continued...
Grassroots Power At Work
Last week, TCR issued a call to action to our subscribers urging them to contact Senator John Cornyn regarding the attempt by Ted Kennedy to pass an amnesty bill out of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and respond you did, and it was noticed.
TCR had a chance to visit with Senator Cornyn's key state staffer last Friday who assured us that Senator Cornyn supports the no compromise position and again on Saturday with the Senator himself.
The Senator wanted me to thank all of you who contacted him and he told me there were many. Your support for border control has gotten everyone's attention in D.C., so don't let up!
This is a lesson of how activists who bind together on the internet can impact elected officials.
Please contact Senator Cornyn at (cornyn.senate.gov) and thank him for opposing amnesty. Please contact Senator Hutchison at (hutchison.senate.gov) and ask her to oppose any amnesty plan before we have full control of our borders.
Immigrant Update By: Gary Bauer (www.cwfpac.com)
Hundreds of thousand of illegal immigrants and their supporters rallied in major U.S. cities over the weekend, protesting efforts in Congress to secure our borders and to restrict public services from being provided to those in the country illegally. Many commentators could hardly hide their glee at the size of the crowds, suggesting that conservatives in Congress would suffer at the polls now that they had aroused the illegal immigrant sleeping giant.
But the pundits and their liberal allies may be wrong again. Illegals, by definition, can't vote. In addition, the massive crowds, estimated at 500,000 in Los Angeles alone will likely add to the growing unease that millions of Americans feel about the uncontrolled demographic/cultural transformation taking place in the country. In the media coverage I saw, there were many more Mexican flags than American flags. Think about that, my friends - half a million people taking to the streets openly mocking the laws of this country, demanding we not enforce our laws, showing more loyalty to their native country than to ours. I don't think that image plays well in Peoria.
Every nation has a right and a duty to protect its borders - America is no exception.
COMING - (Friday, March 31 at 8 pm) to Channel 8 PBS in Houston, Texas - the connection - Red, White & Blue featuring TCR Editor Gary Polland and liberal commentator David Jones. The guest is Robert Mohammed of the Nation of Islam.
COMING SOON - Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Congressman John Culberson, and Congressman Al Green.
About Your Editor
Gary Polland is a long-time conservative and Republican spokesman, fund-raiser, and leader who recently 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 ninth year of editing a newsletter dealing with key conservative and Republican issues. The last four years he has edited Texas Conservative Review. Gary is a practicing attorney and strategic consultant and can be reached at (713) 621-6335.
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