Last week, there was a bit of hubbub about an alleged promise by Governor Rick Perry to not run in 2010 as payback for Senator Kay Hutchison not challenging him in 2006. TCR sources indicate what happened was that Perry went to their common large donors and told them if they would support him in 2006 and get Senator Hutchison out of the race, he would not run in 2010. They did, and now it's 2009. Was the agreement in writing? No, but the statement was made. It should come as no surprise that politicians change their mind and legally, Perry has no obligation to keep the promise as he seeks a total of 14 years as Governor. The key contributors, however, do remember and most are backing Huchison for Governor this year. Now, that it is cleared up, it's time for the candidates to run their respective races, share their visions and explain why they are the best to lead Texas and grow the GOP and advance conservatism in deed and not words.
Important GOP Chair Races Loom in Harris County and in Texas
It now seems for the first time in many years, there will be competitive races for GOP Chairman in Texas and in Harris County. With the State Chair term limited and the Harris County Chair embattled due to the 2008 debacle in Harris County, it's time to remind everyone what a successful chairman is all about. First, it is virtually another full time job, except you are not paid. You are the chief fundraiser, defender of elected officials and candidates in the media, and chief spokesman for a critical Republican Party organization. You also need to be accessible to party leaders, officials and candidates. You also need to know how to say no and not allow yourself to be rolled just to avoid tough decisions. To be successful, you need to understand that everyone will not like what you do and you need to be able to live with that and that in all probability you will not have much of a political future beyond party politics. You will receive most of the blame when things go wrong and little credit when things go right. In conclusion, it is a thankless job, but one that can be rewarding if you use it to advance conservatism and elect principled conservatives to office. For this year's races, anyone who wants these jobs should run. Why wait? The party is at a critical crossroads with failure in the next election resulting in a disaster for the next decade. We need our best and brightest to stand up and be counted.
The Coming Hispanic Majority and the GOP's Future in Texas
The other day TCR had the privilege of hearing Harris County Judge Ed Emmett at a local Pachyderm meeting. He talked about numerous topics and spoke of his ideas on how the GOP can win and minority outreach. We know that the demographics in the next ten years will bring a Hispanic majority to Texas. If present political trends continue, the GOP will be out of power once this new majority starts voting, unless we get our act together now. This talk reminded TCR of all the outstanding Hispanic Republican officeholders that the GOP has failed to promote in the Hispanic community. In fact, there are more high-level Hispanic Republican officeholders by far in Texas, it's just that they are not well known. This situation reminds me of an old political phrase... people are policy. The fact is, then-Governor George W. Bush, had a keen insight into how to make inroads into the Hispanic community and was wildly successful. We need to follow his lessons and advance them. We need to promote people like Railroad Commissioner Victor Carrillo, Appellate Judges David Medina, Elsa Alcala, Eva Guzman, Harris County Treasurer Orlando Sanchez, Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Leo Vasquez and others. We also need a concerted effort to elect conservative Hispanics to the Legislature, Congress and to our County Commissioners Court, even if they are elected from an Anglo base. Remember, people are policy, and with the proper visibility and the right positive message (like we are for legal immigration into America), we will not only be competitive, but superior to the out of touch, anti-faith left wing Democrats.
TCR Back on the Air
Red, White & Blue, featuring TCR Editor Gary Polland and liberal commentator David Jones. Next week we have Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, then invited Congressmen Ted Poe and Al Green on Medical Reform as part of a one hour special about the issue starting at 8 pm on Friday and 5 pm Sunday. Coming August 28: Attorney General Greg Abbott. Coming soon: Democratic U.S. Senate candidate John Sharp, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, and the Houston Mayoral Debate (a one hour special). As a new fun feature, visit Red, White & Blue on the Houston PBS website, where you can see commentary about the show and its guests by Gary and David.
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 twelfth year of editing a newsletter dealing with key conservative and Republican issues. The last seven years he has edited Texas Conservative Review. Gary is a practicing attorney and strategic consultant. He can be reached at (713) 621-6335.
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