Republicans Note Historical Importance of Juneteenth

The month of June brings an important remembrance, that of Juneteenth.  Freedom Day.  It is the day when African American Texans learned that they were free on June 18, 1865.  

Republicans are rightfully noting the special day.  It was Texas Democrats that resisted the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln earlier, on September 22, 1862.  

Here is some history, as recounted by Republican Party of Harris County Chairman Woodfill:

Today is Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day. It's a Day of Remembrance for all Texans, but especially African American Texans.   It was on June 18, 1865 that a ship landed in Galveston with the news that the human scourge called slavery had been abolished.   Though Republican President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22, 1862, with an effective date of January 1, 1863, it had minimal immediate effect on most slaves' day-to-day lives.   Texas Democrats resisted the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth commemorates June 18 and 19, 1865. June 18th is the day Union General Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops arrived in Galveston to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves. On June 19, 1865, while standing on the balcony of Galveston's Ashton Villa, Granger read the contents of "General Order No. 3": The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between former masters and slaves...     The Republican Party has been the party of freedom since its founding. In fact, the Republican Party's founding principle was to rid the nation of the human suffering caused when human beings are owned by other human beings.   However, the Democrat Party has fought the Republican Party every step of the way. From resisting abolition of slavery which led our nation into a Civil War, to establishing Jim Crow laws after the War had ended, to fighting the Freedom Amendments to the Constitution, Democrats have stood in the way of freedom.   I am proud to lead our party here in Harris County, Texas, not far from where General Granger set foot in Galveston to bring freedom.   However, our work is not done and we will not rest as a party until the current suffering and despair caused by Democrat Party policies is abolished for all Texans.   The tide is slowly turning. Democrats are switching to our party's growth, opportunity, freedom and prosperity agenda. Happy Juneteenth to all our African American brothers and sisters. Let freedom continue to ring!   Watch party-switcher Sen. Elbert Guillory's testimony: http://youtu.be/n_YQ8560E1w

Sincerely, Jared WoodfillChairman, Harris County Republican Party chairman@harriscountygop.com

U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) issued the following statement in honor of Juneteenth. Sen. Cornyn is sponsoring a Senate resolution that recognizes the historic significance of Juneteenth Independence Day, and the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the State of Texas in 1865.

 “I join with all Texans in celebrating Juneteenth, an observance that began in our state, to commemorate the emancipation of all slaves in the United States.

 “As we mark this historic day, let us pay tribute to all the men and women who have fought and sacrificed to defend our values and ensure our freedom.”

Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) reflects on the history of Frederick Douglass and the Republican Party:



And, I saved the best one for last.  This is Louisiana's newest converted Republican State Senator Elbert Guillory:

RNC's Fong Speaks to Texas Asian Republican Club

A room packed with a very diverse mix of local Republicans greeted Steven Fong Friday night at Kim Son restaurant. Joining him in addressing the crowd were Steve Munisteri, Republican Party of Texas chairman and David Zapata, RPT Hispanic Outreach Director. 

Candidates for elected office at all levels of government were present as well as those currently holding office. All were given a brief time to speak to the crowd.  It was noted that Judge Theresa Chang and HCRP Chairman candidate Paul Simpson received especially strong support from the crowd as shown by  loud applause. Current HCRP Chairman Woodfill was not present.

The meeting began with President Nghi Ho welcoming everyone followed by Dr. Martha Wong leading the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance, the Texas pledge, and the National Anthem.  It seemed appropriate that Martha Wong helped to open the meeting as she has been a true trailblazer in bringing the Asian American community to the Republican party, including her own service as an elected official.

Tina Gibson read the press release announcing that the Texas Asian Republican Alliance (TARA) has been formed and will be led by Martha Wong and will be a statewide organization formed due to the leadership of Dr Wong and RPT Chairman Steve Munisteri.

TARA will offer crucial work in holding Texas as a Republican state.  The money from the state party will be used for mailings, staffing resources, a full time staffer from the Asian American community in the Austin office, phone follow-ups, and in candidate recruiting efforts.

Chairman Munisteri spoke about the process of building on Asian American support from the state party level.  He noted that he once ran for office against Martha Wong and he lost to her, which brought laughter from all.  Their friendship endures and it was central in the development of the new statewide caucus.  

That is at the core of politics - developing friendships in a wide range of communities and building on shared philosophy with common values. 

David Zapata spoke briefly about the outreach to the Hispanic community and the common thread of hard work and strong families that runs within immigrant communities.

Steven Fong was introduced and spoke of his new job as RNC National Field Director, Asian Initiative.  He has only been on the job for two months so his speaking style and message still has a bit of work needed.  He was, however, received well and has the enthusiasm for the position.  He spoke of hitting the ground running with reaching out to all fifty states and developing networks to bring various state efforts together across the country. He said he has begun developing strong coalitions in California and New York state where Republican seats must be won.

Fong spoke about trying to win back Congressional seats in California that were previously held by Republicans.  He announced that $10 million has been set aside for Asian American outreach by the RNC but was not able to yet say how much of that will be spent in Texas.  

In the question and answer portion of Fong's presentation, a very timely matter was brought to the surface.  All day Friday, thanks to my friend David Jennings' piece, the talk online and in local Republican circles was about TARC President Ho and his Precinct Chair candidacy.  He recently appeared before the HCRP Vacancy Committee and his application was set aside.  Again the subject of gatekeeping is at the forefront as it pertains to a small group of people in a position of power.  So, when former candidate for Texas State Rep for Dist 149 Jack Lee stood up and asked Mr. Fong about the incident, the crowd went electric. Fong was asked how can Asian Americans feel welcomed and wanted in party leadership when the very President of this group was treated poorly? FULL DISCLOSURE: I very proudly tell you now that Jack Lee is a former client and a person I call Friend. Mr. Fong was put on the spot, to be sure, and fumbled around for a tactful answer.  Not wanting to step on the toes of local leadership from a national position, he said that he would prefer to let local parties make those decisions.  He said, however, he hoped local leaders understood the need to grow the party through diversity and common sense decisions.  Jack Lee received a standing ovation for his timely question and letting both the state leader and the federal level representative  know of local challenges.  

Irony.  We dwell in it here. Mr. Ho has been nothing but gracious about his handling at the hands of the Vacancy Committee.  He is a man of real character, not to mention probably over-qualified to be a precinct chair, given his level of activism and service to the community in past years to the present time. 

A woman stood to ask a question at the end of the evening.  She came here ten years ago from Hong Kong and this evening was her first time at a TARC meeting.  She asked, "why should I be a Republican?" Martha Wong stood and answered her question.  She said there are three simple reasons why an Asian American should be a Republican:  1. Asians believe in a strong family unit, 2. Asians believe in the value of education, and 3. Asians are strong small business owners.  No one could have answered this woman better.

As Mr. Ho pointed out, via a printed hand-out, Republican Party Ideals are Asian Americans' Values: Free Enterprise, Business Friendly; Less Government; Fiscal Conservative; Strong National Defense; Strong Family Values; Great Education System.  He reminded everyone that there is no need to go on a long-winded explanation of party philosophy when these points are what tell the story.

Asian Americans are the fastest growing minority in Texas, did you know that?  You wouldn't think so to read printed media or hear news stories but it is a fact.  The Asian American vote is crucial to winning future elections and can make all the difference in elections in Texas.  Their vote will determine if Texas maintains a stronghold for Republicans on a national level and in presidential elections.

If you have not attended a meeting with TARC, I highly recommend you do so in the near future.  You will be warmly welcomed.  You will be in the company of friends and the food is terrific.

Daughters of Liberty Republican Women Club Bar-b-que and Meeting

Thursday night the Daughters of Liberty Republican Women Club held a jam packed meeting which consisted of a bar-b-que dinner and two fired up and talkative speakers - HCRP Chairman Jared Woodfill and Pastor Rafael Cruz, father of Texas Senator Ted Cruz.  

It was my first time attending an event by Daughters of Liberty Republican Women and they put on quite a meeting.  JoAnn Carpenter, VP of Legislation, sang the National Anthem at the beginning of the meeting and God Bless America at the end.  She has an impressive voice.  

Jared Woodfill introduced the many candidates and elected officials present.  Held at the SOSA Center in Spring Branch, four of the candidates running for City Council District A were present - CM Helena Brown, Amy Peck, Mike Knox and Ron Hale.  Lots of judges - present and those running - were in attendance, as well as Chris Daniels who is running for re-election for City Clerk and Bill Frazier, running for Houston City Controller.  Former Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, was there for Mayoral candidate Ben Hall and Mr. Hall's wife was there, too.  Mr. Paige and I spoke of the last event we were both at - that of the education reform forum with State Senator Dan Patrick in the Heights several months ago.  David Sawyer was there for Senator Cruz and Mac Flores was there for the Jerry Patterson campaign.  Attorney General Abbott was also represented.  

It was a large and quite diverse Republican crowd.  Sometimes it was a bit surreal.  It was all very interesting.

Jared Woodfill was the first speaker.  He went through the PowerPoint presentation of the Vision for Victory 2014, which I heard at a recent Greater Houston Pachyderm Club meeting.  Since he was one of two speakers, his presentation was shortened.  He did, however, explain the 'rVotes' program and said that financing is secured for it.  He said it will be up and running in the next 30 days.  He has decided that the Harris County Republican Party will use the system though the state party is not.  RPT Chairman Munisteri has decided to go with the program offered by Karl Rove, Mr. Woodfill said.  I have concerns about this decision and the process in which it has occurred, along with the separation of the county and state parties, but that is for another time.

Pastor Cruz always presents a compelling and motivating speech.  The man's personal story is one of imprisonment and torture at the hands of a brutal dictator during the Cuban Revolution and then his journey to America and his immense pride in being an American citizen.  He is very passionate about politics and the responsibility of pastors to work for cultural and political change.  

This meeting had a little something for everyone and the bar-b-que was good, too.

Where Are the Women in Elected Office, Texas?

Women have come to the forefront in American life, now with numbers surpassing men in measurable areas. The fact that women now earn more college degrees and sometimes more money than men do is something that has been apparent for some time.  It was bound to happen.

Women are outpacing men in earning college degrees:

The facts are plain, if puzzling: Not only do women enter college at higher rates than men, but they're less likely to drop out once they get there. Female grads now account for about 60% of U.S. bachelor's degree holders.

Women are frequently earning more money than their spouse or the sole breadwinner in the household.

A record 40% of all households with children under the age of 18 include mothers who are either the sole or primary source of income for the family, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The share was just 11% in 1960.These “breadwinner moms” are made up of two very different groups: 5.1 million (37%) are married mothers who have a higher income than their husbands, and 8.6 million (63%) are single mothers. 

Women now also outpace men in going to the polls to vote.  Did you know that?  Women make up 54% - 56% of American voters to date.  So, here is my question - where are the women in Texas state government?  Why is the elected official roll call still so heavily dominated by men?

This question has been around for a while, true, but it was brought home again as Texas Comptroller Susan Combs announced her retirement. A champion of transparency in government, she is an award winning public official. As she begins to transition to her next stage in life, Combs is receiving kudos from watchdog organizations, too. She has been in elected office for 20 years.

I have to say, I'm supportive of an elected official stepping down after 20 years of service.  I think many of today's governance problems originate with 'career' politicians. Did our Founding Fathers support a career in politics? No, they did not. Something is lost when both men and women stay beyond truly productive years as servants of the people.

As Combs retires, I was not alone in reflecting upon the number of women in local and Texas state politics, not to mention national politics, as Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison is no longer serving Texas in D.C.  For Republicans, the numbers are quite sparse. 

As pointed out in this timely piece, Debra Medina is the only woman who has declared her intention to run for a statewide office in the upcoming primaries. Why is that?  The men are falling all over themselves to declare candidacy for the top spots.  With the exception of the race for Land Commissioner, for which there is only one candidate to date - George P. Bush - all of the state leadership offices have multiple male choices.

Republican women have done some legendary work for the people of Texas.  Under the leadership of Kay Bailey Hutchison, when she was State Comptroller, the state income tax was eliminated.  In the case of Susan Combs, her legacy is that of a trailblazer in transparency. Both came up through the good ole boys network in politics and flourished.  Republican women are indebted to them.

There are 150 seats in the Texas House of Representatives - 95 Republican and 55 Democrats. I count 15 Republican women.  There are 31 Texas State Senators. There are 19 Republicans - 4 of which are women.

Why are women lagging so far behind in elected office in Texas?  We know that Republican women club members do a majority of the grassroots work in primaries and general elections in Texas.  More women have to be nurtured and recruited to run for office.  This will take more than just the women currently holding office, as their number is not large.

Here is the statement Governor Perry released upon the announcement from Combs:

"Susan Combs has played a key role in cultivating the strength of the Texas economy, and has been a trusted and capable steward of the public accounts for many years. A major proponent of openness in government, she leaves behind a legacy of transparency, and a state that's more responsive, more accessible and more accountable to the public."
- Governor Rick Perry May 29, 2013

Some Thoughts on the Grand Old Party for a New Generation Report Findings

A detailed report has been released called Grand Old Party for a New Generation. You can read it HERE.

It begins with what we know to be true by now.

It is not that young voters are enamored of the Democratic Party. They simply dislike the Republican Party more. In the focus group research conducted in January 2013, the young “winnable” Obama voters were asked to say what words came to mind when they heard “Republican Party.” The responses were brutal: closed-minded, racist, rigid, old-fashioned.

The descriptions of the Democratic Party were more charitable. While some respondents viewed Democrats as “soft” or as supporting big spending, most noted that they were “tolerant,” “diverse,” and “open-minded.”

Economic, national defense and social issues are all discussed in the report, as well as suggested corrections that the Republican party can make to attract young voters.  This report focuses on the 21-30 year old voter.  You may remember that in the 2012 election, Mitt Romney won more voters over 30 years of age than Barack Obama did, it was not enough to counter the very successful ground game of the Obama campaign on election day.

President Barack Obama won 5 million more votes than Gov. Mitt Romney among voters under the age of 30 in the 2012 election. Despite Romney holding a 2 million-vote advantage over the President among voters aged 30 and older, Obama’s significant lead with the youth vote was enough to ensure his reelection. While Obama’s advantage among young people shrank from 34 points in the 2008 election to 23 points in 2012, the election reinforced the generational challenge faced by the GOP. 

Starting with economic issues, the important lesson is that the GOP has to be able to talk about policy and explain how the policy relates to everyday life.  We have to be able to speak in terms that young voters relate to in their lives today.

Financing education plays strongly into a discussion on economics with young voters and Republicans can lead on this issue by pointing to some very innovative thinking from Republican governors:

Student loans are enormously important to many young voters, and it may seem that Democrats have the easier path forward by promising ever-greater amounts of federal subsidies for tuition. This is likely a major reason why Republicans hesitate to engage on the issue. Yet Republicans should offer a way forward that doesn’t just propose to subsidize the problem of sky-high tuition; they should offer solutions that would help make an education more affordable in the first place. In Texas, Gov. Rick Perry has issued a challenge to institutions to create the “$10,000 bachelor’s degree,”17 and in Indiana, then-Gov. Mitch Daniels helped establish Western Governor’s University Indiana, a non-profit, competency based university developed by a bipartisan group of governors and education innovators 18. Additionally, Republicans have an opportunity to point out how the government’s complete removal of private competition from the educational lending market – snuck into the Affordable Care Act – is bad for young borrowers.The opportunities are great for Republicans to talk about the factors that have made college tuition spiral upward ever faster, and to point out Republican solutions, especially at the state level, that have started to tackle the challenge of providing affordable, quality college education.

On the social issues, the poll drilled down a bit and found the following on the two biggest ones, abortion and gay marriage.  The first up is abortion:

Where the Republican Party runs into trouble with young voters on the abortion issue is not necessarily in being pro-life. On the contrary, the Democratic Party’s position of pushing for abortion to be legal in all cases and at all times, including some recent laws around how to handle medical care for babies born alive during abortion procedures, is what is outside the norm of where young voters stand. Unfortunately for the GOP, the Republican Party has been painted – both by Democrats and by unhelpful voices in our own ranks – as holding the most extreme anti-abortion position (that it should be prohibited in all cases). Furthermore, the issue of protecting life has been conflated with issues around the definition of rape, funding for Planned Parenthood, and even contraception. In the words of one female participant in our Hispanic voter focus group in Orlando, “I think Romney wanted to cut Planned Parenthood. And he supports policies where it would make it harder for a woman to get an abortion should she choose, even if it were medically necessary. That goes head in hand with redefining rape.” In the Columbus female voter focus group, even respondents who said they were strongly pro-life were uncomfortable hearing Republicans talk about wanting to defund Planned Parenthood. In the words of one pro-life respondent, “The Planned Parenthood thing for me is not so much about abortion; it’s about counseling before you can get to that point, and I feel that 62 that’s a big part of what they do, is contraception counseling and about being safe.”It is true that there are some young men and women who are strongly pro-choice and say they would have a very hard time voting for a Republican candidate who took the pro-life position. Yet it may not be the case that remaining silent on the issue is the best course of action for Republicans, nor is shifting away from being pro-life. The challenge is to be mindful of ways that the issue of abortion branches (or can be distorted by opponents) into other policy areas where the GOP does not enjoy the same level of support. 

On the topic of gay marriage - a flavor of the month here in Harris County Republican politics - here is what the younger voters said:

Taking the sample as a whole, about a quarter (26%) of young people say they’d probably or definitely not vote for a candidate who opposes gay marriage even if they were in agreement on many other issues. That opposition to gay marriage is a “deal breaker” to one out of four young voters represents neither a hopeless situation for the GOP nor a great one. It instead raises the challenge: how can the GOP expand its appeal on the issue, or win on issues of greater issue salience so that gay marriage is not a “deal breaker” for a large number of young voters?It is important for Republicans to bear in mind that young voters warmed to President Obama long before his position on gay marriage “evolved,” and that there is no consensus in either party on the issue. Additionally, there is a “middle ground” approach of letting states decide the issue, a position that has been espoused by some prominent Republicans like Marco Rubio. Nonetheless, there is hardly an appetite from this generation to see the GOP crusade against same-sex marriage. In the short run, as we wait for the Supreme Court rulings on the Defense of Marriage Act and California’s Proposition 8, the best course of action for the party may be to promote the diversity of opinion on the issue within its ranks (after all, for quite some time, former vice president Dick Cheney was to the left of President Obama on same-sex marriage) and to focus on acceptance and support for gay people as separate from the definition of marriage. Where the Republican Party will run into the most trouble over this 66 issue is when it is not winning on any of the more prominent issues, either – the economy and spending. If a candidate is compelling enough on economic opportunity and spending, they may well be able to overcome a difference of opinion with young voters on same-sex marriage. 

So, what is the way forward in GOP messaging? 

Therein lies the opportunity for the GOP. Yes, the Democratic Party is currently winning on the attributes of being caring and open-minded. This was heard in the focus groups, and it was echoed in the survey. But the great news for Republicans is that while those items matter, they are not the only things that matter: intelligence, competence, hard work, and responsibility matter a lot too, and neither party has cornered that market. These are brand attributes that, if the party makes real efforts to emphasize them over and over, can begin to turn the tide on the GOP’s negative brand image.However, while winning on the values of intelligence and hard work will go a long way to rebuilding the GOP’s brand, they do not necessarily address the diversity concerns that emerged time and again in the focus groups. The Republican Party cannot survive in elections winning white voters by twenty points overall yet losing non-white voters by such margins as to swing the whole election to the Democrats. In fact, Mitt Romney won young white voters by a 7-point margin but still lost the race. It could be said that the GOP’s young 74 voter problem is as much about failing to gain support from the African American and Latino communities as anything else. With non-white voters making up 42% of voters under the age of 30, the issue of party diversity and the party’s success with the youth vote are absolutely inseparable. 

Coalition building is the only way forward, if the Republican party is to continue on as a viable political party.  This is just common sense.  A party has to continue to reach out and grow its membership in order to win elections.  No single issue is going to prove to be the magic potion.  

The road to building a diverse Republican coalition among young voters goes through more than just immigration. It goes through every issue tied to economic opportunity and social mobility. 

Republicans are natural messagers of strong economic policy.  The message, however, has to get more consumer-friendly by moving away from standard talking points of cutting taxes and move to real life speeches - how Republican policies benefit young voters and enable them to pay for college or start a small business or get married and buy a home and start a family.  

Tone matters.  Messages matter.  Articulate messengers are essential.  

A bright note is surfacing, verifying my own personal opinion, that our GOP up and coming bench of candidates is deep, while the Democrats? Not so much.

Yet across all six groups, when the topic turned to future leaders of the parties, the GOP was clearly in a stronger position. Asked to name up-and coming Republican stars, these young Obama voters could point to a number of examples. Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, Bobby Jindal, and Rand Paul were all mentioned. 

  On the Democratic side? Few groups could list even one up-and-coming Democratic leader. The young men’s focus group in Columbus named Cory Booker, while another participant said, “I can’t think of any young people.” The young women said the same: “We don’t have any.” “I can’t think of any.” The young entrepreneurs in Orlando could not name any rising Democratic leaders at all. Despite the focus groups describing Democrats as the “young” party, no one could actually describe who their young leaders might be.

At the end of this report is a summary of five steps to take for future Republican victory. It is doable. It is necessary.  It is past time to get started.

Emanuelson Inserts Foot Into Mouth on GOP Strategy

Today's forehead smacking moment comes to us via a Tea Partier - a leader of a Tea Party group in Dallas.  He was speaking at a Republican club meeting and yes, the ever present audio device was working just fine, thank you.

Mr. Emanuelson apparently briefly confused himself as being a Republican, or a Republican in a leadership position making claims of who and who shouldn't be within the party:

The Tea Party leader was speaking at a May 20 meeting of Republicans in Dallas. In an audio recording of the remarks, distributed to news outlets Tuesday by Democrats, an activist can be heard asking Emanuelson what the party is doing to attract black voters to the GOP ticket.“I’m going to be real honest with you,” Emanuelson responded. “The Republican Party doesn’t want black people to vote if they are going to vote 9-to-1 for Democrats.”The activist said he took that to mean the GOP had given up on black voters. Emanuelson did not disagree.“We have a lot of work to do in that community, and it has been written off and we need to change that,” Emanuelson said. “Now we’re not going to change that by 2014, but we might be able to change it if we start now in years in the future. But it’s not going to be soon.”

So, apparently the activist asking the question was confused by Emanuelson's position and thus, the firestorm.  This attention in the media - inevitable, of course - brought the next statement from the now shamed Emanuelson:

"That was a mistake," said Dallas Tea Party leader Ken Emanuelson. "I hold no position of authority within the Republican Party and it wasn't my place to opine on behalf of the desires of the Republican Party."

 I would not have been aware of this unfortunate incident occurring at a Republican gathering in Dallas, where the state party chairman was speaking, but it has become a source of revenue for the group working to turn Texas into a Blue State.  I received an email from Congressman Marc Veasey, Texas Congressional District 33 today.  Here, read it for yourself:

Karen -- 

Frankly, I am disgusted.

Last week, Texas Republican Party Chairman Steve Munisteri flew to Dallas to support a group called "Battlefield Dallas,” an effort by Dallas Republicans to counter efforts of Battleground Texas.

After Chairman Munisteri's speech, Ken Emanuelson, a tea party leader, had this to say about African American voter outreach:

I'm going to be real honest with you, the Republican Party doesn't want black people to vote..."

Well, I am going to be real honest with you, Mr. Emanuelson – the Republican Party discounts communities of color at their own peril and attacks like these only serve to embolden us for the long road ahead.

Don't get angry, get active. By volunteering with Battleground Texas, you can show people like Mr. Emanuelson that every Texan has a voice that counts. Sign up with Battleground Texas today.

Together, we can turn this cowardly attack into the catalyst that makes our movement stronger.

Battlefield Dallas and its tea party ilk have shown their true colors and now it’s time to hold them accountable.

Onward,

Marc

Congressman Marc Veasey
Texas Congressional District 33

And, he included a link to the audio at the end.

So, kudos to those in Dallas taking the work of Battleground Texas seriously.  A thump on the head to Mr. Emanuelson for playing right into their hands.  It seems to be a pattern well established by conservative leaning men.  I see they are branching out from disgusting remarks about women to disparaging remarks about minority voters now. 

Words matter.  Recording devices are everywhere anyone is speaking and they are always turned on to catch this crazy stuff.  It is a huge distraction for those working to change the image of the GOP.  Yes, that's right.  Change the image.  Change may not be comfortable for some but it is necessary for all groups sooner or later.

Tea Party members are welcome in the Republican party as voters.  They are not, however, welcome to be the spokespeople for Republican policy or strategy.  See, that's how that works. The Tea Party wants to tout separation from Republicans? Fine. Republicans have a long and rich history worth preserving. We choose to not write anyone off, thank you very much.

HCRP Chairman Woodfill Speaks to Greater Houston Pachyderm Club

Harris County Republican Party (HCRP) Chairman Jared Woodfill was the featured speaker at the weekly meeting of Greater Houston Pachyderm Club Tuesday.  The title of Woodfill's presentation was Vision For Victory 2014.

As a side note, Woodfill made mention that the Greater Houston Pachyderm Club was his first membership when he graduated from law school in 1993.  He received a warm welcome. Several candidates were present and they were introduced to the crowd.

Some interesting facts came forth in Woodfill's presentation.  Some well known and standard in his speeches, some were breaking newsworthy.  Let me go through his PowerPoint presentation and then I'll give some comments.

With two million registered voters in Harris County, it is the largest Republican county in the country. It is Ground Zero for keeping Texas a red state.  Liberals are making hay by claiming it is now a blue county and Woodfill wants you to know he does not agree with that claim.  He notes that 2010 was the best election cycle for the party in county history.  50,000 more GOP straight ticket voters went to the polls and State House Districts 133 and 134 turned to red from blue. And, the District Clerk race was won by a Republican.

In the national 2012 election cycle, GOP incumbents won in Harris County.  60,000 more straight ticket voters.  To make his point, Woodfill is often heard saying that Senator John Cornyn lost Harris county in 2008 but Ted Cruz won the county in 2012. And, Mitt Romney lost Harris county by less than 1,000 votes.  "Harris County is a long way from turning purple."

To get out the vote in 2014, Woodfill said the party is employing a "leave no precinct behind" action.  Precinct chairs and block captains are being recruited and deployed in all neighborhoods.

To combat problems like the three million Evangelical Christian voters who Woodfill alleges stayed home rather than going to vote in 2012, Woodfill proposes utilizing technology, as he acknowledges the party lags behind in that arena. In order to micro target voters, especially those with a particular issue that would move them to get to the polls and to work for candidates, Woodfill said HCRP should purchase software called "r Votes" - an advanced 

election system.  This is a product from a Silicon Valley software creator who successfully worked with Democrats in the 2008 election cycle.  The DNC eventually switched over to the system and used it in all 50 states.

rVotes was originally designed from the ground up, to empower the many State Political Parties and their allies, who all desperately needed a way better, unified election management system than the mediocre tools they were being provided from their National Party or any other vendor. Once you have rVotes as your core campaign and election technology, you will never understand how you worked without it. It will quickly become your ‘secret weapon’, and give you reliable tools that you previously only dreamed about. rVotes allows your organization to coordinate and run one or thousands of campaigns of any type or office, across any political boundaries within your entire state. Individual states are then tethered together to allow fully functional, national system, empowering your group with a centralized command and control center that’s actually a blast to use!

rVotes is also perfect for PACs, SuperPacs, Special Interest Groups, Church groups, the NRA – really any organization that wants to observe and/or influence the masses. Your data is all kept secure and private. By default, it is not accessible by any other campaign in the system. As the ‘parent’ organization, however, you can easily coordinate and control the efforts of all campaigns within the entire state that you oversee. You can instantly respond to the amazing details you can now see about your voters within all the sub-campaigns — down to the tiniest race for “Town Dog Catcher”.

Woodfill believes that time is of the essence and Harris County cannot not sit around and wait for the national party or the state party to get on board with this software.  He sent several people from the local party headquarters to Austin to learn about the software.  If heard correctly, Woodfill said the software purchase and implementation would involve a contractor with a 2 year contract and a price tag of $500,000.  He said he is meeting with donors next week and also hopes the state party will kick in to finance the venture.

To raise money for the local party, Woodfill touts the annual Lincoln Day Dinner, which brought in $150,000 this year and also the 12 For 12 program.  A donor commits to donating $12 a month to the party. 

Woodfill concentrated on growing the party through coalition building with the African America community.  While acknowledging the need to build coalitions with Hispanic and Asian communities, he spoke of the work being done by two long time party activists - Bill Calhoun and Mona Lisa in the African American community.  He noted that the African American voter pool is the 2nd largest by race.  The program put together is called TICKET - Target vacant precinct, Identify voter file, Contact, Keep in contact, Energize and Incentivize, and Train and develop chairs and candidates.  He noted that Texas doesn't identify race on voter records and Texas doesn't register voters by party.  With 25 precinct chairs now, the goal is to increase the number of African American precinct chairs to 100, and to have 100 delegates to the state convention.

Woodfill mentioned he is moving away from using the term "outreach" in favor of "connecting with the community".  

Woodfill spoke of working with the Liberty Caucus members, as well as Tea Party members. He spoke of a mentorship program that pairs judges with African American, Hispanic and Asian youth.  He spoke about the town hall meetings he has been conducting around the county.  

Under the name of "Integrated Conservatism" Woodfill said he wants to unite economic conservative and social conservatives to work together to put Republicans into office. He wants to draft conservative candidates who represent all communities.

On September 5, there will be a signing party for judicial candidates at the Westin Galleria.  He noted that this event was booked the farthest in advance that it ever has been in the past.

So, all of the above was included in Woodfill's presentation and speech to the crowd.  The two areas of breaking news as far as surprises go, for me, were the $500,000 price tag and proposed expenditure for the new - to us - software program and person to implement it (contractor) and the fact that he so casually incorporated it into the presentation.  Where did all of this come from?  Who is behind the idea and what is to be gained by those involved - particularly financially speaking.  We know the county party is usually strapped for cash.  Why hasn't this process been more transparent?

The second area of concern was the coalition building with the African American community plans but very little said about Hispanic or Asian coalition building measures.  The Asian community is the fastest growing community in Houston, though you would think it was the Hispanic community.  Traditionally, Asian Americans have been natural Republican voters.  This community should be a priority for the local party leadership.  Growing African American voter participation for our candidates is fine but it is a tough slog, especially in the near future.  Calhoun and Chambers are to be commended for their efforts, but, to be blunt here, they have been working this issue for quite some time with little proven results. Perhaps a foundation can be made but the growth that local Republican candidates will need in the next few elections will not be seen through the African American community in Harris County.

It is of concern that Woodfill continues to think that the 2010 election cycle is the new normal, rather than the 2008 and 2012 ones where Republican suffered losses.  Most who study elections think, as Judge Emmett does, that 2010 is an unusual case, not the new norm.  The Tea Party had a hand in the 2010 election successes for Republicans, as it was the fresh and newly enthusiastic voting crowd but that enthusiasm has evaporated in large part  now and cannot be counted on for reliable success at the polls.

Woodfill did not state that he is running for re-election.  He did, however, make a point of stating that he wants to "work with everyone" in the next elections. I'll leave it to you to determine what that means. No other declared or rumored candidate challengers against Woodfill in the upcoming primary race were present.  That was a mistake and a missed opportunity. Woodfill is not present frequently at events where the audience has the chance to ask questions.  This Power Point presentation is professional and loaded with numbers and facts.  Woodfill is a good cheerleader for the county party - which is, after all, at the top of his job description.