It’s been a long time since I left a Republican meeting in Harris County feeling like there is hope for the future. Such was the case when I left last night’s meeting of the Houston Young Republicans, held at the El Tiempo Cantina in the East End. At one point during the meeting, Ed Hubbard turned to me and said, people are finally getting it. Thank goodness for that.
I counted 42 people crammed into the back room but there could have been a few I missed because it isn’t a closed area. Obviously, most of the attendees were “young” but there were a few of us older types as well. And since I practically begged Harris County Republican Party office holders, candidates, and party power brokers to attend, let me list those who made it.
District Clerk Chris Daniel was the only elected official to attend. Whether or not you love him, hate him, or are indifferent towards him, you have to admit that since the first day on the job, he has gone into ANY neighborhood in the county promoting his office and Republicans. I understand that he is going to have a primary opponent this year but that opponent cannot say that Chris doesn’t work hard at promoting the party.
Of special significance was the presence of two SREC members: Tina Gibson from SD17 and Bonnie Lugo from SD13. Tina helped spread the word about the event and even brought her husband, Ft. Bend Republican Party Chair Mike Gibson. That is one heckuva drive and shows their commitment to reaching non-traditional voters at the same time they are supporting the next generation of Republican leaders.
Candidates that I saw:
City:
- Chris Carmona – Houston City Council At Large 3
- Trebor Gordon – Houston City Council At Large 2
- Mike Knox – Houston City Council District A
County:
- Alicia Franklin – 247th District Court
- Melanie Flowers – 247th District Court
Congress:
- Sean Siebert – CD 18
And Ed Hubbard was there – you probably know Ed from his posts on BigJollyPolitics.com but don’t forget that he took Harris County Republican Party Chair Jared Woodfill to a runoff in 2010 by pushing the same agenda we are still pushing – expanding the party by holding to conservative principles and embracing non-traditional neighborhoods. Think where we could be today if voters had made a different choice back then.
I’d like to personally thank each of those listed for coming out and helping the party break through its self-imposed constraints. Working together, we can turn this ship around.
Now, on to the speaker, Anthony Magdaleno. Wow. I don’t know what happened to the polite, well mannered guy I met in 2009 but my goodness, he is fired up now!
In reference to the recent GOP 100 page outreach plan that recommended spending $10 million to send workers to minority communities, he said “I don’t care if you produce a 500 page report and spend $100 million, it will do no good if you don’t come into the neighborhood”. He stressed time and time again that Republicans have to be involved year round, not just at election time.
While acknowledging that racism still exists, he insisted that most of what we see and hear about is not racism but pure ignorance – because we aren’t in the communities, we don’t know the issues they face. The vast majority of Hispanics are law-abiding, church going people – before minority outreach can begin, you have to set aside stereotypes and come into the neighborhood. If you do, you’ll see that there is no difference in having a meeting at El Tiempo Cantina on Navigation or Pappadeaux’s on Richmond.
Trust is also necessary. If you don’t first establish trust, you can’t talk about politics. And you can’t build trust unless you show people that you truly care – care about their issues, their problems. And you can’t do that unless you are in the neighborhoods. Are you beginning to see a pattern?
Anthony singled out a couple of politicians for “doing it right”, Harris County Judge Ed Emmett and SBOE member Donna Bahorich. He gave examples of how each of these politicians spend time in minority communities not just going to political events but giving their time and money to various community concerns.
Anthony didn’t just hit a home run, he hit a grand slam. Some of his remarks no doubt offended people but sometimes that is what it takes to get people off their duff and into the action. If you are in charge of scheduling speakers for your club, you need to contact him pronto because I guarantee that his schedule is going to fill up fast.
A special thanks to RW Bray for getting the Houston Young Republicans to invade the Democratic Party stronghold that is SD6. Although RW didn’t win that Senate seat, he opened a few doors that wouldn’t have been opened without his efforts. Hopefully, his efforts will motivate other Republican clubs to venture out of their comfort zones and into neighborhoods that they perceive as scary but in reality are just comprised of fellow travelers in this life.
Outreach to American working-classes is what is needed.
Obviously Anthony gets it. But does the republican party?
Thank you for your support, David. I AM still the polite, well-mannered guy you met a few years ago, I am just very PASSIONATE about outreach — just as passionate as I am when I am advocating for my client in a child-custody case. Secondly, my statement was actually that if some of my fellow Republicans who are not familar with a minority neighborhood like the Second Ward would come out, they would see that having an event at El Tiempo CANTINA on Navigation is no different than having an event at Little Pappasito’s CANTINA on Richmond and Kirby. Finally, my friend, as you know, my comments were not mean or improper or delivered in a mean or improper manner, they were just REAL WORLD. If the message delivered is offensive to some, then perhaps what they have actually just experienced is a WAKE-UP call.
Anthony Magdaleno and others like him are the future of the HCRP.
Only Hispanics allowed in the R-Party….more stupid.
Also a good point in this article about our District Clerk Chris Daniel. Since day one he has always worked overtime to be everywhere in the community to promote our party and educate folks about the not so glamorous but important work done by his office.
I was talking to Chris at an event the other day and a little while later, while I am still at the same event, I get a Facebook message of him at another event! Definitely covering some ground.
I can’t help but comment here. First, let me say that I did not attend this talk, but from the description provided, it sounds like it was well done, and I agree with pretty much every point made.
That said, we all should know by now what needs to be done. I have attended a few talks from various groups about this very issue and the theme is the same. We need to better “outreach”, we must “engage” those voters who are not traditionally Republican etc etc. No one ever addresses the next (seemingly) obvious question. What does this “outreach” actually mean, and what is their plan to enact it. To date, I have heard nothing in regards to this.
I will credit HYR for having this meeting, but I question the result. It seems to me that the location of this meeting is irrevelant. How does having dinner on Navigation with a group of like minded individuals equate to “outreach” or “engagement”?
The talk sounded great, but what came of it? Did everyone leave the dinner with a plan to spend a weekend at a community event in that area? Did HYR collect information from people willing to go door to door in that area, or work the local food bank? Were audience members presented with an upcoming event to keep them engaged after hearing these remarks? I don’t want to knock HYR, but I looked at their calander on their website and there was no mention of any project like this that would involve anyone actually going into the neighborhood and getting involved.
I think his ideas are spot on, but there is no execution of these ideas by really anyone right now. To those who are commenting how great the talk was — are you planning to spend time in these areas to get to know people and engage them? Talk is cheap. I think we need to decide if we are going to engage in “outreach” or just talk about it. Right now, it seems all we want to do it talk about it.
I want to thank Anthony for a great speech, it was right to the point and it was something we all know but have forgotten, I traveled all the way from Austin County to listen as an Elected Official, Young Republican, Hispanic republican and Chapter Chairman of the Federation of Hispanic Republicans. I am proud to say in the 1st time in our counties history, the Latino community of Austin County voted Republican just by the party of the county reaching out and Listening and talking to them.
Marcus A. Peña
Austin County Tax Assessor/Collector & Election Official
Great points. Until the GOP establishes positive relationships with all communities, regardless of background we will be limiting our reach. The Houston Young Republicans, the Republican Hispanic Citizens in Action and the HCRP Outreach Committee, are now all on the same page, working for the same goal. Time to get to work.
Richard, you bring up a good point. What will get done? All I can do is offer an avenue — a big one — into the minority community, but my fellow Republicans and Republican groups must THEMSELVES come into these communities. (A trainer can tell any of us what exercises to do to get in shape, but if we don’t get off the couch, then what’s the use?) The good thng is that I am seeing some Republicans reaching out to neighborhood centers like the Tejano Center, for example, but the Republican masses are still remaining stagnant. As I stated last night, OUTREACH requires INTERACTION, and INTERACTION requires a PRESENCE. Therefore, last night was a big step in the right direction by a Republican group because, believe it or not, many non-minority Republicans are still concerned about their safety in these neighborhoods based upon groundless stereotypes. The ironic thing is that, right there on Navigation where El Tiempo is located, there are many non-minority individuals already moving into and living in the neighborhood and the restaurants there — including Ninfa’s — have a HUGE non-minority clientele year-round six to seven days a week.
Richard, you raise a great question, and I want to add to what Anthony just said.
In prior posts on Big Jolly Politics I’ve tried to discuss how to engage in these communities under a slogan of “Renewing the American Community”. I’ve called the approach I’m advocating the “Tupelo Formula” of civic engagement after the approach civic leaders in Tupelo, Mississippi tood to rebuiding their community starting in the late 1930s. The approach they took involved the following components:
• The community faced a problem that appeared intractable, and that had been confounded by multiple events—not unlike the confounding factors of under-education, under-employment, chronic crime and poverty, and the impulse to be “left alone”, which exist in many of our neighborhoods today;
• One person, followed by a group of civic leaders, saw a strength within the community that created an opportunity that could be exploited to help the community address its problem;
• These citizens had the courage to take a risk with their own resources to take advantage of the opportunity and to share the gain with the community;
• These citizens involved businesses, private organizations, and local government in both the planning and the implementation of their plan; and
• The gains to the community were both short-term, and long-term, and were broadly shared—e.g., businesses were created and expanded, employment grew, per capita income grew, and schools improved.
So how do we take this approach and make it work in our community? The simple answer is to treat all of the members of our community as we would treat our neighbor across the street, our fellow congregants at church, or our co-workers at the office–as our neighbors. Here are some suggestions, which should seem both obvious and familiar to all of us:
• Actually mentor and help our neighbors start new businesses while we promote policies that encourage small-business creation—small business creation is the easiest way to help people balance their need to make a living with our country’s need to rebuild neighborhoods. Businesses employ people, and employing people effects their lives. Every paycheck sets aside a retirement fund, pays for health care, provides for the sustenance of a family and (indirectly) for the support of the neighborhoods where employees live. Products or services generated by a business effects its customers, and those people touched by its customers. Wealth created by businesses increases the tax base and tax rolls, which in turn fund our schools—more wealth, creates better-funded schools. Programs that a business supports can enrich the lives of residents in the community where the business is located, as well as the lives of its employees. Each of us spends more time every day with our co-workers than with our family: the positive bonds you formed through this activity ripple out in every direction.
In essence, the greatest community service you can ever provide is to help create or support a local business.
• Actually mentor and help our neighbors to start or join a local service organization in their neighborhood, while we promote involvement in a traditional community-based service organization—between 1870 and 1920 many of the organizations that we remember as the backbones of our neighborhoods were created, and most still exist: Rotary, Kiwanis, the PTA, and many more. These organizations were designed to help serve the needs of their communities, and provide the social networks that build and maintain neighborhoods. Most of these organizations are crying for new members, but time and other commitments keep people from joining.
Anthony’s example of the Tejano Center is just one of so many organizations helping our neighbors to live by the principles we promote. Find an organization that fits your interests, your community, and your available time, and support it. Then, promote policies that shorten commutes to work, offer tax breaks to companies who give employees paid time to work for schools and volunteer organizations, and offer tax breaks to individuals to donate time to charities (and faith-based organizations) as well as money or assets.
• Get involved in assimilating our neighbors—To be a nation we must assimilate. Schools, churches, and childhood activities in the neighborhood were designed to assimilate children into our society as adults. Newcomers need the same help. We’ve argued way too long about the failure to promote assimilation. Let’s not just argue about it, let’s act.
Find an organization that is helping newcomers assimilate, and support it. Then, promote policies that give incentives to private organizations to create community centers and teach adults English and citizenship; that give children a safe place to meet, do their homework, and play; and that give families a safe place to interact and get to know and care for each other.
• Support organizations that help keep families and neighborhoods intact and building wealth, and promoting policies to accomplish those goals—For instance, our local GOP Juvenile Court Judges worked to create a model program, funded with private dollars and partnered with neighborhood churches, that is keeping first-time, non-violent juvenile offenders in school and out of jail. These types of programs will fight the long-term problems of under-education, under-employment, and chronic poverty that fester in communities where too many young people drop out of school and get a criminal record. We need more of these innovative programs that help rebuild strong schools, strong families, and strong neighborhoods.