Can’t say this was unexpected. Via the Ben Hall Campaign:
CONSERVATIVE CHURCH LEADER WANTS GOP APOLOGY
There is a growing backlash to the false attack on Ben Hall by the Chairman of the Harris County Republican party.
Today, Steve Riggle, the founding pastor of Grace Community Church joined other faith leaders in denouncing the blatant lie that Ben Hall ever supported the bathroom ordinance.
“What the Harris County GOP has done to Ben Hall reflects on the integrity of every person in the Republican Party. That is why I am urging every Republican office holder and party member to publicly condemn this outright lie.”
Riggle is one of five pastors whose sermons were subpoenaed by Mayor Parker, part of the city hall campaign against the religious community that Ben Hall has pledged to end on day one.
“Ben Hall has stood with us in fighting HERO from the very beginning,” says Riggle. “I should know. As you are aware I have been helping lead the effort to defeat this ordinance from the beginning.”
Ironically, the Chairman of the Republican Party ought to be chastising Bill King and Steve Costello. King doesn’t think it is the voter’s business how he will vote, and Steve Costello supports letting men go into restrooms with teenage girls. Why didn’t he attack Sylvester Turner, the gay caucus candidate who promises to be a fourth term of Mayor Parker?
“I have promised voters that I will not play politics with the truth,” says Hall. I will protect their public safety. I will make sure tax money isn’t wasted. And I will stand up to the backroom deals. That is why I am getting attacked.’
Again, this is easier to understand if you know the background of the Harris County Republican Party. Riggle was a huge supporter of Jared Woodfill, who lost to Paul Simpson in the last primary to be chair of the HCRP.
What is pretty much impossible to understand is why Simpson would throw the defeat of the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) under the bus, as well as jeopardizing the very real possibility of a Republican winning the Houston Controller’s race out of petty jealousy. Obviously there is more to it than that, as in kowtowing to the downtown Houston business establishment, but many folks will see it as nothing more than a petty opportunity for Simpson to poke Woodfill and his supporters in the eye.
I was reminded today by a staunch conservative Republican that the most important race this year is the controller’s race. He says that because Republican Bill Frazer is the odds on favorite to win the job, IF Republicans turn out to vote. And IF Frazer wins that job, the truth about the finances of the City of Houston can finally be laid bare. What Simpson has done by attacking Hotze, Woodfill, et al, is to guarantee a REDUCED Republican turnout, which clearly jeopardizes Frazer.
As I said yesterday, it makes no sense. Why blow the opportunity to elect a “more” conservative Mayor, defeat the obnoxious HERO, and elect the most qualified controller candidate in a couple of decades? To placate a few establishment Republicans that do little to nothing for the party?
That is strong and using celebrities in this fight is something the left wanted to do. Well done.
Will Woodfill and his team be able to overcome the combination of Mayor Annise Parker and and a vengeful HCRP Chair Paul Simpson in this fight?
I sure hope so. HERO is a prime example of bloated and unnecessary government. Why can’t Simpson see that? And since when did Republicans finance knowingly false attacks?
It’s a new day folks. If you are a City of Houston voter, I encourage you to look at the facts about the mayor’s race, the controller’s race, and the HERO vote. Vote your conscience, not what some vengeful party hack wants you to do.
NOT EXACTLY AN UPDATE UPDATE:
Funny, as soon as I hit publish, I get this from Simpson:
Dear David —
This week, the Harris County Republican Party began its promised campaign of identifying the liberal Democrats running for Houston Mayor.
On Monday, we exposed mayoral candidate Ben Hall’s consistent Democratic primary voting record, his contributions totaling over $100,000 to liberal Democrats like Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Sheila Jackson Lee, Eddie Bernice Johnson, Lloyd Doggett, and Al Green and that he is a current Sustaining Member of the Harris County Democratic Party.
We also pointed out that personal injury trial lawyer Ben Hall did, in fact, change his position on the Equal Rights Ordinance. As shown on the Harris County Democratic Party website, Ben Hall in 2013 answered “Yes” to the following question in his own party’s candidate questionnaire:
“If elected, would you support a citywide non-discrimination policy protecting LGBT Houstonians from discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodation?”
But, he later backpedaled on a radio talk show, prompting a letter from Democratic Precinct Chairs asking Hall to explain his contradictory answers.
Democrat Ben Hall was for the ordinance before he was against it, and nothing in his record shows him to be a conservative of any stripe.
Instead of demanding an apology from the Harris County Republican Party for telling the truth, Ben Hall should call his own Harris County Democratic Party and, as a current sustaining member, demand they make his 2013 questionnaire public.
Let’s be clear! The Harris County Republican Party opposes Mayor Parker’s HERO ordinance. At the first meeting I chaired after taking office, the Party’s Executive Committee in July 2014 adopted a resolution opposing that ordinance.
The Party has never wavered from that position. Having spent the last year building and fortifying our grassroots army, the Harris County Republican Party will make a real difference where it counts, on the ground and reaching Republican voters in neighborhoods to turn out the vote to soundly defeat Mayor Parker’s HERO ordinance. You can help by volunteering here.
We will continue to identify the liberal Democrats running for Houston Mayor and give Republican voters critical information needed to cast their vote.
Apparently the HCRP doesn’t know how to use the Google. Simpson wants Hall to demand that the HCDP release the questionaire? Seriously? Let me help them out: click here to view the questionnaire where a Hall staffer indicated that Hall would support a NDO. Hall answered for that staffer’s error in 2013 and paid the price for it. As he should have because it was his campaign.
Anyone that paid attention to that race in 2013 or who has paid attention to Ben Hall KNOWS he is against the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) and has been from the beginning. Or is Simpson now calling Pastor Steve Riggle a liar?
Sad to see the chair of the HCRP resorting to false attacks.
And wow!!! What about the work they have done to defeat the HERO!!! Whoo hoo! You go HCRP!
Unbelievable.