The HCRP narrowly escaped massive defeat in the county in 2006 and then were almost wiped off the map in 2008. The Harris County Democratic Party is salivating as it anticipates completing its county wide takeover in 2010. But hold up! Don’t give up just yet, Republicans. Jared Woodfill has found religion.
The local Republican Party plans to open a satellite office on the county’s east side, in part as a way to reach out to Hispanics.
Finally. You can look at this one of two ways. You can laugh out loud with cynicism, roll on the floor with splitting sides at the irony or…just say thank goodness.
I’m taking the latter route. Thank goodness. But I also have to give a big thank you to Ed Hubbard, Don Large and Paul Simpson. Those three guys are the reason for Mr. Woodfill’s sudden conversion. You see, this is America and in America, competition rules the day. Well, until President Obama and the rest of his clan destroy the country that is. But for now, competition still rules the day. Without those three guys sticking their necks out and saying enough is enough, Mr. Woodfill and troops would still have their heads buried. I’ll let you decide where.
Mr. Woodfill himself sums up his terms in office far better than I could. From the link above:
“For too long, as Republicans we have not taken our values to the community,” said Woodfill, a lawyer running for re-election as party chairman against three other lawyers in March. “We’ve allowed the Democrats to go in and define who we are as a party. Part of the battle is showing up and letting people know what you stand for.”
What Mr. Woodfill is actually saying is that HE has not gotten the job done in Harris County for Republicans. He has been in charge of the party for eight years. Eight years of doing absolutely nothing to expand the party. Instead, he and his fellow far-right social conservatives have dismissed anyone from the party that wasn’t in lock step with their agenda of pushing a certain type of religion. Nevermind that they themselves didn’t walk the talk, they wanted others to.
Regardless of the outcome in March, and we must remain honest and admit that Mr. Woodfill is the odds-on favorite to win again, this is yet another indication that, when spurred, he can go the right direction.
Thank goodness. Keep spurring him on.
(note: I’ve asked the three candidates if they would like to comment on this development. If they choose to, I will update this with their responses.)
Ed Hubbard’s comment:
“They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. In this instance, I am glad that the current team at Richmond Avenue has read my plan and my postings on my website, and has listened to my arguments over the last year. I have consistently called for the need to do the following:
- as part of creating a permanent presence in every neighborhood, the HCRP should establish satellite offices in each commissioner’s court precinct, staffed by volunteers, that can serve as an outpost not only during the campaign season, but also as a community center for our clubs and activities during the rest of the year; and
- our office on the East Side, when it is opened, should provide adult English classes and citizenship classes.
I am glad they listened to me, and have started this process–it will make the transition period after the March primary even smoother. But…the party has tried to do this before without following through, because it failed to support the effort by providing permanent funding and resources. Now that it is making this effort, it must follow through with permanent funding. Where it will get that funding, given the financial problems the HCRP has experienced over the last few years is anybody’s guess.”
Website: Ed Hubbard for HCRP Chair
Don Large’s comment:
“I applaud this development. As a party, if we are going to be the majority party in Harris County over the next decade and beyond, we have to be involved on a neighborhood by neighborhood level in every part of Harris County.
More than merely talking about our shared conservative values, we need to be listening to the residents and voters in all of these communities. Even if we do not like what we will hear, even if we do not want to hear what they may say negatively about the Harris County Republican Party, we need to listen it. This will enable us to craft a message that resonates better with voters throughout the county.
Ultimately, however, this is yet another example of the incumbent’s eight years of failed leadership as Chairman of the Harris County Republican Party. He should have seen this coming from his very first year in office in 2002. We have needed to have a meaningful presence in the East End, the Northside, Gulfton, Sunnyside, Third Ward, Alief, and Acres Homes for years.
Without question, we need to do more to appeal to Hispanic/Latino voters in Harris County. As a party, we should have done more for Roy Morales’ mayoral campaign this year. In spite of being heavily outspent by his opposition, Roy came within six thousand votes of making the runoff. Had our party endorsed him earlier in the election season, as soon as T.J. Huntley withdrew from the race, Roy could have made the runoff. Instead, some in our party preferred backing an establishment Democrat over a Republican. Reflective of the incumbent’s failures and missed opportunities these last eight years, this hurts our party’s ability to attract Hispanic/Latino voters to our party and our general election nominees. We must do better, and we will do better when I am elected to humbly serve as the next Chairman of the Harris County Republican Party.”
Website: Don Large for GOP Chair – Facebook
Paul Simpson’s comment:
It’s encouraging to see the Party take interest outside its traditional base. Growing the party into areas that have not been Republican in the past is essential to winning elections and advancing conservative causes in the future. But it is ironic for an eight-year incumbent to rail about what the Party has failed to do “for too long” and how it has allowed the Democrats to define who Republicans are. The article says the Party has “plans” to open a satellite office. Let’s hope it can follow through with those plans. And while it’s a start, a single office will be no silver bullet. The Republican Party must focus on long-term ways to become a lasting part of more communities across Harris County. Such efforts will be a priority in my administration.
Website: Paul Simpson for GOP Chair