Unfortunately for the HCRP and Dr. Bunch (he has six degrees and he will make certain you know that), the turnout for this one was very light, especially in comparison to the first two. Perhaps 20 people were there, a few more if you count late comers and Fric n’ Frac. Maybe the not so perfect weather or maybe the hard to find location affected turnout but in all honesty, there doesn’t seem to be much enthusiasm in this one. HCRP Chair Jared Woodfill didn’t make it. One candidate on the ballot showed up, Lynn Bradshaw-Hull, who is running for judge of the 280th Family Court, which will be the new Domestic Violence court. John and Mary Faulk stopped by just as I was leaving but for the most part, it was a bust. Don’t think it is easy for me to say that because I’ll see these guys again many times before November but it is what it is.
Perhaps the lack of enthusiasm stems from the near impossibility of defeating Rep. Thompson. As best as I can tell, she doesn’t even have a campaign going; the only information I could find is a website left over from her run for speaker of the 80th session in 2007, and that is mostly cached history. The Harris County Democratic Party doesn’t list anything for her. Information about the district can be found on her official legislative page. According to the Texas Tribune’s page on the district, she was first elected in 1992 and hasn’t faced a serious challenge since. The Trib’s data shows that she trounced Dr. Bunch in 2008 but his website shows that he ran in 2006. A check of the Secretary of State’s website for 2008 confirms that Dr. Bunch ran in 2008, not 2006. That’s a pretty glaring error, don’t you think?
Dr. Bunch’s website also shows that he ran in 2002 in District 134 and in 2000 in District 145. The SOS’s website for 2002 shows that he received 1.16{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} of the vote in the Republican primary, which ended with Martha Wong and Mark Cole in a runoff. In 2000, Dr. Bunch lost in the general election to one Rick Noriega, 71-29. He must move a lot.
Now that I’ve gotten the intro out of the way, what was the meeting like? Standard agenda, work the room for a bit, then someone introduces the candidate, then the candidate speaks, then a question/answer period, and finally work the room a bit more as people mingle around. Normally, Chairman Woodfill would do the introduction but as I noted, he didn’t make it, so the intro was left to Fric and the videography to Frac. Rather than me recount what he said, hop over to the new Harris County Republican Party blog and watch/listen for yourself. The first couple of minutes are Fric’s introduction, then the candidate speaks.
Unfortuately, Frac didn’t video the question/answer session, so you’ll have to count on my trusty recall ability because I didn’t bring a pen and notebook. Two things stand out. First one is that Larry Lane, Republican precinct chair of 635, asked most of the questions. That can be good or bad – he asks good questions, so if you are prepared, you can look good. But….if not, well, you know. Larry asked a series of questions that should have made a Republican candidate shine: taxes, immigration, spending cuts, local vs. state control of schools, you get the picture. Unfortunately…wait, let me ask you something. If you are a Republican running for state rep, and have made it through the primary, and someone asks you “What areas of the state budget would you cut?”, shouldn’t you have an answer for that? I mean, seriously. Shouldn’t you?
My advice to any candidate running at this level. Look at the state budget, pick three areas that interest you, and be ready to tell a crowd that you are going to cut this, this, and that. Easy as pie. For example, if you are a Republican, say something like, I’m going to eliminate the Lone Star Card and return to vouchers, I’m going to stop subsidizing medical insurance for people that make over $50k a year, and I’m going to stop funding studies on the mating habits of barn owls. If you are a Democrat, something on the order of I’m going to let prisoners out early to save money, I’m going to reduce the subsidies to big oil and gas, and I’m going to eliminate the Texas Highway Patrol. You get the picture.
Dr. Bunch, it isn’t good enough to answer that question with: I’m going to listen to the people and what they want to cut. And the only tax I like is one I can eliminate.
Sorry dude, you should be far more prepared by now for simple questions like that. On the other hand, as you will note from his speech, he is 100{997ab4c1e65fa660c64e6dfea23d436a73c89d6254ad3ae72f887cf583448986} pro-life.
Back to the party. I had a great conversation with Eric Story. Can’t help but like a guy with skin as thick as mine, nothing seems to make him mad enough not to talk to me. His wife, Cheri, OTOH, I think might be a bit miffed at me.
One of the more interesting conversations I had was about fashion with Michael Wolfe and Judge Bradshaw-Hull. I mentioned that I had seen Michael the night before at Sheri Y. Dean’s bash and noted that Shelley Sekula-Gibbs was in attendance. Judge Bradshaw-Hull and Michael then started discussing how fabulous she always looks and that the colors she picks out to wear always match and look stunning. They were looking at me a bit funny and I had to protest, “but my shorts almost match my shirt!”. I don’t think they were buying it. What can I say? BigJollyFashion might not be my forte.
Then John and Mary Faulk arrived to rescue me from that conversation. I asked Mary if she’d been dancing lately (John and Mary are renowned ballroom dancers) and she said ‘of course’! And she told me that they were going to have a dance fundraiser coming up next month on Richmond. Whoohoo! Can’t wait to show my dance moves! I call it the Big Sequoia, because I sort of stand there and sway, hoping not to step on anyone’s toes. Last time I did step on someone’s toes, that someone being my wife, I heard words that made me blush.
Okay, I guess that’s a rap. See you next week at the Meet and Greet for Sarah Davis.
Website: BunchforTexas.com
